#by Sulana S.

[thecavavoice]

Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special Review

by Sulana S.

The LEGO Guardians of the Galaxy figures from the 2022 LEGO Marvel Advent Calendar in Redondo Beach, C.A., Tuesday, December 13th, 2022 (Sulana S. / The CAVA Voice)

Guardians of the Galaxy became a hit movie in 2014 for many reasons, including its fantastic soundtrack, goofy tone, and messages about friendship. Most of all, it wasn’t afraid to be weird. Viewers will be delighted to find that the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special retains all these qualities while adding a bit of Christmas cheer to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Director James Gunn plays with many different styles throughout the special. At the beginning, we get a flashback to main character Peter Quill’s childhood drawn in rotoscoping animation, a fun throwback to vintage Christmas specials and the work of Ralph Bakshi. This is followed by a hip new Christmas song by the Old 97s, played during a sequence that is as disarmingly hilarious as Star Lord and Baby Groot’s iconic dance scenes in the previous Guardians movies. From there, the plot of the special becomes clear: Mantis wants to cheer up Quill, who is still reeling from the loss of their friend Gamora, and she hatches a wild scheme with their companion Drax to kidnap Footloose actor Kevin Bacon and bring him to Quill as a Christmas gift. (They didn’t quite get the memo that you can’t give people as presents.) To do that, the dynamic duo heads to Earth, where they land in Hollywood but end up getting a little sidetracked taking selfies with tourists, dancing at a club, and drinking some “intoxicating” beverages. However, the two eventually find Bacon’s house, cause some “minor” property damage, raid an entire holiday store full of Christmas decorations, and bring the actor back to Knowhere in time for Christmas.

Thankfully, although at first horrified by his alien abduction, Bacon doesn’t press any charges against the Guardians and finds the spirit of Christmas. Turns out aliens know how to celebrate the season pretty well!

The special reveals a wonderful surprise that Mantis is actually Quill’s half-sister. Even though Mantis went through all that trouble to make his holiday special, in the end, that news was really the only thing she needed to make Quill smile again. It’s rare to see positive representations of brother-sister relationships in mass media, so I was delighted by this special’s portrayal of these two siblings. Ultimately, the Guardians Holiday Special reminds us that family is the greatest gift of all, although a celebrity meet-and-greet, even if the celebrity was kidnapped, can be pretty great too! 

This is definitely a special worth checking out this holiday break!

[neroushalvaus]

Paritus: Määttä/Lahtinen Genre: Draama? Hahmotutkielma? AU? Varoitukset: Canon hahmokuolema, sodankuva, veri. Vastuunvapaus: Linnan hahmot. Sisältää myös suoria lainauksia, jotka eivät kuulu minulle. Rahaa ei tästä myöskään minulle tipu, täysin fandom-kommunismin hengissä jaan tämän teille. Summary: 

Kun Lahtinen oli melkein arasti laskenut kätensä Määtän poskelle, se oli tuntunut luonnolliselta. Mitä muutakaan he olisivat voineet tehdä. Kaksi miestä sodan keskellä etsimässä juttukaveria.

”Seuraavana päivänä vihollisen vetäydyttyä konekivääri oli löytynyt vähän matkan päästä Lahtisen ruumiista, ja sen jälkeen Määttä oli pitänyt sitä kuin perintökelloa.” (Tuntematon sotilas, s. 334)

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Eilisen jälkeen oli satanut hieman lunta. Ei paljon, vain ohut harso valmiin lumivaipan päälle. Se peitti jalanjäljet ja tallatun hangen. Lahtinenkin oli saanut päälleen hienoisen peitteen, jota Sihvonen tämän päältä hellin käsin pyyhki.

Määtällä oli mahorkkasätkä huulessa ja hän vältti katsomasta Lahtisen ruumista liian suoraan. Määtän ylpeys ei kuitenkaan sallinut hänen kääntää katsettaan kokonaan pois, joten hän tuijotti ilmeettömänä tuota veristä kohtaa hangessa, joka oli pysynyt sulana kai kuuman konekiväärin ja Lahtisen hiipuvan ruumiinlämmön takia. Veriset juolukanlehdet näyttivät oudolla tavalla kauniilta.

