The rEvolutionaries

(See your Own Beauty)

IstheselfesteemoffemalestudentsatHighTechHighaffectedbybeauty
standardsmorethannonfemalestudents?

Monique Mendez
High Tech High
Lisa Griffin, Mona Kiani, Bernardo Quintero
Semester 1
2015-16

Table of Contents
PersonalNarrativeEssay:
IAM
Page1
PrivilegeInterview:
Iamalwaysbeingmistakenfor...
Page5
ProjectProposalPage8
Experiment:
BeautyStandardsFrequencyTablesandGraphs
Page

10
AnalysisandImplicationsofExperiment:
BeautyStandardsatHTH
Page18
ExperimentReflection/WriteUp:
BeautyStandardsReflection
Page22
ResearchProcessandSourceSummaries:
InternationalBeautyStandards
Page
27
InterviewHighlightsReflection:
InterviewwithKimberSimpkins
Page29
LatinAmericanCompare&ContrastPaper:
PregnancyRatesU.S.vs.Mexico

Page31

MoniqueMendez
December2,2015
Per.4/5
IAM:

Growingup,IfeltasthoughmyfamilyandIweresomewhatoutsidersandthatwe
couldntreallyfitin.Beitourquietandreservedpersonalitiesorourcolorofskin,something
neverseemedright.Tome,privilegewillalwaysholdthemeaningofbeingabletohavethe
upperhandinsociety.
IwasbornandraisedinSanDiego,Californiaalikemyparentsthoughmyfatherwas
borninMexico.Thelackofprivilegethatwehave,asafamily,isbeingjudgedbyourskincolor
andbeingtoldracialandderogatorytermseveryotherday.Icantspeakformywholefamily,
butIforonespeakupwhensuchissuearisesbecauseIcannotstandsituationsliketheseand
hearingpeoplespeakinsuchafoulwaybothersmemost.
IthinkI'vealwaysbeenawareofmyraceeversinceIwasbornyoucansay.Myparents
andotherfamilysurroundingmewhilegrowinghadjustalwaysinfluencedmewiththeMexican
cultureitneverfeltlikeanythingnew.OnlymydadwasborninMexicobuteversincehewas
twomonthsoldhegrewupinAmericaduetosuchadramaticpersonalbackground.Although
myparentsonlyknowstoriesfromtheirparentsandrelatives,theyjustalwaysraisedmeinthat
environment.ItwasalsomaybewhenmyparentsalwaysspoketomeinSpanishwhenIwas
youngerandtheystilldo,too.Iaskedoneday,"WhydoIhavetoknowSpanishifwelivein
America?"andoneofmyparentssaid,"Justbecauseweliveheredoesn'tmeananythingthat
youhavetoonlyknowEnglish.You'reMexicananditsyourroots,yourblood.Youshould
learnSpanish,too.".ItwasntadramaticmomentbutIjustsatbackandletthewordsitsyour
roots,yourbloodsinkin.
Though,IamMexican,IknownothingoftheSpanishlanguagesoitwasjusteasierfor
metoalwaysspeaktomyfamilyinmyprimarylanguagewhichwouldbeEnglish.Myfamily
speaksEnglishandSpanishwhichcanbeinteresting,inmyopinion,becauseyoullhearusout
andaboutwithoneofourparentsspeakinginSpanishandthenIdreplyinEnglish.Goingtomy

grandmashousewasthehardestformejustbecauseIcantspeakSpanishthatfluently(yet)and
itisadefinitestruggletryingtocommunicatewithmygrandmawhobarelyknowsanyEnglish,
too.Athome,itsjustveryeasytospeaktomyparentsandtherestofmyfamilybecausethey
alsospeakEnglishfluentlythoughSpanishwastheirprimarylanguage.NowthatImhaving
SpanishclasstheyconverseandjokearoundandtestmeinmySpanishspeakingskillssoIve
beentryingtogetmorecomfortablewithitasasecondlanguage.
IwasalwaystoldthatIwasagirlandthereforeIshouldactsuchway.Iwasneverthe
kindofperson,orgirltosay,thatwasreallyneatanddelicateinmanyways.Forthelongest
time,Icouldneverbringmyselftowearadressevenifmymotherforcedmeto.IfeltlikeIwas
expectedtokeepthatshyandquietnature,butitjustdidntseemrightbecauseitwasntme.
WhenItoldmymomonedayhowIhadfeltaboutit,shejustsaidthatnowyouregoingto
alwayshavetorepresentthebestofyoursidetoothers,always.ItwasallbecauseIwasagirl
thatIshouldexpecttobelookeddownuponanddothebestIpossiblycan.Iwasrepeatedlytold
thatjustbecauseIwas
aMexicangirl
,Iwillalwayshavetotrythebestofmyabilityat
everythingIpossiblyIcan.
Whenitcametoreligion,itwasthemostconfusingpartoflearningwhoIwasforthe
longesttimeever.Evennow,myfamilyseemstobedividedonthewholetopic.Thoughmy
sisterandIweresupposedtobesomewhatraisedasCatholics,mymomjustneverreally
enforcedgoingtochurchandmydadwasntreligiousatallsonoluckthere.AsIgrewupand
learnedmoreaboutmultiplereligionsandspiritualities,IbecameinterestedinBuddhismand
alsoHinduismintheninthgrade.Ifounditallsofascinatinglearningaboutitjustbecauseitwas
anewconcepttomeandeverytimeIhadhearditbefore,Ionlyheardignorantcommentsabout
them.IdontknowhowmyparentswouldreacthoweverifonedayIsaid,Iwanttoconvert
into_____.sothereforeIneversaidanythingaboutit.ThatshowIcametotheconclusionthat
Iwasntgoingtohaveareligionandjustnotspeakofit.
IrealizedmysocialstatusasIgrewupbyjusthearingfrommyfromfriends.Itwas
duringmiddleschooltowardstheendofit,too,andontothestartofninthgradeyear.There
wereminorthingsI'dbeabletopurchasethatwouldseemlikejustsomuchtopayforinthe
mindofmyfriends'.Littlebylittle,Isawthatthoughherfamilylivesinsuchanicearea,the

