So I've passed the first few hurdles: handing in the paper and doing the informal presentation.
The paper I ended up feeling really proud of. It was 18 pages I think, and the bibliography was also about 18 pages (gosh), annotated of course. Although McGrath didn't really get around to commenting on everything, there were some comments I strove to incorporate and there were some I decided to do differently than suggested. I don't know when I shall get it back, but I am very excited and know that I researched so much and really know what I'm talking about. I hope it showed!
The informal presentation was... interesting. We were in LT because MCAS sophomores were taking over the Film Lecture Hall (ugh!) and LT is meant for black box theatre productions. Not academic presentations. We were supposedly given 6 minutes to present (whether that included Q&A or not, we shall never know), but most went about 8-10 minutes. Some might have gone over. Ivan said he was fairly certain that my informal presentation, with Q&A ran about 12 minutes. That is both scary and very encouraging. Bad in that I really need to know what I'm saying and cut out all the "uhms" and "yeahs" but really good in that I really know what I'm talking about and know what to say for a longer period of time. Some people barely got to 6 minutes, that does not bode well.
For my formal presentation, I shall have an official slide show. Probably a Power Point presentation. I don't necessarily trust Prezi. I probably should have had a slide show for my informal, but I have to admit, I got lazy and decided I was good enough to wing it. I guess it held true for the informal, but I'm not stupid enough to believe that for the informal. Not at all. I'll have a slide show and an outline/focus points for me to talk about.
I was talking to my friend Owen last night online and he wanted to know how my informal went. We just ended up talking about my project, and it was so interesting! I talked a lot about people's reactions to my self portraits and how a lot of them are very... attention grabbing and/or unusual. There are a couple portraits where it is not clear if I am wearing anything out of the frame, and there are photos where I am nude. I have to admit it was very nerve wracking to show off and discuss my self portraits to a room full of peers and teachers. On some levels, I felt it wasn't appropriate, but I know it is now, after talking to Owen and really getting out what I meant by it.
Owen made an interesting comment-- about how it was more powerful (the nude portraits) because they were of someone he knew, that they weren't anonymous as most models in advertisements are. And that's a huge point! Sometimes we turn a blind eye to how potentially unhealthy advertising can be, but if it's someone you know, it's a lot more direct. Imagine that the models in some very objectifying or dehumanizing advertisements are your mothers, aunts, nieces, daughters, sisters, friends..... That's the point I want to make. Personalize it. And in the same way, what messages to we want to send to nieces, daughters, sisters and friends??
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
America the Beautiful: Documentary by Daryl Roberts
A couple days ago I watched Daryl Roberts' documentary America the Beautiful. It was the edited version and though I'd love to know what's in the unedited version, I'm just going to go with this one for now. There was a ton of valuable information in there. Here are my notes:
America is 5% of the world's population yet is exposed to 40% of the world's advertising.
Go back and watch the employees that deal with advertising again, @ 15minutes.
"We're selling dreams, man."
-Fashion photographer Mark Baptiste referring to the industry's photographs and how they are edited.
At 17:30 roughly. Might be more I want to nab for my paper.
Fiji study 22:30. Internet research this?
Book: Drop Dead Gorgeous by Kim Erickson
So what I have to do is research the introduction of television (and television advertising) in Fiji, look up Kim Erickson's book (sounds like a great resource) and go back to watch the advertising employees bit and transcribe that.
Break!
America is 5% of the world's population yet is exposed to 40% of the world's advertising.
Go back and watch the employees that deal with advertising again, @ 15minutes.
"We're selling dreams, man."
-Fashion photographer Mark Baptiste referring to the industry's photographs and how they are edited.
At 17:30 roughly. Might be more I want to nab for my paper.
Fiji study 22:30. Internet research this?
Book: Drop Dead Gorgeous by Kim Erickson
So what I have to do is research the introduction of television (and television advertising) in Fiji, look up Kim Erickson's book (sounds like a great resource) and go back to watch the advertising employees bit and transcribe that.
Break!
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Over Spring Break
Hey! April Vacation is over and if I'm being totally honest, I'm behind on the paper section of my SYP. Other than that (though I am working on it right now as well...) I've been pretty productive. I've borrowed my dad's pretty sweet D70 and last Thursday, I dressed up (haha... irony) and went down to good ole' Newton North and stood in front of the biggest brick wall I could find. Right in front of the bus lane, right there. And I had a home written sign that read "I am not an object" and then on my stomach I wrote (with great difficulty, trust me,) I am a woman.
I will be going to Morris's photolab tomorrow (if he's there, I hope so!) and uploading them to Photoshop. My computers at home don't have Photoshop and the software we have now is pretty lame when it comes to pictures. Best not to chance it. Come to think of it, I don't even think we have an appropriate card reader.. you get the picture. Ha!! That was totally unintentional... at first... Either way, I have to crop out the very bottom corner of my jeans and potentially fiddle with the exposure to make my sign more readable (white in the sun, a tad overexposed, but just a tad).
Anyways, my first real jaunt for SYP photo was awesome. It was pretty weird "standing there in a bandeau taking selfies" I will admit, but I also got to talk to a lot of curious passersby about my project. I'm thinking I should get little business cards with my blog and googlesites urls on them. I think that'd get the word out there, or at least provide a resource for strangers who are interested.
Other than the photography, I hung out with a friend on Friday. Her name is Cora and I have such a profound level of respect for her it's actually nuts. Anyways, she consented to being interviewed for my project (she is an enormous wealth of opinion and information!!) and I am so incredible happy she said yes! She is a very active member of a social justice program called Sub/Urban Justice which works in the Boston area on all kinds of issues (race, sexual orientation, jobs for teens, occupy Boston, you name it), so she has a very interesting spin on things when it comes to advertising and America's current image of beauty. My impromptu interview ended up lasting about 18 minutes so I am working on transcribing that as well.
Tomorrow I shall also go see Ms. Carpino (spelling?) about "interviewing" the little Plowshares kids. It seems that every single time I go, she is busy. Maybe I just really have a knack for going at bad times =P It's totally possible. But that's in the next post.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
"A Ha ha. No. I'm totally messing with you."
“But I think the first real change in women’s body image came when JLo turned it butt-style. That was the first time that having a large-scale situation in the back was part of mainstream American beauty. Girls wanted butts now. Men were free to admit that they had always enjoyed them. And then, what felt like moments later, boom—Beyoncé brought the leg meat. A back porch and thick muscular legs were now widely admired. And from that day forward, women embraced their diversity and realized that all shapes and sizes are beautiful. Ah ha ha. No. I’m totally messing with you. All Beyonce and JLo have done is add to the laundry list of attributes women must have to qualify as beautiful. Now every girl is expected to have Caucasian blue eyes, full Spanish lips, a classic button nose, hairless Asian skin with a California tan, a Jamaican dance hall ass, long Swedish legs, small Japanese feet, the abs of a lesbian gym owner, the hips of a nine-year-old boy, the arms of Michelle Obama, and doll tits. The person closest to actually achieving this look is Kim Kardashian, who, as we know, was made by Russian scientists to sabotage our athletes.”
