Pepperdine News and Events

Psychology Students Empower Urban High School Teenagers with ‘Affirmative Modeling Project’

Monica Unique Ellis, a master’s student in psychology, and Brenda Perez, a master’s student in clinical psychology with an emphasis in marriage and family therapy, orchestrated the “Affirmative Modeling Project,” a fashion show in which 11 Latino teenagers from an East Los Angeles high school with high drop-out and teen pregnancy rates were taught runway modeling techniques to develop confidence.

“I helped create the Affirmative Modeling Project because after experiencing the criticism of the fashion industry from my work as a runway model, I wanted to make a positive change,” explained Ellis. “Research has shown that the secondary impacts of low self-esteem include engagement in teenage risk-taking and self-harm behaviors. This project is an innovative method of circumventing these issues.”

During group discussions, students disclosed personal stories about overcoming social pressures and countering criticism. In addition, quantitative scales and qualitative questionnaires were distributed prior to and at the conclusion of the fashion show in measuring the impact of student’s self-esteem. “Anecdotally, the students reported feeling more confident and their parents noticed an improvement in their children's attitudes over the course of the project,” Ellis said.

This project was especially meaningful to Perez, a graduate of the East Los Angeles high school whose students participated in the fashion show: “These students need positive role models who respect and believe in their abilities. I was labeled as ‘high risk youth’ because I was raised in this community. I was told by counselors and other adults that I was not college material despite always having good grades. Labels such as ‘high-risk’ only hinder the potential for these students to succeed in all areas of their life, especially in the pursuit of higher education. And although the results for this project are still being analyzed, it was evident that these students were positively impacted. Everyone involved in this project, including the teen models, expressed great appreciation for its purpose and results.”

Ellis and Perez are both research assistants in the GSEP Culture and Trauma Research Lab (CTRL) led by associate professor of psychology Dr. Thema Bryant-Davis.