From Sex to Teen Mom

I enjoyed talking about and watching a clip from Sex and the City last class. I had only watched a few different clips from episodes before and really didnt know much about it. Between the reading and our discussion I feel like I have alot better understanding of the show.

It's interesting to think about how Sex and the City was a breakthrough for its time period. The fact that HBO was skeptical about airing the show is quite ironic seeing that it was a huge success. At the time, however, it was unheard of to have a show following just a small number of women.

Now, it seems like America cannot get enough of this type of television! Whether its Say Yes to the Dress, Desperate Housewives, Bad Girls Club, and now Teen Mom, women's lives are the highlight of what many turn their TV on to watch. And to think, provocative-seeming to have a show featuring grown women engage in unmarried sex, and now theres a show for women who haven't even graduated highschool and have a child.

I've inserted clips from these favorite shows of mine.

What started it all...

My addiction...

Tying into the "Big American Wedding" for women ...

Most recent show just following women...



American Weddings

I thought it was very interesting talking about the American Wedding today in class. I realized that even throughout my childhood, I was subconsciously affected by such advertising. The perfect dress to make the bride look like a "princess", the perfect hair to make all the bridesmaids look fantastic, the perfect flower arrangements to make an elegant set up, the perfect party favors so everyone can remember the best day of the couples lives. 


A clip from a show I really enjoy watching, "Say Yes to The Dress", illustrates most people spend over $1000 on a dress, some even up to $20,000. 

A new show, "Bridal Plasty" shows how some even go to the extent of getting plastic surgery before their big day. 

It all is so over the top- what is the real reason for all this? To try to convince others your truly happy? Most likely many are but I find it hard to believe the best thing a brand new couple to do is spend all their money on a wedding. It most likely will result in starting off their "new lives" in debt, making it hard to truly start a family. 

Advertising for Men

I thought many points our guest speaker had to say today were very interesting. I really enjoyed the many commercials he had lined up for us to show us real life examples of advertisements. These commercials were mainly beer commercials, some trucks, and even one electronic product. When you think about it, the fact that they were mainly those products makes sense because those are all products that are associated with men. I started to think more about a point the guest speaker brushed upon today, about trying to sell neutral-gendered objects to men.

Obviously among these are shower gels, soaps, and deodorants, objects that are relatively neutral but do have some femininity associated with them. The most common among these are Axe, Xcess, Nivea, and even Dial.

But, when I really think of it, how did it become so normal for men to wear a fragrence? The idea of a man spraying himself with a pretty smelling scent is completely immasculine. However, mens cologne comes in all different shapes and sizes! And, as you may know, actually somewhat popular.

This commercial has Josh Halloway show the "power of being cool"

This photograph ad shows Marc Jacobs advertising his cologne with a naked, very muscular figure.

Lastly, one of my favorites due to the pathetic humor, LL Cool J showing how not cool he was before he used Old Spice

The answer is, of course, media that proves that buying a fragrence does indeed make them more manly.

SNL; Laugher for Healing

Over the weekend I was flipping through TV shows and came across "SNL: Best of the 2000's". I have never been a huge Saturday Night Live person, but my options were limited so I decided to watch it. There were many funny skits and after not long, I realized how much I really have been missing!

It got to a part where the cast began to talk about September 11th, and how it affected the show. They all were very emotional bringing up old memories of before September 11th, and then talked about the skepticisim they had going back on the air after the tragedy. They, obviously, were known to be a humorous show, but almost didnt know how to act after such an event had happened to America. They wanted to be humorous, and make people laugh as they always have, but did not in the least bit want to seem disrespectful towards fellow Americans. It really made me respect the show alot more after hearing their recaps. They were in a very tough position, one I could see as really a make or break of the show after that. They decided to do a 9/11 tribute with Mayor Giuliani and many firefighters of New York City. After a beautiful opening dedicated to those who lost their lives or those who lost others, they hesitantly asked the mayor, "Can we be funny?" The mayor laughed and said of course, that the nation was leaning on Saturday Night Live to bring their spirits up once again. Reese Witherspoon hosted the show and it carried on magnificently.

I thought it was interesting, seeing a show that normally has no boundaries with its content, have to deal with a serious situation, and make the best of it. They were cautious and respectful, yet their same old hilarious selves. Funny how media, although have its negative sides, somewhat bring a nation up after such a horrible situation.