by Crystal Patterson

Created on: September 03, 2009   Last Updated: September 05, 2009

The influence of the media on teens has such an impact on their lives. It's almost scary to think t.v, magazines and, music is shaping them so strongly. If parents are not communicating their moral values on teens then someone or something else certainly , is doing the job. The media pushes them to accept views of beauty and what is cool. These kids are still kids pushed into rushing into adulthood behaviors.

They are robbed in a sense of certain innocence. You have a small time to be a teen and a whole life to be an adult. Why is there such pressure to rush through those special years where memories last a lifetime. I can't understand how, our beautiful teens feel low self esteem because, they're not a size four like run way models. Do you ever notice how stick thin women look older and not as lovely in the face. They are unhealthy. The word unhealthy to me means sickly and weak. Who wants to really look into that word for what it really is? We do not want our teens sickly. We do not want them to feel any less of a person because of weight. We know our teens are beautiful to us.

How about boys who feel pressure to be buff and built? Some give into steroid use to be accepted and not bullied. This is an outrage! To trade a small but, growing stature for a drug addiction to get some muscles. The media portrays how cool it is to have sagging pants and gold teeth. Showing underwear as being cool. Now, who is going to go to a job interview with those types of clothes on? Gold teeth equals rotten teeth. How is negligence in good dental care and lack of proper grooming so cool?

The main cool portrayal in the media that I see is sex. Now, how many risks would a teen be tempting having sex to be cool? Far too many for them to be pressured into it. T.V. and magazines show pictures of teen girls in skimpy clothes. Are they saying it's cool to look like hookers. Let it all hang out for the boys to see you are a prize that they want to pass around? Yes , teen girls are a prize and they have value but, already the media expresses exactly where their value should be in their pants. A teens value should be taught it's what's in her mind and her heart that makes the outward self all the more beautiful.

Teen boys shouldn't be taught to score is the way to manhood. How many teen dads we have with four mama babies running around. They do not know or care to change not one's diaper and certainly, not able to pay for it. Except, the rare few. They have plenty of time and need no media pressure Which, is essentially another actual form of peer pressure. I hope teens realize sometimes being cool by media standards carries too high a price robbing them of their best years.

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