Killing us Softly 4
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Please be ready to discuss the following questions in class on Sept. 14th. Please comment below about your initial thoughts about the film and how it both relates to what we watched in class the other day and what you read in chapter 11. Feel free to answer some of the questions below. Read each other's posts and feel free to comment on each others. Remember you don't have to agree with each other but you MUST respect each other and be kind.
1. How does American culture define “femininity” and “masculinity?” Are these definitions
universal, or do masculine and feminine ideals vary from place to place and over time?
2. Do you feel that our ideals of femininity and masculinity are learned or natural? Why?
3. Can people, whether female or male, have both “feminine” and “masculine” characteristics? Do
you see a danger in limiting people to one or the other?
4. What are some stereotypical stories media tell about women? What are some stereotypical
stories media tell about men? Give some examples of each. What patterns of difference do you
see between these two kinds of typical narratives?
5. What sorts of products are sold using images of women and femininity? What kinds of products
are sold using images of men and masculinity? Are these ever switched around? If so, when?
6. How is success usually portrayed in advertisements? Give some specific examples. Are there
forms of success that advertisements seem to leave out? What are they? Why do you think
they’re not as common in ads as other kinds of success?
7. How is happiness portrayed in advertisements? Be specific about the kinds of happiness that ads
typically appeal to, or put on display. And talk about what these ads seem to be saying is the
secret to this kind of happiness.
8. What are some differences between ads that feature white people and ads that feature people of
color?
9. What kinds of products are sold using sexuality? Why do you think advertisers would use sex to
sell their goods? How does this work, anyway? What does it mean when people say sex sells?
10. What is advertising’s basic role in a capitalist society? What’s its function in relation to the
system as a whole? How does this relationship affect the way people, and human values, are
constructed in ads?
11. What does it mean to be a citizen? What does it mean to be a consumer? Can a person be both a
citizen and a consumer? How?
12. How do the messages in advertising counter or undermine social change?
13. What is responsible advertising? Do advertisers have a responsibility to society? Do they have a
responsibility to children? Why or why not?
DH - The video was pretty informative. It sort of answered a lot of my 'why' questions that i always had when it came to women and advertising. Most of the things said I already knew in a way; like how advertisers put ultra skinny, fair skin women in most of their ads, and also the world's idea of what true 'beauty' is.
ReplyDeleteI am going to answer questions number 8.
8. What are some differences between ads that feature white people and ads that feature people of color?
Answer/Comment: From some of the ads that i've seen on television.. when it comes to certain items that are being advertised you wont really see women/people of color in. For example, there was an uproar pertaining to Dove's 2006 commercial. The commercial was about 6 minutes in total, there were a good amount of women. Out of all of the women, the women of color were only on screen for about 20 seconds, if that. And the women of color were on the lighter side. I think also depending on the brand that is being advertised, you probably will never see a person of color selling that item in an ad. I dont know, i actually liked this 'docu' surprisingly.
YM- The video was very educational and helpful. I was shocked to see that there were many ad's that I had seen before but never really payed attention to the dehumanization they had on women. Now I am more aware of what society is doing to women and how it makes women want to achieve this "perfect" image, which is impossible to fulfill, because most images of women are made with a lot of make-up or of photoshop. In addition, something that got my attention was the percentage of cosmetics surgeries, they increased from 2.1 million 1997 to 11.7 million in 2007. Again, all of this is created by the ad's society sells to women on how they need to become "beautiful" or "perfect".
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ReplyDeleteLike my classmate said in the previous comment, i was also shocked after actually paying attention and analyzing these ads to see how hard they try to sell that "perfect" girl image. Also after reading i would like to answer number 10. The basic role of advertisers is to sell. As long as their selling products everything is good. Its function is to generate money. Money is the main goal to them. Advertisers do not care how they make money, they will do anything they have to do to keep recieving money. The effect this has seems to be negative because the image and the behavior shown in the ads are being said acceptable when in reality they are not and they go against the values and principles taught at home.
ReplyDeleteLike my classmate said in the previous comment, i was also shocked after actually paying attention and analyzing these ads to see how hard they try to sell that "perfect" girl image. Also after reading i would like to answer number 10. The basic role of advertisers is to sell. As long as their selling products everything is good. Its function is to generate money. Money is the main goal to them. Advertisers do not care how they make money, they will do anything they have to do to keep recieving money. The effect this has seems to be negative because the image and the behavior shown in the ads are being said acceptable when in reality they are not and they go against the values and principles taught at home.
