Cause and Effect

Self-Centered When we first received this assignment, numerous ideas flew through my head. Since I have lived in Saint Louis for my entire life, it is extremely simple for me to see the problems that exist in our society. Although I can see these problems particularly easy, it may not be so clear for men to see these troubles. Nature versus nurture, religion, and race are just a few of the problems that exist today for an American female. Those are just a few of the thousands of causes and effects that one might see in American cultures. Since there are so many cultures living within one, it makes it extraordinarily hard to fit the image of the perfect American girl. Even if these ideas exist, the ones I can relate to the most are artificiality, stereotypes, and peer pressure. Artificiality exists in high schools, college, and in the professional environment. It is one of those topics that seems to never go away and is constantly being displayed by women all over. Advertisements are usually the first visuals noticed by children, particularly girls. Whether it’s on billboards, televisions, or on the products themselves girls notice the person who is considered to be the face of the advertisement. These models typically have long beautiful hair, perfect complexions, and a very thin builds. Little girls look to these women as role models and try to mimic their styles and attitudes: perfect build and sultry attitudes. Since they are exposed to these views early on, girls become extremely self-conscious because they do not look similar to the women on the advertisements. It is a topic that is rarely talked about but can be seen in perfectly airbrushed, cosmetically altered, and sexually appealing billboards. The cause of the problem is that company A, whom is posting the ad, does so to increase sales. In effect of posting the ad, females all over the United States are influenced and this increases artificiality. Females want to be what they see. It is the monkey see, monkey do effect. This is built into our genetic systems and we are all born with it. These ads’ sole purpose is to make more money. When the popular girl at school sees this ad and decides to buy this product, her friends or follows must do the same. This is where peer pressure comes into play. With the sole intention to fit in, every American girl is willing to attempt to change herself in order to be socially accepted. One girl sees another girl wearing a certain item or driving a certain car and they want it. This has a little to do with peer pressure but it is mainly when girls influence other girls. The cause of the problem is when girls are mean to other girls when they are not wearing the “in” clothes and they get made fun of. The effect is that young and old females are pressured into listening to what society has to say and they do not care what they must do to fit in. Celebrities are another source young American girl’s look to as role models. The children look up to the actresses because they are beautiful, rich, and famous. Nearly every young American envies this life style. In an attempt to become rich and famous, girls will try to look exactly like the celebrity whether it’s a matter of applying make-up, tanning, dieting, or the extreme: plastic surgery. These three topics all intertwine and sometimes it is hard to get the exact point out. Although artificiality and peer pressure are problems with being an American female, stereotypes also plays a huge role.

With technology constantly increasing as well as the desire to look perfect, thousands of American females are having cosmetic surgery performed in an attempt to achieve the image of perfection. This image is seen on a majority of advertisements to entice the consumer to purchase or use their product versus the competitions. If one young girl does not have the latest fad, her peers may insult her causing her to feel inferior. If it is not having the latest fad, it’s stereotyping that causes girls to feel uncomfortable with themselves. It is the simple fact that girls call each other fat, ugly, and sluts. They place every girl into categories and it causes serious problems for girls and the way they act. These three topics artificiality, stereotypes, and peer pressure have all been in my life and are difficulties seen by every American female. American females are surrounded with photo shopped advertisements, peer pressures, and increasing cosmetic technologies. With these constant troubles, American girls are raised to be self-conscious to attempt to achieve a surreal view of perfection. Ultimately, young American females base what they should look and act like off of what they see in the media and what they are friends say is acceptable. Since America is consumed with looks, fame, and riches, it is difficult for children not to mimic their role models or give in to peer pressure. This is why American women may be considered to be one of the hardest cultures to adapt to.