Throughout middleschool I was obessed with gurl.com. Back then (early 2000s) it looked so 'rebellious' with black and pink backgrounds, but was paired with 'girly' attributes. A favorite "game" that they solicited was Paperdoll Psychology, which allowed a girl to pick out and assemble different outfits for a paperdoll, and then read the descriptions the computer generated about what a 'matched' or 'unmatched' outfit meant-- girls were consuming this fashion avatar, wanting to go find these clothes, and also 'producing' a new doll.
However, Gurl.com also provided to be insightful-- having a q and a page that related to flirting, body changes, social etiquette, sex (oral, vaginal, anal), contraceptives, domestic abuse hotline and questions--basically it was a forum for girls to ask girls near their age about a situation that was bothersome, what situations were "too old" for girls to be doing at the ages of 13, 14, 15, 16 and getting advice about embarrassing scenarios that, with the help of the internet, girls could come to without feeling vulnerable (the person on the other computer screen can't see you--and neither you them!)
While the guise of gurl.com is that it plays with the same message/content in a new mode, if you dig a little bit, there's some new content there for girls to access, what they previously couldn't access before (especially sex ed questions--how many girls feel comfortable walking into Planned Parenthood in their early teens and asking for advice?)
However, this prototype of site (also itsyoursexlife.org) is the only website that seems to step forward in the bounds of girls as producers/consumers. Most websites such as crushable.com, thegloss.com, collegecandy.com are all websites that offer the same content and message as a traditional 'girly' magazine that a female would pick up in the grocery store.
Christine,
ReplyDeleteIt's funny (ironic) -- while I am a few years older than you, my teen years were shaped in part by my online interactions. I think in general online ways of communicating have helped people like me, who are uncomfortable in many social situations, to open up. Often, it's a lot easier to ask anonymous people advice than someone you know, face-to-face.
I think dealing with some of the issues I had as a teen would have been much more isolating before the advent of the internet. That said -- social media was still in its infancy when I was a teen, and Facebook didn't come onto the scene until I was well into my college years. Had Facebook been around when I was in high school, I might have viewed it as an extension of the social hierarchy already in place in the offline world – and I think it would have made my teen years even more difficult. I almost feel sorry for teen girls of today who have to contend with both high school and Facebook.
Hayley
Two steps forward, one step back = one step forward. At least we are still going forward. I like that title. I agree Hayley, high school is now double trouble with all the things that go on real time, to have to manage impressions in a virtual world is an agonizing thought. I think girls have to grow up faster and become aware faster and faster these days. That is not all bad but sometimes there is a need to breathe.
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