Girls’ Self-Portrayal in Social Media

by Katie Vannucci

I remember coming across this article in the Chicago Tribune last fall and was shocked with what I read.  There is a new national survey by the Girl Scouts Research Institute that found that girls 14 to 17 years old often portray themselves in social media as “fun,” “funny” or “social,” rather than smart and ambitious.  Girls shy away from portraying themselves as too smart or too ambitious for fear of not fitting in with a particular group.  Girls often want to feel “cool” and so they say and do things they wouldn’t ordinarily do just so they can feel like they fit in.  This is not a new problem but now with social media, this has just amplified this problem in young girls.

More than ever, young girls need a safe space where they can be themselves.  This is ME continues to help Chicago girls thrive, even in our ever-changing world!

Here is a link to read the full article:

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-11-12/news/ct-met-trice-girl-scouts-1112-20101112_1_social-media-social-networking-teen-girls