Media Influences in Our Lives

Watching TV and movies can influence how we live our life if we let it. Don’t think you’re influenced by the media? Think about:

• The clothes your favourite stars wear: do you try to copy them?
• The activities your favourite stars do: what do you think of them?
• The catch phrases on TV shows: do you pick them up?

There’s nothing wrong with being influenced by the media – it’s a part of the world around us. That influence can become a problem when we begin to think that what happens on the movies and TV is ‘normal’.

Let’s take a second to remember that real life and TV are not the same thing (nope, not even reality shows!). The shows we love so much have writers, screenplays, stage lights, makeup, casting and season endings. The real world isn’t scripted or costumed, and our lives still go on when the show ends.

So if real life is so different from TV, why do we model real life after TV?

YLC wants to encourage you, and let you know that your life is so valuable. You are worth so much as an individual, and your uniqueness is what makes you, you! You can make your own decisions, and don’t need to let the media influence how you live your life. For more information on media literacy, check out www.media-awareness.ca

Remember that you are important. Your life counts, and you can make a difference in this world. If you ever need to talk about this or anything else, feel free to get in touch with us. We’re here for you.

The typical female main character on TV has the picture-perfect body with all the right curves in all the right places, tucked under all the right clothes. The typical male character on TV has toned abs, sculpted arms and a defined jaw line. And despite the fact that these types of people represent the smallest portion of our population (99% of us don’t look like that!), we let them define how we should look.

YLC wants you to remember that you were made the way you are for a reason; you are wonderful inside and out, and it’s not what’s on the outside that defines you. Your personality and character shines through every day, and that is what people see and remember. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else, because that’s not what you were meant to be. You’re great, just the way you are.

Please be encouraged and know that you are so much more than a TV character. You are a person who has individual worth, who is awesome just the way you are, and doesn’t need to model your life after what society tells you to. You are you and your life, your body image, your self-esteem, your health, and your future counts.

For more information on media literacy, please check out www.mediasmarts.ca

Remember that you are important. Your life counts, and you can make a difference in this world. If you ever need to talk about this or anything else, feel free to get in touch with us. We’re here for you.

TV doesn’t reflect real life, and this is often the same when it comes to money. While some TV shows depict particular characters in financial difficulty, most main characters are affluent, sustainable, and generally able to get what they want – or find a way to do it.

Often media forgets to show the 8 hour workdays mothers and fathers put in to support their kids’ hockey tournament, or the fact that many young teens have a part time job to save up for college.

The often irresponsible spending habits of made-up characters should not be our guidebook on how to use our finances. Remember that financial responsibility is a virtue, and it is important to not let our spending control or affect our lives.

If you find financial responsibility difficult to achieve, speak with a friend or person you trust to help keep you accountable in how you spend and save your money. Also, you can email YLC at any time!

For more information on media literacy, check out www.mediasmarts.ca

Remember that you are important. Your life counts, and you can make a difference in this world. If you ever need to talk about this or anything else, feel free to get in touch with us. We’re here for you.

It’s not often on TV that we see the real complications of sexual activity. TV and the movies don’t show us everything that comes with having sex: the heartbreak it can bring if a relationship ends, the Sexually Transmitted Infections that can incur (including a lot of messy stuff ‘down there’), pregnancy, heartache, and the long-term effects of not waiting for a lifelong relationship such as marriage.

Sex is a choice. Until you evaluate your life, expectations, future, past, and what you are looking for in a relationship, you are not prepared to be sexually active.

Relationships, dating and love should be focused on freedom and respect. If you ever feel pressured by the person you are dating to go physically or sexually farther than you are comfortable with, you are not being respected or sexually free from pressure.

To find out more information about sex, check out our articles.

To find out more about media literacy, visit www.media-awareness.ca

Remember that you are important. Your life counts, and you can make a difference in this world. If you ever need to talk about this or anything else, feel free to get in touch with us. We’re here for you.