Representation

     Within my project, I plan to somehow represent the teenage community. I would like to try to include different articles about different things that teenagers are accomplishing. For example, a teen that is making a difference in the community or doing something outside of his/her comfort zone.
     Within the media, teenagers are not always represented as good people or as nice people. A lot of times they are portrayed as bullies, full of themselves, cocky, and other negative traits. For example, the movie Dazed and Confused shares the funny story of a bunch of rowdy teenagers that are celebrating their last day of high school. In this film, there are bullies and jocks who are portrayed as mean, full of themselves, and "too cool" for anyone else. This is definitely a film that portrays teenagers in a negative way.
     On the other hand, there are times in the media where teenagers are portrayed in a very positive way. For example, in the student-led demonstration, March For Our Lives, teenage students are shown to be strong and mature leaders. This event included many student speakers who were at MSD the day of the mass shooting. This piece of media portrayed teenagers in an extremely positive way, unlike many other pieces of media.
     In films and other forms of media similar to Dazed and Confused, I feel that teenagers are not represented fairly. I'm not saying that every teenager is perfect, but I certainly do not feel that we are bad, cocky, and full of ourselves. I do not think that this is the correct way to portray teenagers and I think that they should be portrayed more similarly to how they were shown in the March For Our Lives event.
     Within my project I plan to represent teenagers in the same way that they are represented in the March For Our Lives event. I plan to show teenagers as strong, independent, and hard working. I want to share all of the great impacts that teenagers have on the community and the world. I plan to challenge the stereotypical representation of teenagers. I want to show that teenagers are not full of themselves and rude, but are in fact the opposite.