Oct Prowler

PROWLER Opinion 8 Voluminous hair, miniskirts, and exorbitant amounts of makeup. These are images from television scenes I frequently encounter when- ever I find myself in the family living room. If I was witnessing a clip of the newest episode of America’s Next Top Model or a teaser from a MTV original series, this would be less astounding. However, this is not the case. Instead, the scene I’m routinely encountering is one from kids’ programs featured on chan- nels like Disney and Nickelodeon. On shows like Shake It Up and Girl Meets World, young girls prance around with styled hair and made up faces. They dress in only the most fashion forward styles, and talk, walk, and act like they are much older. My little sisters might be amused, but I am not. Kids’ chan- nels are doing the American youth a disservice by urging them to grow up too quickly. In past years, there has been a major shift in the way young people are portrayed on television. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it can have negative effects if viewers aren’t careful. We as a society are quick to come down on publications like Seventeen Magazine and Teen Vogue for setting up an unrealistic expectation for women. So why are we so silent when it comes to kids channels doing the same? When Emma from Jessie wears expensive looking clothing and flaunts flawless blonde locks, she’s going beyond character por- trayal--she’s giving my sisters an ideal to work towards. When Cece Jones from Shake It Up well, you know, shakes it, she’s doing more than acting out a role—she’s tell- ing my sisters that popularity can be reached through the use of their bodies. Before they even have a chance to figure out who they are, society has already given them subtle hints on who they are supposed to be. Before they have even begun to outline their own goals, society has already started pushing them in a certain direction. And it expands beyond my own sisters. It’s nationwide. Now, I am not saying that these channels should be done away with. Not all of Kids’ Shows: Are Young Girls Channeling Bad Messages? By Katie Atkinson katkinsonprowler@gmail.com the shows they feature fall in line with my accusations. In fact, it’s the small minority. But even that is enough to impact the minds of our youth. I’m urging that we as a society pay better attention to what the younger generation is absorbing. When it comes to shows that are sending young girls the wrong mes- sages, it may just be time to cut the cord. (L) Teenage charac- ters Jade West and Beck Oliver from the Nickelodeon hit Vic- torious embrace each other on screen. (Below) Cece Jones and Rocky Blue, char- acters on Disney's Shake it Up show off their dance skills. Photos courtsey of glogster.com and Vic- torious.wikia.com.

Oct Prowler

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