housewassmall.Then,lookingtomyhouse,itwasspaciousforafamilyoffive(likehers)and
weevennowownadog.Yet,ifyoucomparedtheneighborhoodswebothlivedinyoucansay
shelivedinamoreupperlookingclass.IrealizedthatIwasintheuppermiddleclassbarely
abletopassuptofirstclasspossibly.
Ifirstbecameawareofmentalablenesssometimeinfourthorfifthgrade.Iwasinsome
programcalledtheGATEprogramthoughIcantcorrectlyrecallwhattheaimofitwasfor.I
justrememberthatbecauseofthisclass,IneverhadtobeintheELAclassesoranythingrelated
tothat.WhilesomekidswereswitchingclassesandseeingotherteacherstoimproveEnglish
andsuch,Iandfourotherstudentsweretheonlyoneswhojustsatinthesameclassalways
readingbecauseitwasasiftheteachershadnothingpreparedextendedlyforus.Iwasoneof
fivestudents,andofcolor,whopromotedinfifthgradewithAdvanced/Proficientscoreson
STARtestinganditwasjustusalone.Eversincethen,IrealizedthatIshouldalwaysworkhard
andstriveforthebest.Itjustseemedrighttothinkthatway.Idontholdpeopletothesame
expectationIkeepmyselfbutratherthemhavingactuallylearnedorgainedsomethingfrom
whatevertheyvedone.
Ivebecomeawareofmyprivilegesandyethowsocietywillcontinuetokeeplooking
downuponotherslikemyfamilyandI.Forawhile,tillnow,Ineverrealisedwhatcertain
privilegesIhavethatsomeothersmayenvy.Idwanttolearnhowmyprivilegescanaffect
others,though.

MoniqueMendez
December2,2015
Per.4/5

ImAlwaysBeingMistakenfor...

Forthisproject,havingtheprivilegeofbeingablebodiedreallyinterestedus.We
realizedhowmuchpeopletakeitforgranted,andwewantedtoseeablebodinessfroma
differentperspective.WeknewrightawaywhowewouldinterviewourclosefriendMorgan
Robinson.WeveknownMorgansince6thgrade,andhavewatchedasshetookonlifewiththe
challengesofbeingaType1Diabetic.Peoplearoundherwatchedassheembracedherstruggles,
allwhilemaintainingapositiveattitude.Amultitudeoffamilymembersonherdadssidehad
inheritedDiabetes,passingthegenedowntoherandhersister.Shesveryopentodiscussing
whatherlifelookslikelivingwithDiabetes,whichmadehertheperfectinterviewcandidate.

Q.Howdoeshavingdiabetesaffectyourdaytodaylife?

A.Forthemostpart,diabetesdoesntaffectmydaytodaylifethatmuch.Ihavetocheckmy
bloodatleast4timesadaywhichcanbekindofbothersome.Somostlyit'sjustpayingattention
andtakingcareofmyselfeveryday,whichincludeseatinghealthyandgettingexercise.

Q.Doyoufeellikeyouareatadisadvantage?

A.Nonotreally.SinceIcanstilleateverythingtheanyoneelsecanandjoininanynormal
activities,soIdontfeelthatIamatthatmuchofadisadvantage.

Q.Doyoufeellikeyouarejudgedforhavingdiabetes?

A.Sometimes,someonewillthinkthatImdifferentforhavingdiabetes,whenreallyitdoesnt
affectthatmuch.Alsowhenpeoplearenotknowledgeableonit,theywilltheythatIwas
overweightorunhealthywhenIwaslittleandthatwashowIgotit.Really,thatisnottrueatall,
sinceIhaveType1diabetes,whichisalotdifferentthatType2.WhatIgotitfromismostly
hereditarysincesomeofmyfamilymembershaveittoo.

Q.Hasanyonemadeanefforttounderstandwhatyoumighthavetogothrough?

A.Yes,definitelypeoplethatIamcloseto.TheyunderstandwhatIhavetodototakecareof
myselfandhow/whyIhavediabetes.

Q.Howhashavingdiabeteschangedyourperspectiveonablebodiness?

A.Ihavedefinitelylearnedmoreaboutwhatit'simportanttostayhealthyandtakecareofyour
body.Sincestayinghealthyisahugepartinmanagingdiabetes,Ihavelearnedhowtostay
ablebodied.

Q.Canyourecallthemomentyourealizedyouweredifferentthanothers?

A.Well,sinceIgotdiabeteswhenIwas7yearsold,Idontrecallitverymuch.ButIdont
considermyselftoodifferentfromothers,asIamabletodoallthesamethings.

Q.Haveyoueverbeenselfconsciousofit?

A.Yes,Iamconstantlyselfconsciousofit.SinceIalwayshavemyinsulinpumpshowingand
whenIamsomewherelikeatthebeachorpoolinabathingsuit,myinsulinsitedoesshowand
peoplecanseeit.Iconstantlygetquestionsandweirdlooksfrompeoplewhodon'tknowwhatit
is.Idontmindthenaskingquestionsiftheyarecurious,butwhentheysilentlyjudge,itgetsold
havingtodealwithitallthetime.

Q.Arethereanycommonmisconceptionsaboutpeoplewhohavediabetesthatyou
wouldliketodispel?

A.IthinkthebiggestmisconceptionwithdiabetesisthedifferencebetweenType1andType2.
Itgetsfrustratingwhensomeonetalksaboutyoulikeyouhavetype2,especiallybeinga
teenagerwithit.Type2ismostcommonisolderpeople,whileType1ismorecommonin
youngerpeople.

