Super-curricular

 What if advertising was honest?

-advertising could be influencing incorrect behaviours

-encouraging a world of excessive consumerism 

-leads to overconsumption, environmental degradation, death and a shallow fixation on material possessions 

-nudging world towards ecological collapse 

-300 agencies and six major holding companies are currently serving fossil fuel clients 

'if you make these jeans your new bff, your old pair get a new home. Deal?'

-intense pressure on consumers to live lives they cannot afford 

-people consume things to showcase a desired image on social media 

The ideology of beauty:

This article proposes the idea that advertisers present beauty as something women must actively work towards, reflecting the fact that their value if often based on their physical appearance. This beauty ideal is often referred to as the male gaze, in line with Laura Mulvey's theory, as women are regarded on how they look, as oppose to their personalities and intellect by men. This leads to the sexualisation of women in the media, where they are positioned to please the audience instead of promote a product or a worthwhile idea. They are presented as passive objects as oppose to active individuals. Here, gender hierarchies are reinforced as women are expected to act accordingly to a mans desires, and codes of clothing echo this. For example, tight corsets represent a restricted femininity, highlighting hegemonic beauty standards within a patriarchal society. 

Shelter video:

I chose this Shelter video as it holds relevance currently, considering Christmas is a month away. It portrays the realities of homelessness at a time that is supposed to be joyous and communal, with shared holiday spirit and quality time with family and friends. Here, Rhys' could not previously partake in what Christmas is supposed to be all about  before Shelter, therefore as we experience our ideal holiday this year, his story can be remembered. This way,  we can express gratitude for our own fortunes and donate to the charity to aid those into these same experiences and joy. Ideas of altruism are promoted as audiences feel a duty to act unselfishly and donate to Shelter to benefit others who require the extra support. 

Bell Hooks:

From extra reading I learnt that bell hooks keeps her name uncapitalized to keep audience focus on her work and beliefs, as oppose to viewing her as a public figure. She places black femininity centre stage to draw attention to their forced silence during the black civil rights movement of the 1960s and alongside the feminist movement. Her theory of representation manipulation acts as an emancipatory call to action to communities of all colours and genders. This prompts media producers to fashion their products in ways that draw attention to social inequalities, and redirect these dismissals to celebrate social diversity, limiting the range of negative stereotypes that are aimed at black women.