Complete Freedom? Not Quite.

Supposedly our society preaches and even encourages individuality. Our country offers its citizens so many choices in how to express ourselves yet we confine ourselves to the restraints of stereotypes and societal "norms." Even as toddlers, gender roles are imposed on us as little girls play house and make cookies in "Easy-Bake" ovens and little boys strut around with their fire-fighter hats and play the hero saving the damsel in distress....Just for the record, when I was a little girl I had pink boxing gloves and a robotic firetruck.

These may seem like innocent games, yet they are just the tip of the iceberg of societal influences. By the time we've gotten into high school, we've been completely brain-washed. The new reality is that of which has been projected by "reality" television shows. It's ridiculous that magazines featuring Snookie and Tiger Woods are more popular than those concerning our president and global warming issues. I have friends that can tell me about an actress including her birthday, her nationality, where they held their wedding, and the name of their hair stylist but as soon as I mention something relevant such as the earthquake in Japan I get the response, "....there was an earthquake?!" And don't lie, I know all of you have known at least one person like this that makes you wonder how they spend their days in such a manner as this.

For another example, "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" depicts a high school girl who becomes pregnant and must adjust to her new life as a young mom. Shows like this become the new norm for high school kids and their perspective on reality becomes utterly skewed. Suddenly, all that matters is the need for a boyfriend and the need to appeal to our friends by acting "cool," even if that means abandoning all of our personal morals and values. By the time we turn 18 and become legal adults, our identity has been completely stolen from us, stripped and replaced by external surrounding influences. Plastic surgery, celeb styles, Barbie and Ken's perfect relationship (not to mention looks) all become a part of our subconsciousness.

So sure, our country gives us freedom...as long as we stay within the lines of the world they've created for us. I'm pretty sure if you look up the word "freedom" in the Webster dictionary it says nothing about it coming with terms and conditions if you read the fine print which will give you a broad explanation of the limitations and boundaries it entails.