the first lesson of media.

I opened up this blog for the primary purpose of my Media Studies coursework. This is where I document what we did in class, certain homework assignments and some other optional stuff. This is my second blog, my first blog being here, where I write essays about games and suchlike game related topics, so naturally I have some experience with Blogger and its in's and out's. I generally enjoy subjects like English and Tech because I like to write. It's something I enjoy doing in my spare time, and it's a good way to express my opinions to a large crowd. My other blog is nearing 600 pageviews, which isn't loads, but it's a start. My spare time mainly consists of watching movies (in which I have seen hundreds and can name every Academy Award for Best Picture since 1959 off by heart) and playing video games (in which I am trying to develop one. Or at least trying).

In the lesson today, we were told what out first piece of coursework was going to be, and it's advertisement. We looked at an advert for Listerine in the textbook, and analysed what gave that advert its persuasive qualities. It had a woman, holding a cloth in which she would cry into, looking all weak and pathetic, mainly because she doesn't have a husband. This plays off sexist gender conventions that all women should aspire to be a fine wife to a successful husband, and that turning 30 is something to be ashamed of. In order for Edna to get the perfect husband, she needs to use Listerine to solve her halitosis and be the ideal female. Here we can see that these gender conventions have been engraved in society through the media. Your televisions and your advertisements all say that women should be a certain way, and that all women will be incomplete without Mr. Right.  And that you will be a certain way and you will meet Mr. Right if you give our company some money. It's odd to see how society and genders can be so affected just because some companies want a bit of money.

Despite taking approximately a billion years to load, we also watched another advertisement, promoting both Coke Zero and James Bond. It was obviously targeted at men, due to the gratuitous amounts of skinny-waisted, large-breasted women dancing around the place, and due to the amount of violence and car chases going on at the same time. It was an exercise in seeing how many bored, teenage boys you can appeal to at the same time, by having the most stereotypical and generic interests as possible. 'Hey, what do bored, teenage boys like?' 'Girls! Violence! Car chases! Carbonated, low-calorie drinks!' Those Ad Execs must have been very proud of their painfully obvious discovery.

I'm not demeaning the advertisement industry as a whole, just these two adverts in particular. I'm not saying they don't work, because they do, but it doesn't send a very positive message about gender conventions. But hell, that's just my opinion.