― Tina Fey, Bossypants
I find this absolutely fascinating. And of course it's made infinitely more poignant because it comes from Tina Fey. It's hysterical... But also the cold truth. While I am incredible happy that women who aren't stick-figures are winding their way into the media on a grander scale, there is no denying that there is a reciprocation-- because it's novel and hot, everyone else is expected to have those attributes as well as everything else! You want sexy boobs, a teeny tiny waist, narrow hips, long legs, slender arms, not too big feet... Hardly any of those proportions show up at the same time on any given body. Ever. What I found really had an impact was how Tina Fey used the nationalities and regions associated with particular physical attributes. It emphasizes how impossible looking that perfect would be. And that definition of perfect is just an opinion anyways... It's not real naturally for the masses. If that body type is possible (which I'm not saying it's not), statistically it is shared by about 5% of the female population. Does that mean that the other 95% is worthless? Or automatically ugly? I'm not sure. But it does, to some extent (in America at least) contribute to a sense of emptiness that you want to fill... And what can you fill it with? Adverts say-- products! And we're back to my project.
I remain amped to the max.
― Tina Fey, Bossypants
I find this absolutely fascinating. And of course it's made infinitely more poignant because it comes from Tina Fey. It's hysterical... But also the cold truth. While I am incredible happy that women who aren't stick-figures are winding their way into the media on a grander scale, there is no denying that there is a reciprocation-- because it's novel and hot, everyone else is expected to have those attributes as well as everything else! You want sexy boobs, a teeny tiny waist, narrow hips, long legs, slender arms, not too big feet... Hardly any of those proportions show up at the same time on any given body. Ever. What I found really had an impact was how Tina Fey used the nationalities and regions associated with particular physical attributes. It emphasizes how impossible looking that perfect would be. And that definition of perfect is just an opinion anyways... It's not real naturally for the masses. If that body type is possible (which I'm not saying it's not), statistically it is shared by about 5% of the female population. Does that mean that the other 95% is worthless? Or automatically ugly? I'm not sure. But it does, to some extent (in America at least) contribute to a sense of emptiness that you want to fill... And what can you fill it with? Adverts say-- products! And we're back to my project.
I remain amped to the max.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Summer weather please??
Summer, that flighty temptress was here last week. As a tease! Now the weather is back to the balmy 40s and some are still kidding themselves trying to wear shorts, hoping for the 70s and 80s. Not gonna happen this week, unfortunately. But last week was great. I got to take some really impressive (for an iPhone camera anyways) pictures of the new spring (flowers and such) as well as myself chilling by the pond in the afternoon. It was heavenly.
This brings me back to thinking though, some definitions define (redundant much?) a self portrait as any shot that captures the essence of the photographer. This is usually accomplished by photographing some aspect of the photographer, and sometimes not. That's where it gets fuzzy. I feel like when it comes to art you can sometimes BS it because there aren't really any written rules. You can claim profundity even when you don't understand. And when you don't understand, it can be profound (for that reason?? Hmmm...). Bogus.
My point? That this picture of my feet in the pond could count as a self portrait. Do I feel like this truly captures the essence of myself? I'm not sure. It certainly captures parts of my personality. Free-feeling, spring, playful, clear, but also mysterious and solemn. See what I mean? You can get really into figurative stuff about art. But it's just a part of my attributes. And just a part of my body. The feet could belong to anyone, right? Any girl, perhaps even a boy. Also it's reminiscent of dismemberment, as it features only one part of my body.
Does that make it a less beautiful picture? Even if it's not beautiful in your opinion? Hmmm...
And interesting quandary, I do profess.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Plowshares #1
Okay, so I was thinking about how most people would say that they are not influenced by the media and remembered that even though they might be unaware of that, they can be brought to light and analyze it. But what about those who are unaware and are not in a position to analyze it? Plowshares. Plowshares is the little (technically separate) kindergarten and childcare place within Newton North. I've been thinking about child-psychology lately. How much do THEY pick up on? Wouldn't it be fascinating to find out?!?!?
What I want to do is go down to Plowshares (and if that doesn't work, Chinosi has said that at BC they have a Child Lab where there is a preschool but they do child development studies too) and ask the kids questions. Really easy questions!
For example: What makes you you? What makes you different from the person sitting next to you or from your teachers and parents? What makes someone beautiful? What makes girls and women beautiful? What kind of women and girls do you see in movies and on television (programs and commercials)? And draw a picture (do your best) of what the most beautiful woman in the world would look like. Same for the most beautiful man. (We can use crayons or something).
I really want to have a sample group of at least 10. I really want to "interview" girls but I am really interested in hearing boy's opinions as well.
I went to Ms. Mole (per Chinosi's recommendation) and she referred me to Ms. Menswell (?) in Plowshares. Then SHE referred me to a Ms. Carpino (?) who is the director (who was on the phone and I am to go back at a later time, Ms. Menswell will also talk to her about it first). But everyone I talked to seemed really interested in my project! Child psychology. Fascinating. Hmmm...
So I will also spend some time looking over my research on identity and self and start thinking/ making up my presentation and questions for the kids. Whoa!
What I want to do is go down to Plowshares (and if that doesn't work, Chinosi has said that at BC they have a Child Lab where there is a preschool but they do child development studies too) and ask the kids questions. Really easy questions!
For example: What makes you you? What makes you different from the person sitting next to you or from your teachers and parents? What makes someone beautiful? What makes girls and women beautiful? What kind of women and girls do you see in movies and on television (programs and commercials)? And draw a picture (do your best) of what the most beautiful woman in the world would look like. Same for the most beautiful man. (We can use crayons or something).
I really want to have a sample group of at least 10. I really want to "interview" girls but I am really interested in hearing boy's opinions as well.
I went to Ms. Mole (per Chinosi's recommendation) and she referred me to Ms. Menswell (?) in Plowshares. Then SHE referred me to a Ms. Carpino (?) who is the director (who was on the phone and I am to go back at a later time, Ms. Menswell will also talk to her about it first). But everyone I talked to seemed really interested in my project! Child psychology. Fascinating. Hmmm...
So I will also spend some time looking over my research on identity and self and start thinking/ making up my presentation and questions for the kids. Whoa!
Roughly Draft??
I'm still not really complete with any 3-5 page section of my roughly draft. I'm definitely taking the later date (I think). I will use this weekend and next week to continue to research and write and then I will use my Lit Review and my newfound knowledge to write my roughly section.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Gotta Get Down To It
The media is powerful.
