2016年经济学人 女孩成长 一场艰险的旅行(上)

 

Girls and sex

女孩与性

Two steps forward, one back

向前两步，后退一步

For girls, growing up is a perilous¹ journey

对女孩来说，成长是一场艰险的旅行

FOR tips on taking a selfie, talk to teenage girls. Many know that your “good” side is the one without your parting, and that it is slimming to pose with a hand on hip² and legs “bevelled” (one straight, the other bent). Not quite pleased with the results? Simply download one of many “selfie surgery apps” to edit blemishes³, whiten teeth and shrink noses.

想知道自拍的小贴士的就去问那些少女吧。很多人都明白好看的自拍照就是不露出身体的其他部位，或者一只手放在臀部，两条腿倾斜（一条伸直，另一条弯曲）。如果你对这个拍摄结果仍不满意的话，很简单，在众多自拍手机软件中下载一个可以遮瑕祛斑、美白牙齿和挺鼻功能的app即可。

Adolescents have always been keenly aware of how they are seen by their peers. But social media amplify⁴ this self-consciousness. Now that nearly three-quarters of American teens have access to a smartphone, many of them while away their days broadcasting their thoughts, photos and lapses⁵ in judgment⁶ for immediate⁷ praise or scorn from hundreds of “friends”. Being a teenager was never easy, but this is the first time your charm, looks or popularity have been so readily quantifiable, and your mistakes so easy for others to see. Just how this technological⁸ revolution affects young people—and particularly young women—is the subject of two fascinating new American books.

青少年总是能够很敏锐地意识到他们的同龄人是如何评价自己的。但是社交媒体将这种自我意识放大了。现在近四分之三的美国青少年都在使用智能手机。很多人会上传他们的想法，照片来消磨度日，为了成百的朋友的点赞或嘲笑而陷入别人的评价中。作为青少年并不容易，这是你的魅力、外貌和知名度第一次如此容易量化，同时你的错误也很容易被他人看到。技术变革如何影响年轻人，尤其是年轻女性，是美国两本极具吸引力的新书主题。

For many girls, the constant seeking of “likes” and attention on social media can “feel like being a contestant⁹ in a never-ending beauty pageant”, writes Nancy Jo Sales in “American Girls”, a thoroughly¹⁰ researched if sprawling¹¹ book. In this image-saturated environment, comments on girls' photos tend to focus disproportionately on looks, bullying¹² is common and anxieties about female rivals are rife¹³. In interviews, girls complain of how hard it is to appear “hot” but not “slutty”, sexually confident but not “thirsty” (ie, desperate). That young women often aspire¹⁴ to be titillating¹⁵ should not be surprising given that the most successful female celebrities¹⁶ often present themselves as eye-candy for the male gaze. “Everybody wants to take a selfie as good as the Kardashians',” says Maggie, a 13-year-old.

南希在《美国女孩》一书（一本体系庞大研究彻底的书）中写道，对于很多女孩来说，在社交媒体上持续不断地追求“点赞”和被关注感觉像是在参加一个永无止境的选美比赛。在这个图片饱和的时代，对女孩照片的评论过多地集中在长相上，欺凌最常见不过了，女性之间的竞争焦虑盛行。在采访中，女孩们抱怨要做到看起来火热而不淫荡，在两性方面自信而不显得饥渴。年轻女性经常渴望成为撩人一方，这不足为奇，因为最成功的的女明星往往会展现自己的魅力，从而让男性大饱眼福。13岁的玛吉说每个人都想要像卡戴珊一样有好看的自拍照。

Such self-objectification comes at a cost. A review of studies from 12 industrialised countries found that adolescent girls around the world are increasingly depressed¹⁷ and anxious about their weight and appearance.

如此的自我人格物化需要付出一定的代价。一项关于12个工业化国家的研究回顾表明，全世界青春期的女生对她们的体重外貌感到越来越沮丧和焦虑。

1 perilous   

adj.危险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• The journey through the jungle was perilous.穿过丛林的旅行充满了危险。
• We have been carried in safety through a perilous crisis.历经一连串危机，我们如今已安然无恙。

2 hip   

n.臀部，髋；屋脊

参考例句：

• The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。
• The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line.新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。

3 blemishes   

n.（身体的）瘢点( blemish的名词复数 )；伤疤；瑕疵；污点

参考例句：

• make-up to cover blemishes 遮盖霜
• The blemishes of ancestors appear. 祖先的各种瑕疵都渐渐显露出来。 来自辞典例句

4 amplify   

vt.放大，增强；详述，详加解说

参考例句：

• The new manager wants to amplify the company.新经理想要扩大公司。
• Please amplify your remarks by giving us some examples.请举例详述你的话。

5 lapses   

n.失误，过失( lapse的名词复数 )；小毛病；行为失检；偏离正道v.退步( lapse的第三人称单数 )；陷入；倒退；丧失

参考例句：

• He sometimes lapses from good behavior. 他有时行为失检。 来自辞典例句
• He could forgive attacks of nerves, panic, bad unexplainable actions, all sorts of lapses. 他可以宽恕突然发作的歇斯底里，惊慌失措，恶劣的莫名其妙的动作，各种各样的失误。 来自辞典例句

6 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

7 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

8 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

9 contestant   

n.竞争者，参加竞赛者

参考例句：

• The company will furnish each contestant with a free ticket.公司将为每个参赛者免费提供一张票。
• The personal appearance and interview of the contestant is another count.参加比赛者的个人仪表和谈话也是一项。

10 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

11 sprawling   

adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着）

参考例句：

• He was sprawling in an armchair in front of the TV. 他伸开手脚坐在电视机前的一张扶手椅上。
• a modern sprawling town 一座杂乱无序拓展的现代城镇

12 bullying   

v.恐吓，威逼( bully的现在分词 )；豪；跋扈

参考例句：

• Many cases of bullying go unreported . 很多恐吓案件都没有人告发。
• All cases of bullying will be severely dealt with. 所有以大欺小的情况都将受到严肃处理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 rife   

adj.(指坏事情)充斥的，流行的，普遍的

参考例句：

• Disease is rife in the area.疾病在这一区很流行。
• Corruption was rife before the election.选举之前腐败盛行。

14 aspire   

vi.(to，after)渴望，追求，有志于

参考例句：

• Living together with you is what I aspire toward in my life.和你一起生活是我一生最大的愿望。
• I aspire to be an innovator not a follower.我迫切希望能变成个开创者而不是跟随者。

15 titillating   

adj.使人痒痒的； 使人激动的，令人兴奋的v.使觉得痒( titillate的现在分词 )；逗引；激发；使高兴

参考例句：

• Titillating the public now could help sales of Peptide 7 latet on. 现在刺激一下公众，对将来缩氨酸7号的销售可能还会有好处呢。 来自辞典例句

16 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目

17 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。