Pressure to be cool adds to school stress
By HIMANI EDIRIWEERA,
The Toronto Sun
With school less than three weeks away, millions of tweens and teens are heading to the start line for the yearly popularity race to be cool in school.
From piercings to tattoos to designer clothes and accessories to hairstyles, most kids will be impacted by what they see on TV or in a magazine, said Dr. Arlette Lefebvre, child psychiatrist at the Hospital for Sick kids.
"Kids can develop their own style and personality rather than being a carbon copy of what they see in the media," said Lefebvre, adding that fashion is temporary and style is eternal.
"These days, it's not even that kids are just wanting to look good. There is a great fear of being ridiculed and those that can't afford the fads have heightened self-consciousness," she said.
Shari Graydon -- author of In Your Face - The Culture Of beauty -- said that self-image among teens has gotten out of control with mass media influencing their self-image.
Her book attempts to help teens resist the cultural pressure to conform to a stereotype.
"Kids try to live up to certain beauty ideals to fit in a world where media images have taken control," said Graydon, from her home in Ottawa. "The less time girls spend reading fashion magazines and watching TV shows that reinforce what they see in the magazines, the less likely they are to have image problems," Graydon said.
Graydon also said schools that require uniforms allow kids to express their individuality in other ways.
"The uniform policy levels the playing field to make clothing not the centre of attention," Graydon said. "Media images are so pervasive and the impact is magnified by virtually all the kids because they absorb the same message."
"It takes away a lot of the competitiveness. There's always a group leader that tests the code but the damage is still limited," Lefebvre said, adding all schools should have a dress code that keeps sexuality outside of school clothing.
Lefebvre said Media-awareness.ca offers advice to parents and kids, including the anatomy of Joe Cool.
"It's really important for parents to monitor what their kids watch and to talk to them about the impact it could have on them," Lefebvre said. "You can always try to deconstruct the media in its back-to-school efforts."
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