Home
Introduction
Articles
Reflections
Weekly Log
 

 

 

 

Many thanks to Mike Hillman who has instructed me on webpage building, and also to Audrey Hillman who has cooked me dinner and welcomed me into their home for the hours spent during this internship.

...all in a day's work
The Official Internship Website of
 Michele L. Clerici

 

Breaking Body Image Barriers


16-year old, Christina Catalani, doesn’t diet.  She doesn’t watch her weight.  She’ll admit that she eats from the time she wakes up in the morning to the time she goes to bed at night.  Her mother says that when Christina has her girlfriends over they eat faster than she can put food out for them.  “I don’t mean they just have some chips and dip, I mean they eat!” she says.  Christina is pretty satisfied with her body and she seems to think that most of her friends feel the same way.   

Then her mother begins to talk about a certain girl that used to be part of the clique.  “She would come here to hang out and while the other girls were eating, she would just sit there.  I would ask her if she wanted something to eat and she would say, ‘No thanks, I’ll just have a glass of water.’  She must have been a closet eater, though, because she gained weight little by little and then over the summer, she just stopped hanging out with the girls.  I never see her anymore.” 

It seems that Christina might represent the average high school girl while her girlfriend  represents the unhappy and unfortunate minority.  Is it surprising, then, that according to recent body image research, two-thirds of all high school females are either dieting or planning to diet?  This means that more than half of all high school age girls are dissatisfied with their weight, with the seeds of dissatisfaction rooted during the preadolescent years (7-12), and sometimes tracing as far back as five years of age. 

Body image and the changing standards of society are certainly not new ideas; however, as teens seem to be growing up much faster in today’s media-driven world, the pain of self-hatred and a lack of self-confidence are becoming more and more real for them.  Some may say that the pressure of having a “perfect body” is so overwhelming in today’s society, that it has become the majority of what teenage girls think about on a daily basis. 

“I think that girls my age, and in my high school, think about their body image non-stop,” says Erin Keane, a high school freshman.  Erin attends Washington Township public high school and feels strongly about the need for girls her age to obsess about their weight and body image.  Her sister, Catlynn, a senior, shares a similar perspective.  “I think that body image is important to girls in my school.  The people I go to school with are very superficial and image is all they think about,” she says. 

As far as the dieting habits of the two girls, neither claim to be concerned with them, only with being healthy.  However, both have noticed the image-driven eating habits of friends and other classmates.  “I don’t feel it’s necessary to diet, because I don’t over-eat and I’m phyisically active.  On the other hand, many of my friends feel its necessary to diet because they think they’re fat, when in fact, they weigh less than me… but just have less self-confidence,” says Erin.   

The extremity of this obsession with dieting and trying to attain a perfect body can be seen in the increasing numbers of girls diagnosed with anorexia, bulimia, and various other eating disorders.  These cases are still considered a small minority in the face of the “average” teen girl.  Nonetheless, two-thirds of high school age females diet or plan to diet, revealing the “average” teenage girl as one who is considerably dissatisfied with her body and often taking unhealthy risks as a means of overcoming this lack of confidence.   

Studies have even shown that girls who try to lose weight are more likely to gain weight over time, making the challenge to meet such high standards practically impossible.  “All of the girls in my school are perfect and I am the opposite,” says Catlynn.  She also says that many of her friends feel it necessary to diet, but can never fully “go through with it because they always get hungry.”  Add together the constant hunger and lack of energy that comes with dieting, and the barrage of constant food-related media experienced on a daily basis, and the result is a formula for failure.   

Most teenage girls are not even remotely aware of the dangers associated with dieting.  Aside from the physically and nutritionally harmful aspects, are the mentally detrimental effects.  By limiting calorie intake, the body is deprived of essential body chemicals that regulate brain activity, moods, and emotions, leaving dieters at a higher risk of depression. 

When asked about female celebrities they most admire, all three girls mentioned singers or actresses who exude the standards of perfect body image.  Christina chose Ashanti because of her “sex appeal,” Erin chose Jennifer Garner for her beauty and “muscular build,” and Catlynn chose Cher for her ability to look “awesome” even though she is “fifty-something.”

 Does the media hold sole responsibility, then, for the way that young girls are obsessed about their inability to achieve such perfection?  These three teenagers seem to agree that the biggest influence on their self-image is television, movies, magazines, and music.  “Reading beauty magazines make me feel like I need to better myself, like I’m not good enough the way I am.  I feel determined to ‘fix’ what’s wrong with me, even though nothing’s really wrong… it’s just not ‘perfect,’” says Erin.  And while Christina considers herself pretty self-confident, she is a witness to the influence of media on other girls who are “worried about their bodies…and they’re only teenagers.” 

