7th Entry-Mass Media: Slim equals Beauty

What is beauty? The mass media has defined beauty as someone who has a slim body. Our society has embraced the slimming culture and its cultural belief that the slimmer you are, the prettier you will be. It is a culture that has been passed down the generations and it is not uncommon to see teenagers going on diets and stuff themselves with bottles of slimming pills.


Article: http://www.asiaone.com/Health/News/Story/A1Story20090911-167228.html

In this article, we see that mass media has become a means to promote dieting and losing weight. Be it through newspaper articles, TV programmes or slimming advertisements, we are constantly bombarded by the mass media to embrace the belief that slim equates beauty.(Agenda Setting Function)

One of the media theories used is media determinism where the medium is valued as more important than the message. And some of the medium that are often used are the "celebrity effect" and "advertisement effect". These two effects are often combined by the mass media to promote things such as dieting to be the popular culture. Many people especially teenagers regarded celebrities as their role models. People modeled themselves after these celebrities. Therefore, by getting these celebrities to endorse for slimming products and slimming programmes, many will purchase the products and sign up for the programmes. Speaking of "advertisement effect", nowadays we see advertisements everywhere we go. Most of these advertisements are mainly about slimming products and slimming programmes and they usually portray a slimming girl as beautiful.

The above mentioned are some of the ways that mass media has cleverly used to shape our beliefs and influence our decision.

6th Entry-Culture: Cultural Identity

Article: http://truthseekers.cultureunplugged.com/truth_seekers/2009/09/roses-too.html

In this article, the author talks about how our culture has viewed the females to be and how our culture's perception of woman has changed over time. Culture is the guide for our living. It tells us what we are, what groups do we belong to and how we live our lives. Culture used to tell us that women are second-class citizens, deprived of the rights to speak and decide for themselves. Cultural norms tell us that women are supposed to keep mum even when they are treated unjustly.

However, our culture's perception of women has changed as time goes by. Trenholm mentioned some characteristics of culture, which gave us clues of how or why our culture's perception of women could have changed and what impact does it have on the people and the society. 1. Trenholm said that culture is learned. We have education system to teach us our cultural values and how we should live our lives according to it (be it indirectly or directly). Our education system used to tell us that girls should grow up to be polite young women and they should focus on how to be a perfect wife in the future. However, our education system nowadays tells us that girls should step out of their homes and enjoy the same right as boys to pursue their dreams. Our education system has changed to one that promotes equal opportunity for one to receive a higher education, be the person is a male or a female.

2. Trenholm also said that culture is shared. Our behaviors can be observed or mimicked by others e.g. children. Since young, women observed their mothers as quiet and polite ladies, perfect wives but without much say in the family affairs. They grew up becoming quiet and polite ladies and they aimed their lives to become perfect wives of their husbands.

3. Trenholm mentioned that culture is dynamic. This means that culture changes over time. Our culture used to tell women how they should live and how their fate should be. And that is be well mannered, find a good husband and be a perfect wife or homemaker. However, since culture is dynamic, this has changed. Culture now tells women that they should step out of their homes and fight for their own fate.

In conclusion, these are just some of the things that Trenholm has mentioned about the characteristics of culture. Nevertheless, it gives us an idea of how culture has changed in its perception of women and what impact does it have on the roles of women in our society.

5th Entry-Group Coms: Clinique Cosmetics

Article:
http://www.trend-news.com/default.asp?newsid=6908

For those of you that do not know, Clinique is a manufacturer of skincare, cosmetics, toiletries and fragrances, owned by the Estée Lauder Corporation. It is established in August 1968 and unlike most cosmetic companies, it aims to meet individual skin care needs.

The article speaks about Clinique having its largest opening in 40 years at famed Selfridges London, which marks a significant breakthrough for the company. This breakthrough does not happen merely by chance; it is due to the hard work of employees and especially the management board. The Company functioned not by depending on just one leader but a group( the management board and the rest of the employees) so as to combat Groupthink. Groupthink occurs when the group especially the leader, became overconfident and starts making poor decisions. Why bother to combat Groupthink? Groupthink promotes comfort, complacency and insular thinking. Therefore if Groupthink occurs, it will obstruct the growth of the Company and Clinique will soon lose its title as one of the main cosmetic brands in the world.

Clinique has always focus on experimenting and coming up with new products that suit individual needs. Many believed that it is because of such an approach that makes Clinique stay as one of the main cosmetic brands in the world. However, when we think of the effective approach that Clinique uses, how can we forget the group of people behind the success of the company?

In 1969, the Company, (the Empire of Estée Lauder with Clinique in its structure) was launched into the international market. The Company opened its first store overseas in Great Britain. Later on, the Company took hold of the market gradually, step by step and in 1970 Clinique became the first in the market to provide cosmetic means for protection of skin against UV rays, in 1971 glossing lipstick Black Honey Almost Lipstick was at the top record levels, in 1976 the Company launches its first line of cosmetics for men.

However, Clinique did not stop its scientific investigations and collaboration with chief specialists in dermatology to come up with new improved product that caters to individual skin care needs. Through all these forty years, the Company has never ceased its intensive research and verification of its products because selling products that best cater to individual skin care needs has become the common goal of the group of employees of Clinique. Thus, Clinique was first among the cosmetics manufacturers to be invited to the American Dermatology Conference and since that time it is the respected habitué at them. In 1986 the Company was the first cosmetics company to be invited and take party in the Session of the Academy of Ophthalmology. Clinique collaborates with Weill Cornell Medical Center in joint investigations and educational programs concerning issues of skin health and creation of Clinique Center of Health Skin.

4th Entry-Love Happens

Synopsis:
A self-help author arrives in Seattle to teach a sold-out seminar, he unexpectedly meets the one person who might finally be able to help him help himself. Dr. Burke Ryan (Eckhart) is on the precipice of a major multimedia deal, but the therapist who asks his patients to openly confront their pain is secretly unable to take his own advice. Eloise Chandler (Aniston) has sworn off men and decided to focus on her floral business. However, when she meets Burke at the hotel where he is speaking, there is an instant attraction. But will two people who have met the right person at exactly the wrong time be able to give love another chance? As each struggles with the hurt of love and loss, they realize that in order to move forward, they need to let go of the past. And if they can, they find that, sometimes, love happens when you least expect it.

This movie illustrates to us the interpersonal communication between a man and a woman which is different and unique to what they have with those around them. The movie shows us the relational formation and development of their unique relationship. When the main characters, Seattle and Eloise met, they felt an unspeakable attraction to one another. Some say it is an attraction of the physical appearance while will say it is the chemistry or the pre-interactional cues. Whatever it is, it is a factor that led the both of them to enter into the initiating stage to know more about each other. We began to see them engaging in self disclosure and trying to "feel each other out". More than showing the 5 stages of coming together, the movie also tells us that it is a natural thing for us to engage with interpersonal communication with others especially with someone of the opposite gender. All the 5 coming together stages of Knapp Model of relational development will require the two involved to put in effort to develop them. However, it can be done naturally, just how Seattle and Eloise are so naturally attracted to each other. Sometimes, you do not have to pre-plan interpersonal communication with the other party because like what the movie has been emphasizing, sometimes when you least expects it...love happens.