Killing Us Softly: Advertising's Image of Women - Movie Review Example

Offer thoughts regarding “advertising’s image of women” as presented in media theorist Jean Kilbourne’s documentary titled Killing Us Softly.” According to Kilbourn, the advertisements portray women as objects rather than human beings. Moreover, the bodies of women have been turned into lifeless similar to bottles and this trend constitutes a violation. Furthermore, Kilbourne states that women are being represented as half human. An example is an advert where a body part of a woman is shown without the rest of the body. The advertisements send messages that a woman’s outward appearance is important leading to insecurities that makes women to spend a lot of money, time and energy on improving their appearance. Furthermore, these adverts suggests that the more women try harder the better they can change how they look (Sedeno). However, women end up hurt in pursuit of unrealistic perfection that does not exist. Moreover, they start developing a negative attitude on their appearance and a low self-esteem. On the other hand, men’s perception oF women is altered. Women are cut into smaller pieces, made silent and depicted as passive as well as vulnerable through body language. Thus asserting the power of men over women. Moreover, adverts suggest that women should be innocent at the same time sexy. Advertisements pose sex as a commodity that reduces the importance of relationships and turning child pornography into a mainstream issue. Moreover, adverts give the impression that women ask for forced sex and want to be violated (Sedeno) Define and explain the term “re-mediation” and offer several concrete examples. What are some of the effects, positive and/or negative to this inevitable process? Remediation is the process through which the new media refashions the earlier media in a series of hypermedia and immediacy thus outdoing its media, and at the same time multiplying it. Moreover, the history of media has always had the urge for immediacy which is a main feature of western representation of visual aspects (Bolter). Furthermore, a good example where the strategies have been applied to get immediacy of prior media as well as digital technology is the erasure, linear and automaticity. Hypermediacy constitutes of sound, images, text, video and animation. For example, the art of describing in Dutch. Moreover, the process is whereby the narrative and textual references are supported to favour description and the visual surface. Furthermore, Jan Vermeer’s paintings is a another example of hypermediacy because of how it represents the world as a multiple representation. In addition, the rock bands these days uses variety of media. Write an essay in which you explore some of Martin Esslin’s ideas from “Aristotle and the Advertisers” regarding the contemporary mass media continue the Bardic Function as a key tool in the social construction of reality. Provide several specific examples. According to Martin Esslin, the commercials on television are dramatic because of the mimetic action they produce that resembles real life situations. Moreover, the main features of drama are the storyline and the character which are usually present in most commercials. For example, a commercial which a woman gives her husband coffee and the husband expresses distress and disappointment with the wife’s bad coffee. However, when the wife brings a different brand of coffee the husband is suddenly excited. When a character is given a role to advertise and convince people to use a certain product and if the character is a media personality well known to people thus it becomes a real and not fictional character. As a result, the commercial under these circumstances become realm of reality other than the fictional. Furthermore, a good example is when a superstar advertises on a product like shampoo and how it made his or her hair strong and healthy. Creating of authority figures that does not exist in reality is also another feature of television commercial. Moreover, these figures of authority are fictional creation that is fundamental indication of the nature and type of drama. Furthermore, these figures of authority are always perceived as real despite the fact that they could be fictional. Consequently, the commercial personalities that are great, are usually seen as demigods or mythical heroes in the society. Furthermore television commercials can be understated as being in two extremes of a spectrum that is one end is the character’s drama while on the other end is pure image. Sex and the City generated a great deal of controversy among media theorists. Compare and contrast differing views on the ideology of the show. What does the article on Sex and the City’s by Jane Arthurs conclude regarding these controversies? Sex and the City is a work based drama that has characteristics of a post-feminism theme of the 1980’s and 1990’s. Furthermore, the major issue has been the difference between the private world and that of work. Moreover, there has been a blockage for women to be in a position to have it all in life. However, in sex and the city the work world disappears leaving a space behind. Moreover, sex and the city diverted away from a family-centered network (Thornhon). Sex and the city as an example of bringing out post-feminism is being argued out by some people who feel that actions based on this series do not acknowledge it as a post-feminist society. Furthermore, if post-feminism was a reality it would only be relevant to wealthy women with money who have the purchasing power to get equality. In addition, it would only apply to women who are financially stable enough to live life without depending on their husbands. Examining whether we are in post-feminism generation is not ethnocentric or biased towards how much a woman can spend on things like shoes. Moreover, the widespread of the term post-feminism is wrongly interpreted in the western world and ends up neglecting global feminism. Furthermore, the term feminism was coined in the west but it should assume equality for all women despite their status, background or race. According to Jane Arthurs, the show sex and the city is post-feminist reworking on the 1980’s New York heroines Lacey and Cagney who encountered multiple racial as well as class differences. However, in the series sex and the city the New York City has lost that masculine gaze. Thus the city of New York has become a place of freedom for women and respect for the values they hold in the society. Furthermore, post-feminism gives a shift towards success economic growth of women. According to Arthurs, sex and the city reveals post feminism sensibilities that focus on its discourse and conversation (Thornhorn). Moreover, the definition of post feminism is widely debated but it is pointed out that post feminism of a second- wave that is achieved from its societal aims and goals as well as that of women of small screen who act and behave like men. To this end post-feminism is well depicted in the series sex and the city whereby the characters are given powerful roles that emulates a strong independent woman. Moreover, despite their weaknesses they are still able to walk with their heads held high, thus that’s how a atrong woman is expected to carry themselves. References Newcomb, Horace. "Aristotle and the Advertisers." http://web.mit.edu. Oxford university press, 1 Jan. 1982. Web. 11 Dec. 2012. . MacKey, Margaret. "Literacies Across Media: Playing the Text - Margaret MacKey - Google Books." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2012. . Sedeno, Alexandra. "Killing Us Softly III- Pre-viewing Guide." www.trinity.edu. N.p., 1 Dec. 2006. Web. 10 Dec. 2012. Read More