A lack of respect for one’s own body throughout high school leads to even more complicated issues further on in life.  Most college females fear the notorious Freshman Fifteen, and they continue to battle the pressures of weight and size as they get older.  They linger between the realization of real freedom and the unconscious internalization of the “thin ideal,” rooted in the painful struggle for a perfect body throughout their teenage and high school years.  

In today’s society, it’s no wonder girls are caring more and more about their physical appearance.  How do we teach them?  How do we make them see that a beautiful female is more than a Britney-Spears-body and an endless diet?  Strong female roles are the key to self-confidence, and breaking down the barriers of media-driven body ideals will keep teen girls from falling into the tragic struggle of perceived exterior inadequacy and ugliness.

 

To Draft Or Not to Draft: Resolving US Military Issues

 

In the wake of September 11th and the occupation of Iraq, The United States military faces a struggle of retaining manpower and bridging defensive gaps.  Active-duty soldiers have been forced into longer assignments while families wait patiently at home for their loved ones to return, only to once again, bid them farewell for another demanding fulfillment of duty.  In terms of numbers, the United States forces have been stretched to the limit, and continue to search for new ways to increase military enlistment. 

As the possibility of the United States as a weakened superpower penetrates both government and society, debate over possible resolutions to this looming problem has caused a stir among military and civilians alike.  Perhaps the most controversial of these is the reinstatement of military conscription.

It has been nearly thirty years since the United States has eliminated military drafting after the Vietnam War.  Public support for government and military officials declined heavily during the war as draft calls intensified, taking a severe toll on the morale of both the country and those drafted soldiers off in battle.  “The opposition was manifested in a variety of ways: …sit-ins at selective service offices, the burning of draft cards, demonstrations on college campuses, and weddings to take advantage of marital deferments.”[i]  As the Vietnam War came to an end, the United States realized the ineffectiveness of its forced military participation, and the draft was lifted.

Since then, the country has operated on an All-Volunteer Force and has continued to gain both international power and public support.  As some would argue, the U.S. military has rebuilt its strength and success based on this freer force of military enlisted.  According to former Secretary of the Army, Louis Caldera, “today’s all-volunteer military recruits only motivated, trainable people who, by definition, have other options but who choose to stay in the military  because they find satisfaction in serving their country.”[ii]

However, it remains that the strain on military troops grows larger and larger as the need for more soldiers in new and old areas of occupation continues to increase.  Lt. Gen. John M. Riggs argues “I have been in the Army 39 years, and I’ve never seen the Army as stretched in that 39 years as I have today.”[iii]  Reservists are putting in more time than they imagined upon enlistment, and new “stop loss” policies have prevented soldiers from leaving active-duty even when their service agreements are up.

New York Congressman, Charles Rangel, has pushed the issue even further, believing that without the re-instatement of the draft, our nation’s freedom will continue to be a product of socioeconomic imbalance.  “I strongly believe that fighting for our country must be fairly shared by all racial and economic groups… the burden of service cannot fall only on volunteers who, no matter how patriotic, are attracted to the military for financial reasons.”[iv]  This argument follows the fact that statistically, larger numbers of lower-class citizens make up the enlisted population because they are more prone to seek out the monetary advantages of enlistment.  Rangel predicts that without the draft, “we will be a nation in which the poor fight our wars while the affluent stay home.” 

This is precisely why legislation for the reinstatement of the draft was introduced to Congress by Rangel.  Additionally, a bill was introduced in the Senate in early January by Senator Fritz-Hollings that would “provide for the common defense by requiring that all young persons in the United States, including women, perform a period of military service in furtherance of the national defense and homeland security, and for other purposes.”[v]  Under this bill, every citizen, regardless of class would be responsible for contributing, in some capacity, to the military force that defends and supports the nation.  With these added numbers of non-active and active draftees, relief could be provided for those soldiers spending exhausting amounts of time in the line of duty.

In opposition to this Senatorial legislation, Libertarian presidential candidate, Aaron Russo has formed a petition that outlines this new legislation as an “infringement on our personal freedoms.”[vi]  This continuing debate draws on the experiences of the Vietnam War, and the country’s aversion to sending unwilling men, by lottery, into the fatal throws of battle.  This petition serves the argument that enlistment in United States forces should remain a choice rather than an obligation, as the nation’s very basis for military power is to retain its commitment to freedom itself.

The debate over military conscription continues to become more luminous as the issue of limited manpower and a strain on active troops becomes more problematic.  Government legislation will ultimately decide the fate of our national obligations and responsibilities as citizens.  The question remains: Is military drafting justified in its effort to provide relief and balance socioeconomic situations, or is it a direct violation of the very freedom our military serves to defend?


