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.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
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.
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