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The Student News Site of Niles West High School

Niles West News

The Student News Site of Niles West High School

Niles West News

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Keep Your Clothes On and Your Pictures Off (of Facebook)

Sophomore Alyssa Guzman on a social media trend.

Living in the 21st century, if I want to keep up with my peers, I usually just log into my Facebook account. Scrolling through my dashboard, I see a few changed relationship statuses, some funny comments, and maybe some interesting videos. What I don’t expect to see, though, are the girls my own age staring into the camera, attempting to be seductive by making the notorious faces that my generation refers to as “duck faces,” and wearing scraps of fabric that leave absolutely nothing to the imagination.

Despite myself, curiosity gets the best of me, and I decide to click on the photo. The star of the photo is standing directly in front of the camera, chest and butt being ridiculously flaunted due to an uncomfortable looking pose. She’s scantily dressed in a matching set of undergarments, blowing a kiss to the camera. I’m not exactly surprised to see over 100 “likes,” with comments ranging from degrading compliments given by the male population of Facebook, to extremely harsh remarks about “class,” mostly written by girls.

The problem with this is that it isn’t limited to just Niles West Students. It has become a popular trend to “flaunt what you’ve got” to the world. Part of the problem may be our society; we indulge ourselves in reality TV shows and celebrity gossip, while some of our favorite stars have proven to be poor role models. The controversial Kardashian family is also a contributor to this issue. The drama filled family has had several scandals, including when Kim’s personal calendar was released. The starlet booked a photo shoot in order to shoot 12 playboy style photos of herself, one for each month, to create a birthday calendar for her ex-boyfriend Reggie Bush. What was meant to be a personal gift ended up being something that was distributed to the entire country for everyone to see.

While some girls may defend their scandalous photos as a sign of “confidence,” some situations can easily spiral out of control.

“There’s a difference between being cocky and being confident. Confidence is knowing who you are, and cockiness is shoving it down people’s throats, and that’s what they’re doing,” says sophomore Gretchen Sterba.

A few of the comments on the photo may fuel a young woman’s self esteem to a higher level, but eventually, they will have to face the facts, and find a healthier way to boost their confidence. Social networks may work now, but in the long run, they are more harmful than helpful.

Social worker Jackie Lipka said social networks are a way for an adolescent to explore their identity.

“It’s natural for teens to explore in their developmental phases, and social networks are a good tool for that,” she said.  “Some teens aren’t good at being social in person, but the internet is good for that. The problem is, that some people lose their boundaries on the internet.”

There was a point where these photos were all over Facebook; girls were making obvious statuses about each other without mentioning any names, and even a few opinionated videos were made regarding the hot topic. Sterba said she is unhappy with the way those who have felt victimized are responding to everyone else’s opinion.

“There are other ways to retaliate, and most people are just being immature by indirectly attacking others,” she says.

Not only is Facebook a social network that some girls use to expose themselves, but Tumblr, a popular blogging site, is also used as a medium.

“Girls think that Tumblr is private, and that those types of pictures will be praised, because it’s sort of a trend on there,” says Sterba.

Tumblr is becoming increasingly more popular among teenagers, and the site that was created to express yourself is being abused with teens posting links to entire albums full of inappropriate pictures.

Although the main issue focuses around the female population of our students, boys also significantly impact this topic. Lipka remembers that similar events have happened in the past. She claims that it was mostly over Facebook, but the notorious Formspring and sending picture messages via text were also contributors. When a girl decides to send inappropriate pictures to someone, otherwise known as “sexting,” it is in everyone’s best interest not to hit that tempting “forward” button, and just to delete the photo.

“By policy, we are required to call home and let the parents know. It’s not only a social media issue, but also a government issue, and when we have the information, it is our job to report it,” says dean Mark Rigby.

Some male students say they are unimpressed with this type of behavior.

Freshman Tahir Meeks says that what those girls decide to do is not his business. “I’m not going to be reaping the impacts in the future, and I’m not going to be the one who has a hard time getting into college. They’re not stupid; they know what the consequences are. I’m not saying that they’re bad people, but the  choices that they are making now are going to impact the rest of their lives,” he says.

