Is Dove really so good?

This commercial added on YouTube by greenpeace.org is interesting because at first I thought it was going to be a different version of the Dove Self-Esteem Advertisements because they are modeled exactly the same. However, this ad is not pro-Dove at all. In the ad we watched in class with the beautiful little red-headed girl for Dove self-esteem, the advertisers and Dove are making Dove out to be a image conscious brand that has your best interest at heart. However, they are similar to other beauty companies in the fact that they are trying to get people's attention and still sell their product. This YouTube clip shows Indonesia rain forests being cut down to produce palm oil which goes into Dove products. This is a huge problem because the world is not being environmentally conscious about our depleting resources. Not only is this destroying the forests, but it is ruining the homes of animals in the rain forests. Basically this is changing the landscape of a nation and ruining these peoples' homeland. Something should be done to put a stop to it. In addition, I find it very interesting that greenpeace.org used this tactic of advertising to situate its cause against Dove.

World's Oldest Person Turns 115!!!!!

On Sunday Edna Parker of Shelbyville, Indiana, will turn 115. Edna was born on April 20, 1893, and is recognized by Guinness World Records for being the oldest person in the world. She is known as a supercentenarian, which are people who have made it passed the 110 age mark. Scientist use supercentenarian's DNA to study the secret to longevity. Edna has definitely had a life full of longevity considered she has outlived most of her family members. Her husband died in 1938 of a heart attack and her 2 sons have passed away as well. Edna has had brushes with death but has survived them all to tell about later. It is unbelievable to live 115 years and the fact that she is in fairly good health is amazing. Edna has lived through so much in her lifetime, and much of it we only hear about through the history books. 

PostSecret

These images are from PostSecret blog created by Frank Warren and I find them absolutely amazing and fascinating. Frank Warren has people mail in homemade postcard with a secret about themselves written on it as apart of an community art project. It is amazing to see what is on people's minds and see what secrets they have filling up inside of them.

Polygamy sect in Texas?

When news broke of this strange polygamy case in Texas, I was interested and a little creeped out all at the same time. After a 16-year-old girl called an abuse hotline claiming to being raped and beaten by her "spiritual husband" who is more than three times her age, police raided this polygamist sect's ranch in Eldorado, Texas, near San Angelo. Here at this ranch there were 53 girls aged 14-17, and 31 of the girls already have children or are pregnant. These girls are forced to "spiritually marry" older men when they are very young, and these older men have multiple wives. These girls have led a life of isolation and the large majority have never seen or heard of the outside world. When the police raided the ranch they took all of the women and children away. However, now the officials have taken the children away from their mothers and placed them in foster care. The women are outraged because they have never harmed there children, but the officials feel as if the women have placed their children in harms way by not standing up to the controlling men. I just cannot imagine the lives these people have led. These women and children look like they just stepped out of "Little House on the Prairie." They all wear long cotton dresses, boots, no makeup, and have long braided hair. They do not know any different, and they have lived like this for generations. I do not think it is right to take these children away from their mothers who love them and place them into the foster care system that could even be worse. I believe these mothers and children need to be together again just separated from the manipulative male forces in their lives. However, time will only tell what happens to these people.

Miley Drama

Lately Miley Cyrus has been in the news a lot for not being the perfect role model that she has always been known for. Several provocative pictures have come out on the internet and now Miley has posed for Vanity Fair. Famed photographer Annie Leibovitz took the pictures where Miley is topless wrapped in a blanket. The magazine has not even hit newsstands yet, but it has already caused a lot of problems. Miley issued a statement saying that she thought at the time the pictures were artsy, however now she is just embarrassed. Disney even said they thought Vanity Fair was just manipulating a young girl in order to sell more magazines. This is a big deal because Miley is only 15 years old, and to be posing topless is not okay. However, while watching this clip of Miley during the photo shoot, you can tell she is having a great time and is not embarrassed at all. Miley's parents are even there with her. Miley is one of the most famous teens in the world because of her hit Disney show Hannah Montana. That show is geared toward young girls who look up to Miley, and these photos could send the wrong message. However, I do feel for celebrities and people like Miley because they are in the spotlight constantly and do not get a private life. But when you choose to be in the entertainment business, being responsible for your actions as a role model are apart of it. 

