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Monday, December 19, 2011
Extra Credit - Redifining Beauty
Where is the connection between marketing, modern social expectations and the definitions of beauty, look here and here to find out how people are looking at it and actively participating.
Both the video and the pictures relate to the Cult of Domesticity and True Womanhood article and If I Were A Man story we read in class. These pieces are both, in my opinion, good propaganda going against the Cult of Domesticity and True Womanhood. Women are expected to be put together and dressed up all the time. This is a concept that has been passed down, starting with the tight corsets, to give women an hourglass figure and now in marketing magazines and advertisements. The ideal woman is thin at the waist and curving around the bust and butt. Society has been taught to think this because of the “beautiful” woman in advertisements; this is one significant place where modern social expectations are coming from. The group of high school girls in Texas are campaigning against this expectations of women. These girls are getting more and more girls not to wear makeup… “one girl at a time”. They are trying to show girls the real meaning of beauty because make up and high heels in not what makes someone pretty! Women should feel good about themselves because “you are perfect just the way you are” as displayed on one of the posit notes in the article. I think both the article with pictures and the video have great messages that more people need to be aware of.
I like these modern movements towards improving girls' self-images. I agree with Amanda, I think that these movements are fighting against the effects of the Cult of Domesticity and True Womanhood. The ideas that women should be submissive and subordinate to men are two beliefs that are still causing trouble today. I think that it is important to start movements like this at a young age, especially something like "Operation Beautiful". If we can start a new generation with positive thoughts about themselves then this positivity will be passed down through generations and hopefully maintain itself.
The media is everywhere we go these days. To be honest, it's actually challenging to ignore the media since it's pretty much in our faces 24/7. Advertising and marketing have created this idea or image of what "beautiful" is, meaning you HAVE to wear makeup or look like this celebrity..etc. With that said, modern social expectations are a lot higher nowadays due to the media always throwing this idea of what beautiful is supposed to look like. Girls feel like that have to look a certain way in order to feel confident with themselves. The post-it article I feel was very inspiring because it spreads a lot of positive energy and definitely connects to what the Texas high school girls were doing with removing makeup once a week. They're both trying to show that you don't need to cover who you are and you are beautiful no matter what. The Texas girls are showing how makeup isn't needed to be "pretty" in society. Both the article and the video are just all encouraging a movement of self-confidence and positive energy. A big problem currently throughout society is lack of confidence in personal appearance especially involving teenage girls. I agree with Dan, I think this is a great way to start new generations with positive thoughts.
I agree with Michaela, today's culture has an image that every girl HAS to look like. The media has painting this image of a girl with a perfect shape, skinny, no visible pores, and beautiful; with the perfect eyes, body, legs, hair, and face. All magazines and TV advertisements show this perfect image. The problem with this is that usually the model they use, is Photoshoped. This being said, this perfect image that has been created, doesn't even exist. So every morning, or every time a girl goes out, they spend time making sure that they look closest to this image as possible. I don't think this is necessary and they shouldn't try to change who they are, to please men. I give a lot of respect when I see a girl at school or when i'm out, who doesn't have makeup on and who doesn't have their hair perfect. Girls need to get rid of this cultural norm of being perfect. We need to make our generation think differently about themselves. Like Dan said, if girls start to feel more positive and more secure about themselves without changing their appearance, everyone will feel more positive about themselves. Then they will know that everyone is different and they don't need to be the perfect image, because it's impossible. If "Operation Beautiful" can continue to spread and change this norm of thinking then our generation and future generations can get rid of this perfect image and start a new norm of being yourself without altering your body with things like makeup.
Both the video and the pictures relate to the Cult of Domesticity and True Womanhood article and If I Were A Man story we read in class. These pieces are both, in my opinion, good propaganda going against the Cult of Domesticity and True Womanhood. Women are expected to be put together and dressed up all the time. This is a concept that has been passed down, starting with the tight corsets, to give women an hourglass figure and now in marketing magazines and advertisements. The ideal woman is thin at the waist and curving around the bust and butt. Society has been taught to think this because of the “beautiful” woman in advertisements; this is one significant place where modern social expectations are coming from. The group of high school girls in Texas are campaigning against this expectations of women. These girls are getting more and more girls not to wear makeup… “one girl at a time”. They are trying to show girls the real meaning of beauty because make up and high heels in not what makes someone pretty! Women should feel good about themselves because “you are perfect just the way you are” as displayed on one of the posit notes in the article. I think both the article with pictures and the video have great messages that more people need to be aware of.
ReplyDeleteI like these modern movements towards improving girls' self-images. I agree with Amanda, I think that these movements are fighting against the effects of the Cult of Domesticity and True Womanhood. The ideas that women should be submissive and subordinate to men are two beliefs that are still causing trouble today. I think that it is important to start movements like this at a young age, especially something like "Operation Beautiful". If we can start a new generation with positive thoughts about themselves then this positivity will be passed down through generations and hopefully maintain itself.
ReplyDeleteThe media is everywhere we go these days. To be honest, it's actually challenging to ignore the media since it's pretty much in our faces 24/7. Advertising and marketing have created this idea or image of what "beautiful" is, meaning you HAVE to wear makeup or look like this celebrity..etc. With that said, modern social expectations are a lot higher nowadays due to the media always throwing this idea of what beautiful is supposed to look like. Girls feel like that have to look a certain way in order to feel confident with themselves. The post-it article I feel was very inspiring because it spreads a lot of positive energy and definitely connects to what the Texas high school girls were doing with removing makeup once a week. They're both trying to show that you don't need to cover who you are and you are beautiful no matter what. The Texas girls are showing how makeup isn't needed to be "pretty" in society. Both the article and the video are just all encouraging a movement of self-confidence and positive energy. A big problem currently throughout society is lack of confidence in personal appearance especially involving teenage girls. I agree with Dan, I think this is a great way to start new generations with positive thoughts.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Michaela, today's culture has an image that every girl HAS to look like. The media has painting this image of a girl with a perfect shape, skinny, no visible pores, and beautiful; with the perfect eyes, body, legs, hair, and face. All magazines and TV advertisements show this perfect image. The problem with this is that usually the model they use, is Photoshoped. This being said, this perfect image that has been created, doesn't even exist. So every morning, or every time a girl goes out, they spend time making sure that they look closest to this image as possible. I don't think this is necessary and they shouldn't try to change who they are, to please men. I give a lot of respect when I see a girl at school or when i'm out, who doesn't have makeup on and who doesn't have their hair perfect. Girls need to get rid of this cultural norm of being perfect. We need to make our generation think differently about themselves. Like Dan said, if girls start to feel more positive and more secure about themselves without changing their appearance, everyone will feel more positive about themselves. Then they will know that everyone is different and they don't need to be the perfect image, because it's impossible. If "Operation Beautiful" can continue to spread and change this norm of thinking then our generation and future generations can get rid of this perfect image and start a new norm of being yourself without altering your body with things like makeup.
ReplyDelete