One would think that posting exposing photos is something to be frowned upon, but on the contrary, some teens have no shame, and their actions are praised for all the wrong reasons. Sterba agrees by claiming that these girls simply want attention, or that there is another issue going on in their life that is preventing them from reaching fulfillment.

Lipka, who gets involved in the social – emotional part of the spectrum when dealing with such issues, tries to help struggling students make better decisions and find a different way to get their needs met by searching for the bigger issue. Oftentimes, families are brought in, and students are encouraged to come to room 1130 for more information.

Lipka also said the Student Assistance Program, run by Karen Wick, is a great group to get involved in if one is struggling with self confidence, inner conflicts, or other issues.

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  • J

    J.Khan:)Mar 19, 2012 at 7:40 PM

    Finally, someone got the word out. This article is amazingg.:)

    Reply
  • D

    DPMar 6, 2012 at 4:09 PM

    I agree. It is becoming a growing problem and it needs to be controlled before it gets to out of hand.

    Reply
  • A

    a sophomoreFeb 29, 2012 at 4:23 PM

    In my opinion, females who post up pictures of themselves trying to be scandalous are just degrading themselves and are crying out for males to give them their attention. Well, ladies, that’s not the way. There are many other ways you can be “sexy” and “confident” without having to show as much skin as you can. Females who decide to post up these pictures are just documenting their own stupidity. There’s a thin line between confidence and cocky. Have some self-respect, ladies. Once it’s posted up, it’s there forever. Be careful with what you put up.

    Reply
  • T

    TheProcrastinatorFeb 24, 2012 at 1:46 PM

    Very well written. I think that “less is more” is the motto nowadays when it comes to clothes in this generation. I don’t think that complaints are going to do anything because society sucks in all of these new “trends” too fast to be prevented. One girl seems to get a lot of positive attention from something, so the rest follow. And it’s true, these girls aren’t BAD PEOPLE, they’re just trying to fit in.
    But what I’M wondering is how far will this go? When you’re barely wearing anything, are we doomed to become a nation of nudists or something similar?
    As much as I love facebook, it’s become a bit less enjoyable when all I see on my news feed is butts and chests. You girls are all beautiful and everything, but you need to learn to be a bit modest. You can flaunt your stuff in the shower if that floats your boat, just please stay out of the public eye. It’s gross.

    Reply
  • R

    Rebecca YunFeb 24, 2012 at 10:36 AM

    I have to agree with Frog on this. As a female myself, I know that those scantily-clad girls on Facebook are just looking for attention. For girls, it’s a big deal to be accepted by others, and if it means wearing next to nothing and posing in uncomfortable positions, some people will do whatever it takes to be ‘cool’.

    A lot of teenagers go with what’s ‘in’, which is why it was cool to have dip-dyed hair, feathers, hipster glasses, and tons of other things. I honestly have no idea why girls seem to like doing the ‘duck face’, but to me it looks extremely moronic. My little sister refers to herself as a trend-follower, which she verified by dip-dyeing her hair, getting a feather put in, and getting thick glasses (although that was due to her degenerative eyesight). Needless to say, my sister has issues with accepting herself as she is.

    In society now, if a guy doesn’t have a six-pack and bulging biceps, he’s not considered ‘attractive’ enough. Never mind being intelligent or having a wonderful personality, these days everything is about appearance. Have you noticed that pretty much every fad that’s taken root in the past year are all about appearance?

    I think the girls who make duck faces and dress like it’s 115 degrees outside should be put in a class about how to accept themselves. I personally don’t have any problem with how I look, which is why I don’t plaster my face with inches of make-up or go along with fads. I think you’ll notice that the people who don’t care what other people think about them are the ones who abstain from posing in ridiculous ways and making stupid faces, just to get more likes.

    Long story short, girls (and boys) should stop caring about their appearance and focus more on intelligence. In twenty years, no one is going to care about how you looked in because in twenty years, your intelligence will be what gets you places in life. Your appearance will change during your life and no amount of Botox or surgery will stop you from aging. Intelligence will always be more important than looks.

