Blog Assignment Evaluations

Before this RTF class I had never written a blog before other than a few posts on Myspace when I was in junior high. I feel like the blogs and the research that went into them helped me to learn the content better and understand the terms more in depth. Even more, I have become better acquainted with the blogging realm and processes that accompany the practice; also I learned several simple aspects of computer and Internet usage such as how to embed a video clip. I had minimal difficulty in preparing my blog, especially after our TA demonstrated how to embed a video. Other than embedding, there was only one other issue and that was finding appropriate and useful videos or other media content that pertained to the topic.
The blog prompts that were the most difficult were the ones that asked for the explanation of a concept from the class lectures. For example, the blogs that asked for examples and definitions for hegemony and globalization. Though the concepts themselves were not difficult to understand, finding in depth and highly useful examples to use as supplementary detail in the blog was a difficult and often long task. I personally enjoyed the prompt that asked us to write about our favorite film and explain three scenes that used the shots that were covered in class.
I would definitely recommend using the blogs in the future, though they required much effort and some time they served as a creative way to explore the concepts that we were covering in class and in our readings. The only thing that I would recommend is that the new blog prompts for the week to be emailed at the beginning of each week with at least five days to complete them. A few times we did not receive the next prompt until one to three days before they were due.


Yes, you can use my blog in a paper or report
Thanks!
Kaitlyn

According to Merriam Webster dictionary, globalization is "the development of an increasingly integrated global economy marked especially by free trade, free flow of capital, and the tapping of cheaper foreign labor markets". This sort of development is usually, throughout history, the result of imperialism. Stronger, more developed nations move in and take over the systems of a weaker, less technologically advance people group and set up their own systems, government, society, and economy usually to the stronger country's own monetary or global benefit.
This cultural imperialism causes drastic changes to the culture and nature of the people who are being subdued. It not only serves to take the native culture out of power and authority, but it also gives the imperialist nation a means of gaining capital at the imperialized nation's expense, whether this expense be trade, customs, language, religion, family, or even lives.
Throughout history imperialism has thrived as a practice of the Western powers. Britain took control over India, a people group who had been expanding, trading, and thriving for centuries previous. Spain conquered the South American and Mexican regions and even southern portions of North America, taking over the livelihoods and enslaving the natives whom had dwelled in the areas for centuries as well, practicing many different forms of music, dance, hunting, healing, and craftsmanship. This practice has endured up until today as the United States is a leading global power that is currently in the Middle East trying to set up a democracy.


This video is an interesting perspective of students on cultural imperialism.


Several films and other types of media throughout history have served as depictions of this sort of cultural domination. From the 1995 children's Disney film Pocahontas in which the British army comes to the north eastern area of North America and attempts to gain control over the natives in order to ultimately build on the land, expand their borders, and call it their home. In this clip from the movie, the native American woman Pocahontas criticizes the British way of thinking and demonstrates the beauty and color of her own "savage" people.



In this montage of films that portrays the white race moving in on a culture and taking over, the media generated illustration of imperialism is demonstrated. The people group takes over of imposes, someone of the opposite races fall in love, an emotional attachment is born in which a new drive to protect the subjects is created, and finally a war results.


Although it is known that many white imperialists took wives of the people that they were imposing on, I am critical of the romantic nature of such a relationship. But, it makes for a good Hollywood film.

Beer Advertisements and the Real Man

There are two different types of beer advertisements, one that uses the sexuality of women to sell their product and the other that shoves masculinity in the faces of the men who are viewing the ad. I say men because the beer market is obviously male dominated and male consumed and without the help of concrete statistics one could conclude that beer consumers in the United States are mostly male. But to assess the validity of this statement, drinkfocus.com states that only 25 percent of beer drinkers are female (which is much higher than ever before). Nevertheless, beer is unquestionably being sold to men through these hypersexualized advertisements that feature your average tan, toned, and supplemented woman as a tool to reel men into the idea that this particular brand of beer will lead to the attainment of such a lady. Budweiser is a frequent user of this tactic as they plaster their insignia on the otherwise bare bodies of slender women who are either holding one of their products or laying suggestively on a life size bottle, making them appear smaller and less powerful.

