#thigh gab

     Last week, we brought up "thigh gap" in class. Mr Maxwell said that those two words are top searches on Tumblr and Pinterest. At first I thought that was hard to believe, because there are better things to think about than that thigh gap. Out of curiosity, I went home to search thigh gap on Tumblr. I found that the thigh gap tag was blocked:

     For that, I appreciate you, Tumblr. But that didn't stop girls from posting an overwhelming amount of pictures of or relating to the thigh gap under the new tag "thigh gab."

     Just scrolling through this tag made me realize that this is what some girls think is all that matters. When we watched Miss Representation, it said that the majority of women are unhappy with their body. I instantly thought about this idea of the thigh gap that so many girls seem to be fixated on. But according to these pictures, it's more than just the thigh gap, but prominent collar bones and jutting hip bones. 

     In this generation, we are constantly surrounded by media. We get the idea that beauty is being thin, collar and hip bones--basically having the "perfect body." Media has warped the way we view women and how we perceive beauty. These thigh gap pictures on Tumblr is just one way that the media is defining beauty. It seems unreasonable, though, because no one really looks like these girls in the pictures without questioning their health. As the media is feeding us these images, we look at ourselves and realize that we aren't these girls. That's when we start that self-objectification. We start to see ourselves as less than human, but rather an object, where we call ourselves degrading names and target our every insecurity. It's unbelievable that the media is presenting us with this unrealistic reality. 

     Media has a huge impact on women, especially. Imagine a never-ending page of pictures just like these--scrolling through social media and this is all you see. It's no wonder that this very thin body image is ingrained into our heads. Beyond social media, all we see in TV, movies, and magazines are women with the "ideal" body. And if that's not it, magazines ridicule or point out every natural flaw. It's called being human.

     If this is the case that media is feeding us the ideas about beauty, then what does that say about us? Does that mean that we as a society value beauty, thigh gaps, and perfect bodies over intelligence and skill? I wish that wasn't how it is, but that's what's been being presented to us on a daily basis. I think this is an issue that needs to get the attention of people. We can't ignore the media and blindly follow its ideas that are being given to us. I hope that we can see past the objectification, because it's holding us back from achieving and getting to issues that really matter. 

     If thigh gaps are the main issue here, then we really need to step back and reevaluate too many of our values. I think one of the simplest ways is to address this issue is by realizing how the media warps reality and that we are individuals who do not need to conform. We shouldn't be changed by the media or be told what's acceptable. Media is targeting our insecurities, but that doesn't mean that we should accept it and change who we are to reflect the ideal image. 

     

Allstate Won't Hang Up Any Keys

     At first glance, we see car keys personalized by key chains. The thing that caught my eye was that all these keys are hung up, tacked to a white background. The caption reads in bold: "Thousands of teen driving deaths can't be ignored. But they can be prevented." This is probably the most powerful Allstate ad I have ever seen. 

     This ad represents of the tragedy of teen driving deaths. The caption lets us know that these are the keys of teen drivers. The keys on the white background is so simple, but the keys themselves speak louder than the caption ever could. We realize that these are keys all teens' car keys that will be hung up forever and never used again by the driver. The hanging keys are each and every teen driver that has lost their life.

     Because I found this ad in a Better Home and Garden magazine, the target audience would mainly be moms of teen drivers of any social class. Moms want to make sure that there children will be "in good hands." They also want to rest assured that they have the best insurance to take care of them when worse comes to worst. This pairs with the message that Allstate has got your back when it comes down to teen driving. It will be there to protect us and prevent teen driving deaths. The message that it communicates to moms is that their children will be safe, so there will be nothing to worry about.  Much like the caption, we cannot ignore all those hanging keys, because it takes up the whole ad, but Allstate can prevent more keys from being hung up. It's implicitly telling us that other insurance companies can't always be there for us as much as Allstate has always got our back.

     The simplicity of this ad adds to its effect. The lighting looks natural, and nothing stands out more than anything else. This simplicity makes this ad seem like it could easily be just another key that hangs on the wall of a grieving family. It looks too real that it emphasizes the message and makes parents, especially concerned moms, realize that they never want to be in that position, so they will get Allstate.

     The realness of this ad is mostly expressed through the plain folks advertising technique. As I said, any of those keys could be of any teen driver. It can fit into any family. With that being, Allstate would be a practical insurance to have for an ordinary family, especially those with teens. It makes sense to moms to have this insurance, because they all share a common concern in protecting their children. The other technique that is used in this ad is simple solutions. Allstate sends us the message that by simply trusting their insurance, then will be promised to be in good hands. Moms won't have to worry about anything because teen driving deaths will be prevented. 