ReplyDeleteES- The video made things I ignored come to light. For example the brat dolls that kids play all though they are toys, they do much more to kids. These brat dolls set ways of dressing and looking older. Little girls shown in the video wore short dresses with heals and make up to look older, in which that was all started from Brat dolls. It was interesting when a lady in the video believed she needed to be a specific weight to be socially accepted. This lady starved herself and caused herself to become very sick to look like the girls on TV. Boys were even guilty of this because men believed women were all suppose to be a specific size the industry,media and society portrayed women to be. The video brought out great issues that we all fall guilty of going along with to the light.
ReplyDeleteQ:What are some differences between ads that feature white people and ads that feature people of color?
A: Most of the ads covering people of color were more in the music world. The music was adapted to their culture at such a young age and influenced them. White people ads were more to do with appearance. For instance a lot of the big clothing lines models' were white,and that shaped their culture as far as trying to influence weight and looks.
Earl S.
Like my classmates, I felt that this video was very eye-opening. I am also relieved that Jean Kilbourne took the time to understand how wrong the advertising industry is in objectifying women in their advertisements. We all know that "sex sells" however the way the media and advertising industry goes about this today is insulting to both men and women. It conveys the unrealistic message that we all need to strive be incredibly thin, pore-less, and "perfect" in order to be successful.
ReplyDeleteQ: 12) How do the messages in advertising counter or undermine social change?
A: I believe that messages in advertising undermine social change. Instead of promoting gender equality, the advertising industry will weaken any progress that has been made by sending subliminal messages to viewers. The advertising industry has the ability to reach millions of people on a daily basis from the time we know how to speak. Therefore they are able to send whatever message they want to. If advertisements chose to promote social change we would see less objectification and more equality.
Natalie H.
I completely agree with what you said about how adverstiment have the ability to influence a large number of people but instead of using that for good, they use it to impact people in a negative way.
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ReplyDeleteI found this article very interesting, as my classmates I was also shocked to see that our society is losing objectivity. the ads have commissioned to damage our way of seeing things, values and attributes are not important anymore. Now days having a profession is not as essential as being pretty or this is how ads are portraying it to be. according to the ads in order to be successful you need to reach this ideal image of beauty for both men and women. and i think this is why there are many people with low self-esteem because when we don't reach this ideal image we feel ashamed and unsatisfied with the way we are. but we don't even realize that this images are being edited. not even the ads are real. from now on i'm going to be more alert for when it comes to advertisements. we do not need ads to tells us who or how we should be. we just need to be thankful for the way we are.
I always thought that media, and commercials didn't affect me. I believed in the whole only "8%" of commercials on television and in ads is what the consumer retains. But after watching this video I was able to look back at past instances where I personally didn't feel up to the standard that media has set out for women, which may also be the case for many men today as well. Media has affected me without me even realizing because these ads have become the norm. I was able to recognize these stereotyped ads and can be more aware of those all around me. One quote that stuck out to me and quite frankly bothered me was that of a woman who wrote, "My boyfriend told me he loved me for my mind. I was never so insulted in my life." Women everywhere have been fighting and continue fighting to be heard, to use their knowledge, to be insightful and professionals, meanwhile that ad went back to objectifying women as only pleasurable for men instead of one that another could have an intellectual conversation.
ReplyDeleteQ2: Do you feel that our ideals of femininity and masculinity are learned or natural? Why?
The idea of femininity and masculinity are learned because to a child it is completely okay for boys to dress up and a girl can play with "boy toys". A male child can play house while the female goes to work. To children the idea of femininity and masculinity doesn't exist until someone older separates the two and stereotypes children's play, engraving it unto their minds.
-Idalys
After watching this video I realize that advertisement have a big impact on how society see us and how we should act. one particular advertisement that caught my attention was the one a woman said "If I didn't lost 49 pounds I wouldn't be married now" this ad uses thinness as a value in order for a woman to find "true love" . This type of advertisement put forth a beauty standard of extreme thinness that is unattainable for most female. Female absorbing this type of advertisements can be physically and emotionally harm. For example it can lead to eating disorders.
ReplyDeleteCristal Marte
Both videos and the reading have really made me pay more attention to what we see daily through advertisements, shows, etc... They have also made me wonder how we have all been affected growing up viewing all of this garbage. The way humans are portrayed in advertisements is very disgraceful. They are turned into objects. They are only there to attract an audience and "look good". They make the viewers believe that is what they should look like. Watching the music videos also disappointed me because viewing them now and all put together made me see how inappropriate they are, especially for young children who see them daily. I remember watching some of them as an elementary schooler and wanted to dance just like those singers. What stuck out to me in the reading was the section about women's portrayal in television shows/movies. Even men are portrayed in a bad way sometimes. There are stereotypes that are shown over and over again that make men look lazy and women look stupid. It would be great if these could disappear since they aren't even accurate for most of the worlds population.