Reflection
byMoniqueMendez

Personally,Ifeelthattheinterviewexperiencewassomethingnew.Ididntreallyknow
whatwastocomeoutoncewegotouranswers,butIwassurprisedhearingthemforthatreason.
Iwashopingforourintervieweetobeverycarefreeandmoreateaseliketheirusualselves,but
insteadtheywerehesitantandthatswhatsurprisedme,aswell.Thatswhenithitme,moreso,
thatthiswasadefiniteprivilegeformebecauseatthatmoment,Iwasnttheonewhowasonthe
spotandanxiousabouthowtoanswersuchquestions.Fromtheinterview,though,Iwashappy
tohearthatthoughourintervieweemayattimesfeeljudgedforhavingdiabetes,theystillfeelat
nodisadvantageandtrytonotletitgetthebestofthemwhichreallydidmatterthemosttome.
Currently,Idonthaveanyquestionsonthisareaofprivilege.Iwouldjustwanttoseelikeatest
7

orsomethingtoshowmetheresultsofpeoplewhoactuallydojudgeothersforhavinghealth
problemsbecauseIdontfinditfair.Fromthisinterview,Ivelearnedtodifferentiatebetween
Type1andType2diabetes.Ivealsolearnedhowimportantitistoreallyhearsomeonesstory
andsuchbeforeyoueverconcludeyourthoughtsonthem.

ZoeValentin
SophieKay
HannahColeman
MoniqueMendez
October15,3015

ProjectProposal:
BEAUTYSTANDARDS

EssentialQuestion:
DoteenagersatHighTechHighfeelasiftheoppositegendersbeautystandardsaffecthow
positivelytheyviewtheirattractiveness/appearance?

Justification:
Ourtopicisbeautystandards.Thisisimportanttousbecausewewouldntwantour
friends/family/futuredaughterstofeelpressuredtolookacertainwaybecauseofoursociety.
Ourtopicrelatestoprivilegebecausemosttimes,privilegedpeoplearewhatwestereotypically
labelaspretty.Wewouldbeinterestedtoseehowthisgoeshandinhand.Beautystandards
havetakenovertheworld.Wevetalkedabouthowthebeautystandardsdifferinavarietyof
countriessuchascomplexion,bodyshape,facialfeatures,etc.Weveexploredhowsocietyhas
changedthewaywelookatourselves,andintroducedthehottestnewfad:plasticsurgery.Our
essentialquestiondelvesintoourownculture,righthereatschool.Wewanttoexamineifthe
genderyouareattractedtoaffectsthewayyouperceiveyourappearance.Inordertoaddressthis

question,weplantoconductsurveysandasocialexperimentwithourveryownhighschool
students.Whileconductingthesurveys,wewillask:
Doestheoppositesexdictatethewayyouviewyourappearance?
Whatarethestandardsofbeautyforbothgenders?
Doyoufeellikeyourouterappearancedictatestheamountofpositiveattentionyouget?

Bycollectingthisdata,itwillraiseawarenessaboutissuesregardingbeautystandardsin
oursociety.Itwillhelpothersbecomemoreeducatedaboutinsecuritiesandhowtheycanaffect
youngpeople.Thefourofusareverypassionateandthoughtfulgirls,whoworkwelltogether.
Wegetalongwellandhavealreadyhadsomuchfuntalkingaboutthingswealreadyknow
regardingbeautyinoursociety.Sofar,weallhavebroughtaninterestingspinonthistopicto
thetable,sowehavemanyleadswewanttofollowandlearnmoreabout.Allofusseem
dedicatedtoexploringthiscauseandwillgiveouralltolearningaboutit.

ZoeValentin
MoniqueMendez
HannahColeman
SophieKay

BeautyStandardsFrequencyTablesand
Graphs
WesurveyedstudentsatHighTechHighinordertoanswerthequestionIsthe
selfesteemoffemalestudentsatHighTechHighaffectedbybeautystandards
morethannonfemalestudents?Wehadagroupof107studentsintotalfillout
10questionsurveys.Wehadanearlyequalamountofthegenderswith51ofthe
studentsinoursamplesizeidentifyingasfemaleand56identifyingasnonfemale.

10

Question:Doyoufeelliketheoppositesexdictatestheexpectationsyousetforyour
appearance?

Yes

Female

28

No
28/51=55%

23

22

51

23/57=40%

22/56=40%

34

Total

23/51=45%

28/50=56%

Nonfemale

Total

34/56=60% 56

22/50=44%

34/57=60%

50

57

107

CircleGraphs:

11


Question:Doyoufeellikeyoureexpectedtoputworkintoyourlooks(i.e.applyingmakeup,
stylinghair,dressingup,etc.)bytheoppositegender?

Yes

Female

35

Nonfemale

No
35/51=69%

16

16/51=31%

35/58=60%

16/49=33%

23

33

23/56=41%

Total

Total

33/56=59%

51

56

22/58=40%

33/49=67%

58

49

107

CircleGraphs:

12

Question:Doyoufeelasthoughyouputeffortintoyourlooksforyourownenjoymentorfor
theapprovalofothers?

Yourself

Female

39

Others
39/51=80%

43

Total

12/51=20%

51

39/82=48%

Nonfemale

12

Total

12/25=48%
43/56=77%

13

13/56=23%

56

43/82=52%

13/25=52%

82

25

107

CircleGraphs:

13

Question:Ifyoucould,wouldyouchangesomethingaboutyourfeatures(i.e.eyecolor,nose
shape,pigmentationofyourskin,haircolor,etc.)?

Yes

Female

42

No

42/51=82%

26

51

9/39=23%

26/56=46%

30

Total

9/51=18%

42/68=62%

Nonfemale

Total

30/56=54% 56

26/68=38%

30/39=77%

68

39

107

14

CircleGraphs:

Question:Ifyouansweredyestonumber6,wouldthechangeinyourappearancebefor
yourselfortheapprovalofothers?

Yourself

Female

39

Others
39/42=93%

23

42

3/6=50%

23/26=88%

Total

3/42=7%

39/62=63%

Nonfemale

Total

3/26=12%

26

23/62=37%

3/6=50%

62

68

15

CircleGraphs:

*Question:Haveyoueverreceivedanegativecommentaboutthewayyoulook?

