For Thursday, 26 May 2011
Folks,
I said I would put something up for you to look at. Here it is, a bit late, but it’s not very long and it’s mostly a case of thinking.
Watch this video:
Now, look at this video:
Questions to Think About:
- What relationship do you see between the two videos, if any. (Try to find one: there are many possible relationships.)
- The Dove video suggests that “our perception of beauty is distorted”: do you agree? Why or why not?
- How is our sense of beauty related to popular culture?
- We have discussed racism in popular culture, and its complexity. How about sexism: do you think pop culture is sexist? If so, how or why is this the case? If not, why not?
- Is the issue of our perception of beauty more of a concern for men, or for women? How does it affect each sex, generally?
- Do we, as consumers, have any responsibility for this issue? What is our role in the relationship between pop culture and power or disempowerment?
- Consider the films 200 Pounds Beauty (미녀는 괴로워), Miss Congeniality (starring Sandra Bullock), and Shallow Hal in relation to these videos.
Please be prepared to discuss some or all these questions (whichever ones interest you) for Thursday afternoon.
For next week, please (a) find a copy of Invasion of the Body Snatchers (the 1956 version) and watch it. We will discuss the film next Tuesday, and I will post a reading for you to look at (to supplement our discussion of the film) this evening.
(If you don’t know where to find Invasion, and your usual sources fail you, here’s a hint: I got my copy at Kyobo Bookstore for a couple of thousand won, and it’s available at their online store for a little more than that. Feel free to share the cost and organize a screening: if you give me the receipt, I’ll get your money back from the department, provided you donate your copy to the Dept. of English Language & Culture.)