-Ivan Wolyniec
Okay. So I'm researching what role advertising's image of women plays in the definition of self in adolescent women. I'm really excited. But now I need an actual thesis... I really need to get on that. This week is writing the roughly draft (aagh) because we really only have two weeks left of class (unless we're detained for a week or so, not that I'll be going anywhere anyways, I need to be in Family for Springfest rehearsals or Mr. Grossman will NOT be pleased). I have self image pretty much down. Now I need to research the definition and action of definition of self. I'm on it! (Got sources already but they're not yet up on the artifacts page...)
In terms of my project, I've scaled back quite a bit. After talking to McGrath and Chinosi, I've decided to do more of a creative outlet type project. What I want to do it photograph advertisements that use women (think categories again) and then photograph myself imitating that category (hopefully at least one per category/subcategory) and then take straight portraits that get as close as possible to truly defining myself on film as I feel I can. Hopefully I will create a coffee table book of them and include quotes from my paper as well as interviews and surveys.. I'm on it!
We have a checklist we must complete before we are released. I'll probably opt for the date that's a few days later. I'm in no substantial rush to get out the door early. The normal time is fine for me (but I don't want to be detained...). I have strike for Legally Blonde today until 8pm, tomorrow until 6pm and if we are still not done, until 6pm again on Wednesday... Oh yeah, and then on Thursday rehearsals for Pippin start.. WOOHOO!!! I'm scarily excited. I can not even begin to describe it. But that's a completely different story (though I want to start another blogspot to blog about my Pippin experiences!).
Keep working... work, work, work...work, work, work... work, work, research, research, work...
-Ivan Wolyniec
Okay. So I'm researching what role advertising's image of women plays in the definition of self in adolescent women. I'm really excited. But now I need an actual thesis... I really need to get on that. This week is writing the roughly draft (aagh) because we really only have two weeks left of class (unless we're detained for a week or so, not that I'll be going anywhere anyways, I need to be in Family for Springfest rehearsals or Mr. Grossman will NOT be pleased). I have self image pretty much down. Now I need to research the definition and action of definition of self. I'm on it! (Got sources already but they're not yet up on the artifacts page...)
In terms of my project, I've scaled back quite a bit. After talking to McGrath and Chinosi, I've decided to do more of a creative outlet type project. What I want to do it photograph advertisements that use women (think categories again) and then photograph myself imitating that category (hopefully at least one per category/subcategory) and then take straight portraits that get as close as possible to truly defining myself on film as I feel I can. Hopefully I will create a coffee table book of them and include quotes from my paper as well as interviews and surveys.. I'm on it!
We have a checklist we must complete before we are released. I'll probably opt for the date that's a few days later. I'm in no substantial rush to get out the door early. The normal time is fine for me (but I don't want to be detained...). I have strike for Legally Blonde today until 8pm, tomorrow until 6pm and if we are still not done, until 6pm again on Wednesday... Oh yeah, and then on Thursday rehearsals for Pippin start.. WOOHOO!!! I'm scarily excited. I can not even begin to describe it. But that's a completely different story (though I want to start another blogspot to blog about my Pippin experiences!).
Keep working... work, work, work...work, work, work... work, work, research, research, work...
Monday, March 12, 2012
Class Work 3/12
Okay, in terms of the ARW1, it's on my googlesite! Check it out at http://www.sites.google.com/site/filmofidentity/arw1
For what we are doing in class right now (and I love working with a relatively fast laptop), I have to answer this question: What do I want to know?? It seems like it'd be a really easy question to answer because it's so simple, but that's what makes it so hard... We get into researching all this really complicated and diverse stuff and we get away from the original simplicity of what we want... So what do I want to know??
I want to know:
What is the reason for the shift? Or I could ask: What role does capitalism play in the shift?
Okay, I've come upon a roadblock already. I don't know what to refer to what I mean by. What I'm talking about is "the shift". And by that I am talking about the... shift/change/growth? of photographs in the media that depict women in detrimental ways, the shift from the early/mid 20th century as compared to the present. The shift from Marilyn Monroe as an icon to scrawny twigs on current runways. Curves and to sharp protruding bones. Womanly figures of real women to photoshop and the artificial look. I don't know how to sum that up in a word or two! Or even a sentence. Because I'm not saying it wasn't present in the earlier time period I'm looking at, it just wasn't as harmful on a grand scale. Though women were still commodified, they weren't artificialized to the extent they are today. Expecially in terms of weight and figure.
I think I've got it... avoiding a name for the shift...
What do I want to know for my PAPER!
What role does capitalism play in the definition of the modern adolescent women's sense of identity?
I will look at advertising's image of women and compare and contrast images from the early/mid 20th century with current advertising photographic media.
For what we are doing in class right now (and I love working with a relatively fast laptop), I have to answer this question: What do I want to know?? It seems like it'd be a really easy question to answer because it's so simple, but that's what makes it so hard... We get into researching all this really complicated and diverse stuff and we get away from the original simplicity of what we want... So what do I want to know??
I want to know:
What is the reason for the shift? Or I could ask: What role does capitalism play in the shift?
Okay, I've come upon a roadblock already. I don't know what to refer to what I mean by. What I'm talking about is "the shift". And by that I am talking about the... shift/change/growth? of photographs in the media that depict women in detrimental ways, the shift from the early/mid 20th century as compared to the present. The shift from Marilyn Monroe as an icon to scrawny twigs on current runways. Curves and to sharp protruding bones. Womanly figures of real women to photoshop and the artificial look. I don't know how to sum that up in a word or two! Or even a sentence. Because I'm not saying it wasn't present in the earlier time period I'm looking at, it just wasn't as harmful on a grand scale. Though women were still commodified, they weren't artificialized to the extent they are today. Expecially in terms of weight and figure.
I think I've got it... avoiding a name for the shift...
What do I want to know for my PAPER!
What role does capitalism play in the definition of the modern adolescent women's sense of identity?
I will look at advertising's image of women and compare and contrast images from the early/mid 20th century with current advertising photographic media.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Week 8: Starting ARW1
Okay, I'm still in the process of updating my category notes (which are insane and I want to implement them into my actual project!!) but now IN CLASS we're moving on the the ARW.
This week we're determining purpose, identifying audience, thinking about length and scope of the project, and preparing the Big Three (topic, question, working thesis).
I'm so excited! I currently have this for my Big Three: it will change this week, but it's what I'm jumping off of.
1. Topic: Advertising's Image of Women
2. Question: What is the cause of the shift? When did advertising go from harmless to harmful? Or did it ever switch? Has it always been like that? If so, what was the impetus for it getting worse?
Economical?
Cultural?
Political?
Religious?
etc.
