Reflective Journal 1:

Alexia De Guglielmo
Chapter 1 of the Second opinion, an introduction to health sociology
textbook discussed health problems as social issues. During class,
students were made into groups and instructed to browse their social
media until an image relevant to fitness or health was found. Opinions and
thoughts were then shared around the class and although we may not
realise We are all influenced by the social structure, such as our cultural
customs and our social institutions (Germov 2014, p. 8).
For me, the most important idea discussed in class was that although
there are personal trainers and health/fitness professionals posting
motivational images on social media, it was questioned whether they are
having more of a positive or negative impact on their followers. I also
found it interesting that the textbook asks whether were really
responsible for our actions regarding health or is social media having such
an effect on society that its becoming harder for us to control our own
happiness. Another meaningful issue brought up in the class discussion
was that there are many different aspects to health and some people are
limited in what they are able to do when it comes to exercise. Limitations
can include many types of illness which can prevent people from
exercising to get the body that is recognised on social media as fit or
healthy. As humans, we create the society we live in. As a collective,
every action and every trend determines what future we are shaping. As
Germov states (2014, p. 9) Although were born into a world not of our
making, and in countless ways our actions and thoughts are shaped by
our social environment, we are not simply puppets on strings.
Initially, I thought social media had very little, if anything to do with the
health of society. It was recognised in the class discussion that social
media has a major impact on how health is interpreted. Having read this
text and discussed it with a group of people who also read it I now
question how much of an impact social media has had on the way I see

myself. Additionally, I have learned that were all individuals and everyone
is different. Social media is constantly telling us exactly what we have to
look like and what we have to do to be healthy. Truth is, it is impossible
for every person to look the same. We all have different body types and
different way to stay healthy. This topic has significantly improved my
understanding of health problems as social issues and my view on health
has changed immensely. This knowledge could be essential to me as a
learner if I want to pursue a career in the fitness or health industry.

References
Germov, J. (2014). Second opinion an introduction to health sociology. 5th
ed. Australia: Oxford University Press, pp.8-9.

Reflective journal 2:
In week fives workshop we discussed class and health. To help clarify the
concept of class, we will consider all three-class model based on a hybrid
of Marxist and Weberian perspectives, in which classes- upper class,
middle class and working class-are defined according to the following
characteristics: ownership and control of scarce economic resources;
ownership of marketable skills and qualifications; and wage labour
(Germov 2014, p. 82). To help us understand these concepts, we were
introduced to a game called Star Power. We were divided into 3 groups
that represented the three social classes. Each group was handed a bag
full of chips and were asked to pick out five chips without looking. At this
point we all started to wonder what the point of this game was and why
we were participating in it. Each coloured chip has a different value of
points. The aim was to trade your chips to gain a higher score. The idea
was to get as many points to work your way up to the highest group
(upper class). After four rounds of trading chips and recording scores,
students started to realise that one of the bags may have had a higher

number of valuable chips in it. The gold chips were the most valuable and
after all the suspicion, it was revealed that the upper class group had
more gold chips in their bag. The middle class group had fewer gold chips
in it and the lower class group had none. This made it impossible for the
lower class group to move up into the high class.
Once we all understood the concept we started thinking and relating this
back to real life situations. We realised very quickly that sometimes
people have the upper hand and for others, life can be unfair. Generally,
people associated in the upper class group have a head start and have
had the support to get where they are whereas the lower class dont.
Lower class families most likely start from scratch. They havent had
anything handed to them and they work so hard to provide for themselves
and their family and sometimes cannot even make enough to get by. I
found that throughout the game everyone wanted to get into the upper
class group and the ones that dropped down into the middle class were
getting frustrated. Sometimes people with too much money find
themselves in a position of greediness and selfishness. I believe that each
class shapes a different kind of person. Thats not to say every single
person that is classified as upper class is greedy or selfish but I do think
that generally, people with less money or wealth are more compassionate
as they appreciate the little things in life more. I think that by playing this
game and discussing what each class means, I gained a better
understanding of how life works.
In week 6, the workshop begun with a class discussion about gendered
health. We were asked to name things that we did in the past 24 hours
that were specific to our gender. We came up with a list which included
things like putting a bra on or putting jewellery on. Humans have sexually
specific organs and processes, and malfunction in those organs and
processes is the relationship between gender and health (Germov 2014,
P. 124). An example of this is that males can get prostate cancer and
women can get ovarian cancer.

