Sex in Advertisement

We have all herd and for the mist art accepted the idea that "Sex" an outstanding marketing and selling tool in advertisement.  The idea that if you put hot half naked models, customers will get the "idea" and buy their product. I feel that it's a cheap and non creative marketing scheme. Although cheap and lame, is it really effective? DO people really buy things that are advertised in such manor?

 

As an activist for smarter media and I deiced to go out and find out what people really think about sex in advertisement. I interviewed students at Rutgers University in Newark New Jersey. This is what they had to say. 

The Goal of my project was to illustrate that there are multiple people that disagree with the kind of advertisements given to us by media. By showing people that tother feel the same way about sex in advertisement, they would feel inclined to take the next step and become active. Active in the sense of making their opinions herd, similar in the way I did. I would like my audience to go out and shoot the kind of advertisement they would like to see, to go out and interview people and to read. Unless we do something and push for change, we will forever be spoon feed that sex sells. 

work in progress

Interview with Greta Larkins of FashGif


Tell me a little bit about your background in art, and how FashGif was created.

GL: FashGif began on a bit of whim just over 2 years ago after I made my first GIF and thought, "That was fun, I need to make more!" FashGif made sense because I work in fashion and I liked the consistency of animating runway images.

Tell me a little bit about what the GIF format represents to you, how is it different versus other mediums you've experimented with.

GL: GIFs are instantly engaging, now that's not to say still images aren't but a still image has to be really powerful to grab your attention. Same goes with videos; you need a good recommendation or a bit of patience to sit through an advert and load time for a video. I guess GIFs sit somewhere between the two, plus the repetition really helps to strengthen a message.

What's your process in selecting the pictures and themes you choose?

GL: There's a number of elements I look for in an image, either a really bold outfit, a particularly popular/striking model or a controversial/highly praised collection. These elements helps to engage people and if an image happens to have all three, even better!

The Paco Rabanne obviously follows a different sense of style than Chalayan Fall 13.Are you just like "this is the one"?

GL: Yes, with many images I go, "oh yes that's it!" even from just looking at the thumbnails. Sometimes I'm very enamoured with a collection but that doesn't mean it lends itself to being animated. Other times I might stare at an image for some time before an idea drops into place. This is the great challenge with doing requests, I have to make an image work even if it wouldn't be my first choice. Sometimes this can have surprising results.



What I find very unique are where you demonstrate these sort of in process on screen commands, (photoshop, youtube, google maps) Explain to me why you chose to use those images?

GL: I guess that's my nod to Interent Art/Web Art. I'm not an Internet Artist per se but I do enjoy that type of work, that aesthetic. So here and there if I think it's appropriate I'll include elements of the Photoshop program etc. within the GIF.

Are these works more critical of technology? Are you in a state of transition - or just mixing it up?

GL: I think just mixing it up. Personally I'm not critical of technology, I think I have a healthy relationship with it - I can walk away from my screen, leave the house without my phone! On the other hand, I probably have a slight Internet addiction - I'm yet to touch on that in a GIF!

I noticed your most recent work and some others are indicative of the "sea punk" aesthetic, what do you think is the future of new media art?

GL: Again, I touch base on Seapunk here and there partly because it's so popular within the Tumblr community but there's also a tongue-in-cheek element to those GIFs. Personally I love a trend, especially a memorable one, it's a great way to look back on a decade or a time. I even have a few Seapunk pieces in my wardrobe! But I'm not Seapunk at all day-to-day, I'm very boring really. I call my style 'Grunge Nun' because it's very messy and covered up ha!




Do you think viral culture will play a big role in making these works of art more popular to the art community?

GL: I'm not sure how the art community perceives GIFs. The common view of art is that you can buy and sell it, now someone can pay me to make a GIF but they're only receiving a file, to display it at home or in a gallery you'd need an iPad, a screen etc. and I can't imagine many people having them at home! I guess it all goes into mixed media. I don't consider my GIFs art but I studied art at school and maybe look at artists with too much respect to ever consider myself one.

Are there any artists doing similar work who influence you? Do you have any copycats?