3. Thesis
As you can see, not much to go on, but just enough to keep the wheels turning. I feel guilty that I'm not as diligent about posting as I really want to be (darn I need a mac laptop) but I'm just so excited about this SYP :D
This week we're determining purpose, identifying audience, thinking about length and scope of the project, and preparing the Big Three (topic, question, working thesis).
I'm so excited! I currently have this for my Big Three: it will change this week, but it's what I'm jumping off of.
1. Topic: Advertising's Image of Women
2. Question: What is the cause of the shift? When did advertising go from harmless to harmful? Or did it ever switch? Has it always been like that? If so, what was the impetus for it getting worse?
Economical?
Cultural?
Political?
Religious?
etc.
3. Thesis
As you can see, not much to go on, but just enough to keep the wheels turning. I feel guilty that I'm not as diligent about posting as I really want to be (darn I need a mac laptop) but I'm just so excited about this SYP :D
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Advertising Categories: How Women Fit In
If you were to look around in magazines, billboards, t.v. adds, posters, even in your local convenience store (as I did at CVS recently) and more importantly if you were to pay close attention, you'd start to see trends as to how women are represented and used in advertisements. Furthermore, that these categories even have names and classifications that have been studied and formulated by psychologists and industry professionals for years, and they are constantly being evaluated and kept up to date.
After all, the average US resident is exposed to approximately 5,000 advertising images per day!
(Aufreiter, N., Elzinga, D. & Gordon, J. (2003) Better Branding. The McKinsey Quarterly, 4.)
Though we all might say that advertising has no effect on us, it does. Even subconsciously. Jean Kilbourne (pioneer in women's studies and advertising, and advertising studies) claims that only 8% of the advertisement is taken in by the conscious brain (where that number comes from, I have NO idea-- taken from the documentary Killing Us Softly 4: Advertising's Image of Women). The rest of it is just taken in and stored in the back of our minds!
These categories are: the artificial look, dismemberment, commodification, the feminine touch, relative size, function ranking, ritualization of subordination (on the floor, the kiss, woman as child, licensed withdrawal).
Well, let's go.
The Artificial Look
In a nutshell, these advertisements portray an ideal of beauty that is practically impossible to achieve, because it's artificial. Whether done through airbrushing, implants, photoshop or other means (physical or digital), these images invade society and project a standard that is ridiculously incredible to live up to, nigh impossible. The body types that are the norm for most models in fashion and even in advertising constitute roughly 5% of the women population. It's not a fake body type, just hardly anyone has it or has the possibility to attain it. When women are surrounded by images "superior" to their own, they look for ways to make themselves more like the idols. The means that the companies want is spending. Products can serve to fill a void inside, fill you up so to speak (but not really, nothing is a true solution for a real relationship). Companies want and through advertising encourage relationships (friendly and even sexually) with products. Unfortunately, another outlet for trying to attain this practically impossible perfection is for consumers, dissatisfied and/or insecure with their body, to turn to self harm (such as anorexia, bulimia, depression, etc.) Of course this is not what the companies would profess to want, however it can not be denied that it is a dangerous side effect of the inundation our society receives from the artificial look.
Dismemberment
Have you seen ads that only feature... features? Sexy legs, just lips, eyes, hands, breasts, midriffs, etc.? That's dismemberment for you. Because this form of advertising applies more frequently to women, it has a greater affect pertaining to women. Think about this for a moment: in dismemberment type ads, how many feature an entire head? Entire torsos, sure. Entire pairs of legs, sure. But heads? Whole faces? Lips, eyes, ears... but less frequently. This is significant because it's dehumanizing in a way. When all you see is parts, you don't get a sense of the person as an individual, just as parts. Unfortunately, this has subconscious consequences as well. It causes the readers (including men!!) to look at the dismembered bodies of women as just that: parts. No identity, no dreams or hopes or intellect. The woman in the image is valued for her parts and not her self. Now I know that I could be considered to be going overboard with that analysis (which stems from many similar and nigh identical ones) but it buys into another topic: women are selling the product. Women become objects for consumption? Maybe that is too far. But a big ploy on the part of the advertisers is product as the lover: the relationship. I got into that a little bit up above, but that's a really long post for another time.
Commodification
These ads are when woman are basically marketed AS the product!! One such example I saw during the 30 minutes I watched of the SuperBowl was this: the GoDaddy commercials. GoDaddy is an internet domain name service, yet instead the Pussycat Dolls advertised like it was a stripper bar. Two college age or so mildly attractive guys (because guys have significantly lower standards than women do) are besieged by the New Pussycat Dolls (a band, I know, but endorsement almost isn't the point, GoDaddy is notorious for using such ads) in skimpy clothing prancing around advertising for GoDaddy. As the boys stupidly question "is this heaven?", the quasi-postergirl for GoDaddy, Danica Patrick lounges nearby wearing next to nothing while titles including "domain names", "hosting", "email" and "websites" flash in the sky. While referred to as the "GoDaddy internet cloud", the way they are using the women in the ad makes it seem as if he product entitles the users to a "pleasure cloud". While hot girls and good sex have nothing do with domain names, it doesn't stop advertisers to employing the tactic. Facts are facts: scantily clad women engaged in what seems more appropriate for a stripper bar gets viewers.
The Feminine Touch
This is an interesting one... While females are often dehumanized and objectified, it cannot be denied that in mass media they are also seen as precious (even if only sexualized). While male hands are usually shown in positions of power or engaging in acts of utility, female hands are usually depicted gently holding or caressing something. The goal behind this is that the object of the caress (the product) will also be seen as precious and desirable because of the woman's touch.
Another variation of this category is the act of self touching. The woman is seen to be caressing herself (most notably in perfume commercials) and is making herself out to be precious. This would actually not be too bad... right? But unfortunately, the message that is sent is that the woman is only precious because of the product. This is usually a huge tactic in marketing perfumes: the thought being that by wearing a certain scent, the desirability of the woman increases and she is sexier because of the product.
Relative Size
This one is more or less straight forward. In these types of advertisements when women and men are shown paired together, the man is always taller. Now I'm not going to argue that this is strictly unfair, because on the whole, men do indeed happen to reach taller heights than women. On the other hand, in 1 in 6 pairs of randomly paired men and women, the woman would be taller than the man. That aside, because I don't expect 1 in 6 ads showing that trend, the height thing is taken differently. In most advertisements, height is taken as a status symbol, and still is very much in real life. I don't know how many girlfriends I have talked to (and even myself...) have not even considered the possibility of having a relationship with a guy who was shorter than they were. Sometimes they were the same height and even that was not an option because the girl would not "be able to wear heels" with him. I have to admit, I have felt this way at times too. I've never turned down a prospective relationship due to that reason, but with my current boyfriend, who is a good 4 or so inches taller than I am, I was overjoyed that I would be able to wear heels around him and still be shorter. This way of thinking has been taken advantage of by the photographic and video media. The man wears the pants. The man is in power. The man does the talking. In cases where the man is shorter than the woman, he is most often weakened by age or sickness or is of a lower social class (i.e. servants or less desirable jobs).