[i] David Segal, Recruiting for Uncle Sam. (Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1989), p. 34.

[ii] Louis Caldera, “Should the Draft Be Reinstated?”  Time.  Vol 162/163, Iss 26/1.  (Academic Search Premier, 23 Feb 2004), p. 3.

[iii] Joseph Anselmo, “Pentagon Plans for Bigger, Better Army With ‘Spike’” CQ Weekly. 31 Jan 2004. p270. (Academic Search Premier, 23 Feb 2004), p. 271.

[iv] Charles Rangel, “Should the Draft Be Reinstated?”  Time.  Vol 162/163, Iss 26/1.  (Academic Search Premier, 23 Feb 2004), p. 1.

[v] “Petition Drive Opposes Military Draft.”  WorldNetDaily.com  13 Jan 2004,  , p. 1.

[vi] Ibid, p.1.

 

Life Lessons From A College Student


I begin to wonder, as this four-year slumber party we call college comes to an end, how my time in this place has really carved the way for my future. I am reminded that in a few short weeks, I will experience "last-call" on this unforgettable party, and an invitation to… queue the dramatic doom music… the REAL WORLD. And while in the pit of my stomach, I feel like a guppy thrown to the sharks, ready for a rude awakening in the face of unemployment, a lifetime of debt, and the realization that the luxury of naptime will soon cease to exist, I can not help but feel a certain comfort in knowing that my time as a college student has not only prepared me scholastically, but mentally and socially.

What I intend to say is that, in my experience, college life is invaluable. The friends you make, the successes you achieve, the failures you learn from, and the lessons you acquire through the passage of time will stay with you always as you move on and grow up. With that said, it is my ambition to impart some of the fortunate wisdom I have adopted over the years as a product of college life. These are my life lessons from a college student…

Make Lists. I've learned that the most efficient way to manage your daily stresses, is to make a list. Not just a list. Lots of lists. In fact, lists of lists. I've made "to do" lists that include lists I must remember to make. Neurotic? Maybe. But I have learned, and I am sure that many of my college colleagues would agree, that you will never get anything done unless you make a list. If you need to procrastinate, and God knows we spend more time procrastinating than actually being productive, then make a list. Because nothing feels better than crossing off something on a list. I truly believe that if more people worried less and listed more, the world would be a less stressful and more productive place.

Take Naps. Perhaps this seems elementary and even hilariously impractical in today's working world. When business calls, family issues loom ever-present, and you still haven't made time for that new years' resolution in which you swore to work out at least 3 times weekly, time for a nap just wouldn't make the cut. I understand this. However, college life has a way of taking its toll on even the most ambitious and responsible of us. Naps are sweet little energy-boosters that can, ironically, save time rather than waste it. While the world sees a stereotype of lazy college kids sleeping until all hours of the day and in between classes, I see a generation of wise geniuses, ahead of their time, in knowing that every day must be taken in stride, and that a nap is just the cure to the oblivious rush through life.

Take pictures. You may not always remember that you got an awful test grade in American Literature your spring semester of junior year, but you certainly will remember how funny it was when you went to the bar the night before and sang karaoke to the music of "Glory Days" with a random girl from your Bio class. These are the times you'll want to remember, because this is the stuff of life. Pictures remind us of the people we are and the great friends we have. Without them, we forget all too easily that life is more than work and money; it's about good times with good people, and remembering the fun we've had. So take pictures - lots of pictures - and make the memories that mean something last forever.

Clean your mess. Dorm life is what humbles every college individual into valuing the preciousness of space and time. Every dorm-goer must experience his/her share of frustrating roommate hassles and inconsiderations. By sharing what might be considered exceptionally small living spaces with strangers and friends from year to year, I have learned that cooperation and consideration is absolutely, unequivocally, undoubtedly the key to sanity. It doesn't matter if you don't want to wash your dishes until the morning… do it anyway. It doesn't matter if you want to leave your personal items all over the bathroom sink, don't do it anyway. People expect respect - respect for their space, respect for their time, respect for their sanity. You'll never keep sane in this world if you don't realize early on that all you have to do to get along is clean your mess.

Call your Mom. You may have never liked to admit it when you were a teenager, but Mom's got the answers to most of the things in life you can't handle on your own. It doesn't matter how old you are, sometimes you need to feel like someone else can sort things out for you, and believe me, if anyone can, it's your Mom. Let her do the things she wants to do… let her sanitize your new apartment cabinets before you unpack the dishes, even if you think its already clean; let her send you off with extra food to take home, even if you think u won't eat it; let her talk about her experience and her opinions and give you advice on relationships, even if you think you don't need it… because you do. Listen to the things she says and don't take them for granted. Above all, when things seem too hard, too scary, too much,… be sure to call your Mom.

