Second Reading For Susan Bordo

Question One:
Susan Bordo does take a very nice and steady pace when writing her essay. Her points are thoroughly expressed by many in depth examples. She really gets into the descriptive side of what she is saying, and uses a lot of visial as well as emotional expressions. I like the how she uses different subheadings to change from one topic to another. It reminds the reader that there is a change in subject, and kina regains focus to the topic at hand. I think Bordo incorporated pleasure within her text by putting down exactly what she felt at that particular moment when first observing the images. This style of writing would be fun to me to try. I like to analyze and put my feelings into words, and this would be a perfect way to integrate work and pleasure.

Question Two:
Susan Bordo has arranged her essay into various subsections. These subsections begin with some back round information which leads into examples. Bordo then uses the back round information to explain an ad, and where she though the “artist” had gotten their motivation for taking such a picture. In each subsection there is a mention of a gay perspective, and a criticism on the publisher of the image. She takes her time to make sure the reader knows exactly what point she is trying to make, and backs up her opinions with many many illustrations. In my opinion the first subsection was the strongest. I think that Susan Bordo was taken back the most by the first ad that she presented in her essay. She seemed to be most passionate and attached to this ad and therefore made it be the focal point of the beginning of her writing. The end subsection I believe was very strong as well. Bordo finished the essay with her conclusion statements and organized them very well. She also left the reader with the main points, and questions to ponder about.

Question Three:
Susan Bordo used her writing to thoroughly exemplify her points. She used a “subject position,” in many of her examples. This is a great way to lay out many different perspectives so that the reader can understand in a well-rounded manor. One of the repetative views that I noticed was that of a homosexual. There were many references made to the idea of the gay man. Some other “subject positions,” that I observed were Susan’s own personal view, the view of specific photographers and fashion experts, the idea of a satre, how movies portrayed the topic, as well as magazines and newspapers.

Question Four:
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.romancebookcovers.com/surrendermylove/fabio.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.romancebookcovers.com/surrendermylove/surrendermylove.html&h=189&w=195&sz=17&hl=en&start=45&tbnid=6pWej1Ka4ljH2M:&tbnh=101&tbnw=104&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dfabio%26start%3D36%26ndsp%3D18%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26sa%3DN

My ideas for the Research Paper:
For the research paper I would like to follow Chanel. Coco Chanel has been a very influential brand since the 1920’s. It would be interesting to follow not only their fashion line but also their makeup and perfume lines as well. I plan on researching all of their sights and looking back at their vintage ads. I also am interested in what their punch lines on commercials will be and how their products are presented in stores. The historical perspective will be fun to acquire, and will interest me every step of the way. Also there will be many visual aids and hopefully statistics that will help me to further clarify my research paper.

Ooops

I didn’t do the correct assignment. I will redo this and make a comparrison between two vintage ads.

Vintage Ads

http://www.scrapbookingsuppliesrus.com/product_info.php?cPath=20_768&products_id=11291

This coke ad is very different from recent beverage ads that are shown today. The product is being held by a very clothed, and classy woman. There is a lot of text explaining how popular and in-demand the product is. This advertisment is actually selling the drink, instead of selling the woman. “Pause that refreshes,” is the main slogan, and is catchy and innocent.

http://www.adflip.com/addetails.php?adID=1453

Although “Let me come into your bedroom with my latest creation,” is the slogan for this add, the pajamas are very modest. There is a slight hint of sex appeal however it seems more based on beauty to me. The bedware is made in many colors, with fancy lace that might not be so comfortable, however they will be appealing to others. I’m not sure of the time period but the price seems very reasonable. In today’s culture bedware is only presented in a sexual way, and is very skimpy. If you want to be appealing in bed, you must wear basically nothing. The idea of “sexy” has definitely transformed over time. Women in this time period were seeking any attention they could find, and they usually found it in what they wore. However, what they wore would not be attractive and would be way to modest for women seeking attention from their dress code in today’s society.

Deconstructing Ads

The two ads are uniquely presenting womens feminine products from the company Kotex. The first older, ad, is emphasizing the social aspect of the woman. There is a lot of text explaining how wearing Kotex can make you feel calm, and secure in any social situation. Whether your on a picnic with friends, out to dinner with a significant other, or meeting new people Kotex will always keep you protected. The ad focuses on having a pleasant feeling, even when experiencing a not so pleansant time of the month. The second ad however becomes more focused on looks and a slight sex appeal. There is no story, and basically is presenting the idea that if you use Kotex you will Be Sure of yourself. So if you use another brand does that mean you won’t be confident? This is a similar slogan to “Because your Worth It,” that is used in today’s makeup ads by Cover Girl.

Narcissism as Liberation

1. Douglas uses many critcal and sarcastic comments to portray her point to the reader. One of her main points was the idea that womens thighs and butts need to be smooth, with no dimples. Our society will not excpet even the least bit of natural cellulite that is on womens legs. Legs are supposed to be perfect, fit, and smooth. There is not an emphasis on being healthy and working out, rather only appearance is taken into account. Another topic she discussed was women’s obsession with facial products. Women spend so much money on creams that are supposed to provide a more youthful look. Douglas says that she doesn’t believe in this because your face shows character and what you have personally been through. An idea I was drawn to was..what if every women woke up, looked in the mirror and was happy with her self image? Our society would be a lot different, and a less conceited, and judgemental of women’s looks.

2. The way that Douglas presents her writing, draws the reader in. She pokes fun at how society analyzes the womenly figure, and does it in a way to capture the reader’s attention. She is almost always correct in her assumptions and points. She backs up her writing with knowldegable comparrisons, ones that the reader can relate to. There was a lot of comparrisons to popular magazines, and how they depict how a women is “supposed” to look. If these societal concepts would be turned down a notch, over all women would be a lot happier, and a lot more focused on more important issues. It is sad to say that some girls only care about their appearance, and are constantly on a search for exceptance of others. If this attention would be focused differently, we would have more money to contribute to better causes such as Hurricane Katrina, or the Soldiers in Iraq.