Reflective project #2 example LUTHER
- 1. Find one SPECIFIC example of your own personal dissatisfaction with the way in which women and/or men and/or children and/or any cultural /ethnic /religious/etc. group are represented in ONE of the following mass media messages: magazine, song, book, movie, television show, music video, video game, or any mass media advertisement. Remember that your dissatisfaction can come from seeing how others are represented, not just people like yourself. Also, "dissatisfaction" does NOT have to mean the portrayal is a "negative" one, but rather a portrayal which you are personally dissatisfied with for whatever reason. CHOOSEA SPECIFIC EXAMPLEAND GIVE SPECIFIC SUGGESTIONS! REFLECTIVE PROJECT #2:
- 2. REPORT ONTHESE 5 AREAS: 1.) TYPE OF MEDIA MESSAGE: What channel is it using? Is it aTV commercial?A print ad? A movie? A song? 2.) WHATTHE MESSAGE IS CONVEYING ONTHE SURFACE: Describe the image in detail - if at all possible, please include a link to the media in question and/or include still images in your response. 3.) WHAT ISTHE UNDERLYING MESSAGE BEING CONVEYED? Go deeper than the surface of the message and tell us what it's saying besides the obvious. If you don't see there is a deeper message going on, why did you pick this specific message? 4.) WHYYOU FINDTHE MESSAGETO BE DISSATISFYING? Why did you choose this specific message for this project? 5.) WHAT ADVICE DOYOU HAVE FORTHE MAKER OFTHE MESSAGE? What should they do and why should they do it? REFLECTIVE PROJECT #2:
- 3. REFLECTIVE PROJECT #2: 1.)TYPE OF MEDIA MESSAGE: A large movie poster at the theater (PRINT about FILM) - approximately 27″ x 40″
- 4. REFLECTIVE PROJECT #2: 2.)WHATTHE MESSAGE IS CONVEYING ONTHE SURFACE: I was at the movies with friends and, when we all saw this poster, the very first thing we all said was “Wow – look how huge her breasts are!” so that becomes the first and dominant message; not that she’s powerful and the heroine of the film, not that it’s about technology and the future, not even that it stars Scarlett Johansson…just that this woman has very large breasts on display.
- 5. This poster tells me this movie is about a heroine with large breasts. Looking a little closer at the image, GHOST INTHE SHELL seems to be a sexy sci-fi film starring Scarlett Johansson – note the futuristic outfit and graphics – and she’s conventionally attractive with tousled hair, perfect make-up, and, again, large breasts that dominate the poster, especially in person. Looking deeper, I know the “SHELL” in “GHOST INTHE SHELL” is the mechanical body that serves as her vehicle/vessel to be the “perfect soldier” but “perfect” to whom, exactly? REFLECTIVE PROJECT #2:
- 6. REFLECTIVE PROJECT #2: 3.)WHAT ISTHE UNDERLYING MESSAGE BEING CONVEYED? Now, to be fair, I’ve not seen the film (nor have I seen the film it’s based on) but I know the “SHELL” is the mechanical body that serves as her vehicle/vessel to be the “perfect soldier” but “perfect” to whom, exactly? Why would a “perfect soldier” need to have super large breasts? If anything, they would significantly impact her ability to be effective and mobile. It also more than slightly suggest that to be “perfect” a woman needs to have super-large breasts, no matter the situation. Again, perhaps this is explained in the film but this image is designed to get people to see the film in the first place, so it’s the audience’s point of entry.
- 7. REFLECTIVE PROJECT #2: 4.)WHYYOU FINDTHE MESSAGETO BE DISSATISFYING? I find it dissatisfying because we have a long and shameful cultural history of equating the value of a woman with her breast size. And even though GITS is sci-fi fantasy and very stylized, this PG-13 film and its ad campaign could be sending the message that the heroine has to be sexually desirable above all else; a message that young girls and boys will most likely take very seriously, even if it’s not a message they can fully understand.
- 8. REFLECTIVE PROJECT #2: 5.)WHAT ADVICE DOYOU HAVE FORTHE MAKER OFTHE MESSAGE? I would recommend that the media maker consult the actual film they’re selling and have this poster reflect what the film seems to actually feature – a heroine with a more “normal” breast size. I’d also ask them if she HAS to be in a body suit that’s white-flesh colored so she appears to be completely nude in the film. Couldn’t it have been white? Or silver? Or black? Or at least not “nude” colored? I have to wonder, “Would a man be presented like this if the lead was a hero and not a heroine?”
- 9. REFLECTIVE PROJECT #2: 5.)WHAT ADVICE DOYOU HAVE FORTHE MAKER OFTHE MESSAGE? As to “WHY” I give this advice it’s because I believe Hollywood can make a great movie about a kick-ass heroine who doesn’t have huge breasts and look like she’s nude; I have faith in filmmakers to tell a great story in which the female lead character doesn’t have to be needlessly sexualized. I also think audiences would support a good film because it’s exciting and told well, not just because the poster exaggerates the heroine’s chest…we can do better.
Editor's Notes
- #2: What role do you think fictional characters portrayed in Mass Media play in the lives of fans, especially children? What role do fictional characters portrayed in Mass Media play in your life, both as a child and as an adult? What kind of societal/cultural/ethical responsibilities do you think Mass Media storytellers have when telling stories?
- #3: What role do you think fictional characters portrayed in Mass Media play in the lives of fans, especially children? What role do fictional characters portrayed in Mass Media play in your life, both as a child and as an adult? What kind of societal/cultural/ethical responsibilities do you think Mass Media storytellers have when telling stories?
- #4: What role do you think fictional characters portrayed in Mass Media play in the lives of fans, especially children? What role do fictional characters portrayed in Mass Media play in your life, both as a child and as an adult? What kind of societal/cultural/ethical responsibilities do you think Mass Media storytellers have when telling stories?
- #5: What role do you think fictional characters portrayed in Mass Media play in the lives of fans, especially children? What role do fictional characters portrayed in Mass Media play in your life, both as a child and as an adult? What kind of societal/cultural/ethical responsibilities do you think Mass Media storytellers have when telling stories?
- #6: What role do you think fictional characters portrayed in Mass Media play in the lives of fans, especially children? What role do fictional characters portrayed in Mass Media play in your life, both as a child and as an adult? What kind of societal/cultural/ethical responsibilities do you think Mass Media storytellers have when telling stories?
- #7: What role do you think fictional characters portrayed in Mass Media play in the lives of fans, especially children? What role do fictional characters portrayed in Mass Media play in your life, both as a child and as an adult? What kind of societal/cultural/ethical responsibilities do you think Mass Media storytellers have when telling stories?
- #8: What role do you think fictional characters portrayed in Mass Media play in the lives of fans, especially children? What role do fictional characters portrayed in Mass Media play in your life, both as a child and as an adult? What kind of societal/cultural/ethical responsibilities do you think Mass Media storytellers have when telling stories?
- #9: What role do you think fictional characters portrayed in Mass Media play in the lives of fans, especially children? What role do fictional characters portrayed in Mass Media play in your life, both as a child and as an adult? What kind of societal/cultural/ethical responsibilities do you think Mass Media storytellers have when telling stories?
- #10: What role do you think fictional characters portrayed in Mass Media play in the lives of fans, especially children? What role do fictional characters portrayed in Mass Media play in your life, both as a child and as an adult? What kind of societal/cultural/ethical responsibilities do you think Mass Media storytellers have when telling stories?