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Winning entry!  Written by Priyadarshini S.

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Winning entry!  Written by Priyadarshini S.

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Social media is one of the biggest parts of any teenager's life. They can communicate with their friends through it, share interests with others, find entertainment, and can share bits of their life through the app-- especially during COVID19. Many this past year have relied on social media to perceive a sense of normalcy. The compulsion many have in social media is mainly rooted in the need to have a distraction or something to do whilst the world around them is in disarray. From VSCO, Instagram, Snapchat, to TikTok, the options of social media are endless. Yet they all contribute to one thing universally, the beauty standard.

The beauty standard is the social requirement women are expected to fulfill in order to thrive in being feminine whether it be for oneself or for others. This high expectancy of how teen girls should look, can be located with a simple swipe onto social media. Many of the ‘popular’ users seen on these apps can sometimes lead young, influential, teenagers to start comparing themselves to their favorites on the platform. From models to celebrities-- girls are exposed, from a young age, to this concept and are expected to live up to it. They are criticized, critiqued, and held to higher standards than others. This can be detrimental to their health, both physically and mentally, of those girls as the idealistic expectations move further away from reality. The harm can especially come towards young women of color.

Women of color have always been under scrutiny in the realm of beauty for not adopting the standard picture of beauty. All of this is seen on social media. The likes, comments, and compliments have underlying meanings that make it seem as if one is not enough unless they fit the expectations. Young women of color biologically have different ethnic features that do not match those here. When one cannot change or modify themselves to fit into the standard, it can cause insecurities. As written by Colorado.edu, “While many women may lack beauty when compared against this unattainable and narrow ideal, women of color experience the most subjugation. In order to achieve the hegemonic Eurocentric beauty ideal, women are encouraged to alter their natural looks through cosmetic surgeries and products.” This beauty standard includes being light-skinned, meeting certain body type requirements or having specific body proportions, and more. These standards are vastly different from the requirements elsewhere. The beauty standard has mainly been influenced by European and Western as well as Northwestern, ideals, and culture. And as stated by Slice, “the northwest also happens to contain the countries with the most power and influence, and this makes it irrefutably about race.” Light skin has always been the highest perceivable form of beauty, and you can see this by looking through history. Such as during the Renaissance era in Northern Europe and the Victorian era in England, ivory and pale skin were seen as the supreme skin tones. Even now, people use skin whitening techniques in order to have a more mainstream appearance. When the media decides what is ‘beautiful’ and what is not, many are going to want to keep up with the highest perceived appearance to get the validation they want from themselves and others.

Whilst trying to achieve the level of beauty they desire, many teen minorities can develop mental health problems that hurt them. “They can be a risk factor for mental health problems such as poorer quality of life, psychological distress, and unhealthy behaviors,” (The British Psychological Society). These disorders are extremely prevalent in young people of color as the standard is unattainable and unreachable for them unless they take to drastically changing who they are. When one cannot change or modify themselves to fit into the standard, it can cause insecurities within themselves. As claimed by Women's Health, “Girls and women with negative thoughts and feelings about their bodies are more likely to develop certain mental health conditions, such as eating disorders and depression.” Being beautiful is so important to youngins, that they are willing to risk their life for it. The standard is only being amplified and becoming louder to hear through social media, which in turn only makes it clearer what they themselves deem to be missing to be beautiful.

As someone a part of the generation in which your beauty is stigmatized by others, the feeling of not fitting in or not looking like others on social media is incredibly damaging and hurtful.

When I was younger, I would only see celebrities with feminine faces and feminine features. As a South Asian, I naturally have more masculine or ‘less feminine’ features on my face. When looking on social media, feminine features are considered to be beautiful. This impacted my mentality as a teenage girl. I went through what so many other young girls of color have gone through and have experienced. Not having someone to look up to as an inspiration for confidence is harmful, even now. Even with new faces on social media such as Amita Suman, from Shadow and Bone, or Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, from Never Have I Ever, you still do not get the representation one might want or need.

