The Big Bad Media Monster

So lately in Psychology we've been talking about perception and influence on people. We first started talking about eating disorders which I find very interesting, sad but interesting. Did you know that officially getting diagnosed with Anorexia has NOTHING to do with how much one eats? It has to do with their weight! They could be eating an elephants portion but are the size of a toothpick an that can be anorexia.

Sorry, I got off on a tangent. But hey, you learn something new everyday right?

Well then we got onto the subject of Media influencing the image of people and their comfort in their bodies. Okay, here's the thing, we all know that people are affected by the media but for some reason we all seem to group every visual aspects of an advertisement into the word "media" and then it becomes a raging monster that everyone knows. I heard so many comment about how images are fake and edited and that no one can be like the models in ads and that we should have more life like images.

My teacher also showed us the video above. And how we all are fooled by the "media".

I understand that it's true. I understand that maybe we rely too much on the perfection of the body that we will never attain. And I'm a firm believer that it's not just women, it's also men. I mean I would kill to have a body like a movie star. I would like to have defined muscles and the eye of everyone on me.

And that's how media is supposed to work! Advertisements offer us products in order to better our lives and improve us. But there's the argument whether we should keep ads as they are or not.

I just wonder, how would our world change if we didn't have editing and Photoshop. Would women buy facial cream judging by a label alone or if the picture on the bottle was a women with a blemished complexion? Would we even buy magazines or even watch television shows without make-up? And then there's music, even beats and rhythms are psychologically stimulating and tempos inspire emotions.

The point is, we are so deep into the "Media Monster" that we cannot get out. We're six feet under plus 12 more. So if you ask me, I think it's sort of futile to think that we can change it and make it more "real". Yeah I'm biased, cause this is the kind of work I'm going into!

But really people?? Come on!

Thanks for listening to my rant. I don't know why it came up but it did.

And the Oscar goes to...

The other day I watched the Oscars. I loved them. I wish that I had watched all of the films that won awards. I had watched The Socials Network, Inception, and Alice In Wonderland, but I really want to see the Kings Speech. Best Picture, you know.
Well I cannot wait for next years Academy Awards. I'm sure the films will be fantastic!

Contemporary issues

My last assignment for Photography was really interesting. We were asked to pick a contemporary issue, take a stance on it, and shoots images that showed our thoughts about it. I immediately thought about gay bullying. I don't know why exactly. I really would have thought mostly about gay rights, but for some reason bullying seemed a little more poignant so I decided that it would be that way. My original idea was to have 3 models. One would be a gay guy, one would be a jock, and the last would be a religious person. The jock was going to be covering the mouth of the gay kid while the religious person would be looking away, not really paying attention. It's an alright concept. But I didn't think it would really communicate the issue of gay bullying.
So then I came up with the idea of suicide caused by gay bullying. This was a big ordeal this past October. I remember hearing about young kids who killed themselves all because of horrible comments and misunderstandings from other people. It was a big issue in the Church as well with the talk by Elder Boyd K Packer about identity.
The fact of the matter is, being gay/lesbian is not a reason to end ones life. There is NO reason to end ones life. But those poor kids who did so were simply not understood. So I want to show in my photographs that really these acts were real. They were real people who loved and felt emotions and they were loved by others.
My photos are particularly gruesome, but it is to show how I am extremely against suicide and I feel pain for those who resort to it. This is the image I produced for class.

I don't have any gay readers, at least I don't think I do. I do have a lesbian reader. But the point is, as all of the celebrities say it on YouTube, It Gets Better. Life DOES get better and there is no reason to feel like you need to change. You are lovely sons and daughters of God, who loves you, and I love you.

Delightful Delicacies

Here is a photo that I took at a cooking class by Jenny Johnson (delightfuldelicacies.blogspot.com) and Melissa Chappell (rawmelissa.com).

I HIGHLY SUGGEST ANY OF THEIR CLASSES.
It was for Valentines Day and they highlighted Chocolate, Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies, and Red Fruit Parfaits, also crepes.
I wish I could have gotten a better photo, but this one has to do. :) 

A Month and a Day Later

Right after my last post about not posting frequently, I decide with more fervor to blog and to be active in the blogging world. :D
Well I just wanted to say that everything is going well. Especially the photo program. I LOVE all of the other students and we are getting along better than peas in pods! But as for current events.

Gong hai fat choi!!! Y'all!!!! I am celebrating Chinese New Year with my dearest friend Becky,  who is also in the photo program. Here dad is from China and he makes some of the best chinese food I've every had, especially potstickers and licorice beef.
Last night she held a party and it turned out fantastically with food, karaoke, and Shaolin Soccer (hilarious movie).

Now I'm here with Becky in Magna with her wonderful family. Getting ready to eat and watching Despicable Me, Knight and Day, and Easy A. And hopefully some more chinese movies. :D
I'll be posting more from now on!!