gabriellesmark-blog

[gabriellesmark-blog]

Annotated Bib #8

“New York Behavioral Health.” New York Behavioral Health, newyorkbehaviroalhealth.com/Social-media-use-and-self-esteem.

Although social media and social networking have done a lot of good when it comes to maintaining relationships, it has caused quite the uproar with self-esteem. Having such easy access to these platforms, has caused social comparison, self-evaluation, and self-enhancement. Seeing our peers through a screen, we feel that we need to achieve a certain level of perfection. Through this thought we have chosen to edit and photoshop our images, possibly portraying an unrealistic ideal. Humans tend to compare themselves to others, and because of social media and social networking, this comparison has become an unhealthy obsession. Through this source, I plan to publicize the detrimental affects social media plays on the mind. Since our generation is a generation that only knows social media, the affects may not seem as extreme as they actually are. Mental health and low self-esteem are at an all time high, with much correlation to social media. However, social media hasn’t been all bad. It has also rekindled past relationships, built a platform for success, and much more. I plan to use the findings of New York Behavioral Health in aiding my claim that, social media and the beauty industry play on detrimental role on one’s self-esteem and mental health.

[gabriellesmark-blog]

Research Progress Report #2

We are getting somewhere! I have finally wrapped up my research and now I am gathering all my information and organizing it. I have so many different sources and so many different perspectives that I now need to choose which ones I want to use and how I want to use them. I have also started working on my thesis statement. It still needs some tweaking and some altering, but we’re getting there! I’m also hoping to start my paper by the end of the week so that I go into my conference with a good amount of work done, and a good amount to change after I’m done with my conference. My biggest struggle right now is knowing how to put all my ideas together, gathering from the sources, but also adding my own perspective, without having either one outweighing the other. It’s important to me to get my point across, but without overpowering the research aspect of the paper. So that’s where we are! I’m wrapping up last minute research, organizing all my findings, and hope to start my research paper in the next couple of days! By the time I go into my conference I am hoping to have a couple of pages completed!

[gabriellesmark-blog]

Research Progress Report #1

For my research paper, I am staying on track of my timeline that I have created for myself. I have completed most of my research and gathering a handful of sources still. I have gathered many scholarly articles, as well as popular sources to aid me in my writing. I hope that my topic is a relatable subject that young people will understand and may have experienced. Through my topic being so relatable, I have also gathered studies that have been conducted to be able to aid my paper and making it the best that it can be. I have found that there are many aspects that affect one’s self-esteem, the beauty industry and social media just being two major components. I have chosen to focus my research on those two topics, as well as focus it on the self-esteem of younger generations. My research has shown that young people are affected more so than older people by the affects of social media and the beauty industry when it comes to their self-esteem. From here on out, I plan to finish gathering my sources and assemble my paper. I hope to be able to organize it by the beauty industry, self-esteem, and social media, and then show the correlation between all three areas.

[gabriellesmark-blog]

Annotated Bib #7

Jacobson, Rae, and Child Mind Institute. “Social Media and Self-Esteem | Impact of Social Media on Youth.” Child Mind Institute, childmind.org/article/social-media-and-self-doubt/.

This article discusses the affect that social media plays on young people’s self-esteem. People scroll on their feed and just see the best version of others. Yes, many people that show up are models or social media influencers, but we often see our peers. Our peers living out their best lives and showing that to their followers. It’s hard to comprehend at times that social media is the best version of people, and that is not their daily lives. Photos are retouched, face tuned, edited, airbrushed, etc. giving an unrealistic idea of how people are really living. Although this article discusses the detrimental affects of social media on self-esteem, it also discusses ways that outsiders can assist in the bettering of young people’s self-esteem. It gives suggestions to give praise, or to take a break from social media, and to drill the idea of social media vs. reality into young people. Mental illness is at an all-time high and social media has played a large contributing factor when it comes to depression and anxiety. So, parents need to pay attention to their child’s social media and notice the changes in attitude, make sure your child knows how worthy they are and their worth is not defined by the number of likes they receive and by airbrushed images.

[gabriellesmark-blog]

Annotated Bib #6

Khalil, Hanna. “Profit, Self-Worth, and the Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry.” Washington University Political Review WUPR, www.wupr.org/2018/03/03/profit-self-worth-and-the-ugly-side-of-the-beauty-industry/.