Whether consciously or subconsciously, men associate the drinking of beer with what they see in commercials, billboards, and magazines. This may not only be influenced by the use of sexual appeal but also by the question of masculinity. What straight man would want to feel or be called wimpy or feminine? Beer companies use this male complex to teach men that beer is manly, especially their brand of beer. Dos Equis serves as a prime example of a company that utilizes this appeal as they employ the "Most Interesting Man in the World" appeal in which the Sean Conneryesqe man is sitting amongst beautiful women while other men sit off to the side as spectators to his social success.

Although these advertisements are blatantly directed at men, they are indirectly effective on women as well. A woman who views a Budweiser ad may feel that the drink will empower her to seem as sexy and appealing as the women used to sell the product if she consumes it herself. In a similar way, when viewing a Dos Equis ad she may desire the position of the women who are sitting next to the handsome most interesting man and to be desired by him would mean drinking his beer.

Advertisements have a strong, and often subtle effect on those who view them. They use several different types of appeals to draw the desired audience in to their product, and in the beer industry sexual and masculine appeal are key to gaining consumers.

Dos Equis Commercial:


Budweiser Advertisements:
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.jesseshunting.com/photopost/data/593/motivational_3d_advertising_budweiser.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.jesseshunting.com/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/26382&usg=__gbb9KFa8lkrBqmQZa_2v8H90tvU=&h=480&w=600&sz=58&hl=en&start=119&zoom=1&tbnid=BN7SuMHsF8wBRM:&tbnh=124&tbnw=155&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbudweiser%2Badvertising%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1366%26bih%3D550%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C2443&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=564&vpy=104&dur=228&hovh=136&hovw=170&tx=106&ty=95&ei=NEbWTKWVCIm_nAeg5sDiCQ&oei=gUTWTPi6FoOdlgewhdmDCQ&esq=4&page=6&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:19,s:119&biw=1366&bih=550


http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.inspirational-quotes-short-funny-stuff.com/images/budweiser-ads-funny-beer-ads-sexy-girl-king-of-beers.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.inspirational-quotes-short-funny-stuff.com/funny-ads.html&usg=__srZDVb179uD2Yk8SpgUYfIo9kNg=&h=349&w=465&sz=47&hl=en&start=119&zoom=1&tbnid=_yWEODWeqxLkkM:&tbnh=113&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbudweiser%2Badvertising%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1366%26bih%3D550%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C2120&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=400&ei=NEbWTKWVCIm_nAeg5sDiCQ&oei=gUTWTPi6FoOdlgewhdmDCQ&esq=4&page=6&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:11,s:119&tx=85&ty=74&biw=1366&bih=550

The Twilight Saga: New Moon as a Three Act Structure Film

In current Hollywood the structure of film is based on a three act structure as opposed to Classical tragedy like Shakespeare's five act plays. A three act structure consists of a beginning, middle, and ending act, each consisting of mini-climaxes called plot points at the end of each act all of which lead up to the final climax that falls into the resolution and ending of the film. This structure keeps audiences on the edge of their seats as they experience such a rollercoaster of action and drama which propel into the next act and ask a question that is to be answered later by the following act.

In the second chapter of the Twilight Saga, New Moon, The Story matches a nearly perfect model of the three act structure. The first act of the film comes to a close just about thirty minutes in when Edward ends his relationship with Bella. This serves as the initial problem in the movie that will continue to go unresolved until the end but will serve as a cause of the next two plot points and as a catalyst for the story as a whole.

The second act begins as Bella suffers through months of depression and seclusion desperately waiting for Edward to appear back in her life. In an attempt to see him, she pursues dangerous acts in which she has visions of him warning her to stop being reckless. This obsession leads her to Jacob, the friend who will fall in love with her as she uses him to help her feel better. Jacob plays a major role in the second act serving as both as an aid to the audience's curiosity about who Bella will end up with and as balance to Bella's life in a different way than Edward. This act actually has two mini climaxes that play off of eachother to shift the story into the last act. The first occurs when Jacob reveals to Bella that he is a werewolf and she suddenly loses a friend. As a result Bella "recreationally" jumps from a seaside cliff in a desperate attempt to see Edward which brings psychic Alice to her doorstep.

With Alice's return Bella learns of Edward's plan to expose himself in order to be sentenced to death by the Volturi and takes off to Italy with her to stop him. The last thirty five minutes of the film is a dramatic and anxious period of will she/won't she save him from his mistake. After about fifteen minutes of racing around the world we see Bella save Edward which catapults the story into the final twenty minutes up until the end where their relationship is reconciled.

