COMM 322: Final Project: The Sexualization Of Children

Brandon Reed, Josh Fern, Alexandria Larsen, Caleb Livesay, Andy Kunz, Sydney Curet, Reign Acosta

The Effects of Flavor of Love

When I watched my first reality show, I was 13 years old and in eighth grade. I have heard about reality shows, but I did not care much about it because I was a pubescent teenager who did not want to watch what everyone else was watching. I remember coming back from a trip to California and turning on the television. Once I turned the TV on, I saw a bunch of revealing women standing in rows with a guy in a Viking hat and a big clock around his neck talking to them. I later learned that it was the show “Flavor of Love.” This caught my attention because it was unlike anything I have ever seen before (on television that is). I was planning on changing the channel, but there was this one incident on the show that really caught my attention.

There were two women, New York and Pumkin, who had not been chosen by Flavor Flav. In the end, Flavor Flav had chosen New York and Pumkin was not happy about it. Pumkin was so outraged, that she was cursing like a sailor and then unexpectedly spit in New York’s face due to the fact that she was not fond of her. It was so shocking that I could have sworn I was watching it in slow motion. I thought it was the most appalling thing that I have ever seen, but it was so funny and addicting that I couldn’t bring myself to change the channel. This was the defining moment of my life where I realized that I loved reality television.

I began to watch all of the episodes and laughed at every single one. In the show, all of the women had sassy attitudes and were willing to fight at any moment in time. Pretty much, they would put up a “bad bitch” front. As ridiculous as this sounds, I bought it. I really enjoyed how these women did not let anything get in their way. Although the physical appearance was somewhat distasteful, I thought that they were empowering in some way. It a weird, cynical kind of angle, the women showed a form of girl power. 

I was so addicted to it that I felt that I needed to have that “bad bitch” type of attitude in order for people to stop messing with me. I was verbally bullied in middle and high school, so I felt that interpreting an attitude similar to the ones portrayed on the show would help me gain some confidence. Guess what, it actually did. I started to curse a lot, talk back, and yell if I disagreed with someone. I started to view this show as my own lifestyle. I eventually learned to stray away from the persona, but I still maintained the sense of “empowerment” that I felt with this attitude.

Are there negative effects to reality television? My bad attitude and talking back would prove yes. On the counterargument, reality television had given me a sense of empowerment and helped me cope with my feelings of a pubescent teen with the struggles that come along with it. So, say what you will about reality television, but without Flavor of Love, I would not be the person that I am today.

Is There Such a Thing as "Appropriately Gay"?

I remember learning about Matthew Shepard in high school, but just about what had happened to him. After reading the article about him for class, I realized that there was a different angle that the situation was looked at. I used to not think that homosexuality was viewed differently through the media and the public. It showed that Matthew Shepard did nothing wrong because he was “appropriately gay.” He did not flaunt it to the world, which made him a good man to everyone even though not many people approved of his sexuality. The statement of being “appropriately gay” really struck me. I understand that there is an idea of being “appropriately gay” in the media, but is that true for reality?

As an openly gay man, I do not think that there is such a thing as being “appropriately gay”. I believe that coming out is liberating and constraining (as discussed in class). Coming out is liberating because you are freeing yourself of so much internal struggle and pressure. It also is constraining because you have to deal with the constant scrutiny of society. At the end of the day, it is all about personal strength in handling the situation. No one would purposely put themselves through everyday personal struggle, so there is no reason for a person to choose to put themselves through the struggle of being gay and coming out.

The media’s vision of homosexuality is having some sort of happy medium of being as open/yourself as one can be, but not so much to where it makes people feel uncomfortable. My argument with this is that it is a form of discrimination on the media’s part for being sort of a hypocrite. Why would the media promote individuality, yet have some restrictions toward it. This is similar to disliking someone because of their own personal likes. People do not choose what they like, so why judge them over it? We are all human beings, so we should all have a medium of not caring of one’s sexuality because it is not the only thing that defines us. 

At the end of the day, I do not think that there is such a thing as being “appropriately gay” in reality. If there is such a thing as “appropriately gay,” then why isn’t there such a thing as being “appropriately straight?”

Princess Culture from the Male Perspective

            Whenever I think of the word princess, I immediately think of the animated women who wear big gowns, have beautiful hair and physical features, such as Jasmine, Belle, and Snow White. I normally think that they have perfect lives that everyone (mainly girls) strives for. They have a man that cares about them, great looks, and lots of frivolous items. What more could they ask for? After all of the lectures and readings about this section, I have learned that there are more than meets the eye with princesses.

            According to Joanne Laucius, author of Princess culture turning girls into overspending narcissists, she worries that “little princesses grow up to be insufferable adolescents and adults who demand constant adulation and access to a bottomless pot of spending money.” I always knew that spoiled little girls would generally become somewhat snooty, but what I did not realize is that it carries on throughout their whole lives. I mean I know of some people who have rich parents and have a lot of nice things, but I always thought that by a certain age that they would have learned their lesson on the value of money. After bring appalled by this theory and how much it is quite accurate, I began to look back at my life and see if I was a spoiled little prince (not princess because I am a male). After all, it is not just little girls that could be affected by the princess culture.

