Reflection

     When this class began, I never though much about media. I watched TV, saw commercials, texted my friends, posted on Twitter, snapchat, and Instagram, and basically every form of media an average teenager does. When we started learning about the effects of media, i didn't think I would learn as much as I did. As time went on, I noticed I was paying more attention to what I saw and heard on the media. All the way from small commericals to movies, I began to notice the lasting effect it leaves on everyone paying attention and watching it. 

     These media blogs lead me to pay more attention to what I was seeing on different apps and in different movies. MissRepresentation, I believe, left the strongest impact on me. To hear these percentages of low self confidence, women as protagonists in movies, women in government, and many more was almost a wake up call. I never payed much attention to these problems surrounding us, but now I see them everywhere. In the movies I watch I see how women are portrayed, along with commericals and TV shows. I was also able to evaluate these specific problems in ads and the aps teenage girls use these days such as FaceTune and perfect365. 

     Media blogs have also allowed me to become more aware of the presidential election occurring this year. My family is very involved in politics, but now I have been able to read and evaluate articles I see and interviews on television. I see how different news channels lean more towards a certain candidate (for example Fox turns to more towards republicans and their views). 

     This semester I have also learned how large of an effect we have on the media. Our generation is the most involved with Twitter, Instagram, snapchat, and many other forms of media. We are constantly posting how we feel, sharing our opinions, and nearly anything you can do on media. Teenagers now and days are able to get a lot of their information from media, constantly taking in new ideas and opinions from the second we open our phones. 

     Overall, this semester and media blogs have led me to become way more aware. I was opened up to a whole new spectrum of problems occurring in our world. I believe I can start to make a small difference through what I post, what I chose not to post, which movies I watch, and how I take in the media around me. Although these blogs at time have made me sit down and type up something on a Sunday night, I appreciate them. As I went on I enjoyed typing them. I am  now sitting here on a Wednesday night with a whole new perspective of the world and it's involvement with media. 

Even snapchat is telling women how they should look?

     Now and days, more and more teenagers and adults are using the app "Snapchat". In the past year or months, snapchat decided they needed to add another aspect to their app to top some of the other photo apps that were becoming a big deal. They added filters, each one different and some changing on the daily. These filters include the dog face, face swaps, a face that puts a flower crown on you, the filter that ads a blue tone, a filter that makes you have makeup that is being cried off on, a face that makes you frown, and one that makes you look like a ghost (there have been many more that have been switched off). Although these are comical filters to use, what are some of the messages being shown?
     Some of these filters, including the dog, flower crown and tinted blue filter create a different face shape for the person using it. If you look closely, the filter slims your nose down, smooths your skin, makes your eyes larger, and gives you a slimmer, sharper jaw line. (The top photo is Emily before any effects, the next two are with effects.) These filters, also, have become the most popular and are the only ones that have lasted for a long period of time. They are, in a way, creating a standard for what women need to look like to be beautiful. Snapchat is saying if you use this filter to give you a small nose, clear skin and slim face that you will become "cuter" to send and post more selfies. But, there is somehow another catch to these filters (especially the dog filter). They are now known as the "hoe" filters. Suddenly, if you post pictures using these filters or send them you become a hoe, i mean c'mon. Snapchat is telling you that these filters you are prettier but other people call you a "hoe"? This just shows how sad our society and involvement with media has become.
     Another app, which was mentioned in class, that is typically used is FaceTune. This app can smooth your skin, change the shape of your body (make your stomach smaller or your butt bigger), make your hair softer, change your eyes, whiten your teeth, patch blotchy areas in a photo, brighten a photo, and do nearly anything to completely change the original picture. It is mostly saddening because a large percentage of teenage girls use this app. Pictures on instagram and twitter can be posted looking nearly nothing like the original photo. There is also an app similar to this one known as "Perfect365" which is just sending the message that you can not be perfect until you completely edit your body and face down. This is just another example showing how media has caused women to create these unrealistic standards for themselves that are naturally impossible to reach.

MissEmpowerment Part 2

     MissEmpowerment, the powerful movie teaching people across America the effects of media on women and men, and specifically focusing on the image of women portrayed through media. So what is the impact of the media on women/men? All across movies, magazines, billboards, and TV shows women are shown a certain way, and it leaves a lasting effect on both men and women watching. First  off, men tend to judge women harder because of the women they see in magazines and movies. This happens because no mater what, the people who own and produce for companies edit down a women until she looks almost like a different person. This creates an unrealistic standard that both women and men create for women in real life. Along with this, women are objectified across the media. Instead of looking at women as individuals and appreciating their accomplishments, they are viewed as almost sex objects or just objects. This, then, brings along self objectification. Teenager or older women begin to look at themselves as objects. Women are only 16% of the protagonists in movies, and half of this time they are just chasing after a boy. Even when the women is a protagonist, she is dressed in little clothing. For example, in the new movie "Suicide Squad", the character Harleen Quintal is a villein but is one of the main characters in the movie coming out. But, she is dressed in nearly no clothing, which is already objectifying her just through the commercials. This is the same for the 2012 movie, "Now You See Me". One of the main characters, a women who is a magician is constantly wearing tight clothing or short, tight skirts. The media, for the past years, has left a negative effect on both men and women.
         Do i agree with this issue? I completely do, and i believe anyone who does not is close minded and oblivious to the effects of media. First off, self harm rates and rates of girls who do not feel positively towards themselves are soaring. They continue to increase as the media use in our society today increases. I do believe that as girls see these unrealistic images of other girls/women, they create standards for themselves in which are impossible to meet. Along with this, women in movies or TV shows are never seen in positions of power, certain jobs, or in government jobs. They are also typically never seen as strong, hardworking individuals. This causes women to not strive to be in government positions or ones of power because it is difficult to strive for something that you have not seen other women in. Media is also extremely false, portraying women this way. Everyone needs to learn and know how strong, intelligent, and independent women can be, and media is teaching the opposite of this. Women are shown as objects who are judged based on the "ideal" attractiveness of their body (perfect skin, tiny waist, silky hair). It is saddening when you pay attention to movies, articles, commercials, billboards, and nearly any other form of media. I believe this is a huge problem that needs to be dealt with as much and soon as possible.