We also discussed gender equality and domestic violence. The class was
shown two short videos called Gender Equality Now and Attitudes to
Gender Equality in Australia. These videos were confronting to watch
because I never realised how many people were really affected by
domestic violence. I dont think I would have ever realised if I didnt watch
these videos. Although more cases of domestic violence include males
hitting females, males can also be victims to this. I believe that gender
equality is something that people are not taking seriously. This is because
if a girl gets hit by a guy, everyone automatically hates him, whereas if a
girl hit a guy no one ever makes such a big deal. I dont think either
genders should be laying hands on each other.
Another thing that was discussed in class was what we tell girls to keep
them safe from men, but we noticed that no one ever tells men anything.
An example of this would be that girls are told not to travel alone or wear
anything provocative but no one ever tells men to leave women alone
when theyre walking by themselves. No one ever tells men to travel in
groups for safety, no one tells men to take no for an answer. We tell women
what to do but we dont tell men what not to do!

I found these topics very interesting and it has opened my eyes.

Especially when it comes to the three classes in life. We may not all be in
the upper class group but as long as you work hard enough for yourself
and your family to be comfortable and healthy thats all that matters.

References
Germov, J. (2014). Second opinion an introduction to health sociology. 5th
ed. Australia: Oxford University Press, pp.8-9.

Reflective journal 3:
Throughout my third reflective journal I will be demonstrating my
knowledge and understanding of racism. I will also discuss how health
education has changed my views on racism and inequality. Racism has
its roots in the belief that some people are superior because they belong
to a particular race, ethnic or national group. The concept of race is a

social construct, not a scientific one (Smolicz, 2015). For me, one of the
most meaningful aspects about racism in health education, was the film
Beneath clouds by Ivan Sen.
The film shows us how indigenous people are portrayed and treated by
members of our society and how they are all categorised into the same
type. I found this evident right at the start of the film where Vaughn gets
arrested. He then finds out his mother is sick so he breaks out of jail.
Vaughn and Lena are the two main characters in beneath clouds. Vaughn
is Indigenous and Lena is Irish and they are treated completely different
by everyone throughout the whole film. While watching this film it became
very clear to me how unfairly some people are treated just because the
colour of their skin. Most of the people Vaughn and Lena came across on
their journey to see their parents didnt know anything about either of
them, yet Vaughn was always the one looked at funny or ignored. I also
found it interesting that Lena denies certain aspects of herself so that she
is identified in a different way. This was evident when they showed her
mum being a heavy drinker and smoker and she runs away to stay with
her dad in Ireland. Another scene in the film that had an extremely
powerful message behind it was when Vaughn, Lena and some of Vaughns
friends got pulled over by the police. Everybody in the car got questioned
or treated unfairly except Lena. It was to my understanding that this was
so because she was white. Although, it was in the moment when a fight
broke out and Vaughn was getting hurt that Lena was almost pushed to
the edge of her whiteness. This was shown when she picked up the
weapon from the police officer and was tempted to get involved in the
fight. After watching the film, the class then discussed what would happen
to the two of them and it was agreed that Vaughn would go back to jail
with a harsh penalty for breaking out and Lena would stay in Ireland with
her dad.
I believe that in todays society, racism is a real problem. I think a lot of
people judge and make assumptions based on an individuals skin colour.
Previously, I knew that racism and inequality were issues in society but it