Now, we do see ideas of more inclusivity. From musicians like Lizzo to models like Winnie Harlow, the census of what is considered pretty is moving forward-- but that does not take away from the fact that the standard is still racist. It only caters to a specific group of people, who are deemed as better than others. But there is still a lack of representation. With a lack of representation in the media of ethnic beauty, it is easy to see how ‘forgotten’ women of color must feel in a world of westernized culture.

The beauty standard has and always will be detrimental to women of color. Its internalized racism is evident, and the expectations are not changing any time soon. The use of social media only accelerates and spreads the standard like a wildfire. It's important to recognize that it is imperative to change the standard to make all people from all walks of life feel beautiful in a world that may tell you that you're not.

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Thinking back on history, there have been multiple times communities have been unified as a whole due to their circumstances. A great example of this is the Lost Souls Public Memorial Project. Not only does this project discuss a self interested judge,it also speaks about the many free lives sold into slavery in the in New Jersey.This historical happening triggered the citizens of Middlesex County to stand together as one. On November 5, 1818, the citizens of Middlesex County positioned themselves to bring an end to this kidnapping. Individuals were to be fined or imprisoned if found to be associated with this unjust transportation system of free African Americans. Although laws were set in place, another group was sent into slavery just two days later. This truly shows how little they cared about the law and the lives of other fellow citizens.

In later state history, there were other occurrences of racial oppression. Moreover, civilians in the state of New Jersey when legislative and executive forces have failed to protect minority groups. For instance, The 1923 Battle of Perth Amboy involved a crowd of 6,000 Perth Amboy residents rioting against a local Ku Klux Klan chapter. In the new york times newspaper,it states, “The townspeople stood their ground before the hall, in which about 150 klansmen still were penned”. This exhibits how they stood their ground and went against what was morally wrong. These events encouraged people to now stand up for what they believe. In recent events many people have stood up against the political and societal oppressions to bring awareness to the injustices that racial minorities face especially African Americans. As history correlates with future actions, activists seek to ensure history does not repeat itself .The Black Lives Matter movement combats racism by organizing civil protests.

To conclude, society should learn from the mistakes of previous systems that resulted from internal biases and racist beliefs. Only with communities learning from the past, will they be able to patch up the harm left by the outdated oppressive structures.

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1818 in which was the year where 137 African Americans were kidnapped into the Van Wickle Slave Ring and sent from East Brunswick, NJ to permanent slavery in the deep South. Racism has and forever been one of the most controversial topics, especially during the year 2020 with the “#Blacklifesmatter” Blacklivesmatter movement not only in the United States, but around the world as well. Some of the two main effects of racism can cause trauma and social isolation.

Racism has been a part of human history since the start of time. The effects of historical trauma are transmitted even as the structure that created them remains in place. Trauma is sadly an universal experience that happens in every community within every group. Youth specially experience racism directly according to the article “Reaching Teens' ' it states, “I’m multiracial, so I've received racism from a lot. Black people won't accept me because I have ‘white people assets’ and white people won’t accept me because I look black (19-year-old black young woman).” Discrimination is a trauma itself, one that deeply hurts is knowing that people aren’t getting treated the same as just because of their skin color. Many kids and teens notice the different treatment as they grow older. They experience distinctly different realities because of the color of their skin. People, even yourself, at some point in life become prejudiced in which we look for what benefits us only.

By “social isolating” people create a safe environment in which they feel secure expressing themselves. Children and teens are especially vulnerable because their development growth depends on social interaction and support that comes upon. Any minimal action done wrong may cause the teens and kids to isolate.This can definitely include racism. In the article “Reaching Teens” it mentions that the environment that children grow up in depends whether or not they create a safe environment “One of the many tasks of adolescence is to establish critical aspects of identity. Forces can either create tension and deliver toxic levels of stress or build resilience and other strengths.” Meaning that when youths grow most of them are taught to express themselves wherever they are. On the other hand some are not taught to have their beliefs which then leads them to create a safe space for themselves in order to escape the capsule built inside of them.