GL: There are! And they are vastly more talented! And I don't believe I have any copycats but to be honest, I don't mind if I do. The more the merrier. It's a fun medium so the more people producing the GIFs the more we can learn from each other. Some of my favourites: Mr. GIF, Dream Beam, Gifenchy, Monster Hub just to name a few.

 Do you think these works will one day grow to exist in a gallery?

GL: Maybe! I actually really love animating images that aren't necessarily fashion based. Last year two of my animations were featured at Art Basel in Miami for the Moving the Still exhibition (Flats, Napier Street Fitzroy and Emoji in Motion) so I guess one day I'd like to explore animating something non-fashion for exhibition purposes.

What do you have planned next? I noticed 2012 was a very big year for you.

GL: Well I'm currently job hunting (when I'm not making GIFs I do product design) and hoping to travel in the next year or so. No major goals, happy to go with the flow for now, though I have a secret dream of doing a Prada Fantasy look book...!

Do you plan on creating work for more commercial purposes, cultural critique?

GL: Sure! Commercial or otherwise, I love taking on projects because I enjoy the challenge and thought process.

What were some of your initial reactions to the media exposure, it must have been exciting!

GL: Yeah it's always exciting when you get any sort of press or response, definitely exciting and surprising. Still is! Any recognition is nice, show's people are engaging with the site.

What do you do in your spare time when you aren't creating or researching future work?

GL: I do ballroom dancing, drink a lot of coffee, listen to a lot of music and hang out with friends. I should be cleaning my room... it's eternally messy...!

Wait a second… were you a child actor? What was that like?

GL: Aha! You've done your research! I was, between 16 and about 21. I think. It was awesome, really great fun, I mean everyday is different and exciting, you can't beat it. Unfortunately it's a very tough industry and I wasn't a brilliant actor so I ultimately gave it up. I learnt a lot though and once in a blue moon I miss it. I often joke I'll become a talkshow host one day. Ha ha! We'll see!

Greta Larkins is a production designer based out of Australia, Larkin's work has been featured at Art Basel and has been commissioned by major brands like Calvin Klein and Kenzo.

View more of Greta's work on Tumblr.

Disability and the Media

For my semester project, I examined the ways in which people with disabilities are portrayed in the media.  My discoveries were both shocking yet informative. I put together a mash up video to show different clips from select movies and tv shows to show how we are being affected by these ideologies. I referenced the book Disability and the Media by Charles A Riley II.   Within my findings, I found an informative Ted talk from a woman who is disabled herself and her own struggles. I left the video a little bit short of 10 mins so that I can take questions about the topic.

Semester Project: Effects of Ads To Young Women

For my semester project, I made a 6-minute film that depicts the effect of media to young women.

Synopsis: Two young women of two different cultures face the same problem. An American girl who worries about her body size and a Korean girl who does not like her facial features.

Purpose: To raise awareness of the negative effects of media especially the ads to young women and to lessen the stress that young women receive from ads.

*IU - a South Korean singer.  She was ranked #19 on "The 23rd Annual Independent Critics List of the 100 Most Beautiful Faces."

Sources:
Kim, Youna. Women and the Media in Asia: The Precarious Self. Palgrave Macmillan, 2012
Kitch, Carolyn. The Girl on the Magazine Cover: The Origins of Visual Stereotypes in American Mass Media. The University of North Carolina Press, 2000
Korean High School
Plastic Surgery
The K-Pop Effect
Cause and Effect: How the Media You Consume Can Change Your Life
Body Image Dissatisfaction and Eating Disturbance
Korean Body Image vs American Body Image
Cosmetic Surgery: Cure or Curse?
Plastic Surgery in Korea: To Do or Taboo?
Pretty in Plastic: K-Pop and Korea’s Plastic Surgery Boom

SEMESTER PROJECT IDEA BOOK

IDEA BOOK

My semester project is to create an idea book, It is s a journal that is established to bring together three themes; today’s media, a social work perspective with an artistic twist. These three themes have all influenced my life in one way or another, I feel as if this would be a good project for young adolescents from ages 13 - 24 . It focuses on today’s social problems through media and through social work aspect it will help students stay focused on their goals. In an artistic aspect, it will help students express the way they feel that social problems they face every day in a expressive way.

