We just watched a video about the cruel, hateful things that girls do to one another just to be in the “cool” crowd. This video hit close to home because I have been a victim myself of this type of cruelty when I was in elementary school and junior high. The video was very effective because it was accompanied by soft, slow piano playing that brought about a somber mood as the narrator talked. I thought that the narrator’s voice was particularly touching because you could hear the pain as she described what she and her “friends” had done to other helpless girls just for the sake of doing it. The video showed numerous pictures and paintings of women with sad faces and broken hearts. These went along with the narrative somewhat but mainly just revealed the sadness and regret of the speaker as she apologized for what she had done to so many innocent victims. Throughout the video, a picture of a ferocious cougar was shown, reminding us constantly of the cruel behaviors that can arise from seemingly sweet girls. At first, the random popping up of the cougar seemed somewhat humorous. However, as the narration continued, it all made sense and the cougar made the mood even more somber. Our class went from giggling about the cougar popping up to being completely silent at the end of the video because I am sure that at one point or another, we have all been a victim to this type of event. One of the pictures shown was from the movie “Mean Girls,” which made fun of the ridiculous things that girls will do to one another in order to get ahead and be “popular.” It was clear that the speaker was in no way making fun of what she did, though. She was very remorseful and said that she still thinks about the girls that she mistreated when she was younger. However, is there a way to truly make the “mean girls” go away? This type of thing happens on playgrounds, in lunch rooms, and in high schools across the nation as girls try to become better than one another.
This video was a perfect portrayal because it combined audio (both music and speech) and visual (photos, paintings, and pictures) in order to portray a particular feeling and make an impact on the audience.