Määttä puhalsi savua ulos ja mietti eilistä. Hän mietti sitä hetkeä, kun Lahtinen ei ollut kuullut vänrikin huutoa ”jättäkää konekivääri” ja oli aina niin itsepäisenä hämäläisenä tempaissut varsinaisen jalustoineen olalleen ja lähtenyt juoksemaan. Määttä melkein irvisti ajatellessaan sitä, kuinka Lahtinen oli kaatunut maahan. Ensin hän oli luullut tämän vain kompastuneen, mutta kun Lahtinen ei ollut vastannut hänen huutoonsa, hän oli ymmärtänyt asian oikean laidan. Lahtinen ei ollut vain kaatunut, hän oli kaatunut. Niin kuin sodassa kaaduttiin. Sillä tavalla, ettei silloin enää ikinä noustu ylös.

Määttä oli vain tarponut pois.

Kun Hietanen oli kysellyt Lahtisen ja konekiväärin perään, Määttä oli antanut vastauksensa kuivasti, välinpitämättömästi. Niin hän oli suhtautunut kuolemaan aiemminkin. Oli ollut pakko. Ei Määttä voinut kauhistella toisten kuolemaa, se johti nopeasti siihen, että alkoi pelkäämään omaa vääjäämättä lähenevää loppuaan.

Oltiin häneltä eilen kyselty, miten hän jakseli. Ja kai se loogista oli. Eivät hän ja Lahtinen kai olleet salailleet niin kovin hyvin sitä, mitä he olivat olleet.

Määttä imeskeli sätkänsä loppuun ja sytytti uuden. Tupakasta tuli täällä herkästi pula ja hänen olisi ehkä pitänyt olla säästelevämpi, mutta ei hän nyt juuri jaksanut ajatella sellaisia. Määttä mietti Lahtista, noita aina niin yrmeitä kasvoja, jotka Määttä oli muutamaan otteeseen saanut sulamaan leveään hymyyn. Hän mietti Lahtisen ainaisia jupinoita ja kiroilua, kun tämä joutui tekemään jotain, mitä ei halunnut tehdä. Ja mitä Lahtinen olisi koskaan halunnut tehdä. Määttä melkein hymyili.

Määttä mietti, kuinka hän ja Lahtinen olivat hiljalleen tulleet läheisiksi. Ei siihen oltu edes tarvittu paljon sanoja, vain muutama ymmärtävä katse ja kosketus. Ja sitten vasta he olivat alkaneet puhua toisilleen. Määttä oli kertonut perheestään ja kodistaan, vitsaillut siitä, että pakottaisi Lahtisen joskus kanssaan sienimetsälle. Lahtinen oli jatkanut Määtän kanssa ainaista herätystyötään ja saanut hänessä melkein syntymään pienen vastakaiun. Kyllä Määttä oli mielellään Lahtiselle tämän purnauksesta kuittaillut, mutta hän oli myös ihaillut miehen intohimoa ja arvoja. Määttä ei ollut koskaan ripustanut itseään minkäänlaisiin ideoihin, ei tässä sodassa eikä muutenkaan. Lahtisella taas oli ideoita riittänyt jaettavaksi hänellekin. Ja Lahtinenhan oli jakanut.

Jotenkin, kun he olivat eräänä iltana teltassa maanneet vierekkäin ja kun Lahtinen oli melkein arasti laskenut kätensä Määtän poskelle, se oli tuntunut luonnolliselta. Mitä muutakaan he olisivat voineet tehdä. Kaksi miestä sodan keskellä etsimässä juttukaveria. Määttä se oli tainnut olla, joka oli suudellut Lahtista ensin, ja Lahtinen oli mennyt mukana. Se oli ollut odotettavissa. Turvallista.

Ei Määtällä ollut aidosti ollut missään vaiheessa harhakuvia siitä, että hän ja Lahtinen selviäisivät sodasta ja rakentaisivat jonkinlaisen elämän yhdessä. Ei sellaista tapahtunut, ei heidänlaisilleen miehille. Ei varsinkaan sellaisille, jotka kohtasivat tällaisissa olosuhteissa ja tarrasivat toisiinsa summanmutikassa, kun muuta ei ollut.

