Power Of The Media Essay, Research Paper
The Power of the Media
In Susan Douglas ’ s essay “ Narcissism as Liberation ” , she covers the subject of the power of media on American civilization. Douglas approaches this subject in a manner which grabs her audience’s attending rapidly. She discusses an advertizement in the first paragraph of her essay. This advertizement is a really popular one among American Society today, particularly adult females. Through discoursing such a popular advertizement so early in her essay, Douglas non merely catch her audience’s attending but she is able to present her audience to the footing of her essay and get down her statement. Douglas argues throughout her essay how the power of media has such a strong influence on American civilization today. She points out certain advertizements that display this thought to the fullest which helps her audience recognize and relate to the thought Douglas is seeking to pass on to her audience. After making this Douglas is able to travel into item with her statement and portion her positions with her audience. Douglas ’ s decision is really simple, she leaves her audience with a inquiry refering the essay which is to assist each single reader make their ain sentiment on the power of media and it ’ s effects on American civilization today.
Douglas clearly communicates her stance on the issue of the power of media throughout her essay. She believes the media has an highly strong consequence on American civilization today and she does non believe the consequence is a really good one for society. The media does an first-class occupation of drawing society into the advertizement which consequences in gross revenues. The media besides does a really good occupation in doing society believe that non utilizing a certain merchandise and non accomplishing the most recent physical “ look ” makes you worthless and non desirable. This is Douglas ’ s statement summarized, but it is precisely what she tries to pass on to her audience throughout the whole essay.
The manner Douglas presents her statement is highly helpful in steering the reader as an person to their ain sentiments on the issue. Douglas points out one peculiar ad, ( p. 118 ) , which displays a adult female demoing her rear, which is wholly steadfast and free of any Markss which would do her “ unwanted ” . The cause of this, harmonizing to the advertizement, is because she uses the merchandise Biotherm which is purportedly the solution to cellulite. This advertizement can associate to any adult female, immature or old. Media has made adult females believe that being thin and house is of import and if you are non you will non be desired by anyone. This is a really serious issue adult females are covering with today. Young adult females every bit good as old are hungering themselves to accomplish this expression of flawlessness which in bend is easy killing them. This issue of being thin is non merely an issue for adult females but besides work forces. Work force besides go to such extremes as going anorectic or bulimic to be thin. Merchandises and advertizements such as this one drama a cardinal function in the lives of many people and is destructing them mentally and physically. Today people do non like you because of what you may hold to state but what you look like. Ads are genuinely a cardinal factor in the thought manner of society today.
The first advertizement I chose is directed toward adult females chiefly. This advertizement was in a fashion-based magazine. The advertizement is for Calvin Klein vesture. Kate Moss, the theoretical account have oning the vesture, is good known for many of her visual aspects in Calvin Klein advertizements. Kate Moss is highly thin and really unusual looking. In this peculiar advertizement she is to the full clothed in a black outfit. The outfit is really obviously. She is have oning all black and her face is really pale ; she about looks ghostly. A Ag belt is wrapped around her small waist to stress the outfit. There are merely a few things that will advance the sale of Calvin Klein vesture from this advertizement. The fact that Kate Moss was chosen to expose the vesture is one asset for the company. She is really thin and is considered beautiful among many people today. Calvin Klein is good known for his vesture, he has been around for many old ages and his “ CK ” symbol is really popular. This ad is non directed toward the quality and lastingness of the vesture it is directed toward adult females. The issues of being beautiful, thin and have oning tight vesture to be noticed and desired is what this advertizement is stating. Calvin Klein in all his old ages of working in the manner industry would ne’er hold an over-weight adult female in his advertizements. The ground for this is because that ’ s non what people want to see or be. Society wants to see beautiful faces and organic structures in magazines that are near to impossible to hold if you have a day-job. Kate Moss in this advertizement is an illustration for adult females in today ’ s society. Womans today, should be thin as humanly possible and free of anything that would do them unwanted. Many adult female strive for this expression and travel through so much strain mentally and physically to accomplish this expression that media has created for adult females.
