[Nicky91]

Jane Lunnon says social media and 'trivial' reality TV stars are 'image-obsessed'
The headteacher has serious concerns about effect social media has children
She says Love Island's message is to look beautiful otherwise you are not worthy

Reality TV shows like Love Island sends an 'unbelievably dangerous' message to young people that could undermine the #MeToo movement, a head teacher has said.

Jane Lunnon, head of Wimbledon High School, has serious concerns about the effect social media and reality shows have on body image and self worth.

The headteacher thinks that if we want the #MeToo movement to be taken seriously, girls shouldn't celebrate 'trivial' reality TV culture.

Speaking at the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference's (HMC) annual autumn conference she said social media and reality stars are 'image-obsessed'.

Mrs Lunnon said: 'I was particularly struck by the Love Island thing - it wasn't just the way it dominated teen consciousness, it was the way it basically dominated public discourse.

'So what has happened that makes Love Island become something real and significant?

Mrs Lunnon says young people might not be able to distinguish between what is real and what is fake.

She said: 'The problem attached to that is what are the long-term consequences of a world where a) we are celebrating something essentially trivial, and b) we are focused, such relentless focus on appearance and the presentation of brand self - which we know is a spillover from social media itself.

'And Love Island's message, it seems to me, is conform and look beautiful otherwise you are not worthy of being loved.

'Which is unbelievably dangerous. And that is what our teens are picking up, of course, when they watch that, but also every time they go online.
'It is a real vicious circle, I think, in that regard.'

Mrs Lunnon questioned whether girls could be taken seriously when it comes to issues like the #MeToo campaign, while also succumbing to 'trivial' reality TV culture which obsesses over appearance.

She said: 'We might have to decide which camp we are in - I think we might have to ask our girls and our boys, actually, which camp are we in?'

She added she had concerns that young people were not taking themselves seriously by glorifying things that are trivial and insignificant.

'If we want to be taken seriously - the Me Too debate, hear us, we have agency, we have a voice - can we also be saying this trivial nonsense matters?'

HMC chairman Shaun Fenton said: 'I think young people can make choices about their diet of media and discern triviality from real news - fake news from real news.

'But if you overdose on a bad diet, if that is all you are presented with all the time, it is not in their interests.

'It is not in any of our interests to live in a society where we put on a pedestal the type of trivia that isn't what we aspire to for our children, that isn't what we think in our better moments we aspire to for ourselves.

'So there is nothing wrong with a bit of light-hearted entertainment at all.'
Mrs Lunnon explained that one way to tackle the effect of reality TV and social media would be for schools to remind students they belong to a community.

She added that in recent years she had witnessed pupils become increasing engaged in political debate, something she found promising.

'It is youthquake rather than snowflake, I think. I think we should stop telling kids that they are insignificant and fragile and vulnerable.

'The snowflake thing is not helpful. They could change things, and if we get them to take themselves seriously and take the world seriously, they will,' said Mrs Lunnon.

Veteran broadcaster Michael Buerk, who also spoke at the conference, said the age of social media and reality TV shows had seen public discourse become increasingly shallow.

'They are about us looking at ourselves, albeit in the mirror of other people’s lives, not interrogating the outside world.

'And they are making us ignorant, stupid and unhappy. And they are phenomenally successful. More fool us.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-nonsense.html

[Crimson Dynamo]

As of September 2018 our fees, set by the Girls' Day School Trust, are:

Junior - £4,874 per term
Senior - £6,270 per term

Registration fees;

Registration fee for candidates sitting entrance assessments in the UK - £110
Registration fee for candidates applying from outside the UK - £175

[Nicky91]

that's quite expensive

[Northern Monkey]

Why does she keep talking about the Metoo thing?
What does it have to do with Love Island?
They don’t promote sexual assault on there from what i’ve seen.

[arista]

Originally Posted by Northern Monkey

Why does she keep talking about the Metoo thing?
What does it have to do with Love Island?
They don’t promote sexual assault on there from what i’ve seen.

Yes that's true

[arista]

Head Teacher do your Job

ignore ITV2HD

[Crimson Dynamo]

There is a distinct look of FILTH about her


what kind of double standards

[user104658]

To be fair, I enjoyed the show but I think it's fair enough to point out that it's (mostly) a not at all healthy depiction of relationships or how they should work, and I think a lot of these pop culture things DO catch on as "the norm" with young, impressionable people. It's fine watching it as an adult as entertainment, though.

[Nicky91]

Originally Posted by Northern Monkey

Why does she keep talking about the Metoo thing?
What does it have to do with Love Island?
They don’t promote sexual assault on there from what i’ve seen.

because mentioning MeToo gets this more attention


i don't think this head teacher can forbid children to watch Love Island, at least i wouldn't let anyone else apart from family decide what i watch on the telly

and true they don't promote sexual assault on LI

[arista]

She (Jane Lunnon) was just on ITV1 London News moaning about the ITV2HD show.

