Kate Chopin s An Hour - 857 Words

When an author uses humanistic elements in his or her writing, such as emotion, those works tend to hold more meaning to the reader. Emotion can serve as the catalyst within literature in order to give the audience something to empathize upon. This technique allows the author to make a direct connection with the reader since he or she probably has an understanding of how various emotions can effect an individual; this is a consequence of being human. The broad variety of different emotions that Kate Chopin fit into â€Å"The Story of an Hour† presents the story with a perspective that is very intelligible. While some readers may not understand what it is like to live a sheltered life due to marital convention, Chopin laid out the emotional path that the protagonist takes and simplified it into individual, coherent feelings that a woman in the late nineteenth-century might have went through under these circumstances; she did an efficient job at telling the story of shock, suspe nse, and surprise during this poor lady’s last hour. Mrs. Mallard is described as a young woman with a heart condition that prevents her from getting too riled up without running the risk of working her heart to death; it could be said that this is a representation of married women living during this time period. As it is stated in the story, she has â€Å"a fair, calm face, whose lines besp[ea]k repression† and up to this point has not been at liberty to openly express these emotions due to her shelteredShow MoreRelatedKate Chopin s An Hour1812 Words   |  8 PagesAuthor Kate Chopin is famous for some of the most influential feminist stories and novels in the Western canon. â€Å"The Story of an Hour† is one such text. In this story, Chopin tackles many of the concerns that are essential to feminism, including the willpower and expression of a woman’s distinctive identity separate from the identity of her husband and the right of a woman to identify an d experience her own interests. While there is an aspect of this story that is provocative, namely, that Mrs. MallardRead MoreKate Chopin s An Hour899 Words   |  4 PagesThe author has to choose the gender of their main character, and by Kate Chopin choosing a woman it set a completely different mood to the story rather than it being a man. The time this story was written were women were suppose to be submissive and loyal to their husbands, caring and nurturing for their children, and well-bred, catering hostesses. If a woman were to overstep such boundaries, she would be considered unladylike, scandalous, or even immoral. Society looks differently upon a personRead MoreKate Chopin s The Hour1361 Words   |  6 PagesStory of the Hour† has been whether or not Mrs. Mallard was oppressed in her marriage or if she was depressed due to the lack of time she and her husband spent together. Time plays a crucial role in the story, from the time they have spent together, to the per iod of the story, and to the short time in which the story takes place. â€Å"The Story of the Hour,† is a story written by feminist author, Kate Chopin in 1894 that deals with marital instability from a woman’s perspective. Chopin, whose husbandRead MoreKate Chopin s An Hour1273 Words   |  6 Pagesthe probation to ban the consumptions of alcohol, because alcohol attributed to their husbands’ abusive behaviors. Three stories serve as great examples for how women were treated/viewed in overtime. One of those stories is the story of â€Å"An Hour†, by Kate Chopin, which shows us how shows us how women were in oppressive marriages and desired freedom. Another story called â€Å"Proof†, which was written by David Auburn, demonstrates the negative treatment of women in a male dominated work force. Finally,Read MoreKate Chopin s The Story Of An Hour1579 Words   |  7 PagesKate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour written in 1984 is a story of a wom an who, through the erroneously reported death of her husband, experienced true freedom. Both tragic and ironic, the story deals with the boundaries imposed on women by society in the nineteenth century. The author Kate Chopin, like the character in her story, had first-hand experience with the male-dominated society of that time and had experienced the death of her husband at a young age. The similarity between Kate Chopin andRead MoreKate Chopin s The Story Of An Hour1336 Words   |  6 Pagesstatus in society as married women. In the story of an hour, the author, Kate Chopin describes the emotions of a woman who is married and tied down to this oath for the rest of her life. The author uses the ways of the society during that time to construct a story that accurately reflects the feelings of majority of women of that time. The goal of the story is to examine how women were indirectly oppressed during those times. The story of an hour is an interesting short story that begin with tellingRead MoreKate Chopin s Story Of The Hour Essay982 Words   |  4 PagesKate Chopin was an American author who wrote two novels that got published and at least a hundred short stories. In Kate’s short story The Story of the Hour she uses some of her traumatic event that happened in her lifespan in the short