Unlearning the Myths that Bind us

While reading this article, I reflected upon my own understanding of popular cartoons and movies that I watched as a child. When I was younger, I never noticed many of the issues that the article described but looking back on it, they are very evident to me as an adult. Now, I'm not sure whether some of the things discussed (such as the look of the characters) were supposed to have discriminatory undertones and, since I was a child I didn't notice them, I asked if it mattered if they were there? The intended audience was for children and if we didn't see the problems within the show why did it matter? Well, the obvious answer (at least in my opinion) was that yes, it did matter that they were there regardless if I noticed them or not. Media is a very influential part of society and if they are portraying a certain group of people in that way, then those that are exposed to it will start to believe it. Especially if that audience member is not exposed to the reality of that group of people within their lifetime. I cannot help but to think about the TED Talk we watched in class where the woman's roommate was not sure if she knew how to speck English because she was from Africa. She had not been exposed to the reality of Africa and only assumed based upon what she learned from the media. In this way, the media portrays only stereotypes and can be very harmful and discriminatory towards others.

Another way the media has a large affect on us is through the looks of the characters we see in movies, television shows, and the clothes that they wear either in magazines or in music videos. I kept thinking about the kids within the article and how it was hard to believe that they were a product of the media's influence and truly believed that they were individuals regardless of the fact that what they were wearing was the most popular brands today. This immediately made me think about a scene in the move The Devil Wears Prada where a fashion editor tells her assistant that everything she wears has been predetermined by a group of people regardless if she knows it or not. The scene here is one of my favorites within the movie and makes you think about how much choice you have in the way you look. I never thought about it until I watched the movie and realized that everything I wear has been picked out selectively for my choosing and even my possessions have been through the same treatment. Bottom line, we live in a materialistic society where we always need the best and newest things before anyone else. It is hard to go against this desire for the new and advanced, where it is completely understandable to give into the temptation, but we must learn as a society that we should appreciate what we have before throwing it away for the next best thing.

However, the media has a negative affect on some if they don't look like what they see in the magazines. This topic is constantly discussed, but not much has been made to deal with it.

Children are constantly exposed to certain images in the media and, if they believe that this is what they should look like, then negative body image is the result. This leads to issues such as anorexia. bulimia, and self hate. However, these images are photoshopped and even the models in the magazine don't look like what is shown in the final ad. Many campaigns and articles have been written to show how our perception of beauty has been altered because of the media. Dove's evolution of beauty is one of the most powerful ones that shows the photoshopping process with before and after views of the model with her makeover. You are not a sketch is an anti-anorexia campaign showing models compared to the fashion sketches that are used to create runway looks. It tells women that we should not idolize this image and we are beautiful the way we are. The images are horrific and show the ugly side of anorexia.