Consumerism in Children - 1448 Words

Felicia Gardner HMXP 102 Dr. Matthew Fike October 13, 2010 Consumerism In Children Introduction When I was two years old my mother enrolled me in gymnastics. Gymnastics was a huge part of my life for the next four years. After moving up to be with the fourteen and fifteen year olds my mother realized that something was not right, because I was having body issues at the age of six. In the text â€Å"How Do Our Children Get So Caught Up In Consumerism† by Brian Swimme he addresses the issue of how deeply affected the children of America are due to consumerism. Unlike Swimme I do not believe that all of children’s psyche problems come from ads or television. I think they also come from people who our children highly trust. Although Swimme is right†¦show more content†¦I wanted to look like the beautiful people on television so badly that I compromised my health for it. Argument Although ads and the media play a big part in the psyche of children, people with influence over our children also play a major part. Swimme said in his quotation â€Å"So as we soak it all up, it sinks down deep in our psyche. And if this takes place in the adult soul, imagine how much more damage is done in the psyches of our children,† (148) this goes both ways between ads, media, and parents/trusted people in children’s lives. Swimme says â€Å"An ad’s job is to make us unhappy with what we have.† which is exactly what they are doing. They use pictures of unrealistic looking models to make children, especially little girls, feel bad about the way they look. My coach used the same tactics on me. He made me feel unhappy with the way I looked so I strived to look like the older girls did, tall, pretty, and most of all, slender. The media uses shows like Americas Next Top Model (ANTM) to show that â€Å"skinny is the way to be. On this show in particula r, only the â€Å"skinny† girls making it to be ANTM. That is exactly how my coach made me feel. He made me feel like if I was not â€Å"skinny† enough I would never make it to the Olympics no matter how good I was. Objection Even though people that children trust can have a big influence on their lives the media can also. One of the ways the media affects children are with images. Even thoughShow MoreRelatedEssay The Effects of Consumerism on Adults and Children1085 Words   |  5 PagesThe Effects of Consumerism on Adults and Children Consumers are creatively successful when designing a persuasive advertisement for increased profitability. In a normal household, it’s the parents who have the financial obligations; therefore, it would be wise to grab their attention. On the other hand, it takes less than a strategic mind targeting children because the simplest things fascinate them. 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