Määttä oli yrittänyt ajatella asiaa järjen kautta. Ei se ollut ollut mitään aitoa rakkautta. Hän ja Lahtinen olivat nyt vain sattuneet kohtaamaan ja etsimään toisistaan sitä, mitä olivat tarvinneet, mutta jota eivät olleet kehdanneet toisilta pyytää. Useampaan otteeseen Määttä oli silitellyt Lahtisen kasvoja ja rauhoittanut tätä, kun tämän tyytymättömyys oli sulanut hellittämättömäksi katkeruudeksi. Joskus Lahtinen oli vain kietonut kätensä Määtän ympärille ja vakuuttanut hänet vaihteeksi siitä, ettei aina tarvinnut jaksaa. Että joskus Määttäkin sai vain levätä ja antaa jonkun toisen pitää huolta itsestään. Sitä he olivat vain tehneet, antaneet toisilleen, mitä tiesivät toisen tarvitsevan. Ei sellainen ollut ”rakkautta”, se oli välttämättömyys.

Ja jos joskus Määtästä oli tuntunut, että Lahtisen sormet sopivat täydellisesti hänen omiensa lomaan, se oli ollut vain sattumaa.

Määttä katsoi vierestä, kun Lahtisen ruumis nostettiin ahkioon. Tämän kasvoilta pyyhittiin lunta ja Määttä näki niillä olevan rauhallisen ilmeen. Niin, ehkä kuoleman jälkeen Lahtisenkin oli mahdollista olla tyytyväinen. Lahtisen huulet olivat siniset ja Määttä mietti, että vain muutama päivä sitten hän oli pitkän ja uuvuttavan hiihtoretken jälkeen painanut niille pehmeän suudelman.

Määttä katsahti yhdistettyä konekivääriä, joka lepäsi vielä maassa. Sitä, jota Lahtinen ei ollut raaskinut tai ymmärtänyt jättää jälkeen, vaikka tämän olisi pitänyt. Ehkä, jos Lahtinen olisi konekiväärin jättänyt, tämä olisi vielä hengissä. Määttä ei kuitenkaan tuntenut tuota asetta kohtaan minkäänlaista inhoa tai kaunaa. Jos se hänessä jonkin tunteen herätti, niin haikeuden.

”Otatko sinä konekiväärin?”

Määttä ei hätkähtänyt kysymystä, vaikka se hänet mietteistään havahduttikin. Hän katsahti Sihvoseen, joka pudisteli vieläkin lunta Lahtisen ruumiista. Sopivaahan se oli, ettei Lahtisen annettu maata kuolleenakaan verhottuna tuollaiseen valkeaan harsoon. Korvan juureen käyneestä haavasta pulpunnut, jo Lahtisen kasvoille ja leualle kuivettunut punainen veri sopi paremmin miehen sielunmaisemaan. Määttä pudisti päätään omille hölmöille ajatuksilleen ja nakkasi loppuun polttamansa sätkän maahan. Hän kohautti Sihvoselle olkapäitään.

”Otanhan minä.”

Jalusta saatiin Lahtisen kanssa ahkioon. Varsinainen kohosi Määtän olalle vaivattomasti, kuten aina. Nyt siinä oli kuitenkin jotain erilaista. Konekiväärin paino sai Määtän ryhdin hieman kumaraan ja hän näki edelleen mielessään Lahtisen nostamassa sitä viimeistä kertaa. Hölmöä se oli ollut. Jalusta ja varsinainen painoivat yhdessä lähes yhtä paljon, kuin Määttä itse. Ei Lahtinen olisi sitä kauan kantaa jaksanut. Lahtinen oli kuollut täysin turhaan.

Määttä vilkaisi vielä Lahtisen kalpeita kasvoja, mutta keskitti sitten katseensa suoraan eteen. Hän keskittyi kantamiseen, keskittyi konekiväärin painoon ja omaan, raskaaseen hengitykseensä. Ei Määttä ollut järkyttynyt Lahtisen kuolemasta, ei edes yllättynyt. Kyllä hän oli tiennyt, että ainakin toinen heistä kuolisi. Määttä jatkaisi eteenpäin, kuten hän oli aina tehnyt. Häntä ei tällainen lannistaisi, eiväthän hän ja Lahtinen olleet edes olleet mitään ihmeellistä. Kaksi ihmistä, jotka olivat vain sattuneet samaan, onnettomaan tilanteeseen ja halunneet selvitä siitä. Määttä oli vain selvinnyt pidempään, kuin Lahtinen. Siinä kaikki.

