Check out this dedicated youtube channel that includes (as of today) 193 clips of young women trashing ads. It's super fun and an excellent opportunity to add voices of young people to your course. Instead of just analyzing ads yourself or asking your students to do it, you can use some of this clips. If you happen to have a less than diverse classroom, it might be especially useful to use the clips that are by people from those underrepresented groups.
Here is an introduction:
And for all of the clips, visit the 3iying website.
Teens Trashing Ads
Army Families Army Strong...For How Long?
Here are some divorce stats that call into question the Army Strong ads which trumpet the Army's support of military families.
Categorical Vs. Average Differences
This is a nice, simple cartoon that illustrates the way in which our preconceived notions shape what we perceive and remember:
The Homefront: Army Strong
These "Army Strong" commercials would be a great way to start a class discussion about how the military relies on a certain kind of homefront support during war time.
Some discussion question ideas-- Why would the military need support from the homefront? Why make commercials like these that appeal to military families? Why target the parents of soldiers in commercials? What do these commercials say about the role families play during war? What kind of ideas about gender relations are mobilized in these commercials (mothers, wives, husbands, fathers etc.) and why? What do the families look like-- when is "diversity" displayed? Why are ideas about "sacrifice," "protection," and becoming "confident" and "strength" conveyed?
Girls Rule, Boys Drool
A friend of mine, Jason Schultz, took this picture of this sign being sold in a toy store:
Jason suggested that it re-affirmed the notion that men and women are inherently at odds in a zero sum game.
It is certainly androcentric in that it suggests that, in this case, girls should be proud of what they do insofar as they do what men have "traditionally" done.
And, to tie these two thoughts together, that girls should be proud when they take away what is "traditionally" men's.
What do we really think about "girl power"?
Sexuality And Race
This week there were two postcards on PostSecret, a blog that posts people's secrets anonymously, about sexuality and race.
Kudos
Visit our newest fans!
Global Sociology, Primitive Culture, and the General Blog of Crime.
And Jeremy on the Agricultural Biodiversity Blog gave us a much-appreciated thumbs-up (here).
Thanks for the links everyone! We sure do appreciate the support!
Stereotypes on Seinfeld, Behind the Scenes
Hip Hop Activist Danny Hoch discusses why he walked away from a bit part on Seinfeld.
Charity Organization Capitalizes on Grossness of Aid Recipients
I found this ad in the January 2008 copy of Ladies Home Journal. It's for an organization that's called The Smile Train. It performs surgeries to correct cleft palates in the developing world.
What I think is interesting about this fundraising ad is that we, the potential contributors, are clearly supposed to find this child totally disgusting: "Imagine living your entire life looking like this..." We're supposed to pity this child not because he's hungry or has no access to clean water or might be caught in a civil war, but because of how he looks.
Breast Appraisal
Apparently, those "If You Really Love Her, You Have To Buy Her Diamonds" ads only tell one side of the story. You can still objectify a woman's body and commodify your relationship with her, but on the cheap! Apparently, some folks are on a limited budget, so you can have fake breast or real diamonds, but not both.
Guys And Dolls
This 50-minute documentary is about men who are in romantic relationships with high-end sex dolls. It's a must watch. There is a lot to see in this movie: objectification of women, for sure; also the sad lonliness of men who don't want to, can't, or don't think they can, be in a relationship with a real woman; as my friend Jason pointed out, the way in which the men project an interest in clothes and make-up onto their dolls; and so much more.
The Real Dolls website is worth a look, too.
Thanks, Prince Charming!
I couldn't find the Mayor ad Lisa was looking for, but I did find this ad:
First, it's a commodification of love. The slogan points to the fact that jewelry really tells her how much you love her.
Second, notice the consumption upon consumption: you can buy charms representing things you can buy. No, wait, it's even more layered, you can buy jewelry in the shape of jewelry. And the inclusion of a purse doubly symbolizes consumption. You buy purses and you carry a purse in order to buy strapless dresses and heels etc.
Finally, notice how gendered the whole thing is. A tiara? Come on! Is she six? No briefcase? No I guess not.
Nair Hair-Removal Products for Teens
Nair (a cream hair-removal product) is now targeting teen girls. The Nair Pretty website treats shaving for the first time much like the first period--talk to your mom or older sisters! We know it can be scary! And of course what makes it scary is all the cuts and nicks you can get from a razor. And guess what? There's an easy solution!
I especially like that Nair Pretty is supposedly formulated especially "for the skin of teenage girls."
Race And Crime
This campaign ad from 1988 is part of the larger politicization of the black underclass. "Willie Horton" and the "welfare queen" both emerged as symbols during this period with which to demonize poor blacks for political clout. Ultimately, using the name Willie Horton became a powerful tool to criticize politicians for being weak on crime and not protecting the innocent white population from the guilty black population.
