Nowadays shopping centers are considered one of the main recreational spaces for adolescent girls where they can socialize, spending free time with friends, relaxing and shopping. In this essay I will reflect and discuss my observations from the visit to Scarborough town center in light of reading the article "Girls, consumption space and the contradictions of going out in the city" by Mary E. Thomas (2005). to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayThomas argues that shopping malls offer young people a comfortable public place to be with friends, meet new people, and have fun and relax. The author suggests: “This important contribution demonstrates that shopping centers are central aspects of young people's lives and often represent what the authors suggest as examples of young people's main goals. They argue that malls can provide a haven for inner-city youth who wish to escape deteriorating neighborhoods that are rife with crime and poverty, and that malls offer young people spaces of safety.” During my visit to the mall, I encountered such a trend when I noticed that most of the shoppers in the mall were teenagers or young adults. A large number of them wander around the shops, go out and have fun without the intention of buying anything. During this summer period, at the end of the semester, students prefer to meet with friends in a comfortable public space, wander around and then have a snack or coffee. For this purpose they choose shopping malls as this space offers them a safe and free place to relax without hesitation and consume food in the food court. This helps reduce exam stress, relax them, and prepare them for the next hectic semester. These malls offer them a safe place where they can share their stories, problems or concerns about their personal life with their friends and peers, away from violating any laws and unwanted and disturbing strangers. The author states that girls become aware of their racial identity through their interactions and experiences in public places. Thomas argues: “The socio-racial identities of these two girls (black and white) are both produced through public space and dating, but through very different practices and spatialities.” I surprisingly noticed this difference when I discovered that most of the female mannequins on H&M represent white teenage girls. This discrimination can greatly affect adolescent girls' socio-racial identity and how they treat skin color. A white teenager may think that her skin color is normal, acceptable, and is the norm since her skin color has been showcased on most store mannequins. Even though the black girl will likely learn that it is not part of the norm, her skin color is not acceptable and would create a bad impression about her skin color in her subconscious. Although both girls use the same public space of consumption and the same process of dating, they have a different interaction with the place due to the distorted representation of skin color which can have a notable impact on their racial identity. In the article, Thomas indicates: "Companies recognize the additional profit that is possible when young people collectively identify their site to go out; they introduce entrance fees to take advantage of the lack of other.