Girls with Low Self-Esteem

In a number of episodes of the television show, Arrested Development, references are made to a straight-to-DVD show, "Girls with Low Self-Esteem," basically a play off of the real "Girls Gone Wild." Zach Braff plays a Phillip Litt, the producer of a show who travels to spring break locations and asks girls to take off their clothes for the camera ( also receiving a nice GWLSE hat). In one such episode Lindsay (Portia de Rossi) complains about how the show objectifies women and decides to garner the support of other strong women and protest. To sum up a series of events: her plight fails, the other protesting women decide to take off their own clothes, and Litt is exposed as a nevernude (an individual who is psychologically unable to take off their clothes, even in the privacy of their own home). If you have trouble understanding the sequence of events, I'd recommend just watching the show.

Just like many other contemporary television shows, Arrested Development is often hyper-ironic, making jabs at everything, and causing the viewer to think (although the show often presents no solutions to the problems it exposes). To begin, the name of the fictional show, "Girls with Low Self Esteem (GWLSE)" alludes to feminist thinking by pointing out that "reality-porn" exploits girls who have low self-confidence. However, Arrested Development later alludes to post-feminist thinking when it shows that GWLSE's producer is so uncomfortable with his own body that he is has a psychological condition which renders him completely unable to feel comfortable while naked. This juxtaposition presents the girls from the video in a different light: as proud and powerful women who flaunt their sexuality to get what they want.

Now, I pretty sure we'd all agree that immorality and pornography are wrong (we have received numerous amounts of strong counsel from church leaders, and even clinical psychologists, against pornography), so that's not the issue here. Instead, my question is which movement's thinking do you most agree with. Do you believe that girls expose themselves for shows like "Girls Gone Wild" or "Spring Break" because they truly do have low-self esteem (fitting more in with the feminist theory) or do you think that they are using their body to show their confidence and maintain power and control (fitting more into the post-feminist theory). Or is there another reason why you think such girls do it?

What does it mean to be a man?

I believe that Flight of the Concords said it best with the following line from one of their songs, "What man, whose the man, when's a man a man, why's it so hard to be a man? Am I a man? Yes, technically, yes..." Although funny, this question is one that has weighed heavily on the minds of men for a long time and will probably continue to do so for a while.

The truth is that everyone, men and women, want to live up to the gender roles that they are supposed to play. The problem is that we are sometimes unsure of what those roles are. Traditionally, men are taught to be warriors, hunters, brave, strong, courageous, and competitive. Men are the ones who provide for their families. They fix things. When they are still young boys, they play with G.I. Joes and participate in sports. On the other hand, women are taught to be nurturing, kind, gentle, soft-spoken, domestic mothers. As young girls they play with Barbies and dolls. They play house and dress up.

However, a problem arises when men and women realize that they are not the alpha male or female that society has told them to be, but instead they prefer to play some of the parts of the other's role. What?! A man that enjoys theater more than sports or a woman who prefers a ball game over "Dancing with the Stars?" I think that people often times worry that they are not living up to the gender role that they feel they are supposed to be playing.

As members of the church, we know that being a man or woman is an eternal characteristic with divine responsibilities. My question for all of you is how do we reconcile our individuality with both what the world and the Lord tell us about our gender roles?

Gender Roles in Comedy

  

  

As I was thinking about our discussion on Gender roles and the different norms that society has set for males and females I started thinking of my favorite TV shows, movies, and comedians. It seemed that every one that I thought deserved to be on my, "I think they're funny list" was a male. My list of favorites include:

• Owen Wilson
• Steve Carell
• Ben Stiller
• Brian Regan
• Chris Farley
• John Stewart
• David Letterman
• Conan O'brien
• Adam Sandlar
• Charles Barkley
• Jack Black
• Will Farrell
• Jerry Seinfeld
• Flight of the Conchords

I did not make this list biasedly for the argument of this article, I just honestly cannot think of any female entertainment personalities that I think merited a spot on my list. 