story even though it the story is fictional. A lot of her fictions were set in Louisiana and her best-known works focused on the lives of sensitive intelligent women. One-third of Mrs. Chopin’s stories are children’s stories. A lot of Mrs. Chopin’s novels were forgottenRead MoreKate Chopin s The Hour928 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The Story of The Hour† fully answers its title. It is a story about a woman living her last hour. Not so many things happen during that hour, but in contrast, many thoughts fly through main character’s head and a reader can form an accurat e portrait of a woman’s life from these thoughts. Somebody tells her that her husband is dead. After that she dives into the whirl of thoughts regarding the impact of husband’s death on her future. Some facts or beliefs make this woman think that her husband’sRead MoreKate Chopin s Story Of An Hour993 Words   |  4 Pageswriter’s base their stories of real life experiences and feelings. Kate Chopin largely based her stories off of her own life. Kate Chopin spent her childhood years in an alternative and matriarchal Louisiana town with a family that was unconventional. She challenged her nineteenth century sexist society and used her own life to put strength and feminism into her stories like â€Å"The Storm†, â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† and of course â€Å"The Story of an Hour†. She lived with her mother, grandmother and great grandmotherRead MoreKate Chopin s The Story Of An Hour1921 Words   |  8 Pagesapproaches. For Kate Cho pin, the famous author of â€Å"The Awakening† and â€Å"The Story of an Hour†, her most successful approach was to provide audiences with short stories that proposed meaningful and strong messages. However, Kate Chopin’s powerful feminist images that were present throughout her writing has mostly flaunted Chopin as only a â€Å"pioneering feminist writer,† which has led to other messages Chopin incorporated in her writing into being overlooked. In Kate Chopin’s, â€Å"The Story of an Hour†, the short

Southwest Airlines Financial Analysis - 4454 Words

Executive Summary The strategy of Southwest Airlines (SWA) has remained the same, which is to give customers low-cost, point-to-point airfare, with excellent customer service. This simple strategy has resulted in SWA posting profits for 30 consecutive years. While other airlines are downsizing, SWA is showing slow steady growth. This performance is evident throughout their SEC Filings. First we will look at SWAs ROI and ROE compared to the rest of the industry. Two thousand and one and 2002 were difficult years for the airline industry. Most airlines showed negative ROIs and ROEs, however SWA posted an average ROI of 16.76% for the three years ending in 2002. Likewise, they also showed a substantial 12.87% growth in ROE, during the same†¦show more content†¦Southwest, in comparison, continued to grow. The growth rate slowed to just over five percent, in 2002. This was an attempt to keep the companys debt under control. The company did not add any new cities in 2002, and has no plan to add any more for the year 2003. However, Southwest added new stops to some of the current routs and added non-stop flights to other routs. Southwest hired more employees to satisfy the new security demands in the airports. The company, also, purchased eight new aircrafts, in 2002. Result of Operation The companys consolidated net income for 2002 was $241.0 million ($.30 per share, diluted), as compared to 2001 net income of $511.1 million ($.63 per share, diluted), a decrease of $270.1 million or 52.9%. Operating income for 2002 was $417.3 million, or 33.9% compared to 2001. Consolidated results for 2002 and 2001 included $48 million and $235 million in gains the company recognized from grants under the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act. Consolidated results for 2002 also included $36 million in additional passenger revenue from reduction in estimated refunds and exchanges. In 2002, the company had a total cash flow of $603.1 million, which was $394.7 less than the year 2001. The company purchased 23 new aircraft in the past two years. The payment for these aircrafts was recorded through the consolidation of a special purpose trust. Four of mentioned aircrafts were paid off before December 31, 2002. TheShow MoreRelatedEssay on Southwest Airlines Company Finan cial Analysis735 Words   |  3 PagesSouthwest Airlines Company Financial Analysis Five Year Financial Overview Southwest Airlines Co. | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | Revenues | Not Available | $15,658.00 M | $12,104.00 M | $10,350.00 M | $11,023.00 M | Stock Price | Not Available | $8.56 | $12.98 | $11.43 | $8.62 | Profit Margin | Not Available | 1.14% | 3.79% | .96% | 1.61% | Net Income | | $178.00 M | $459.00 M | $99.00 M | $178.00 M | Employees | Not Available | 45,392 | 34,901 | 34,726 | 35,499 | Read MoreSouthwest Airlines State Of The Airline Industry930 Words   |  4 Pages Southwest Airlines State in the Airline Industry Edwin Romero Ashford University BUS 690: Business Strategy Dr. David Kalicharan January 12, 2014 Abstract As Southwest Airlines reached their 43rd birthday, it has matured