     The biggest appeal that is used in this ad is the need to feel safe. This appeal is mainly directed to mothers who want to make be sure their children are safe on the road. This is need is promised by Allstate, because it will prevent teen driving deaths. All concerned moms want to be sure that their children are free from any threats that they may be faced with. Another appeal is the need for guidance. Although this ad does not have the Allstate guy to explicitly tell us that everything will be okay, the caption does that for us. It appeals to our need to feel as if we are all taken care of. But I can imagine the Allstate guy telling us "You're in good hands." Either written on the bottom corner or being told by the Allstate guy, this ad assures us that there is nothing to worry about. Moms especially won't have to worry about having to hang up their child's keys, because Allstate will protect them. 

     I thought this ad was very powerful and did a good job in conveying the message. If I was left with a strong impression of this ad, then I am sure that other audiences felt the same way. Parents may have felt the urge to protect their children just by seeing this ad. 

Dennis Likes GrubHub

     This is Dennis. He is a man that requires many options, which is why he has three hot tub, 73 self portraits and an unnecessary amount of hair dryers. Dennis turns to GrubHub to provide him with thousands of different restaurants. 

   

     When I first watched this commercial, I had no idea what GrubHub was or was trying to tell me. All I remembered was that it showed this guy who had an unreasonable amount of stuff in his house. Why did he need 73 self portraits? And hair dryers just for styling? You okay, buddy? Only when I searched this commercial to watch it again did I realize that the message was that if you like having a lot of options, when it comes to choosing your food, GrubHub is your go-to website. It has thousands of restaurants to choose from right at your fingertips. I know that Dennis is pushing the boundaries to show us that we all like to have an array of options, but his unreasonable amount of stuff clearly sends us that message. We watch this commercial and realize that we aren't living it up like Dennis who has a life of options, and that's what we want to have. This is what GrubHub is implicitly telling us, and all we need to do is to use their website to get the kind of options Dennis lives for.

     I think the target audience for this commercial is middle class adults. Even though Dennis has too much stuff, he is an average-looking guy. The stuff he has isn't too luxurious that it is not out of reach. The brand is GrubHub, a website to find thousands of restaurants, so you don't have to have a glamorous lifestyle. This target age based on this commercial can be adults of any age. Options are good, especially when it comes to food, so I think everyone would appreciate the options that this website can offer. 

     The main appeal used in this commercial is the need for prominence. This commercial is trying to tell us that all the options we can have will give us high social status. Although Dennis doesn't look extravagant, he has a lot of the same things that can make people envy him. By the end of this commercial when you realize what they're actually selling, it fulfills our physiological need to eat. Even though the food is only shown briefly, when we hear that we can choose from a wide array of food, we are drawn to that factor. 

     The biggest technique that is used is transfer/association. The commercial makes a comparison between having so much stuff and a lot of options to the options we can get from GrubHub. Having a lot of options has a positive connotation, and when we watch this commercial, we associate living a fulfilling life of options to GrubHub, therefore, the brand seems very desirable to us. Another technique is simple solutions. If we use this website then we can have any kind of food we want at our fingertips. 

     After watching this commercial several times, I thought that it was very effective. Although the brand was only mentioned at the end, it clearly made us realize that we need options, and the brand will be there for us. The exaggerated amount of stuff that Dennis had shows us how many food options that can be provided to us. 

Rice Krispies Brings Back Our Childhood

     Although Easter was last month, I still remember this commercial, because it make me reminisce about my childhood. This commercial shows a mom and her two young children spending time in the kitchen together making Rice Krispies Easter eggs.  I feel an emotional connection to this commercial because I used to do the same thing with my mom when I was a child.

     Even though this commercial is all black and white except for the Rice Krispies box, this lighting seems natural. It is simple enough that we aren't distracted from any intense lighting, and instead focus on the mother and her children. The cereal box being the only thing in color draws our attention and makes us better remember the brand. It is the color that cuts through the simplicity of the commercial.

     The target audience for the commercial is aimed at young moms who live for and love those special moments with their children. We see the mom in the commercial having that same connection. Another target audience could also be to older kids who is brought back to their childhood while watching this commercial, because I think most children have made Rice Krispie treats with their mother at some point in their lives. This commercial can help bring back childhood memories to older children.

     The biggest appeal in this commercial is the need for affiliation. The message from the brand is saying that Rice Krispies brings mother and children together. Being that the mother is the only parent figure in this commercial shows that the brand stresses her role. The need to nurture is also achieved in this commercial. The mother and her children spending time together in the kitchen give moms the feeling that they should be doing the same. Sharing those moments makes moms go "aww.." and make them want to spend more time with their kids or cherish the time spent. The sweet song in the background also makes the commercial sound more welcoming--as if everything will be taken care of by the mother.