The researchers state in “Researching Teens”, “When children and adolescents suffer from exposure to trauma or from a lack of the nurturant protective force of connected adults, it may affect their bodies, brains, and behaviors (Box 42.1 Trauma has no color).” This evidence states that adolescents suffer from lack of support coming from people around them.
It has come to the attention of many that racism is poisoning our society. Our future generation should focus on accepting others whether it comes to ethnicity, gender, and decisions. Would you keep this generation the same or do you rather see a better future?

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A broader knowledge of history propels us to reckon with our community’s past and move forward to a more equitable society is by how we can learn from Jacob Van Wickle’s mistakes and by how what he did that was wrong and inappropriate, then by how we can change our perspectives and point of views, and finally we take what we have learned from the past to make a better future with everyone’s thoughts in mind.

One example of how a broader knowledge of history propels us to reckon with our community’s past and move forward to a more equitable society is by how we can learn from Jacob Van Wickle mistakes and what they did that was wrong and inappropriate. One reason that a broader knowledge of history propels us to reckon with our community’s past and move forward to a more equitable society is by how we can learn from their mistakes and what they did that was wrong and inappropriate is that when we learn from their mistakes we won’t do them again and we will grow from them. For example, when Jacob Van Wickle abused his authority and power for his own selfish desires, the people of the town had no idea he was doing this until many years later when there was nothing we could do to save those people now. But what we can do is look out for signs to make sure that other people in power are not abusing the authority for their own benefit. Another example is that when Jacob Van Wickle mistreated others because of what he knew from the past of slavery and injustice instead of growing into the future and becoming more open minded about how these people are not terrible just because of the color of their skin, he stayed right back in the past bringing so many people, many of whom were children, back to square one with no more freedom, and no more future for their young children. But what we can do instead is look at everyone through blind eyes. Therefore we can treat everyone with kindness and then expect the same in return. After we have learned from Van Wickle’s mistakes and what he did that was wrong and inappropriate and move on to changing our own perspectives and point of views to be open minded and accommodate everyone.

Another example of history propels us to reckon with our community’s past and move forward to a more equitable society by changing our perspectives and point of views. One example is that when we change our perspectives and point of views, we can view everybody respectfully by what their personality is like and not by what they look like or by the color of their skin. Each and every person is unique with their own set of talents and deserve to be treated as such no matter their race or ethnicity. The way Van Wickle viewed it was through clouded glasses where he was only blinded by his own beliefs and not about how those beliefs may affect those around him or if he did, he simply had his pride in the way of what really mattered: making sure his power is used to represent the people of the county and the state, not only for himself. Another example is that because we can see the intolerant point of views in history we can have better points of views for the future and for right now. That's why the final step is to create a better future bit by bit from what we have learned from history and each other.

Last but not least, a broader knowledge of history propels us to reckon with our community’s past and move forward to a more equitable society by taking what we have learned from the past to make a better future with everyone’s thoughts in mind. One example of this is by how we can review what exactly went wrong in the past that caused this event to happen. In this case, it was having the wrong people in power that caused this outcome. We can fix this by having those who are eligible to vote research who they plan to elect before electing them, this way we can elect people who have a better past to help create a better future for us. Another example is that we can do our best to treat everyone equally. Even though the world is not perfect and never will be, if each one of us individually treats everyone the way we want to be treated the positivity will block out the negativity and will spread like wildfire.

In closing, a broader knowledge of history propels us to reckon with our community’s past and move forward to a more equitable society is by how we can learn from Jacob Van Wickle’s mistakes and by how what he did that was wrong and inappropriate, then by how we can change our perspectives and point of views, and finally we take what we have learned from the past to make a better future with everyone’s thoughts in mind.

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It is part of human nature to judge people and label them based on certain factors, such as race, gender, financial situation, appearance, etc. There are certain marginalized groups, however, that are viewed in a negative manner and targeted due to negative stereotypes. One such marginalized group is impoverished people, who are constantly treated in a different manner because of their socioeconomic status. The reason those stereotypes have formed is because people view them with a certain prejudice that is predetermined. They may believe that they are unsanitary or just simply below them all because they don’t share the same financial situation. What people don’t realize is that they’re judging a certain group without knowing the facts first and causing negative results. Stereotypes for impoverished people create conditions of surveillance and censorship, which result in social exclusion and lack of respect, causing a further divide between economic classes.

