Make Me Beautiful

The idea of beauty is different for everyone, but everyone in their own way tries to achieve it. Our world today has become a materialistic world since it matters what kind of clothes you wear, what car you drive, and body you have. All of these materialistic items are crucial accessory in our society. The media always portrays movie stars having designer clothing and bags from Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, and Versace. They also have advertisements with models that have nice clothes and nice bodies. People wish to look like the models on the advertisements, but unfortunately it’s only the elites that can afford the expensive clothes and pay for costly plastic surgeries to perfect their bodies to look like that. The media has controlled our minds on what beauty is and how to achieve it. There are shows like Sex and the City that shows the main character Carrie Bradshaw (played by Sarah Jessica Parker) and quickly become a trend setter for millions of girls. Moreover, girls and guys quickly try to achieve the idea of beauty through plastic surgery and designer clothes. FX’s television show Nip/Tuck, 20th Century Fox motion pictures The Devil Wears Prada, and HBOs television show Sex and the City promote the idea of superficial beauty through consumerism and plastic surgery.
The idea of materialism isn’t something new it is talked about in movies, TV, and music videos like Madonna’s “Material Girl”. In the video Madonna imitates Marilyn Monroe’s song “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend”. Madonna is surrounded by guys giving her diamonds. The lyrics of the song say “Only boys that save their pennies make my rainy days because were living in a material world and I’m a material girl”. This song came out in the 80s and we are still living in a material world more than ever before. Consumerism is at a higher level now with whatever stars we see in movies or television and they become trend setters. Before Sarah Jessica Parker, Madonna was the trend setter. Girls were dressing up like Madonna, whatever she wore girls would want to wear as well.
The Devil Wears Prada is about a young girl name Andrea Sacks played by Anne Hathaway who takes a job at a fashion magazine. The magazine is called Runway, the editor and chief is Miranda Priestly played by Meryl Streep. Andrea is an assistant to the demanding New York magazine editor Miranda. Since the interview, Miranda knew that Andrea didn’t have the sense of fashion to work for Runway. Andrea is looked down upon for her clothes and size of clothes she wears by Miranda’s first assistant and co-worker Emily. She isn’t skinny like the rest of the girls that work there. Andrea at first feels that she doesn’t have to change anything about herself just because she has this job. She then learns that in order to survive in the fashion world, you have to keep up with all the trends. In order to impress her boss and stop being the outcast, Andrea starts to wear the designer clothes, shoes, and accessories. In indeed she does impress Miranda with her new look even though she never says anything to Andrea about it. The movie emphasizes on how superficial our society is with clothes and shoes. The fashion industry often seen as the source from where most of the materialism ideas come from since it matters what kind of clothes you put on your back. Usually it’s girl who focus on clothes and become superficial.
According to Raymond Williams, “culture be understood through the representations and practices of day life in context of the material conditions of their production...Within the actual means and conditions of their production” (45). The fashion world is a business industry, they make a production and they want it to sell. In order to do that they have to advertise, make the object as desirable as possible for consumers. There is a scene in the movie in which Miranda gets upset at Andrea because she said that she can’t tell the identical belts apart and states she’s still learning about “This stuff”. Miranda then gives her speech saying that she thinks the fashion world has nothing to do with her, but the sweater Andrea is wearing says that she takes herself too seriously to care about what she puts on her back. The sweater represents the millions of dollars and countless jobs that went on to make it. Miranda finishes by saying “It’s kind of comical that you think that you’ve made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when in fact you’re wearing a sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room from a pile of stuff”. No matter how expensive or cheap a clothes item may be it represents the fashion industry.
The characters of Sex and the City are shown with designer clothes and living this fabulous life, especially Carrie. The viewers of the show create a fantasy world in which they imagine on how the women of New York City are. In the Sex and the City movie, Carrie says “year after year twenty something women come to New York City in search of the two L’s… labels and love.” Carries statement states that women do go to certain place in search of labels whether that is New York City or Los Angeles. Those two cities are known for caring label stores. In the episode “A Women’s Right to Shoes” in which Carrie goes to a baby’s birthday party for a friend and her Manolo Blahnik shoes get stolen. She is then devastated because those shoes cost four hundred dollars and they’re designer shoes. Carrie losing her shoes portrays on how material possessions are important to people. Carrie’s friend than criticizes her on how she can’t believe she spends so much money on shoes. In the show all the women seem to have pretty decent amount of money, since they are always wearing expensive brand clothes. People wish to have the life style because they have money, beauty and clothes. However high playing jobs such the ones from actress of the show can actually afford the clothes and cosmetics to make them beautiful.