The only exception I have really found to this rule is when the woman is on top of the guy, especially in Calvin Klein ads... but that's a whole different story.
Function Ranking
This again is also fairly straight forward. In advertisements where woman and men are paired together, the man will usually be shown doing the work. Or whatever is cooler and the woman will either be delegated to watching or doing the chore. In other ways, women can be helping the man with whatever function is being performed, though she will take a back seat and either perform secondary functions while the man performs the primary functions, or she will be helping, either as an assistant or as a decorative accessory.
Ritualization of Subordination
a) On the Floor
Jumping off of the relative size paragraph, height is a status symbol. Thus, when persons are lowered, they can be showcasing a social identity or place in a relationship as well. Women are most often shown on the floor or on beds, couches etc. and are positioned either as objects of pleasure or playthings for men. This degrades women and objectifies them as well as conveys to the male audience that thinking of/treating women as such is acceptable and just.
b) The Kiss
When kissing is shown in advertisements, women are most often seen leaning back, welcoming the advance of the man. The man is shown initiating and leading the act. Though I'm not going to argue that this doesn't happen in real life, in advertisements, woman are most often seen as submissive and men as dominating. Such as 'On the Floor', this representation of what is supposed to be a consensual act of love (or I guess in some cases just casual hooking up), is often depicted as an act of power on the part of the man and that women are supposed to submit to the sexual desires of the man. In some cases, the woman is coy and refuses the advance of the man, then submits willingly to her pursuer with reckless abandon. This portrays a very unhealthy image to males audiences, that women are playthings and that refusal could be interpreted as desire.
c) Woman as Child
In many advertisements, woman are depicted as dependent, helpless and needing protection. While protection is always nice, women are not helpless, just as all men are not all-powerful. Women thus are sometimes depicted in a childlike role and will be shown wearing little-girl clothes, sucking lollipops or being generally very silly in ways that would not be socially acceptable for women their age in public. In this way, the message is sent that women should remain young, dependent and coy. Also, older women are greatly underrepresented in the media, further enforcing this point. On the other side of the silliness however, is the sexualization of young children. Young girls will either be dressed up and sexualized through poses and or positioning with others just as women will dress up as young girls in similar positions. This further enforces the mentality that women (no matter the age... except maybe the older demographic) are sex objects and playthings.
d) Licensed Withdrawal
When looking at advertisements, it can reasonably be stated that on the whole, men are depicted in action. They work, play, do. Women on the other hand can be found as submissive and withdrawn from the social scene. This does not mean that they are unhappy, but simply that they take a backseat to the happenings or they are overcome and emotional (as is a stereotype of women as compared to men). They will often be depicted off in a dreamy state, lost in their emotions, or covering themselves, the most notable with the symbolic silencing of the hand over the mouth. What is conveyed with these images is the impression that women are things to gaze at and are not doers but watchers.
These are the most common categories when it comes to Advertising's Image of Women. There are, of course, other types of images that convey unfair or unhealthy stereotypes, but for the most part, these are a fair representation of what is out there.
I would like to add that I freely acknowledge that not all advertisements depicting women are harmful or degrading and that many sexualized acts between men and women are indeed depicted as consensual. This project, however, seeks to expose and illuminate the negative images being projected at America and the consequences they engender.
After all, the average US resident is exposed to approximately 5,000 advertising images per day!
(Aufreiter, N., Elzinga, D. & Gordon, J. (2003) Better Branding. The McKinsey Quarterly, 4.)
Though we all might say that advertising has no effect on us, it does. Even subconsciously. Jean Kilbourne (pioneer in women's studies and advertising, and advertising studies) claims that only 8% of the advertisement is taken in by the conscious brain (where that number comes from, I have NO idea-- taken from the documentary Killing Us Softly 4: Advertising's Image of Women). The rest of it is just taken in and stored in the back of our minds!
These categories are: the artificial look, dismemberment, commodification, the feminine touch, relative size, function ranking, ritualization of subordination (on the floor, the kiss, woman as child, licensed withdrawal).
Well, let's go.
The Artificial Look
In a nutshell, these advertisements portray an ideal of beauty that is practically impossible to achieve, because it's artificial. Whether done through airbrushing, implants, photoshop or other means (physical or digital), these images invade society and project a standard that is ridiculously incredible to live up to, nigh impossible. The body types that are the norm for most models in fashion and even in advertising constitute roughly 5% of the women population. It's not a fake body type, just hardly anyone has it or has the possibility to attain it. When women are surrounded by images "superior" to their own, they look for ways to make themselves more like the idols. The means that the companies want is spending. Products can serve to fill a void inside, fill you up so to speak (but not really, nothing is a true solution for a real relationship). Companies want and through advertising encourage relationships (friendly and even sexually) with products. Unfortunately, another outlet for trying to attain this practically impossible perfection is for consumers, dissatisfied and/or insecure with their body, to turn to self harm (such as anorexia, bulimia, depression, etc.) Of course this is not what the companies would profess to want, however it can not be denied that it is a dangerous side effect of the inundation our society receives from the artificial look.
Dismemberment
Have you seen ads that only feature... features? Sexy legs, just lips, eyes, hands, breasts, midriffs, etc.? That's dismemberment for you. Because this form of advertising applies more frequently to women, it has a greater affect pertaining to women. Think about this for a moment: in dismemberment type ads, how many feature an entire head? Entire torsos, sure. Entire pairs of legs, sure. But heads? Whole faces? Lips, eyes, ears... but less frequently. This is significant because it's dehumanizing in a way. When all you see is parts, you don't get a sense of the person as an individual, just as parts. Unfortunately, this has subconscious consequences as well. It causes the readers (including men!!) to look at the dismembered bodies of women as just that: parts. No identity, no dreams or hopes or intellect. The woman in the image is valued for her parts and not her self. Now I know that I could be considered to be going overboard with that analysis (which stems from many similar and nigh identical ones) but it buys into another topic: women are selling the product. Women become objects for consumption? Maybe that is too far. But a big ploy on the part of the advertisers is product as the lover: the relationship. I got into that a little bit up above, but that's a really long post for another time.
Commodification
These ads are when woman are basically marketed AS the product!! One such example I saw during the 30 minutes I watched of the SuperBowl was this: the GoDaddy commercials. GoDaddy is an internet domain name service, yet instead the Pussycat Dolls advertised like it was a stripper bar. Two college age or so mildly attractive guys (because guys have significantly lower standards than women do) are besieged by the New Pussycat Dolls (a band, I know, but endorsement almost isn't the point, GoDaddy is notorious for using such ads) in skimpy clothing prancing around advertising for GoDaddy. As the boys stupidly question "is this heaven?", the quasi-postergirl for GoDaddy, Danica Patrick lounges nearby wearing next to nothing while titles including "domain names", "hosting", "email" and "websites" flash in the sky. While referred to as the "GoDaddy internet cloud", the way they are using the women in the ad makes it seem as if he product entitles the users to a "pleasure cloud". While hot girls and good sex have nothing do with domain names, it doesn't stop advertisers to employing the tactic. Facts are facts: scantily clad women engaged in what seems more appropriate for a stripper bar gets viewers.