    See, this is why I’m glad I don’t have a Facebook. I don’t have to deal with this incessant crud on a daily basis.

    Reply
  • H

    Hafsa WahidFeb 24, 2012 at 10:09 AM

    This is a well-written article and I totally agree with you!

    Reply
  • F

    FrogFeb 24, 2012 at 12:39 AM

    Um, what about all the guys who post shirtless pics on Facebook only to have flocks of girls commenting about how great they look, complete with a suggestive winking smiley face? No one seems to have a problem with that. The double standards that men and women face in our society are present even moreso during our teenage years, but I believe that if we disregard these photos, girls won’t post them. They’re basically doing it for the likes, the comments, as the article puts it, the attention, so let’s not give it to them.

    Reply
  • V

    Vicky RoblesFeb 23, 2012 at 11:30 PM

    I love this article because it is so true! Well written too!

    Reply
  • T

    The Male PopulationFeb 23, 2012 at 10:55 PM

    So it seems to me that this comment thread is dominated by the female perspective, but to be fair it should be noted that not all men are pigs. In fact, most of us are far more concerned with a woman’s personality than their looks. Think about the type of man these girls are trying to attract, do you honestly believe that that’s a majority or even enough to justify this article?. Generally, as evidenced by Tumblr.com and other outlets for female insecurities, many girls bemoan the expectations they feel they need to meet. Most guys would not give these scantily clad girls a second look, much less consider pursuing a romantic endeavor with them. Here’s a suggestion, lets stop giving these girls any attention whatsoever, and maybe this problem will subside.

    “I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.”
    – Mother Teresa

    Reply
    • A

      Alyssa GuzmanFeb 24, 2012 at 10:17 AM

      You’re completely right, which is why we also incorporated the male’s perspective into the article. Tahir Meeks claimed to be unimpressed with these girls’ behavior, and so are a lot of other guys.

      Reply
    • M

      Maggie WibrightFeb 24, 2012 at 10:34 AM

      You said: “Most of us are far more concerned with a woman’s personality than their looks” and “Most guys would not give these scantily clad girls a second look, much less consider pursuing a romantic endeavor with them”

      I disagree entirely. Sure you can speak for yourself in this case, and we’re all glad you judge your girls on personality-that’s awesome that you see the reality of life, but no this is high school. As sad as this is, its true, many guys I know would talk about girls that post pictures of herself, degrading how much they want to…whatever, and yea i think this column was a way to say–Ladies what the heck are you doing to yourselves because its sad that they ARE LETTING boys talk to them so disrespectively, so trashy, so piggish, and then they think its the cutest thing in the world…so maybe they’ll see this and grow up a little bit + realize hey if my parents saw this..would they be embarrassed of my actions? because for the rest of the people on facebook/ tumblr that use it for REAL REASONS and not sloppy ones, WE DONT WANT TO SEE THAT HONEYS.

      Reply
      • J

        JackFeb 24, 2012 at 4:14 PM

        Once again, girls continue to generalize about the male population in this school, just like this article is an enormous generalization. 90% of girls don’t post pictures like this on Facebook, and 90% of guys aren’t superficial. In fact, if girls would stop trying to attract the jerks who make those “degrading” comments (again, NOT the majority of us) and found more appropriate ways to “get attention,” this problem would not exist. Alyssa and Maggie’s comments contradict each other; Alyssa rightly states that most guys are UNIMPRESSED by this behavior. These girls represent a minority, so let’s foolishly not polarize these two genders and make groundless statements.

        Reply
      • L

        LizahFeb 26, 2012 at 7:52 PM

        Maybe you’re just hanging out with the wrong guys then. No seriously. If you’re hanging out with guys that are giving you such a horrible generalized view on men then you’re very clearly hanging out with the WRONG GUYS.

        So I graduated last year, but I came across this article while checking up on how my highschool’s doing.

        I’m a girl and I went through four years of high school without having to wear more skin than clothes. I had one boyfriend the whole time who was and is absolutely amazing. And I didn’t get him to ask me out by degrading myself at all. Oh right, but he’s not the norm is he? Most guys in high school aren’t like that right?

