This talk about celebrity got me wondering about how I feel about celebrities. When I was younger I remember buying everything that Mary-Kate and Ashley made or wore themselves. We never really talked about how children become obsessed with celebrities. One reason may be because they become obsessed with everything that is cool, but I wondered if that is why even adults become so celebrity-obsessed. I work at a store that sells fragrance and the item I’ve been seeing bought the most is the new Justin Bieber perfume and the new Taylor Swift perfume. I’ve smelled both, and they do not smell like anything great. This may not be the case for every purchaser, but I assume that most purchasers are buying these products because of the people who are on the box. I know I used to make my parents buy me the Mary-Kate and Ashley anything!
Today, I wouldn’t buy any Mary-Kate and Ashley products just because their names or faces are on it, but I wouldn’t really buy any product just because someone’s face is on it. So, being celebrity-obsessed at a young age didn’t make me into a celebrity-obsessed adult, but I do read magazines that talk about celebrities. I also “like” celebrity pages on Facebook or add them on Twitter. It’s just so easy to press a button.
Showing posts with label Nohely G.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nohely G.. Show all posts
Monday, November 14, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Hunger Games
With our discussion on media convergence and participatory culture I thought back to how I predicted that Hunger Games will be the next big thing and it slowly is becoming so. The Hunger Games is a science fiction book made for young adults. I have read this series and as much of a nerd it makes me, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was an interesting premise and a super easy read. These books have caught the attention of many readers and it is now becoming a movie (media convergence!). It is following the same pattern that Twilight and Harry Potter went through. The book was the “book” part that Jenkins talked about. The “hooks” part would be the easy to follow narrative of the series. It will also have the “looks”. The CNN entertainment section is always announcing the newest actors to be in the movie. So far, they have chosen actors who are not A-listers, but that is also how Twilight and Harry Potter picked its cast. Now everyone knows who Rob Pattinson is. I think it’s only a matter of time before the cast of Hunger Games will be known world-wide.
I looked up Hunger Games on Google to see if there were any fan sites committed to it already and the results were positive. The websites have forums and news updates on the movie. They each have countdowns and their interpretations of the book. I went to MyHungerGames.com and clicked on the fan art section. It turns out that fans even made a movie on YouTube of Hunger Games. There are many drawings and videos of Hunger Games characters. There are fans who also dressed up as the characters for Halloween even though this series is not well-known yet. I think this is exactly what Jenkins was saying in his article. People now have the resources to make their own movies or art and be a part of something. These fans have their own culture. Any fan can make their own movie based on the book and their own interpretation of it and post it on the internet for anyone to see.
I looked up Hunger Games on Google to see if there were any fan sites committed to it already and the results were positive. The websites have forums and news updates on the movie. They each have countdowns and their interpretations of the book. I went to MyHungerGames.com and clicked on the fan art section. It turns out that fans even made a movie on YouTube of Hunger Games. There are many drawings and videos of Hunger Games characters. There are fans who also dressed up as the characters for Halloween even though this series is not well-known yet. I think this is exactly what Jenkins was saying in his article. People now have the resources to make their own movies or art and be a part of something. These fans have their own culture. Any fan can make their own movie based on the book and their own interpretation of it and post it on the internet for anyone to see.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Workplace Sitcoms
As I read the article by Butsch and watched the documentary in class, I couldn’t help but to think about sitcoms today and how class is portrayed in them. My two favorite shows are “workplace sitcoms”. They are The Office and Parks and Recreation. These shows are labeled as workplace sitcoms, but they do not relate to the working class that the documentary are article refer to. These shows try to reinforce the popular idea that we are all part of the middle class because all of the people in these shows are middle-class citizens. Some of them are even upper-middle class citizens.
In Parks and Recreation, the main character, Leslie Knope, wants to climb the ladder of political success. She is trying to succeed in a world that is full of upper-middle and upper class males. All of her bosses are males, which would probably ring true in real life. I was trying to see the different types of classes in this show, but it seems that there is only middle-class citizens portrayed on this show except for Andy. Andy is the only one who does “manual labor” by being a shoe-shine. He is a young guy trying to be in a band. He is not educated and got married really young, but he is seen as the lovable character who is always trying to do good. This is one of the characters that was discussed in the documentary and article.
In The Office, we see that all of the people are working in an office and are middle-class citizens. They do, however, offer some glimpses into the warehouse. These characters would be representative of the working class. Darrell, the main warehouse worker, usually seems to be smarter than many of the workers in the office, especially Michael who is the manager. This is counter-hegemonic because the working class is portrayed as more intelligent than the middle-class. In one episode, the Michael is trying to find drugs and he immediately goes to the warehouse crew which is a stereotype that some people may have about a lower-class society. The workers actually sell Michael some basil and make a profit from him. This can be taken in two ways. One: The workers are intelligent because they made a fool of the boss. Two: The workers are scammers and not deserving of a higher position.
