I like what the Dove commercials are doing with promoting healthy self-image for females. When the models in the ads aren't even real people, you know that something is wrong. The face and body models in some commercials are so heavily altered that you literally could not find the same person in the world as in that ad.
Firstly, this sets unrealistic standards for gullible girls and women to try and reach. They then assume that they can reach those standards by purchasing the products being advertised. And obviously, the models most likely don't even use the products themselves. Just like when a celebrity is on T.V. talking about his "favorite" cereal. Meanwhile, the marketers are laughing all the way to the bank because they don't care who they hurt as long as they get paid.
And I don't blame them; it's their job. The take home point is that people need to educate themselves and realize that the law puts very few restrictions on what can and can not be said and shown in advertisements. People also need to realize that some people, including many celebrities, will do nearly anything if enough money is offered to them. Just like Michael Jordan says that he wears Hanes just because they pay him for it, models most often are promoting products for money and not because the products worked for them. And half of those models aren't even real people. They now have animated runway models. How crazy is that?
Also, models were never intentionally intended to represent the ideal physique. Fashion designers needed a canvas on which to present their creations and basically chose people who resemble clothing hangers. People need to realize this and stop looking up to people just because they are on T.V. or an magazine ad.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Agents of Socialization
Throughout my life, many agents of socialization have influenced who I am today. Firstly, my family effected who I am the most. This incorporates my Ukrainian background, which gave me a different outlook on life. Living in Ukraine really contrasted cultural differences between life here and there.
I have lived in many places throughout my life, but every one has left an imprint on me. The people that I met and the experiences that I went through in every neighborhood shaped me. For example, when I lived in Skokie, I had to spend a lot of time alone, so I hung out with older kids around the neighborhood. This taught me to be more independent, watch my back, and not trust anybody. While those lessons may make it seem like my experiences in that neighborhood were negative, I actually had a great time; and those lessons were some of the most valuable that I've learned in my life.
I've gone to five different schools in my life and one thing that this taught me is that people everywhere are basically the same in how they think and how they react to situations. People in every school had different values, cliques, and taboos, but overall, people react very similarly to situations, no matter where they're from. This taught me to communicate well with people, be understood, and understand how people feel and what they're trying to say.
The media influences everybody, whether they admit it or not; there's practically no escaping it. Advertising is everywhere and while it may seem like a negative thing, the important thing is to think logically and not let advertising strategies dominate your mind. Make clear distinctions between what you really need and what you want. Because a common goal of advertising is to make you feel that you NEED something, when really, it would be just mildly convenient, or even completely useless.
On a side note, it was crazy to see how many different companies Disney and other conglomerates owned. I thought that Disney was just a kids' company, but they own companies that have nothing to do with children. This will make me think twice before picking up a Time magazine.
I have lived in many places throughout my life, but every one has left an imprint on me. The people that I met and the experiences that I went through in every neighborhood shaped me. For example, when I lived in Skokie, I had to spend a lot of time alone, so I hung out with older kids around the neighborhood. This taught me to be more independent, watch my back, and not trust anybody. While those lessons may make it seem like my experiences in that neighborhood were negative, I actually had a great time; and those lessons were some of the most valuable that I've learned in my life.
I've gone to five different schools in my life and one thing that this taught me is that people everywhere are basically the same in how they think and how they react to situations. People in every school had different values, cliques, and taboos, but overall, people react very similarly to situations, no matter where they're from. This taught me to communicate well with people, be understood, and understand how people feel and what they're trying to say.
The media influences everybody, whether they admit it or not; there's practically no escaping it. Advertising is everywhere and while it may seem like a negative thing, the important thing is to think logically and not let advertising strategies dominate your mind. Make clear distinctions between what you really need and what you want. Because a common goal of advertising is to make you feel that you NEED something, when really, it would be just mildly convenient, or even completely useless.
On a side note, it was crazy to see how many different companies Disney and other conglomerates owned. I thought that Disney was just a kids' company, but they own companies that have nothing to do with children. This will make me think twice before picking up a Time magazine.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Human Nurture - Feral Children
Learning about feral children, and especially seeing the video of the feral girl from Ukraine who was raised by dogs and adopted their traits, made me realize just how much of our human behavior is learned. The girl walked around on all fours and even panted. Dogs pant because they can't sweat; that girl had sweat glands, but just chose to pant. You'd think that something like that is natural, but apparently even panting is learned behavior.
It's also interesting that once brought back into society, they began re-adapting quickly. But the feral children were still most comfortable acting like they were raised. This shows us that after the first five or so years of one's life, their brain stops absorbing information at the rate that it had done so earlier.
It's also interesting that once brought back into society, they began re-adapting quickly. But the feral children were still most comfortable acting like they were raised. This shows us that after the first five or so years of one's life, their brain stops absorbing information at the rate that it had done so earlier.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Tuesdays With Morrie - Love
On one hand, I think that American culture often frowns upon expressions of affections as it shows weakness and goes against what a "man" should be. Refer to Red Forman for an example of what the proper American "man" should be like.
On the other hand, I believe that many people overuse the word "love." People will express their love to somebody that they've been dating for two weeks all the time. People yell about how much they love a singer or an actor. Infatuation is often mistaken for love.
