ACCEPTANCISM

• The American Dream is defined as the ideal that every U.S. citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative. We define it as acceptancism. Acceptancism is about fitting into a crowd. Although the American Dream is not a very positive dream, it's a very popular one.

WOMENS YOUTH DEALING WITH ACCEPTANCISM

• Our first point is about appearances and how a person, especially girls, may go to great lengths to be accepted by society. For example, in today's society, girls varying from grade school to young adults will change their appearance according to trends and fads. Magazines show very unrealistic figures and young girls idolize that. According to People Magazine, " girls growing up today can feel immense pressure to meet the same standard," ( wulff 1). Much like in The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby trying to impress Daisy, girls buy new things and get stuck into trends to impress others.

MENS YOUTH DEALING WITH ACCEPTANCISM

• Not only do girls try to fit in and change themselves, so do boys of all ages. Young boys are constantly competing with one another to be the best at a sport or be the most fit. Celebrities also play a role in boys wanting to change their appearance to look like them. According to VH1+, " we either have to build hulking muscles or rock svelte frame, " (Rosa 1). In the book Of Mice And Men, Curley was shorter than most and was insecure about his height, like many boys they are also insecure because society has told them being tall is better than being short.

ADULTS DEALING WITH ACCEPTANCISM

• Adults are also affected by acceptancism. Many adults will resort to plastic surgeries to look younger and to fit in. Celebrities also tend to influence adults. According to News and Views, " Eighty- two percent of he surgeons surveyed said that celebrities were a big influence on the decisions of patients all ages to get plastic surgeries last year, " (News and Views). Much like the poem "I Sit and Look Out" by Walt Whitman, people feel shame and jealousy when they see celebrities and they want to change their appearance to be accepted by society.

ACCEPTANCISM

• To conclude, acceptancism is the American Dream because people today think that being accepted is viewed as the most important thing a person could be.

WORKS CITIED