In Parks and Recreation, the main character, Leslie Knope, wants to climb the ladder of political success. She is trying to succeed in a world that is full of upper-middle and upper class males. All of her bosses are males, which would probably ring true in real life. I was trying to see the different types of classes in this show, but it seems that there is only middle-class citizens portrayed on this show except for Andy. Andy is the only one who does “manual labor” by being a shoe-shine. He is a young guy trying to be in a band. He is not educated and got married really young, but he is seen as the lovable character who is always trying to do good. This is one of the characters that was discussed in the documentary and article.
In The Office, we see that all of the people are working in an office and are middle-class citizens. They do, however, offer some glimpses into the warehouse. These characters would be representative of the working class. Darrell, the main warehouse worker, usually seems to be smarter than many of the workers in the office, especially Michael who is the manager. This is counter-hegemonic because the working class is portrayed as more intelligent than the middle-class. In one episode, the Michael is trying to find drugs and he immediately goes to the warehouse crew which is a stereotype that some people may have about a lower-class society. The workers actually sell Michael some basil and make a profit from him. This can be taken in two ways. One: The workers are intelligent because they made a fool of the boss. Two: The workers are scammers and not deserving of a higher position.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Violent Women are not "Normal"
As we watched the videos in class yesterday, I was thinking about a lot of ways in which men over-power women. I was also thinking about violent females in the media and how they are portrayed. Of course there are not that many movies in which females are violent (compared to male violence), but the one I thought of was The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. This movie is based on a novel, but was made in Sweden. An American version will come out at the end of this year.
One thing I want to mention is that the female lead, Lisbeth Salander, was abused by males in this film. One of the first scenes in the film is her walking past a group of guy’s who push her and punch her. She is a small woman, and this group of guys just decides to call her a bitch and beat her up. She also gets raped by her legal guardian in order for her to receive the money that belongs to her. There is a horrible scene in which she it brutally beaten. This is another example in which the male is violent.
Lisbeth, too, is violent in the film. She never beats up random males like in the first example. She does, however, beat up her legal guardian. She sexually molests him, which is another thing we talked about in class. This was not supposed to be a funny scene. It was a revenge scene, in which it was “ok” for her to do this because of what she suffered. She also marked him with a tattoo that said, “I am a sadist pig and a rapist”. Although, she is violent, this is still not normal. Lisbeth is not a “normal” woman. She is always wearing dark clothes and has piercings and tattoos (which is another media issue). She also came from a very dark past. She is portrayed as a “hurt” person. She is this violent for a reason, not just because it is in her nature.
One thing I want to mention is that the female lead, Lisbeth Salander, was abused by males in this film. One of the first scenes in the film is her walking past a group of guy’s who push her and punch her. She is a small woman, and this group of guys just decides to call her a bitch and beat her up. She also gets raped by her legal guardian in order for her to receive the money that belongs to her. There is a horrible scene in which she it brutally beaten. This is another example in which the male is violent.
Lisbeth, too, is violent in the film. She never beats up random males like in the first example. She does, however, beat up her legal guardian. She sexually molests him, which is another thing we talked about in class. This was not supposed to be a funny scene. It was a revenge scene, in which it was “ok” for her to do this because of what she suffered. She also marked him with a tattoo that said, “I am a sadist pig and a rapist”. Although, she is violent, this is still not normal. Lisbeth is not a “normal” woman. She is always wearing dark clothes and has piercings and tattoos (which is another media issue). She also came from a very dark past. She is portrayed as a “hurt” person. She is this violent for a reason, not just because it is in her nature.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
True Genius, Mexican Style
As I read the article about ethnic fetishes and nostalgia, I remembered the Old El Paso commercials for the soft shell tacos. I remember these well because of how much they offended my mother and I when we first saw them. I had seen them on television probably during some sitcom, but my mom saw them on a Spanish-language television channel. I found it really weird that this product was being advertised on that channel because most Mexican families do not even eat the hard shell tacos.
Anyway, what offended me was that the man sticking a nail into the table was seen as really dumb. The little boy is the one who invented a flat bottom taco so that it doesn’t tip over. After the genius invention, they had a fiesta.... Yes a fiesta, not a party or get-together, for a flat-bottomed taco. The genius also had to be categorized as “Mexican style” genius. What this tells me is that Mexican genius has to do with creating a taco that stands up. That is definitely offensive to someone, like myself, who works hard to fight off Mexican stereotypes of being unintelligent or uneducated.