Then the Lady Dyer , this years winner, was interviewed
saying "some don't like It"
but "she will watch it next year."
she also said "maybe the teachers husband watches it."

[Beso]

Did she pipe up about the Catholic Church?

[arista]

Originally Posted by parmnion

Did she pipe up about the Catholic Church?

No all about her anger
at Love Island

[RileyH]

Originally Posted by Nicky91

She says Love Island's message is to look beautiful otherwise you are not worthy

LI didn't lie!

[Livia]

I just saw Dani Dyer on the news. They asked her... "Do you think you can be on live island and still support the Me Too movement?" She replied, "What's the Me Too movement?"

You know, it's possible to be beautiful and intelligent? One is not exclusive of the other... except on shows like Love Island.

[armand.kay]

When are we gonna stop blaming people's vanity and desire to be beautiful on TV shows and magazines? I mean pressure on people (mainly women) to look a certain way predates love island, vogue, instagram and everything else that gets all the blame for this. These things are a reaction to society's beauty standards and wouldn't not exist were it not for our own values.

[Matthew.]

Originally Posted by Livia

I just saw Dani Dyer on the news. They asked her... "Do you think you can be on live island and still support the Me Too movement?" She replied, "What's the Me Too movement?"

i saw that

i don’t believe that she genuinely didn’t know what it was, seemed very à la ayleh ooze

[arista]

She Was Live on Ch4HD News

[smudgie]

Originally Posted by Livia

I just saw Dani Dyer on the news. They asked her... "Do you think you can be on live island and still support the Me Too movement?" She replied, "What's the Me Too movement?"

You know, it's possible to be beautiful and intelligent? One is not exclusive of the other... except on shows like Love Island.

Yes.
All comes over as very shallow.
Same as all these “Real Housewife” shows.

[Marsh.]

Originally Posted by armand.kay

When are we gonna stop blaming people's vanity and desire to be beautiful on TV shows and magazines? I mean pressure on people (mainly women) to look a certain way predates love island, vogue, instagram and everything else that gets all the blame for this. These things are a reaction to society's beauty standards and wouldn't not exist were it not for our own values.

I don't think anyone's blaming that solely. What they are blaming it for is cashing in on it and perpetuating it, which in turn has caused a huge spike and spiral in mental heath and eating disorders/anxieties etc that are caused by a false depiction of perfection. Social media also holds a large percentage of the blame for this too.

[Nicky91]

Originally Posted by smudgie

Yes.
All comes over as very shallow.
Same as all these “Real Housewife” shows.

yes and that's not what children watch tbh, but more women like that head teacher i guess

i get your point, you got way more shows than just Love Island


but what is also a more danger than this to children, drugs & alcohol that is something what they should pay more attention into, rather than taking away their shows what they like, cause if you take something away from a child what he or she likes, well they go into a rebel phase and then they could turn into drug and/or alcohol addicts


so let them just watch reality shows is what i think, reality shows is the lesser of 2 evils between that and alcohol/drugs

[Livia]

Originally Posted by smudgie

Yes.
All comes over as very shallow.
Same as all these “Real Housewife” shows.

God, those 'real housewives'... they all need a job. Or at least a hobby other than getting tanned and bitching.

[mxhunter]

Originally Posted by Nicky91

yes and that's not what children watch tbh, but more women like that head teacher i guess

i get your point, you got way more shows than just Love Island


but what is also a more danger than this to children, drugs & alcohol that is something what they should pay more attention into, rather than taking away their shows what they like, cause if you take something away from a child what he or she likes, well they go into a rebel phase and then they could turn into drug and/or alcohol addicts


so let them just watch reality shows is what i think, reality shows is the lesser of 2 evils between that and alcohol/drugs

If we ban love island, our kids will become meth addicts?

[Nicky91]

Originally Posted by mxhunter

If we ban love island, our kids will become meth addicts?

my point was if we take shows like this away what children like, they become rebellious and who knows what they might do next

[mxhunter]

Originally Posted by Nicky91

my point was if we take shows like this away what children like, they become rebellious and who knows what they might do next

I would hope that our kids are not so weak that cancelling a tv show would send them into a downward spiral of drugs and depression, but I have never had kids so maybe I am wrong .

[Nicky91]

Originally Posted by mxhunter

I would hope that our kids are not so weak that cancelling a tv show would send them into a downward spiral of drugs and depression, but I have never had kids so maybe I am wrong .

me neither, but i don't see the problem in Love Island, they don't promote sexual assault