Gilmore Girls: A Serial Sitcom

As discussed in Mr.Tait's lecture, a television sitcom usually falls in one of two categories: episodic or serial. Episodic shows tend to have a central theme or problem in every episode, the plot rotates around the issue until the end brings about a resolution. Each episode shows little progression or construction between each other, they simply have a common set of characters and settings but there is not a turning point within the series itself. Many cartoons serve as examples of the episodic category, for example, The Simpsons, Phineas and Ferb, and Scooby Doo each depict characters that do not grow old or come about any major changes. Since it is possible to make a cartoon character remain twelve years old for a decade, creating this sort of story line is not such a difficult feat. On the other end there is the serial category that depicts an ever advancing plot with characters who grow and change when presented with issues, unlike their episodic counterparts who go back to an auto state of being at the beginning of every episode. This type of T.V. show is not so predictable or lesson centered, but rather complex and constructive. Many dramas on television today illustrate this concept very well, for example the medical drama House, Desperate Housewives, and Grey's Anatomy. There are also several shows which could fall into both categories, namely The Big Bang Theory, Friends, and The Fresh Prince of Bellaire. While they all have episodes which have a central issue or theme, it would be quite difficult to watch one episode for the first time and understand everything that is taking place because there are also deep running story lines that may go on for seasons. For example, Penny and Leonard's strange relationship in The Big Bang Theory and the infamous Ross and Rachel "will they, won't they" dilemma in Friends. The plus side for each category is this, if you want to simply sit and enjoy a show that you have never seen before without feeling lost or confused and episodic type is perfect. But when you want to pencil in a show to follow at a specific time every week and become partially obsessed with the ever changing and oh so interesting drama that unrealistically consumes the lives of the poor people of that show then a serial type is perfect! We all have our interests and preferences when it comes to how we spend our time, the good part is that we have a plethora of options to choose from and numerous amounts of real and fiction lives to follow weekly.

The show that I followed daily when it was still being shot was Gilmore Girls, on of my favorite T.V. shows of all time. Gilmore Girls took place in Connecticut in a tiny colonial town named Stars Hollow and it followed the lives of Lorelei and Rory Gilmore, a single mother and her teenage daughter. The show starts roughly when Rory is 16 and goes on until she is about to graduate from Yale University. This is a prime example of a serial sitcom. If someone were to sit down and watch an episode without ever having seen it before they would more than likely find themselves quite lost and maybe even a little irritated by the witty and constant banter between the mother and daughter. While each episode has a certain issue addressed, they build off of each other rapidly and thoroughly in and out of every relationship and conflict amongst the Gilmore family.

Season Seven Promo of Gilmore Girls:

Pride and Prejudice Shots

In my favorite film of all time, Pride and Prejudice, the director uses several different types of shots to display the feelings of the character in that particular scene. As the director chooses angles and shots he must foretell the feelings that they will invoke in the viewers and how they will affect the way that others see the movie as a whole. In this film, the relationship between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy is communicated through the eye of the camera as it shoots from different types of angles.

For example, here in this scene Darcy invites Elizabeth to dance, almost every frame is a medium shot of the couple as they move around with the others. The camera stays firmly on Elizabeth's or Mr.Darcy's s emphasizing their intimacy as they squabble over their shared prejudices. As the camera shifts form each of their faces to mirror their dialogue it also spins in a circle above and around them creating a very chaotic mood of blunt disagreement.This technique allows the viewer to feel the tension and frustration that each of the characters in the film are experiencing.

In the closing scene of the film, we see Elizabeth and Darcy after they have been married. The camera begins in a long shot with a view of their mansion. Quickly the frame is shifted to a medium view of them sitting together on a large porch under the night sky. As they continue into their intimate and loving speech the camera inches forward as the audience peeks in on what would be a very private moment between the newlyweds until finally the camera reaches a close up as they finally kiss for the first time in the entire movie.

The film Pride and Prejudice serves as a great example of each of the different shots to convey the emotions of the characters to the viewer. Not only would you find Long Shot, Medium Shot, and Close Up in this movie, but also integrations of each and scenes that use only one for several minutes. As an effect each scene conveys key elements of the movie and piece it together as a whole, fluent work. Through the eye of the camera's lens we see Elizabeth and Darcy grow together as a couple from the beginning where they lay a rocky foundation of discord and pride, to the end where we see their love that breaks through the preconceived notions.

