Reflection

      Over the course of my critical thinking class, it is safe to say that my knowledge and perception of media has widened. Before this semester, I was just like any other typical teenager, who would consume hours of media every day. I was also quite oblivious of the many messages that large corporations try to send out to their consumers; before this class, I never really put much thought into how advertisements truly affect us and our society. Most of the times I tend to ignore the adverts that pop up on my laptop screen or on social media pages. I used to believe that large companies, such as Nike, would just put out whatever they needed to say about their brand and hope that consumers will purchase the products they're selling. However, now that I have learned the many manipulative techniques that media utilizes, I am somewhat skilled enough to apply what I've learned, to see beyond the surface level of what large companies are actually trying to say.

       With an innovative mindset, I have changed the way I view TV commercials and other forms of advertisements. I never truly noticed how large advertisement companies target specific audiences, such as teens or middle-aged women; I used to believe that companies target all kinds of people, but now I know that this assumption is false. I wanted to believe that advertisers sold their products to benefit their consumers rather than themselves. Until this semester, I did not know that many advertisement companies actually bought information about individuals from certain target market for research on what their target audience is interested in. It makes me feel like I am being watched 24/7, and it makes me more conscious of what I post and share on social media. Most of all, it makes me feel as if I have no privacy on media. What draws the line for these companies, in regards to our right to privacy? Recently, on the news, I heard that Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, had been sued; I didn't really understand how and why this social media company was being sued for. However, in class, one day, as we were watching Frontline's "The Persuaders", Mr. Maxwell had told the class that companies such as Facebook would sell advertisement companies their consumers information. This was so that the advertisement companies would, in turn, take your personal information and try to sell you something that they'd think you like or buy. Although I think this is very stalkerish, I find it fascinating that advertisement companies go to extreme lengths to try and sell products to a specific group of people. Now, that I have become more educated on the media world, I pay more attention and am more aware of the little things on the internet such as when a website warns me of it using cookies. I also learned that a lot of companies advertise based on our emotions rather than our minds. It makes me upset because this does the trick for a lot of people, and those people most likely will purchase something they will not use for another five years or so. It makes people buy products spontaneously, and it's unsettling to know that these companies are lying to consumers. Now, I know that companies' main goals are to make a profit from us.
      I've known for a while that our society is being engulfed by the media world around us, but I didn't notice how influential it really was. We use media almost every day in our lives, whether it's at school, home, or at work. "MissRepresentation" gave us statistics on the amount of hours teenagers spend using different forms of media. To me, it was kind of crazy to actually realize that teenagers around the country also use social media as much as I do. This made me reflect on all the media I consume on a day to day basis. Before we did our dissection of media, I typically watched two to three episodes of a show on Netflix, and throughout the day, whenever I am free, I am on my phone scrolling through my social media pages like Snapchat, Instagram, or Twitter. I felt as if caused me to become fixated on this false reality that media creates, and because of this, for a while, I tried to avoid media. However, from my critical thinking class, I learned that in the generation we are all living in, media is inescapable. Media holds a lot of influence and power over our society, and it is up to us whether or not we want to listen and cave into media's false stereotypes about women and men.
      My perception of media has altered quite a bit over the past few months, and I will take the information that I have learned and apply it towards becoming a more cautious and better consumer and media user. I think that our media usage should be something talked about more often because it is important to understand the effects of media on our society. I think that people should educate themselves on the truths behind media and advertisement companies because media will only continue to advance further throughout the generations. After learning about the world behind advertising, I know that having a basic understanding of the messages behind these ads go a long way and helps with being a smart consumer. We can buy the products we actually need, and we won't be wasting money on useless things. Media literacy is so important in our society nowadays; it allows us to recognize the damaging effects that long-term media usage can have on us. Overall, these media blogs and the critical thinking class have allowed me to take a new and different approach to media by opening my perception to all the various techniques/ messages that media puts out there.

Is There a Problem with Disney?

      After watching a few films and movies about the problems women deal with in the face of media, it has me wondering where I have actually seen these stereotypes being portrayed. In media, women are too often portrayed as being ignorant, sassy, or having super-human powers. Many women are also highly sexualized and are forced to have a certain body image that is deemed acceptable in society. Media projects this idea that women's jobs are solely to make a man satisfied and that their best attribute is their physical appearance. After much thought, it occurred to me that all throughout my childhood, Disney has been putting out princess movies that devalue women. It was hard to me to actually digest the fact that Disney does this to women because I love Disney, but after applying the different ideas and methods that I've learned in class, it became clear to me what Disney's hidden messages were.