Ultimately, increasing toughness of the criminal justice system led to a situation, today, where about 1/2 of all black men are in the prison system.
See an interesting entry on Willie Horton on wikipedia here.
Big Pharma
Click here for a humorous music video about prescription drugs and the pharmaceutical industry.
"That's An Excellent Question"
Click here to see McCain respond to the question: "How do we beat the bitch?" The "bitch" being Hillary Clinton, of course.
Race And Biology
This website created by the American Anthropological Association is a great way to explore the social construction of race. There's an awesome timeline that traces political and scientific trends where you can click on any part of it and get more information. It's a great resource.
It also includes this great 7 minute video called "A Girl Like Me":
I'd actually love to get some feedback on this video. I really like it, but last time I showed it (in a social psychology portion of a Race and Ethnicity course), the class had a hard time recovering. It was depressing and I wasn't very successful in DOING something SOCIOLOGICAL with it. Any ideas?
Request
Apparently there is an ad campaign by Mayors, a jewelry company, that suggests that men should buy their wives/girlfriends diamonds when she gives birth to their child. The tag line, referring to earrings, reads:
"She delivered your first born; now give her twins."
If anyone can find this ad, I'd be thrilled to see it.
Awesome Irony
This is the face of James Watson. He won the Nobel Prize for co-discovering the structure of DNA. He's a pretty big deal.
The other day he said some very unfortunate things. The article from which I stole this information summarized those things as follows:
The controversy began with an article in The Times of London in October that quoted Dr. Watson, who was on a book tour, as saying that he was “inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa” because “all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours — whereas all the testing says not really.” According to the article, he said that “there are many people of color who are very talented,” and he hoped people were equal, but that “people who have to deal with black employees find this not true.”Well, it turns out that a test of his DNA revealed that he has 16 times more African origin genes than the typical European person: "about the same amount of African DNA that would show up if one great-grandparent were African."
That's some awesome irony.
Here is a nice discussion of the scientific merit of his assertion and it's testability by Janis Prince Inniss from the Everyday Sociology Blog supported by W. W. Norton & Co.
Origins of Food Crops
Almond = Asia
Apple = Europe/Asia
Apricots = Asia
Arrowroot = South America
Artichoke = Europe
Asparagus = Asia
Avocado = South America
Bamboo = Asia
Banana = Southeast Asia
Barley = Middle East (?)
Basil = India
Beet = Europe/Mediterranean
Bay = Mediterranean
Bitter melon = Africa/Asia/Australia
Black-eyed pea = North Africa/South Asia (?)
Black pepper = Tropical India
Blackberry = North America
Blueberry = North America/Europe
Brazil nut = South America
Breadfruit = Asia
Broccoli = Europe
Brussels sprouts = Europe
Buckwheat = Western China
Cabbage = Europe
Cacoa/cocoa = Mexico
Cannabis = Central Asia
Canna = South America
Capers = Mediterranean
Carambola (star fruit) = Asia
Carrot = Europe
Cashew = South America
Cauliflower = Europe
Celery = Mediterranean (?)
Cherry = Eurasia
Chestnut = North America
Chickpea/garbanzo bean = Southeast Turkey/Middle East
Chicory = Asia
Chili pepper = South American tropics
Chive = North America/Asia
Cilantro/coriander = Europe/Asia
Cinnamon = South Asian tropics
Clove = Indonesia
Coconut = Asia
Coffee = Ethiopia
Cola nut = West Africa
Collard = Europe
Corn = Mexico
Cranberry = Asia
Cucumber = Africa/Asia
Currant = Europe/Asia
Custard apple = South America
Date = Africa/Asia
Date palm = Asia
Eggplant = Africa/Asia
Endive = Asia
Fig = Europe
Garlic = Asia
Ginger = Southern China
Gooseberry = Europe
Grapefruit = Asia or West Indies
Grapes = Europe/North America
Sweet pea = Southwest Asia (?)