           SHORT CLIP : I-Color: School and Racism

Virtual Idea book : IDEA book

Lecture Topic : Discrimination 

• What is discrimination?
• How does it affect us on a daily basis? (Discriminatory or abusive behavior towards members of another race) 
• We will watch a two minute clip and discuss how we are affected by discrimination in our everyday lives. 
• As for the social work aspect students are to introduce themselves to their book.
•  On three separate pages will discuss ideas /beliefs, values, and passions. 
•  define vocabulary 
•  have at least three different ideas /beliefs, values, and passions on each page

Decorating your book is where your artistic side comes; students are required to have their name on the cover.When it comes to the artistic aspect based on the lecture given in class the students are to create a drawing, poem or song to express their opinions on the topic.When using images through collages, sketches, comic strips, and colors to convey the mood of your ideal piece. Be sure to express yourself to the fullest this is your journal! 

Work Citied

1.      “Action Guides.” Do Something. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2010. http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/background-racial-discrimination

2.     Campbell, D. E. “Racism In Schools.” Education.com. N.p., 2010. Web. 14 May 2010. http://www.education.com/reference/article/racism-schools/?page=2

3.     About Adobe Youth Voice. I-Color: School and Racism. YouTube. N.p., 25 Nov. 2008. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7SMmkC5phA

Semester Project: Perfect 10

For my semester project I decided to create a blog that shows the evolution of women over the years both physically and mentally. I want to help women who read my blog to understand the obstacles that women went through and are still going through to feel accepted and desired today. I think these stereotypes that women have been part of are becoming reality because of women not only men or society in general. The way I see it, I'm not saying that ALL women think, act, and behave the same towards stereotypes but, I do think that few of them are actually fighting against them. Unconsciously women have been living up to these stereotypes and have not even noticed it because of how our society has been developing over the years. They've become brainwashed and these ways of thinking has become part of their daily lives that now they're living it because its been engraved in them for so long. The idea of having to look a certain way, a "perfect" way. I feel like so many women know that nobody can actually be perfect but somehow they think there's a secret to achieving it...It's interesting because most women won't admit to it unless they're passing through some serious self-image issues which is the result of our society. Will it change in the future? I'm not sure to be honest because young girls already feel the need to look and act a certain way. Note: Also to make my blog more personal, I decided to include some photos of my mother and grandmother. I inserted pictures of my grandmother on certain decades to show some of her evolution. I wanted to show it in a different view not just the ordinary famous women but the ordinary women during those times who was not always in the spotlight. 

http://perfect10evolution.wordpress.com/

Resources/Articles:

The frill is gone: sex symbols get serious. By: Musto, Michael. Mademoiselle, Mar 1, 1988, Vol. 9, p86-87, 2p Abstract

The Twenties in America. By: Gooden, Susan. Booklist, Jul 1, 2012, Vol. 108, Issue 21, p46 Abstract

Wallowing in Sex: The New Sexual Culture of 1970s American Television. By: Hurd, Erie. Afterimage, Apr 1, 2007, Vol. 34, Issue 5, p39 Abstract

Sex Symbols By: Frere-Jones, Sasha. New Yorker, Sep 4, 2006, Vol. 8, Issue.2, p137-139, 3p

Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6^th Edition, February 1, 2013, p1

USA Today: 

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/perfi/basics/story/2011-09-14/risks-low-cost-cosmetic-surgery/50409740/1

Women Love Hip Hop, They Put Two Hands Up

Women love hip hop ! There was a phase when women would bow there heads in shame at how rappers depicted women. They were used as sex symbols, objectified, was only seen as a prized possession. However times are changing, there is more than one song that women can sing along too and feel uplifted. Thanks to rappers like Drake, Jay-Z, Common, and Wale; women can sing along and be proud of the lyrics they are chanting. On my Tumblr I went through all the ways hip hop is changing , how it is changing, and how why. I look at varios different videos where women are fully clothed and still have sex appeal. I focus on lyrics and rappers and the message they are trying to deliver. I will deliver my project through Tumblr. 