Yes

Female

40

No
40/51=78%

11

32

51

11/35=32%
32/56=57%

24

Total

11/51=22%

40/72=55%

Nonfemale

Total

24/56=43%

56

32/72=45%

24/35=68%

72

35

107

CircleGraphs:
16

Question:AtHighTechHigh,doyoufeel
pressuretolookacertainway?

Yes

Female

11

No
11/51=22%

40

10

51

40/86=47%
10/56=18%

46

Total

40/51=78%

11/21=52%

Nonfemale

Total

46/56=82%

56

10/21=48%

46/86=53%

21

86

107

CircleGraphs:

17

ZoeValentin
MoniqueMendez
HannahColeman
SophieKay

AnalysisandImplications
BeautyStandardsatHTH

WesurveyedstudentsatHighTechHighinordertoanswerthequestionIstheselfesteemof
femalestudentsatHighTechHighaffectedbybeautystandardsmorethannonfemale
students?Wesurveyedagroupof107studentsintotal,with51ofthembeinggirlsandthe
other56beingboys.

18

1) Whatistheprobabilitythatyoufeelexpectedtoputworkintoyourlooksgiventhatyou
areafemale?
P(expectedtoputwork|female)=35/51=69%

2) Whatistheprobabilitythatyouputeffortintoyourlooksfortheapprovalofothersgiven
thatyouarenonfemale?
P(effortforapprovalofothers|nonfemale)=13/56=23%

3) WhatistheprobabilitythatyouareafemaleatHTHandwanttochangesomethingabout
yourfeatures?
P(femaleandwantstochangefeature)=42/107=39%

4) Whatistheprobabilityyouareanonfemaleandsaidyouwouldchangeyourfeaturesfor
othersgiventhatyouareanonfemale?
P(wouldchangefeatureforothersandnonfemale)=3/107=3%

5) WhatistheprobabilitythatyouareafemaleatHTHandfeelliketheoppositesex
dictatestheexpectationsyousetforyourappearance?
P(feelsoppositesexdicatesexpectations|female)=28/51=55%

6) WhatistheprobabilitythatyouareafemaleatHTHandhavereceivedanegative
commentaboutthewayyoulook?
P(receivednegativecomment|female)=40/51=78%

7) WhatistheprobabilityastudentatHighTechhighfeelspressuredtolookacertainway
orisnonfemale?

P(Feelspressuredtolookacertainwayornonfemale)=67/107=63%

19

8) WhatistheprobabilityafemalestudentatHighTechHighfeelspressuredtolooka
certainway?

P(Feelspressuredtolookacertainway|female)=11/51=22%

Ourgroupsessentialquestionwaswhetherornottheselfesteemoffemalestudentsat
HighTechHighwasaffectedbythebeautystandardsmorethannonfemalestudents.Wewere
abletogiveoutasurveytoover100studentsintheschoolandaskthemquestionsregarding
beautystandards.Wewantedtokeepourquestionsstrictlyrelatedtotheschooltoseehowkids
ourage,too,wereaffected.Onequestionwehadonoursurveywas,Ifyoucould,wouldyou
changesomethingaboutyourfeatures(i.e.eyecolor,noseshape,pigmentationofyourskin,hair
color,etc)?.Alreadywithhavingthisquestionanswered,welearnedfromourdatathat62%out
of51femalessaidYes,theywouldchangetheirfeatures.Wedidpredictthatfemaleswould
saythattheoppositesexdoesdictatetheirappearancemoresothannonfemales.Reflecting
backonourdata,thatturnedouttobecorrectbecauseoftheaboveevidenceapplied.
Fromoursurveywewereabletogetalotofanswerstoourwonderingsaboutthe
differencesbetweenhowfemalesandmalesareaffectedbybeautystandards.WesurveyedHigh
Techstudentswithquestionsthathadtodowiththepressurestudentsfeeltohaveagood
lookingpeoplewhoidentifyasfemaleand56peoplewhoidentifiedasnonfemale.Repeatedly,
femalestudentsansweredthattheydofeelpressureontheirappearancemuchmorethan
nonfemalestudents.60%ofthepeoplewhoansweredtheyfeelpressuretoputeffortintotheir
lookswerefemale.Outofthe51femaleswesurveyed,69%saidtheydofeelpressuretoput
workintotheirlooks.Thismeansthatthemajorityoffemalesfeelliketheyneedtodothingsto
theirappearanceinordertobeaccepted,whilethemajorityofnonfemales,(59%answeredno),
feeltheydonot.Oneofthemosthardhittingpieceofdatawecollectedwasthat82%offemales
saidtheywouldchangesomethingabouttheirappearanceiftheycould,whileonly46%of
nonfemalesansweredthattheywould.ThisshowsthatfemalestudentsatHighTechHighare
overwhelminglymoreinsecureabouttheirappearance.Outofthefemaleswhosaidtheywould
changesomethingabouttheirappearance,93%answeredthatthechangewouldbefor
themselvesinsteadoffortheapprovalofothers.Thisimplicatesthattheinsecuritiesoffemale