These commercials portray a large Mexican family eating tacos and having a fiesta. This commercial may be trying to sell ethnic food and trying to authenticate it by having a “real” Mexican family endorse it. They’re even speaking real Spanish! These commercials play into some stereotypes of Mexicans eating tacos, having large families, and fiestas. For my mother and I, these commercials do not give us a sense of nostalgia.
Anyway, what offended me was that the man sticking a nail into the table was seen as really dumb. The little boy is the one who invented a flat bottom taco so that it doesn’t tip over. After the genius invention, they had a fiesta.... Yes a fiesta, not a party or get-together, for a flat-bottomed taco. The genius also had to be categorized as “Mexican style” genius. What this tells me is that Mexican genius has to do with creating a taco that stands up. That is definitely offensive to someone, like myself, who works hard to fight off Mexican stereotypes of being unintelligent or uneducated.
These commercials portray a large Mexican family eating tacos and having a fiesta. This commercial may be trying to sell ethnic food and trying to authenticate it by having a “real” Mexican family endorse it. They’re even speaking real Spanish! These commercials play into some stereotypes of Mexicans eating tacos, having large families, and fiestas. For my mother and I, these commercials do not give us a sense of nostalgia.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
30 Representations
I have been catching up on my 30 Rock, and the episode I recently watched is called Gentlemen’s Intermission. A few things were going on in this episode. One man, Tracy Jordan, wanted his obituary to say good things about him. Another man, Jack, needed to find a new person to mentor because his wife would get jealous of Liz Lemon, his current person. The last thing was that Liz’s dad, who she says is 80 years old wanted a “gentleman’s intermission” or a break from his wife. We have a few representations in this episode. One is about black people. Tracy Jordan is a black man, his obituary was made and he did not like it because it portrayed him as bad. One line said, “Tracy Jordan is the worst representation of a black person.” This wording just shows what happens in real life. If the media portrays black people are spending money on frivolous things and being unintelligent, then people may grow stereotypes.
The representation that is seen with the Jack’s wife is that women are really jealous. It also says to me that it is not normal for a woman and a man to just be friends. In all the episodes of 30 Rock, Jack and his wife are seen as the stereotypical rich white people. This show is about satire, and the writers’ intended message is to mock the stereotypes, but some viewers may construct their own messages.
The last representation is about men. Liz’s dad wanted a break and left his wife for a bit. He did not tell her that they were on a break. This portrays men as being unable to be faithful. He also wanted to be young again and this is kind of how our society has shaped our minds; we value youth. He did not wear his glasses and bought an Ed Hardy t-shirt.
The representation that is seen with the Jack’s wife is that women are really jealous. It also says to me that it is not normal for a woman and a man to just be friends. In all the episodes of 30 Rock, Jack and his wife are seen as the stereotypical rich white people. This show is about satire, and the writers’ intended message is to mock the stereotypes, but some viewers may construct their own messages.
The last representation is about men. Liz’s dad wanted a break and left his wife for a bit. He did not tell her that they were on a break. This portrays men as being unable to be faithful. He also wanted to be young again and this is kind of how our society has shaped our minds; we value youth. He did not wear his glasses and bought an Ed Hardy t-shirt.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Bella and Her Man
This weekend I saw a print ad for the new Twilight movie, Breaking Dawn. Yes, I will embarrassingly admit that I have watched the movies and read some of the books. Seeing this ad, I remembered all of the movies and books and how much they related to the romance novels reading for this week. People don’t usually think of Twilight as a romance novel, but as a fantasy. I think they happen to be the same. This series has a lot of the same plots. The girl always needs a man to be happy, complete, alive, etc. In Twilight, Bella needs Edward. She even said, “I’d rather die than to stay without you.” This seems romantic when seen in the movie or read in the books, but it is actually really sad. She is portrayed as weak and incapable of having her own life. She cannot be happy without Edward by her side at all times. She is clumsy and always gets into trouble by herself. Edward is the strong, intelligent, and powerful male in the series. He decides how the story is going to develop.
In the reading, it discussed how the males can hurt the females, but it is always because he is trying to protect her or it is a “sign of love”. In Twilight series, Edward leaves Bella to protect her. He literally pushes her to “save her”. She gets thrown against a table and bleeds a lot. This doesn’t sound like love to me. These inequalities are very demeaning to women. Even in the posters we can see that Edward is always dominating Bella. He is bigger and grabbing her, while Bella looks weak and frail. This portrayal is a horrible one especially because this audience is not the regular audience that reads romance novels. The audience for Twilight is as low as ten year old girls.
Overall, it is easy to see that Twilight is simply a romance novel and film. The themes of masculinity being power runs through the entire series. Bella needs her man to survive. Apparently, that is the only way.