     Plain folks is used as an advertising technique, because this commercial shows ordinary people and an average relationship between mother and children. The lighting also helps to show the simplicity of the people shown. This technique shows that Rice Krispies belongs in every average family. It makes sense that the product fits into a family, because this same situation can happen in every household. 

     Here, Rice Krispies did a good job in showing the simplicity of the product while also bringing a smile to ones face by reminiscing on these memories. I mean, I can't be the only one who made Rice Krispie treats with their mom as a child.  

Please Do Not Eat Essie Nail Polish

     As I was flipping through an Inside magazine, I came across this Essie ad. I was attracted by the nail polish dripping down on a spoon. Then I read the quotation, "want a taste of luxury? then get your hands on my belugaria." I'm not sure what bothers me most: the lack of capitalization at the beginning of each sentence or the fact that Essie is basically telling us to taste their nail polish. Um... No, thanks. I'm good. Even if their new belugaria nail polish tastes like luxury, I don't want to risk my life trying that out.

     The block of sentences on the left also reads, "My encrusted treasures take nail art to a whole new level of taste and refinement. Sweep on my sophisticated, on-trend textures in just one stroke to put multi-faceted prismatic luxury right at your fingertips." I was lost at "multi-faceted prismatic luxury." Because of that, these are jargan words. All that got through to me was that this nail polish means luxury, sophistication, and trendy. The jargan words are fillers to confuse the audience and most likely draw more attention to the luxury aspect of the product; however, the use of jargan made me think that this product is the best thing ever.

     Words like encrusted treasures, sophisticated, on-trend, and luxury all have positive connotations. Don't we all want to feel classy and trendy? Essie claims that this nail polish is the answer. This ad also makes a faulty analogy between the nail polish and luxury. It can't actually taste like luxury, or can luxury have a taste; nevertheless, this analogy is misleading because it is not possible--but possibly harmful to the body upon digestion. 

     This visual appeals to viewers through the need for prominence. The nail polish dripping down on the spoon looks like glitter and little black jewels. The spoon even looks pretty fancy. We get the feeling that if we have this product then we will be living the life of luxury and sophistication. We need life in order to feel admired. The need for prominence also pairs with the advertising technique of the snob appeal. This product suggests that the consumer will be part of an elite group that is basking in the life of luxury. Those jewels that appear to come in ever bottle of nail polish will be able to offer the consumer with that life. 

     The need for attention is also used. The glittering nail polish will attract that attention we crave. With all those different colors to choose from, we can be noticed for the luxurious jewels painted on the tip of our fingers. This ad also appeals to our need for aesthetic sensations. The background of the ad is all white, which draws attention to the black, glittering nail polish. That with the black bottle as a pedestal for the spoon cradling the nail polish looks pretty. We are attracted to beautifully simple aspect. And the fact that we can wear it is even more appealing. We can have the same beauty as shown in this ad.

     Avante garde is used here by saying that the product will "take nail art to a whole new level of taste and refinement." The product claims that it is the newest thing out there. It suggests that the new level of this product will also provide the consumer ahead of the nail polish game. 

     This ad reminds me of the "cool" aspect that marketers are trying to sell to teens, as discussed in Merchants of Cool. I read "on-trend textures," and I thought about how teenage girls are attracted to the newest trends. This ad appeals to us because the product gives us that trendy aspect, which will consider us "cool." Cosmetic, such as nail polish in this case, and clothing ads always seem to appeal most to us because they fulfill our needs as discussed above. These kind of ads tell us what is cool, so we consume those products. It's a vicious cycle, the feedback loop, where advertising companies observe what is cool to teens, market that same idea us, and we consume the product. 

     

The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas

     I was on my phone during a commercial break, and I heard a song in the background that made me look up to see what commercial was showing. I didn't really know what to expect. At first look, I saw checkerboard floors, women dancing, and maids pouring milk into what I can only guess to be a bathtub. It also shows a women playing the drums, a young woman and an older man playing chess on the ground, a suspicious-looking young man reading a newspaper, and a lowering chandelier. All of this is going on in a retro checkerboard floored setting. At the end the commercial quickly smacks down the words "Just the Right Amount of Right Wrong," which is followed by a second of cosmopolitanlasvegas.com.
     This commercial made me do a double-take, because it made no sense to me. Nevertheless, I was confused enough to search the commercial on YouTube.

