Wednesday, 24 November 2010
Intro
The medium is the message- Marshall McLuhan, this statement in itself infers just how the Media dominates how we receive information.
Audience Theories
Cultivation Theory – I believe that the target audience, pretty much females, rather young ones, spend most of their time consumed in the media. Looking at what’s in and what’s out. What they see in the media is what is ‘true’ in some sense. And with so many shows about body image, who wouldn’t be body conscious? From watching shows that repeatedly portrayed slimmer women, from movies, to adverts, to soaps, women have always to be skinny to be accepted, taken seriously and considered to be sexy/beautiful. Shows like How to look good naked, America’s next top model and 10 years younger are all based on the narrative of body image. America’s next top model, being a monopoly of all modelling programs, has had a domino effect, and resulted in other countries also producing their version of the show. Resulting people being affected about body image on an international scale. Also with society turning to the media for almost everything now, we depend on the media to construct our opinions.
Copycat theory – By consuming so many medium on a daily basis, people cannot help but reflect on what they see and imitate it. When people see women being represented in a certain way almost everywhere, they accept that this is the right way, and follow it.
Copycat theory – By consuming so many medium on a daily basis, people cannot help but reflect on what they see and imitate it. When people see women being represented in a certain way almost everywhere, they accept that this is the right way, and follow it.
Tuesday, 23 November 2010
Points to include
Tyra Banks – From size zero, typical model look to a plus size model, and how it has become acceptable on the catwalk to be plus size.
Websites that sell clothes specifically for women sizes 12 – 32. www.simplybe.co.uk and www.marisota.co.uk
Healthy eating at schools, and the government’s ways of keeping people fit and healthy.
Websites that sell clothes specifically for women sizes 12 – 32. www.simplybe.co.uk and www.marisota.co.uk
Healthy eating at schools, and the government’s ways of keeping people fit and healthy.
Five Issues/Debates/Theories relevant to my Investigation.
Ownership & Control – Who the texts are coming from is always very important to consider what sort of ideologies they are trying to represent. Such as America’s next top Model, which is hosted by Tyra Banks who herself was once a model, but now has become a plus size model and therefore to reflect her ideologies on body image she has chosen to portray that plus size ( real life ) people can be models.
Gender – Gender is also key, as I am looking at the body image of women in specific and how the male gender also has an input in to how body image is being constructed on TV. Recent surveys suggest that men are looking for curvy women not stick thin women.
Reality TV – The texts I will be looking at are America’s Next Top Model, How to look good naked and supersize vs. super skinny. All three are reality TV programs.
Media Effects – the media is very important, as it consumes so much of the public’s lives, so the shifts in how people perceive body image has also been changed dominantly by the media and Reality TV programs that accept real life people as beautiful.
Moral Panics – Repeatedly we see in the media, overweight people and how we should eat healthily, and even children have been included. However shows like Supersize VS Super skinny present the unhealthy extent that dieting can have on people.
Gender – Gender is also key, as I am looking at the body image of women in specific and how the male gender also has an input in to how body image is being constructed on TV. Recent surveys suggest that men are looking for curvy women not stick thin women.
Reality TV – The texts I will be looking at are America’s Next Top Model, How to look good naked and supersize vs. super skinny. All three are reality TV programs.
Media Effects – the media is very important, as it consumes so much of the public’s lives, so the shifts in how people perceive body image has also been changed dominantly by the media and Reality TV programs that accept real life people as beautiful.
Moral Panics – Repeatedly we see in the media, overweight people and how we should eat healthily, and even children have been included. However shows like Supersize VS Super skinny present the unhealthy extent that dieting can have on people.
Issues and Debates
Representation: how the media present people, places and even events through words, images and sounds. Representations allow audiences to have certain opinions on gender, beliefs etc.
Stereotyping: generalised view on a group of people in society. Stereotypes are made when there is a repeated characteristic in people and therefore the media summarily categorise them.
Media Effects: Theory to see if the media can infect influence the audiences and suggest that audiences are passive.
Reality TV: when members of the public are filmed without any sort of script or directions to show “real life” for entertainment value.
News Values: The criteria that broadcasters use to select news. To see what is worth to be in the news.
Moral Panics:By Jock young and developed by Stan Cohen, suggesting to the public that a certain situation is out of control, and people start to panic. This is done by repeatedly showing the issue in the media and use of the same stereotypes.
Post 9/11:the representation of certain races/religions in the media since the 9/11, in specific the representation of the Muslim society in the media.
Ownership and control:Who owns the institution that the media texts are coming from and who has control in what is included in the texts.
Regulation and Censorship:monitoring and controlling media content, and getting rid of anything that is not suitable for a certain group of people such as religious groups, political groups etc. Regulation is when the elite people in control make sure that all is well and that things which are not suitable for people is not shown.