within the airline industry. During the past four decades, Southwest Airlines has maintained its image. However between 2008 and 2013 the profits have been at a loss and Southwest Airlines has had a declining financial performance record. In the end, SouthwestRead MoreProfitability and Creditworthiness Analysis for the Southwest Airlines1680 Words   |  7 PagesProfitability and Creditworthiness Analysis for the Southwest Airlines (LUV Ââ€" NYSE symbol) : Various financial ratios are used by managers and investors to analyze companys financial health. In this section we describe return on equity analysis to measure the Southwests performance. ROE is viewed as one of the most important financial ratios. It is used in an effort to evaluate managements ability to monitor and control expenses and to earn a profit on resources committed to the business. ThreeRead MoreEssay on Southwest Airline Company Overview1413 Words   |  6 PagesSOUTHWEST AIRLINES CASE STUDY ASSIGNMENT – SUGGESTED STRUCTURE Cover page Contents page MAIN BODY INTRODUCTION (150 WORDS) Purpose of the report What does Southwest Airlines do? What is the background to the organisation? What industry does it operate in? What are its geographical markets? What products and services does it offer and what are the market segments? What are Southwest Airlines’ mission, vision and values? What generic strategyRead MoreSouthwest Airlines Case Study1271 Words   |  6 PagesSouthwest Airlines have become an international carrier with gradual development coupled with strong leadership. The company has faced difficulties through stiff competition from the other leading carriers, which struggle to gain a larger market share for the travel product. The company desire to expand is what makes it more successful in the market. The expansionary measures also require significant management practices, which become harder. Southwest Airline faces competition from Delta AirlinesRead MoreSouthwest Airlines Case Analysis1546 Words   |  7 PagesSouthwest Airlines: A Case Analysis ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS It is evident that the greatest strength that Southwest Airlines has is its financial stability. As known in the US airline industry, Southwest is one of those airlines who are consistently earning profits despite the problems the industry is facing. With such stability, the corporation is able to make decisions and adjust policies, which other heavily burdened airlines may not be able to imitate. Having a low amount of cost in theirRead MoreJet Blue vs Southwest1141 Words   |  5 Pages2013 Comparative Analysis: JetBlue VS Southwest This case is a report that compares the financials of two well-known firms in the airline industry, JetBlue and Southwest. JetBlue Airways Corp was established in the year 1998 with a vision of being a leading cost efficient passenger airline with competitive, low rates. The company has been working toward a goal of growing sustainably while also maintaining efficient liquidity. The second firm in this case report, Southwest Airlines Company is a muchRead MoreThe Profitability Of Southwest Airlines1012 Words   |  5 Pageshas Southwest seen an improvement in how efficiently it operates but according to the operating profit margin and the net profit margin it is also operating much more profitably with less financial risk. These significant increases are very promising; coupling this with the fact that Southwest operates in a uniquely positive way compared to others in the industry is yet another factor that has influenced this large investment in the company. After considering the profitability of Southwest AirlinesRead MoreConceptualizing a Business Bus/4751344 Words   |  6 Pagesstrategic objective must be in place. This essay will discuss the descriptive analysis regarding the mission and vision of Southwest Airlines and it differentiate its organization from its competitors. Southwest Airlines values are, governed by their mission and vision statement, which is satisfying to our stakeholders, increased profitability, and differentiates from our competitors. Analysis Southwest Airlines business plan is to develop a stronger relationship with its customers by providingRead MoreSouthwest Swot Analysis1497 Words   |  6 PagesBusiness SWOT Analysis Abstract As a mutual fund manager, I have decided to conduct some research on Southwest Airlines. I will provide an overview of the company’s history, and an analysis of their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT). While there wasn’t any rhyme or reasoning behind my selection, I do feel that Southwest Airlines is one of the leading airlines in the United States. Conducting a SWOT analysis will help me understand what the company’s strengths and weaknesses

Marketing Strategy