This article goes deep into the feelings of self-worth and how much of one’s self-worth is brought to the surface through the beauty industry. People view the industry in many different ways. Some view it as an enhancement, and it is used to enhance your already existent beauty. However, others view it as a way to cover up all their imperfections or blemishes. Issues that one may not have always seen as a flaw, they now see as a flaw because of the beauty industry. The beauty industry has also done this miraculous thing of having a target audience. They need to appeal to older women, well then, they’re going to release the newest anti-aging serum. Many teen girls are self-conscience about their weight, so the beauty industry will release the latest diet fad to appeal to that age range. The cosmetic end of the beauty industry is also trying to appeal to every race by putting out a large number of foundation shades. I plan to use this article to pull from different perspective and get a bigger idea of how the beauty industry truly affects self-worth and self-esteem. There is also a lot of credibility when it comes to this source because Hanna Kahlil did her research through WUPR and is studying Arts and Science. She also didn’t just touch on one aspect of the beauty industry but dug deeper into self-worth and the retail of the beauty industry. She was able to back up her statements with facts and statistics, furthering understanding of the impact that the beauty industry has.

[gabriellesmark-blog]

What interesting thing do you want to share about your topic?

The beauty industry is not only cosmetics, or nail art, or plastic surgery. The beauty industry includes body image and social media. There are so many aspects that contribute to the beauty industry, and so many aspects that contribute to the bettering or worsening of self-esteem when it comes to the beauty industry. People view the industry differently, some view it as assisting and enhancing one’s beauty, but others have viewed it as detrimental. Women and men have gone under the knife to “enhance” their beauty. They show a surgeon a picture of Kim Kardashian and say, “I want a body like hers.” Or they print a picture of Carrie Underwood as their fitness inspiration, “I want her legs.” Or they want lip fillers like Kylie Jenner, because “they’re not permanent.” Social media has played such an influential role in one’s self-esteem. A message of “not being good enough” has been put out into the world. The beauty industry as a whole is something that I am very passionate about and a topic that I want to spread awareness to. I have been subject to these feelings of “not being good enough” or I have wanted to have Carrie Underwood’s legs. Through this research paper, I have been able to further my understanding of the extremes people go to in order to achieve these unrealistic ideals.

[gabriellesmark-blog]

Annotated Bib #5

Davis, Brittany. “How the Beauty Industry Manipulates Self-Esteem.” The Z Generation, 29 Apr. 2016, thezgenerationsite.wordpress.com/2016/04/04/the-beauty-industry-manipulating-self-image/.

The beauty industry is an industry that possesses great power. It has given people an unrealistic idea of what beauty actually is. People see models or social media influencers promoting the latest product, and it worked for them, so it has to work for me. Or at least that’s the mentality many have. In reality, the images that people see, aren’t attainable without immense amounts of photoshop. The beauty industry possesses so much power that people have gone as far as cosmetic surgery to attain the unattainable. I found this article to be very interesting because it discussed how we as a society have shifted in a way of ‘athleisure’ yet the beauty industry isn’t losing any money. When you hear ‘athleisure’ you would think comfy and less makeup, but people are spending more to attain a natural look, rather than wearing nothing at all. Our day in age we see ads everywhere for everything, so even if you aren’t getting an ad in the mail promoting the latest mac shade, you better believe an ‘influencer’ will be promoting it on social media. I hope to use this source to bring in a new perspective. It was written for Generation Z about Generation Z. Since it is written for my generation, by my generation, and about my generation, it hits home a little more and makes me feel more connected to their writing. I have those exact feelings and Brittany Davis was just able to capitalize on those feelings.

[gabriellesmark-blog]

What do you want to learn about your topic? What motivates you to do so?

I want to learn more about the power of the beauty industry and why people allow it to affect their self-esteem so much. I feel that through advertisements and billboards the beauty industry has been quite successful in brain washing society into thinking they are not good enough. I want to learn about what boosts people’s self-esteem and what lowers their self-esteem. I’m interested into seeing how big of a contributing factor the beauty industry plays a role in all of this. I’m motivated to look into all of these questions because I have felt these exact feelings. I have been subject to the advertisements and billboards, I continuously do not feel good enough. I understand that I have these feelings, but when someone expresses these feelings to me I don’t understand them. I just see their beauty radiating inside and out, but if I can see that from them, I assume they can probably see that from me, but why can’t we see it in ourselves? I want to learn about the effects all of this has on our society. I feel that our society is very weak as a whole and are easily persuaded, reason being why the beauty industry has had such power over our society.