     If I was confused watching this commercial, it must have had the same effect on everyone else who watched it. That was probably the impression that the director and writer of the commercial intended from their audience. This being a commercial for the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, the target audience are adults in the prime of their life--from 21 to their early 30s. 

     The commercial appeals to its audience with the need for prominence. If young adults go to the Cosmopolitan, they will become part of an elite group who will party with them all night and they will have have a good time. The commercial makes it seem like the Cosmopolitan will offer its guests everything they need to feel at the top of their class. I mean, they must feel pretty high class and fancy with that giant chandelier they've got going on. The way that the people in the commercial are dressed even show that they are to be admired. This need for prominence also goes along with the advertising technique of snob appeal. Cosmopolitan will make its guests part of an elite group of people. They show this through the classy and glamorously-dressed people. I must mention the chandelier again, because those always seem to make people look and feel wealthy and important. 

     This also appeals to the audience's need for attention. This is especially shown through the woman walking across the floor like a model. Putting the spotlight on her gives the audience the impression that they too will feel noticed while on visiting the Cosmopolitan. Even the lighting of this whole commercial focuses on each of person, while making the rest of the footage dark. This brings attention to the people, and we can be just like them--feeling important and being noticed--if only we go the the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. 

     The thing that was most confusing to me was the ending line "Just the Right Amount of Wrong." The word "wrong" has a negative connotation, and I don't think I want to be involved in anything that I shouldn't be doing. Just that one word can discourage its audience. But then again, there are a whole lot of people who choose to live dangerously, and in that case, the Cosmopolitan would be the right fit. I also thought that the last line was really vague. What exactly has the right amount of wrong? And what do they mean by "wrong"? That line brings up a lot of clarifying questions.

     Overall, this commercial is effective in trying to reach out to its target audience by showing them another life they could have. 

     

Campbell's Wisest Kid with an Awesome Beard

     While flipping through an older issue of Better Housekeeping, I came across this ad for Campbell's soup, cream of mushroom soup, to be exact. It shows an enticing picture of chicken broccoli alfredo and a recipe to make the dish for the family. But the thing that caught my eye was "The Wisest Kid in the Whole World," who is a young boy with a beard meditating in a far-off land. He denies broccoli on the side, and he likes it right in his alfredo. If that's how he likes it, shouldn't all kids be eating it? 

     Considering that I found this in a Better Housekeeping magazine, the target audience is probably moms who are always trying to get their children to eat their vegetables. This being, this ad appeals to mothers' need to nurture. Seeing this ad will make moms feel the urge to cook their children the best meal while also feeding them broccoli. And apparently the wisest kid in the whole world likes and recommends broccoli, so it must be the way to go. 

     Although, the wisest kid in the whole world makes a vague selling point, because I'm not sure if Campbell's means that children will become wise and grow a beard with their soup, or that a wise kid is the mascot, so why not buy their product. In this ad, Campbell's in not even advertising broccoli, but cream of mushroom soup--it's not quite clear what they want from me. Either way moms look at it, I think that the wisest kid in the whole world will make them assume that Campbell's will make their kids wise.

     This ad also satisfies our physiological needs. I mean, just look at that chicken broccoli alfredo. Food is always good, right? So this will make people, especially moms, want to make it for their children. And it's with broccoli. Yeah, that's a bonus--feeding those kids right. Our physiological need for rather appetizing food will encourage us to buy Campbell's and recreate the dish ad pictured in the ad. 

     The advertising technique that was used here was simple solutions. The ad tells us that by buying Campbell's all our problems will be solved. Moms won't have to force their children to each broccoli, because Campbell's cream of mushroom soup with make it taste delicious. And while children are chowing down on broccoli, they will be turning into the wisest kid in the whole world. Well, probably not, but that's what Campbell's seems to claim. Maybe children will become just a little bit smarter with the right amount of vegetables to tend to their growing brains.With one can of Campbell's, moms can solve their problems about their children eating vegetables and make them smarter one bite at a time. 

     Although all I will be able to remember about this ad is the youth with an awesome beard, I think Campbell's did a good job convincing moms to buy the product. In this ad, Campbell's included the needs of mothers, as well as what the soup means for their children. 

Tornadoes: Language Dissection

Tornadoes have swept through the South and Midwest, wreaking havoc and claiming lives. The story on the tornadoes have been presented to us through different online news sources, each having its own use of language. These sources' use of language effect the way that readers react to the event.

