The Environment for Teenagers ...

“Entering Dangerous Territory”

In chapter one, of ‘The Disappearing Girl’, Machoian establishes the context and environment within and around the young people she listens to and talks with.

Our society is ever changing in cultural moods and social pressures. Listen to Machoian.

“…As girls become teenagers, it’s as though they are suddenly hapless tourists in their own lives, dropped in a strange uncharted territory without a compass or a map. The whole experience of trying to meet the new demands of friends, school, and family can be confusing, and girls can lose a sense of who they really are. It’s not news that culture, peers, and social expectations play tremendous roles in the lives of teens. What is new is that the mass media are more seductive than ever; teenage millionaire celebrities are on magazine covers weekly; expensive designer labels attempt to define girls; technology provides new ways for teenagers to communicate – and be hurtful to one another; and the social pressure to engage in sexual behaviors is falling on younger and younger girls. We have known about these cultural pressures and stressors for decades, but they are becoming so intense that they are having an impact on the rate of depression in teenage girls. When the expectations and standards around them shift so quickly, girls don’t have the life experience to guide them on the way…” Page 1 and 2.