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Siitä lähtien Määttä oli ainoa, joka sitä konekivääriä kantoi. Enää eivät toiset edes syyllisyyden velvoittamina pyytäneet häntä hellittämään siitä. Määttä ei halunnut muiden koskevan tuohon aseeseen, jota kohtaan hän oli uskollinen kuin ihmiselle ikään. Muut oppivat tämän nopeasti ja näkivät siinä tilaisuutensa välttää tuon vihatun taakan kantoa. Määttä kantoi konekivääriä, kuin hänen kunniansa olisi ollut siitä kiinni.

Jos toiset joskus näkivät Määtän istuvan hiljaa yksikseen ja silittelevän kylmää metallia kuin elävää olentoa, he eivät ainakaan sanoneet mitään. Ja jos kerran joku mainitsi kuulleensa, kuinka yleensä niin hiljainen Määttä oli puhunut aseelle kuin ystävälle, se tarina jäi siihen. Heillä kaikilla oli omat omituisuutensa, Määtällä se oli tuo kummallisen läheinen suhde aseeseen, jota pelastaessaan eräs alikersantti Lahtinen oli kerran kaatunut lumihankeen.

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Pari vuotta myöhemmin, kun Koskela eräässä toivottomassa tilanteessa määräsi upottamaan konekiväärit lampeen ja jättämään yhden muistoksi, ei kukaan tainnut ymmärtää, mitä hän “muistolla” tarkoitti. Eikä kukaan tiennyt, miksi hän katsoi Määttää niin merkitsevästi kysyessään: ”Otatko sinä?”

Eikä kukaan tainnut osata arvata, mitä Määtän pään sisällä tuolloin liikkui. Hän nojaili varsinaiseen välinpitämättömänä, kuten aina. Hän muistutti hieman kuvapatsasta vastatessaan Koskelalle. Kuin asia ei olisi mitenkään häntä liikuttanut, kuin sillä ei olisi ollut mitään merkitystä. Aivan, kuin Lahtinen ei olisi koskaan maannut kuolleena lumihangessa tuon samaisen aseen rinnalla, veri tipahdellen lumesta paljastuneelle juolukanlehdelle.

”Vaan sillähän ei ole väliä. Miten vain.”

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[thecavavoice]

Q & A Interview With A CAVA Alumnus

By Sulana S.

Pictures of CAVA Alumni T. Spencer in Redondo Beach, C.A., Wednesday, November. 16 th , 2022 by Sulana S./The CAVA Voice

As high school students, it’s always comforting to see how those who were once in our position have succeeded in the real world. It’s even more helpful when the experienced come back to support and guide us on our own journeys.

I conducted an interview with a CAVA Alumni, T. Spencer, who is currently completing his 4th year of college at UCLA. He is earning a degree in Bioinformatics, also called Computational Biology, and a minor in Chicana/o studies. In the interview, Spencer answers questions that were submitted in a CAVA Voice survey by various students, in 10th , 11th , and 12th grade, about different topics such as college lifestyle tips and advice about classes.

Q: How long were you in CAVA? A: I was in CAVA for 6 years. I started when I was in 7th grade.

Q: Is it better to take AP classes and be stressed and overloaded with work, or take normal classes and get straight A’s easier?

A: In my experience, it’s better to take AP classes because they help prepare you for the fast pace of undergraduate classes that you will face in college. They’re also very important because universities want to see that as a student you’re taking the most challenging classes that you possibly can, even if you don’t do as well in them as you might have in a college prep course. It’s important to show that you’re trying and taking advantage of the most rigorous classes, like Honors and AP, that are offered by your school. For example, when applying to college, you would appear to be a stronger candidate if you earned a B in AP U.S History rather than an A in general U.S. History.”

Q: What about making the switch from online school to college presented the biggest challenge, and what about CAVA best prepared you to succeed?