Question: Write and make a presentation on marketing objectives, marketing strategy and action programs for the new product. Answer: Marketing Objectives for the first six months The marketing objectives of this product, G RO Carry-on Luggage should be in sync with the fact that is a new product launch in Australia. The 3 marketing objectives of this product till 6 months of launch should be the following 1. Creating brand awareness As G RO Carry-on luggage is entering the Australian market for the first time, it is evident that the prospective consumers of the products will not be able of the qualities and uses of the product. Thus, it becomes imperative for the company to first make the consumers aware of the product and make them know of the qualities of the product and how it varies from other similar products or how is the breaking the market. Once significant customer awareness is generated, this would lead to trials. Consumers would want to try out the product, G RO Carry-on Luggage to find out whether or not they like it. Satisfied consumers would reuse the product and also eventually become advocates of the product. This is typically how the entire marketing cycle should be. Brand Awareness Trials Re-purchase Brand Advocates 2. Customer Acquisition As G RO Carry-on Luggage is a new product in Australia, it becomes imperative for the product to start amassing a loyal customer base. Therefore customer acquisition should be a target for the first six months. Customer Acquisition management should be made an integral part of the marketing objective for the initial six months. This would include lying down of set methodologies and process to identify and acquire new customers and manage old customers to ensure high retention ratio. It has been statistically proven that new product launches have a high success probability if the customer acquisition strategy is right and implemented in a smooth way. Customer is always the king and we should try to acquire and manage it from day one. And it becomes more important as G RO Product is a new launch. 3. Customer service A customer who is a new buyer of G RO Carry-on Luggage will not be a loyal customer initially. It is imperative for the company to retain this customer and ensure that the customer does not face any service quality issue. This reasons for this is Customer acquisition is a costly affair and retaining them is of prime importance. Customer retention is always cheaper than customer acquisition. Loyal customers would eventually become brand advocates of the product. They would promote G RO Carry-on luggage through would on mouth and the product thus would gain a free advocated PR. Quantifying the above three marketing strategies, thus Brand awareness at the end of 6 months should be 20-30% Top of the mind recall 30-40% Assisted recall Customer acquisition of 1000 growing at 10% per month Customer service level of 95%(Evans, 2003) Market segments The market segmentation for this product can be best done through demographics. Hence, the demographical segmentation done in this case would be through Age. The following are the segment chosen: Kids 0-6 years Youth 7-22 years Working professional 22-55 years Retired 55-80 years This demographic age segmentation will almost cover the entire population. Now, there has to be logic to decide the target market among the segments. Target Market G RO Carry-on luggage is a new, technically superb, trendy and fashionable product. Therefore the target market for this kind of products would be the youth and working professional segments. Typically any adult should be targeted for this product. This is the age group that would perfectly relate to this kind of product. The reasons are: They are trendy and always on the lookout for new and advanced products. They are more into technology and prefer products high on technology. They are the age group who easily experiment and involve themselves with new products. They are more likely to invest into hedonistic products and have a high degree to indulgence Hence, all these reasons make this age group perfect for G RO Carry-on luggage. Positioning To determine the positioning of the products, we have to first identify the attributes associated with the product. Lets first list down all the attributes of G RO Carry-on luggage. Revolutionary, Travel Companion, Technologically advanced, Trendy, Fashionable, Modern, Latest The above are the major attributes that come to our mind when we think about G RO Carry-on luggage. The positioning statement thus should reflect what the product stands for. It should reflect the brand attributes and create an imagery of all this attributes. Therefore the position statement should be For all young individual who seek technologically advanced products and are willing to experiment, G RO Carry-on luggage is a travel luggage which unlike others is a superior electronically enabled product which is just like your travel companion. This positioning statement can be condensed into the following brand tag line Now never travel solo. G RO Carry-on, your travel companion. Always. (Moutinho) Marketing Strategy The marketing mix has to be perfect for this product in order to successfully dominate the market. A clear thought out strategy for each component of the marketing mix is needed, i.e product, place, price, promotion. Product The product is G RO Carry-on luggage. The aspects that we need to think on in this segment are Design Technology Usefulness Convenience Value Quality Packaging Accessories Warranties The branding strategy Each of these aspects has to be clearly thought out. The attributes in these