Vetical Integration as a Power

When it comes to the functionality and system of the film studio network, I find that the vertical integration practice is one of great power.This system consists of a company that owns or contracts every level of the production of a film, its producers, directors, actors, studios, theaters, etc. With this type of film production a company is enabled to control much of the processes that go into the making of a film, they can decide what ideas and people are used and make decisions without consulting another company. They were even able to sell the productions that were considered B-films to smaller theaters, making money using a movie that otherwise may not have been very successful.

At the dawn of the vertical filming industry were five companies referred to as the "Big Five" because of the power that they held in the public domain of movie viewers.These companies were Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, MGM, Paramount, and RKO. Their role in Hollywood during this time was very prominent as the made and released some of the most treasured films of all time. Such as MGM's The Wizard of Oz, Warner Bros.' The Jazz Singer, and 20th Century Fox's The Sound of Music.

One of the ways in which a company could display their authority was by contracting certain actresses and actors to their studios alone, therefore making them the face that the public saw. Oftentimes this face was associated with a specific genre or type of film which in turn served as a link to the audience that represented a company as normally producing a certain type of film. For example, Warner Bros. made a name for themselves as a tradition of "urban crime films' with the help of Humphry Bogart. Also, under MGM studios performers such as Judy Garland, who was expected to sing in her films, and Gene Kelly, who as expected to dance, served as mediums that inform viewers of what to expect when they went to see a MGM film.

Studios that were vertically integrated found much freedom in using their stars to further their success and broaden their audiences. For example, Judy Garland was consistently used to  introduce new and up coming actors. Being a very iconic and popular figure in their industry, she drew audiences into the theaters and aided in the rising of new stars such as Gene Kelly whom she serenaded in For Me and My Gal.

The vertical integration system was a major part of the "Golden Age in Film". This period of time includes the 1920's through the 1960's and is epitomized by the vertically assembled companies that made up "Classical Hollywood". This era serves as the foundation for what is the film industry today, it laid the groundwork for the cultures and practices within the movie culture that exists now. The roles of actresses and actors such as Judy Garland and Humphry Bogart were the innovators of screen genres, they repeatedly acted in films that fit the cinematic genetic makeup that defined them to their audience, much like many do today. For example, Adam Sandler and Kristen Bell tend to make comedies and Samuel L. Jackson and Helen Mirren are often seen in dramas.

Vertical integration within film corporations provide an atmosphere of power within the public film culture. Many abilities and much authority accompanies this system as companies have the privilege to contract and practically control the climate of their own company, all the while using their own actors and actresses to promote others. I think that this system is a very important aspect of the film industry as it affected the production of films then and now.


A picture of MGM actress Judy Garland.
A picture of Humphry Bogart.

All in the Family vs. The Secret Life of the American Teenager

Previous to watching "All in the Family" in class I had never seen the sitcom, which turned out to be quite fine with me. I found Archie, the father, to be extremely irritating, arrogant, and a bigot and I wondered why this show would ever be liked enough for regular viewing because of his flamboyant hatefulness. Although much of the audience during this time period may have disagreed with the issue at hand in the episode that we watched, homosexuality, the father's slander and incessant loud-mouthing seems like more than enough for someone to grow tired of the attitude. The episode treated the issue of homosexuality using two very different arguments, Archie's which was one of utter disagreement and his daughter's and son-in-law's whose seemed practically passe. The only thing is, Archie being the reigning male of the house who pays the bills and whatnot had the dominant opinion. Whether this situation was simply the writer's way of showing two sides to an issue or a way to show that father knows best is unknown to me. Regardless, the gay issue was evident and important enough to dominate an entire episode.
On another end of the television spectrum is a relatively new sitcom called "The Secret Life of the American Teenage", this show not only has a homosexual male character, but a teenage mom, another pregnant teenager, a promiscuous lot of high school students, a plethora of divorcees, infidelity, and a whole slew of what used to be seen as risque and unspoken of issues that were immoral elements of society. But as we see in this show, and several others mind you, those elements are real, they are exposed, and they are normal in our current every day society. Unlike "All in the Family" "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" provides a tolerant, if not positive, view of all of these issues. In no way is homosexuality ever negatively regarded, in fact the character plays a quite prominent role and one of the father's in the show enjoys his company and friendship with his daughter. I personally find most of the issues addressed in "The Secret Life" to be somewhat realistic of many U.S. families, to be somewhat realistic of many U.S. teenagers, and to be highly inappropriate for viewing. This is where "All in the Family" ties in to this all too real sitcom, although "All in the Family" is a bit irritating to the ears and difficult to sit through, in my opinion of course, it at least did not present material that was grossly and blatantly inappropriate for younger viewers but rather took on a more subtle and modest approach to a current issue. "The Secret Life" fails to be anything but explicit, while this is a reasonable approach in certain realms, such as politics, it can lend itself invariably to the actions and behaviors of teenagers themselves. After seeing the issues in the show rather shamelessly played out in front of them, many young adolescents may find themselves involved in similar situations.
Although both sitcoms target, or targeted, a younger adult population and their families each show differs in the way that they presented a similar issue: homosexuality, with "The Secret Life" portraying it as normal and an every day occurrence, and "All in the Family" revealing a different side of the issue through the eyes, and mouth, of Archie the father.

