representation analysis

           Representation is the way groups of people or events are depicted in the media. It has the power to determine the way certain groups of people are viewed within a society. Social class, race, age, and gender are all intersecting elements to consider when dealing with representation.       

           Unfortunately, many groups are either poorly represented or underrepresented such as women, people of color, the elderly, etc. Both the Tide and Axe ads rely on gender assumptions, specifically about women. In the Axe ad, the women are very sexualized and depicted as animals on the hunt for a man, looking to serve. This can be shown through the construction of the production. The location of the wilderness, women's revealing wardrobe, climactic background music, and extreme long shots of dozens of women running contribute contribute to this dehumanization of women. The man, in contrast, remains in the same spot, waiting for the women to come to him as he sprays Axe body spray with a overtly content look on his face. As a result, both genders are poorly represented. The ad justifies the idea that women are just here for men's sexual pleasure and sets an unhealthy standard for what masculinity should look like.
     
            The Tide ad also focuses on gross gender roles. It centers around a stereotypical mother who's bothered by her daughter's tomboy style and is disappointed by Tide's ability to save her daughter's clothes. The delicate pink and blue color palette of the set and wardrobe design conveys the mother's femininity and her expectations for her daughter. The marketers build on these assumptions about motherhood and femininity to create an very prissy and uptight character for a seemingly satire commercial. If it is satire, the production's approach to representation focuses on ridiculing traditional standards of femininity. It would give the audience the idea that the phrase "pink is for girls and blue is for boys" is something to be left behind.

introduction!

         Hello readers! My name is Sara Moreno and I am an eleventh grader a Cypress Bay High School. Since I'm interested in photography I decided to enroll in AICE Media Studies and learn more about the media world. I love photography but I have the presumption that I will one day feel like I've run out of space within that medium, so I'm hoping that this class allows me to branch out. I've created this blog so that I can record my steps in making a film opening and document my research for the class. That's all for now, 'till next time!