I asked my roommate what he thought about this and he mentioned that the female comedians that he could think of come off as masculine and a little blokey (Thats an Australian term, He's Australian) This could be due to the mindset created by socioty that its ok for males to be cynical, sarcastic, funny. Are males held to a lower standard then females when it comes to being polite, well mannered, kind, respectful, and serious. Could a female get away with the same jokes that a typical male can get away with?

Is it that Society has set the norm that women should not be funny and therefore there are no major female comedic roles, or is it because females simply are just not as funny as males? Why is that The Office's main role is not played by a female, Why did NBC hire Jay Leno and Conan O'brien, Why not hire one male and one female. 

I know I asked a lot questions in my attempt to get convey the point of my first ever blog, but here is the question to sum it all up. Are Males funnier then females or has society created a gender code that says women are not supposed to be funny? Also who are your favorite comedic actors/entertainers/people? Did any females make your list?

 

A New Kind of Hero

When I was young, I had lots of heroes. I admired sports stars, cartoon superheroes, and Hollywood celebrities. I viewed them as infallible, possessing characteristics worthy of emulation.

But one by one, I lost faith in these so-called heroes. As I grew older, I found out they were not as perfect as I imagined. They committed crimes, were immoral or were not even real. It became difficult to call them my heroes because I felt some need to justify their hero-status to myself and others. It was hard to say I admired them EVEN THOUGH ______ (you fill in the blank).



Examples of indiscretions by heroes abound. Alex Rodriquez took steroids, Miley Cirus posed for racy pictures in Vanity Fair, and Michael Phelps was caught using a bong to smoke marijuana. All of these actions can cause fans, especially youngsters, to question their devotion to their idols.

In the article by Jenny Lyn Bader in the text, it says,"Heroes have become quaint, as old-fashioned as gas-guzzlers--and unwieldy, requiring too much investment and energy. Role models are more like compact cars, less glam and room but easier to handle." (p. 790)

I agree with this quote. I think that for the most part, our cynical nature has caused us to phase the traditional heroes out of our lives and replace them with people we know personally. We know these people are not perfect, but know they can't be as bad as the other guys we formerly idolized. Admiring these people requires less emotional investment because we know their character. Our class activity yesterday illustrated this point.

Hollywood understands this shift, and is making efforts to put forth character witnesses for up-and-coming stars. The other night I saw a few minutes of American Idol and was surprised to see the families of contestants backstage being interviewed immediately after each performance. I saw mothers saying, "I'm so proud of my son, even if he didn't do well," and "My daughter is just such a great person." Other examples of such testimony abound on TV.

So here are my questions to you: Has your hero ever let you down? Do you still idolize your heroes from your childhood? If not, who are your new heroes?

Golden Arches Icon

One of the most prevalent American icons is McDonald’s. McDonald’s is the world’s largest fast food restaurant chain, operating in nearly every country. The glowing golden arches can be identified anywhere. Whether we like it or not, those arches have come to be a prominent American icon.

McDonald’s has become a symbol of the spread of American culture. However, McDonald's has been a recent issue of public debate on topics concerning obesity and consumer responsibility.

The documentary Super Size Me addresses these issues in a fascinating way. In an interview with Tiscali, Morgan Spurlock said he wanted “. . . to make a film that would hopefully cause people to think about how they eat and live their lives.” So, he performed an experiment to achieve his goal. He ate from McDonald’s three times a day for 30 days, only ate meals offered at McDonald’s, sampled every McDonald’s item within the 30-day period and “Super Sized” his meal every time he was invited to. Spurlock gained 25 pounds from his experiment, which took 14 months to lose.

The documentary was the ninth highest grossing documentary film of all time with a total of $28,548,087. The world’s great interest in Super Size Me goes to show McDonald’s iconic nature.

How do you feel McDonald’s status as an American icon influences others’ views of Americans? Do you feel McDonald’s is a positive or negative American icon?

