She Wore Only White: My Thoughts

Although this book by Dorthe Binkert was not as informative on how immigrants assimilated into America’s environment, I realized that the journey to America was just as important of a topic. Binkert chose to focus on a mysterious girl named Valentina who boards an America-bound ship as a stowaway. She does not have a single belonging on her, though her dress hints at her upper class background. Through the course of the trip to America, more of her life is revealed. She has a husband who cheats often and openly, and she lost her young child two years ago. The story line may be a bit melodramatic, but many immigrants during that time (early 1900s) had chosen to leave their home countries because of past sorrows they hoped to escape from.

At the end of the novel, however, there is a harsh truth. Not all immigrants were allowed entry into America, and Valentina was one of them. She had not bought a ticket, so as a stowaway she returned to Belgium. Even though her case was rare, others had their hopes crushed when eye infections or other illnesses forced them, and sometimes their other family members, to return to their home countries. Therefore, even though the plot was fictional, it was based on a true story, and revealed how immigration was not always a happy ending for everyone.   

Media and the Self-Esteem of Teenagers

So, as I was contemplating what I should write for this blog post, I decided to answer a question that I had for a Spanish presentation. (Sorry, I didn’t feel like writing 200+ words about rhythm and meter.) The question was on the effect of media on the self-esteem of teenagers. Growing up, teens often feel insecure about their image in comparison to others around them. As a result, their constant exposure to media serves as an unconscious guide to how they may present themselves.

Teenagers, especially girls, try to attain the standard of beauty seen in commercials or advertisements. However, with the growth of technology, most of the images of beauty are not natural – imperfections have been erased or covered with makeup, and features have been photoshopped to better match the current definition of beauty.

In fact, the standard of beauty has really changed over the years. At some time, there was an anorexia craze and everyone wanted to look stick-thin because it was “in”. Some older paintings have subjects of plumper women because that was the ideal image at the time. Even though the beauty standard has fluctuated in the past, there is immense pressure on teens at the moment with the heavy presence of social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter where “likes” and “retweets” seem to be of the upmost importance. This can definitely hinder teenagers from gaining confidence and a high self-esteem.