Culturally Constructed Body Image

A major part of the “ideal” body image has been constructed by the media. Take magazines for example. I dare anyone to find one recent magazine that has healthy sized women as models, not the airbrushed waifs that are featured on almost every page. Nearly every advertisement, whether it be on television or on a billboard features people with society’s “ideal” bodies. Even young children are being exposed to recent trend. For instance, before I left for school, I went to the mall with a few of my friends. As we were shopping, we walked past Limited Too, a clothing store for young girls. I was shocked at what I saw. Skinny mannequins sported miniskirts, tube tops, and low cut shirts for nine and ten year olds. Even I wouldn’t be comfortable wearing some of that stuff. I remember when I used to go there as a kid, everything seemed much more modest than what the ideal image has become today. I have a feeling that these new fashions have appeared due to society’s huge influence on potential buyers. I also know that this barrage of images of the ideal body can cause many horrible effects, like bulimia and anorexia. On the other hand, I don’t think that the media needs to cater to overweight people either. A middle ground needs to be reached.

SWA #8

1) Right now, I am still collecting information on my topic. and I’m also trying to organize the information I have so when I go to write my papers, I won’t waste any time. I liked the idea of mapping out an amount of time that I want to spend writing each day. I’m a huge procrastinator, so I think this would really help me. I’m also want to try and organize the information I have so when I go to write my papers, I won’t waste any time.

2) An outline would help me organize my thoughts into clear and coherent points. It may take a little extra time to do now, but I think in the long run it would save me a lot of time by showing me what topics I need to discuss and what to write about next in my paper.

3) The first tip pertains especially to me. I tend to put a paper aside the moment I finish it instead of looking back over it and making sure it’s my best work. Breaking the paper down by topic and paragraph is also a good tip. It would be a good tool to make sure my paper has enough data and also just to make sure it’s clear and complete.

4) The exploratory paper is a paper that is written to explore all aspects of an argument. With a well written exploratory paper, it will be easier for me to choose a side that I want to defend in my policy paper. With this information, it will also allow me to disprove the opposing side’s argument in my policy paper.

5) The easiest way of conducting peer review is to simply exchange papers with a classmate end evaluate each other’s writing. I really like peer review because you get instant feedback and you classmate is often able to tell you if something sounds awkward or is unclear, rather than having a teacher take points off for those mistakes.

Annotated Bibliography

Huang, P, MD. "Impact of a Smoking Ban on Restaurant and Bar Revenues." Center for Disease Control.
26 Feb. 2004. 15 Oct. 2007 .
This article deals with the effects of smoking bans on bars and restaurants. To study the trends, the CDC obtained quarterly tax reports and tracked the sales to see how smoking bans affected revenue. Due to the fact that the CDC was conducting this investigation, it is reasonable to say that this information is dependable. This resource is fairly objective and rarely interjects the author’s personal opinion. This resource also examines both sides of the smoking ban debate, but has more information supporting the claim that smoking bans have little to no effect on revenue. To make this article better, I would have cited more examples like the El Paso experiment to back up my information.

"Smoking Ban." Wikipedia. 15 Oct. 2007. 15 Oct. 2007 . This is one of the longer articles on smoking bans that I have found. The page has extensive links issues related to smoking bans such as critiques of smoking bans, tobacco related health issues, the reasons smoking bans should be put into place, the history of smoking bans, alternatives to smoking bans, and the effects of smoking bans. Wikipedia is a great resource, but I still need to make sure that this information is valid, and not just a bunch of misinformation posted by someone who knows nothing about this topic. This is a very important resource for me due to the fact that it discusses many of the things I wish to talk about in my paper.

Lung USA. June 2007. American Lung Association. 15 Oct. 2007 .
This is a fact sheet that deals with secondhand smoke and the effects it produces published by the American Lung Association. It discusses the types of chemicals in secondhand smoke, the deaths it causes to nonsmokers, and the devastating effects it has on young children and the elderly. This information is reliable due to the scientific nature of the group that published this information. Almost all of the information in this article will be useful in my paper when I discuss secondhand smoke.

"Smoking and Your Body." Healthy Living. 6 Oct. 2005. Health Canada. 15 Oct. 2007 .
This article deals with the types of illness, mainly the different kinds of cancer, caused by smoking. It also discusses respiratory illnesses and cardiovascular diseases that can be caused by smoking. This seems to be a valid resource due to the fact that it was published by one of Canada’s national health agencies. This article could have better explained what actually causes the illnesses, rather than just listing them and saying a little about each.

Hudson, David L., Jr. Smoking Bans. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2004.
This is also a very long, yet very useful article. It discusses many things I want to talk about in my paper and it thoroughly discusses both sides of the smoking ban issue. It also discusses some of the less thought about parts of the smoking ban debate, like whether or not tobacco advertising is a form of protected speech or whether or not smoking bans take away a smokers personal rights. This article will be helpful in both my policy and exploratory papers.