Fictional Icons

When I was a kid, Spiderman was my favorite cartoon. Spidey was strong, agile, and downright phenomenal; and his superpowers made him that much cooler. It is every kid's dream to be able to fly from place to place!

I particularly liked how Peter Parker went to school and worked just like I did. He was even teased on occasion by his peers, something every child can relate to. Peter was my role model, which is why I made darn sure to be in front of my old television set at 3:30 pm every weekday.

It's amusing to think of my childhood friends who had superhero action figures, bed sheets and lunchboxes. What is it about these superhuman figures that is so attractive? Is it their ability to overcome life's hardships and succeed against all odds, or is it their superhuman traits that empower them and grant them dominion over all of their enemies? Whatever it is, kids are captivated by characters like the Wolverine, Batman and the Power Rangers.

The text defines traditional icons as figures who have been "mythologized into larger-than-life symbols that capture our imagination by embodying our deepest values and desires." In this light, can fictional characters such as Spiderman be considered icons? Also, what could be the effects of a rising generation whose fictional icons actually do not exist in the real world?

Celebrity Obsession

I have not been unaffected by the media. I love reading tabloids, consuming television and watching movies.

I remember in 2001 when Legally Blonde came out and I felt pretty inspired to work hard and obtain what I wanted; maybe even go to Law School too. At 15 I saw Elle’s wardrobe and instantly wanted it. As soon as the movie was released I bought it and watched it more than a dozen times within a month of my purchase. I later made sure I had her beautiful necklace she wore in the opening scenes and remembered to take care of my shoes. Thank you, Elle.

When I was 17 I got together with a group of girls every week to watch One Tree Hill and Gilmore Girls. We gossiped about what happened and made serious decisions as to what should happen with these “real” people in our lives. I also oogled over the nickname Logan gave Rory and how well put-together Lorelei always seemed to be. I learned how "normal" teens lived and saw what I was glad I didn't have in my life.

By 20 I realized my love for weekly’s. I soon began a nice stack of magazines on the back of our toilet and intrigued my roommates to focus lives of those who we thought was larger than life. I began to look at what the fashions were in and find the cheap knock-offs to complete my “celebrity look”. I learned what I would spend money for, and what would just have to wait.

Now I watch reality tv like I’m on the show and don’t understand why the contestants are so stupid and drama filled. I cheer them on and hate the ones the producers portray as idiots. Really? Has my life ended at 23 for a reason? Why do celebrities help me pick my outfits through magazine covers and make me want to buy certain accessories to be more fulfilled? Isn’t there something more to life? Sure, but I still do love to get a dose of someone else’s drama so I can be happier that it’s not actually in my life.

My question: What was the last thing a celebrity convinced you to do?

Selling Out vs. Success

One of the worst things a musician can do in the world of music today is “sell out”. When a musician appears to have sold their artistic integrity for a good record deal, a more mainstream fan base, or a solid gold microphone the case often is that the more established fan for the before mentioned musician will often cry “sell out”. But is it really the musician who has changed, or have they just produced music that can lead to some form of success?

I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and local musicians have always been an interest of mine. I remember being in middle school and hearing about this great local band out of Berkeley by the name of Green Day. Leave all current opinions behind as I lay out what I knew about Green Day back in middle school. They were a high energy punk band that had a loyal following of rowdy college students. Then came "Dookie". Green Day left their small time record company, Look Out, to sign with a major label and release their break out CD. The “loyal” fan base was furious to see that their local, under-ground band was now “selling out”. The band lost most of their original fan base but made up for it by selling 15 million copies of "Dookie" worldwide.

Success in the music industry can easily be seen as a two edged sword. Success means that you are doing something right, that your message is reaching a large audience. However, in some cases, success can be seen as artistic suicide. How often do you hear a friend say, “I liked there older stuff, but they have sold out now…”. I know I have fallen victim to this ideology, I have lost interest in some musicians because I have felt that they had changed or they had become too popular to be “cool” anymore.

