Symbol of a bright future vs symbol of a world going to hell

Women in Journalism reports

'Am I Bovvered?'

• researched images in the media and surveyed real teenage girls
• concern over sexualised images in all media
• encouraged a morbid preoccupation with beauty and appearance

'Hoodies or Altar Boys'

• 4374 out of 829 stories in national and regional papers were about youth crime
• 'yobs' 591 times
• 'thugs' 591 times
• 'sick' 119 times
• 'feral' 96 times
• this has gone ups since the summer riots

• positive phrases- angel, high-achiever, model student, talented sportsman
• only used the describe dead boys and usually the victims of violent crimes
• 85% of boys surveyed said negative images in media had made them afraid of other teenage boys

Internationalised stereotypes

• youthful search for collective identity could result in these representations being internationalised and accepted: a self fulfilling prophecy?
• Kidulthood
• Harry Brown
• Eden Lake
• Anti-youth films? Accurate to actual experiences of teenagers
• or conforming to stereotypes circulated by news, media?

Alternatively

• 9-14 year olds spend $300 million per year in USA
• companies are very keen to target the youth: indication of what tastes of the future will be
• Morgan Stanley: Youth are the 'vanguard of the digital revolution'

Why do adults idealise youth?

• Nostalgia- never appreciated youth when they were that age
• Empathy- adults frustrated with their lives, want to be rebels again
• Envy- teenagers don't have a career, relationship and financial burdens
• envious of adolescent sexual drive (in a sexualised culture)

Accurate or idealised?

• 'Juno'- do kids really talk like this?
• 'Misfits/skins'- do kids really have these lifestyles?
• aimed at teenagers?
• or at adults?
• e.g 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off'