The following advertizement I chose is geared toward work forces. This advertizement is for Armani Jeans. Armani is besides really good known for his interior decorator denims. Armani is more expensive than Calvin Klein and is non worn by many people. Armani is directed toward the upper category and is known by his label for his monetary values. This ad shows a adult male standing outside presumptively in the snow. He is non such a popular theoretical account but he still has an impact for the advertizement. He is featured have oning a black jean-jacket and a baseball cap with “ AJ ” and the symbol of the Armani bird. The vesture this theoretical account is have oning is besides really obviously. The theoretical account has a really serious look on his face. The whole image is really bold and expressive. He looks really powerful and determined. His face has
been shaven and his hair is seemingly short. This is the expression many male theoretical accounts have. His face seems really symmetrical and good defined. This advertizement is besides accomplishing the same thing the Calvin Klein advertizement achieves. This accomplishment is making an image for work forces in today’s society by exposing an attractive adult male dressed in expensive vesture which makes him desirable. This expression is what work forces are seeking to accomplish today. Men feel by accomplishing this expression they will be desired and if they do non look or dress this manner they will be worthless. To achieve this expression is every bit difficult for work forces as it is for adult females. The cost of the vesture is really expensive and to hold the vesture 1 must hold the money for it.
The last advertizement I chose is for Sony merchandises. This advertizement is focused largely toward the American household today. The image displays a household consisting of a female parent, male parent, and two immature kids. They are all drive in the auto and everyone is utilizing an electronic device by Sony. The merchandise which is advertised is Sony ’ s mobile multimedia system. This system can be used to play video games, ticker films and telecasting. It is equipped with earphones besides. This advertizement shows that engineering is come oning and will shortly be indispensable for day-to-day life. The one kid is smiling at the camera, she looks really happy to be playing a picture game with her brother. The female parent and male parent are busy concentrating on their finish. This advertizement is really convincing. The auto drive is made much easier for everyone in the household and everyone looks happy. Whoever supports this household whether it is the male parent entirely or the female parent and male parent together it is really expensive to hold such an agreement as this 1. Since this household has this agreement it shows that the parents care about their household’s comfort and delighting their kids with such amusement. Not holding this system in their auto would intend that the parents did non care about the comfort of their household and hence everyone would endure a deadening drive to wherever they were traveling. The message this advertisement suggests is that if you care for your household put in this merchandise in your auto. Without this merchandise your household would non be traveling with the alterations and promotions of today. This advertizement is rough on the protagonist or protagonists of households. It makes the supplier feel that if they do non hold this merchandise they are striping their household of something of import.
There are many different images media can portray to society. Every image has the same intent, which is to sell the ware. Pulling people into these images creates gross revenues. Another position on self-love is expressed by a adult female named Rebecca Piirto. She wrote an article titled, “ The Romantic Sell. ” In this article she besides points out an image media portrays which effects adult females chiefly. Romance is a figure one factor in the gross revenues of many merchandises made for adult females. Most of us would tie in aroma, flowers, and chocolates as merchandises adult females would bask. Piirto points out that a big per centum of adult females today are indulging themselves with merchandises such as these. This has a batch to make with adult females working for themselves in today’s society. Love affair is really appealing to adult females and today adult females have the chance to indulge themselves in merchandises which portray the image of love affair. This image is going more come-at-able today. A adult female does non hold to wait for the adult male to indulge her in such points, today she can make it herself. Romance is merely another portraiture of media today. Piirto’s article describes this good. Although it is non precisely the same thought Douglas discusses it is really closely related. Bing surrounded by romantic things for adult females is really gratifying. Love for yourself should include being surrounded by beautiful things harmonizing to media today. Both Douglas and Piirto explain this thought clearly.
In decision it is apparent that media is really powerful. This is discussed clearly in Douglas’s essay. She is able to give her audience many illustrations of how media controls society. Many people are non cognizant of the control media has on them. Media portrays so many different images it about disguises the fact that media is commanding society. There are excessively many different images portrayed that people of course overlook the significance behind the advertizement. If people recognized it they would hold that it does command our ideas. All one demands to acknowledge the power of media is to be informed. Being informed on what media is making will alter many heads in today’s society. Peoples like Douglas are of import subscribers in informing people of the danger of media but it is a slower procedure compared to the speedy procedure of media itself. Media is everyplace, literally. Everywhere we go whether it is the food market shop or shopping promenade, images are portrayed by media and are automatically directing out messages to us. The power of media is turning and the lone manner to halt it is for persons to recognize what it does and non fall into it ’ s trap. American civilization should get the better of their insecurities about their physical visual aspect and heighten their rational side and personalities. Peoples today have forgotten this of import fact which is what makes a existent individual. Personalities are what should be appealing to others non organic structures and material objects. Media has controlled society to the point where many people could care less about their personality and worry more about their hair, in general. Society today has lost many values that make a individual desirable. The media has created a “ desirable ” human being and it does non include anything about personality. This should state society something and hopefully if adequate people recognize this American civilization can alter for the better.
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