During the adolescence, it is particularly a period that entails many biological, emotional and social changes where peers have a bigger influence in the lives of teenagers than family members. The use of technology such as cellphones and being active on social media Twitter, Instagram and Facebook has been influencing students and the way they view themselves. Feeling on Display is a fantastic lesson designed for grades 9-12 with the objective of students reflecting on their own personal experiences as they keep up with their appearances and identities on social media. This lesson promotes awareness of social stereotypes and gender estigmas, as girls are more prone to feel a lack of self-esteem and confidence than boys. It also helps to create an atmosphere of understanding through discussion.

Having students identify media messages and gender norms is a very important topic to discuss especially at an age where outer appearance matters and the way you look on social media affects your popularity at school. Even from my own experience, coming from an Asian background it is particularly interesting to note that Asian girls commonly use camera applications on their phones that have filters making their faces skinnier, eyes bigger and brighter, nose smaller, and skin clearer before posting on social media. This typically starts in middle school and doesn’t stop even through adulthood. I consider this lesson to be an important topic to discuss with students as it will help them accept themselves for who they are and not fall in the trap of morphing their own image to something they are not in order to please others on social media.