A: “I would say the biggest challenge I had to deal with when transitioning from online school to college was the no longer having the comforts that I had in CAVA. It was a big adjustment having to consider the amount of time it takes me to walk from class to class. UCLA is a really big campus, with a lot of hills, so it was a huge change from getting to my classes through the click of the button versus having to run to them just to make it to my lecture on time. I think the thing about CAVA that prepared me to succeed was the rigorous course load that they give students and the amount of independence that is expected. To me it seemed like compared to other freshman, who attended brick-and-mortar schools, that were in my classes, I had less of a hard time adjusting to managing the heavy workload and having less one-on-one attention with a teacher. I was already somewhat used to managing my time and homework in a way that would allow me to not feel like I was falling behind. CAVA’s expectations, although very stressful in high school, were good preparation for the expectations that most students get shocked by their first year of college.”

Q: What should CAVA seniors be doing now to prepare for the leap to college or life in general? What is helping you keep up with university?

A: “One thing I think CAVA seniors should do now to get ready for the transition into college is to start getting used to a certain study routine that would be more efficient. For myself, I’ve realized that it’s so much better if students study a little bit each day, for every class, that way when there is an upcoming midterm or final, you won’t have to try to cram everything in the night before. Of course, it’s always extra helpful to study the weekend before for the test, but if you get used to studying some portion of what you’re learning every day you will remember it a lot better. At a school like UCLA, which runs on a quarter system, there are a lot of midterms for each class and not a lot of time in between them, so it’s a lifesaver to study a little bit every day because you might not have time to cram for three tests on the same day. Another thing I would have liked to prepare for when I was a senior at CAVA is to know that there will be some very difficult classes and challenges you have to get through. You won’t always get a perfect score on everything and it’s easy to let a bad grade get in your head, but it’s just one grade, and only a fraction of your overall success in college.” “In addition, as a college student I’ve learned that to keep up with the university-level workload I would rather tackle my assignments during the week when they are assigned rather than leaving the homework to catch up on the weekends. It’s definitely a lot of work and can be hard to manage everything, but it’s a lot better than trying to squeeze everything in at the end of the week like I have seen some of my classmates do.”

Q: If given the chance of having only one class during senior year, what would you do? Would you take part of the class the prior summer to graduate early or would you stay and take college courses in the meantime? Or is there a different scenario you would take?”

A: “In my opinion, if someone is interested in applying to college, it’s expected that students don’t ‘cruise’ during their senior year. By that I mean that universities want to see that you didn’t lighten your workload just because it’s your last year of high school, and you only need a few credits left to graduate. It’s important to show colleges that even though you could have taken an easier class schedule your final year, you still took it upon yourself to take on challenging classes and further your education as much as possible. For instance, my senior year was probably the grade that I had my heaviest workload. I believe I took four AP classes that year along with an honors class and an elective. So, to answer the question, in my opinion I would use my senior year to continue to take difficult classes and be able to have that to make my college applications even stronger. I’m not really sure about how this would work if you only need one or two classes, but I do have some family members that did dual enrollment, so they took classes at a community college at the same time as finishing high school. Maybe you could do both. I wasn’t in a big hurry to graduate, so I just paced myself to finish at CAVA, but I have two cousins that did dual enrolment. One of them finished high school and graduated with a diploma and an AA from the community college. After that she went to a UC. Now she’s at an Ivy League college back East for grad school, so it seems like it worked for her. I don’t personally know anyone that just took a couple classes senior year and then got into a college.”

Q: What do you think made you stand out? Do you think that being in an online school and applying to college made you look a little smarter or more studious? Do you think that being in an online school allowed you to prepare for the college life? Do you think that being in online school affected you in a positive or negative way when it comes to social situations?

