# data[].attributes.headline
In what ways does the essay challenge traditional notions of what is considered a 'mainstream' story? Relate your answer to your personal experience.

# data[].attributes.subject
In what ways does the essay challenge traditional notions of what is considered a 'mainstream' story? Relate your answer to your personal experience.

# data[].attributes.body
Answer in 3 sentences only. Write your full name. You may add an image relevant to your answer.

# data[].attributes.body
Mainstream media talks about stories that are so ideal and not a total reflection of the real life scenarios, just like the parties and hangouts that teenagers in mainstream media experiences which is a total opposite of what we are experiencing in real life. I have never been in a halloween costume party nor ride a yellow school bus like in the movies, which is totally normal since our own experiences differs from one another, we all have our own stories to tell. The reflection in the essay challenges the traditional notions about the mainstream story by stating that it is our expectations about what should happen in our life that makes us feel loss and outcast from the "supposed" experiences that is an imitation from the movies we watch.

# data[].attributes.body
The essay reflects the experience of most of the young adults in this generation- most of them, even myself felt that I am missing out because I wasn’t able to experience the things the most people at my age had experienced. However, the essay challenges the traditional notions by giving importance to things that are often seen unimportant and marginalized experiences that contains full of unique meanings. Through this essay, I came to realize that we shouldn’t feel missed out just because we aren’t able to experience “traditional notion” of most of the teens had experienced, we must also appreciate the smallest things that make our experience and teen life unique and meaningful.

# data[].attributes.body
It challenges the traditional notions when the author realizes that those experiences of Western teenagers in films/books may not be applicable in a teenage Filipino’s life. Personally, I was so excited to enter highschool, thinking that I could finally sleep over at a friend's house, go to parties, and meet someone I could love for the rest of my life just like what I have read on Wattpad, but none of my expectations happened. I was still a little girl who was trying to adjust to the new environment, gradually realized that what I am experiencing is what most Filipino teenagers are experiencing, and decided to enjoy it.

# data[].attributes.body
The mainstream storytelling was challenged in a way that the Western media often overlooks the everyday Filipino experiences, like riding a jeepney, or sharing a sip of a drink in a plastic with a straw. These examples made me realize that these things are also happening in my daily life but I also often overlook it because it is not portrayed on mainstream media or on screen. It made me crave for more authentic movies that portrays an everyday life of a normal Filipino.

# data[].attributes.body
The essay states that the 'mainstream media' has a negative impact as to how young adults like me perceive a well-lived teenage life often wanting it to align with western media, moreover, it made me realize that I have my own way of experiencing teenage life without trying to fit into what I see on TV. It presented iconic Filipino tradition and culture that is unique to our country, quite opposite to what I see on movies but still captures the essence of built connection, sweet childhood and nostalgic scenarios inside jeepneys. It made me realize that I may not have the same experience as American teenagers in movies, it does not make my teenage life less valuable and meaningful as theirs, I just have to find beauty and appreciate the simple things I experience in life.

# data[].attributes.body
The essay shows the most common reality of what most high school student life is, rather than drinking using red cups, having a tattoo, getting a driver's license at 18, and going to a disco, like what is shown in the media that is only experienced by a few high school students. It's really more relatable to me as a student, especially during high school, where I'm not allowed to have an overnight, have a tattoo, ride a yellow bus, go to the party after class, etc. Although other mainstream shows reality, this essay challenges the mainstream by showing what is more common and relatable to many.

# data[].attributes.headline
"Does it really hurt to watch stories on screen and realize that none of them look like my own?"

# data[].attributes.subject
"Does it really hurt to watch stories on screen and realize that none of them look like my own?"

# data[].attributes.body
"Does it really hurt to watch stories on screen and realize that none of them look like my own?"

The essay challenges the idea of "mainstream" because it shows how movies, reels, or even ads, often focus on aesthetically romanticized lives while ignoring lives of people who also deserves to be represented. I sometimes feel invisible because I cannot find my own struggles and even the small joys of my life reflected on screen—that the journey I have is irrelevant like there is little to no progress, and instead of letting that pain of reality crush my will and soul, I hold on to the belief that my story also matters and that it simply has not been given its time yet. I believe that one day, stories like mine will finally be shown, and when that happens, it will not only prove that every life, no matter how ordinary, deserves to be seen, heard, and valued, but it will also remind me that every effort and struggle I have faced was leading me toward that moment.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
9. sep. 2025 - Denne Pinnen ble oppdaget av synne. Oppdag (og lagre!) dine egne Pins på Pinterest.