Guava = South America
Hazelnut = Europe
Hops = Near East
Jackfruit = Asia
Kale = Europe
Kiwi = Asia
Kohlrabi = Europe
Leek = Mediterranean and Middle East
Lemon = Asia
Lettuce = Western Asia
Lime = Asia
Loganberry = North America
Loquat = Asia
Macadamia nut = Africa/Australia
Mango = Asia
Manioc = South America
Maple sugar = North America
Marjoram = North Africa/Asia
Melon = Africa/Asia
Millet = East/Central Africa
Mint = Europe
Mustard = Mediterranean/Southwest Asia
Nutmeg = Malaysia
Oats = Near East
Oil Palm = West Africa
Okra = Asia
Olive = Europe/Middle East
Onion = Asia
Orange = Southeast Asia
Oregano = Eurasia
Papaya = South America
Paprika = South American tropics
Parsley = Eurasia
Parsnip = Eurasia
Passion fruit = South American tropics
Peach = Asia
Peanut = Brazil
Pear = Western Europe
Pecan = North America
Pineapple = South America
Pistachio = Mediterranean
Pomegranate = Asia
Potato = South America
Pummelo = Asia
Quinoa = South America
Radish = Europe/Asia
Raspberry = North America
Rhubarb = Asia
Rice = India/Southeast Asia
Rosemary = Mediterranean
Sapadilla = South America
Sesame = Africa, Asia
Sorghum = Africa
Soybean = Northeast China
Spinach = Asia
Squash = North America/South America
Strawberry = North America
Sunflower = North America/South America
Sweet pepper = South America
Sweet potato = South America
Swiss chard = Europe/Asia
Tamarind = India/Tropical rainforest
Tea = India/China
Tef = Ethiopia
Thyme = Mediterranean
Tomato = South America
Turnip = Asia
Vanilla = Mexico
Walnut = North America/Asia
Watermelon = Africa/Asia
Wheat = Near East
Wild rice = North America
Yam = Asia
Yantia = South America
Zucchini = North America/South America
I use these in class to illustrate how "tradition" is constructed--for instance, tomatoes are now seen as the essence of traditional Italian cooking, and yet they are native to South America and only made it to Italy a few hundred years ago, and coffee is native to Ethiopia but the country most associated with it today is Colombia.
It's also useful for talking about globalization and showing that it's been going on longer than the last 100 years or so--movement of crops within and between hemispheres has been going on for thousands of years.
These are from L.H Bailey, Ethel Zoe Bailey, and the Staff of Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortotorium. 1997. Hortus Third: A Concise Dictionary of Plants Cultivated in the United States and Canada. New York: Barnes & Noble.
Hermaphroditic Civil War Horse Statue Links Heroism to Maleness
These are pictures of a statue in Lexington, KY, in honor of Civil War general John H. Morgan. It depicts him on his favorite horse, Black Bess. The inscription is "Gen. John H. Morgan and His Bess."
Here's what's interesting about this: Bess, as you might guess, was a mare--a female horse, for those of you totally out of touch with farm life. Notice that the horse has a relatively small frame and head--it's not a huge horse with rippling muscles, as horses in statues so often are (and, of course, always rearing up with mane and tail flying in the wind).
However, the statue has testicles. You can't see them in either picture, unfortunately. The sculptor gave Bess testicles because he considered a mare an unworthy mount for a general--despite the fact that Morgan himself seemed to think she was just fine.
I found out about this in Lies Across America: What Our Historical Sites Get Wrong by James W. Loewen.
BYU Dress Code
Yan sent me this link to the Brigham Young University dress code. Here are some examples:
One of the things I think is really interesting is how aggressively multicultural the posters are. The Mormon church did not allow black men to be priests (and therefore they could not ascend to the highest level of heaven) until 1978.
Thanks Yan!
Power Asymmetry As Sexy
I think this is a fascinating image. In my Power and Sexuality class I teach about how power asymmetry has been sexualized; that, literally, overpowering or being overpowered feels sexy to us (perhaps whether we want it to or not). This image was alongside an article about how some vegans only want to have sex with other vegans (see here):
So the image, apparently, is to illustrate sexual relationships between "fruity" types. But in order to make fruit look sexual, they positioned them asymmetrically with the pear not just standing next to the apple, but towering over it. I suppose we have to ask ourselves, would two apples, or an apple and an orange, sitting next to each other imply sex? The reason this particular image works to evoke sex is because of the way in which the pear is overpowering the apple. (I have to admit, the satin sheets help, but I don't think the image would work as well nonetheless.)
Increase In Cosmetic Surgery
Data on the prevalence of cosmetic surgery is notoriously difficult to find. This is data on the five most common procedures, according to one association's members:
Pretty amazing.
Sexy Women as Toys
Notice the woman is headless, so she's completely robbed of any subjectivity. And this ad is totally aimed at men--the sexy woman as a potential gift and the violent action movies (Alien, X Trilogy, Rocky, Die Hard, and 007).
From Rolling Stone.
Liquor Ad: Image of Hegemonic Masculinity
I couldn't get my scanner to quite scan the entire thing--it's an ad from Rolling Stone, which has really wide pages--but here's the ad copy:
YOUR DAD WAS NOT A METROSEXUAL. H didn't do pilates. Moisturize. Or drink pink cocktails. Your Dad drank whisky cocktails. Made with Canadian Club. Served in a rocks glass. They tasted good. They were effortless. DAMN RIGHT YOUR DAD DRANK IT.And the main picture is of three men going fishing.
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