Unit 6 is over!

That was an interesting unit.


Or should I say "this", because I'm posting this post on the blog that I'm mentioning, so it would be "this" blog.

I dunno.


Alrighty, Ms Arturi. Here are the blogs I've commented on:


Caitlin Chang, section 1 Hey, Guess What? I Can See You...

Debbie Lee, section 3 Ads of the Past - Did They Really Say That? (I couldn't find a permalink for the post, sorry!)

Kristianne Diores, section 4 (Ms Saran's class) Social Awareness Contradiction

Karen Choi, section 3 The Changing Face of Video Games

Stephanie Tam, section 3 Photoshop Manipulation on Hiatus in the Media

Sarah Brown, section 2 Is Taxing Pop Really A Solution?

Okay bye :D

6/6: Is Taxing Pop Really A Solution?

One of the problems about junk food is that it's so easily accessible. Most types often cost you less than a toonie. With food and pop so cheap, people would resort to them sooner for a quick snack on their way somewhere or to bring to school.



So this ad is trying to scare people away from drinking soda. I don't really drink it myself, but this made me a bit more squeamish towards it. I think the video itself was a bit funny, too, because the actor looks so comically happy and a bit sarcastic as he's drinking the ... stuff. Also, I think it's a really good eye-opener when they put the equivalent amount of fat or whatever in front of you because you never really realize how much something is until it's in its bluntest form.

I think obesity is definitely growing to be an epidemic. However, it's totally underrated and shooed away. People think that oh, one bag of chips won't hurt, because they can just go run it off later at the gym or something. However, that one bag soon turns into a habit and then they become lazy and won't run it off. Many times, people don't even think about trying to make up for it. That's the problem.

So what's the solution? Will people stop buying or buy less pop because it's more expensive? Well that depends how much the tax actually is, but I doubt it. Why do people like pop? Because it's so convenient and accessible. There's a large variety everywhere we go, thanks to vending machines.

Already, there are pop machines in places that have the costs reaching almost $3, but people still buy it because they don't have to go out of their way and find a store. Is growing obesity an epidemic? Almost, almost. I think it's an epidemic in the sense that it's a major problem with its numbers, but it's not really paid attention to. It's like everyone's kind of turning a blind eye to it because it's such a huge industry in the modern Americas.

If the tax does go through, I'm pretty sure people will continue to buy pop. I doubt it'll stop the problem, though it'll help boost the profit of pop companies. Well, maybe people will buy less, but perhaps the tax will make up for lost profits. As for the tax moving in on Canada, too, I think the Canadian government will wait a while to observe how the USA citizens react to it, then decide what to do with us. Again, I really doubt this tax will work on majority of people. It'll work on some people, but not all. I don't buy soda or chips anymore, maybe like once a month, but that was because of unrelated reasons. So I'd probably continue my spending habits.

5/6: Photoshop Hiatus In The Media

I think I made my opinion clear in my earlier post about female objectification in the media. As if it weren't bad enough that the content of ads was sexist, they need to worry that they're not skinny enough, their boobs are big enough, their hair needs more volume, etc. Yeah, well, it's never good enough, is it? Because there's still extreme editing on the computer no matter how beautiful the models are in real life.

On the left, you see Filippa Hamilton, a Ralph Lauren model. Obviously, she was pretty enough to be a runway model for the brand, but the photo ad was definitely way too much. I mean, her head (not even including her hair) is as big or bigger than her waste. Really? I mean, if you have to edit the picture, at least make it convincing. And I say that with the most sarcasm possible.


Same with the Jessica Simpson ad to the right. Unless you have an afro or something, your head and hair should not be bigger than your waist. It's just not natural, and it's just not fair to women seeing the ad. To be honest, I think it's more than a bit insulting to the models in the ad.


We've all heard it before, everyone is beautiful. In addition to that, magazine and ad companies choose the extremely beautiful people in the first place. They don't only Photoshop models to appear thinner, they remove all the little "flaws" there. One might think the picture on the left was Photoshopped in the first place, but nooooo, she was too fat, her skin isn't glowing enough, she has too many wrinkles, eye bags and crows feet are starting to form... All of these must be unacceptable, right? I think it's just the way people are, it's normal. All this editing is telling people that we should stop the process of life. There is no way to stop it, it's inevitable. The sooner we embrace that, the sooner we'll be happy with ourselves.

However, I think they're starting to make improvements. For instance, the whole no-make-up photo fashion spread, or the real size models.

These women, are realistic weights, and maybe I'm just being really cynical, but I bet these images were edited still.. If not, they still choose models who have wonderful and glowing skin, killer hairstyles, and expertly applied make up. Oh well, I guess that's what makes fashion so exclusive, huh?

Again, maybe I'm just cynical, but all this new "natural beauty" stuff doesn't make women stop trying to change themselves. It's almost like it's a new trend. Make up companies are coming out with "natural" toned cosmetics, telling consumers that wearing the earthy toned eyeshadow/liner combo will make them look like a natural goddess or something. Right, because adding more make up makes you more natural, hmm..

Either way, I still think the media is still taking steps toward a better message (albeit tiny, tiny babysteps). But then again, that's how we all learn, right?


Oh, and here's a funny failure of an editing job done :)