Here is a look into "The Secret Life of the American Teenager":

An Audience's Demand for More Waves

Although technological change, industries or institutional factors, regulation and government intervention, and audience demands each aided in the shaping of what the radio industry is today, the demand of the audience is the key factor that has spurned the revolution from the beginning and until even today. As the idea of modern radio began to take flight with Mr. David Sarnoff just around 1920, many were critical of the abilities that Sarnoff attributed to the radio's potential, but many were also curious, and in turn, demanding of the evolution of this highly technologically advanced object of it's time. As the waves began to move into the lives and homes of family's every day lives an increased interest and pleasure that was found through the radio were only signaling towards an increased demand to hear more. More comedies, more actions, more music, more news, more about the lives of fellow Americans in general that others did not have previous knowledge of. This new insight into the lives of people all over that country guided any American who listened to the reports and programs on the radio, it became a gateway into other ideas and experiences, there was much to know about how people lived in New York City when you were a California resident. The textbook explains this in the quote: "This had enormous impact on culture as people became more aware of how those in other parts of the United States lived. It also increased awareness of national issues; the experience of being a national audience inspired a feeling of being more of a nation" (Media Now). Prior to this invention were only letters, newspapers, magazines, and other circulatory notes, all of which took quite a while to travel to other areas. There was also more code, but the average American family was not likely to own such a device for every day use. Moreover, there were telephones, but connections were not always reliable and many families would not have been likely to be able to afford this type of luxury.
A very important factor to consider is the timing of the invention of the radio, the twenties were a prosperous time in the American society, the themes of every day life were shaped around prosperity and the working class who found wealth but as the Great Depression hit a decade later money grew scarce and the necessities of health and well-being were hard to come by but those radios fueled the spirit and hope of families across the country. This era elaborated on the previous demand of the audience for music and entertainment and turned the media into a necessity, and society has hardly changed since. Although the television has in many ways taken the place of the radio in current society, it still plays an important role in our everyday lives. As many wake up early to drive to work they tune in to early morning talk shows to hear the news and a little music. The TV may have taken the role of the radio as the centerpiece of family time in the family room, it has only moved to dominate much of the populations vehicle experience. Audience's demand of the radio's ability to connect people from across the nation, and now the globe, has not died off but has only perpetuated the radio's existence.

A popular singer on the radio in the 1920's, and one of my personal favorites of all time, was Billie Holiday.

Priming the Minds of Young Americans

The priming theory holds that once a certain idea has been presented to an individual on enough occasions it will become a natural reaction or common knowledge to that person. The repeated exposition to that concept will prime their minds to act in accordance with the concept presented. In the American society cartoons are a popular pacifying device that parents use on their children, whether to occupy them, to console them, or just to amuse them. The consequences, though, are seemingly catastrophic and ill-fated as these children grow more and more desensitized to violence, sexual activity, profanity, and a whole slew of ideas and issues that are too mature for them to really even know exist. Many cartoons such as Tom and Jerry,The Simpsons, and Spongebob Squarepants portray violence against another character as commonplace and often times it never results in any sort of punishment or reprimand. How many times can a mouse drop a massive, heavy anvil or piano onto a cats head before it dies? The children who watch these types of shows often may never know that there is a limit to aggression. Without seeing negative consequences to negative actions, the kids of today's American society may grow up with a blurred view of the line that divides violence and play.  Aside from violence, several other issues arise among habitual cartoon viewing, such as a distorted view of sex and gender roles through innuendos and the portrayal of men and women in specific ways that may or may not accentuate their sexuality or status quos of their respective gender.
Cartoons, however, are not the only source of priming for children that the media uses, it can also be manifested in advertisements specifically made for children. For instance, not very many ads in magazines for a child's toy would picture a young boy playing with a Barbie doll or a little girl wheeling around a Tonka truck that is carrying her Transformer figurines. This is because more often than not do we see stores selling their toys to gender specific groups of children, as a result young boys and girls grow up seeing the media set a standard for what is appropriate according to each gender thus often leading to masculine or feminine complexes that will guide these young people into life believing that they must act a certain way, buy a certain thing, or stick to a specific sideline with others of their sex.
In our time, the minds of children are being saturated daily with beliefs and ideas about who they must be, what they should act like, or how others should see them by the priming of the American media. They are emitting images, cartoons, and ideas that are working on these young people until they react the way that they are seeing the media portray. I do not personally believe that watching cartoons or having toys is unhealthy or damaging, unless those shows or toys are providing a distorted idea of what is acceptable or unacceptable. Much needs to be done to regulate the mainstreaming of certain cartoons that are said to be for children, high standards must be placed and revisions must be made, but in all reality these changes will never happen as long as the media and companies affiliated are making money and increasing in popularity. In which case we can expect to see no change in the attitudes of the children in our lives without serious correction.