20

HighTechHighstudentsmaybemoreofaninternalstruggleinsteadofinfluencedbysocial
interactions.
Ourpredictionwasthatmorefemaleswouldsaythattheoppositesexdictatestheir
appearancethannonfemaleswasconclusive.Wefoundthatitwasconclusivebecause28outof
51femalesagreedthattheoppositesexdictatestheexpectationstheysetfortheirappearance
comparedtothe22outof56nonfemaleswhoalsoagreedthattheoppositesexdicatesthe
expectationstheysetfortheirappearance.Anotherreasonthisisconclusiveisthatinononeof
ourquestions,69%ofthefemalesansweredthattheyfeelthattheyareexpectedtoputworkinto
theirlooksbytheoppositegender,while41%ofthenonfemalesansweredthattheyfeltthey
wereexpectedtoputworkintotheirlooksbytheoppositegender.Onepatternwefoundinour
datawasthatmanynonfemaleskeptansweringthattheoppositegenderdoesnotinfluencetheir
appearance.Anexampleisthat60%ofthenonfemalessaidthattheydidnotfeelthatthe
oppositegenderaffectstheexpectationstheyhavefortheirappearance.Anotherexamplewas
that77%ofthenonfemalessaidthattheyputeffortintotheirlooksforthemselvesinsteadoffor
others.Onethingwewouldchangewouldbesurveyinghighschool,middleschool,and
elementaryschoolstudents.Bydoingthiswewouldbeabletoseeiftheresanagewherekids
startlettingotherpeoplesjudgementsaffecttheirappearances.Wecouldalsoseehowyounger
kidsideasofwhatbeautystandardsarecomparedtowhatolderkidsideasare.Anotherthingwe
wouldchangewouldbetotakeoutourquestionaskingwhatpeople'ssexualpreferenceis.We
wouldchangethisbecausethequestionendedupbeingconfusingforthepeoplewesurveyed
andmanypeopledidnttakethequestionseriouslyorwereconfusedaboutwhatitwasasking.
Lastly,wewouldchangehowmuchwestressedforpeopletotakeoursurveyseriously.Since
wedidnttellmanypeoplehowimportantthesesurveysweregoingtobeforourproject,many
peopleansweredjokinglyorjustdidntcare.
Throughoutthisentireexperiment,wecansaythatfemalestudentsatHighTechHigh
feelmoreaffectedbybeautystandardsthannonfemales.Ourcompileddatawasconsistentwith
ourpredictionstowardsouressentialquestion.Wefeelasthoughitwasansweredquiteclearly.
Fromtheprobabilitieswevecalculatedandthesuggestedconclusionswemade,wewereableto
haveamoreinsidelookontheprivilegeofnonfemalesregardingbeautystandards.Femalesall

21

overtheworldareirrefutablypressuredbysocietytofitspecificstandardsinordertobe
beautiful.Thatbeingsaid,weunderstandthatnonfemaleshavebeautystandardsaswell,but
asourdataindicates,doesnotfeeltheconfinesasprominentlyasfemales.BeautyObsession
asexpertscallit,isontherise.Mediaplaysalargeroleintheyoungergenerationsdailylives,
whichmakesthemmoresusceptibletolowselfesteemregardingbeautyideals.Thisfactwas
provenwhenlargeamountsofKylieJennerwasscrawledunderneathourquestionWhatdo
youthinkthebeautystandardsforyourgenderareinoursociety?.Notonlydofemaleshaveto
experiencethisextremepressurefromsocialmedia,buttheyarealsosubjecttogreater
harassment:eachother.Duetotheoverwhelmingstraintolookacertainway,aggressive
bullyingbetweenfemalesbecauseofissuessuchasphysicalattributesaswellassocialstatusare
ontherise.Wevelearnedthroughoutthisprojectwhataserioustopicthisis.Ourexperiment
allowedustoexpandourviewsonthisissue,andrelateittosomethingwepertainto.Overall,
wevemadesignificantfindsaboutourschool,femalesandnonfemales,aswellasoursociety,
andthewaybeautystandardsaffectallthree.

MoniqueMendez
SophieKay
HannahColeman
ZoeValentin

BeautyStandardsReflection

22

Privilegeissomethingthatplaysabigpartinallofourlivesandithasthepowerto
controlitinbothpositiveandnegativeways.Privilegecancomeinmanyforms,asufficient
amountofsomethatmostpeopleoverlookonadailybasis.Afewofthesocialstructuresthat
canaffecttheprivilegeinyourlifecanberace,gender,sexualorientation,socialclass,etc.
Havingprivilegemeanstohaveanadvantage,opportunity,orrightthatisnotsharedby
everyone.Itgoeshandinhandwithprobability.Theprobabilityofsomethinghappeningcanbe
affectedbytheamountofprivilegethatonehas.
Probabilityisthechanceofapossibleeventoccurring.Youcanuseittocalculatethe
liklinessofsomethinghappening.Numbersbetween0and1areusedtomeasureit.1indicates
100%probabilityand0representsnochanceoftheeventoccurring(0%probability).Youcan
representprobabilitythroughfractionsandpercentages,correlatingtothedecimalsbetween0
and1.Thereistwoformsofprobabilityexperimentalprobabilityandtheoreticalprobability.
Experimentalprobabilityiswhenyoudoanexperimenttofindtheprobabilityofanevent
occurring,usingasamplesizetorepresentyourprobablegroup.Theoreticalprobabilityisthe
probabilityofyourfavoredeventifyoukeptincreasingyoursamplesizelargerandlarger,
thereforegettingamoreaccurateanswer.Whilecalculatingprobability,sometimesyouneedto
findcalculationsformorethanonerelatedevents.Whenfindingtheprobabilityfortheseevents,
youneedtodeterminewhethertheyareindependentordependentevents.Forexample,ifyou
weretofindtheprobabilityforpickingakingoutofadeckof52cards,thentheprobabilityfor
pickinganace,yourprobabilityforpickinganacewoulddependonifyoureplacedthefirstcard
ornot.Ifyoudidreplacethefirstking,thenpickingthesecondcardwouldbeanindependent
eventtopickingthefirstcardbecausenothinghaschanged.However,ifyouweretoputthefirst
cardaside,theprobabilityofthesecondpickwouldbedifferentbecauseyouchangedyour
samplesizeto51thereforechangingthechancesofdrawinganace.Thatmeansthatthesecond
pickwoulddependonthefirst,makingthetwopicksdependentevents.Whentryingtofindthe
probabilityofmultiplefactorswithinaprobabilityscenario,itscalledcompoundevents.Thisis
whenyouaretryingtofindtheprobabilitythat
both
eventAandeventBwillhappen.For
example,youhaveaclassof20studentsandwhich10ofthemarefemalesand5ofthemhave
blueeyes,andyouwanttofindtheprobabilityofrandomlycallingonafemalestudentwithblue