In the reading, it discussed how the males can hurt the females, but it is always because he is trying to protect her or it is a “sign of love”. In Twilight series, Edward leaves Bella to protect her. He literally pushes her to “save her”. She gets thrown against a table and bleeds a lot. This doesn’t sound like love to me. These inequalities are very demeaning to women. Even in the posters we can see that Edward is always dominating Bella. He is bigger and grabbing her, while Bella looks weak and frail. This portrayal is a horrible one especially because this audience is not the regular audience that reads romance novels. The audience for Twilight is as low as ten year old girls.
Overall, it is easy to see that Twilight is simply a romance novel and film. The themes of masculinity being power runs through the entire series. Bella needs her man to survive. Apparently, that is the only way.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Mean (Powerful) Girls Around the World
Mean Girls is one of those movies that is played on television all the time. I recently watched it for what seemed like the 100th time and realized that this film relates to the topics we discussed in class last week and this week.
First of all, it directly relates to political economy and Marxist views. The main “mean girls” have all the power. They are beautiful and wealthy, why wouldn’t they be powerful? They are the ruling class, and in the film we can see how they make everyone else follow them. For example, two girls want to embarrass Regina George, the most popular girl, by cutting holes into her shirt to expose her bra. This does not work because she just wears the shirt and everyone copies her. Eventually, every girl in school wears a shirt with holes.
Means Girls also relates to this week’s discussion on culture. There are many things about this movie that would have to change in order to play in different countries. Here in the U.S., it is played often because people easily understand and relate to it. One thing I noticed that might have to be changed is when Cady is first introduced to the class. The teacher says they have a new student from Africa and automatically everyone assumes it is the black girl, but she says, “I’m from Michigan.” This is very funny to us, but for some parts of Africa, they may not understand it because white people live there. There are so many other parts that would not be acceptable for other countries such as the explanation of Halloween in the “girl world” or the parties with alcohol. Overall, a lot of scenes in this movie can be applied to all different topics discussed in class.
First of all, it directly relates to political economy and Marxist views. The main “mean girls” have all the power. They are beautiful and wealthy, why wouldn’t they be powerful? They are the ruling class, and in the film we can see how they make everyone else follow them. For example, two girls want to embarrass Regina George, the most popular girl, by cutting holes into her shirt to expose her bra. This does not work because she just wears the shirt and everyone copies her. Eventually, every girl in school wears a shirt with holes.
Means Girls also relates to this week’s discussion on culture. There are many things about this movie that would have to change in order to play in different countries. Here in the U.S., it is played often because people easily understand and relate to it. One thing I noticed that might have to be changed is when Cady is first introduced to the class. The teacher says they have a new student from Africa and automatically everyone assumes it is the black girl, but she says, “I’m from Michigan.” This is very funny to us, but for some parts of Africa, they may not understand it because white people live there. There are so many other parts that would not be acceptable for other countries such as the explanation of Halloween in the “girl world” or the parties with alcohol. Overall, a lot of scenes in this movie can be applied to all different topics discussed in class.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Sex and Stereotypes (2)- Nohely G.
This weekend I watched Sex and the City 2 per my friend’s request. She suggested this movie to help me prepare for an upcoming trip to the U.A.E. I have never watched Sex and the City before, but I know that it is about middle-aged women living the high-class life in Manhattan. The first scene, was the main character describing why she decided to move to Manhattan. It was because it was a glamorous city full of fashion. This movie has a lot that related to our class discussions. One of them is the concept of ideology. We can see through this movie that the way to be perceived as successful is through the stuff that we have. These white, middle aged-women buy so much clothes and jewelry. They have hundreds of pairs of shoes and live in hi-rise condos. This also relates with the Marxist Analysis reading about consumerism. These women buy things and the viewers of the movie also want these things. One big issue in this film was age. Samantha wanted to avoid menopause because the ideal in our society is to be young. One of the big scenes involved a wedding. This is part of ideology, but the catch was that it was a gay wedding. That is different from the dominant culture, but it is not different from the ideology that society has for gay men. The wedding was completely over-the-top. Although many weddings are like this, this wedding had many clichés we see in the media. The wedding was “fabulous”. Liza Minelli was singing “Single Ladies” by Beyonce, big swans decorated the venue, and the maid of honor wore a tux. This seems like it was trying to break a boundary by having a gay wedding, but I felt it had a lot of stereotypes. One quote was “could this wedding be any more gay?” They also portrayed gay men as promiscuous. These women later fing out that they are going on a trip to the U.A.E. The way this country was portrayed was very magical and consumerist. Some of the scenes could have offended people from the U.A.E. The only thing I learned about U.A.E. from this film is that it is a great place to shop.
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