Goodbye 4250

I always think it is important at the end of the semester to assess what I have learned from a class. Here are a few key points I will take with me.
1) stereotyping people in the media with race, class, and gender has always been an issue, and it doesn't look like it's going to change anytime soon.
2) TV commercials are loaded with sexual innuendo, no matter what product is being marketed....and I will never be able to look at them the same after this class!
3) while we rely on the media as our most trusted news source-it is almost impossible to get an unbiased story with nothing but straight facts.
4) Most importantly-It is up to my generation to raise a media-conscious family.

I really enjoyed this class and I think that I have learned some valuable information that I can take with me into my career in the future.

Happy Holidays!

Link

Oops...Here is the link to the last post....

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/12/10/face.book/index.html

Here's a good one

I was looking at the CNN website today, as it is a trusted news source for all Americans, generally reporting on pertinent global information, right? Well, today one of the headlining stories read "Young women drink, party, post" in reference to college girls 'gone wild' on facebook. It reports that facebook is a conglomerate of young college-age girls partying all night, then taking drunken pictures of themselves and posting them on the site. As if girls our age dont already get a bad rap for partying--let's post it on CNN!! I am no stranger to facebook, nor will I lie and say I dont have an over-abundance of 'photo albums' full of 'party pics' and witty taglines, so I really dont see the harm in posting funny pictures of you and your friends on your webpage. But after reading this article, I now realize that apparently it is funny to post pictures of girls throwing up, passing out, or urinating in public (how classy!) In the article one girl talks about the issues news coverage--she says something along the lines of-when girls party they are out of control, but when college age guys drink, well they are just being boys! This is another example of how the media uses gender and stereotyping to cover a story! Just a word to the wise-on nights of binge drinking and party-fouls, leave the cameras at home ladies!!

TV advertising

After discussing the controversy going on between Dove and Axe (even though they are owned by the same company) I started thinking more about the way women are portrayed in TV commercials. One of my favorites is the new Virgin Mobile commercial. In an effort to market low rates, loads of minutes, and unlimited text messaging, it encourages sex in the work place! The two actors use their handy virgin mobile phones to send 'meet me in the break room-15 minutes' to each other!! Classy right? Lets go back a couple years-remember the Budweiser commercials-girls mud wrestling- realistic right? How about the car (i think its Infinity?) commercial where Grey's Anatomy actress Kate Walsh is seductively driving her expensive sports car with the tag line "the question is-when you turn you car on, does it return the favor?" At least in this one she appears to be the 'powerful' female stereotype. Women are splashed all over every form of media as sex symbols-especially in TV advertising. Hott women sell products better I guess! The National Organization for Women are outraged about ads like these, especially beer ads and commercials aired during the SuperBowl- claiming these ads 'exploit, ridicule, of sideline women."

http://www.now.org/nnt/spring-2003/superbowl.html

Sex and Fashion

For my final project, I decided to analyze full page fashion ads in three issues of Cosmopolitan Magazine. I guess before this class I was sort of imune to the "sex" oozing out of every major fashion. I mean, I even found a sexy Old Navy ad for crying out loud! It seems that every fashion label, whether it be haute couture or average, mass-produced brands-everyone is using sex to market their products. Who knew things like jeans and perfume could be so seductive right? Most of the ads I pulled featured a single female model, but a couple were men and women together. Nothing new-girl looking provacotively into boys eyes, boy kisses girl- blah blah blah. In every ad, even though the products being marketed are generally geared towards women, they appeal to the sexual appetite of the male audience. The model in the ad is tall, thing, attractive, partially dressed, gazing into the readers eye with that classic 'come hither' look. Same old, same old...Im bored. I would love to see some kind of ad that really grabbed my attention and made me want to buy the product!! But if there is one thing I have learned in this class: Sex sells.

Dads on TV

After checking out this website :
http://diyfather.com/content/the-21st-century-dad-no-time-for-old-stereotypes
I really started to think about dad's and how they are portrayed in TV roles on today's popular shows. The first typical "dad" stereotype that comes to mind is the silly, stupid, incompetent, lazy dad-the one who forgets everything, doesn't help with the kids, and always manages to get himself into tight (but comical) situations. Everybody Loves Raymond, According to Jim, King of Queens, Family Guy, and My Wife and Kids are a few prime time shows that fit into this generic mold. Another stereotype I can think of would be the dads that are too busy with the hustle and bustle of life, and are disinterested and disconnected from the family. Some of these dad's include Meredith Grey's dad on Grey's Anatomy, and a few of the fathers on Desperate Housewives. These are the dads that are consumed by alcohol addiction and or something else that keeps them from being attentive to their wives and children. And lastly is the "All-American Dad." He's dependable and trustworthy, and fully capable of making decisions while keeping the best interest of the family in mind. An example of this could be the dad from 7th Heaven. Sadly--that is the only "dependable dad" that came to my mind.
This is a big shift from a few decades ago when all dads were portrayed as the patriarichal leader of the family, the breadwinner, and the go-to-guy for all the tough stuff. Funny how things change.

Spike Lee's Bamboozled

While watching this film, I have to say I was a bit shocked, to say the least, but Lee's courageous approach at conquering the negative effects of race and stereotypes in the media is definately something that gets your attention.
After some google-ing, I figured out the meaning behind the main characters name-Mantan. Mantan was the name of a famous black-face character in a minstrel show in the 30's who became extremely popular. The use of this name and the other "performer" SleepN'Eat-it is unmistakable what message Lee was trying to embed in his viewers' minds. Dunwitty, the big-wig, white, TV exec and Delacroix, the prim and prober African American character are portrayed at opposite ends of the spectrum...which I think speaks for the gap in our culture. Whether you love this movie or hate it, there is no denying it's impactful message-If the American media doesnt make a change, we will never make progress in race relations and the stereotyping of other races. The way TV, film, music, etc portray blacks isnt much different today than it was almost a century ago; we have to do something now.
My favorite part of the movie that really speaks volumes about its true intention is when the two characters Mantan and Sleen'NEat are performing and one of them says: "Go to your windows and shout, Im not going to take it anymore." (or some version of that saying) To me, this is his call to action, for people to try and make a difference.
While this film is controversial, disturbing, and offensive-it definately makes a point-One that I wont forget anytime soon.