should be Design: It should be a trendy and modern design which move eyeballs at the first look. The colour also should be catchy as it will be targeted for youth who usually appreciate bright and modern colours. Technology: It should be technologically modern and should incorporate latest electronics. The target audience will be more attracted towards the product if the product is highly technologically advanced as it enhances the ease of use. Usefulness: It should not just be attractive and modern. It should serve the purpose of a traditional luggage. It should be of a good size and be sufficient for longer duration of travel. Convenience: Luggage should be easy to move and carry. There should be good wheels and handles which make it easy to move across airports, railways stations and bus stations. Value: The consumer should be able to feel the value of the product. It should be an optimum mix of a traditional luggage integrated with modern technology. Quality: The quality of luggage matters a lot. It should be wear resistant and should be tough on rough usage. Young people are like to have abusive usage trends and hence quality of the product matters. Branding: The branding should be a sub-brand of the company. The product should leverage the parent brand and also in turn try to create a brand for itself. Place The aspects that need to be looked in the place strategy are Retail Wholesale Mail order Internet sales Direct sales Peer-to-Peer Multi channel The place strategy is basically one to reach the target consumer in the easiest way. We need to find out how to reach the consumers efficiently and cost effectively. Therefore, balancing act should be done between the efficiency and cost to reach. The place to reach the target consumer should be Retail. The reasons for this should be It is new and technologically advanced product. The consumers need to have a touch and feel aspect to the product in order to personally see how the products should be. These kinds of products need to be visible and should allow consumers to try at retails outlets before purchasing. Retail is way to reach a wide range of consumers. It will be able to reach maximum potential consumers. Retail will provide a perfect balance between cost of outreach and efficiency of sales. Sales conversion ratio is likely to be highest in the retail form of sales. There needs to be a special section in retail stores which will specifically house G RO Carry-on luggage. This will draw the attention among the potential target audience and will be excited to try out the products. A new section with a very good and catchy merchandising will move eyeballs and will lead to a higher number of trials. Promotion The aspects that need to looked into the promotion strategy are Special offers Advertising Endorsements User trials Direct Mailing Leaflets Free gifts Competition Let us analyse the importance and relevance of each aspect in detail Special offers: As G RO is a new products, there is a necessity to provide special offers to drive initial sales. Offers like a discount of 10% should be able to drive sales. Advertising: In order to create an initial brand publicity and awareness, a good funding needs to go into advertising. Mass media like newspaper and Outdoor advertising should be used as these will reach the target audience in the most efficient way. Endorsements: Celebrity endorsements may be taken to create an initial marketing buzz for the product. User trials: Trial products should be kept at retail outlets so that people can try and give reviews. Limited trials should be kept for the first six months to garner a good PR. Direct Mailing: There is no need to direct mailing as this will be a time consuming and ineffective process. Leaflets: There is also no need to provide leaflets as a publicity aspect. Free gifts: Free gifts are not good for a long term perspective and as this is a premium product there is no need to push sell through free gifts. Price The pricing strategies that need to be looked into are Skimming Predatory Penetration Psychological Loss leader Cost plus Premium The pricing for G RO carry-on luggage has to be premium pricing. The reasons for this are This is a hedonistic product where the buyer feels elated by purchasing a product which gives a feeling of premium-ness. Reducing the price will degrade the premium-ness attached to the product. This is typically a low volume high margin product. Hence, if pricing is not premium, profits made would be sufficient to sustain operational and marketing costs.