Globalisation: When companies merge and work on an international basis.
Stereotyping: generalised view on a group of people in society. Stereotypes are made when there is a repeated characteristic in people and therefore the media summarily categorise them.
Media Effects: Theory to see if the media can infect influence the audiences and suggest that audiences are passive.
Reality TV: when members of the public are filmed without any sort of script or directions to show “real life” for entertainment value.
News Values: The criteria that broadcasters use to select news. To see what is worth to be in the news.
Moral Panics:By Jock young and developed by Stan Cohen, suggesting to the public that a certain situation is out of control, and people start to panic. This is done by repeatedly showing the issue in the media and use of the same stereotypes.
Post 9/11:the representation of certain races/religions in the media since the 9/11, in specific the representation of the Muslim society in the media.
Ownership and control:Who owns the institution that the media texts are coming from and who has control in what is included in the texts.
Regulation and Censorship:monitoring and controlling media content, and getting rid of anything that is not suitable for a certain group of people such as religious groups, political groups etc. Regulation is when the elite people in control make sure that all is well and that things which are not suitable for people is not shown.
Globalisation: When companies merge and work on an international basis.
Wednesday, 10 November 2010
Texts I have looked at.
Article from the BBC News website (Wednesday 17th Feburary 2010)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8510160.stm
"Men do not experience - and have to live with - the same degree of bodily scrutiny, analysis, competition and comparison that women do."
"In our modern society the relentless promotion of the idealisation of thinness has put women of all ages under intense pressure to strive after the attainment of body perfection."
Glamour magazine website "Real Size Models On The Runway In London".
http://www.glamour.com/fashion/blogs/slaves-to-fashion/2009/09/real-size-models-on-the-runway.html
"The girls were so skinny!" and "Someone get those poor girls cheeseburgers stat!" were just a few of the murmurs we heard about the mannequins last week"
"Just three normal women, making his clothes look gorgeous, walking randomly in between the size 2s we've come to expect on the catwalk."
"Stylist Fast hired refused to work with the size-10-and-up models, which only sheds a brighter light on fashion's weight bias and further cements why we need designers like Fast in the first place."
Another BBC Article "Size zero girls 'less attractive'"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/8327750.stm
"The study found that girls with an average weight and build were ranked as being the most attractive and healthy"
"Researchers said the findings sent out a strong message to young women who believe being underweight is considered to be attractive."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8510160.stm
"Men do not experience - and have to live with - the same degree of bodily scrutiny, analysis, competition and comparison that women do."
"In our modern society the relentless promotion of the idealisation of thinness has put women of all ages under intense pressure to strive after the attainment of body perfection."
Glamour magazine website "Real Size Models On The Runway In London".
http://www.glamour.com/fashion/blogs/slaves-to-fashion/2009/09/real-size-models-on-the-runway.html
"The girls were so skinny!" and "Someone get those poor girls cheeseburgers stat!" were just a few of the murmurs we heard about the mannequins last week"
"Just three normal women, making his clothes look gorgeous, walking randomly in between the size 2s we've come to expect on the catwalk."
"Stylist Fast hired refused to work with the size-10-and-up models, which only sheds a brighter light on fashion's weight bias and further cements why we need designers like Fast in the first place."
Another BBC Article "Size zero girls 'less attractive'"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/8327750.stm
"The study found that girls with an average weight and build were ranked as being the most attractive and healthy"
"Researchers said the findings sent out a strong message to young women who believe being underweight is considered to be attractive."
How to look good naked
M – Different locations around the UK – to target more people, suggest that women who are of a larger size are everywhere, and that is what we call normal, not size sero.
I – E4
G – Reality TV
R – Represents women to be shy people who come out confident of their size. Portrays real size women to be beautiful.
A – Shown on E4 which is a channel known for its youthful programs. Also shows programs which CW produce such as 90210, One Tree Hill and Smallville, therefore the audiences may be the same too. Largely females, however more elder women, such as the ones who take part in the show.
I – The message sent across to viewers is that women should embrace the way they look and not try to perfect themselves.
N – linear, and us the viewers follow the subjects journey in each program, seeing them come out of their shells.
First draft of introduction
Women have always been treated as an object of desire. They are there to look perfect, but what is perfection? for years women have tried to achieve the size zero image, repeatedly shown in the media. Diets, exercising and even starving themselves, females have gone to extreme lengths to cope with these ideologies. However recently we have seen a rise in women being "real women", and the media has supported this with shows that promote larger sizes to be normal, sexy and accepted, but why has there been such a shift in the ideologies?
America's next top model.
M - Infromal, we even see some of the models arguing. Fly on the wall type of shots.