When people from low-income families are stereotyped based on their socioeconomic status, they are viewed in a certain light that results in social exclusion. Not only do they feel like they do not belong, but they feel as if they are separate from the rest of society. Since they don’t share the same experiences as their wealthier peers, they feel socially isolated internally. This internal isolation and sense of not belonging stems from the stereotypes that are associated with impoverished people. A situation that exemplifies the internal social exclusion that low-income people feel is, “These strangers --my new classmates-- swapped stories of summer fun. Multi Week trips abroad. Fancy parties at summer homes. Courtside seats at professional basketball games… I tried to think of a story that I could add. The only family vacations I had known were drives up I-95 from Miami to a cousin’s house in Georgia. These rich kids had their own version of summer” (Jack 2). They know that they will instantly be judged or met with the stereotype that it’s normal for them to experience less. The scrutiny that they would face from their peers, along with the pity, creates conditions of censorship for low-income people. They don’t contribute to conversations since they are cautious that their responses will either be met with pity or scorn. They know that, “children from lower-income families... are regarded as having been scarred by poverty with all of its familiar ills, including a lack of social and academic preparation for college life” (Jack 19). Since they are viewed in a certain light, in situations such as attending college, they are immediately stereotyped as “scarred by poverty,” and thus excluded from the rest of the applicants. When people view impoverished people in a negative light before they even know them, they feel different and feel as if they don’t belong. This further contributes to impoverished people being insecure about themselves and thus censoring their responses in order to prevent more prejudice. This distinction between different economic classes causes a further divide between socioeconomic classes since impoverished people view themselves as different and are socially excluded from the rest of society. The isolation of different groups based on their socioeconomic status creates more separation and lack of unity in the nation.

Due to impoverished people being stereotyped in a negative way, they are often treated with a lack of respect, further magnifying the gap between different socioeconomic classes. Stereotypes of low-income families being dirty or inferior are some examples that lead to impoverished people being treated with a lack of respect. Most people form a single story, one viewpoint that dictates the stereotype that they associate with a certain group of people, that affects their actions. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie explains, “All I heard about them was how poor they were, so that it had become impossible for me to see them as anything else but poor. Their poverty was my single story for them” (00:04:02-00:04:12). Similar to that example, when people form a negative single story about a certain group of people, such as impoverished people, they treat them with a lack of respect and view them as inferior. They aren’t exposed to other viewpoints and stereotype impoverished people based on what they previously saw or heard. This results in impoverished people censoring their responses to avoid being viewed as even more different. In addition to this, the way people view impoverished people due to their difference in wealth greatly contributes to how they are treated with a lack of respect. Ava DuVernay’s documentary noted, “Laws were passed that relegated African Americans to a permanent second-class status” (00:09:16-00:09:19). Just like how African Americans were viewed as inferior and treated with a lack of respect due to their race, impoverished people are treated as if they are inferior due to their socioeconomic status. Due to the difference in wealth (similar to the difference in skin color), impoverished people are treated in an inferior manner. This greatly contributes to the disparity between different economic classes in America since the perspective of people is not something that can be changed easily. The attitude of people towards certain groups creates an even greater division between different economic classes.

In summation, the negative stereotypes that impoverished people are subjected to create conditions of surveillance and censorship that lead to social exclusion and a lack of respect. This further contributes to the widening gap between different socioeconomic classes. When they feel as if they are closely monitored and judged, impoverished people censor their responses to avoid being singled out for being different. This leads to internal isolation and thus social exclusion, along with feelings of not belonging, for low-income individuals. Stereotypes play a prominent role in this because they create predetermined prejudices in peoples’ minds which affect their attitude and actions. Along with feeling social exclusion, impoverished people are also treated with a lack of respect due to the demeaning stereotypes that they are associated with. This results in them being treated in an inferior manner and viewed negatively, further creating conditions of surveillance and censorship. All of this plays a role in separating people and dividing the nation, rather than bridging the already prominent gap between different economic classes.