The Feminine Touch
This is an interesting one... While females are often dehumanized and objectified, it cannot be denied that in mass media they are also seen as precious (even if only sexualized). While male hands are usually shown in positions of power or engaging in acts of utility, female hands are usually depicted gently holding or caressing something. The goal behind this is that the object of the caress (the product) will also be seen as precious and desirable because of the woman's touch.
Another variation of this category is the act of self touching. The woman is seen to be caressing herself (most notably in perfume commercials) and is making herself out to be precious. This would actually not be too bad... right? But unfortunately, the message that is sent is that the woman is only precious because of the product. This is usually a huge tactic in marketing perfumes: the thought being that by wearing a certain scent, the desirability of the woman increases and she is sexier because of the product.
Relative Size
This one is more or less straight forward. In these types of advertisements when women and men are shown paired together, the man is always taller. Now I'm not going to argue that this is strictly unfair, because on the whole, men do indeed happen to reach taller heights than women. On the other hand, in 1 in 6 pairs of randomly paired men and women, the woman would be taller than the man. That aside, because I don't expect 1 in 6 ads showing that trend, the height thing is taken differently. In most advertisements, height is taken as a status symbol, and still is very much in real life. I don't know how many girlfriends I have talked to (and even myself...) have not even considered the possibility of having a relationship with a guy who was shorter than they were. Sometimes they were the same height and even that was not an option because the girl would not "be able to wear heels" with him. I have to admit, I have felt this way at times too. I've never turned down a prospective relationship due to that reason, but with my current boyfriend, who is a good 4 or so inches taller than I am, I was overjoyed that I would be able to wear heels around him and still be shorter. This way of thinking has been taken advantage of by the photographic and video media. The man wears the pants. The man is in power. The man does the talking. In cases where the man is shorter than the woman, he is most often weakened by age or sickness or is of a lower social class (i.e. servants or less desirable jobs).
The only exception I have really found to this rule is when the woman is on top of the guy, especially in Calvin Klein ads... but that's a whole different story.
Function Ranking
This again is also fairly straight forward. In advertisements where woman and men are paired together, the man will usually be shown doing the work. Or whatever is cooler and the woman will either be delegated to watching or doing the chore. In other ways, women can be helping the man with whatever function is being performed, though she will take a back seat and either perform secondary functions while the man performs the primary functions, or she will be helping, either as an assistant or as a decorative accessory.
Ritualization of Subordination
a) On the Floor
Jumping off of the relative size paragraph, height is a status symbol. Thus, when persons are lowered, they can be showcasing a social identity or place in a relationship as well. Women are most often shown on the floor or on beds, couches etc. and are positioned either as objects of pleasure or playthings for men. This degrades women and objectifies them as well as conveys to the male audience that thinking of/treating women as such is acceptable and just.
b) The Kiss
When kissing is shown in advertisements, women are most often seen leaning back, welcoming the advance of the man. The man is shown initiating and leading the act. Though I'm not going to argue that this doesn't happen in real life, in advertisements, woman are most often seen as submissive and men as dominating. Such as 'On the Floor', this representation of what is supposed to be a consensual act of love (or I guess in some cases just casual hooking up), is often depicted as an act of power on the part of the man and that women are supposed to submit to the sexual desires of the man. In some cases, the woman is coy and refuses the advance of the man, then submits willingly to her pursuer with reckless abandon. This portrays a very unhealthy image to males audiences, that women are playthings and that refusal could be interpreted as desire.
c) Woman as Child
In many advertisements, woman are depicted as dependent, helpless and needing protection. While protection is always nice, women are not helpless, just as all men are not all-powerful. Women thus are sometimes depicted in a childlike role and will be shown wearing little-girl clothes, sucking lollipops or being generally very silly in ways that would not be socially acceptable for women their age in public. In this way, the message is sent that women should remain young, dependent and coy. Also, older women are greatly underrepresented in the media, further enforcing this point. On the other side of the silliness however, is the sexualization of young children. Young girls will either be dressed up and sexualized through poses and or positioning with others just as women will dress up as young girls in similar positions. This further enforces the mentality that women (no matter the age... except maybe the older demographic) are sex objects and playthings.
d) Licensed Withdrawal
When looking at advertisements, it can reasonably be stated that on the whole, men are depicted in action. They work, play, do. Women on the other hand can be found as submissive and withdrawn from the social scene. This does not mean that they are unhappy, but simply that they take a backseat to the happenings or they are overcome and emotional (as is a stereotype of women as compared to men). They will often be depicted off in a dreamy state, lost in their emotions, or covering themselves, the most notable with the symbolic silencing of the hand over the mouth. What is conveyed with these images is the impression that women are things to gaze at and are not doers but watchers.
These are the most common categories when it comes to Advertising's Image of Women. There are, of course, other types of images that convey unfair or unhealthy stereotypes, but for the most part, these are a fair representation of what is out there.
I would like to add that I freely acknowledge that not all advertisements depicting women are harmful or degrading and that many sexualized acts between men and women are indeed depicted as consensual. This project, however, seeks to expose and illuminate the negative images being projected at America and the consequences they engender.
Plunging Back In
Okay, blog. I admit it. I've been neglecting you to do my own super cool research. But I have to keep posting, as well as posting to my googlesite. And I have so much to say! I've been reading and learning tons of stuff... I have to start posting before I get even further behind. Aagh!
Here we go..
Here we go..
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
About Monday
So I'd already finished my IRT presentation (I thought it was due Monday) so I didn't have anything really to do about my slide show! So I got to do more research. I spent the majority of the block re-reading an online article (Huffington Post) and researching Victoria Secret models and more about Jean Kilbourne.
More on this post coming. Lunch now.
More on this post coming. Lunch now.
About Week 3
Okay... so the third week... I did a lot of research. Lots of the stuff is up on the artifacts page of my google site that is now fully up and running! http://sites.google.com/site/filmofidentity :)
In class we were still doing wiki presentations at the beginning and then we went more in depth for annotating our artifacts!! Which I think I have done correctly (though I can make them more professional later, I've been told). We spent a lot of time going over the ways to make them (on the original wiki site, there is an outline to perfect annotations) and then we made them!