I discuss how rappers are showing more respect to the women in their lives, and how family and love is being embraced. 

Women uplifted in hip hop blog via Tumblr

Resources

YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2013

Personal Interviews

Surveys

"Nicki Minaj: 'I Am Lyrically Better Than Most Male Rappers'" RapFix RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2013.

African American Literature Book Club: Kevin Powell

VH1.com: Talib Kweli: Biography

(*Links for my other sources are directly on my Tumblr) 

Pers

Semester Project: Female News Anchors

As the semester went by, we read Naomi Wolf's "The Beauty Myth" which discussed some key points about women and men in the media. In the article she discussed that beauty and youth are used as tools to prevent women from becoming to powerful, as men become wise as they age with there "White hair" as a symbol of "respect" Women however are taught to dread age however are only allowed the power when young.

As you will presentation I went ahead and wanted to point out that why are there not as many older women news anchors than older men news anchors and what is the ongoing problem. Talented women all over the country are let go from there positions by younger and more attractive talents. The media is quite hungry for ratings. 

This is a perfect example of how women are unappreciated in media outlets. Sue Simmons, 69 years old woman was let go from NBC New York and was replaced by a young successor but her 68 year co-anchor, Chuck Scarborough's contract was actually renewed. 

We see stuff like this all the time but never take any action, this video will serve as a informational to show viewers that this is really happening.

PRESENTATION:
http://prezi.com/yca3s9dc0ls1/discrimination-of-older-female-news-anchors/

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

1. HAKANEN, Ernest, and Alan Wells. Mass Media & Society. Greenwood Publishing Group, 1997. Print.

2. Poindexter, Paula. Women, Men and News: Divided and Disconnected in the News Media Landscape. 2007. eBook. <http://books.google.com/books/about/Women_Men_and_News.html?id=eJd8ZLlGHJIC>.


3. Acuna, Kirsten . "AGE DISCRIMINATION ON TV: 10 Anchors Who Were Replaced By Younger Women ." Business Insider. N.p., 08 Aug 2012. Web. 30 Apr 2013. <http://www.businessinsider.com/age-discrimination-on-tv-10-anchors-who-were-replaced-by-younger-women-2012-8?op=1>.

ART AND CONCERN

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ART AND CONCERN

My view is a pessimist one, it's a concern I have regarding the career I have chosen as a minority art student. Art was given to me by my father who I watched when I was a adolescent in Haiti, designing church banners, painting drums and so on. Soon enough he passed those responsibilities to me as I developed a more refined skills in drawing. Then I came to the states to live with my mom, I did not get the same support from her because she was alone, raising five of us. Nevertheless I kept on going from high school to college to now university. And now I am on the verge of accomplishing my BFA degree, I came to grasp the hardship of being a minority artist in an art world which has not changed ever. There is feeling that we are not needed, being a fine artist in general is less relevant than it used to be before the technology age. Our works are being done graphic designers, movie directors, and fashion designers. Again and again we see so many graduate art students go outside in the world and never heard from them again. And most of them have to take second jobs just to keep up with life's expenses. Everybody is doing art at high volume but less are being shown or bought. We are being stuck with a skill that is not in demand, and the field is not welcoming to new artists especially minorities. I have read a few chapters from Caroll Michels' book How to Survive and prosper as an Artist, in which she mentions that the art world is in need of a structural change and artists need to take control of their careers and stop the dog-eat-dog tactics they have been using. I have already attended many lectures by working artists on how to survive as an up-and-comer, very depressing.

see more at saj1.tumblr.com

Background on the Manifesto....

My manifesto deals perhaps most fundamentally with the powers that be and how they're dragging their feet in relation to the environment and the many man made humanitarian issues present at this point in time.

