Wednesday, March 2, 2011

From Written Assignment #1 - Conclusion

From C. Petersen

We must teach our children to respect others and in doing so, will gain the respect of others. Too

often, we look the other way, accepting this as just how things are and giving our children the

impression that we approve of them. They only way to change this is by example, by not

supporting this kind of imaging. As a society, we have done it to ourselves. Everywhere our

children look, they see humans portrayed as objects in the media instead of human, from

pornographic material, to movies, music videos, and soft porn magazines, such as Che` or

Maxim, a men’s magazine here in the US also trying to appeal to men 18-34. Women themselves

have allowed this abuse, and image to flourish; men have promoted it out of selfish desire. If

allowed to continue, this world will take every advantage of such, with a ripple effect to be felt

for generations. How long will society allow the greed and selfishness of the rich to promote their

desires above the health of the world? Keep dreaming of a better world, but sit on your hands

and do nothing to achieve it. Let others with their own selfish motives use our children and

discard them as if they were less than human and yes, whether it is your child in the ad or your

child being deceived by the ad they have been used. It is time to make a stand, time to show our

children we care. Then, when they are dreaming of a better world, it is one where wealth is

measured by love, family, and success is thought of as happiness and the ability to bless others.

From Written Assignment #1 - Effective Description

From S. Allen

We see the side of a primitive castle in the background, fairly small and more likely meant to

house a gentry-class family as opposed to royalty. This manor likely belongs to the woman.

Unlike her Lady Godiva-influenced mate, she is (or was) fully clothed in a peach-coloured dress

with jacquard trim and a necklace of undefined material. It could be silver as soon as gold; either

way, jewellery was not cheap in that day and age nor was it practical. For working classes,

jewellery was likely to be broken, poorly cared for, stolen or sold off for whatever was needed by

the family. Notably, her hair is also loose and flowing, blown about and mussed by the wind. Its

appearance adds even further to to historical setting, but with modern-day ideals –

anachronistic, in other words.


The sky is dark and windswept, possibly resembling that of a coming storm and the foliage is

pointedly dead and the ground painted darker than the sky. The man and the woman contrast

the cold, gloomy landscape with their warm colour, dramatic poses and garb, as well as

composition; the wind on the cover is shown as blowing from left to right, while their pose draws

the eye upward. A lot of attention and detail is put into the man and woman while hardly any is

given to the background. It looks as if the artist (or artists) spent hours upon hours on the male

and female and maybe twenty minutes on the background.


This 'perfect mate' – in this case, the man – is seen as standing tall and strong (while she is

falling) and quite muscular with a strong frame, but not suffering from muscles-that-don't-exist

syndrome (thank goodness!). He is shirtless, tan, long-haired and obviously physically strong

and powerful, but tuned in to himself, the situation and the woman before him; one could say he

is easily 'in control' of what is going on; this is emphasized even more by the title of the book:

Master of Desire. One arm is wrapped about the woman's ribs to support her and she seems

absolutely oblivious to anything that is not him. She is practically falling over herself to be near

and touching the man, one hand placed on his diaphragm and the other out of sight, probably

around his back … or maybe down his pants. Who knows.

From Written Assignment #1 - Effective Target Demographic

From C. Reid

They are definitely trying to sell this movie to middle class, middle aged or college/ high school

men from the ages 13 to 30 that likes sports. This demographic is targeted because the movie is

rated PG-13 and also it comes in an unrated version for older people in college or high school.

Religion or political views won't play a major factor to the watchers of the movie unless they are

older. The model is also placed in a stadium equivalent to a college football stadium, this will

attract the college aged men to watch the movie. Their statement on the poster “keep your eyes

on the ball” helps give the targeted sexual orientation of the men being straight.