The first news source I looked at was from Fox News. The title of the article already got me confused: "Dry, cool air mixed with warm moisture, add in heat, and deadly tornado outbreak is cooked up." Was the author attempting to use clever wordplay to make a deadly tornado seem like a simple disaster whose recipe included different weather patterns? The whole title is vague, because I'm not quite sure if the author is trying to make light on a deadly twister or emphasize the horrible weather the South has been having. If only that was made clear, because those two seem to be on different ends. The article continued to talk about "cooking" the weather to create the tornado breakout. Using the word cooking in terms of weather seems to be out of place. It has a positive connotation, because it makes the tornadoes seem like they're not doing much damage, as if they aren't wrecking havoc and killing people.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/04/29/dry-cool-air-mixed-with-warm-moisture-add-in-heat-and-deadly-tornado-outbreak/

The second news source was from The Huffington Post, entitled, "Tornadoes Kill More Than A Dozen People In Arkansas, Oklahoma." This article focuses on the destruction and people's accounts of the tornadoes across Arkansas and Oklahoma. The first thing that caught my eye was, "And then all hell broke loose," when describing people's reactions to the coming tornado. This phrase has a negative connotation that makes the reader feel scared and picture the erupting chaos. This feeling of terror is followed up by a paragraph with words like "destruction," "killing," "flattening rows of homes," "shredding cars," and "demolishing a school." These are strong words that makes the reader feel sympathy towards the people stuck in the tornado zone and provide a sense of the disaster.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/27/arkansas-oklahoma-tornadoes_n_5223589.html

The article from CNN did not evoke much emotion, but rather presented the facts and brief one-sentence accounts on the tornado. However, CNN did use vague numeral amounts describe the information. Terms like "repeatedly," a number of," "tens of thousands," and "numerous" were vague numbers that could be left up to interpretation.  Nevertheless, CNN did give provide an informative article on the tornadoes that did not appear to sway the audience to feel any specific way.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/29/us/severe-weather/index.html?iref=allsearch

The final article was from NPR, and it did not evoke any strong emotions to sway the audience one way or another. NPR writes that the "deadly tornadoes have wreaked havoc in the South." This describes the destruction and what actually happened, but doesn't go so far as to use words that evoke an emotional response from the reader to make them feel sad or sympathetic. This sentence is followed by, "leveling homes and claiming at least 28 lives." The words leveling and claiming are neutral, if not positive words to describe the effects of the tornado. It was much better to use these words instead of "destroying" or "killing," which has a connotation of a horrible disaster (even though the tornado is). NPR's word choice makes the effects of the tornado seem less disastrous.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/04/29/307960239/to-survive-a-tornado-first-run-to-shelter-then-grab-a-helmet

By looking at the language used by these four sources on the same story, I found that each uses language differently to evoke and emotional response (or not) from the audience. Fox News had me confused from the start because of the title, and the rest of the article only made the tornado seem pretty average. Huffington Post used strong language to make readers feel sad and sympathetic. CNN and NPR, however, did not use strong words that evoked emotion. Instead, both sources represented the facts on the tornadoes without attempting to sway the audience with language.

5,000 Seems Reasonable

I would like to say that I am not drowning in an average of 5,000 advertisements every single day, but I feel like that would be a massive lie. I can't just watch TV or go on the Internet without or even go down the street without ridiculous ads being thrown in my way. 

I can never remember a time when media wasn't a part of my life. I couldn't watch an episode of Dragon Tales without a quick commercial break where there were advertisements trying to reach out to toddlers with the latest must-have toy. Honestly, it never really bothered me--I even kind of liked the ads. They were fun and colorful, and that's all that matters to a little kid, right? But as I grew up, I became more annoyed by the never-ending stream of commercials. I would change the channel, but it seemed like every single channel had commercials on all at the same time. How convenient. 

With that being said, I would say that I consume more than my fair share of media. Sure, watching TV and all the commercials that go along with it is one thing, but the Internet and walking around is another. There are always ads on the side of the screen while I'm on the Internet searching for a current event. Even the streets are plastered with ads. There's no way around it. With the TV, Internet, and on the streets alone, the amount of ads I am subject to on a daily basis is more than I am willing to count. 

By being exposed to advertisements at such a young age, I feel like I have become numb to all strategically-created commercials and other ads that I am exposed to everyday. The media has been embedded into my life since the very beginning. I know that the ads are here, but I feel very unaffected by them. Growing up in a media-dominated world, the tools of advertisements seem to go right through me. I've seen it all before. After a while, they all seem to be the same kind of ad all mushed together. 

When I see a commercial, I don't really care for it. All I see and hear are clever words strung together along with HD-friendly people representing X brand. I'm not drawn to the products in advertisements. I am aware of these constant ads I am bombarded with each day, but my eyes seem to gloss over the deeper meaning, only seeing the nice picture in front of me.