ReplyDeleteAs a psychology major, I think gender norms/stereotypes should be a huge part of my studies since it is what affects us throughout our lives and influences our entire existence. I hope to one day figure out how to change this so children in the future won't be subjected to the bullying and disapproval for not being "normal" and we can see them grow up to be their true self.
Genesis Monsanto
ReplyDeleteI found it rather sad that this is the world that we live in. Also the fact that even after so long we really haven’t come that far. I was aware of how the women in the ads that we’re constantly seeing aren’t real and they don’t look like the majority of what women look like. But the me back in middle school and high school didn’t know that, much like all the young girls now who are seeing these ads as well. It use to kill me that I never looked just right, but that is what they wanted of course. Then to link this to the video that we watched in the previous class, this is what girls grow up on from their first barbie doll to now years later still trying to fit into that perfect image. It hasn’t left my head since I’ve read chapter 11 “Symbolic Annihilation”. I feel that with these ads they perform a form of symbolic annihilation towards women, annihilating the idea of women being anything but conventionally beautiful, straight, white or light skinned, thin and sexually available while keeping a sense of innocence. What woman like that, exist in the real world? Not many that is for sure, but then what of all the other women in the world? It is like they’re erased or silenced they aren’t given a voice, they don’t exist the world of ads. At least not until recently but still it isn’t enough.
Question 2. The rules of femininity and masculinity are learned in my opinion. Even before a baby is born everything is very clearly decided. Is it a boy? Everything must be blue, and about sports and about playing outside being active. Is it a girl? Everything is pink and soft pastels, dolls and tea sets, dress up, princesses and everything in between. Boys have to be though, and boys don’t cry. Girls need to be lady like and sweet. We’re told these things all our lives when we’re growing up and told this is the way, and that is it. Even when a boy has more feminine qualities or vice versa they are then ridiculed and that thought of as “not normal”. These things are learned and it takes a lot sometimes to break away from these embodied “lessons” and then realize that people are naturally how they are whether is feminine or masculine and it doesn’t matter if they’re male or female.
Since I’ve attended college, each year I’ve watched Killing Us Softly in a lecture hall and every time I notice something different. Jean Kilbourne makes various points as to how advertisements have way more meaning towards society than society thinks as a whole. In the film, Kilbourne says “ads sell more than products. They sell concepts of love and sexuality, success and most importantly normalcy: what we are and what we should be”. This quote received my attention because I never really thought ads could do that. However when you really think about it and the evidence Kilbourne provides it is difficult to name a single ad that does not show what social considers to be normal. Society has made it very clear that women should be “sexy” whether it is by buying a bra at a lingerie story, buying food, or even purchasing make up to cover their exterior looks.
ReplyDeleteQ: Number 8: What are some differences between ads that feature white people and ads featuring people of color?
A: When watching Killing me softly Jean Kilbourne pointed that most darker color African American females are displayed in ads that make them look and dress exotic. For example in of the the ads Kilbourne pointed out the female was dressed in leopard print. Also Kilbourne points out that many lighter people of color also get edited in ads to become even more lighter than they already are. Again, an example would Beyonce’s covergirl ad. In the ad Beyonce is much more lighter than she actually is in reality. Other differences I have noticed since watching the film is most ads of white people are either made out to be sexy, or daring in order to get to the point while ads that use people of color aim to beautify a women.
After watching Killing Us Softly 4 again, the video enhances the stereotypes that women suffer daily. Women are so influenced by media in all that it affects the idea of independence. The people behind ads to my believe know exactly how much they can control the thought process of others but have zero care in the world because their product is selling exponentially. The statement made on one of the ads had me puzzled. "It's sure a load off Roy since I lost 59lbs," Why is it a load off of him? Why does weight define love or the way someone loves another? Shouldn't you accept and love someone for who they are but not how much weigh? These are all questions I come up with when I saw the ad.
ReplyDeleteQ: 2. Do you feel that our ideals of femininity and masculinity are learned or natural? Why?
A: I believe the ideals are natural only because this day in age media is they way or learning, teaching and living in which help kids choose a path. Kids look up to celebrities, athletes and influential people who are all honored on TVs, newspapers, games, fashion, industry, and etc. All these ways of looking at your role model live only entices you to do the same in which may not be correct but to kids that's all they know or were exposed to.
