...perceptions of beauty, perfection, and sexuality. Killing Us Softly 4 challenges viewers to take advertising seriously, and to think critically about popular culture and its relationship to sexism, eating disorders, and gender violence. Ads portray models and celebrities as being flawless, and as having perfect looks. Being human women want this and think that if they can just lose weight then they’ll be happy. All women want is to be like the people they idolize, yet that is the one thing anyone can never truly have, because no matter how we morph or change our bodies we will never be perfect. Some celebrities are speaking out about the deceptiveness of the media. Supermodel Cindy Crawford, considered one of the world’s most beautiful women, released a statement saying, “‘ I wish like I looked like Cindy Crawford’”(Kilbourne movie). Fortunately she’s not the only one addressing the misconception of the media. Winslet spoke out against a magazine stating, “‘I don’t look like that, and I don’t desire to look like that, I can tell you that they’ve reduced the size of my legs by about a third’” (Kilbourne movie). The media doesn’t show us reality; it shows us perfection and passes it as being realistic. The images and message portrayed within, Killing Us softly 4, are powerful and though provoking. It’s obvious that media imaging is damaging, however the points made in it shows us just how corrupt medial images are portraying a vast array of messages beyond...
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...In this video we take a look at Cindy Sherman’s Untitled Film Still #21 1978, this work of art is called a film still and is made to look like one however it is actually a photo using Gelatin Silver print. This is only one piece in a series of 69 self-portraits that Sherman did over a number of years, this film still is one of her earliest ones. Most people don’t even realize that the women in this photo is actually Cindy Sherman herself, most of this series of photos is of her in different clothes, makeup, and wigs. Sherman is trying to “dislodge” the idea that one’s identity is a fixed thing that cannot be changed. She shows us that we choose to act and dress a certain way, showing us that one’s identity is something you choose freely and...
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... There is a cliché quote that people say, “Beauty is in the eye of beholder.” But in the essay “The Ugly Truth About Beauty” (1998) Dave Barry argues about how women who spend countless hours on their so called “beauty” whereas men seem not to care. Barry uses juxtaposition and exaggeration to poke fun at men and women behavior and shed light on the harm that the beauty industry is doing. When Barry argues his point of his essay he addresses both genders, but more specifically teenage to middle age men and women, but he writes about it in a humorous and light-hearted manner. In the essay, Barry juxtaposes men and women views of beauty by using the famous supermodel, Cindy Crawford, as the standard of apperance that women strive to achieve, even though that the women could never exactly look like Cindy Crawford, no matter how much or the way you apply the make-up. As for the men Barry uses the famous actor Bradd Pitt, as the strandard that men, not necessairly try to achieve, but as how a man is not suppose to be or act. He claims that men look at Brad Pitt as a pretty boy and that he would be ignorant to the tasks of a real man. Barry uses a different examples to juxtapose men and women view about beauty using Barbie and Action figures. He uses action figures for, of course, the men and that men not strive to look like the action, but how men uses action figures as a model of how a man is supposse to act and carry himself. In contrast Barry uses Barbie as women standard...
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...a social label, a negotiation between the artist, object (or performance), and the viewer” (Best). Art should be made for the people and not be limited to certain audiences. An artist should create with the goal of connecting to as many people as possible through their work. As stated earlier, historically, art has been seen as something only the privileged could truly appreciate. This could not be farther from the truth! Art is something that everyone can enjoy, experience, and strive to understand. Art should not discriminate or exclude a certain audience, it should bring together all people to evoke a response, send a message, or to maybe just enjoy looking at. During class, we were given a presentation that featured an artist name Cindy Sherman. Sherman had a quote that exemplifies what and who art should really be made for. “When I was in school I was getting disgusted with the attitude of art being so religious or sacred, so I wanted to make something which people could relate to without having read a book about it first. So that anybody off the street could appreciate...
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...Have you ever dreamed of being a model? Would you like to be rich and famous? Many people dream of becoming a model, but think that they are not able to because of their looks, or lack thereof. Did you know that you can have an exciting, rewarding career as a model even if you do not look like a supermodel? You don’t have to be tall and super thin. No matter what you look like: You too can become a Model! There are different types of models and you have to be realistic in your expectations! There are fashion models, teen models, plus size models, and commercial models. Whenever you look at any magazine, or newspaper ad that is not geared towards fashion you see commercial models. And commercial models look like normal everyday people. As a commercial model, you are not going to get rich. At least most people won’t. But it can be fun part-time work with benefits such as free clothes, great pictures, and usually local recognition. Last night, I participated in Aaron Marcus' Tele-seminar entitled "How to Get Acting and Modeling Jobs and Find Modeling Agencies". The seminar lasted about an hour. You could call in and watch it over the Internet. Aaron offers workshops that you can attend live, but of course he doesn’t come to Birmingham, AL Some of the things that Aaron covered in his seminar were: * How to be a model regardless to what you look like. * What it takes to be a working model. * What to focus on when starting out. You see commercial...
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...“Killing Us Softly” Personal Response Essay “Killing us Softly” is a documentary by Jean Kilbourne on the message that the advertisement industry sends out to women and the near impossible standards of feminine beauty it upholds. Cindy Crawford once said “I wish I looked like Cindy Crawford”. Now this might sound bizarre to many, but the truth is, in today’s world of Botox and Photoshop, cosmetic surgery and strict diets it is impossible to be that ‘perfect body’ that ads portray. According to a photographer for a leading fashion magazine, a particular shot goes through at least 20-30 rounds of airbrushing. Tag lines such as “beauty knows no pain” and “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels” develop and encourage such unhealthy attitudes. According to a study, an average American views 3000 ads per day. Ads have a quick, cumulative and subconscious effect. They create a toxic cultural environment where the well being and health of an individual are threatened. They show these models who have so-called perfect bodies, no blemishes, no marks, no wrinkles, and no nothing. But the problem is that beauty starts being equated with a painfully thin marks-free fair body. This affects the self- esteem of women and they become ashamed of their physical attributes and try harder to achieve those exacting and impractical standards. A popular weight loss tag line says “the more you subtract the more you add”. So women start going for sizes 0 and 00. These not only affect health...
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...Cindy Sherman is one of the most “original and influential” artist of the 21st century (Sherman). She is known for transforming herself into “familiar and non-specific” characters (Moorhouse 19). Sherman’s Untitled Film Still #3, 1977 is a 8X10-inch silver gelatin print highlighting the subject matter responsible for launching her iconic career. This image is one of the sixty-nine photographs making up the Untitled Film Stills series created between the years 1977 and 1980 when Sherman first moved to New York. Although the artist is in her photographs, they are not self-portraits. As the creator and model to fictional b-list celebrities reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock films, and “the look of European opposed to Hollywood types, Sherman is reacting...
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