To Ailyn's feedback loop post: I think that you make an excellent point about the feedback loop. It's frustrating that a significant chunk of teens and parents try to reflect the archetypal image of their demographic, which then further perpetuates the stereotypes that media has placed on them. Parents buys things for their kids because media has shifted to tell parents that material things are the most tangible form of affection. Kids expect material things from their parents because they've been told that they need social acceptance in order to survive their youth. I'm glad that you value the thought that your parents put into the gifts that they purchase for you. I think that's something that we as a society have neglected to emphasize. I doubt that the narrative will change anytime soon because corporations benefit from advertising through media/TV and media/TV benefit through their partnerships with corporations. It's up to us to instill an alternative message in those we love, or else we'll all fall into the same trap.To Emma's weird experience with media post: That is absurd! The desperation displayed by companies as they frantically try to sell us their products has increased to a point of ridiculousness. The constant bombardment of media and advertising that we experience daily is immunizing us to traditional advertising/sales techniques. As a result of this over-saturation, ads need to be more frequent, more extreme, and more provocative in order to stimulate us or move us to do anything about what we've seen. At some point, there has to be no way forward. I wonder what will happen when there is simply no other space upon which ads can be displayed or value systems can be forced on us.
Perfume campaigns are notoriously vague, and they often portray sexualized famous people trying to convince the commoners (us) that we will be beautiful once we smell good. This campaign, "Si by Giorgio Armani," takes a different approach. Its main message is that women should take control of their lives and just say, "SÌ." By using their perfume as a symbol of power rather than sex, they are riding the wave of feminism in popular culture and telling their viewers that women will finally have the autonomy and control we deserve the moment we walk through a cloud of their smell-fluid. Shockingly, I think this is absolute bullshit. First, the character in the commercial is very far removed from reality. The idea of freedom she embodies involves sky-diving, wearing couture in a shopping market, and stealing a man's jacket. Few sane people who would buy this perfume, i.e. their target demographic, have the money to go sky-diving, sport couture simply because the
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