didnt occur to me that people are constantly being judged and mistreated
for doing absolutely nothing wrong at all, every single day. According to
Daniela Heil in the fifth edition of second opinion, an introduction to
health sociology, racism has had a huge impact on the health and wellbeing of indigenous people. This also ties into the inequality of upper,
middle and working class as discussed in my reflective journal 2. The
importance of social factors in the production of Indigenous Australian illhealth is further highlighted by comparing data from Canada and New
Zealand, where indigenous people also experience significant inequalities
(Gray, Saggers and Stearne, 2014). I believe that indigenous people dont
get the same care and treatment as others due to the fact that theyre
commonly classified as the working class. This is a major factor of
inequality.
Another important issue that was discussed in Health education this
semester was how schools are promoting healthy lifestyles for children.
The class discussed many different programs put in places to give children
the opportunity to stay active. Some of these include, jump rope for heart,
healthy canteen menus and lunch time/after school sporting teams. At
first, I did not realise how much of an impact schools and teachers had on
keeping children healthy but through doing this topic I now have a clearer
understanding. Jump Rope for Heart is a fundraising and physical activity
program based around skipping. It teaches school aged children how to
keep fit and healthy, all while having fun and raising vital funds for heart
disease research and education (Healthy kids, 2016). It began in 1983
and since then, over 90% of Australian schools have participated. When I
was in school I also participated in jump rope for heart but I was not quite
sure why. I just thought it was for a bit of fun. It is now clear to me that as
long as children are having fun, they are more than happy to join in. I
learnt that as an educator, encouraging children to have a healthy
lifestyle is so important. A clearly defined view of what Health Promotion
schools look like and the ability and knowledge for implementations are
extremely important. I also learnt that it is important that teachers role
model these behaviours. Children watch, listen and learn through

observation, and then follow what they see (Healthy kids association,
2012). I completely agree with this statement. It is important for children
to see their teachers getting involved, especially if we want them to
participate.
Healthy eating habits are just as important as getting them involved in
physical activity. Higher than recommended consumption of occasional
or extra foods that are high in added fat, sugar and salt, especially fried
potatoes, sugar-sweetened soft drinks, ice cream, cordials, meat pies and
margarine (Healthy kids association, 2012). Schools are now
encouraging 2 fruits and 5 vegetables a day. I found what our tutor told us
very interesting and useful for when I become a qualified teacher. She told
us that when she was teaching young children she made them try every
single healthy food that they made in class and if they didnt like it, they
could spit it out. This was significant to me because it means that children
are at least trying the foods instead of just saying they dont like it.
Having discussed both of these issues with the class, I now realise how
much of an impact racism has on the well-being of indigenous people. The
film beneath clouds has drastically changed my view on racism and
inequality because if I were treated so poorly according to my skin colour,
I would hate it. As a student studying teaching, I think it is important to
teach children from a young age about equality in race. I have also learnt
how much of an influence teachers and schools have on their students.
Additionally, I have learnt that without a clear view of what health
promotion schools look like, we are unable to implement a plan for
successful results. This knowledge is essential to me as a practitioner
because it allows me to become the best educator I can be in getting my
students involved in a healthy lifestyle. Health education has changed my
outlook on many different topics but these two were the most significant
to me and I hope that in time, we can fix these issues.

References

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2012. Australias food &

nutrition 2012. Cat. no. PHE 163. Canberra: AIHW.
Germov, J. (2014). Second opinion an introduction to health sociology. 5th
ed. Australia: Oxford University Press, pp.8-9.
Jump Rope for Heart. (2016). Healthykids.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 9 June
2016, from http://www.healthykids.nsw.gov.au/teacherschildcare/healthy-lifestyle-programs-for-primary-schools/jump-rope-forheart.aspx
Shaping positive eating behaviours - Healthy Kids. (2016). Healthykids.com.au. Retrieved 10 June 2016, from https://healthykids.com.au/parents/developing-positive-eating-behaviours/
Understanding - What is racism?. (2016). Racismnoway.com.au. Retrieved
9 June 2016, from http://www.racismnoway.com.au/aboutracism/understanding/

Inquiry Project Report

For the inquiry project assignment, my group and I decided to study the effects
that social media has on body image in different generations. This was chosen
after a discussion in class about social media and body image. This topic was
something that took our interest straight away and so it was not hard at all to
decide on a topic that everyone agreed on. Throughout the duration of the
assignment I have learnt a number of things and have gained a better
understanding of what kind of effects social media really has had on the younger
generation and the way they see themselves.
The group began this assignment by brainstorming ideas and questions. This was
so we were able to conduct a survey that allowed us to gain knowledge about
the general publics opinion on the matter. Each group member had a similar
opinion about we were planning to discuss in our presentation so it was assumed
that majority of our responses from the survey would be similar. It was discussed
amongst the group members that social media had a negative influence on the
way most people view their bodies without even realising. The survey questions
were finalised and were posted on Survey Monkey. While waiting for a number of
responses from the survey, a structure for our presentation was planned. The
presentation was divided into five parts and each group member was given a
topic to research. I decided to investigate the effects that social media has on
the younger generations and what will happen in the future.
Young children and teenagers have harsh opinions on their body image. I chose
this topic as I was interested and wanted to broaden my knowledge. Throughout
my research I discovered social media can affect many different aspects of the
younger generations lives. The majority of people that answered our survey were
females between the ages of 18 and 24. This suggests that body image is a big
issue for young women. It was interesting to find that social media gives
negative body image a platform, and encourages miss information about the way
we should treat and view our bodies. Social media is not the reason body image
issues exist, but doesnt help the issue. The message that social media is
sending to younger girls is that weight loss is good, weight gain is bad and that
thinner is better. We live in a hyper visual age, with most of us confronting
thousands of images every day. The focus on womens bodies is intense on every
website, magazine article and TV show. Throughout the research process I found
a number of disturbing statistics about teenagers with eating disorders of