       My favorite princess Disney movies would have to be classics such as Cinderella, Snow White, and Beauty and the Beast. I have been watching these movies for as long as I can remember. I think it is crazy how almost all of these movies have very similar plot lines to each other. It is even crazier how I have never noticed how alike the hidden messages were until I actually analyzed each plot line and compared them. First, Disney displays the idea to young females that women are incapable of doing a lot of things independently, need to be reliant on men, and are quite ditzy/ lost. Second, Disney almost always includes the archetype of the "witchy" stepmother or old lady. It shows young girls that these are the only two types of women you can be. However, there are many more attributes of women that are not often portrayed in media. Women can be influential, empowering, intelligent, brave, etc. The list goes on. These Disney princesses are almost always saved by a man; this shows that women are supposed to be submissive to men and that men hold more power than women. However, women are equal to men, in the sense that we are capable of supporting ourselves and can do the same jobs; we are just as influential as men.

      In these films, Disney depicts the "princess" as having a beautiful physical appearance, with a slender and ideal physique that attracts men. She fits into the image that media is sending out to their audiences of young girls. She is supposed to be graceful and subordinate to a male figure- either a prince or father. Then as the plot of the movie continues, the stereotypical princess has to encounter an experience with the "witchy" old lady or stepmother, in which she cannot help herself. She has to wait for her prince charming to come and save her from the terrible accident (normally by kissing her). In the end, the prince and the princess live happily ever after and ride off into the sunset.
     I would be lying if I said these Disney movies didn't play a huge role in my life. Throughout my childhood, I felt as if I had a particular image I needed to fit into. I had to be graceful and mannered in front of men; I couldn't be my loud or obnoxious self. I also felt that I needed to uphold a certain beauty standard. My all-time favorite Disney princess is Aurora from Sleeping Beauty, and I remember that when I was younger, I thought that because I had dark-colored hair, I wasn't as gorgeous as the girls with blonde hair. These movies taught me that I needed a man in my life, in order to take care of me and "rescue me" because I am not capable of doing that myself. However, now that I am more aware of these hidden messages in media, I know that these are false stereotypes; I know that women have much more to offer to society than their outer appearances. 

Lady Bird

      The beloved movie Lady Bird has placed Sacramento, California on a map. The five-time Oscars nominated movie has brought immense pride and joy to those who live in Sacramento; it gives them a reason to show off the limited landmarks of our simple city. Lady Bird takes the audience through a young woman's- played by Saoirse Ronan- heartfelt coming-of-age story; it captures the bittersweet transition from adolescence to adulthood. The film also examines how one will come to recognize and appreciate the incomparable beauty of "home". There are many common archetypes used in "Lady Bird" such as the disapproving mother, the sad father, the mean girls, the strict teachers, the perfect boyfriend, and the "bad" boyfriend. However, Greta Gerwig, the writer and director, uses these archetypes as a building block for the main character, Lady Bird, to grow into a young adult.

      Personally, I think the experiences Lady Bird goes through are very real and relatable, making it easy for myself to relate to her character. I think this character is important because she goes through life experiences that are messy, but she is still able to pull herself through the foggy patches in her life. Out of frustration with her hometown- Sacramento, CA-, Lady Bird tries to find her own identity; she's a dynamic character that is seen being hypocritical and idealistic, self-absorbed and kind, and a conformist and rebel. Throughout the movie, Lady Bird is seen saying that she wants to move to New York or the East Coast and to just get away from California. Ever since I can remember, I've always found myself saying this to my mother because I've hated how small Sacramento is. New York is filled with endless possibilities; every corner you go, there's something going on. It's a bustling city filled with excitement, and I have fallen in love with the towering skyscrapers and the bright lights. I think that her character is very interesting because she is the ideal image of an American teenager. I think it's important for teenagers who are also struggling with their identities to see themselves portrayed on the large screen; it shows them that they are not alone with the experiences they face. I think that a lot of teenagers in high school, including myself, are at a stage in our lives where life becomes harder because we are all, in a way, trying to find ourselves in such a large world. Also, with college around the corner, we are dealing with a lot of stress and pressure with school and parents.

      Lady Bird focuses closely on the difficulties of a mother and daughter relationship. I think that the relationship between Lady Bird and her mother, Marion, is raw and genuine. Their arguments felt very real; their exchanged lines sounded like something an actual person might say. Lady Bird struggles with trying to satisfy her critical and disappointed mother- which is difficult because her mother's standards are set very high- and being true to her own self. Personally, I struggle with this because I always strive to be the best version of myself, but I constantly worry that it won't be enough for my mother. Just like Lady Bird and her mother, although we argue, my mother and I are never complete without each other. The film displayed and emphasized that there is no such thing as a perfect family; every family goes through some sort of problem.
      Because her character was so relatable, I found myself viewing my own life through her lens. I think that this proves the idea of the feedback loop that the Frontline "Making Cents out of Teens" film was talking about. The media puts out an image that they perceive us as- whether it's true or not- and as a result, teenagers start viewing the image of what they see portrayed in media as themselves.