Implicitly I chose to direct my criticisms towards John Locke, and Thomas Hobbes, two familiar enlightenment era philosophers who's ideas greatly inspired the institution of Capitalism.  John Locke proposed an initial "state of nature" from which human beings took from the "commonwealth" all that was necessary and claimed that to leave the natural environment untended by humanity was in fact to waste it.  This by the way is all coming out of second treatise on government.  He goes on to say that the invention of a monetary system allows for unlimited capital gain.  This sounds pretty harmless on paper but it is pretty easy to see that this is surely not the reality, especially in an environment that doesn't have the unlimited resources Locke speaks about.  Nevertheless much of Locke's treatise On government is directed towards the notion that Government has the foremost obligation to ensure an individuals right to massing property and capital.  In my view this is unfounded and our government however influenced by this enlightenment thinker do little to even resemble the already faulty principles Locke promotes.  Locke has been heavily criticized to date, and my criticism is only referential at best.

Next is Hobbes, who I address in an allegorical way mostly.  In his famed work Leviathan he famously describes life without government as "... nasty, brutish, and short”.  Hobbes position is that upon entering into government there is a so called social contract which ensures the safety of the populace as the populace gives deference to the governing body.  

The reason these two thinkers stick out is because their enlightened philosophy was fundamental to the development of systems such as capitalism and the institution of a republic as it appears in our country today.  I feel that this mode of thinking is extremely dated and is intrinsically problematic.  Yet it continues to govern much of our contemporary mode of thought.

Also nationalism was invented roughly around this time...

Another important piece of background info pertains to Karl Marx and the communist manifesto, it's a crucial document and I won't be paraphrasing the whole thing here.  A few essential aspects though are Marx' theory of Historical Materialism, which defines clearly the relationship between the resources of a culture and the culture itself.  This is a broad simplification but I think it's sufficient to just recognize the relationship between culture, and economy.  An appreciation of this is fundamental.

Next up is Jeremy Rifkin's contemporary work, empathic civilization which again I cannot paraphrase, but paints an interesting picture of human nature which like Marx and unlike the above mentioned enlightenment philosophers, espouses the realization that humanity is fundamentally an adaptive species forming itself around external stimuli rather than having any real "fixed" properties aside from that of the biological.   Furthermore the "empathic impulse" is a defining principle of humanity, it is essentially our ability to, in a near literal sense, "be", another person or another thing, it is the development and enrichment of this faculty, through healthy attachment environments (attachment theory of psychology), that allows for the positive aspects of the human character to come through, conversely, oppression of this human necessity leads to anti-social and violent behavior.  Another important concept put forth in Rifkin's book is how different paradigmatic shifts occur in consciousness as new modes of communication arise.  This can be seen from the advent of language, through the telegraph, up to the internet, currently we are in the era of Dramaturgical consciousness.  The advent of information technology and the network of global communications allows for previously unimagined potential, or exploitation...

Finally a few nuances appear in my writing that are direct references to Philosopher/Theologian Alan Watts, who puts for the proposition in his lecture series  Ecology & Religion that man kind has hitherto seen themselves in opposition to or as seperate from the their natural environment (this again is can be traced back to the enlightenment and the scientific revolution, with their notions of being committed to the conquest of nature).  Through a reevaluation of this very important concept we can begin to design a more symbiotic relationship with our environment instead of the unsustainable model we've come to enjoy.  At any rate this is just a little essential background that may help to expound on what I've written.

Barbie and her affect on a girls body image

For my project I will discuss how barbie affects young girls self esteem and body image. I will discuss about different studies done on children and Barbie. I will discuss real life people who have tried to become barbie through numerous operations and lots of money.
http://barbie-negative-effect.blogspot.com/

Resources :
Kuther, Tara L; Mcdonald Erin. "Early adolescents' experiences with and views of Barbie."
Adolescence. Vol. 39 issue 153, p39-51.

Dittmar, Helga; Halliwell, Emma; Ive, Suzanne. "Does Barbie make girls want to be thin? the effect of experimental Exposure to images of dolls on the body image of 5 to 8 year old girls."
Developmental psychology. Vol 42. N2 p283-292 Mar 2006. 10 pages.

Anschutz, Doeschka. "the effects of playing with thin dolls on body image and food intake in young girls." Sex roles.