Companies and markets create images of their brands that they project on to the identity of their consumers. This is true for almost all brands. Apple has an image of trendy innovative youth residing in silicon valley. Jeep has an image of patriotic pro-gun Americans. Every brand has an image and they project it on to its consumers creating this distinct ‘myth’ about who we are as consumers. An article in the Journal of Consumer Research states that many theorists believe that markets and companies create trends and project them on to subgroups of individuals. And people who identify with certain values seek out these brands to reaffirm their identities. However, the study finds that with the case of hipsters, we have an entirely different thing going on. Hipsters actually go against such preconceptions and they arent the only ones. “Rather than being an iconic resource for identity construction (Holt 2004), the consumers in our study experience a marketplace myth as a threat to the value of their identity investments in a field of consumption”  (JCR) They believe that sometimes certain groups see these images that brands project onto consumers and they find that some groups like to seperate themselves from the standard myth of their group. “They use demythologizing practices to protect these investments from devaluation and to distance and distinguish their field of consumption, and corresponding consumer identities, from these undesirable associations.” This is performed by being rebellious to what the market place projects your group as representing. These groups then radiate a rebellious aura with incorporated ritualistic practices that they use to distance themselves from their group myth. However this tends to backfire because companies will use your new achieved independence against you. “Hard-core members of the Harley-Davidson brand community engage in a number of ritualistic practices to distinguish themselves from the various cultural clichés that have been sparked by the brand’s burgeoning mainstream popularity.” Companies use this independent rebellious nature to then create a mainstream myth about the Harley Davidson brand. The Harley Davidson group is now known for being tough, independent bikers who hang around sketchy bars and they live outside the law. Harley Davidson used their consumers own rebellious nature against them to create a new brand image. Companies do this all the time an we don’t even recognize it. “Hummer owners confront the moralistic backlash directed at their vehicles by portraying themselves as heroic defenders of the American exceptionalist ideals and values represented by this iconic brand.” They take subgroups and their ideas and morals and use it for their brands. They project a certain image with it, making it mainstream. Once its mainstream, these subgroups have to deal with the fact that their ideas and brands are now mainstream. They have to see their brands and ideas being taken up by the everyday person and from then on it isn’t the group who controls the image, but the companies. This idea could explain why some hipsters hate being called hipsters and why others take it up as a badge of honor. The hipster myth and image was taken up for commercial use, essentially stealing it from the real hipsters. They created an image of indie-rock, organic food and expensive coffee and they made it mainstream.

I went to Disney this weekend and had a thought after seeing the parade. Little girls look up to these princesses from Disney movies, but have no idea that they have an impact on their hypersexualization starting at a young age. For example, when watching or really looking into some Disney movies, it’s quite fascinating that such innocent movies really do have an effect on how girls are living/acting in this generation. For example, when we look at Snow White she is a princess who is the prettiest in the whole land. That is what she is valued for and what saves her in the end by the prince. Looks are everything. Girls learn that guys like pretty girls, not nobodys. When we look at Cinderella, that same can be applied. Cinderella goes to the ball and dances with the prince. Not one word is uttered, they just dance. Looks are everything. He searches the whole land when she loses her glass slipper on the stairs. He is searching for the pretty girl at the ball. It also suggests that the prince likes blondes and not brunettes.  The Disney princess, Ariel wants to win the love of Prince Eric, but she is mermaid. The witch, Ursula casts a spell on her and grants her to be human for 3 days. Ariel loses her voice. When she asks, how she will communicate with the Prince, Ursula says, “You’ll have your looks, your pretty face”. She says for Ariel to understand the importance of body language. This is interesting because everyone knows that this is another way to say flirt with him. By flirting you are touching his arm or leg, leaning towards a guy, smiling, laughing at jokes(even if they are lame), etc…This is teaching little girls how to get a guy. It’s a bit early to teach young girls how to snag a guy and it is a bit misleading that these movies are teaching girls to just rely on their looks. Personality obviously doesn’t matter, ha. It is very superficial and promotes sexualization of girls to believe that the only way they can achieve pretty is by makeup. Jasmin is one of the most sexualized princesses. Her eyes are larger than proportionally accurate, her lips are big and her nose is tiny. Her top falls down her shoulders and her stomach is exposed. In the movie, Aladdin, we see Jafar trying to snag princess Jasmin. He is after her looks and has a very aggressive behavior in trying to get her. She plays with Jafar’s head when she sees Aladdin hiding behind a chair in the room. He is there to save her. She talks in a low, seductive voice to Jafar to distract him and says, “Jafar, I never really noticed how handsome you really are” and kisses him. This scene is a bit sleazy. Jasmine uses her body and sexuality, to seduce Jafar. This too is a dangerous message to send to young girls because it tells them that they can use their bodies to get what they want. It is showing girls it’s okay to manipulate.