Ban on Cell Phones in Louisiana?

Recently I heard from my friends and family at home that Louisiana legislators are trying to pass a law that would ban the use of cell phones while driving all together. I understand that cell phones can be a distraction while driving, but I know I do not want to have to give up using my cell phone when in my car. Cell phones have become a huge part of our culture, and sometimes I believe that they have taken over. However, people spend so much time in their cars everyday that not being able to use a cell phone could also hinder them. People conduct business on their cell phones and talk to family, so not being able to use a cell phone while in a car so much would be inefficient. This is could be a good idea to help keep others safe, but I know people would not be happy and enforcing this law would be a big challenge as well.

The Bachelor has gone Down Hill!!!!

As we all know The Bachelor is not intellectually stimulating but it is just a entertaining show to watch. I have watched The Bachelor for several years and I remember watching it even in junior high. However, tonight as I was watching The Bachelor with my friends I feel it got a little trashy. This episode was the fantasy date and the girls have the option to go back to the fantasy suite with the bachelor. The girls always go so that's not a real big surprise. But when one of the last girls named Chelsea went back to the suite she turned the heat up a bit. On most of the dates the girls just cuddle up with the guy and kiss a bit then the show is over. Chelsea, on the other hand, allows the cameras to come into a room while she takes off all of her clothes then slips on a see-through black dress for the bachelor, Matt. This has never happened on The Bachelor, and Chelsea wanted everyone in America to know that she is kind of a slut. This show comes on ABC at 8:00 so families and kids see this show. ABC has definitely completely changed the tone of the show with this last episode. I guess they are going by the philosophy that "Sex Sells."

How does he reach the peddles??

One night as I was watching TV, the news came on. The first story the news covered for that day was this interesting little clip. This 7-year-old boy steals his grandmother's SUV and drives it down several busy streets with his friend. In the process the little boy hits four cars and some mailboxes. Several of my friends were talking about this because they had seen it on YouTube, and they thought it was hilarious. They thought the fact that this little boy was trying to be so thug for a 7 year old was great. I basically just couldn't believe a 7-year-old would do this. I think I was in first grade when I was seven. How did this kid even reach the peddles?  In addition, he wasn't remorseful or sorry at all. He just thought that maybe he should have his video games taking away for a weekend. He did not understand the magnitude of what he had actually done, and the fact that his grandmother was going to have to pay to have all of the cars fixed. Kids today are getting progressively worse, and I think that has a large part to do with TV, movies, video games, and music. They see all of these things through the media and think acting them out will be okay.

Addictive Show or Just Wrong?

The Moment of Truth is a fairly new TV show that is very controversial. This show puts people in the hot seat and asks them very tough questions about themselves and life in general. Before the show they are asked all sorts of questions and given a polygraph test. During the show they ask them these questions in front of their friends and family, and if the answer is truthful, they receive money. This women in the clip is the most controversial of all of the contestants so far. Lauren Cleri basically has lied, stolen, cheated on her husband,  and wishes she was married to her ex-boyfriend. She would have received $100,000 if she had only agreed to walk away, however she wanted to gamble. When asked if she believed she was a good person, she said yes. The answer was False. Lauren ruined her life and walked away with no money. This show is definitely addictive but at what cost. Every episode it is ruining people's lives all in the pursuit of large sums of money. Money can make for a more comfortable lifestyle. However, is $100,000 enough to give up your marriage, friends, and family?

5 ways to go Green

Going Green these days is a popular and important thing to do! There are 5 ways to go green and live a better lifestyle.

