Adolescents in TV Assignment: Alexa & Katie by https://padlet.com/rebekahgardener/5bbeafdzuz92vd13 en-us 2020-10-20 06:56:17 UTC 2024-10-02 02:43:01 UTC hello@padlet.com rebekahgardener https://padlet.com/rebekahgardener/5bbeafdzuz92vd13/wish/843850188 2020-10-20 07:07:57 UTC https://padlet.com/rebekahgardener/5bbeafdzuz92vd13/wish/843850188 TV Show Overview rebekahgardener https://padlet.com/rebekahgardener/5bbeafdzuz92vd13/wish/843868678 Alexa and Katie are best friends and next-door neighbors, and they are excited about finally attending high school.  Alexa has cancer and has been undergoing treatments with Katie's unwavering support.  Alexa and Katie are anxious about where they will fit in socially at school, and Alexa is worried about being seen as the "sick girl."  This show overall is about two girls navigating the many variables of adolescence while also dealing with the heavy subject of terminal illness. ]]> 2020-10-20 07:16:06 UTC https://padlet.com/rebekahgardener/5bbeafdzuz92vd13/wish/843868678 rebekahgardener https://padlet.com/rebekahgardener/5bbeafdzuz92vd13/wish/843940082 2020-10-20 07:46:07 UTC https://padlet.com/rebekahgardener/5bbeafdzuz92vd13/wish/843940082 Episode 1: Bad Hair Day rebekahgardener https://padlet.com/rebekahgardener/5bbeafdzuz92vd13/wish/843943473 The episode begins with Alexa and Katie preparing for first day of high school.  Alexa wants to attend her first day of school as she would if she did not have cancer, and she does not want others to know about her diagnosis.  After an appointment, her doctor clears her for school attendance, but puts restrictions on extracurricular activities.  This makes Alexa sad and hyperaware of how her diagnosis makes her different from her peers. Alexa and Katie decided to die strands of their hair a fun color, and this is when Alexa realizes that she is losing her hair. Because she is afraid of going to school while she loses her hair, she seeks to be removed from the school entirely. She TPs (throws toilet-paper rolls at) her principal's house seeking expulsion. She is suspended, and has to confront her family and friends about her fears. The episode ends with Katie shaving her head with Alexa in solidarity.]]> 2020-10-20 07:47:35 UTC https://padlet.com/rebekahgardener/5bbeafdzuz92vd13/wish/843943473 rebekahgardener https://padlet.com/rebekahgardener/5bbeafdzuz92vd13/wish/843958804 2020-10-20 07:53:58 UTC https://padlet.com/rebekahgardener/5bbeafdzuz92vd13/wish/843958804 Impact of peers rebekahgardener https://padlet.com/rebekahgardener/5bbeafdzuz92vd13/wish/843962400 This episode explores how reliant Alexa is on her best friend for support and comfort throughout her journey with cancer.  Her entire friend group is excited to be in “group A” together, which meant they are able to have lunch together.  A rival tween named Gwenny walks in and she and Alexa engage in a combative conversation.  Gwenny tells Alexa she will be excluded from the basketball team as an insult, because mean girls tend to use “relational aggression to try to hurt others by excluding them from social activities, damaging their reputations with others, or withdrawing attention and friendship" (177).
Alexa was sensitive about peer reception to her cancer diagnosis in school.  Alexa and Katie are focused on what their classmates think of them, because  “classmates are a significant influence on their day to day school behaviors and feelings, including how much they value school, how much effort they devote to their studies, and how well they perform in class” (183).
]]> 2020-10-20 07:55:33 UTC https://padlet.com/rebekahgardener/5bbeafdzuz92vd13/wish/843962400 Impact of family rebekahgardener https://padlet.com/rebekahgardener/5bbeafdzuz92vd13/wish/843964326 Alexa's mom comes home from work hurriedly in the middle of the episode, and apologizes for missing Alexa’s chemo appointment.  Traditionally at this age,  “bickering between adolescents and their parents increases” (126).  Alexa relied on her mom for parental and emotional support throughout her chemo journey, but she is becoming less comfortable sharing the details of her feelings as they pertain to school, her appearance, and social status.  In the show, Alexa could not understand why she could not be free enough to go to the coffee shop after school instead of straight home, as her mother asked. Adolescents “and their parents often clash more over the definition of the issue…than the specific details” (122).
Older brother comes in from playing basketball, flirts with Katie, and obsessed over his reflection in a pan in the kitchen.  
]]> 2020-10-20 07:56:20 UTC https://padlet.com/rebekahgardener/5bbeafdzuz92vd13/wish/843964326 rebekahgardener https://padlet.com/rebekahgardener/5bbeafdzuz92vd13/wish/843983358 2020-10-20 08:05:01 UTC https://padlet.com/rebekahgardener/5bbeafdzuz92vd13/wish/843983358 rebekahgardener https://padlet.com/rebekahgardener/5bbeafdzuz92vd13/wish/844000444 2020-10-20 08:12:55 UTC https://padlet.com/rebekahgardener/5bbeafdzuz92vd13/wish/844000444 Media Impact rebekahgardener https://padlet.com/rebekahgardener/5bbeafdzuz92vd13/wish/847349535 In the episode, Alexa and Katie feel pressure to wear trendy outfits and look great on the first day of school.  Katie suggests they watch the tv show Project Runway for outfit inspiration.  Per the text, tv shows, magazines, and most media outlets “emphasize the importance of physical attractiveness” and there is a large emphasis on the attractiveness of women (247). Katie and Alexa dress trendy based on the trends of the time, and it is evident that they are keeping up with trends.]]> 2020-10-21 03:38:11 UTC https://padlet.com/rebekahgardener/5bbeafdzuz92vd13/wish/847349535 Conclusion about Episode and Alexa rebekahgardener https://padlet.com/rebekahgardener/5bbeafdzuz92vd13/wish/847353128 This tv show and episode are about a young girl exploring the many facets of adolescence while she faces the harsh reality of a terminal illness.  She is hyper aware of her differences, and wants nothing more than to fit in at school with her peers.  Alexa wants to be able to do the same things as her peers can do, but feels limited by her illness which makes her resentful of her mom for upholding the requirements needed to keep her well.  She is faced with the tough choice of taking her illness seriously and taking all precautions, or discovering what it means to become a teenager and the pressures it involves. Overall, this show is a great representation of adolescent development.

]]> 2020-10-21 03:40:39 UTC https://padlet.com/rebekahgardener/5bbeafdzuz92vd13/wish/847353128 rebekahgardener https://padlet.com/rebekahgardener/5bbeafdzuz92vd13/wish/847805393 2020-10-21 07:37:05 UTC https://padlet.com/rebekahgardener/5bbeafdzuz92vd13/wish/847805393 rebekahgardener https://padlet.com/rebekahgardener/5bbeafdzuz92vd13/wish/847844654 2020-10-21 07:55:41 UTC https://padlet.com/rebekahgardener/5bbeafdzuz92vd13/wish/847844654