Here are a few questions that I throw out to my fellow classmates. Do you feel that some musicians lose some of their appeal when they have success? Does success ultimately mean that a musician has “sold out”? And why do you think it irritates fans when their bands “sell out”?

Brand Identity & Music

Many individuals identify with certain genres of music, bands, and songs. We dress, behave, talk, and feel according to our choices of music. Many of us try and distinguish ourselves through our music preferences. Well, marketers are beginning to better grasp this identity-builder and are beginning to use music to build their own brand identity.

“Converse marked 2008 as its centennial year with a big rock star-endorsed bang, and its first ever global campaign overtly positioning the brand as a catalyst for creativity. A musical collaboration, between singer Santogold, producer Pharrell Williams and Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas, formed an impressive piece of free branded content, backed by a beautiful music video. Nearly 100,000 people downloaded the track for free from converse.com and My Drive Thru attracted 750,000 streams on leading Internet portals in just four days.” (Contagious Magazine, 2008)

Contagious also reported that Dr. Pepper promised a free can of soda if the new Guns N’ Roses album came out before the end of the year. “Yet the execution of this marketing masterstroke was shabby: servers crashed on the brand’s website, meaning users were unable to log on and download their voucher for the free drink.” (Contagious, 2008)

There are more examples of brands using music to distinguish themselves. Music has been used in commercials for many years, but music is taking a bigger role in the development of the brand identity. Marketers are still working out the kinks of this blend of brand identity and music, but it is clear that more brands will be using music to build their own identity like an individual.

My question is a simple one. What musician(s) and brand would you like to see team up and make some music? Have some fun with this and anything and everything is on the drawing board.

Hippity-Hop and Beyond

Here is my discussion question up front: Pick a music genre--something that you like or know a little bit about--Think about the situation in which the music was made (historical, social, etc.) What do you think the message is that the artists were trying to get across. You don't have to do research. Just take a stab at it.
Recap of Hip-Hop
I ask this question because I'm fasinated by the development of hip-hop. Hip-hop has always been a music genre that's just been on the radio. I haven't noticed its evolution from hip-hop to light rap to grungy rap to R&B. It's just always been there in the background. I was especially suprised to learn that it was a movement in the 70s rather than the late 80s and early 90s like I previously thought. (If you want a good laugh at hip-hop and disco in the same room, check this out: "Rapper's Delight" by Sugarhill Gang http://www.mtvmusic.com/sugarhill_gang/videos/19415/rapper_s_delight.jhtml. "Rapper's Delight" was one of the first popular rap songs. The music is good, but the dancer's outfits are ridiculous. It simply fascinates me.)
As we learned, hip-hop came out of South Bronx as a reaction to gang wars, poverty, racial tension, a heroine influx, and a need for an alternative. Partying became the new thing, and leaders like Afrika Bambaataa and DJ Kool Herc brought charisma and organization to the table. Dancing, DJing, MCing, graffitti, etc. became a new mode of expression and means to release pent-up energy--as opposed to fighting. Hip-hop spread and became popular throughout the world. It has since evolved, but still exists and has influenced other forms of music.
Grunge: Heavy Metal's Ugly Cousin
I want to jump to grunge for another example of a musical movement that evolved from a specific culture...and being from Seattle, I couldn't resist.
Grunge music began in Seattle in the late 80s and was made popular throughout the 90s. It evolved from hard core rock, heavy metal, and indie rock. According to..well, wikipedia, the sound of grunge evolved from these styles in an isolated and ignored music scene. Because of its isolation (I guess Seattle wasn't on the maps at the time...?), music in Seattle developed original and unique styles, uncommon in the popular music world. After the release of Nirvana's album "Nevermind" and Pearl Jam's "Ten," the genre gained rapid success in part by the nation's curiosity in the unique and original sound that seemed to match Seattle's perceived culture. (When it's raining outside, don't you kind of feel a little grungy?....in fact, most websites I read tagged the music specifically to people gathering indoors and being inside all the time because of the rain) Common themes included disillusionment with society, fear of the future, and angst. My guess is that as the tail end of the Cold War, a bad economy, dramatically increasing divorce rates, unstable family structures, and a noticeable decline in social morals all contributed. For me, the sound of grunge is a tired, warn out feel about societies wrongs. It seems like the message is "things have been so wrong for so long and I'm depressed and angry," rather than "improve yourself then improve the world." Check out this link to see what I mean (Nirvana "Smells like Teen Spirit" http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=nirvana&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wv#q=nirvana%2C+smells+like+teen+spirit&hl=en&emb=1&start=20. ) Popular bands included Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, etc.
Okay..that's some history...Now what do you think? You can discuss any genre or musical movement.