(Emerson) Action Plans for first six months Once we have defined the marketing strategy for R GO carry-on luggage, there is a need to define executional actions that would help us achieve those on-ground. The following are the actions that need to be taken A strong marketing communication A marketing agency has to be hired who would be responsible for developing a 360 degree integrated marketing communication for G RO. This would define how much to communicate, what the content should be, what media channels and apertures do we need to use and what should be the return on marketing investment. The areas to define will be Content of communication Media vehicles and apertures Return on marketing investment Test market the product Before testing out the entire marketing, it is imperative to test market the product in order to find out the effectiveness of the marketing mix. This would be a small geographical area where our target market resides and see how the product performs. A test market in the city of Sydney for a period of one month and followed with slow expansion covering entire Australian market in six months. Create a network of retail outlets A study needs to be done as to which retail outlets need to be tied up with for distribution of the product. As the product is in premium category, only high end retail outlets need to be targeted. References Rajagopal. (2016). Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning.Sustainable Growth in Global Markets,188-217. doi:10.1057/9781137525956_7 Selecting target markets and market segmentation. (n.d.).Marketing Your Practice: Creating Opportunities for Success.,18-28. doi:10.1037/10200-002 Wang, H. (n.d.). The effects of marketing mix on brand equity. doi:10.14711/thesis-b854880 Evans, M. (2003). Fragmenting markets: Implications for segmentation and targeting.Journal of Consumer Behaviour,2(3), 210-211. doi:10.1002/cb.102 Moutinho, L. (n.d.). Segmentation, targeting, positioning and strategic marketing.Strategic Management in Tourism.,121-166. doi:10.1079/9780851992822.0121 The Marketing Mix and the 4 Ps: Understanding How to Position Your Market Offering. Emerson, M. (n.d.). The Five Ps of Marketing: Product, Place, Promotion, Price, and Profit.

Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls free essay sample

I encourage girls to search within themselves for their deepest values and beliefs. Once they have discovered their own true selves, I encourage them to trust that self as the source of meaning and direction in their lives† Mary Pipher, Ph. D. Clinical psychologist Mary Pipher has brought widespread attention to the loss of true-self, experienced by adolescent girls in her critically acclaimed book, Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls. Whitaker, 2006). In her book, Pihper addresses the development issues of adolescent girls, the culture they live in and how their needs are and are not being met. She explains that our failure as a society, is not giving our children good, sound advice on how to become a decent, functioning adults and our unwillingness to do so, is destroying our culture (Pihper, 2002). She also offers insightful advice as to how, we as a society can encourage our adolescent girls to remain true to their authentic selves. We will write a custom essay sample on Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls More than anything, I want to save my children from the pain and self-imposed isolation I experienced during adolescence. As a parent, I want to shelter my children, make all of the hard decisions for them and protect them from any harm that comes their way. As a realist, I understand that the experiences of adolescences are necessary to build character, strength and integrity. As a dreamer, I want my children to magically transcend into adulthood, unscathed from the trauma of their teens years. As a future psychologist, I agree that our children are growing up in a poisonous culture and without intervention; we will all suffer (Pipher, 1994). When I looked up this book and noticed its publication date (1994), my first thought was, â€Å"How relevant can this book be, it’s almost 20 years old? † The issues adolescents faced in the early 1990’s are not the same issues that my children are dealing with in 2013. American cultural has changed significantly in the last 20 years. Society as a whole, has become more aware, more understanding and more proactive; we’re willing to acknowledge the faults of past ideology and we’re eager enact positive change. We’re involved; we’re conscientious and we’re dedicated the betterment of society. Yet with all of our good intentions, our adolescent girls are drowning in vast sea of negativity and losing their true authentic selves, to an over sexed, hypercritical, media crazed culture. The most important message it took from Mary Pipher’s book, Reviving Ophelia, is how damaging and belittling our culture is to the development of adolescent girls. We are living the â€Å"information age† and there is very little parents can do to shield or protect their children from the harmful influences of the media. The internet and social media has taken over society and negatively impacted our culture in numerous ways. Children are exposed to sexual, violent content so often and from such an early age that they’ve become indifferent to it. Even the movies, music and television programs that are specifically geared towards adolescents, often advocates under-age drinking, drug use, defiant behavior and overt sexuality. As a result, our children are growing-up too fast. My twelve year old daughter is dealing with issues that were once considered to be taboo even for adults, such as sexting and posting naked picture online. Parents and the media often contradict one another, which further confuses adolescents (Pipher, 2002). Parents are trying to establish healthy boundaries and