Eat healthy. While I cannot deny that I am a tremendous advocate and great lover of food, I have found that there is nothing as self-torturous as the Freshman Fifteen. This pertains more so to females than to males, but I have indeed, seen both sexes fall to the depths of beer belly-ism, and survival merely on diets of pizza and Doritos. While your new found freedom has trained you to eat whatever you want whenever you want, any college student will tell you that kicking the habit before springtime rolls around is essential to fitting back into what you will now refer to as your "skinny jeans" (aka the jeans you wore when you were in high school). And even after college graduation, you will pine for the days when you could slide those jeans over your thighs without having to use your yoga moves and a set of pliers. So eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a queen, dinner like a pauper, and never lose faith that one day you'll wear those skinny jeans again with pride.

Laugh at yourself. Every student walks into the wrong classroom at least once during their first year. Every one of us has dropped our food in the dining facility, or fallen out of our chair in class, or been called on by a professor when we were not paying attention. Every one of us has been caught in a fire drill during a shower, or been spotted walking down the hall in our bright green alien pajamas, or been caught singing in our sleep. Embarrassing moments like these happen to everyone everywhere, and if we take them too seriously, we'll never live them down. I've learned that the only way to walk around with my head up after tripping headfirst into the pavement during the rush of students on their way to class is to laugh at myself. Your embarrassing moment will only last as long as it takes for someone else to do something as equally stupid, so why not just let it go and laugh it up.

Ask questions. If you don't ask, you'll never know. The greatest thing I could have learned from my professors is that people like to talk. They like to be understood and acknowledged. It never hurts to ask questions no matter how juvenile or simple-minded you think they are. The more you ask, the more you know. And if I dare to be genuinely profound, and without sarcasm, in this single life lesson from a college student, I wish to emphasize the power of asking questions. When we were young, all we wanted to know was "why?" I've learned that now, more than ever, it is important to keep asking "why?" - to wonder about things, to search for answers - to never, EVER, stop asking questions.

Spend Money. This may sound funny coming from a poor college kid. I just recently sat down with the financial office to confer on the thousands of dollars I owe to my lenders for educational loans. But there is a difference between saving money and being cheap. Every college kid knows what it's like to spend your summer working trillions of hours serving tables or filing papers. It's an experience that everyone should have. I never appreciated my education before I started working summer jobs and realized that I had better do well in school if I didn't want to be stuck taking orders from short-tempered clients or answering phones for the rest of my life. I appreciate every cent that I have, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate it even more when I can take a good friend out to dinner or buy a nice dress for a big dance. Sure, it would be nice to have all the money in the world and spend what I want and not have to worry. But that's not life, and living in college has taught me that there's more to work for than a paycheck… there's pride, achievement, and personal respect. So work hard, do what you love, but remember that it's not always about the money… and spend!

Choose your friends. As I mentioned in my preamble to these life lessons, college is like one big sleepover. Sure, you have lots of responsibilities: homework and tests and campus jobs and internships and due dates and presentations and career searches and on and on and on… BUT, you get through it because of the people you surround yourself with. I'm not just talking about your classmates or the girl you got stuck living with freshman year. I'm talking about the people who treat you like family while you're away from home, because over the years, they have become like a second family to you. I'm talking about the friends that put on a song and dance when you're having a bad day just to cheer you up, the friends that sit by and tell you you're better off without whoever it was that broke your heart, the friends that share everything with you and act as if whatever they have is yours for the taking because they know you feel just the same way about them, the friends who aren't afraid to say "I'm sorry" or 'I "was wrong" because they know you'll forgive them and who are just as quick to forgive and forget; the friends who make your birthdays unforgettable, your weekends worthwhile, and your graduation all the more unbearable because you never really imagined there'd come a day when you wouldn't always have them around. Not every person you meet in college will be your friend. In fact, there are many that you will call your friends, only to find out later that they are not the people you thought they were. College life has taught me that your time is too short to waste on people who make you miserable. In college and in life, choose your friends carefully and always remember that they are the people who helped you make of yourself what you are now and who you will become.

With these lessons for life, I know my short time here has left lasting impressions on my head and my heart. College is more than a frat party or a classroom, it's like a pre-school for the Real World. It has equipped me with the basic social tools and lessons I need to make it in that big ocean of responsibility and life. I know I'll spend my last two weeks here as if the end were coming all too soon, but with every last night at the bar or late-night cram session for exams, I'll know it's only the beginning, and I'll thank college life for the wonderful memories and the lessons I'll never forget.