I - CW television network, also known for programs such as One tree hill, 90210 and Smallville. Shown on Living TV in Britain.
G - Reality TV ( sending off messages that being as skinny as a model is what is accepted in 'reality'.
R- "survival of the fittest" well in this case, It's as if the one who fits in with all the model conventions wins. The larger model who participate are commonly represented as the outcast.
A - considering other programs that CW air, the audience are a mass female audience. Escapists, mainstreamers and aspirers.
I - The idea that such a show is even popular, we can see that the ideologies are also accepted by the sudiences. We are given the sense that we need to look a certain type, and possibly even that looks can get you somewhere in life. Also that you need to fit in and become a mainstreamer.
N - Linear. There have been 15 cycles up till now, and each cycle, the audiences follow the episodes to see who finally wins.
Final Critical Investigation Title.
How does advertising construct ideologies of body image, and why has there been a shift/ change in these ideologies from size zero to size 16?
Work to do !
In the Media A-Z (There are spare copies of this in DF05 on the desk near the front on the left side of the room) read/highlight the following:
Issues/Debates
Representation and stereotyping
Media effects
Reality TV
News Values
Moral Panics
Post 9/11 and the media
Ownership and control
Regulation and censorship
Media technology and the digital revolution – changing technologies in the 21st century
The effect of globalisation on the media
Theories
Semiotics
Structuralism and post-structuralism
Postmodernism and its critiques
Gender and ethnicity
Marxism and hegemony
Liberal Pluralism
Colonialism and Post-colonialism
Audience theories
Genre theories
Use the internet to research these issues/debates and theories if you need further clarification or if you don't have a Media A - Z to hand.
Choose the five issues/debates/theories which apply most to your critical investigation question.
On your blog carefully define each of these five issues/debates/theories.
Then carefully explain how each of these 5 issues/debates/theories applies to your critical investigation.
For Homework (Due 10/11/10) - visit the blogs of four other students in the class. Look at their critical investigation research and question (you should all have posted this information on your blog by now!). Then in the comments section suggest one new issue/debate/theory that you think is relevant to each four students' areas of study. Explain why this issue/debate/theory can be applied to their critical investigation question.
If you have not already done so, apply MIGRAIN and SHEP to the two media texts which will form the main focus of your critical investigation. Post this to your blog by 20/10/10.
By 23/10/10 add to your blog a list of the first 5 texts you have read as research for your critical investigation. Quote all sections of the texts which are relevant to your question and comment on their relevance. Remember to update your bibliography with all the books and websites you have used in your research so far.
Over half term - continue with your research. Use the internet (remember to use the Media Magazine website!!) and text books to find at least 5 more texts (10 in total so far) which are relevant to your question. Post relevant quotations to your blog and comment on their connection to your question. Update your bibliography. Be ready to present all you research on 3/11/10.
Remember to take notes on all the Media Theorists at the media magazine conference on Thursday - much of this may be relevant to your area of study.
Issues/Debates
Representation and stereotyping
Media effects
Reality TV
News Values
Moral Panics
Post 9/11 and the media
Ownership and control
Regulation and censorship
Media technology and the digital revolution – changing technologies in the 21st century
The effect of globalisation on the media
Theories
Semiotics
Structuralism and post-structuralism
Postmodernism and its critiques
Gender and ethnicity
Marxism and hegemony
Liberal Pluralism
Colonialism and Post-colonialism
Audience theories
Genre theories
Use the internet to research these issues/debates and theories if you need further clarification or if you don't have a Media A - Z to hand.
Choose the five issues/debates/theories which apply most to your critical investigation question.
On your blog carefully define each of these five issues/debates/theories.
Then carefully explain how each of these 5 issues/debates/theories applies to your critical investigation.
For Homework (Due 10/11/10) - visit the blogs of four other students in the class. Look at their critical investigation research and question (you should all have posted this information on your blog by now!). Then in the comments section suggest one new issue/debate/theory that you think is relevant to each four students' areas of study. Explain why this issue/debate/theory can be applied to their critical investigation question.
If you have not already done so, apply MIGRAIN and SHEP to the two media texts which will form the main focus of your critical investigation. Post this to your blog by 20/10/10.
By 23/10/10 add to your blog a list of the first 5 texts you have read as research for your critical investigation. Quote all sections of the texts which are relevant to your question and comment on their relevance. Remember to update your bibliography with all the books and websites you have used in your research so far.
Over half term - continue with your research. Use the internet (remember to use the Media Magazine website!!) and text books to find at least 5 more texts (10 in total so far) which are relevant to your question. Post relevant quotations to your blog and comment on their connection to your question. Update your bibliography. Be ready to present all you research on 3/11/10.
Remember to take notes on all the Media Theorists at the media magazine conference on Thursday - much of this may be relevant to your area of study.
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