working themselves to a point where they are doing more harm to their bodies
then good.
It was interesting to analyse the results from the survey as the group did not
expect such a large number of people who said they have never been influenced
to buy an exercise or diet program. Every female group member admitted to
wanting to try either of these after seeing them advertised on social media by
someone that has the ideal body type. This made us question, what really is the
perfect body? As part of our presentation, it was decided that Marilyn Monroe
and Rosie Huntington-Whitley would be the two iconic women that would
represent body image for different eras. These two women have two completely
different body types yet through our research, social media has led us to believe
that a curvy woman is not as attractive as a thinner woman.
This assignment has taught me not to believe everything you see on social
media or advertised on TV. Advertising is perhaps the most powerful source for
presenting unrealistic body types. Advertisers attract attention for their products
by showcasing them with thin women and muscular men. With advanced
techniques for retouching photos, models are often improved by photo shop,
giving the public an unrealistic sense of what their bodies look like naturally. It is
so sad to think that teenagers feel the need to edit and photo shop their pictures
so that they are able to feel good about their bodies. In the survey that was
conducted, we asked, Have you ever (or do you know of someone) that has
pushed themselves so far to look 'healthy' or 'skinny' because the influence
social media has that they have caused themselves more harm?. Many people
knew someone that they believed to be an unhealthy weight or pushing
themselves too much to be skinny. It was also mentioned that media alone,
could be as much as an influence on individuals as social media could be. Its
unsettling to believe that the well-being of a larger number of teenagers is being
compromised because of what social media has portrayed the perfect body to
be.
This topic allowed the group to see how social media has become such a big part
of our everyday lives and can have a negative influence on us without even
realising. It was interesting to see how everything about body image has
changed dramatically over the years since Marilyn Monroe was considered the
most attractive women in her era. These days, you would not see models on the
runway with curves like Monroe had. Every woman is different and has a different

body type. No matter what new exercise program or diet is advertised in the
media, not everyone will look the same. The sooner everybody starts to realise
that, social media will no longer play such a big part in influencing women to
change their bodies.
If I were to do anything in this assignment differently, it would be the lack of
communication between group members about the information being presented.
It was brought to our attention after we presented that some of our information
was repeated throughout our speeches. This was due to the fact that we all
researched our own topic and then came together as a group. I think other than
that, the group worked well together and gave our peers the information needed
to allow them to think twice before allowing themselves to become unhealthy
over a post on Facebook. When I was a child going into my teenage years I
wasnt as worried about what I wore or what I looked like compared to some of
the young teens Ive come across today. I think that social media and TV has
influenced the teenagers of today to get the so called perfect body and to wear
certain clothes to show it off. I think that social media has completely changed
societys views on what skinny or pretty is. I will never understand why
children and teenagers feel the need to starve themselves to look like models
such as Rosie Huntington-Whitley and taught to believe that a full figured
woman, like Marilyn Monroe are not as beautiful. Social media will have a huge
impact on future generations if we keep allowing ourselves to be so easily
influenced about what the media is advertising and telling us.
This assignment has opened my eyes and shown me the truth behind social
media. Without all the editing, photoshopping and advertising a thin figure, I
think the younger generation and even the future generations would have a
more positive outlook on their body image. After all the research, I have a
completely different outlook on how I portray myself and what I allow to
influence me. I no longer feel the urgency to try everything I see advertised
because I know that no matter how hard I work or how little food I eat; I will
never look like that model that was photo shopped specially for that add. I hope
that after presenting all our research and findings to the class, that we have
changed the minds of at least a few others.