A: “I think what made me stand out as a candidate for colleges was the balance of extracurricular activities to rigorous classes that I took all through high school. My senior year I had really hard classes like AP English, AP Spanish 4, Honors Physics, and Calculus. So, as a candidate I think my schedule spoke for itself, but I also had some extracurriculars that were maybe different for other people. For example, I used to volunteer at the library in my neighborhood, tutor elementary students, study guitar and train in martial arts. Maybe it wasn’t as many activities as other people, and they were not directly with the school. Looking back on it, I think it would have made me a better prospect if I had taken some school leadership or school community activities like ASB, newspaper, or a club. I can’t say if I looked any smarter, but when I wrote my essay responses on the applications, I made sure to say how my extracurriculars showed my commitment to the community and personal growth. I also think my classes and activities showed some discipline, which is big at CAVA because so much of what you do is independent, just like college. I think the online school helped prep for college life as far as academics, because CAVA classes are hard, and I remember having to be really organized. For the social part I think it depends on the person because lots of UCLA students really try to make college friends and keep the social life as a priority. That was a little different for me because I have a close family and my college is in the same city, so a lot of my free time is with them. Also, I got into a mentoring program where I do undergraduate research and that helps me meet people but honestly, it’s a lot of work and takes up a lot of my time. There are a lot of student groups on campus so if you got used to joining clubs a CAVA, college has a lot of them too.”

[thecavavoice]

Prom: An antiquated tradition or rite of passage?

by Sulana S.

A screenshot of a graph on a Google survey sent out to CAVA Students taken in Redondo Beach C.A., April 25th, 2022, by Sulana S./TheVoice 

"Originally, the purpose of Prom was to create an event for students to gather with one another and spend time together celebrating and capturing some of their most important final moments in high school."

Prom is a well-known and commonly cherished tradition at most high schools. It is such a well recognized tradition among students during their high school experience that clothing stores often advertise special and expensive outfits specifically for “prom season,” which begins from April to May. Many teenagers spend large sums of money on the occasion and dress up in formal attire with black-tie suits or sparkling evening gowns. Students view this special dance as a rite of passage into adulthood.

 Originally, the purpose of Prom was to create an event for students to gather with one another and spend time together celebrating and capturing some of their most important final moments in high school. However, as time has passed, it seems many students have noticed that superficial aspects like how much money someone spends on an outfit for the evening, whether someone has a date to accompany them, or who gets voted Prom Queen or King, all of which have corrupted this initially wholesome idea.  

Although many students felt like the tradition is an important part of high school, many also expressed their desire to change certain parts of prom. Many students feel a prom can include controversial elements that have been integrated over time and made the tradition seem more superficial than just a time for fun. One such aspect was the expectation placed upon the fancy attire of the evening, through which students get judged on how much money they spend, and some can afford to splurge large amounts of money on dresses or suits, while others cannot. CAVA student, Junior, Mariel S. wrote, “I would change the expectation of spending lots of money on preparations and clothes. It makes prom seem exclusive and like a performance rather than a celebration.” Over the years, in-person prom seems to have become more exclusive and specifically tailored to people who can afford its many amenities, which can include the usual $100 ticket to attend, fancy clothing, and rides to the dance in elitist ways such as limos. 

Another major aspect CAVA students want to change is the expectation placed upon someone to have a prom date. CAVA Senior, Aaron S. wrote, “I would change the tradition that a person has to be with another person. It may make another person feel left out, especially if they couldn't find anyone to go to prom with.” Prom season often places pressure on students because they feel they need to arrange a date for prom rather than focusing on just going and enjoying the evening. 

Some students from the survey also offered suggestions to make Prom better in the future. As most schools often embrace the Prom Queen and King tradition, which stresses out a lot of students, CAVA Freshman Alexis A. suggested integrating a Non-binary Royalty section. This change would make the tradition more inclusive for students then its current presentation and far better than it has been in the past. 

Many believe there should be less premium placed upon unimportant aspects like style, clothes, dates, and titles. The consistent point shared by the students who took the survey was that it is a special night so many of us look forward to and it needs to be only about having some fun and dancing with friends in one of our final moments together in high school.

At CAVA, prom has been virtual for the past 2 years and the festivities have been held over Zoom. Over zoom, ASB has created breakout rooms for students to socialize with each other in “Punchbowl” rooms, play jeopardy, and even dance while listening to a DJ purchased by the school. Even though our school is virtual and has had to hold prom via a digital platform due to the pandemic, our student community is still trying to engage in this tradition and make it memorable. ASB is planning another virtual prom for our students once again and details about the activities and theme of the dance will be released soon! 