They were supposedly checked at 12:01, Saturday 2/11 :P
Friday we also got IRT topics, mine is Ray Kurzweil... I wasn't sure at all what to do with it. I didn't even know how to do an IRT (probably one of the points...) and I asked Brendan about it and he just said get researching... but not necessarily about the direct topic... Hmmm... So I got to work!
In class we were still doing wiki presentations at the beginning and then we went more in depth for annotating our artifacts!! Which I think I have done correctly (though I can make them more professional later, I've been told). We spent a lot of time going over the ways to make them (on the original wiki site, there is an outline to perfect annotations) and then we made them!
They were supposedly checked at 12:01, Saturday 2/11 :P
Friday we also got IRT topics, mine is Ray Kurzweil... I wasn't sure at all what to do with it. I didn't even know how to do an IRT (probably one of the points...) and I asked Brendan about it and he just said get researching... but not necessarily about the direct topic... Hmmm... So I got to work!
Monday, February 13, 2012
Transitioning again. Class notes from before.
WEEK TWO
2/3
I presented my wiki today! And when I say wiki, I mean this blog! I also finally got around to changing the link on the SYP homepage link to read the url for this blog's homepage. Now my wiki is just a page out there and the picture it has on it is already on my inspiration page. I'll just phase the wiki out. At least I got a cool name out of it :)
Okay, we didn't just present to show off how technologically savvy we are (and I'm not, believe me). We did +deltas for ours as well. From what I've gathered, my classmates like the setup and find it easy to read. They say it is written with the reader in mind (I hope so!) not overwhelmingly casual (yo) but not overly formal either (ahem). One suggestion I did receive, however, was that I could consolidate the inspiration page with my original proposal page. While I personally don't think that that is the right duo, I agree that potentially, the inspiration page would be better under a different tab. However, I think that the inspiration page is a great place for quick notes.
Another note I got was that I have to put more info on the wiki. Not that it's lacking compared to others or even where we're supposed to be, just that I know so much already (from reading and personal experience) and no one knows that I know it!! Except my classmates. I spent five minutes ranting about Barbie and the media and Photoshopping models. Hmm... I should get going on that! Maybe I should have a general notes page or maybe it should go under my artifacts page. I will need a page for "annotated artifacts" and bibliography at some point, but all in good time. But I have to get what I know up here. As well as my notes on the documentary I watched. Oh yeah!!
Okay so Wednesday (2/1) I watched Jean Kilbourne's documentary Killing Us Softly 4: Advertising's Image of Women and it was fascinating!!! It was even so interesting that three on my classmates tuned in over my shoulder. I put the subtitles on and we all watched it together-- we should have gotten permission to use the media watch room!! But seriously, it was incredible. Jean Kilbourne apparently has been in this field of study for ages. She even happened into it... she never thought it would be her career or what she did for any length of time. She used to collect ads that she found interesting... and started noticing patterns! Okay, before I go off on a crazy rant, I should put these thoughts and notes (because I should watch it again) in the artifacts page. WHOO!!
2/2
We spent the entire block working on web design. You may not notice it now, but I switched a ton of stuff around. This entire page used to be on the home page. Unfortunately, these external pages don't have the actual blog formatting that I'd prefer (the homepage is the only one that does and that's the place where, ironically, I don't need it!). It's okay, though. I still like this formatting better than wikispaces and without the blogging format, it's still fine. Exactly like wikispaces, actually. There are a lot of pages I am required to have that I don't have anything on yet (that irks me, but it will come in good time).
Behold, my blog is really taking off!!
2/1
We looked at specific wikis and ripped them apart with +deltas!!! It was very entertaining. I chose Mercer's wiki from last year. Her project was incredible!!! About Latin American studies and the American teenager. As a Latina I think this is great!!
1/30
Today we looked a lot at previous SYS's wikis and did some +deltas. Some of the wikis are incredible! I need to go back and look at them in greater detail and then add pages to this blog accordingly. I also want to make a page of just "cool and inspirational stuff" where I can brain-dump. I can add stuff from websites that I can go back to, books I heard about in passing or was referred to, pinterest, tumblr, facebook, etc. stuff. Pictures and videos.
I sent myself a bunch of e-mails (probably not the most efficient way to take notes) because I wasn't sure how to write it all here. But I shall, because that is the point.
Here are some exemplary wikis that I should go back to:
www.naturebug.wikispaces.com on nature deficit disorder
www.energizedart.wikispaces.com on environmental art
www.rosiemcinnes.wikispaces.com on oral histories; New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina
Chinosi also mentioned in passing that blurb.com is a good resource for "publishing" books. It'd be really cool to make a book about my paper including my photographs. That would be epic!!! Though I also want to have a formal gallery. At home? Maybe at the library? School?? EXCITED!!!
I'm really excited by the fact that I am so excited about my SYP :D It's such a daunting project, so huge and so much depends on passing, etc. but I'm just so psyched about it, I'm so ready to "dig".
Also, for all the artifacts (like the ones that aren't web sources), research them online as well. There is a lot there in text that's not otherwise on the big screen.
Just got a graphic up on the homepage. Hope I can get one of my own up there sometime :)
WEEK ONE
1/27
Spent class watching a TED video, Steven Johnson's presentation on Where Great Ideas Come From. He also has authored a book by the same name. It was interesting... He really had his artifacts down and analyzed them. He talked about the "liquid network" and how great ideas happen usually happen idea parts are shared. Then there can be a collaboration (as opposed to group think which is a group trying to act as an individual... ehh)
Recommended I look up a TED talk related to my subject, it might be out there.
Also, scour previous SYP topics to see if there is anything related-- connect with a previous SYS (Senior Year Scholar).
1/25
I have officially dropped Phil. Lit. (aww!) and am all set for SYP.
Artifacts so far
I really want a laptop. A good one, I mean. I need to get one for college... Why not snag it just a few months early?? A Macbook Pro would be great. I'd use it all the time. It'd be super convenient just to type in my SYP notes on the laptop, straight to this blog. Much more thorough as well. I type faster than I write with a pen. Also it'd be great for Pippin!
1/23
What are potential artifacts? Where can you gather knowledge? What can be sources?
2/3
I presented my wiki today! And when I say wiki, I mean this blog! I also finally got around to changing the link on the SYP homepage link to read the url for this blog's homepage. Now my wiki is just a page out there and the picture it has on it is already on my inspiration page. I'll just phase the wiki out. At least I got a cool name out of it :)
Okay, we didn't just present to show off how technologically savvy we are (and I'm not, believe me). We did +deltas for ours as well. From what I've gathered, my classmates like the setup and find it easy to read. They say it is written with the reader in mind (I hope so!) not overwhelmingly casual (yo) but not overly formal either (ahem). One suggestion I did receive, however, was that I could consolidate the inspiration page with my original proposal page. While I personally don't think that that is the right duo, I agree that potentially, the inspiration page would be better under a different tab. However, I think that the inspiration page is a great place for quick notes.
