August 21st 2010
Hey YO readers! I do hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend so far. Lots of ya’ll did great at the C.X.C examinations. Now you are moving on to a much higher ground than you did five years ago. It’s the tertiary level. Some of you might head on to the Sir Arthur Lewis and others may leave the island to pursue their studies overseas. Whatever you do always remember to do your best and your results will be satisfactory.
Now that is not what my Slouch is about today. I want to touch on a growing trend among teenagers in the Caribbean. Some people call it the Paris Hilton syndrome. That’s right, online sex.
While you may not set out to become famous on the web for naked pictures, it is happening to teens that aren’t prudent enough not to pose nude or in suggestive positions in front of friends with camera ready cell phones. Even boyfriends/girlfriends who are involved with heavy petting and/or sex, talk their partners into taking pictures which are then shared with friends. It doesn’t take long for these pictures to then be distributed throughout the Net. You can protect yourself from this kind of exposure, which can do irreparable harm to your self-esteem and body image, by following these tips.
Talk about it with your parents. Use news articles to break the ice and have a discussion with your parents, not a debate. Talk about how you would get out of a situation that could lead to this problem and role-play. Yes, play it out with your parents.
Set your expectations for digital camera and cell phone camera use. What this means is that you need to instill in your mind that nude pictures in any way, shape or form are wrong and you won’t be participating in them – whether it’s in the taking or the posing of them.
You need to be very strong for this one. Many times it’s our friends who get us into trouble. That’s why you must try your best to handle peer pressure. Use you parents again to help you handle that form of pressure.
Develop your own body image. I know the glitz and glamour is tempting and it may seem like the only thing that will get you attention but that isn’t true. Don’t allow the media and peers to affect your point of view about yourself.
I know it’s true that while being a teen often means that you will question your identity and do crazy things because of it, but teens with strong self-esteem are less likely to engage in behavior that is harmful to them.
Often teens that have had this problem cite that they were caught unaware because of drug and alcohol influence. The benefits of keeping yourself drug free are multiplying, aren't they? Stay away from drugs and alcohol. Normally the perpetrators who upload things like that do it because they are young and stupid. To them it is just a big joke. Sometimes it is to get back at someone for being more popular than them. The key is to not giving them something to upload in the first place. Never be afraid to say a firm NO and leave the person alone.
Have a great weekend and God bless.

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