Saad, Lydia. "More Smokers Feeling Harassed by Smoking Bans." Gallup Poll Briefing (July 2007): 5.
This article will be very helpful for the exploratory paper. It is easy to find information that supports smoking bans, but it is much harder to find information that shows the other side of the argument. The author collected data from smokers and found that many feel discriminated against because of the adoption of smoking bans in many places. This article also effectively discusses the side of the smoking ban argument that supports the bans. If the author had cited more scientific data instead of just surveys, this article would be more effective.

Fisher, Laurie. "Smoke-Free Public Areas: A Breath of Fresh Air." Cancer Causes and Control 11.8
This article talks about smoking bans in public places and the problems such as disease and discomfort that smoking causes nonsmokers. It also discusses the effect that smoking bans have on restaurant and bar revenues. This resource cites government and scientific data, but only discusses one side of the smoking ban issue. It would have been more effective if it had discussed both sides of the argument.

Gruber, Jonathan. "Tobacco at the Crossroads: The Past and Future of Smoking Regulation in the United States." The Journal of Economic Perspectives 15.2 (Apr. 2001): 193-212.
This was the longest article I found. It discusses the history as well as the projected future of smoking regulations in America. The article also includes youth use of cigarettes over the past century, the effect that cigarette price has on use, and the validity of the smoking ban argument. This article discusses both sides of the argument and supports each with data. This is by far the best resource I have found. It will be extremely useful in writing both papers.

SWA #7

In his article, Alan Finder makes the observation that in recent years, many more students have become interested in religion on college campuses. He attributes this rise in interest to the rise in religion in politics. He claims that events such as September 11th and the war in Iraq have brought the issue of religion into the spotlight for many people. Many students now are also just more interested in religion and what to find out what they believe for themselves, rather than blindly accepting what they learned as children.
Richard just discusses the difficulties faced by both the liberal majority and the conservative minority on college campuses. He says that due to the fact that conservatives are the minority, they are propelled by their own anger towards professors and their peers whom they believe have made campuses hostile. They have a slight advantage in expressing their ideas however with the help of outside funding for speakers and publications. Liberals on the other hand have their own problems. Since almost every issue has a club on college campuses, it is hard to unite liberals together under one leader. They also don’t have nearly as much money available to them as the conservative students do.
In his article, David Leonhardt observes that there has been a marked increase in the number of college dropouts in the past decade. He attributes this trend to the difference between rich children and poor children. He claims that poor children aren’t adequately prepared for college by their high schools and that the appeal to get a job and make money instead of finishing a degree often proves too great for most that come from poor backgrounds. Cost is also a major issue for many people when deciding where to go to school. He also says that the colleges that are available to the poor have such a limited list of majors that most students don’t see the point in continuing their education.

Topic Proposal

As you approach the hostess’ stand, she asks you a simple, but important question: Smoking or Non-Smoking. You can either wait for an hour to get a table in the non smoking section, or you can be seated immediately in the cloud of tobacco smoke that hangs over the smoking section. Should smoking be outlawed in restaurants and other public places to satisfy nonsmoking clients, or should the laws be left the way they have been for years?

My paper will argue that smoking bans should be put into effect in all public places. These bans aren’t meant to single out smokers and make them uncomfortable. The smoking bans should be put into place to protect those who don’t smoke, but are inevitably affected. Having a nonsmoking section of a restaurant is like having a no peeing section of a pool. One way or another, everything mixes. I will also discuss the opposing view as well as the history of tobacco
use and the outcome of smoking bans that have already been put into effect.

My audience will be my classmates, my teacher, and anyone else who is interested in the smoking ban topic. I hope that my paper will be informative while being interesting as well.



Huang, P, MD. "Impact of a Smoking Ban on Restaurant and Bar Revenues." Center for Disease Control.
26 Feb. 2004. 15 Oct. 2007 .

Lung USA. June 2007. American Lung Association. 15 Oct. 2007 .

"Smoking and Your Body." Healthy Living. 6 Oct. 2005. Health Canada. 15 Oct.
2007 .

"Smoking Ban." Wikipedia. 15 Oct. 2007. 15 Oct. 2007 .

"Tobacco Industry's Targeting of Youth, Minorities and Women." American Heart. 2007. American Heart Association. 15 Oct. 2007 .

Smoking Bans

Constitutional rights
Rights of those around smokers who don't smoke (waitresses, bartenders, other diners)
History of smoking
Second hand smoke issuses
Various types of disease associated with smoking
-cancer, respiratory problems

Post Secret Analysis

I chose to do the last post secret card on our class blog. The text is one simple sentence, but it still draws you in due to the fact that the picture of a scarred face is right behind the text. It is impossible to see one without seeing the other. The explicit verbal claim is that God was trying to teach this person a lesson, but the implicit claim is that a person should try to not be vain. I think the author is a younger person in their twenties or thirties. The audience isn't just one demographic of people, because a very diverse range of people read the post secret blog.