Monday, April 20, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Blogging '09
Wow. It's been a long time since I last blogged and now I'm back at it again!
Looking at my blog now, I realize that it doesn't really look appealing to the eye. It's all dark and gloomy. I think I will change it soon. Any suggestions? (Not that we have many choices anyway)
Here you will find a link to my resume. http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhngmw3p_1ckrxpsnw&hl=en It is also not pleasing to the eye, only because Google Docs screwed up my layout. :(
Enjoy! And look for more posts coming soon!
Looking at my blog now, I realize that it doesn't really look appealing to the eye. It's all dark and gloomy. I think I will change it soon. Any suggestions? (Not that we have many choices anyway)
Here you will find a link to my resume. http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhngmw3p_1ckrxpsnw&hl=en It is also not pleasing to the eye, only because Google Docs screwed up my layout. :(
Enjoy! And look for more posts coming soon!
Friday, May 4, 2007
Final Blog Post of the Year... but not the last...:0
My Autobiographical Blogging Experiences
Throughout the year, I can honestly say that my blog has had a severe analytical evolution in the way that I analyze and the things that I analyze. I went from analyzing gender in just mediocre facial ads to analyzing gender in ads concerning the whole bodily sense. However, my interest in this subject matter did not just come from taking the Gender and Pop Culture course, but instead came from my fascination with fashion magazines.
I first started to realize how these advertisements in teen magazines affected my thought process when it came to how I felt about my body. I notice that I would look to these images consistently as to how I should look; the models looked happy and I wanted to be happy looking like them. However, taking several gender courses before Gender and Pop Culture helped me to realize that, that was all bogus.
It started to occur to me that these ads were merely a manipulation to sell products, and women were the main objectives in selling products; and my class helped spark that idea. From there, my blog has developed and raised awareness of how gender is represented in advertisements and how mainly men and teen girls are affected by these stereotypical images, as men look to them for a ideal mate and girls look to it for a bodily ideal.
I now understand and think differently about advertisements in general. I notice it everywhere I go and that only increases my knowledge and perceptions everyday. After presenting on my blog I realized how much I have learned and grown since my Gender and Pop Culture course, and how I can use the skills I obtained in the real world, in analyzing pop culture. :)
Throughout the year, I can honestly say that my blog has had a severe analytical evolution in the way that I analyze and the things that I analyze. I went from analyzing gender in just mediocre facial ads to analyzing gender in ads concerning the whole bodily sense. However, my interest in this subject matter did not just come from taking the Gender and Pop Culture course, but instead came from my fascination with fashion magazines.
I first started to realize how these advertisements in teen magazines affected my thought process when it came to how I felt about my body. I notice that I would look to these images consistently as to how I should look; the models looked happy and I wanted to be happy looking like them. However, taking several gender courses before Gender and Pop Culture helped me to realize that, that was all bogus.
It started to occur to me that these ads were merely a manipulation to sell products, and women were the main objectives in selling products; and my class helped spark that idea. From there, my blog has developed and raised awareness of how gender is represented in advertisements and how mainly men and teen girls are affected by these stereotypical images, as men look to them for a ideal mate and girls look to it for a bodily ideal.
I now understand and think differently about advertisements in general. I notice it everywhere I go and that only increases my knowledge and perceptions everyday. After presenting on my blog I realized how much I have learned and grown since my Gender and Pop Culture course, and how I can use the skills I obtained in the real world, in analyzing pop culture. :)
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Blog Critique
Michelle's Comments for My blog:
My Comments for Michelle's Blog :
1. Your posts on “Commercials in the News” and “The Conflict of Appearance in Women through Commercials” are a very strong and analytical and provide very insightful and useful information in viewing commercials and advertisements.
2. A good way to use these post for your final blog post would be to make a timeline on how images of women (and/or men) have changed since commercials were first aired to today’s average commercial. You could also use the video blogging as an extra oomph to your final blog assignment.
3. It is obviously evident that you feel strongly about what you write about and I can see how your blog as evolve from your first “Links about my Blog” to “Commercials in the News” and can also be a great idea for your final blog presentation.
4. I think that your posts make strong critical arguments on how gender is depicted in your everyday commercial and how ignorant people are to the stereotypes that are unconsciously engraved in these commercials. I also appreciate how the links and sources you use help the reader become more identified to the argument you are making.
5. I thought it was great how you observed and analyze the Snickers Commercial. Your argument really made me angry in the sense that I wanted to send the company a letter ...even though they probably stopped airing the commercial by now. J
Hope this helped!!
My Comments for Michelle's Blog :
1. Your posts on “Commercials in the News” and “The Conflict of Appearance in Women through Commercials” are a very strong and analytical and provide very insightful and useful information in viewing commercials and advertisements.
2. A good way to use these post for your final blog post would be to make a timeline on how images of women (and/or men) have changed since commercials were first aired to today’s average commercial. You could also use the video blogging as an extra oomph to your final blog assignment.