Chris Barker states “Popular culture is constituted through the production of popular meaning located at the moment of consumption” (54). The Manolo Blahnik shoes are only a few can afford and the Louie Vuitton bag become a consumption of our culture. In our society where we are trained to have and look beautiful by the clothes we wear to impress people, to show off how much money or elegance we have. They are shoes or bags that become an influence in pop culture that is everywhere like movies, TV shows, and magazines. For example, the Louie Vuitton handbags were an accessory that everyone wanted. The handbag couldn’t be found anywhere and only wealthy women had it. It was easy to lose yourself in the trend. Girls wanted the bag because it signified they had money or elegance. There are imitations of the Louie Vuitton bag and other labels, but they’re nothing like the real thing. It is worse to have an imitation than to none at all because it shows that you’re trying too hard. The media focus on how much the bags and shoes are worth, and how it’s all women want to purchase. Women purchase them to show off the money and power they have to others, and so that others can complement them on it. What does someone that has label shoes and clothes what does it say about them? They have class, sophistication, and money. However, even if someone has money to afford labels, they need to have the body for it.
According Susan Bordo “Material Girl: The Effacements of Postmodern Culture” says that “pop culture does not apply any brakes to these fantasies of rearrangement and self-transformation” (1100). The fashion companies don’t care about the hardship people go through to get skinny as long as they buy it. All they care about is their products to get sold. The fashion industry says there is only one idea of beauty and that is to be skinny. If you’re not that then there’s no way for you to ever achieve true beauty. All the models and actress are all beautiful and skinny and none of them are fat, but changes must be made to their bodies to look like they do. For most the alternative is plastic surgery to achieve the ideal of beauty.
Plastic surgery has become a major cultural phenomenon. They make programs about it like Nip/Tuck. Nip/Tuck is about two plastic surgeons called Sean McNamara played by Dylan Walsh and Christian Troy played by Julian McMahon in South Beach, Florida. The show portrays each day people who want something done to themselves to be accepted by society. The character of Kimber Henry played by Kelly Carlson, is a wannabe model turned actress who then turns into a porn star. Kimber is at first the girlfriend of Christian and she goes to him for every surgery. After they break up, she still goes to McNamara/Troy to get any work done to her. Since she is in the porn industry and superficial she is pretty much made of plastic. When she first meets Christian, she tells him she wants to be a ten. With the advertisement of models and their perfect bodies, it’s hard for someone to look at their own body and want to seek perfection. Plastic surgery has become very popular among young people. They get liposuction, breast augmentations, and nose jobs. Most of the girls today have had something done to themselves. Many of the girls get something done to themselves because they want to be models or actress.
For older women, they feel like plastic surgery is the only way to shape their bodies. Older women take BOTOX and have face lifts to make themselves look younger. In season two of Nip/Tuck, Julia McNamara’s Mom, Erica Noughton comes to visit the family, and requests Sean to give her a face lift. She’s a therapist who is coming out with a new book and says she wants to have a new face. She says that respect doesn’t sell, sex does. She then tells Julia “Youth is what mutilates Julia you’ll find that out soon enough” meaning that the youth force the older to look young since in our society the older don’t have lot of respect to be considered important in society. In order to look younger they have to mutilate their bodies.
“Beauty is a curse in the world” is a quote said in Nip/Tuck Season three by the Carver. The Carver is a serial killer that carves the faces of models or beautiful people. Before he does he tells them “Beauty is a curse in the world”. In a way it is because you always to be on top of things to be beautiful. You have to always keep your body in shape, wax, buy what’s in style, and maintain the ideal beauty. The Carver’s intensions are to liberate people, to save people from the trinity of beauty by giving them a reason to fix their face. Although he does it in a horrible way by carving the side of the victim’s face, he does stand for something that people need to be saved from. People have become slaves to beauty. People get plastic surgery to be accepted, they want to fix how ugly they feel in the outside and inside, so they can have the confidence to be beautiful.
Through all the movies and shows that emphasize superficial beauty it’s hard not to become materialistic. The fashion industry and plastic surgery are the major businesses through the media that promote consumerism and superficial beauty. Girls are still trying to achieve the idea of beauty to look like a Barbie by trying to have a flat tummy, nice lips, and well shaped breast. Looks fade in time like trends. Fashion is always in a constant stage of change; it is never the same and something will not stay popular forever. Superficial beauty is all an illusion and we just fooling ourselves.