[gabriellesmark-blog]

Annotated Bib #4

Millard, Jennifer. “Performing Beauty: Dove's ‘Real Beauty’ Campaign.” Symbolic Interaction, vol. 32, no. 2, 2009, pp. 146–168., doi:10.1525/si.2009.32.2.146. Accessed 20 Feb. 2019.

Dove has worked very hard on creating this “real beauty” campaign. The campaign takes real women, big or small, pale or tan, short or tall, and those are their models. So much of what we see online or on TV affects our self-esteem, and Dove has taken it upon themselves to redefine beauty and ask these women what their definitions of beautiful were. This campaign started in 2004 and has only taken off from there. The beauty industry is something that has heavily affected my self-esteem, so I became really interested in these two topics together. I became interested in what each person’s definition of beauty is, because I’ve defined my beauty by layers of makeup for so many years. The “real beauty” campaign has kind of changed the definition of beauty and made natural look beautiful. I plan to use this article to enhance my writing because I feel as though it brings a new perspective into my paper. I also feel that this article will help support all my other sources because they all kind of go hand and hand. Dove started paving the way for this idea of “real beauty,” other companies like Aerie and Urban Outfitters are starting to do the same.

[gabriellesmark-blog]

Annotated Bib #3

SHAPIRO, BEE. “His Eye Makeup Is Way Better Than Yours.” The New York Times 167.57790 (2017): n. pag. Print.

“His Eye Makeup is Way Better Than Yours,” opens up a whole new world. Makeup has always been advertised towards females, it still is in a way, but is escaping from that advertisement in a way. This journal article opens the conversation to men in makeup. Makeup is not just for women, it is for everybody and these young social media influencers are shedding light on that. Many people don’t know how to react when they see a man wearing makeup, and Patrick Starr talks about how people reacted to seeing him wearing makeup. My whole paper focuses on the beauty industry, as well as self-esteem. Finding this journal article gives a whole new perspective because the beauty industry also affects a male’s self-esteem. Patrick Starr expressed how when he started in makeup the only thing that was offered was “guy-liner or drag,” there was no in between, and so he’s appreciated being able to create this elegant makeup look and name for himself.  Through these men starting in makeup, they’ve also been able to have brands extend their audience. Some of the top brands have reached out to these male makeup artists and have been able to better their brand. Through all of this, I really want to look into self-esteem, and see how it affects both male and females.

[gabriellesmark-blog]

What is your research topic? How did you choose it?

My research topic is all over the beauty industry. I plan to look into many different areas when it comes to the beauty industry. I’m interested in looking into how the specific industry effects people’s self-esteem, body image, makeup, acne, all of the above. I’ve always been interested in beauty and cosmetics, but it hasn’t always made me feel good about myself. I’ve found it to be a creative outlet, and have taken control of this fandom of mine, but it hasn’t always been that way. I know how the industry has affected me, but I wanted to see how it has affected others. Finding my research topic took a lot of time for me. I don’t feel that there is any one thing that I’m so passionate about or that I express outwardly, but makeup came to mind. I feel that fandom is a way people express themselves, and I’ve found that I express myself through my makeup, but it hasn’t always positively affected me, and that’s where I got the self-esteem aspect. I also felt that I should extend my research topic from not just makeup but the entirety of the beauty industry, because I feel that much more effects one’s self-esteem than just the use and wear of makeup.

[gabriellesmark-blog]

As a fan, how do you research within your fandom?

As a fan, I start with what I know. That’s the nice part about doing research over a topic that I’m a fan of. I’m able to go into my research with a little knowledge. For me my topic is all over the beauty industry, so that’s pretty diverse and broad. Luckily, I’m interested in multiple aspects of the beauty industry, and am able to research the whole industry. Yes, I am interested in makeup and the creativity that is allowed when it comes to makeup. I am also interested in the whole movement with body positivity and the effects it has on one’s self-esteem. Through this minimal research I’ve been able to do, I’ve learned that I’m interested in so much more than I was aware of. I’ve been able to learn about the effects the beauty industry has on people’s self-esteem and how they view themselves, versus how they feel others view them. I also research influential people who have been a part of the beauty industry and how they’ve made an impact. Through researching though I’ve learned that starting from where I know and then extending from there works best for me. I’ve also created a mind map and that’s helped in the process of my research.

[gabriellesmark-blog]

Annotated Bib #2

Pinhas, Leora et al. “The Effects of the Ideal of Female Beauty on Mood and Body Satisfaction.” International journal of eating disorders. 25.2 (1999): 223–226. Web.