# data[].attributes.body
‎The essay "Why don't I see my own life on screen?" challenges the traditional idea of a mainstream story by showing that a valid coming-of-age experience doesn't have to look like what we see in Hollywood teenage movies. As a Filipino enjoyer of Western films, I've often felt this way myself, comparing my everyday life with long Jeepney or Moveit rides and simple hangouts with friends, to the perfect and glamorous lives of characters my age in Western shows. These characters always seem to be at the clubs faking their IDs to party, driving their own cars, and living a life of endless excitement, making me feel like my own reality, filled with things like commuting and enjoying kwek-kwek, is boring or less valuable. The essay made me realize, that the small moments of my own life are just as meaningful and deserve to be on screen too though it would seem boring because we love to watch and fantasize things we haven't experience. It teaches us that our simple life can still narrate a good story by the genuine experiences and feelings of the characters, oumr ourselves.

# data[].attributes.body
The essay challenge the traditions by comparing the life of a person with the life that we see on screen that we think we consider it normal. It affects my perspective before, that I always need to go with the flow with the current trends in order to be belong with what I called ideal society which in reality, most of them will not give myself any benefit and will never be aligned with my expectations such as entering relationship in a young age, attending parties even the idea of working in a simple office or just getting a job that I thought will be easy. Growing up, I realized that living uniquely is much better than depending my life on what I see on screen.

# data[].attributes.body
Bonsato, Darlene B.

The essay challenges mainstream stories by showing that teenage life is not limited to the red cups, disco lights, and nightouts often portrayed in different medias. Personally, I used to think I was missing out because I never had those experiences, but instead I had long jeepney rides, drinking sodas in plastic bags with friends, yelling “para!” for those who want to get out of jeepney even if we don't know each other, and sharing small but meaningful moments like helping each other with my friends. These uniquely Filipino experiences made me realize that my own story is just as authentic and valuable as the ones I see in films.

# data[].attributes.body
I have seen a few western movies as a child, those that were even televised here in the Philippines with a tagalog dub. From what I can remember, I was very envious of the lockers the American students have in their schools—like it’s the most common thing, because of that, I’ve always hated my school for not having one. However after reading the essay, It came to me that it challenged the traditional notions—like my experience—by focusing not to the “standardized” experiences of a teenager of the west, but instead to the authentic experiences we all had as a Filipino.

# data[].attributes.body
Caoili, Kim Jhewel C.

The essay “Why don’t I see my own life on screen?” challenges traditional ideas about mainstream stories by making the readers realize that the Western media that we consume is not the golden standard of being a teenager—it is just a piece of highly curated, and somehow idealistic notion of teenage life. For instance, when I've watched some clips from Euphoria on tiktok, I felt like I'm not experiencing my teenage life to the fullest—from the the angst of their relationships, to their dramatic graphic liners. But I realized that life is not something that is always romanticizable, and picture ready—sometimes, it is the boring, no background music, no neon lights, that is somehow even better than what we see on screens.

# data[].attributes.body
Villaroya challenges the traditional mainstream story simply by reminding us that we come from different cultures and that our ways of life are different from one another-the things on screen might not transpire in our real lives. As an avid viewer and reader of young adult fiction and coming-of-age stories, I’ve lost count of how many times I wished that a scene from a movie I've watched or book that I've read would happen to me. I thought I was inspired by those, but it turned out that I was only envious of what they have or what they experience which made me forget the fact that I could create a life of my own with my authenticity and real identity.

# data[].attributes.body
Most of the time, people's minds are formed by how the screen depicts various ways of life, it is so ideal that most people are amazed.  The essay debunked the main stream idea by changing its point of view, which presented contentment and doubt in what we observed on the television.  Being the youngest in the family does not imply being the favorite, not all families are like that yet the screen has formed people's perceptions that practically every youngest in the family is the favorite.