instill moral values, such as kindness, respect, consideration and modesty. Their goal is to produce happy, well adjusted, morally sound adults. The media, on the other hand, purely wants to make money by pushing products and opinions (Pipher, 2002). All facets of the media push, sell, and glorify sexuality over newsworthy content. These types of media encourage self-doubt and insecurity in girls by teaching them to worry about their sexuality, popularity and attractiveness (Pipher, 2002). Pipher blames the inescapable influence of the media, in part, for the eradication of self-esteem and loss of true identity among young impressionable girls (Whitaker, 2006). Throughout time, the needs of our children have not substantially changed (Pipher, 2002). They still need love, understanding, protection, acceptance and guidance to grow and thrive. It’s our culture and expectations, or lacks thereof, that have changed; we no longer expect people to do the right thing. Our culture has become much more sexualized, violent and dangerous for adolescent girls; 44 percent of all rape victims are under the age of 18 (Rainn, 2009). Startling statistics like these make it difficult for parents to balance their adolescent’s need for safety against their need for autonomy. These changes have also made it much harder for young women to identify and ultimately get what they need (Pipher, 1994). Our culture encourages adolescent, girls and boys, to distance themselves from their parents (the people that care most and know them best) as a sign of independence (Pipher, 2002). When adolescents are in their most vulnerable/impressionable state, their parents are unable to help them navigate difficult life altering situations. For the lack of better option, adolescents turn to their peers and media (Facebook) for advice and guidance: which leads to confusion and loss of self (Pipher, 2002). Mary Pipher explained, the problems that girls (adolescents) are having is not because of dysfunctional families, as much as a dysfunctional culture. I found this perspective refreshing. For many years, family members, especially mothers, have been blamed for their daughter’s (adolescents) unhappiness and emotional issues (Pipher, 1994). Parents are not the only ones responsible. They cannot protect their children from everything and everyone. Our culture and society are responsible as well; we all have an obligation to the youth of our nation. As a society, we are failing to provide a safe, nurturing environment for our children to flourish. As a culture, we are failing an entire generation of young women by allowing the media to dictate the value of external and internal beauty. We are also allowing the media to teach our culture, that it’s acceptable to view children in an overly mature, sexualized manor (Pipher, 1994). Adolescence has always been a time of turbulence and strife but in today’s culture, girls and young women feel overly pressured to conform to society’s unrealistic expectations of beauty, sexuality and femininity. During childhood, girls are praised for their kindness, academics, sports ability and natural talents. During adolescence, their childhood accomplishments and personal strengths are minimized or devalued and their sense of â€Å"self† becomes dependent upon their perceived level of attractiveness (Pipher, 1994). Girls who do not feel attractive or â€Å"normal,† see their bodies as a personal failure and are left feeling worthless and/or excluded. Pipher explains that an adolescent’s lack of emotional maturity, makes it difficult for them to hold onto their true-selves and not fall prey to our over sexualized culture. Girls are encouraged to sacrifice their true-selves and they are expected to mold themselves into what society wants from its young women. In a sense, their identity is strip away so their sexuality and attractiveness can surface. Society has little concern for who these young women want to become or what they’re capable of accomplishing (Pihper, 1994). Our culture doesn’t typically embrace or reward individuality, unless it comes in a pretty, blatantly sexualized, package. Girls respond to cultural or societal pressures by being angry, developing depression, withdrawing and by conforming (Pihper, 2002). Pipher explains that insecure girls often â€Å"lead with their sexuality,† as if it’s their only redeemable quality and all they have to offer. As a parent, how can I help my children navigate a media obsessed culture that I do not truly understand? How do you limit the dangerous influence of the internet and Social media; it’s everywhere, all the time? This is not the culture or society that I grew up in, the rules have changed and the stakes are much higher. I feel like I’m running a never ending race against peer pressure and media influence; whoever wins the race gets to keep my child’s soul and dignity. The idea of losing my sweet, loving twelve year old daughter to title wave of uncontrollable, irrational hormones is terrifying. Like most parents, I fear adolescence. I clearly remember my own â€Å"war path† through my teen years. I needlessly pushed and distanced myself from my family. I was very â€Å"uncool† to get along with your parents. I