I think that I will probably be doing a type of beauty product like shampoo or mascara because I thought that it was very interesting when we contrasted the 50’s ads for femine products with the 70’s ad.  I think that doing this essay will help me see what it ment to be a female back in earlier times as compared to today. 

1.  I can see that Bordo organizes her essay in a sort of chronological fashion, she begins with her discovery of the beautiful male model in the Calvin Klein ad and this lead to her venture into the world of ads that have recently been objectifying the male body as much as the female body.  She begins her essay with the story that peaked her interest in this new sort of advertizing and she goes on to relate the history of men in advertizing and why she finds it so facinating.  I feel that she is relaying a story in her essay and that helped to keep track of all the information.  There are numerous facets to her essay and she gives herself room to explore each one in great detail by sub-dividing her essay into different topics.  I enjoyed her essay as whole but it was much easier and more pleasurable to read since Bordo divided her essay up.  I also liked how she integrated her own personal story into the essay since that helped me relate to her.            2.   I mentioned how she splits up her essay into little chunks.  First, she intoduces us to the radical world of modeling with the erotic Calvin Kein ad.  She calls her first chapter men on display.  Then she talks about how she enjoys this new age in Thanks Calvin-the designer who began it all.  She discusses the different typese of models in Rocks and Leaners, also contrasting and comparing female and male models.  Then she talks about how there is a trend of men acting and women appearing in ads.  Then she how men like to look actractive but how they feel self-conscious about pampering and grooming their bodies.  She also discusses ethnic differences in teh world of medeling and what different cultures like and appreciate.  She finally proclaims that she enjoys how men’s bodies are being exposed for the commercials instead of just women’s bodies all the time.  She sees this as a progression.   3.  In the last chapter, Bordo remarks on how she is finally able to objectify a man’s body and simply enjoy it because it is so so erotic.  She feels that there is a pressure in our culture to observe men and women isn seperate ways.  Females may have their bodies on display for male enjoyment but males are not usually objectified in that fashoin until recently.                          

These two ads are both selling food but they are from different time periods.  The ad from  the 40’s is selling soup and it is similar to the last 40’s ad in the sense that it gives a good deal of information about the product and  it’s benefits.  The second ad is selling milk but that is not completely evident at first glance.  A sexy supermodel is the main focus of the ad and there is no argument for the product except for the fact that she is drinking it.  But evidently that is suffient for our culture.  It is just as Douglas says, we are using women’s bodies as objects in order to sell products.  Instead of showing the actual objects, we are showing the people.  Instead of providing us with information, the people selling the object just use a simple slogan now-Got Milk?  It is definitely dumbed down for us which is saying something about our culture.  I do not think that we are getting dumber, I think that we are getting lazier and there is an overemphasis on the visual stimulation of a beautiful body.

It was very interesting to me to see how to different time periods sold the exact same product. First of all, sanitary pads seem like a very awkward thing to advertize; so both actual advertizements turn that concept around on itself. Although they are very different, both advertizements are trying to sell assurance along with their product. The first advertizement is from the forties and an entire argument is presented for the value of Kotex pads. It starts with the provocative question-Are You in the Know? Then it goes on talk about three everyday situations that a woman of the that time period would find herself in. In all those situations, a woman would need poise and confidence and the advertizement talks about how their product provides those things. Women during the forties were expected to be the good housewives and the gracious hostesses. They ensured that social events were run smoothly and that everybody was happy. This ad would appeal to them because it called the sanitary napkin the “poise preserver.” The ad promised them “good judgement,”comfort, safety, and assurance in social situations. Women prided themselves on their presence of mind so the argument for Kotex must have appealed to them. There was a great deal of information on the first ad and there were only drawings of people instead of actual photos. At first glance, one would not be able to tell what the ad was selling. Since the forties were more conservative, the company was probably doing that on purpose, making the advertizement a little more subtle so as not to shock anyone. The other ad, in contrast, was an actual photo with color and the message was a little more direct. However, there was a lot less information about the product and what it’s benefits were. The main benefit was not about funtionality but about beauty because the ad just had a beautiful woman with the caption-Be a beautiful story. She is surrounded by blurred, soft, pastel colors and the ad was about being anything-Be a question, be an answer. It did not give examples about what one could do while wearing a pad like the other ad. In comparing the two ads, it seemed like women have gradually ceased caring about being informed about the products that they use. Instead, they are just buying products because beautiful women are in the ads.

1.  Susan Douglas’ talks about how women are presented in ads and how they should be presented.  A real women would have wrinkles, eye bags, and cellulite but there are so many ads that show women with perfectly toned thighs and flawless skin.  Douglas complains that these ads cause women to become dissatisfied with their appearance.  She says that the ads are about pretending that “some anorexic, unnatural, corporate-constructed ideal is realy a norm.”  The ads are attempting to make us believe that their products will make us look more attractive and younger-looking which makes us think that we are not good enough.  Douglas is trying to dispell these misconceptions of beauty by reminding us that it is perfectly normal and acceptable to have crow’s feet and large thighs.                                              2.  Douglas utilizes specialized terms to discuss the media’s representation of women’s bodies.  Her main term for the theme in the media is Narcissism-”a compulsive, self-absorbed lifestyle, desperately seeking approval.”  She believes that the media is manipulating women to feel that way since they are constantly bombarding us with photos of women who are completely flawless.  By making us unhappy with our appearance, they will be able to sell more products that will “fix” our imperfections.  Douglas says that these advertizements are worth getting angry about they cause “eating disorders and general sexism.”  They are sexist because their message is that women should be more toned and phisically beautiful if they hope to compete with men in the workforce.  They also carry the underlying message that if you have cellulite, you are automatically censored as lazy and undisciplined.

*We Cannot Hide Inner Beauty* by BidWiya.  This image displays only a woman’s eyes peering out of a vibrant palate of color and patterns.  This is an interesting representation of a women to me because she makes me think that she is trapped in a sort of guilded cage and she is looking for escape somehow.  She looks like she wants to break free from her colorful shroud.

 Lipstick Girl-by Lizette.  This funky little drawing represents how I think a child percieves their Mommy.  Even though this little artist has missed some crucial details like the correct number of fingers, she has managed to capture that essence of her Mom.  She has included the handbag, the arms spread open for a hug, the big smile.  All these things say Mommy to her so the details really do not matter.

on toes-by foreversouls.  I love how this photo shows a women balancing so delicately because it reminds how skilled women are at balancing their lives-family, career, friends, etc.  I also just included this photo because I  love watching women perform ballet because it looks so graceful and effortless.  When a ballarina dances, she looks like she is floating-barely skimming the surface of the earth.  It takes an enormous amount of skill to dance that way.

The beauty of a women-by dommi.  This photo reminded me of my favorite childhood fairy-tale character, Snow White.  The story of Snow White always facinated me the most because it was such a dark, mysterious story and I learned later that there were biblical references throughout the story.  Snow White represented Eve who chose the apple and went into exile (represented by Snow White’s deep sleep).