23

eyes,thatisacompoundevent.Inthatscenario,tofindthecompoundprobability,youwould
addbothprobabilitiestogether.Ifyouweretofindtheprobabilityofrandomlycallingona
studentthatwasfemale
or
hadblueeyes,youwouldaddtheprobabilityofchoosingafemale
andchoosingablueeyestudenttogether,andthensubtracttheamountofstudentsthathad
both
blueeyesandwerefemale.
Wehavefoundthatbothprivilegeandprobabilityaffectoneanother.Sinceprobabilityis
basedonthelikelinessofaneventhappening,someonewhohasmoreprivilegeismorelikelyto
gettheoutcometheywant.Therefore,themoreprivilegedapersonisinacertainarea,thehigher
theirprobabilitywillbeofgettingpositiveoutcomesthroughoutlife.Thisalsomeansthatifa
personhasmoreprivilege,theyarealsomorelikelytohavemoreopportunities.Duringthis
project,wewatchedseveralvideosabouttheAngryEyeexperiments.Thesevideoshelpedshow
ushowunfairitistodiscriminatesomeoneonalackofprivilegetheycantcontrol.Italso
showedusnottotakeourownprivilegesforgranted,tobegratefulfortheprivilegeswehave.
WealsotriedanexperimentinclasscalledDrivingWhileBlackorBrown:AMathematics
ProjectAboutRacialProfiling.Itshowedusthedifferenceofwhatunbiasedandbiased
discretionarytrafficstopswouldlooklikebasedonaninclassexperimentwedidandrealdata
fromoutsidestudies.Theexperimentshowedushowoftenpoliceuseracialbiasintheir
workplace.Fromthiswehaveseenhowtheresapossibilitythatmorepeopleuseracialprofiling
intheirworkplacestoo.Thisshowedusagaintonotdiscriminatesomeonebasedonsomething
theycantalter.Bothoftheseexperimentshelpedillustratetoushowimportantitistonotlet
facetsofouridentitiesdictatetheopportunitieswehavetosucceed.Overall,privilegeaffectsthe
probabilityofoutcomesapersonislikelytohave.

ZoesReflection:
Examiningmyculturalidentity,andtheprivilegeIhaveinmyownlife

hasbeenan
eyeopeningexperience.Ivedefinitelytakensomeofthesimplerthingsinlifeforgranted.Ive
alsohadopportunitiesthatothersaroundmemightnothavehadbecauseofmysocialclass,
sexualorientation,andablebodiness.Ihavenoticedthatthesetraitshavehelpedmethroughout
lifeinavarietyofways,suchasbeingabletowalk,talk,andactwithmorefreedomthanthose

24

whoarenotprivilegedinthosesocialstructures.Theseexperiencesrelievedmeofburdensthat
thosepeoplefaceonadailybasis.WhileIcanexpressmylikingtowardsapersonIamattracted
towithlittletonojudgement,thoseintheLGBTcommunitymightnotbeaslucky.Icaneasily
walktothenearestwaterfountain,butthosewhoarehandicappedhavetofindotherwaystodo
thesamething.Ontheotherhand,IalsorealizedIlackprivilegeincertainsocialstructuresas
well.Forexample,mygender.Therearemanydisadvantagestobeingafemale,suchasthepay
comparedtomales,andourveryownexperimentthebeautystandardswehaveandthe
consequentialeffectsonourselfesteem.AlthoughIregisterthenonprivilegeinmylife,Idont
letitcontrolthethingsIwanttoaccomplish.IamdeterminedtonotletthingsIcantchange
aboutmyselfdefinewhoIamgoingtobeandwhatIamgoingtodo.Imgoingtoaccomplish
everythingIwantregardless(andevendespite)ofthoseprivilegedstructures.Thismentalityhas
inspiredmetosparkchangeinoursociety.Raceisstillanissue,genderisstillanissue,andnot
enoughpeopleunderstandorawareofthestrugglesothersfaceonadaytodaybasis.Ithinkthat
peoplewhoareprivilegedinthemoredominantsocialstructuresshouldbemoreawareofwhere
theystandonthespectrum,andhelpthosewhostrugglewiththosefactorsofprivilege.Itssad
thatweliveinasocietywhereweconfineanddiscriminateothersbasedonthingstheycant
changeaboutthemselves.Ifwealltakethetimetounderstandaperson,andlookintowhat
makesthem
them
,wewillallbeheapsmoreempathetictowardssituationsandopenminded
towardsideasandpeopleconsequentlymakingtheworldabetterplaceintheprocess.

HannahsReflection:
Throughthisproject,IhavelearnedthatIcanusetheprivilegesIhavetohelpotherswho
dontsharethosesameprivileges.OneprivilegeIhavethatnoteveryonedoesisthatImwhite.
Thisallowsmetonothavetoworryaboutbeingdiscriminatedaboutbecauseofmyrace.From
thisproject,IhavelearnedthatIcanusethisprivilegeasapositivethingtostandupforothers
whoareraciallydiscriminatedagainst.Inthepastmynonprivilegeofbeingfemalehashurtme
becausepeoplehavenotallowedmetodothingsbecauseofthefactthatImfemale.Inthe
futureitcouldpossiblyaffectmemorebecausetheresalwaysachancethatabosswill
discriminatebasedonsomeonebeingafemale.Thisprojecthasalsoshownmethatyoucanuse

25

yourprivilegetohelppeople,evenforthesmallestofthings.Forexample,whenIwasin
elementaryschool,ItrippedandmyfriendhelpedwalkmetoabenchbecauseIcouldntput
pressureonthefoot.AnotherthingthisprojecthastaughtmeistonottaketheprivilegesIhave
forgranted.Therearealwaysgoingtobepeoplewhohavemoreorless,whethertheyhavemore
moneyoraresimplyamale,butyouhavetolearntonotforgetallthethingsyoudohaveand
usethoseprivilegestohelpothers.Iveseenhowsomepeoplehaveeducatedothersthrough
videosandstudiesabouthowtochangepeoplesideasaboutprivilegeandIhopethatthrough
thisprojectwehavebeenabletodothesamething.IalsoreallyhopethatasIgetolder,Ican
educatepeopleabouthelpingandstandingupforothersasIbecomemorepassionateabout
differenttopics,likewehavebeentryingtodointhisproject.

