THERE are many flaws in the way that groups of people are portrayed in the media and by their very own peers. Some of these teens are
not like the othersRemember the magazine Highlights you read as a kid and how there was always a "What's Wrong With This Picture" game on the back? Were the editors of this magazine preparing us for commercials and ads for Union Bay, The Gap, Levi's, etc., which sell images of teen-agers who look so hip and happy that they could have only been born on Mars? No dour faces could be spotted in the crowd.
Recently that trend has reversed itself. Now the pictures are of sullen teens with stringy hair and bodies. To crack a smile would reveal your loser status.
In advertisers' eyes, teens fit into one of the two categories and that's that. The individual is the oddball.
It's not only the idea that teen-agers can be easily boxed into categories that gets me mad, but most television shows and their sponsors in general all seem to believe in the idea of the generic generation.
Look at how TV shows portray teen-agers. Their lives either revolve around violence (cop shows) or the opposite sex and prom (sitcoms on ABC).
But who cares about how the media wants to portray you? They just want your money. You don't have to want to emulate the bods and fashion on television. Next time you get the urge to put on a brand name, ask yourself who you're doing it for. You may be surprised by your answer. Let's reject those makeshift images of teens, not to mention those cloying Disneyland ads.
The cutest and most realistic portrayal of teens I've seen are those pimple commercials. Mine through the layers of the "I'm so bad" attitude that so many everyday teen-agers adopt, and you'll see the insecure dork that resides in all of us. (I don't want to talk to you, oh arrogant one, if you say otherwise).
NOW look at they way grown-ups are portrayed. I hope I'm not nullifying my chance at a summer job at McDonald's by recognizing this rather trivial thing, but I feel it must be said to try to calm the nauseous feeling I get every time I see their Arch Deluxe ads.
In my humble opinion, they're saying to grown-ups: Here's our version of the Whopper and we think you'll like it because your taste buds are dull. To add insult to injury, they get an adorable chicken to cluck for the burger. Never mind that in 24 hours that chicken might make up some other sandwich.
Ah, then there are simple joys experienced as a minority in America. Looking at those Calvin Klein ads - with his recent hauling in of the obese and Asian-Americans - gets you elated at first if you happen to fit into one of those categories.
Then, like the thinking person you are, you start to wonder: is he using the models to make his next couture statement, or is he merely recognizing the minorities that have been right under his nose for many years because of their expanding numbers, and therefore, their expanding number of dollars?
So there's my view on television. I used to hate it when people bragged about how few hours of programming they watched. It's ludicrous, but now I find myself saying the same thing.
I detest it now when hourlong news shows do those anti-television segments. Their message is: so it's bad to watch a lot of television, but we're going to approve your decision to tune in to our show and make you feel guilty at the same time.
Uh, am I missing something here?
As Highlights would, say, yes.
Julie Motooka is a 15-year-old student at Castle High School who spends more time reading than watching TV, but likes to grumble about the latter Rant & Rave is a Tuesday Star-Bulletin feature allowing teens and young adults to serve up fresh perspective. Guys and girls speak up by fax at 523-8509; by answering machine at 525-8666; snail mail at P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu, HI 96802; or e-mail, features@starbulletin.com