They are always there. If you miss the billboards or the magazines, you will find it on television, in film and video, and many times if you are not very technical you will have to reboot your computer to get rid of them. They invade both you private and public spaces. The media hunters are on your trail and sooner or later you will fall prey. As we proceed to the twenty-second century, one would think that in an era of advanced technology, an era when jet planes can be fuelled in mid-air, an era of instant messaging; an era where a baby can be operated on before birth; an era where forensic science can use maggot to estimate time of death; we would not be so gullible. We have allowed the media to take control of our lives; it is a tonic, it is a drug that leaves many of us addicted.
Everything in the media is overrated; yet, even with this knowledge, we permit its invasion. The truth is, we want to be on the bandwagon as we feel that, without it, we are being left behind. Advertisers know this, and they make sure that their ads are tantalizing and appeal to the senses. What most viewers do not know is the amount of time it takes to make models look good. As a matter of fact these appearances are usually false; thanks to the age of technology, graphic illusions can be made to look real. As Waters summarizes Gerbner’s report, he says that in Gerbner’s findings he concluded that “It (television) is the only medium that can bring to people things they otherwise would not selectNo other medium reaches into every home or has a comparable cradle-to-grave influence over what a society learns about itself” (Waters, 164).
Often times one hears “that’s so nineties, or that’s so eighties.” Yes time marches on and with it the fashion trend. Is the latest look so different than last year’s trend? Not necessarily, but people often want to belong; they want that image that bombards us everywhere. To measure up, we spend time unnecessarily fooling ourselves that we look better because we are wearing the newest styles. In our delusion we believe that we look as good as the model with the hour-glass figure, or the athletic built six feet “drop dead” gorgeous, man. In a world where hunger and genocide are in epidemic proportion, we feel our best if we are dressed to the hilt as portrayed in the media. People should spend their money on things that are durable and well built, but that does not mean that Tommy Hilfiger, Coach, Jordon, and Liz Claiborne are the only well-built and sturdy apparel. Contrary to what one sees in the media, he or she will look no better or feel no more important with less expensive attire. Young people are the most impacted by these images, some of them will even refuse to go to school without name-brand clothes. As a matter fact students whose parents cannot afford to keep up with the current fashion find themselves the source of other students’ jokes. On the other hand, children can be affected in other ways by media. Stewart and Elizabeth Ewen tell the story of a two year old child who saw, on a television advert for vitamins, a clown figure that frightened him significantly. According to them, “for years after, Aaron watched television in perpetual fear that the vitamin clown would reappear” (Ewen & Ewen 208).
At an early age children are exposed to the images on television, are captured by the media, and are taught to accept fantasy as reality. One of the deadliest sins of the media fury is its collision with young girls. Vulnerable young girls measure themselves against the gorgeous women on television and decide that they are too fat. In their struggle to become the image that the media presents, they stop eating, being thin becomes an obsession. Even when they become sick, they refuse to relent. The results of this deadly mayhem, is bulimia and anorexia. Waters says, “Young people are the most susceptible to TV's messages” (Waters, 161).
Unfortunately, girls are not the only ones who permit television to rule their lives. Every network carries at least one crime show each week; shows like NCSI and Law and Order seem real to young boys. It excites them, and gives false protection to their criminal minds they actually try some of these crimes as seen on television. Waters reports on Gerbner’s study:
“On television, 55 percent of prime-time characters are involved in violent confrontations once a week; in reality, the figure is less than 1 percent. In all demographic groups in every class of neighborhood, heavy viewers overestimated the statistical chance of violence in their own lives and harbored an exaggerated mistrust of strangers-creating what Gerbner calls ‘meanworld syndrome"’ (160). About ten years ago an eleven year old boy in Miami killed his god-sister by doing stunts he had seen on Wrestle Mania.
An ideal America family, the Cleavers, a sit-com is used to measure the perfect American family. Living up to June Cleaver, unflawed make-up and hair; house as neat as pin; dinner is always on time; well behaved sons; and an husband with whom she never fights; is not an easy task, nevertheless, it did not stop other women from wanting to be like her. Unlike June Cleaver, Soap Opera are the worst kinds of media image. Women are portrayed as weak, conniving, always crying, and are always caught up in love triangles. Waters says; “Women are portrayed as weak, passive satellites to powerful effective men. TV’s male population also plays a vast variety of roles, while female generally get typecast as either lovers or mothers” (Waters 160).
Most advertisements have sexual connotation, and whether or not we believe it sex sells. The eyes are the most important of the five senses, one will definitely remember what he or she sees much longer than what he or she hears. Women are no longer cast in the media as weak house-wives, Mr. Waters report is what used to be. They are taking over what was a world dominated by men. This is the part of the media that men might not like: women are shown as CEOs, managers, surgeons; women have made their way in a man’s world. And there in nowhere where this is seen as in the media. The woman of yesterday and the woman of today is still flawlessly done, however, today’s woman is a super-hero, she takes care of the children while running a tight shift at work, and she is sexier. We were taught what the ideal woman should look like and in this twenty-first century it is still the same, and women and girls alike want the image of the flawless skin or the perfect make-up. The perfect image; an allusion, created by graphic artists are the one who sell body lotion, make-up, and perfume. The American culture is one of competition without even counting the cost we sacrifice our last dollar searching for the “golden fleece.” The good news is a six or seven dollars of coco butter would have done a job just as well or even better. The image of this type of women is flashed on the screen and on bill-boards every day every day. They are in the supermarket, they are in magazines, and they are even in the flyers that come in the mail. What viewers fail to understand is images are not randomly created, much thought are placed into these ads, and they were meant to generate psychological effect.
If the only advertisements for Porsche or Jaguar were film with middle age women with grey hair, without doubt, the sale of these cars would decrease drastically. Why? These women do not represent speed, beauty, or prestige. The only time an advertisement will feature old or middle age people is to show medicine for hemorrhoid or constipation. As Waters reports on Gerbner’s view, “The portrayals of old people transmit negative impressions. In general, they are cast as silly, stubborn, sexually inactive and eccentric. ‘They're often shown as feeble grandparents bearing cookies,’ says Gerbner” (Waters 160).
On the other hand, one will never see an image with a fat woman or man, unless they are promoting dieting, and even then advertisers are reluctant to use obese people. Using skinny people to sell diet products is as funny as selling snow to Eskimos; nonetheless, by using the right image advertisers find their audience. “Although video characters exist almost entirely on junk food and quaff 8 alcohol 15 times more often than water, they manage to remain slim, healthy and beautiful” (Waters 162).
The American Culture is narcissistic, everyone wants more than the next person, and we would never want some of what we crave if it were not for the media, especially television. We want to have more and better than our neighbors, our co-workers, sometimes even families compete. People are willing to go into unnecessary debt to have the best, to strive for the “golden grail” despite its cost. Less than two years ago a woman died right after she tried to make herself over; she had a face-lift, breast enhancement, and a tummy tuck. Though television is not the only media device, it is the main means of this media explosion, it is in the homes of the majority. It has the whole family hostage, look at the commercials between five and nine at nights. In a world of supersonic travel, advanced technology, and medical break-through; a world where young children are going to bed without supper and waking up without breakfast; we have become callous and victim to world of media. Shamelessly, we have given the media control of our lives; we have given up our integrity for an illusion.
Work Cited
Waters, Harry. “Life According to TV.” 16 Feb., 2007 web. 26 April, 2012
Ewen, S and Ewen, E. “In the Shadow of the Image.” Reading Culture. 2007. Print.