            As a Fashion major, I tend to have a lot of frivolous things (mostly clothing items) and like to spend a lot of money due to the brand name and/or quality of the object. When I was younger, I do not remember being much of a fan of the princesses of Disney movies and what not. I have seen all of it like every other child, but I did not think that I wanted to be like the princesses in the movies. I had just thought that they were pretty women who had nice things. My parents did spoil me when I was a child and they still kind of do as of right now to be honest. It was nice to be able to get whatever I wanted when I wanted it. As I was growing up, the ease of getting anything I wanted started to dissipate. They started to make me do chores and get good grades in order to have nice things. That lesson still exists today, but mostly just the getting good grades due to the fact that I am in college and do no live at home.

            I think that a big lesson in controlling princess behavior is to start controlling it at a young age. If my parents did not tell me to do chores and get good grades as a mean of working for the things that I wanted, then I probably would have been a completely different person than I am today. I probably would have been a spoiled, narcissistic prince (but not in the royalty way). I am sure that parents want to give their children everything they want, but there must be a time to teach them the value of hard work and money (preferably when they grow up) in order for the princess behavior to get out of hand in the future.

            

A Look Back on My Life with Branding

When we began this section in class, I did not think that branding was such a big part of my life. I looked at the things that I had with me in class and wondered why I had so much of what I had. In my possession, I had an iPhone, a Puma backpack, Nike shoes, a sweater from H&M, and a scarf from The North Face. From there, I began to notice how I put the brands before the title of each item. I did not see my phone as just a phone; I saw it as an iPhone. I did not see my backpack as a normal backpack; I saw it as a Puma backpack. No matter what item I have, there is always a name attached to it in some way shape or form, visible or invisible.

As this crossed through my mind, I backtracked to when I was a child to see if there was anything that I owned that did not have a brand attached to it. After trying to remember all of the things that I owned, I realized that everything I had had a brand attached to it. I never had a toy truck; I had a toy truck from Mattel. I did not just have crayons; I had Crayola crayons. Why are names attached to every single item? What is the purpose for all of this?

As discussed in class, brand marketing used to be targeted at adults, but now it is towards children. After looking aback at my past possessions, I began to whole-heartedly agree with this theory. Everything that I owned in the past and own in the present supports my agreement with the statement. However, there has to be more to a corporation’s motive for brand loyalty. The brand of an item must have more meaning.

As a fashion merchandising major, I focus heavily on the quality of items. I have learned that the brand is not just only a name, but it represents the quality of their products. The reason why high fashion brand names are so successful is because they focus on the quality of each and every one of their products that they sell to their consumers. For example, Louis Vuitton focuses on the quality of their stitching and the appearance of their bags more than Charlotte Russe does.

I do not think that corporations are trying to brainwash us with branding. However, I do believe that branding has become so subliminal in our everyday lives that it is just a normal routine to recognize it at all times. So, the next time that someone tries to ask you why you have a certain product, ask them the exact same question. No one will just say that they have a phone; they will say that they have an Android, iPhone, Blackberry, etc. But why do they have the phones that they have? The answer is quality and personal preference.

Camera-Ready

As a Fashion Merchandising major here at Ball State, I find it crucial that I at least make an effort everyday to show that I am a fashionable person. My reason being is because you never know who you are going to impress and who can spot you out for any reason. Possibly, someone could spot me out for an entertainment gig or someone finds my ensemble appealing and would like to approach me. Although those things are very rare, there is still a possibility for those types of situations to occur.

Impressing people is not my main priority in my everyday life. But, I will admit that impressing people does give me a sense of accomplishment, adrenaline, and a boost of self-confidence. There is nothing wrong with trying to make yourself look appealing to others. There are television shows out there that transform men and women from one look to another, making them a lot more attractive than before. Once the transformation is complete, the people feel a lot better about themselves. Take "The Biggest Loser" for example. The contestants begin obese and overweight, but as the show progresses, they become a lot healthier and thinner. As a result, they live a better lifestyle due to their transformation. Although the show focuses on maintaining a healthy lifestyle, the contestants feel a lot better about their bodies once the show is complete.

After reading the article "For Teenage Girls, Facebook Means Always Being Camera-Ready," I started to realize that I am not that different from these girls. However, I do not pose in a sultry way and dress in minimal clothing to grab anyone's attention. Taking a picture at the beach while only wearing your swim trunks does not count. I understand that the girls do these kinds of things to get attention and approval from their peers. That is where the girls in the article and I are similar. As much as I do not care about the ENTIRE public's opinion of me, my family and friends' opinion matters. They are the ones that mean the most to me in my life and it makes me happy when they have positive things to say. Let's be honest, would you want a family member or a friend to say bad things about you?

I firmly believe that the sexualization of girls, especially at a young age, is wrong. We, as a society, always complain that girls are getting 'sluttier' at a younger age and it keeps progressing. I think that the key to stop/decline this progression is to teach young girls about self-empowerment. Self-empowerment helps me because I have insecurities, but I know that I have to be comfortable with myself before I could care about what others think of me.