Young and Beautiful

In class this week we watched "Killing Us Softly 4," a documentary I've seen before and recommend to just about anyone, male or female.  One theme Kilbourne talked about was youth and how youth in advertising was desirable.  Almost all ads feature young models or models that appear youthful; they may have youthful clothing, pose like children, or have so much airbrushing done that they appear younger than they really are.  This gives many people - especially girls - the impression that they must be young to be considered desirable.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otW9z2ABQu0

As we watched the documentary I kept thinking of this Lana Del Rey song, "Young and Beautiful," in which she repeatedly asks, "Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful?"  Many people, including me at times, get this idea into their heads that once we are no longer young, no one would want to pursue a romantic relationship with us.  That once we get older, our looks fade and we are no longer seen as beautiful.  Advertising in this day and age does not help this.  We are bombarded with ads featuring young, beautiful models that we are supposed to aspire to be like.  The ads are telling us, "You have to look like this in order to be accepted by society, and if you do not look like this, you are considered ugly and undesirable."  It's as if we should be ashamed of the fact that we age.  Is there something wrong with being "old?"  Is there no joy in getting older?  How come I don't see any song asking, "Will you still love me when I'm old and STILL beautiful?"

Personally, I would love to see ads that feature more "older" people.  Not just in ads for medication and health insurance, but in ads for fashion, cosmetics, food, etc. just like the younger models.  In my eyes, there should be no shame in getting older - it's human nature!  Just because you age does not mean there is not someone out there who finds you beautiful and youthful in your own way.  More importantly, you can still feel beautiful and happy whether you are 21 or 81.

Cell Phone Usage

As we discussed the trends in cell phone usage, it got me thinking about what I use my cell phone for and how this has changed over the years.  When I got my first cell phone, it was this cheap little thing my grandmother used to have.  It only made calls, take low-quality pictures and, when I was lucky, sent text messages.  I didn't have too many friends, though, so it's not like I used it a lot unless it was to tell my mom I would be home in ten minutes.  As more technological advances were made and my family was able to afford better-working phones, I started using my phone for more things.  I lost track of how many phones I have owned, but I remember almost in order what trends I started giving in to; soon enough I was texting nearly everyone, then I finally got the e-mail feature on my phone (which I was very happy about because I had been waiting forever to have that feature), and soon enough I had Internet on my phone.  I would mainly use it for Google and Myspace (because that was still a thing back then).

When I got my iPhone, everything changed.  Instantly I went around asking my sisters and friends what their favorite apps were so I can join in.  Now I use my phone for everything - memos, Facebook, shopping, photos, videos of my little sister, Google, games, and even banking.  I can even deposit checks from my phone!  I used to only use my cell phone sparingly, but now I barely do anything without it.  It's also become a go-to device when I feel bored.  The minute I feel bored I go to my phone to see if anyone has texted me or if there is something funny on YouTube.  I think we all can agree that all the features on our phones nowadays has made us less productive.  That begs the question: even though all these features have made our lives easier and more convenient, are these features really a good thing?