        Well, I can honestly say that by the time I graduated most of my closest friends were guys. And sure, they commented on when a girl was attractive but that doesn’t mean they considered dating girls who were obviously lacking in self-respect. No. They looked for personality. They weren’t about to ask some girl out solely based on looks.

        Just because you hang out with guys who sound like complete jerks does not give you the right to comment on the rest of the males in the universe we know as high school. Speaking of which, “but no this is high school.” This comment, from what I can tell, gives me the sense that you’re still buying into all those stereotypes about high school that organizations like Disney try to sell to junior high kids (and younger). Guess what? The best way to enjoy high school is by throwing out every single one of those stupid assumptions. High school doesn’t have to be girls twirling their hair and sipping smoothies while chatting with their friends about what pigs men are. High school doesn’t have to be guys declaring which girls they’d like to -insert disgusting euphemism of your choice for sex here- and then bumping fists. High school doesn’t have to be this environment in which girls feel pressure to wear less clothes or do whatever it takes for attention. High school doesn’t have to be painful, and it doesn’t have to be a time of angst.

        Y’know what it should be and what I found it to be? A HEALTHY time of self-discovery and growing up.

        Reply
        • W

          WeezyFeb 27, 2012 at 7:58 PM

          OMG you snapped. finally a female that makes some sense!

          Reply
        • M

          Maggie WibrightFeb 28, 2012 at 10:24 AM

          Just because i “know” these guys doesn’t mean i’m friends with them….and when did i ever say every boy in high school was like this? because why would i say that.
          and you have no idea about who i am so i don’t know why you think you can bring what beliefs you think I have about high school into this since the issue is girls trashing themselves up…and not what stereotypes you think i have. but nice that was a good laugh. you proved to everyone else how easily you were able to judge someone you don’t know.
          I know what a gentleman is vs. one that is not.
          how are you both blind to the fact that “oh my believe it or not” this is how some young teenage boys act. this isn’t some “feminist girl” trashing the male population, it just happens to be a female writer with female comments since this is about oh what do ya know..Females…you think you would have reacted this way if a guys name was under the article instead of alyssas? i could care less if i contradict with alyssa..it’s my opinion.
          and yes i do use the excuse “this is high school” because for some people this is grow up time, and here they test their lessons and recognize their actions aren’t approved by everyone else…and all your talk about high school doesn’t have to be yadda yadda yadda….well for some people it is. it is a time for complete self discovery-IN THE WRONGEST OF WAYS. this is where they learn what is right and what they’ve done wrong. it’s where they really experience pain.. it’s a hint of the real world and how it can come back and bite you. congratulations on your wonderful experiences, but not everyone can say the same. i mean teen suicide for one thing. if high school was so wonderful and la la land then what’s up with that? that’s the only excuse I need, and there’s tons of things like this. tell me not to generalize the idiot that brought a fart machine to my class the other day, or the ignorant other kid that kept shouting racial slurs out trying to get a laugh. no one’s perfect, but gosh some people do know a lot better manners than others and high school is where hopefully they’ll learn their mistakes.

          Reply
          • M

            Maggie WibrightFeb 28, 2012 at 10:28 AM

          • L

            LizahMar 1, 2012 at 3:47 PM

            Do not compare this to a school shooting. Do not. They are completely different scenarios. A school shooting is an incident where something has gone extremely wrong. That boy was not shooting because of the average silly, stupid high school stereotypes I was referring to. When a school shooting happens it is due to extreme circumstances and mental unbalance in the student. It means that somewhere along the way, be it in his mind, school life, family life, or some combination of multiple aspects of his life, something went very wrong.

            I was talking about high school stereotypes, and YES the implementation of high school stereotypes in an adolescent’s life can contribute to bad choices and bad development but the level to which I was referring to those things is nowhere near the level great enough to contribute to an incident like that. This article and debate is about things that happen regularly in high school. I never said there were no boys who were pigs like that, and I never said girls can’t be really trashy in high school. I also never said I wasn’t aware of teen suicide and issues like that.