fought viciously for independence, which really meant doing whatever I wanted. I lied, skipped school, snuck out at night, stole liquor and drank to the point of passing out. I felt misunderstood and disconnected from everything. I deeply craved companionship; so much so that I allowed myself to be used by unworthy, equally damaged people. The peer pressure was so intense and my need for acceptance ruled my life. It was a very confusing time and I tortured myself and my parents. I remember how lost I felt, how hopeless it all seemed, how angry I was and how much I hated my body. I was too short, too fat, teeth were crooked and my chest was too big. I breast developed quickly; in junior high, I was 34 C-cup and by high school, I was a 36 D-cup. I got a lot of inappropriate and unwanted attention, that I didn’t know what to do with. Men/Boys liked me too much and women seemed to be bothered or intimidated by me. Some of my girlfriends were jealous, while others were overly critical. The attention I received permanently changed how I saw myself and how I interacted with the people around me. I went from being a tiny, abrasive tomboy, who was always fighting to be seen as an adult, to being viewed in a completely sexualized manor. The media has taught women, of all ages, that their most revered, important qualities are sexuality and appearance (Pipher, 1994). Adolescent girls are constantly bombarded with distorted, over sexed images of what beauty should look like. You have to be tall, ridiculously thin, wear expensive clothes, have perfectly straight teeth, flawless skin and above all else, exude sex (Pipher, 2002). When young women compare themselves to the images they see on television, in movies and on advertisements, they’re often left feeling inadequate and confused about their own bodies. The media’s idea of what constitutes attractiveness or what beauty looks like is often unattainable, unhealthy and unnatural. The average fashion model is 5’10/5’11 and weighs 110 pound (Pipher, 1994). According to the Center for Disease Control (2007-2010) the average American girl, at age 11 is 4’11† and weighs 104. 8 pounds; an average American girl, at age 15 is 5’4† and weighs 139. 6 pounds; the average American women over the age of 20, is 5’4† and weighs 166. 2 pounds. These statistics are mind-blowing and sad. How can we expect adolescent girls to have a healthy understanding of beauty and body image, when the average 11 year old girl (at the beginning of adolescence) is just 6 pounds shy of the average fashion model? How, as a society, do we expect our young women to develop positive attitudes about weight, height and appearance when we continually glorify an unrealistic and often unattainable standard of what beautiful is? When the media portrays â€Å"beauty† in such an unnatural way (being supper skinny) adolescent girls will do unhealthy, extreme things to be thin; which often leads to eating disorders (Pipher, 1994). Bulimia Nervosa is the most common eating disorder among young adolescent women, ages 14-24 years old (Duke University, 2010). People with bulimia will binge eat or consume large amounts of food in a short amount of time; an average of 3,000 – 5,000 calories within an hour (Smith amp; Segal, 2012). After binging, the bulimic feels compelled to purge or rid the body of the recently consumed food by vomiting, excessively exercising, or abusing laxatives and diuretics. Approximately 1 out of every 50 American women will suffer from bulimia at some point in her life (Duke University, 2010). Bulimia Nervosa can become all-consuming and take over the adolescent’s entire thought process. Every decision, in one way or another, is about food. In the beginning, bulimia makes them feel powerful, in control and invincible. For the first time in their life they can eat whatever they want, it doesn’t count, the calories don’t matter because they can get rid of them. No harm, no fowl! Slowly, over time, they come to realize that they are not in control, they’re eating disorder is. The uncontrollable compulsion to binge and purge interferes with relationships, daily routine and their life in general. In an attempt to hide their eating disorder, adolescents may isolate themselves from friend and family, which only exacerbate their illness. Pipher offers some great advice on how, we as a society, can encourage and effect positive change in the lives young women. She list 6 essential things that all adolescent girls need. First) Physical and Psychological Safety: Girls need the ability to thinks clearly and the permission to feel what they feel, without fear of punishment or ridicule. Second) Love and Friendship: Girls need the love of their parents. They need to develop lasting relationships that are based on mutual respect, love and understanding. Third) Useful Work and Skills: Girls need feel useful and purposeful by develop skills that promote personal accomplishments and success. Fourth) Opportunity to Grow: Girls need time, compassion and guidance as they develop into total functioning human beings. Five) Self-Defense Training: Girls need to feel empowered; they need to know that they can take care of themselves, that they are not passive victims.