Fast Forward

I really like the whole concept of the telling of a story though pictures. Some of the pictures were really disturbing, like Ashleigh weighing herself and the sophomore inhaling air freshener. I have a friend who's sister had a serious problem with inhaling, its an incredibly dangerous drug and the high lasts only seconds long which in combination with the chemical addiction creates a very seriously addictive and self-destructive habit.

Lauren Greenfield really earns some credit in my opinion by letting the kids tell her about LA and really trying to tell the story through their eyes. Through this medium it is very clear how media matters as it is effecting LA teens and even kids under 13 in major and serious ways. It is also interwoven through the media that youth is a culturally constructed category. You can see through the pictures responses to dominant ideas about fashion, lifestyle, and values.

A value of materialism to me was the clearest and most prominent attribute that much of these teens had. You could see the rappers stacks of bills, in the preface Greenfield talks about the kids with the $100 bills, Enrique pays $600 for his prom and it took him 2 years to save up the money. Another strong attribute shown here is a value of image which Greenfield also discusses in the preface. This is further supported by many of the pictures in the book such as the plastic surgery pictures and Ashleigh's pictures.