1. Buy organic foods

2. Eat a local meal

3. Go Brown (with grains that is)

4. Drink a glass of organic wine

5. Don't use paper or plastic at the grocery store! Bring your own bag!

Attitudes and Attire

All throughout high school I was really involved in community service. Being involved and helping others is something that I really enjoyed. However, coming to college and dealing with my demanding schedule has left no time for community service until now. I recently started volunteering at Attitudes and Attire, which is an organization in Dallas that helps women with self-confidence and self-esteem issues. Most of these women are poor women who have very little education. They have been struggling with abuse, poverty, drugs and alcohol abuse, and unplanned pregnancies. This program teaches them how to feel good about themselves again and how to get back in the work force. In addition these women are given 3 suits and accessories within a 60 day period if they maintain a steady job. This program is a motivational fixture in these women's lives and they are so grateful for the help and support they are receiving. Being able to help these less fortunate women makes me feel like I have aided to the renewal of their lives.

The Hidden Parts of Dallas

Congo Street pictured here is only 7 miles away from SMU, and I bet very few of us have every even heard of it. For my anthropology class this semester one of our assignments was to do a tour of Dallas. We were given a list of 32 places throughout Dallas to find. Our class is about diversity in America so the main point was looking for diversity in our own city. Most of us live in this perfect bubble around campus and never even realize there is another world out there with violence and poverty. We saw important landmarks of Dallas but we mainly became familiar with the Mexican and African American areas of our city. Dallas is one of the most segregated cities in our country, and one really sees this when you go looking for it. The minorities are stuck in their enclaves throughout the city and we rarely interact with them. For example, we visited The Stewpot, a center for the homeless downtown, and it is located 2 blocks from Neiman Marcus. However, I seriously doubt very few of the Neiman's  shoppers have ever interacted with Dallas's homeless community. Dallas seems to just want to forget about the poor and keep the upper middle class away from its less favored inhabitants. For example in 1936 when Fair Park was going through renovations, streets, such as Congo Street, were renamed these unique names to warn away white people from these dangerous areas. I found this very interesting but ridiculously close-minded.

The Baby with 2 Faces!!!

In India a baby was born with two duplicating faces on one head. This is a very rare condition know as craniofacial duplication. Lali, the extraordinary baby, has 2 noses, 2 mouths, 2 ears, and 4 eyes. She can eat from both of her mouths, and she opens all 4 eyes at once. Over 100 people have come to her village to see this wonder. They are worshipping her as the reincarnation of the Hindu goddess of valor, Durga, who was depicted with 3 eyes. Some people may look at this as a terrible birth defect, however, her parents are embracing their unique daughter as a miracle. In our world of conformity, people like Lali are seen as amazing creations. 

United Colors of Benetton

After seeing several prints ads from United Colors of Benetton in class one day, I was intrigued by this provocative style of advertising. This youtube clip features several of the print ads including a black woman breast feeding a white baby, a priest and a nun kissing, horses mating, tattoos of "HIV Positive" on male and female bodies, a newborn baby with the umbilical cord still attached, and a collage of genitals from various races. These ads are so fascinating because they do not have any clothing or various products anywhere in the ad. They deal with real life and are meant to make a statement. When someone sees these ads on the street or in a magazine, the context makes you step out of your programmed routine and pay attention to what is right in front of your face. Whether people like the ads or not is not the main concern of the company; no matter what people's reaction at least they are thinking and talking about United Colors of Benetton. 

Social Responsibility

After reading Morrison and Jelly Helm's articles on social responsibility, I realized how much advertising and the people behind this industry effect our culture. In Morrison's article, she talks about admiring people who take a stand for what they do and how they choose to live their lives. Kevin Tuerff of Enviromedia is one person that has greatly impacted her. The advertising industry needs more people like him being socially conscious in their jobs and everyday lives. In Jelly Helm's article, he analyzes how advertising is one of the main reasons our society is a over-consuming, capitalistic driven society today. Some advertising agencies and their clients are more concerned with making a large profit than how their product and their advertising will effect the public. If the client is not going to take the responsibility to be socially aware then it is up to the advertising world to change the image and reputation of their industry.