WEek 13: Rough Draft of Essay 3

Lovey, a young Hawaiian girl is often seen referring and comparing herself to people or images seen in mass media. She comes from a lower class family, lacks a formal education and yet is still able to find comical relief in her life. She has a very sharp way of thinking and is able to add humor to her daily activities. She takes images in the media like Shirley Temple, rich kids on contestant shows, Oompah Loomphas and compares herself to these images, only to end up with a feeling of low self esteem. She finds herself lacking in many areas, mainly physical beauty due to what she sees on the television. Lovey takes what she sees in the media and incorporates this information to what she is not.
In the short article, “Happy Endings,” Lovey is infatuated with Shirley Temple. From her hair, lips, bright eyes to her very own happy ending. Lovey wants to be just like her and even mimic her lifestyle. Lovey and her best friend Jerry watched Shirley Temple movies every Sunday and would often mimic their own happy endings. Lovey states, “ And I used to wish I was just like her, with perfect blond ringlets, and pink cheeks, pout lips, bright eyes and a happy Ending every Sunday…” Lovey jokes that her own happy ending would involve her never having to attend Sunday school and her and Jerry lost in New York City. Shirley Temple and the way Lovey idolizes and compares herself to her is just another way the media points out what Lovey is missing.
Lovey comes from a lower class family, and although happy and compassionate about one another, large income is a lacking factor. Lovey’s envies the “rich Honolulu kids” in the television contestant show The Checkers and Pogo Show. Lovey states that’s there’s no way she’d ever be able to go on the show due to lack of money. She says “What I would give to be there sitting on those wooden bleachers in the studios of Channel 9 with all those rich Honolulu boys and girls.” She longs to be those kids and actually states “Maybe I could be the Merry Unbirthday girl.” These rich Honolulu kids are just another representation in the media that Lovey compares herself to.
What Lovey sees in the media negatively shapes her own identity. Like many girls her age, she is constantly measuring herself up to unrealistic characteristics and only can focus on what she does have, like income, education, beauty, clothing, etc. This comparison of herself and images in the media continue to affect her everyday life which is seen when Lovey compared herself to a fellow classmate, Pillis. “If I were a girls size 12, I figure she must be a girls size 6. So small. Sometimes I wish I could have a sweater with a chain like hers.” ( Wild Meat and the Bully Burgers). She also calls herself Oompah Loompah due to the Toni perm her mother gave her. Lovey stated, “I want curly, fine baby hair. I want Mary Magdalene wavy hair. I want to look like an angel.” Even Lovey’s mother plays into the images seen on television, stating to Lovey “When I pau, you gonna look just like Farrah Faucett or if you change your look, Angie Dickinson or if you put ringlets, just like Shirley Temple.” But, instead of beautiful curly fine baby hair, Lovey was given an Afro. She says “Not like Shirley Temple but tighter. Like get Christie Love. Frizzy and borinki.” There is not one positive image that Lovey has described that has made a positive influence to herself image.