In conclusion, it appears that prom is still a tradition adored by high schoolers, but it also needs some revisions. CAVA students have some great suggestions for how to change the custom for this new generation of young adults to make the event even more memorable, meaningful, and fun for our high school experience. Afterall, the purpose of a prom is to build a memory so we can cherish at least one very special day when we had some fun in high school, and maybe even make it so good we will look back on it in the future with nostalgia. 

[thecavavoice]

Do Influencers Have a Positive or Negative Impact on Teenagers?

by Sulana S.

A screenshot of public comments on an Instagram post from Addison Rae, taken in Redondo Beach C.A., March 23rd, 2022, by Sulana S./TheVoice

"Because these influencers continue to grow in number and popularity, their influence on young adults also expands and brings the question of whether or not they have a positive or negative impact on teenagers. How do the pictures posted by influencers on Instagram make young adults feel when they see them on their feed?"

In the modern world, social media plays a major role in the everyday lives of people, especially Instagram. Young adults growing up in this age of social media are particularly vulnerable to the impact of “influencers” on Instagram. What exactly is an influencer? An influencer on Instagram is someone who has created a reputation for themselves on based upon a particular niche. There are millions of influencers setup on Instagram so that they can spread their brand worldwide to their thousands of followers. They promote certain products from sponsorships paid by various brands to their followers in order to encourage them to purchase what they promote. Influencers post pictures of themselves on Instagram using specialized filters in order to make money, not only because it gains them more followers, which increases their widespread influence, but also because they earn money from the posts themselves. There are so many different types of influencers on Instagram, that include lifestyle gurus, models, actors, gamers, celebrities, YouTube stars, vloggers, dancers, and musicians. However, they have the common thread that they try to share their lives with the world, but they often misrepresent their lifestyles to the public. This misrepresentation comes from the fact that they primarily share pictures of themselves using filters that coverup any imperfections and they only disclose the parts of their lives that will appear to be perfect on camera so that people can aspire to be more like them. The results of a survey responded to by high school students at CAVA showed a wide array of influencers that many people follow on Instagram, that included artists, Youtubers, and actors. They also revealed the type of content many of the more common types of influencers put out on Instagram for their fans. Many of the responses explained that they post pictures of themselves, projects they are working on, photos of their outfits, and places they go.

Because these influencers continue to grow in number and popularity, their influence on young adults also expands and brings the question of whether or not they have a positive or negative impact on teenagers. How do the pictures posted by influencers on Instagram make young adults feel when they see them on their feed?

10 upperclassmen CAVA students were surveyed and the majority of them believe that influencers have a negative impact on teenagers psychologically. Many of the respondents feel that as influencers reveal so much of their personal lives to the public with the things they post, teenagers feel uncomfortable because they do not personally know the person in the posts. Junior Clover, R. stated, “At first, I didn't have much of a reaction to the pictures of themselves being posted, but as time went on, I felt that I knew too much about their personal lives with the places they were at and the descriptions in the captions. So, I didn't want to become too informed on every detail of a random person's life, that I have never met personally.”

It appears many of the students at our high school also believe that influencers have a substantial negative impact on young adults emotionally as well. When asked how the pictures posted by the influencers make them feel when looking at them, many of the responses talked about the emotions they trigger, such as jealously or embarrassment. For instance, Junior, Serenity, B. stated, “I feel happy to see genuinely nice people doing well, but of course I inevitably ask, why not me?” And, another student, Asmaa, F. wrote, “If I feel good and I'm scrolling through Instagram, seeing them might make me feel inspired and encouraged, but if I'm in a bad mood, it would make me feel bad about myself, even though I know they don't look like that in real life.” This suggests that even though the purpose of many influencers is to inspire people by showing the public the way they live and giving them lifestyle tips, they actually instill doubt in growing teenagers about themselves. Seeing those posts causes people to compare their personal lives to the “perfect” idealized ones perpetuated by influencers and can feel they are not as good or are doing something wrong.

