Food, glorious Food!

Now a days in the media you can't go anywhere without seeing an advertisement for food. Whether is just snacks like chips, candy bars, or gummy bears, or entrees like chicken dinners, steak dinners, pizza, ect.

We see advertisements for food almost every single time they go to commercials on TV.  Commercials are the number one way for getting products out their for people to see. Anything from billboards, TV's newspapers, Magazines, sides of taxi's, buses, and trains will be advertising a delicious delicacy. Just take a look around very closely. I bet you can't go a day without seeing or hearing an ad about food.

Now the creators of these commercials for TV's or pictures for newspapers or magazines have a very important job. That is to make whatever they are advertising look delicious, and mouth watering. So they will spend countless hours doing whatever it takes to make that burger look very appetizing.

Going with what i said though is a reason why obesity is a major problem in the world today. You take a look around and you see ads for sandwiches, soda's, pizza, candy, fries, chocolate, anything that is technically unhealthy for us. How often do you see ads for fruits and veggies? not as often as subway does ads for foot-longs, or McDonald's is doing another commercial for Big-Macs. People see a commercial for lets say a steak at Outback, They will then most likely be craving a steak from Outback. The creators of these ads for foods will do anything to make the viewers start craving their items. It's their job, that's what they are suppose to do.

Body standards in the U.S.

 In today's society Beauty standards are at an all time high that some are almost impossible to do.. These sexual, sometimes provocative, images that the media portrays to the youth and adults of today to instill in their minds that this is the standard of people. They tell people that they should look like this and if they don't they are not popular All over we see advertisements with obviously fake people on it but we cant just ignore it because it is everywhere.We see commercials, models in magazines, people on billboards, even on sides of buss's and trains.

In modern day advertisements for clothing, cologne, sunglasses, almost anything, there is a half naked man with his shirt off. Almost always he has six pack abs and a clearly defined jaw line, biceps, and pecs.He usually has extremely fine hair and a nice smile This is one of few beauty standards for men. They are expected to be super suave or very rugged. One represents the sophistication of the modern day man. That he can take care of himself. The other represents a primal beast that takes nothing from no one, at least that's what they want people to think.

In reality it lowers other men's self esteem not only because they aren't like these men by physical standards, but it also challenges their sense of manhood and dominance. This challenge of ideals can cause some men to just feel in superior to the others. That they aren't as much of a "man" as them.

Women, from a young age, are bombarded with subliminal messages and standards of how women should be. They don't have a stupid " sense of manhood" like men do so they usually are more adept to whats going on. But if it happens from birth, it is the norm. For women, the beauty standard is thin, big boobs, big butt, tan, pretty (caked in make up) and apparently pose for everyone. But seriously, this is a little unreal here. Its especially concerning when young ladies actually strive for these things thinking that people will like her more if she was that person. That her false beauty would over shadow the years of self doubt and feelings of inadequacy. So in turn, she would look down upon other ladies who have not taken the road she has and some even shame them. This would cause possibly a lifetime of depression due to this standard that is in place. In my opinion, women's beauty standards are not only more rough than men, but also more widespread. 

History of black males in the Media

Within the first couple months of class we have learned just how social media, Television, and newspapers, have influenced our minds on what society should be. The representations of races, cultures, and other groups in media not only effects those being represented in the media but, also those who are not included in these groups.  The people then start getting their own opinions about certain people. The public will then begin to treat people of different cultures, or race the way they see in the media. This can be observed through the portrayal of black men throughout the history of television.

 Black males were further stereotyped through early American films, in which they were  portrayed as Toms,and coons.  In the film The Birth of A Nation, the roles and images of Black men were altered and exaggerated in an effort to alter the landscape of post-Civil War America. The film directs Black people to occupy “certain spaces, such as kitchens, and into certain supporting roles, such as criminals, on the screen. 

The Cosby Show was a Brooklyn based African American sitcom that lasted from 1984 to 1992 starring comedian Bill Cosby. Bill Cosby (Cliff Huxtable) is shown as a doctor in the show and is accompanied by a lawyer wife (Clair Huxtable). The show is very misleading to its viewers because of how rare it is of the family situation at the time of the show's airing. Even in present times, for a black family to have a doctor and a lawyer generating income in the same household is a very rare occasion. In this situation, if one is to look at the show as a reflection of society, they would flat out be wrong. Anyone who would classify this show to represent what is common in society at this time would be saying that most blacks are not in the streets dealing drugs, doing them, or in some form of way affected by drugs around them. To make this assessment is incorrect. If one is to look at this show as an image of what society should turn into, they would be partially correct except that there is no indication of what a black person has to overcome to reach these levels of success.

A Dream or a Fantasy

          Barbie girl dolls are famous and known for their irrational physical appearance. Barbie is posed as having impossible standards of physical perfections for girls.  The makers of Barbie gave her dimensions that if were to be on a person they would have a hard time.  

           Barbie is known as a woman who is significantly rich, lives in a big house, goes shopping all the time and has a boyfriend. 

Barbie is seen as a young, and successful girl in her twenties, who is rich, has a condo, pools, a car, loves to shop, and has a boyfriend named Ken. Barbie buys and wears clothes that attract others to herself.  Playing with Barbie, children, teenagers and their mothers to look like her and they themselves would grow up to be her.  Girls get this sense of feeling that in order to be successful in life, have people be attracted too you, be able to have a boyfriend, that you need big breasts , big butt, but a slightly skinny body. Barbie also portrays the idea that getting rich happens significantly, when in reality you need to work hard everyday.