Disney movies are not as innocent as you think they are. Look a little closer and you will see the impact these Disney movies have on little kids.

Religion is one of those topics (right along with politics) that we’re told not to talk about at the dinner table. It always leads to one party scoffing at the other’s opinion and both are left feeling offended. I was personally raised Jewish. Even though I wasn’t conservative by any means, I still went to temple occasionally and believed in all of what the religion had to offer. As I started to get older and learn more about science, some of the teachings from the Torah (First Testament) started to lose their credibility. This sparked the beginning of my agnostic phase. Since then, I began to wonder why other fields of knowledge advance and develop while religion (something that is so engrained in society) is stagnant. When there are break-throughs in science, religion doesn’t change.

Even though my faith in religion started to dwindle, I still believed (and still do to this day) that the underlying messages and “rules” were good and I really liked the traditions as they gave me an excuse to stuff my face with my family about 5 times per year. I truly believe that religion is as good or evil as the people participating make it. People who are inherently evil will find the evil in whatever they worship and vice versa.

With the recent global events involving radical religious groups, I’ve started to wonder if religion is helping or hurting society as a whole. Religion often conveys a rather confusing message; Do to others what you would want them to do to you…. unless they have different beliefs. I believe that religion, while there are undeniably positive characteristics, is just perpetuating intolerance. In the United States, people are being discriminated against because their beliefs don’t fit in with “Christian values.” All over the world, people are being killed by Isis (a radical religious group based off of Islam) in the name of Muhammad because they have a different set of ideas and values. I’m wondering if what was initially made to bring us together could now be a major force in dividing us.

this day there is so much scandal and really horrible betrayal against human nature. And it all started with money. Now people think that money can help them and bring them happiness and it is not true because it only brings you stuff. Yes, i said it money only bring people stuff. Stuff like food, water bill, electrical bill, medical bill which all at the end of the day gave us a headache or stroke. Now as i was making research for my topic, i stumble in to words like bankruptcy, a world without money…  And as we all know our economy is not perfect because we do not know what to do with money. what i am trying to say is that there are lot of money grants out there and i t is hard to get qualify if you are someone who drop out of High School.  amd it is hard to even get a decent job without having a bachelor degree or master one. Our economy has pulverized us and made us think that we are living the dream when in fact we work to make money and we broke after two days from getting paid because we spend it on bills, mortgage, food, technology. it is mess up and literally not a great way to live since stress is not good for our body. Our wolrd is much better without the economy system because it would eliminate threats such as scammers, identity thefts, doing illegal stuff to get money fast or known as money under the table.

Okay, but seriously. Why do people care about how much or how little makeup you wear? This has a lot to do with my topic, “makeup”, but this issue just seems to always spark my thoughts to runneth over. I feel like you can’t win. If you don’t wear makeup you look like a person who is dying and if you do wear makeup you are “fake”. You just can’t win over some people. Not to mention, “are you the one that is applying my makeup or buying my makeup or having to wear my makeup?” Then STFU! I believe that you should do you. If you want to cake makeup onto your face to where you can scrape your finger through it at the end of the day, so be it. But if you also want to let your face be free and naked with nothing then you should do that too. Makeup doesn’t define who I am but it sure as hell makes me look a lot more alive. I also take into consideration the fact that someone like me who loves makeup is artsy. I grew up loving colors, drawing, pictures, and fashion. It’s in my blood to stand out and be unique. I love the different types of makeup and the different ways to apply it. I also love the different looks that makeup can make. The only problem is that once you start wearing makeup on an every day basis, that’s when not wearing makeup can be tough. I have tried this before and it sucks. I wear makeup all the time and then one day I decide not to wear any and people are passing “Get Well” cards over my way.  The only thing that scares me is I don’t want my daughter to think that wearing makeup or not wearing makeup is good or bad, which is what society is making this out to be. I just hope that she will do whatever makes her happy as a woman. Whether she wears makeup or not, I just hope that she does it for the right reasons and not what society thinks she should do as a person. Again, as stated above, you cannot win. All you can do is do what you want to do and make yourself happy.