A major issue connected to influencers is in how they do not give a realistic picture of themselves or whatever they focus upon, and this is problematic because they play such a large role on social media and make it followers aspire to be like them. Since what people see or read on social media is not necessarily real there are larger implications for teenagers. Fans can see what filters are used on certain photos that get posted. These filters on Instagram cover imperfections and exaggerate certain structural features, such as eyes and lips, which make people look completely different then they do in real life. This negatively impacts people because followers try to use those same filters to “look better” like the influencers, even though the filters are unrealistic. Students were asked how the Instagram filters used by influencers make them feel and many of the responses expressed that the filters made them feel strange because they look like completely different people on the screen. Junior, Asmaa, F. wrote, “To be honest, the filters rarely compliment my features, so when I try them, they make me look like a totally different person and I know that I don't look like that.”

In conclusion, because the modern world is so dependent upon social media, influencers have access to ways of influencing so many people. It appears that influencers have a negative impact on teenagers because they cause for them to compare themselves and their own lifestyles to unrealistic standards or complete fictionalizations. Perhaps in the future more young adults will need to distance themselves from seeing the posts of influencers as they do more damage than good.

[thecavavoice]

Why do we love Disney Characters?

by Sulana S.

A Christmas ornament of Spiderman hanging from a Christmas tree in Redondo Beach, C.A., Wednesday, December. 15th, 2021 (Sulana S./TheVoice)

When I began writing this article, I asked myself, “why exactly do people love Disney characters so much?” I have always adored Disney characters, and I am not the only one. They have been a part of my childhood since I can remember, but I never took time to think why exactly I love them.

My love of Disney characters comes from that fact they are very relatable to people around the world. Let’s face it, there is at least one character that someone somewhere can identify with and see parts of themself in their personality. All of the characters possess human qualities and face some type of struggle during their adventures that parallel real-world problems.

Stuffed plushies of Wall-E and Eve sitting together on a couch in Redondo Beach C.A., December 16th, 2021 (Sulana S./The Voice)

I know what I love about Disney, but I needed to know why others feel the same affection for these characters, so I talked to some of my peers. I found a couple of CAVA students and asked them what they think about their favorite Disney character and why they love that one.

In fact, Junior Heaven F. says, “I'll probably go with Maya Hart from Girl Meets World. I like her because of the changed that occurred based on who she was hanging around. In the beginning, she was the per se rebel child, but eventually, she became a different person because of her friends. Her heart changed, she softened up, and desired to be a better version of herself because of the things they went through together along with how they lived their lives. Honestly, the same thing happened to me. I was never a "rebel," but I used to have such a hardened heart when I was younger; however, things changed when my first best friend entered my life. That's why love how Cory Matthews would say, ‘People change people.’”

Merida, from the movie Brave exemplifies this because although she is a princess destined to rule over a kingdom, her struggle for independence from the stereotyped role of young girls is a real issue that resonates with many women. Merida has to break through those barriers, not just by vanquishing a monstrous bear, but by making everyone around her realize her capacity to take care of herself and be her own person.

Although Disney stories are not real, there is truth weaved into them about the human struggle as the characters deal with conflicts. Many people can relate to specific aspects of their personalities and the struggles the characters must overcome. This allows people to develop a deeper relationship with the characters that goes beyond admiration and becomes a particular type of love.

“There are so many characters that I love a lot, but I think the first character that comes to mind is Princess Tiana! I like her a lot because her story is most relatable, and very human despite her being a frog for most of the movie. We see how hard working she is in the movie and how she saves all her tips from work so she can open her own restaurant someday. And! She achieves her goal/dream, and doesn't rely on Prince Naveen for everything,” says Junior Emma S.

A plushie of Graduation Minnie Mouse in a cap and gown sitting on a desk in Redondo Beach, C.A., Wednesday, December. 15th, 2021 (Sulana S./The Voice)

Another example of how life lessons pop up in Disney stories comes from Pixar’s movie Onward. Although the movie is set in a fantasy realm with sentient unicorns and gargoyles, the main character, Ian Lightfoot, has to deal with accepting his father’s death and moving past it, but at the same time he must step out of his father’s shadow and become his own person.

These characters become our friends, role models, or comfort pals. They are people who have been and are there for us as we grow up, and who we feel can understand the issues in our lives. Sometimes, they even teach us lessons and help us become better people ourselves as we reflect on their stories.

This is why we love Disney characters. They entertain us, sing for us, and make us smile, but they are also people we can relate to and people we can love.

So tell me, what characters do you love?