            On a sidenote, using worst-case-scenario situations like suicide and school shooting and bringing them to a debate about facebook pictures is a really poor choice. Those extreme situations did not have to be brought up in this exchange. Yes they happen. And yes they are proof of unhealthy high school environments/choices. But that is not applicable to what I was saying. My point was that in the everyday, for high school students living relatively healthy lives, high school does not have to play into all those stupid stereotypes surrounding it.

            “and when did i ever say every boy in high school was like this?”
            The Male Population said that most guys are more interested in a girl’s personality and you replied to that with “I disagree entirely.” If you disagree entirely with the idea that most guys in high school are interested in a girl’s personality then that means you believe that most if not all guys are NOT interested in a girl’s personality. Which given the context of this whole debate/article means that most guys are as you described and make lewd comments about the girls who post those pictures.

            And hey, by the way. You’re accusing me of judging you? Alright, so like you said, I don’t know you. But this exchange is happening on the comments section of an article which means that my means of judging you are in fact your comments. And in your comments you have already admitted that you are GENERALIZING (here’s where, in case you’re gonna ask: “tell me not to generalize the idiot that brought a fart machine to my class the other day, or the ignorant other kid that kept shouting racial slurs out trying to get a laugh.”). Now here’s my personal spiel of the day, our generation has completely ruined the word “judge.” It’s gotten to the point where you’re not allowed to have an opinion of someone without being accused of judging them. Which is really ridiculous because you have to have an opinion on the people around you in order to know how you feel about them. The moment when “judging” becomes a problem is when people judge otheres prematurely, in other words: GENERALIZING.

            I took examples from my personal life to merely cite that NOT ALL MEN are pigs in high school. I mentioned them as proof that you can surround yourself with an environment that isn’t like all this; that isn’t negative. You are citing examples of random guys in your class, and guys that you say you aren’t friends with as support for making generalized, broad, and sweeping claims about the male population at Niles West.

            On a final note, a true “feminist girl” wouldn’t be writing reviews that trash the male population. That’s misandry.

          • M

            Maggie WibrightMar 8, 2012 at 10:36 AM

            opinions prove entitlement.
            thanks for trying to shove your beliefs down my throat, yet i agree to disagree, and i guess you’ll have to deal with that, however hard that may be for you. but hey YOU WIN if that’s all you wanted to hear. you’ve clearly made the points you’ve been so desired to argue.

            Niles West isn’t different than any other high school and things happen here wherever they may fall on the “drama/scandal” scale that media sets for us. my classmates death proved to me that just because things happen around the world doesn’t mean that our own lives are any safer and things CAN and WILL happen to us. I can compare this school to any other life scenario….because we’re all gonna have life scenarios. UMMM HELLOOOO WE’RE ALL LIVING. this isn’t safety zone.
            and this article is again lower on the scandalous scale yet you never know if one day that girl in the picture might actually have low self esteem, which is why she takes pics in the first place, and so she leads to self-mutilation or dates a loser who gets her into drugs or suicide or any other scenario. however extreme it sounds, this stuff happens to people ESPECIALLY a young teenage girl who thinks she’s going through this all by herself when she’s actually surrounded by everyone like her. and there you have it is some cases of high school experiences. LIFE.

  • N

    NashFeb 23, 2012 at 9:41 PM

    A lot of people are great at just spitting out disgusting remarks at these girls but don’t back them up. I think you supported all the claims in this articles with reasonable justification, and I respect that.
    Attagirl, Alyssa.

    Reply
  • M

    Mrs. BarkerFeb 23, 2012 at 9:34 PM

    Very well written!

    Reply
  • H

    HameenahFeb 23, 2012 at 8:16 PM

    this is a really good article. I know that many have been thinking this but finally someones had the guts to go ahead and say it! Nice job Alyssa!

    Reply
  • F

    Fatima FarhaFeb 23, 2012 at 7:24 PM

    This is so true! I agree with Morgan; good job 😀

    Reply
  • M

    Mara ShapiroFeb 23, 2012 at 6:35 PM

    I agree with Morgan. Great job Alyssa!

    Reply
  • M

    MorganFeb 23, 2012 at 10:31 AM

    This is really well written Alyssa! It’s about time someone wrote about this!

    Reply