"Romantic love" can be defined while true love can not. Speech is a man-made creation and words describe things that all mean the same thing to people; cold is cold and warm is warm to everybody. Ask anybody on the street to define love and every person's definition will be different, that is, if they are even able to come up with one. I think that we are "afraid" of love largely because it is different for everybody and thus, so difficult to discuss. It is almost taboo to openly discuss the intricities of love.
On the other hand, I believe that many people overuse the word "love." People will express their love to somebody that they've been dating for two weeks all the time. People yell about how much they love a singer or an actor. Infatuation is often mistaken for love.
"Romantic love" can be defined while true love can not. Speech is a man-made creation and words describe things that all mean the same thing to people; cold is cold and warm is warm to everybody. Ask anybody on the street to define love and every person's definition will be different, that is, if they are even able to come up with one. I think that we are "afraid" of love largely because it is different for everybody and thus, so difficult to discuss. It is almost taboo to openly discuss the intricities of love.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Human Nature
I'd like to discuss Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs to further explain what I was saying in class about human nature.
The first basic human need is physiological: breathing, food, water, sleep, homeostasis
If you do not achieve all of these, you are not concerned with anything else; that is your primary concern and only when all of those needs are fulfilled can you worry about your safety needs. Human safety needs include security of body, employment, resources, morality, family, health, and property. It may seem that these are of equal importance, but if one is starving, they will only worry of their next meal. When they are fed, they will finally try to devise a way to tap a steady supply of food.
Once all of one's basic needs are taken care of, we seek a sense of love and belonging: friendship, family, and sexual intimacy.
Esteem comes next: self-esteem, confidence, achievement, respect of others, and respect by others. This is the level on which most U.S. citizens are operating. Our basic survival needs are taken care of. Subconsciously or consciously, we crave respect and achievement, usually in the form of progress; this is partially why video games have the potential to be "addictive."
This is where unnecessary material goods come into play. You want that new Escalade on a conscious level because it looks nice. You may even attempt to justify the purchase to yourself by looking at features that it has that may be useful to you that aren't related to looks. But let's be honest, you bought that ridiculous, overpriced atrocity with an engine block made of volcanic rock and amusing safety ratings to impress people. You are fulfilling the fourth level of Maslow's
hierarchy of needs.
At the tip of the pyramid is self-actualization; most people never even attempt to satisfy this level because they are never truly satisfied with their esteem. This final level includes morality, creativity, spontaneity, problem solving, lack of prejudice, and acceptance of facts. One may trick themselves into thinking that they are fulfilling this level, but all of these things need to occur on a subconscious level for them to truly be fulfilled.
That beggar on the street doesn't have different values from you; they aren't enlightened. Or maybe they are. Who knows? The point is that they are simply trying to fulfill the very first level of Maslow's hierarchy of needs; he just wants to feed himself and his family. Or maybe he needs crack money. A physical addiction can easily come on the same level as, or even replace, necessities such as food.
When he gets fed and gets his fix, maybe he'll look into getting a job to fulfill the second level of security. After that, he'll be working on his love and belonging level. And guess what's next. The Escalade. The Escalade is what is next for our crack-loving friend.
The first basic human need is physiological: breathing, food, water, sleep, homeostasis
If you do not achieve all of these, you are not concerned with anything else; that is your primary concern and only when all of those needs are fulfilled can you worry about your safety needs. Human safety needs include security of body, employment, resources, morality, family, health, and property. It may seem that these are of equal importance, but if one is starving, they will only worry of their next meal. When they are fed, they will finally try to devise a way to tap a steady supply of food.
Once all of one's basic needs are taken care of, we seek a sense of love and belonging: friendship, family, and sexual intimacy.
Esteem comes next: self-esteem, confidence, achievement, respect of others, and respect by others. This is the level on which most U.S. citizens are operating. Our basic survival needs are taken care of. Subconsciously or consciously, we crave respect and achievement, usually in the form of progress; this is partially why video games have the potential to be "addictive."
This is where unnecessary material goods come into play. You want that new Escalade on a conscious level because it looks nice. You may even attempt to justify the purchase to yourself by looking at features that it has that may be useful to you that aren't related to looks. But let's be honest, you bought that ridiculous, overpriced atrocity with an engine block made of volcanic rock and amusing safety ratings to impress people. You are fulfilling the fourth level of Maslow's
hierarchy of needs.
At the tip of the pyramid is self-actualization; most people never even attempt to satisfy this level because they are never truly satisfied with their esteem. This final level includes morality, creativity, spontaneity, problem solving, lack of prejudice, and acceptance of facts. One may trick themselves into thinking that they are fulfilling this level, but all of these things need to occur on a subconscious level for them to truly be fulfilled.
That beggar on the street doesn't have different values from you; they aren't enlightened. Or maybe they are. Who knows? The point is that they are simply trying to fulfill the very first level of Maslow's hierarchy of needs; he just wants to feed himself and his family. Or maybe he needs crack money. A physical addiction can easily come on the same level as, or even replace, necessities such as food.
When he gets fed and gets his fix, maybe he'll look into getting a job to fulfill the second level of security. After that, he'll be working on his love and belonging level. And guess what's next. The Escalade. The Escalade is what is next for our crack-loving friend.
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