# data[].attributes.body
I realized that my way of living isn’t as “marketable” as the lives often shown in movies, where characters have perfect parents and seem to get everything they want without struggle. In those stories, even middle-class families can easily send their kids to prestigious private schools, but in reality, being middle-class means working extra hard just to afford that kind of education or sometimes settling for less. This made me see how ‘mainstream’ stories focus on idealized, privileged lives while overlooking the struggles of people like me, and even though I wasn’t spoiled or given everything, my experiences taught me to be human, grateful, and content with what I have.

# data[].attributes.body
The essay challenged the traditional notions of what is considered 'mainstream' is by showing that common Filipino activities, such as riding jeepneys, dealing with traffic, and sharing small moments with strangers are just as meaningful to the dramatic Western representations that we know. Growing up, I was always curious as to why college life was not as "good" as the movie I had seen. The movies I've watched have always portrayed my ideal college life, complete with westernized freedom and the liberty to wear whatever you want. However, now that I'm in my third year at the University of Caloocan City, I understand that it's more important to survive and enjoy every aspect of being a student in a Filipino university, where a guard acts as the school's owner and sells chocolate, among other things.

# data[].attributes.body
The essay shows that Western teen stories aren’t the only way to tell what growing up looks like. I used to think my life was boring like riding crowded jeepneys where I needed to squeeze myself on a crowded jeep, following strict rules set by my parents which made me go home straight after school, and still relying on my parents at the age of 20. But the essay helped me see that these everyday Filipino moments are real, important, and worth telling too.

# data[].attributes.body
The essay breaks the idea of what stories or life should look like, reminding me that even my quiet, sometimes chaotic life without ideal holidays is still a story that matters. Since it's already Ber months, as a child, I used to wonder why we didn’t have a Christmas tree, gifts, or socks to open like the ones I saw in movies, and I questioned my Mama and Papa if something was missing in the way our family celebrated. But now that I’m old enough to understand our situation back then, I realized that the love in our shared meals, the laughter in our small space, and the care my parents gave without ribbons or lights is what made our Christmas not just enough, but truly merry in its own way.

# data[].attributes.body
Why Don’t I See My Own Life on Screen? contradicts mainstream stories by showing how they present a “perfect life” while ignoring everyday realities, leading us to believe through western movies and books that our own lives are lacking. I once felt my teenage years were dull because I couldn’t go to sleepovers, stay out late, or get a car at 18, but I realized this view came from a one-sided version of life young people try to fit in. In reality, teenage freedom looks different across cultures, and these differences are normal, showing we don’t need to conform to one standard.

# data[].attributes.body
Through showing the differences between the presentation of reality and the idealistic media that we're all accustomed, the essay challenges the traditional notion of what is considered a 'mainstream' story. In my case, I've once thought that if I follow the same decision, or even a style of a certain fictional character, Asuna Yuuki, that I'm inspired by as a kid, I might end up being on the same route atleast in life once I grow up; which only leads to almost but a bit far from my ideal. The influence of the media shapes my perspective, and the standard of how I am supposed to live my life before; hence, not only me, but 'we' end up being blinded to the beautiful and simple things presented by our reality in our lives.

# data[].attributes.body
The essay challenges the idea of a “mainstream” story by showing that Western media should not dictate what teenage life or love should look like. In Western romcoms, most characters are rich and comfortable—their romances appear easy and magical, far from the real struggles of poverty and responsibility. This made me realize that I am not unlovable or incapable of romance; love only feels heavier in reality because the media chooses to show the glamorous side and hide the difficult truths.

# data[].attributes.body
Ma. Ryza Ann P. Malanda

BSE-Englsh 3A

The essay “Why I don’t see my own life on screen?” challenges the ideas of a "mainstream" story by showing that not all lives need to resemble those in Western movies, especially the ordinary but meaningful experiences of Filipinos. As someone who likes to watch Western films, I realized that I often compare myself on the perfect images of their stories and feel that my own life does not match just like my own experience of riding a crowded jeep, where I almost pretended to sit just to get home, clearly shows how local realities differ from the comfortable bus rides often seen in Western movies. However, the essay shows that even simple struggles are real stories worth telling.