MoniquesReflection:
Privilegetomealwayswillmeanhavingtheupperhandtohavetheabilitytodo
somethingortask.ItisjusthowIvealwaysviewedit.Ithinkmyprivilegewouldbethefact
thatIamfromafinanciallystableandwellroundedfamily.IthinkItendtotakethatforgranted
attimesandtheresdaywhereIseemtojustopenmyeyesandcherishmylovedonesand
everythingIhave.Theyrealwaysthereformeandhelpmethrougheverything.Withoutmy
family,myparents,IdontknowwhatIdbedoingnow.Mynonprivilegewouldprobablybe
beingafemaleandofcolor.Though,othersconsidermyethnicity,whichisMexicanAmerican,
aminorityIbelieveitsnotasitsagrowingpopulation.Whatreallyhurtsistheracialjokesand
slurssaidthataremorethanoffensivetowardsme.Beingagirlalready,IamtoldthatIam
incapableofaccomplishingmanyacademicthingsandthereforeIstriveformybestaspossible.
Secondly,beingafemaleofcolortotopitoff,otherstendtothinkthatmyacademicbackground
maynotbeasrichwhencomparedtoanotherchildnotofcolor.IfIhadtosacrificemy
privilegestomaketheworldalittlemorejust,thensobeit.Ithinkpeopleneedtostartbeing
moreopenmindedandstopdiscriminatingincertainways,onewayoranother.

26

SophiesReflection:
Overthepastcouplemonthssincewebeganthisproject,Ihavefeltmyselfgrowingmore
selfawareaboutmyplaceintheworldandhowithastreatedme.Beingawhite,blondehaired,
blueeyedfemale,Ihavegrownupinaworldcenteredaroundmediafilledwithpeoplewholook
likeme.ThereforenotonceinmylifehaveIfeltoutofplaceorunderrepresentedbecauseofmy
skincolor.Ihavehadsomanypeopleinternationallyacceptedassuccessfulorbeautifultolook
upto,soIveneverfeltlikethatwasoutofreachformyself.Otherwhowerebornwithcertain
traitstheycouldeasilyfeelalienatedinaworldthatismainlyrepresentedbywhitefaces.Even
moreterrifyingisthatthecolorofyourskincandictateviolentactsagainstyou.NotoncehaveI
beenrandomlyselectedattheairport,beenharassedorinjuredbylawenforcement,orstopped
atimmigrationcheckpoints.Ibeenabletoflythroughmylifeunscathedbydisgustingracial
prejudice.Ihadnocluethatpeopleinmylifehavenothadthisprivilege.WhileIveneverbeen
unfairlytreatedorjudgedbecauseofmyrace,anareawhereIampartofanoppressedgroupis
mygender.Withmostsuccessfulpeoplebeingmenandwomenbeingpaidseverelyless,thereis
alreadyapreconceivednotionthatasagirlyouwillnevergainasmuchcaliberasyourmale
counterparts.Femalesalsohavetoworryabouttheirsafetyandwellbeingmuchmorethan
malesdo,whichlimitsmanyopportunitiesaswellascausesemotionaldamage.Althoughallthe
privilegegiventomeisunfair,equalityisntalostcause.BecauseofmyraceIhavesomewhat
ofanimmunityofbeingshamedbecauseofmycolor,andsometimesamessagecanbemore
powerfulwhenitiscomingfromanoutsideparty.Idonthaveafirstpersonconnectiontoracial
oppression,sostandingupwhensomeoneisbeingmistreatedcouldhaveanimpactonchanging
opinionsabouthowwrongitis.Beinganallytoanoppressedgroupcanstrengthenthecauseby
bringingpeopletogetherandshowingthatevenoutsideforceswontstandforit,therefore
eliminatingthechanceofsomeonegettingawaywithhurtinganotherhuman.

27

MoniqueMendez
10/29/15
PMCLASS

Forme,thisarticlewasinterestingsoundingbecauseitwasbeautystandardsfromaround
theworld.Whatdidbotherme,however,wasthatthiswebsitecalledthemweirdandIfeelas
thoughyoushouldrespectonesopinions.Thearticlewasreallyeyeopeningbecauseevery
internationalbeautystandardshown,Iveneverreallyheardorseenbefore.Theinternational
standardsofbeautywereverydifferentcomparedtotheWesternideaofbeauty.Westernbeauty
definitelyfocuseson,Ibelieve,onsurgicalprocedures.Whileinternationalbeautywouldfocus
moreonnaturalwayssomewhatinenhancingtheirbeauty.
Quote1

InNewZealand,theMaoripeopleconsider
womenwithtattooedlipsandchins
tobe
themostbeautiful.Themoretattoos,themorethedesireableawomanis.
So,Ididdomoreresearchonthisspecificbeautystandard.Iwasintriguedbyitmost
becausefacialtattoosoverallwereseenasdesirableonawomen.ItsimportanttomebecauseI
neverseenthiskindofartorsortofbeautyeverwantedordesired.Ithoughtitwas
mindblowingalmostbecauseevenwithmoretattoosawomanhas,theywantedevenmoreso
becauseofthetattoosattractivenessitbrings,aswell.

Quote2

TheMursiWomenofSouthernEthiopia
insertclayplates
intotheirlowerlipsto
stretchthemout,increasingthesizeofaplateincrementallytomaketheirpoutsginormous.This
ritualisasymbolofbothsexualmaturityandbeauty.

28

Iwasunabletodomoreresearchonlipplates,butthisiswhatIalsofindinteresting.I
wanttoknowwhatwhyexactlytheymaketheselipplates,whatistheirpurpose?Thedeeper
meaningofthetradition?Ialsowanttoknowhowthelipplatesareinterested,forinstance,what
istheproceduretoinsertone?ItsimportanttomebecauseIjusthavesomemanyunanswered
questionsaboutthistraditionIreallywanttoimmersemyselfintoit.