“The Effects of the Ideal of Female Beauty on Mood and Body Satisfaction,” tested to see the correlation between women seen visual images of the “ideal of female beauty” and the reactions received from these women. It was found that women were exposed to images of models and the stereotypical “beautiful” woman, emotions of anger and sadness were evoked. It was found that these women had a greater overall feeling of dissatisfaction with their bodies and feelings of being beautiful. It was also found that these women that had greater feelings of anger, sadness, and dissatisfaction tended to have psychological and behavioral disorders, like eating disorders. When presented with visual images that did not include a human being, these feelings were not as strong. All authors working on this article worked with different universities, giving this article the credibility that it needs. I intend for my paper to broadly be about beauty and the industry, but more in depth about the impact the industry has on people, specifically women. I want to discuss the impact it’s had on me, as well as different women throughout the studies I’ve been able to find. I hope to use this specific source to discuss the “ideal of female beauty.” Unfortunately I feel that society has labeled what beauty is, but I believe that it can be different for everyone and much broader than we’d like to think!

[gabriellesmark-blog]

How would you describe your involvement in your fandom? Do you feel pressured to perform fandom in a particular way?

I participate in the makeup fandom on my own. I’m not a part of the makeup community on the internet and don’t really share my love and passion, but I express my love and passion by doing my makeup every day. It’s a way to escape from my everyday stresses and it’s relaxing to me. I don’t feel the need to do my makeup for anyone other than myself. It allows me to be more confident in my outer appearance and do allow me to better my interactions with my peers. Makeup has allowed me to feel more put together and feel better about myself. I don’t feel a strong pressure to perform fandom in a particular way because I see it as a way of self-expression. I don’t practice this fandom to please anyone other than myself. The only time I feel pressure is when I walk into Ulta or Sephora with no makeup on. I feel that everyone is looking at me shocked that I can actually do makeup or that I wear any at all. Other than that, I don’t feel an immense amount of pressure to perform this particular fandom, or to share it with people other than myself.

[gabriellesmark-blog]

Annotated Bib #1

Miller, Lynn Carol, and Cathryn Leigh Cox. “For Appearances’ Sake: Public Self-            Consciousness and Makeup Use.” Personality and Social Psychology                  Bulletin, vol. 8, no. 4, Dec. 1982, pp. 748–751,

Lyn Carol Miller and Cathryn Leigh Cox performed a study analyzing how women felt about their physical appearance and the interactions they had with others based on their outer appearance. The women were asked about makeup that they wore, the amount of time it took them to apply, and how they felt that the use of makeup helped them with social interactions. It was found that women that were more concerned about their appearance and impressions tended to wear more makeup, these women believed that by wearing makeup it was able to positively contribute to social interactions that they had. Miller, Northern Illinois University, and Cox, University of Texas at Austin, were able to test all these questions using different scales and questionnaires. Through my love and passion for makeup, I plan to find sources that explain more about the makeup industry, as well as how the makeup industry effects oneself. I find that I wear makeup not only for myself, but for others, so I’m looking forward to seeing the effect that makeup and the industry has on others.

[gabriellesmark-blog]

What fandom are you profiling?

The sister squad is the latest and greatest! My group will be focusing on the sister squad and how they got their start. I know that the squad all kind of started out on their own and have built this platform together, but that’s about all when it comes to my knowledge. I’ve watched Emma Chamberlain individually previously and that’s how I’ve gotten to know the sister squad, but don’t have a ton of previous knowledge on the Dolan Twins or James Charles. I’m looking forward to furthering my knowledge on each member individually, as well as better understand the hype when it comes to the squad all together!  It seems that each member a part of the sister squad brings something different to the table, as well as it being a very genuine friendship. I know there’s also some conspiracies when it come to the sister squad so I’d like to unveil those a bit too! They’re also very close to my age so I’d like to know how they’ve built their platform into what it is today! Each member also seems so different so I want to know how they make their friendship work with such different personalities! I’m looking forward to learning more about the sister squad and figure out what makes them so unique!

[gabriellesmark-blog]

What fandoms do I participate in?

Never did I think that I actually participated in a single fandom, until I joined this class. This question really has me racking my brain, until I realized you could literally be a fan of anything. I would say I’m a fandom of James Charles. I’ve always loved makeup and see it as a creative outlet. I started watching James and following him along on his makeup journey, making me realize maybe I’m a part of his fandom. I don’t necessarily participate in fandoms where I post about them and follow fan accounts, but I follow the newest makeup routines and trends!