paper 5 rd

Sabah Siddiqui
Paper 5
April 24, 2009
AMST 072W

Between the ages of 9-12, young girls are just then beginning to create their own identity. While their bodies are developing, they struggle to reach certain maturity. Around the time of middle school, most girls are developing their interests such as engaging in extra curricular activities and gaining more responsibilities . For example, most girls by middle school no longer need to be babysat. However, in present times, most girls are becoming too mature for their age level. Walking into a classroom in an average suburban middle school, schoolgirls can be seen wearing even their undergarments outside their clothing. They may have too much cleavage being revealed, enhanced by a push-up bra or their thong may be visible from their low cut jeans. As shocking as it may be, this was the everyday style of young girls in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, not too long ago. They were influenced by the media, especially “bubble-gum pop” idols, and the most famous of these idols was Britney Spears. Pop music and its influencers forced “tween” girls to become more sexualized, which contributed to their major influences as consumers in the market.
“Tween” girls refer to girls from the ages of 9-12, also known as prepubescent. These young people in this category used to be left out as they are not children; however are not yet more mature teenagers. As Britney Spears put into perfectly into words, “not a girl, not yet a woman.” At these awkward years, girls are developing and trying to create an identity of their own. Yet, without personal experiences of their own to learn from and without the maturity to understand the world around them and establish relationships, they must look up to role models. They look up to role models often pushed by the media, including magazines like Seventeen and popular pop culture. When children of the baby boomers finally reached the “tween” stage, “tweens” took the world by storm. Their pop culture took over headlines and stormed the market with brands specially designed for them, such as Limited Too and Justice.
One of the major role models for “tween” girls was Britney Spears. As soon as her catchy tunes reached audiences, her album sales soared to number one. At the time Britney Spears reached fame, she was only sixteen years old. Just learning to drive. Popular teen-centered magazines such as Seventeen, CosmoGirl and Teen People instantly placed her on covers Because of her age, young girls were able to look up to her as an older sister. They wanted to successful and as powerful as her and even dress and act like Britney Spears. On the contrary, although a “tween: should aspire to be a successful woman, she still is not ready to take on the mature acts of a teenager. Britney Spears came full throttle on the media with a beautiful voice to wow millions, but her style was anything but appropriate for a young girl with her cropped tops and low riding bottoms.
Britney Spears’ first and one of her most popular videos, “Baby One More Time” influenced the sexuality of tweens. Britney’s popular video displayed a fast beat, catchy lyrics and exciting dance moves, which caught the eye of young girls. At first, the tween girls were caught by the popular video and thus placed Britney as their role model. Britney Spears is singing and dancing in the set of a high school and begins the video as a girl prepared to get out of school for the day. This established a connection with tween girls because she displayed to her audience that she is like every other young girl, who attends school. Then a scene is cut to where Britney is in a schoolgirl outfit that is anything but appropriate for a young girl to be wearing to school. She is seen in a white oxford that has been tied and unbuttoned, revealing her midriff and a black bra, a short skirt and thigh highs. In different scenes, she continues to wear revealing clothes with her midriff showing and some sexual dance moves. For example, shaking her breasts as one move. In Madeline Lowe’s article’s “Colliding Feminisms: Britney Spears, “Tweens”, and Politics of Reception, Lowe argues this image not only angers, but confuses young girls. These girls understand that her image is inappropriate because of even the pop idol’s age. Yet, at the age of a tween girl, they do not have the proper cognition to pick and choose aspects of an idol. To embody their idol, tween girls are lead to believe that they must dress like her. Because Britney is popular, all “popular” girls dress like her and in return all girls dress in that manner. From wearing these revealing clothes, the girls sexualize themselves and no longer look their age and thus look more mature.
Britney Spears’ second video, which was also popular and rose to number one on various pop charts worldwide, “Sometimes”, Britney looks more innocent than her latter video. This video has a more mellow beat and the pop star looks more innocent and age appropriate. She is wearing all white as well as her dancers, which is portraying a more virginal appearance. Although her shirt is still cropped, the neckline is higher; she is also wearing pants and less makeup than her “Baby One More Time” video. Her image is totally different from the more sexual look she had in her previous video. As Lowe stated, it is this look that creates a confusion in her fans because they do not understand when it is appropriate to reveal too much skin. Although Lowe says this causes anger in her fans because they then believe that her look in the first video is more sexual than her “Sometimes” video and thus Britney looks hypocritical. The “Sometimes” video actually reinforces Britney’s fame and influence. Britney looks more age appropriate and just like a normal, average young girl. Tweens look at this video and believe that she is just like them and her lyrics tell the listeners that she has “boy problem” just like the average young girl.