Word Cited
Barker , Chris . Cultural Studies . 3 . Los Angeles : Sage , 2008.
Bordo, Susan . "Material Girl: The Effacements of Postmodern Culture ." Cultural studies 1099-1115.
"Erica Noughton ." Nip/Tuck . Ryan Murphy. FX, Hollywood, California . 22 June, 2004.
The Devil Wears Prada . Dir. David Frankel . Perf. Meryl Streep . DVD. 20th Century , 2006 .
"A Womens Right to Shoes." Sex and the City . Timothy Van Pattern. HBO, New York, NY. 17 August, 2003.

40 Year Old Virgin

The 40 Year Old Virgin
I contributed to my group was the similarities in the scene in the 40 Year Old Virgin where Andy is playing poker with his friends and they find out he’s a virgin and The Breakfast Club where the character of Brian is told he’s a cherry meaning a virgin by John in front of Claire. The two scenes fit together on how it rebels the two characters are virgins and the shame they feel about it. I found it fascinating that although their peers find out their virgins on how they feel more shame that the girls find out. It shows how the typical nerd or dork wants to strive in being a total ladies man. Andy’s friends just see sex as a game and there shouldn’t be anything serious about it. As for Andy he sees it there should be relationship and the connection between the two people. Although both Andy and Brian are different ages by 20 years part it shows how regardless of our age being a virgin is pretty bad for a male. Especially in high school since all teenagers what do to it’s lose their virginity and be accepted by their peers. The Breakfast Club is almost twenty years older than the 40 Year Old Virgin it shows that no matter what time era it is a male is suppose to be promiscuous and women virgins. Men have to be sexually active and if their not their masculinity is questioned.

email

megaknight45@yahoo.com

The Black Cat

Christian Alarcon

Prof. Wexler

English 313

October, 10^th 2008

The Black Cat

The cat (Felis catus), also known as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from other felines, is a small predatory carnivorous species of crepuscular mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and its ability to hunt.[1] Women on the other hand are known to be domesticated (being a house wife), valued by men, and lastly great hunters; in the idea that they will obtain what they really want no matter the price. In society today, one can still see the similarities that women have to cats. In the media for example, we have a five girl group known as the Pussycat Dolls. The name alone isn’t the only thing that connects them to the feline, but also their beauty, lure, and seductiveness that are known to be cat characteristics. By illustrating the similarities with a cat and a woman, we can use Ferdinand de Saussure Course in General Linguistic idea of literal and metaphorical definitions of words. Thus, in the following paragraphs, I will illustrate how a feline is analogous to a woman by using examples from Breakfast at Tiffany’s and the Black Cat in the Spiderman comic book.

The Black Cat is a cat burglar with incredible cat like abilities. Her real name is Felicia Hardy. She is a girl that is in love with Spiderman. Although, she’s a cat burglar she has helped Spiderman when he is in trouble. She was trained and created to be a cat burglar and assassinate Spiderman. She rebels against her orders and does what she can to get Spiderman’s attention. The Black Cat signifies the rebellion of women that their told to do something and go off to do something else. The Black Cat like most women are just not going to be a domesticated house cat, but rather as what the Black Cat says “I’m just a stray black cat.” She is the essence of a cat and a woman from her costume which is tight provocative clothing. The way her body language is and how she speaks is very seductive just like a cat. She lives doubles lives being a student by day and a cat burglar at night. They are some domesticated house cats that stay at home during the day, but at night they wander the streets. They are women that do that too that live double lives.

Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany’s is an escort to wealthy men in New York City. Besides being an escort, she has a past that she is trying to escape. She owns a cat that is nameless and claims that it doesn’t belong to her. She says she has no right to give it a name since she doesn’t own it. The cat is a metaphor on what Holly Golightly signifies which is a lost stray is trying to belong somewhere as much as she tries to hide. Although, she wants a home she tries to push it away more from her grasp. Holly doesn’t allow anyone to come close to her. By not allowing anyone to come close to her illustrates her feeling like a stray cat because a stray cat is one that has no friends, family, and home. The men she surrounds herself are with are similar to rats they are that are in love with Holly, she uses that to her advantage. Holly like a cat uses her feminine wiles to entice men to get what she wants. Cats also do that with their owners they will purr and walk all over their owner to get food. Many would agree that is bad way to get what you want and need. However, in the end who knows if Holly does find at home, but her cat certainly does. Holly knows herself she is like a wild animal. When she’s talking to Joe Bell she advises him “Never love a wild thing; Mr. Bell” (74). This is what perfectly describes the behavior of these two women. They go beyond on what society wants them to be and go out to find their own identity. In Holly’s time it was traditional for women to get marry and have kids, but she doesn’t follow what’s traditional. The Black Cat proves there can also be a woman superhero. According to Chris Barker Cultural Studies defines femininity as a discursive construction that describes and disciplines the cultural characteristics associated with what it means to be a woman; that is, culturally regulated behavior regarded as socially appropriate to women (479). A cat is the essences what it means to be a woman The Black Cat and Holly Golightly represent a certain type of women from different time periods. They each have the characteristics of cat and unleash the animal inside of them weather is the way they walk, speak or approach men.