Reality TV: How far is too far?

Reality TV. It’s everywhere on television today. We can’t escape it. Whether it’s watching the Bachelor eliminate his latest girl, or watching singing hopefuls take their shot at becoming the next American Idol, television is bombarded with Reality shows.

But is there a limit to where reality should stop? Do reality shows today deep too far into the personal lives of American citizens?

CBS has just picked up the new reality show “Arranged Marriages”. The show takes four adults, unlucky in their pursuits at finding a spouse. Their family and friends pick a spouse for them and the two exchange marital vows. The show follows the lives of the newlywed couples.

So there you have it. What limits does reality TV have? Does television have the right to arrange marriages? If so, what will it do next? Or, do we as participants give our consent to let television run our lives?

I think it’s a combination of both. Yes, I give in to the reality TV shows. But arranged marriages? That’s taking it too far for me. I want to know some things in life are still sacred and important to people, like finding a spouse.

So what do you think? Has reality television become out of hand? Should reality TV have limits, why or why not? And what should those limits be?

Consumers Perception on Reality

Television and pop culture today have done a staggering job of creating the illusion that what we see and hear is, in fact, reality. This is of course, false. TV today is created to provide a fantastical perspective or a skewed view of reality. Because of this, people choose to vicariously live through imaginary characters' lives. We see characters from various TV shows and the celebrities who act in those TV shows and we idolize them. We want to become like the characters we see on TV. We want to be in the situations our favorite characters get into. We want to have everything our favorite characters have. 

When we choose to live vicariously through our favorite characters' lives, we decide that our life isn't good enough - we want more. To satisfy this desire, we watch the program of our choice to momentarily escape our own reality. These TV shows give us a false sense of reality because that's we we, as consumers, want. 

If you want evidence, listen to the gossip you hear everyday in the work place, in school, on the radio, in the news or even in your own home. The center of gossip is not on our own individual lives, but on the people we don't even know who are in Hollywood's spotlight. To me this is incredulous. 

My question to you is how does this false sense of reality affect how we live our lives? 

Television Comparisons

Television has always been something that intertwines with culture. However, television shows have shifted from ideal to cynical throughout the years. Most television shows nowadays depict fictional and/or extreme situations that most teenagers don't differentiate from. They watch television shows like 90210 and Gossip Girl and wonder why they don't look like the characters on the show or why they aren't allowed to behave in a similar manner. When if they would just think about it, they would figure out that these characters are being played by 20 something actors and that television always embellishes lives of teenagers to make shows more entertaining to watch. For example, in Gossip Girl all the upper-east students are somehow able to drink frequently in bars and go wherever they please at any time. Where in reality, establishments like those bars would be cited for giving alcohol to minors and I would think that most stable family homes have some kind of curfew for their children/teenagers.

So many people let themselves fall into this trap of allowing television shows tell them how to act, dress, or even cope. We are all victims of it; we all have been effected by television shows in some way. 

So my question is: Why do people consistently compare their lives to television shows that aren't realistic?