3. It is obviously evident that you feel strongly about what you write about and I can see how your blog as evolve from your first “Links about my Blog” to “Commercials in the News” and can also be a great idea for your final blog presentation.
4. I think that your posts make strong critical arguments on how gender is depicted in your everyday commercial and how ignorant people are to the stereotypes that are unconsciously engraved in these commercials. I also appreciate how the links and sources you use help the reader become more identified to the argument you are making.
5. I thought it was great how you observed and analyze the Snickers Commercial. Your argument really made me angry in the sense that I wanted to send the company a letter ...even though they probably stopped airing the commercial by now. J
Hope this helped!!
Thursday, April 12, 2007
“News and Gender” in Advertisements: Fashion Ads Touch a Nerve in Gender-conscious Spain
This news article by Victoria Burnett, issued from the International Herald Tribune, entitled Fashion Ads Touch a Nerve in Gender-conscious Spain is about how Spain is taking the initiative to ban and prohibit gender stereotypes in advertisements and fashion clothing stores.
The article mentions Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and his government on how they are intervening in “public and commercial life to try to change Spain’s macho culture” that seems to continue to oppress women.
As mentioned my Burnett, certain Giorgio Armani and Dolce & Gabbana advertisements deemed as sexists toward women and have disturbed society, especially Spanish women consumers. One particular advertisement that showed two girls with makeup and bikinis disturbed Madrid’s ombudsman saying that “It’s not dissimilar to the pictures that circulate on the Internet promoting sex tourism.”
Burnett also mentions in the article that due to these female gender stereotypes, the Spanish Health Ministry has campaigned to measure 8,000 women for a better ideal on the “average” women’s size for clothing and mannequins in top Spanish fashion companies.
The article mentions Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and his government on how they are intervening in “public and commercial life to try to change Spain’s macho culture” that seems to continue to oppress women.
As mentioned my Burnett, certain Giorgio Armani and Dolce & Gabbana advertisements deemed as sexists toward women and have disturbed society, especially Spanish women consumers. One particular advertisement that showed two girls with makeup and bikinis disturbed Madrid’s ombudsman saying that “It’s not dissimilar to the pictures that circulate on the Internet promoting sex tourism.”
Burnett also mentions in the article that due to these female gender stereotypes, the Spanish Health Ministry has campaigned to measure 8,000 women for a better ideal on the “average” women’s size for clothing and mannequins in top Spanish fashion companies.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Why Gender in Ads? What My Blog is Really About...
My blog is about the daily advertisements that are socially constructing the images and ideas of gender while being portrayed through the media. In this blog I will compare and contrast the gender representations that the media displays through these advertisements. At first I only started this blog simply because it was a course requirement for my class Gender and Pop Culture. However, being that I am very interested in what advertisements have to say about the way people should live (what's in and what's not), I chose this topic for my blog because I want to reflect on the everyday gender stereotypes that people do not normally see because they are blinded by the clichés of society.
As obvious as it truly is, advertisements are everywhere and used to each companies advantage. Most advertisements are well thought out and planned to enhance the companies profits and publicity; even if that means having to break a few backs (or say perhaps innocent minds) just to make a million dollars. However, it's not the adults or elderly that are mainly affected by these gender stereotypes, it's the children and teens that are looking to these images in determining their own identity, i.e., sex, nymphomania, women consumers. In his article, Cultural Studies, Multiculturalism, and Media Culture, Douglas Kellner states “Media Culture provides the materials for constructing views of the world, behavior, and even identities. Those who uncritically follow the dictates of media culture tend to ‘mainstream’ themselves, conforming to the dominant fashion, values, and behavior”. The young people of today are the ones who are “tending” to materials given by these gender stereotypes in advertisements, showing them what to look like, how to dress, and how to behave.
Many advertisements, such as Herbal Essence, demonstrate women and femininity as a symbol of chaste sexuality; in other words, nymphomania. Some advertisements show women having orgasmic reactions to simple hair and body wash. For example, one slogan for Herbal Essence body wash says “Our New Moisture-Rich Lather Turns H2O into H2Ohhhh!” This also shows a half naked woman, only covering her breasts and vagina, which appears to show the woman as happily laughing and enjoying the body wash. Another Herbal Essence advertisement for hair wash shows a woman with a big smile, finger in her mouth, hair over her face, and eyes closed. The slogan for this particular advertisement says “This is the look of a totally satisfied woman.” What are these advertisements really saying to young people? Is this sending out a negative message, that women are clueless nymps who have orgasms to body wash and shampoo? Need I say anything else?
What is most important is who is looking at these advertisements. Consequently, if every little person is looking to these images then society will not progress in changing the minds of people who unconsciously stereotype gender; scholars, professors, and college students alone can not stop these stereotypical images. (These are the kind of issues in advertisements that I will be addressing in my blog.)
Kellner, Douglas. "Cultural Studies, Multiculturalism, and Media Culture." Gender, Race, and Class In Media (2003): 9-19.
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