Femininity is defined though a women’s body language and style. It’s the essence that makes a woman. The media has showed us through music, books, and comic books on how cats and women share similar characteristics. Holly Golightly and the Black Cat are the essence of femininity and metaphor of a cat by being sensual, feminine, and seductive.

Word Cite

Barker , Chris . Cultural Studies . 3 . Los Angeles : Sage , 2008.

Capote, Truman. Breakfast at Tiffany's . New York City: Random House , 1958.

Saussure, Ferdinand de . Course in General Linguistic. 1916

Wolfman, Marv The Amazing Spider-Man #194, July, 1979

"Cat." Wikepedia . 2008. 14 Oct 2008 <.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat>.

Breakfast at Tiffanys

I never seen the movie or read the book..i didnt even know the movie was based on a
book, I know Breakfast at Tiffanys is famous is reference in pop culture all the time. I
know the movie starts Audrey Hepburn(who is beautiful). I can see now why its so
famous, but i cant really see Audrey Hepburn play the part of Holly Golightly because
Audrey has so much elegance and class. But anyways the book was very interesting and
Holly was such an interesting character there is much mystery and elegance to her(I
could see why Audrey Hepburn plays her since she has elegance). She is woman who is
control of her self and not like any other women of her time. I could see why most
people would call her a slut since shes not being very lady like and the lifestyle that she
lives. There again with amguilty what she is and the kind of life she lives. Holly Golightly
reminds me of the metaphor we had for Maggie of a cat. Holly reference how she doesn't
like to see things in a cage and having a cat with no name that no one owns. She is a
way a cat wondering where ever or doing what ever she wants, without having anyone
own her. She can not be retrain since shes just like a wild cat. She does say "Never love
a wild thing,Mr. Bell"(74). That is clearly meaning to herself a wild thing that does what
she wants.

Coffee Bean on a Friday night?

This going to sound lame, but my friend and I usually like to get coffee if we both have
nothing to do on a Friday night. This time she just came from a movie with her friend and
sister and she swang by to pick me up. We went to the Coffeee Bean by my old high
school on Hillhurst.
The people I first noticed were this couple sitting down. They both seem to be on a first
date since they both had pretty formal wear and seem pretty conservative. The girl was
wearing a white dress and this guy a long sleeve light shirt. They were talking and
laughing a little bit. The guy had his right leg crossed over his left leg not sure if that
means anything. The girl had her legs crossed. They werent there for a long time. He did
hold the door for her after the left could mean hes trying to establish a relationship with
her.
The second group were a bunch of guys playing cards. They were four of them im
guessing Armenian. All of them had casual clothes since they just hanging out with each
other not going any where special. One of them was smoking and one was texting most
of the time. They seem to be pretty close friends they were laughing and playing around
with each other.
The third group were two couples. Each of the couple were talking to each other showing
pictures and other stuff to each other. One of the couples the girl was touching the guys
neck and holding his arm she was very affectionate with him. The guy responded by
holding unto her. The other couple not so much. This could mean it depends on how long
the couples have been together. It is said when a couple first starts their more
affectionate with each other. If you been with the person for a while not so much.
So each relationship could be established just by observing them through their body
language and interaction with each other. Some of them seem pretty happy just to be
around each others company. Coffee shops are a place that not only couples go but also
friends. It does seem like most of the people is things we seen on movies or read on
books. Like Mcdonalds book says you can see the elements in real life what makes a
romcom. Love does seem to be a universal theme.

Romantic Comedies

I personally enjoyed reading Mcdonald's Boy Meets Girl it had interesting ideas on how
genres have certain elements thats make them what they are. There was a part in the
chapter that talked about the love story is in every film. Even if a film isnt a romcom
there always seems to be a love story. Love just happens to be a universal idea. I have
watched a few romcoms, but it does seem to have the same theme of boy meets girl,
loses girl and wins her back. Sometimes the film starts with the characters having an
unsuitable partner and loses him or her and gets the other partner and they happily ever
after. I do believe sometimes romcoms tend to depress people because after the film
their like "Why havent i found love?" or "Why cant you be more like the character in the
film?" In way it feeds the idea of true love people search for and might never find it like
the books says love is the myth of adults like Santa Claus is for kids. In way it makes
women look bad as always looking for a man and were just consumers buying things or
looking good for the reach of love.