As I watched Killing Us Softly I began to see where many of my ideas or perfection formed as a child. I remember growing up and buying the barbie dolls or bratz dolls and hoping I look just as perfect as a woman. This movie depicts every kind of stereotype of a female. Jean Kilbourne brings out the most important issue about advertisements. Jean states, "It sells values, images, the concept of love and sexuality but most damaging; of normalcy". It is remarkable that woman are just noticed when it comes to looks and physical features. We are made of so much more than that! Jean also explains how, "failure is inevitable because the ideal is based of flawlessness. I remember in hs when the Ralph Lauren scam came out with a picture of a model who was edited to look extremely thin, almost sickly. Jean's analysis on advertisement and woman is one-hundred percent accurate, she takes apart all the real life disputes and displays them up in the center of the viewer.
ReplyDeleteQ13. What is responsible advertising? Do advertisers have a responsiblity to society? Do they have a responsiblity to children? Why or Why not?
Answer: Responsible advertising is showing a product or a person as they really are! People are all sizes and have all different features they were uniquely born with. This is where insecurities come from because advertisers are producing a lie to the public! If I were an advertiser, I would think of my children, if I had none then I would think of the younger family members, my friend's children. Imagine going home and seeing your child upset or stressed out because they aren't perfect and that is all they are taught to be is flawless. Advertisers absolutely have a responsibitlity to society and that is to be honest and give the public a real image or real life lessons about values, the concept of love and sexuality and normalcy. Children look up to these icons in each magazine or advertisement and hope to become them as they grow up. If the children are being showed a lie how can they really work toward becoming as great as their idol? The answer is they can't and many of these advertisements will continue to produce lies because it is money in their pocket everytime they put a filter or crop a female in their ads.
This video really opened up my eyes when it came to identifying women. I liked the way Jean broke it down in her video. Every single ad we see or hear portrays these women to be sexual, beautiful, flawless, skinny; doing whatever they can to sell and promote their items. Other young girls watching these Ads think and believe they have to look the exact same or they are not considered "pretty." This results in depression, eating disorders and sometimes suicide. It is so sad that this is what the world has come down to. you only see tall, skinny, beautiful girls in these ads seeing themselves; sometimes even sexually. Sometimes I ask myself, What is considered sexy? Why isn't "curvy" sexy? Whereas the men are presented with strength and dignity. For example, growing up as a teenage girl, these advertisements were "all you knew." When in reality, the media is presented the wrong idea about life lesson, value of people and life itself. Its like one big web of lies. Because in reality, no one looks like that; not even the super model herself.
ReplyDeleteThis video taught me more than I thought it would have. I always knew how the media could affect people but I never thought it was as extreme as it is shown in this video. Seeing how these ads affect women is eye opening and now I can see how they affect me as well. The idea of beauty that is forced upon us through these ads is unrealistic and unfair to those who don't fit the ideal. Why is there only one type of beautiful? Why can't we acknowledge the diversity that there is in the world? To see girls at such a young age be affected so greatly by these ads is completely unsettling. This video ties with chapter 11 and the other video we watched in class by showing us how the media can affect people. It definitely creates the idea of being masculine and feminine. Women are expected to be pure, submissive and beautiful while men are expected to show no signs of femininity at all and to be strong and stoic. By watching this video it is easy to see where all the harsh stereotypes come from and I hope as a society we can learn someday that telling people how they should look and act can be very damaging.
ReplyDeleteThis video is right on point and helped me realize that men and women are most definitely portrayed in a different light through advertisements. Women are portrayed to be nothing more than "beautiful" and almost always act within a sexual manor. These ads can really cause damage and make a women who has low self esteem feel inferior to everyone. It seems that advertisements want to force on us what women are supposed to look like (skinny, tall, and Barbie like) in order to better sell their products to the average consumer. I feel if we can better limit or completely abolish how much advertisement companies portray to us what we all should look like, then we can limit the amount of damage they can inflict on us.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching Killing us Softly 4, Jean really helped viewers to see exactly how our society today portrays women and their sexuality. Advertisers distort females body type to create what should be "the perfect body". These ads and their messages are selling more than just products. They are reinforcing an unrealistic and unhealthy perception of beauty which is leading to gender violence, eating disorders, and even suicide. Ads are everywhere and the more young girls become exposed to them, they are telling them the most important thing is what you look like. The ideal female body is flawless (tall, light skinned and straight hair) and can not be achieved. It's been created through cosmetics and computer retouching. The media and advertisers are teaching young girls at a young age that "sex sells". They encourage these girls that their appearance and behavior is rewarded in society. It is actually the total opposite in reality. They are being taught the wrong idea about what they should look like and how they should act. Everything in the media is a lie and it is impacting women in the wrong ways.