Thesis and Two Topic Sentences

From Moody's story, one can see the Civil Rights movement was as successful as it was because if the younger generation's views versus the views of the older generation at that time. These views held by the younger generation was that of inclusion and this perspective required many bodies to accelerate and keep the movement going.


The generation that ran the Second Reconstruction questioned their surroundings more than the older generation.

For the movement to be successful, well-educated and outgoing activists were needed.

Revised paper 4

Anne Moody’s Coming of Age in Mississippi depicts the author’s life in Mississippi from her childhood before the Second Reconstruction through the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement. However, Moody’s honest story allows a reader to understand the reality of a Black woman’s life in the South. From the beginning, Moody not only dealt with racism coming from White Southerners, but also battled older Black people, whom she was surrounded. Their views were drastically different from that of the Moody’s generation. Being a central character of the story, Anne Moody represents one of the many thousands of those young African-Americans of the movement. From her story, one can see the Civil Rights movement was as successful as it was because of younger generation’s views versus the views of the older generation. These views held by the younger generation however, required many bodies to accelerate and keep the movement going.

The generation that ran the Second Reconstruction movement questioned their surroundings more than the older generation. Growing up the older generation did not question why there was an obvious difference in the way they were treated by society than White people. They naturally begun to accept it has a way of life. When Moody was a young child, along with her toddler-aged siblings, Adeline and Junior, they happily played with the White children, who loved near them and did not think twice about their racial differences. But then Moody’s mother forbade her children from playing with them and at that point Moody did not understand why it mattered whether her playmates were White. And the more she searched for answers, the angrier her mother became. (Moody, 35) Many children, like Anne Moody at the time, believed it was a more natural way of life to play with children without thinking of their race and were forced to learn their parent’s “way of life.” As Anne grew up, she learned however that not all White people seek to harm African-Americans. Cumulatively, the frustration of what she believed versus what her mother believed led her to become involved in the civil rights movement.
For the movement to be successful, well-educated and outgoing activists were needed. Growing up, Moody was unlike many of the other young, poor, African-American girls as she did well in school and was quite involved in extracurricular activities. Even so, the younger generation of African-Americans overall completed more years of education that the parents of these young children. At the time Moody attended college, the stereotype was that only high-class light-skinned African-Americans with rich fathers could attend prestigious colleges, such as Tougaloo. (Moody, 256) Although growing up without the means to attend college, Moody worked various jobs vigorously and received a scholarship. Going to Tugaloo, gave Moody the chance to become a member of the NAACP. Soon after, she joined other activist groups such as SNCC. These groups gave Moody the opportunity to become an active member of the movement. Moody’s story represents that of many other young African-Americans, who wised to see a change in their civil rights. However, it takes many “bodies” to take the initiative to join groups, such as the NAACP, which were very risky to join at that time, especially in Mississippi. By being surrounded by many well-educated students, such as herself, Moody was able to join NAACP with greater ease because there is a greater sense of security.

I. Moody’s mother’s constant battering and not allowing Moody as a child to understand the reality around her.
Contributes to Moody’s experience interacting with lighter-colored African-Americans and her mother’s experience and how this stems directly from the racism from the Whites onto Black people.
II. Moody’s naturally defiant characteristic is representative of the many thousands of young African-Americans who would soon be involved with the movement later on in the story.
a. Where Moody came from she was one of the very well educated young black girls. But when she went to junior and senior college she saw there were many successful and educated African-Americans.
III. How Moody felt towards the murders occurring versus those older than her.
IV. The political views of the older versus younger generation in terms of segregation and voting.
V. Her family’s reaction to her involvement in the movement.
a. NAACP, SNCC
b. Sit-ins
VI. At the time where the story ended. Moody is quite pessimistic of the movement, while what has changed so far may be good enough for those of the older generation.
a. Moody seeks lack of leadership in those heading the groups of the movement.