# data[].attributes.body
The essay shows that while mainstream stories often present lives that look perfect, glamorous, and exciting like teenagers with parties, freedom, and romance it challenges that idea by showing that even ordinary routines, strict parents, and long commutes can also be meaningful and worth telling. I remember how I used to compare my own college life and love experiences with what I often read in Wattpad stories or watched in K-dramas, and those comparisons sometimes made me feel envious or disappointed because my real life seemed too simple and very different from the beautiful stories I saw on screen. Over time, however, I realized that it is natural to daydream about having that kind of life, but the truth is, genuine happiness and contentment only come when you learn to appreciate your own story and become grateful for the experiences, people, and small moments that truly make your life unique.

# data[].attributes.body
What you see is what you get. Well, the essay contradicts this phrase simply by telling everything that we see in any social media platform may vary depending on our social class. After I read the essay, I realized that I once dreamed to have the college life that I always saw in social media, it is fun, romanticizing life but, then after the end of the day, we need to live the life that we have and that's when I realized I need to work hard to experience some of those college dreams that I have. Right now, even though I don't have the means to fulfill some of it, I will surely make a way to still make my day occupied by doing the things that really matters. I always thought myself to be contented and live by what I have. And I thank you.

# data[].attributes.body
The essay reminds me how I used to feel jealous of teenage life and also the whole living status that is shown in western movies in which is full of romance, freedom and adventure. But then I realized those stories didnt reflect everyone’s reality including mine. I think what truly matters is living and valuing the life I have in front of me because my story is as just as meaningful what is shown in every idealistic movies.

# data[].attributes.body
The essay showed how the mainstream media ruins the perspective of how life should be experienced. Even I as a person believed that the movie scenes I used to watch when I was young is how I will live my life - especially when it comes to love, i used to believe that love is something that everyone experience when they are in high school, that is why when i finished my Junior High and Senior high school without experiencing my first love I felt like i was missing out. The piece challenged the mainstream media by explaining that life is not the same for everybody- we live with different priorities, lifestyle and goals - implying that every one has diffent timeline experiencing things.

# data[].attributes.body
To live our life doesn't always mean that our life must always be the ideal 'picture'; it is sometimes just the normal and simple 'pictures' we take as we face and live our life on most days, and this is what the essay of Villaroya teaches us. I strongly felt that my high school phase was not that 'slayable' as I thought; there were no anticipated events that occurred during my days, so I thought I missed out a lot. However, through this essay, I learned that life has no standards in terms of dealing with it; every experience, whether grand or mundane, contributes to our unique journey.

# data[].attributes.body
The essay challenged the traditional so-called "mainstream" story by proving that what we see on social media/ films/ movies, particularly to western products are not the things we need to live a happy and fulfilled life.

Personally, I have never had any experiences in joining educational trips/ field trips because of the two reasons; (1) We don't have sufficient money for me to join such activity because my father's income is only enough for our basic needs, (2) My father don't want me to go on such trips because it's too dangerous for me that he's only after my safety.

When I didn't know the reality of life back then, I used to hate my father for not letting me join such because I was so jealous of seeing all my friends come, just like the typical life of teenagers in western movie and that's when I realized that I don't have to join such activities to feel belonged. Understanding our situation is what pulled me back to reality—that fantasy and reality are the two pills I had to swallow hardly—I then promise to myself that yes, I may not be able to join any fancy trips, but I'll work hard to spoil myself in the future, with my father, travelling alongside.

# data[].attributes.body
The essay challenges the traditional notions of what is considered a ‘mainstream’ story by highlighting that we shouldn't really fear missing out things and life that aren't even worth the fear because most of the Western teen popular movies  have one thing in common—it leads you to believe a carefree and cool life is applicable to everyone.

Personally, as the eldest daughter among the five siblings, I don't have the luxury to always be as expensive as Regina George, or even pursue whatever degree I dream of early on, like Elle Woods—the only luxury I can confidently say I have is the fact that I have a loving and supporting family who always never failed to call me over when it's already dinner time and a work my auntie gave me for extra income. A carefree and cool life is possible, I do think it is—but never when you're financially unstable, never when your own country's government officials are corrupting the country to the core, never when the tax evaders/money launderers gets more richer as the poor gets poorer.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Pin by taylor ann wright on roots 🇵🇭🏝️ in 2025 | Jeepney, Philippines culture, Graphic shapes design

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Apr 6, 2025 - This Pin was discovered by taylor ann wright. Discover (and save!) your own Pins on Pinterest