Date of Defense
2-20-2004
Department
English
First Advisor
Dr. Jonathan Bush
Second Advisor
Scott Friesner
Third Advisor
Dr. Karen Vocke
Abstract
Thousands of girls across the country are bombarded numerous times each and every day with images of how women and girls should look. Magazines feature only those with exceptional facial features and bodies, and even airbrush such women; radios shoot excited advertisements of the latest diet drugs through car speakers; Hollywood actresses tell of their latest cosmetic surgeries during television interviews; pop singers are critiqued by the media when they gain five or ten pounds. Rarely do young girls have female figures to look to in the media who are proud of their bodies, and less common are girls exposed to messages that focus on the inner-beauty of people as opposed to the outer-beauty of people. As difficult and disheartening as the issues of body images and eating disorders are, these are only two of the challenging issues that confront teenagers daily—many, many more exist.
Recommended Citation
Koski, Kristin, "Girls Reading About Girls: An Exploration of Girls' Views on Young Adult Literature" (2004). Honors Theses. 822.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/honors_theses/822
Access Setting
Honors Thesis-Campus Only