Paper 4 Rough Draft

Anne Moody’s Coming of Age in Mississippi depicts the author’s life in Mississippi from her childhood before the Second Reconstruction through the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement. However, Moody’s honest story allows a reader to understand the reality of a Black woman’s life in the South. From the beginning, Moody not only dealt with racism coming from White Southerners, but also battled older Black people, whom she was surrounded. Their views were drastically different from that of the Moody’s generation. Being a central character of the story, Anne Moody represents one of the many thousands of those young African-Americans of the movement. From her story, one can see the Civil Rights movement was as successful as it was because of younger generation’s views versus the views of the older generation.


I. Moody’s mother’s constant battering and not allowing Moody as a child to understand the reality around her.
Contributes to Moody’s experience interacting with lighter-colored African-Americans and her mother’s experience and how this stems directly from the racism from the Whites onto Black people.
II. Moody’s naturally defiant characteristic is representative of the many thousands of young African-Americans who would soon be involved with the movement later on in the story.
a. Where Moody came from she was one of the very well educated young black girls. But when she went to junior and senior college she saw there were many successful and educated African-Americans.
III. How Moody felt towards the murders occurring versus those older than her.
IV. The political views of the older versus younger generation in terms of segregation and voting.
V. Her family’s reaction to her involvement in the movement.
a. NAACP, SNCC
b. Sit-ins
VI. At the time where the story ended. Moody is quite pessimistic of the movement, while what has changed so far may be good enough for those of the older generation.
a. Moody seeks lack of leadership in those heading the groups of the movement.


Right now it's a bit weak in terms of it seems like a descriptive argument. I am however trying to connect it to the theme of either bodies or solidarity.

Paper 3 rough Draft

Following the 1920’s, the sense of culture within the United States had changed. Culture within the United States emphasized the “inter-relatedness of things.” According to Warren Sussman, the “American Way of Life” became more known and widespread through the media. This concept of the “American Way of Life” defined the culture of the American people; their beliefs and values and symbols that were meaningful to them. Theodore Roosevelt took advantage of the influence of the media among his followers and used it as a platform to advocate the New Deal, his plan to restore the economic status of the United States from the depression. The shared culture of the American Way of Life centralized around the concept of unity, which was also emphasized through Roosevelt’s New Deal and murals and pictures pushed by his programs.
I. Focus on visual and audio in the 1930’s and how Roosevelt used it to his advantage
II. Roosevelt’s Speech to the Commonwealth Club-his point of view
a. Jefferson’s intentions of the govt to protect the people of the United States
b. Roosevelt outlines the problems of the United States and how unity is emphasized as a means to fix the problems.
III. Wilfred Mead’s visual document
a. How it argues Roosevelt’s viewpoint
IV. Gropper Dam Construction visual document
V. Conclusion
a. Emphasize change from the culture of the 1920’s
b. How although the New Deal didn’t fix the issues, World War II did.

Outline of Paper 2

Thesis: African-American women and Immigrant women countered the dominant culture’s demeaning significations and made claims for different representations by embodying the idea of the “New Woman.” The “New Women” was a symbol of a woman, who is more independent than the “ideal” domesticated woman.

I. Beginning of imperialism paves way for “New Woman” to emerge. The new hero needs a heroine, one, who, is independent and strong.
Although, society still requires for the woman to remain a good, domesticated housewife, it is the idea that it gives the desire to be liberated.

II. Role of cosmetics industry in creating new gender definitions and allowing for a different self-representation than before.

III. Consumptive society allows for women, immigrant and African-American to take a crucial role in society.

IV. Sara from Bread Givers desire to become a more independent woman through education.
a. Also, discussing how she does ends up making a full circle at the end and how she does not embody the idea of the “New Woman.”

V. Shifting from countryside to city and how women are able to take place in that resituation the country is going through.

Rough draft paper two

Hey to those people in my peer edit group, just my luck I was almost done with my rd and my laptop shut off and didnt recover it. So my rd will be up later tonight!!!