Abstract
According to Karen Brooks, young people have adopted what she terms resistance conformity. That is, they believe they are fashioning a unique identity carved in their own self-image, when in reality they are donning a prefabricated corporate and cultural mould. She believes that parents, educators and caregivers need to educate young people to be discerning in their pop culture consumption, and adults need to educate themselves about what young people are consuming. By empowering young people to "read" the images of themselves through cultural pedagogy, and providing them with tools to decrypt these images, adults will enable young people to make informed choices.