Another note I got was that I have to put more info on the wiki. Not that it's lacking compared to others or even where we're supposed to be, just that I know so much already (from reading and personal experience) and no one knows that I know it!! Except my classmates. I spent five minutes ranting about Barbie and the media and Photoshopping models. Hmm... I should get going on that! Maybe I should have a general notes page or maybe it should go under my artifacts page. I will need a page for "annotated artifacts" and bibliography at some point, but all in good time. But I have to get what I know up here. As well as my notes on the documentary I watched. Oh yeah!!
Okay so Wednesday (2/1) I watched Jean Kilbourne's documentary Killing Us Softly 4: Advertising's Image of Women and it was fascinating!!! It was even so interesting that three on my classmates tuned in over my shoulder. I put the subtitles on and we all watched it together-- we should have gotten permission to use the media watch room!! But seriously, it was incredible. Jean Kilbourne apparently has been in this field of study for ages. She even happened into it... she never thought it would be her career or what she did for any length of time. She used to collect ads that she found interesting... and started noticing patterns! Okay, before I go off on a crazy rant, I should put these thoughts and notes (because I should watch it again) in the artifacts page. WHOO!!
2/2
We spent the entire block working on web design. You may not notice it now, but I switched a ton of stuff around. This entire page used to be on the home page. Unfortunately, these external pages don't have the actual blog formatting that I'd prefer (the homepage is the only one that does and that's the place where, ironically, I don't need it!). It's okay, though. I still like this formatting better than wikispaces and without the blogging format, it's still fine. Exactly like wikispaces, actually. There are a lot of pages I am required to have that I don't have anything on yet (that irks me, but it will come in good time).
Behold, my blog is really taking off!!
2/1
We looked at specific wikis and ripped them apart with +deltas!!! It was very entertaining. I chose Mercer's wiki from last year. Her project was incredible!!! About Latin American studies and the American teenager. As a Latina I think this is great!!
Here's a link to here page: http://lasandyou.wikispaces.com/home
And here is a link to the notes I took: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ItfP-x4H_tYkGicXQW_LWh_gx9Yi4z-bT-eiwWAlT0o/edit
1/30
Today we looked a lot at previous SYS's wikis and did some +deltas. Some of the wikis are incredible! I need to go back and look at them in greater detail and then add pages to this blog accordingly. I also want to make a page of just "cool and inspirational stuff" where I can brain-dump. I can add stuff from websites that I can go back to, books I heard about in passing or was referred to, pinterest, tumblr, facebook, etc. stuff. Pictures and videos.
I sent myself a bunch of e-mails (probably not the most efficient way to take notes) because I wasn't sure how to write it all here. But I shall, because that is the point.
Here are some exemplary wikis that I should go back to:
www.naturebug.wikispaces.com on nature deficit disorder
www.energizedart.wikispaces.com on environmental art
www.rosiemcinnes.wikispaces.com on oral histories; New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina
Chinosi also mentioned in passing that blurb.com is a good resource for "publishing" books. It'd be really cool to make a book about my paper including my photographs. That would be epic!!! Though I also want to have a formal gallery. At home? Maybe at the library? School?? EXCITED!!!
I'm really excited by the fact that I am so excited about my SYP :D It's such a daunting project, so huge and so much depends on passing, etc. but I'm just so psyched about it, I'm so ready to "dig".
Also, for all the artifacts (like the ones that aren't web sources), research them online as well. There is a lot there in text that's not otherwise on the big screen.
Just got a graphic up on the homepage. Hope I can get one of my own up there sometime :)
_________________________________________________
WEEK ONE
1/27
Spent class watching a TED video, Steven Johnson's presentation on Where Great Ideas Come From. He also has authored a book by the same name. It was interesting... He really had his artifacts down and analyzed them. He talked about the "liquid network" and how great ideas happen usually happen idea parts are shared. Then there can be a collaboration (as opposed to group think which is a group trying to act as an individual... ehh)
Recommended I look up a TED talk related to my subject, it might be out there.
Also, scour previous SYP topics to see if there is anything related-- connect with a previous SYS (Senior Year Scholar).
1/25
I have officially dropped Phil. Lit. (aww!) and am all set for SYP.
Artifacts so far
- Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Souls of Adolescent Girls by Mary Pipher
- Killing Us Softly (Documentary Series) by Jean Kilbourne
I really want a laptop. A good one, I mean. I need to get one for college... Why not snag it just a few months early?? A Macbook Pro would be great. I'd use it all the time. It'd be super convenient just to type in my SYP notes on the laptop, straight to this blog. Much more thorough as well. I type faster than I write with a pen. Also it'd be great for Pippin!
1/23
What are potential artifacts? Where can you gather knowledge? What can be sources?
- Dictionary
- Magazines
- Books
- Documentaries
- Videos
- National Hispanic Institute
- Personal Knowledge
- Personal Beliefs and Emotions
- Photography Galleries
- Interviews
- Transcripts
- Experts of the Field
Friday, February 10, 2012
Transitioning
Hello, followers! Okay, so mostly SYPers and McGrath, etc. I am transitioning to a Google site (which I just found easier to use) and I shall use this blog as a running commentary of my notes and opinions, etc.
Follow me now at https://sites.google.com/site/filmofidentity/home
Sorry for the confusion!
Follow me now at https://sites.google.com/site/filmofidentity/home
Sorry for the confusion!
Thursday, February 2, 2012
What is my SYP?
For my Senior Year Project, I will be focusing on the essence of self: what it means to have an identity and how the identities of adolescent women are influenced through photography in the media. Through self-conducted interviews and intense research, I shall boldly venture into the unknown.
What makes a self?
What makes you you?
And perhaps more challenging, what makes me me?
How much does advertising play a part? How much does the photography that I see influence how I feel about myself and others? I will be looking at what it means to be an individual through photography, in the media and through my own lens (literally). I will then take what I've learned and written about and use it to shoot a project of self portraits doing my best to encompass the unique identity of the subject in direct contrast to a high fashion-esque set of photographs of the same subject. Potentially in dyptic form, I shall delve into what makes each attractive and what better represents what I feel I am and who I want to be.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
What is Senior Year Project?
Senior Year Project, or SYP, is Newton North High School's version of a senior capstone capstone project. Over the course of the second semester, students will learn to think deeply outside the classroom as they pursue a topic of interest to them. Third term, seniors focus on building the skills they will use to research and analyze "artifacts", as well as writing their academic papers. Fourth term, seniors are released from traditional classes to focus fully on the field work of their project. SYP culminates with formal presentations at the end of the year and the success of the project and presentation goes toward English credit for students and graduation. SYP is a way for students to change the world!
To learn more
Follow www.nnhssyp.wikispaces.com back to the SYP homepage.
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