Quote3
WomenoftheKayantribeinThailandstart
wearingbrassrings
aroundtheirnecks
whenthey'rejustfiveyearsold,addingmoreringsastheygrowoldertoelongatetheirnecks.A
superlongneckisconsideredbeautifulandelegantinthisregionandwomencanwearover20
poundsofringsasadults.
Forme,IthoughtthispartwasprettyinterestingasitwassomethingIalsoneverheardof
before.Iwanttowitnessit,though.Ithinkitsprettyroughthoughtohavechildrenstartthis
traditionatonlytheageof5.ItsimportanttomejustbecauseIwouldliketofurthermy
knowledgeonthistraditionandfurtherinvestmyselfintoit.Idofindsomesortofbeautywithin
itaswellwhichiswhyImightalsofindsuchinterestinit.

29

Monique Mendez
December 2, 2015
PM Class
rEvolutionaries Interview
Realising Your Own Beauty: Kimber Simpkins
Kimber Simpkins is a very genuine, heart-warming, all around

teacher in many aspects. She is runs her own website called

KimberYoga.com
, an author of now two books, and a yoga
instructor most importantly. Her aim is to hold workshops
mainly for women and help grow their self-esteem and
confidence within themselves. The workshops that she does for
women doesnt only target a certain audience, but she holds
multiple ones in various ranges. Her workshops are done
through yoga because she finds relief and joy through it.
When we asked Kimber the first question, which was
how has beauty or a
certain ideal impacted your life?
, Kimber replied with,
Pretty early on in my
childhood, in middle when I went on my first diet, I wasn't good at it.-
She
continued on with,
-When I was fifteen, I had just figured out that if I just
didn't eat at all I'd be perfectly good at dieting. but that wasnt dieting. That
was an eating disorder! What was interesting was I lost a lot of weight, but I
was also the most miserable.
I really liked this quote because it felt kind of
personal to me. I cant tell you how many times Ive probably lost weight, but its all
because I eat as little as possible for however long I can. Being anemic, it was just a
disaster because I wound up waking up in the hospital with an iron bag attached to my
arm.
Our next question to Kimber was about
what challenges came while on the
journey to self-acceptance and how she overcame those?
, Kimber said,
The biggest
30

challenge, was changing how I talk to myself. I had really internalized this
voice of criticism for how I looked, for what I ate. I believed that that was
my inner voice.
I think that this was another really strong message because it felt
quite deep. It saddened me hearing her story and realizing what she also went through
but it just much more disheartening.
The last question, which was
what do find that most women dont find beautiful
about themselves?
, Kimber replied with,
With the different workshops that Ive
taught over the years, I've found that like the part of a woman's body that
she really dislikes the most is very individual and very personal. So, Ive had
students who have said I really hate my arms, students say I really hate my
calves, Its my belly-
. She continued on,
-Its individual because we all sorta
have our trauma because of the things people said about our bodies.
Women are often sensitive on a specific part of their body because they
were teased, or being compared to others, theres just really a whole story
behind it.
This was more of the eye-opening part because I thought that Kimber
wouldve said that there was a or an increasingly amount of response on one specific
part of a females body part that shed hear about being the problem area. However, I
now realize that because we all are diverse and different and have our own stories, our
issues and what we dont like about ourselves would be different.
Reflecting on this interview, I really enjoyed ours with Kimber. It was a totally
new experience for me and very eye-opening because I had never focused on a social
issue like this one. Having the interview with Kimber, too, thats when everything
started to hit me because I realized like, Wow, were actually running this project and
mainly by ourselves. Honestly, its the first project I feel as though I am enjoying and
working to my fullest on.

31

December3,2015
MoniqueMendez
SpanishLatinAmericanAssignment
InMexico,oneinthreewomen,undertheageof20arepregnant.Astudyshowsthat
Mexicoiseventheleadingnationforteenpregnancies.Theseteenpregnanciesareusually
associatedwithpoorlivingconditionsand/orthegirlsreceivinglowerlevelsofeducation.
The
GlobalHealthPR
saysmore:
InMexicothereisalackofinformationaboutcontraceptivemethodsandhowtouse
themeffectively.Almost25percentofteenagerssurveyeddonotknowhowtousecontraceptive
methods,while35percentrespondedtheyhaventreceivedinformationaboutcontraception.
Withthesestatistics,itsjustsaddeningtohearabout.Theyreprettyhighpercentages
andthesegirlsdontevenhavetheresourcestoovercomethesethings.Inthisway,Ifindthem
unprivilegedbecausetheyarentbeingeducatedabouttheirfuture.Inthisparticulararticleabout
Mexico,therewasalsonomentionreallyaboutwhatactionsanyorganizationsaretakingtohelp
preventthepregnancyratefromdecreasingorhowtohelpfurtherteachboth,youngmalesand
females,onhowtopreventteenpregnancyandtohelpthemplanifiteverwerethecase.
Now,tocomparetotheU.S.,in2013,oneinsix(17%)birthsto1519yearoldswereto
femaleswhoalreadygivenbirthtooneormorechildren.However,theyfindthisadeclineof
10%fromthe2012statisticwhenthebirthratewas29.4per1,000.IntheU.S.theyalsofindthat
theHispanicandBlackracehadhigherratesofbirthwhenbeingcomparedtoWhites.In2013,
therewasHispanicfemalesages1519hadtheleadingbirthratewhichwas41.7birthsper1,000
females.Blackfemales,alsoagedfrom1519,hadabirthrateof39.0birthsper1,000females.
Afactthatreallycaughtmyeyewas,
Estimatesfromthe2013datashowthat11
percentofadolescentfemalesintheUnitedStateswillgivebirthbyher20thbirthday,with

32

substantialdifferencesbyrace/ethnicity:8percentofwhiteadolescentfemales,16percentof
blackadolescentfemales,and17percentofHispanicadolescentfemales.
.

33