Nowadays, shopping malls are considered one of the main spaces leisure center for teenage girls where they can spend time with friends, socialize, spend free time and go shopping. In this essay, I will reflect on and discuss my observations during my visit to downtown Scarborough in light of reading the article “Girls, Consumption Space, and the Contradictions of Trolling in the City” by Mary E. Thomas (2005).Say no. to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayThomas argues that shopping malls provide young people with a comfortable public place to spend time with friends, meet new people as well as have fun and relax. . The author suggests: “This important contribution shows that shopping centers are central aspects of young people's lives and often represent what the authors suggest are examples of young people's main goals. They argue that malls can provide a refuge for inner-city youth wanting to escape deteriorating neighborhoods that are rife with crime and poverty, and that malls provide safe spaces for young people." . During my visit to the mall, I saw such a trend when I noticed that most of the shoppers in the mall were teenagers or young people. A lot of them just wander into stores, hang out, and have fun with no intention of buying anything. During this summer period, at the end of the semester, students prefer to meet up with friends in a comfortable public space, take a walk, then have a snack or coffee. For this purpose, they choose shopping malls because it provides them a safe and free place where they can relax without hesitation and eat in the food court. This helps to reduce exam stress, relax them and prepare them for the upcoming hectic semester. These malls provide them with a safe place where they can share their stories, problems or concerns about their personal lives with their friends and peers without being burned by the hot sun and protected from crime and unwanted disturbing strangers. Thomas emphasizes that the behavior of young people in public spaces is strongly influenced by municipal authorities such as the police. The author states: “Tyquasia also asserts that intervention by police and business owners ensures that spaces under their jurisdiction are accessible if used in the manner they determine.” I observed the presence of security guards and CCTV cameras almost in every corner of the mall, who were constantly monitoring people in the mall in order to prevent any potential danger, crime or harm to the public . This place is primarily intended to be used as a place for shopping and public assembly and security guards and police officers are appointed to ensure this. They walk around and check for any potential crime or danger that might occur and also forbid people from doing anything offensive, like bothering someone, smoking or stealing. They also don't allow homeless people or unwanted people in the mall. Thus, they control how this specific place should be used and prohibit any other use of this place that is not their intention. Thomas argues that adolescent girls' racial identity affects their ability tospending time with friends in a public place without interactions with city officials. The author describes: "...tensions between young people and municipal officials, notably the police, in turn contribute to the production of racial meaning and identity for girls." I did not notice such racial discrimination while following the activities of security guards and police officers in the mall. I observed large numbers of young girls of various ethnicities and races wandering through the stores, hanging out freely with friends in the seating area or food court. Security officers only encountered individuals who were doing something offensive or violating laws, but did not select one based solely on skin color bias. The author asserts that young girls become aware of their racial identity through their interactions and experiences in public places. Thomas states: “The socio-racial identities of these two girls (black and white) are both produced through public space and attendance, but through very different practices and spatialities.” I surprisingly noticed this difference when I discovered that most of the girl models on H&M represented white teenage girls. This discrimination can greatly influence the social and racial identity of adolescent girls and influence how they treat the color of their skin. A white teenage girl may think that her skin color is normal, acceptable and it is the norm since her skin color has been highlighted on most of the mannequins in the store. Even though the black girl will likely learn that she 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 consumption space and the same process of going out, they have a different interaction with the place due to the biased representation of skin color which can have a remarkable impact on their racial identity. their struggles to find and create space to hang out and, indeed, girls often resisted adult control by reworking the space to better suit their social needs and desires.” During my visit to the mall, I observed that a large number of young people were hanging out in the lounge area or food court with their friends and having a relaxed and happy time. They are not busy buying daily necessities or having snacks at the food court, rather than using the place for leisure activities or a recreation area. Most parents worry about their children wandering the streets or in a dangerous place where they might get hurt or get involved in an unwanted activity. They want children to remain under the supervision or direction of adults. This is where the mall plays an important role. Usually in a shopping center there are always security guards, a CCTV camera and many adult shoppers. Parents feel safe when their children go there and teenagers are also happy to be able to go out freely without the risk of danger or interaction with unwanted strangers. Thus, they modify these places to make them conducive to interaction with their friends and peers, escaping the control of their parents or adults and meeting their needs and desires. In the article, Thomas states: “Companies recognize the additional profit that is possible when young people collectively tag their site to hang out; they introduce entry fees to take advantage of the shortage.