ReplyDeleteThis video was incredibly eye-opening for me. I feel like as much as I'm for feminism and the more and more I read and comprehend, there's always so much more to understand. So many of the images that Jean Kilbourne showed were so powerful that I felt grossed out. Everyday we're immersed in these images and we look at them and see products that we might want or not want. The subliminal messages being encouraged are so shocking and completely disgusting. Each image represents so much more. Men and women are told that they have to be this perfect person when in reality, that perfect person just doesn't exist. That perfect person is a compilation of images idealizing aspects of what is considered beautiful. The attributes of the skinny, blonde hair, blue eyed, white woman that are what society considers beautiful so that's what's marketed. The idea that black women are lightened is just an awful concept and yet it still continuously happens! It's ridiculous. Although, the end of the video did give me some hope. The idea that so many celebrities and big industries that use models are starting to realize the negative effects of their campaigns is so important. It's one of the many steps closer to feminism that the world needs. Hopefully more and more and people and companies can follow their lead and try to stop these false advertisements and unhealthy idealizations from occurring.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I was aware of feminism, I was not fully educated of the issue until I viewed this video. I found it interesting how Jean Kilbourne introduced the viewers to broader opinions. She included the fact that men also are beginning to get tied up into feminism. In fact, there are increasing numbers of ads in which degrade men. One common way is making the male seem tough and strong. It doesn't seem like much of an issue, but then we begin to see the rise in violence. Boys have been exposed to violence since very young ages, which is why they grow up to be violent. The media also expresses women to be sex object than what we actually are. Lesbians and porn are being used to push viewers to buy their product. Since our era sees women as sexual object, you almost never see two gays posing for a magazine or ad. One of my favorite parts of the clip was when they said that the models in the magazines don't even look like the models in the magazine. This shows the serious editing issues that our media uses to make the model ideal and appealing. It was crazy how one ad used two women and created one person just because they liked specific features on both girls. Its shocking how much technology ties into our generation. I loved how Kilbourne expresses how this social problem is also becoming a problem for public health. Men are becoming more violent, women are gaining eating disorders, low self esteem, and even depression. There are a rising numbers of suicides or deaths in women which lead up to some type of feminist matter. This video seemed like a stepping stone in a serious feminist war. We have to change the norms of our generation.
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ReplyDeleteAfter watching “Killing Us Softly 4” I was shocked to see how the media and society feel advertisements need to be made. I’ve always felt that women aren’t portrayed correctly, and that society sees them as “sex objects” but watching this has made it more clear that that’s all we’re good for. T.V. and media make women feel as though they need to be a certain weight and body type to be accepted and for a man to love them. It makes young girls feel the need to start wearing makeup, dieting, and changing their appearance at such an early age. It’s completely unacceptable! To answer question 9, all products can and are sold using sexuality. If it can appeal to a man by having a half naked women on the screen, or get women’s attention but having a muscular and built man walk around in just his underwear then it WILL be bought! Advertisers use sex to sell their products because sex sells. It works by appealing to the opposite gender and somehow makes them think they NEED this product just because the attractive person on the T.V. says so. When people say sex sells, they mean that people are attracted to half naked people of the opposite sex, and if those people look good then you aren’t even paying attention to the product, just that this really “hot” or “sexy” man/woman on the media sys how great it is and clearly you need it to survive.
ReplyDeleteAlexis P.
Killing Us Softly 4 is something that everyone should watch. Growing up, I was blinded by this and I never saw it as anything out of the ordinary. Advertising was teaching women that they have to be beautiful for the people around them. especially males, rather than feeling confident in their own skin. Not to mention that the medias idea of "beautiful" is literally impossible to achieve. The part of the film that really scared me was when they were showing advertisements of women being replaced with objects to appeal more to men. It is teaching society that women are in fact objects and that it is okay to treat them as such. Ideas like this it what leads to rape, sexual harassment, and overall loss of respect for women.
ReplyDelete-Jenny Cayer
Killing us Softly is certainly an eye opener for women. I never realized how insulting and demining that adds can really be. Advertising uses women as objects and not as people. I like particularly when she said we need t start looking t women as Citizens not consumers. I also though that it was very eye opening to realize the amount of violence and I like that she said aren't bad because I think a lot of women get this idea because there is so much domestic violence that men are monsters and horrible people. She said it was part of being masculine and that is how they express how they are feeling. I think it is terrifying that women will never look at themselves as beautiful because all the models are one type. I find that so true when I am looking for clothes because even just the products themselves are built for one type of women. I think society has lost touch to what it is to be a women and I think in the next wave of feminism that should clearly be defined.
ReplyDeleteBrittney Cote