Example of violence in cartoons: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xm6hZVCF9B4

Hegemony: The Real Force Behind the Power

Hegemony, the very epidermis of the American advertisement agency, is the medium through which those agencies infiltrate the minds of America, specifically women. This medium is defined by answers.com as "The predominant influence, as of a state, region, or group, over another or others." In other words, hegemony can be used to describe the position of ad agencies as being at the top of the media hierarchy where they can actively and daily reach an audience of millions who are actively and daily receiving them, many with open arms. This reality is particularly disturbing to me as I see the portrayal of women as objects plastered in the windows of stores, in almost all magazines (possibly excluding Cat Fancy), and even on the sides of buses. Advertising, obviously, is necessary if a merchant desires to actually sell their products, but is revealing the most intimate areas of women's bodies and character the only way to sell? If so, I believe that our beautiful nation must review what it holds as freedom and delve deep into the core values that are said to lie right in the heart of the American dream. Although the imposition of ads affect everyone, whether positively or negatively, I believe that women take the brunt of what the ads seem to be selling. Are they selling products, merchandise, and services? Or are they selling an ideal, shoes to fill, and a physical mold for the body? The concept of hegemony not only has revealed the force that lies behind the advertising super head, but I have come to better understand what this means to me as a woman and a subject. It is clear to me now that the agency really does have a strong hold on our culture and every day lives, although I have always been aware of this concept I have never really been in the light of the real power. As a young girl in junior high I immediately was aware of the inadequacy of my own quite curvy body by "American standards" when I saw advertisements in Seventeen magazine such as the Bongo Jeans and Victoria's Secret ads. I quickly knew that I would never measure up according to these standards, unfortunately in my youth I was ignorant to the fact that most girls never would either and that beauty is defined by myself, not the media. Several, several other merchants use a woman's sexuality and body to sell their products, but my question is why is this what sells? If most American women find themselves in much different bodies than those in the ads and cannot relate to the images themselves, then who are they really partitioning? Men? They are not likely to by themselves a wonderbra, a pair of True Religion super skinny dark denim, or that new MAC bronzer to make you look like a goddess. If none of these are true then who is buying this? The sad truth is we are, in one form or another we women are buying these products, because whether consciously or sub consciously we desire to look similar to those gangly, curvless women. In which case, I wonder if we are also to blame for the media's powerful role in our nation and their successful influence on our minds and desires. Until we truely begin to actively turn away from those ideals and standards, change will never happen, industries will continue to feed us images of powerless and bodiless women and until we stop catering to their capital we will just have to get over it.

First RTF post!

So when I came to UT this summer to go to orientation, I joined a FIG. That is, a first year interest group. In other words, I liked the idea that most of my classes would contain a set of similar faces and having a few smaller classes was nice as well. The best part about joining this program was the topics available to choose from. There were soooo many!! After some careful consideration, I came to the conclusion that the Reel America FIG was what interested me the most, and this class was on my schedule via this group! Aside from it being a part of my group, I am very interested in the subject matter...What exactly is media? Where has it been? Where has it traveled to? Who does it affect and how? What does it take to impact of change the media? All of these questions and eons more are what I hope to discover answers to over the course of this semester in this class. I am confident and very excited to learn about this area!!