From Written Assignment #1 - Effective Objectification

From L. Hahne

This advertisement objectifies single, white, middle class, young women in the 70’s. The woman

is described as being wild and in need of being tamed. Mr. Leggs makes women out to be very

shallow by saying we would let a man treat us like a door mat just because he is wearing

attractive looking pants. Being a single, white, young woman this claim is highly offensive to me

because a man’s clothing choices has nothing to do with my feelings toward him. The text implies

that if your woman is wild and hard to control, you need to wear Mr. Leggs slacks, and by doing

so she will let you walk all over her. Women are viewed as prey that needs to be hunted and

taken down, according to this advertisement. It also portrays women as superficial, acting like

we only care about appearances. The quote “It’s nice to have a girl around the house” compares

us to a decoration, and the phrase “doll-to-doll carpeting” implies that men will be able to get

woman after woman to sleep with them, so many that they will have a carpet of women

groveling at their feet begging to be taken advantage of. The way the man has his foot on the

woman’s head symbolizes that she is a prize. Comparable to an animal mounted on the wall of a

huntsman, the tiger-women is likened to a trophy that the man has conquered and wants to

show off. A tiger is a very powerful creature, and a man that has killed a tiger is seen with great

respect because he has defeated something that no ordinary man could subdue. I believe that

this company, as well as many others at the time, was publicizing such objectionable ads to

attempt to put men back in the dominant position of the corporate world. This generation was

the first that a majority of women were in the work force. After the war ended many women

decided they liked working and wanted to make something more out of their lives than being a

stay at home mom. This new found independence for women threatened men’s need for being

the provider for his family so the media started encouraging men to take back their jobs and put

women back into their place at home.

From Written Assignments #1 - Effective Summary

From L. Hahne

In this ad there is a feisty looking young woman, around 18-24 years old, lying on the floor

with her head facing forward and looking at the camera. She has blonde hair cut into a bob with

short bangs, as was popular at the time. You cannot see the rest of her body due to it being made

into a tiger-skin rug spread out on the floor. A dapper- looking young man wearing a white

button- down shirt, a black tie, black dress shoes, and Mr. Leggs slacks is standing over the

tiger-rug woman with his foot placed on her head. The picture is cut off at the man’s mid torso to

allow the focus to stay on the pants and the woman. The man’s pose is that of a victorious hunter

who has successfully taken down his prey. The text helps to validate this idea by saying,

“Though she was a tiger lady, our hero didn’t have to fire a shot to floor her. After one look at his

Mr. Leggs slacks, she was ready to have him walk all over her.” In large, bold letters right under

the picture are the words “It’s nice to have a girl around the house.” This statement makes it

seem as though the woman is merely a decoration, not a valued member of the man’s life.

From Written Assignment #1 - Effective Introductions

From P. Elifrits

The room was dimly lit by what looked like a lamp that had fallen on the floor between the bed and the wall.

However, that wouldn’t explain the lamp that was still there beside the bed on the sea foam green counter top

night stand, giving the idea of a cheap motel. The colors muted in the room muted to the point of making it

seem there would be no sounds either. Stark white sheets rumpled in strange places; like the side of the bed,

where it looks like someone had grasped a hold of it and a spot on the pillow where someone’s head might have

been. He lays there motionless grasping at her hips as if he is just along for the ride, trying to gain some

control of her. Grabbing his arms, holding them to the bed, she says without words that the control is hers and

she is in charge. Her body is arched, eyes are closed and her head is tilted back with her hair flowing down her

back. Still in her black bra, with one strap falling of her shoulder as if to say, “You show me yours and I will

show you mine.” Her face is a vision, as if she is dreaming and his….well, it is covered by a magazine ad from

BMW, the only true color in the room and it comes from the series 3, red, and luxury sedan. That’s right I am

describing an advertisement for a BMW car. Does sex really sell everything?

From Written Assignment #1 - Effective Introductions

From C. Petersen

How many among us dream of a better world? It is probably safe to say all of us at one time or another has

done so. For some it has proven productive and useful, for others a complete waste of time and potential.

Every day, especially among the young people of this world, some will lose themselves in a dream world of

make believe and fantasy. Some will dream of possible ways to better themselves and the lives of their

families, by education, careers, making the most out of opportunities and contributing to society, building the

better world of their dreams. For others, living only for the present, never considering the future, such

dreams tend to be self-centered. Often these dreams are of parties or sexual conquests, and ways of achieving

what they believe to be success. Yet we cannot blame them for having these kinds of fantasies. Such things are

encouraged by those in the entertainment world, the media, and so called heroes of our day. Young people

look up to those portrayed as successful, because they have money, expensive things and women hanging on

every word, a view of success that the mass media tends to portray. It is this kind of absurdity and fantasy that

infects the lives of young people, destroying potential, promoting objectification, and destroying dreams that

must be stopped.