Popular Culture, Weekly Written Analysis 5

A current popular culture topic that I chose to write about is reality TV. There are over 200 reality TV shows. There are reality TV shows about anything and everything. Some people love reality TV and some hate it. Unfortunately, for those that hate it, I believe that reality TV is here to stay. Reality TV shows such as American Idol and Survivor have mass appeal. Not only do millions of television viewers watch Reality TV shows, but they are also the topic of conversation at work, school, family gatherings, etc. Even for those that don’t watch reality TV, it is hard to avoid.

The No. 1 reason that people watch reality TV is the thrill of guessing who will win or who will be eliminated from the show (Petracca & Sorapure, 2007, p. 184). Some people enjoy watching reality TV shows because they are motivating. My favorite reality TV show is Biggest Loser because it is very motivating. The transformations of the contestants are amazing. Biggest Loser helps viewers that are overweight to get fit and start eating healthy. Some people watch reality TV because they enjoy competition. A majority of the reality TV shows are competitive in nature. In the reality TV show Survivor, a cash reward is what they are competing for. In The Bachelor and The Bachelorette show, the contestants are competing for true love.

Everyone has his or her own reason for watching reality TV. I believe that reality TV will be popular for a very long time. It is definitely a popular culture topic that will continue to be discussed at work, home, and social gatherings.

References

Petracca, Michael & Sorapure, Madeleine. (2007). Common Culture. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Assignment 4-1, Weekly Written Analysis 4

The popular culture topic that I chose to write about is the new Apple iPad. It is being talked about everywhere. The new iPad is basically just a big iPhone. It is a lot cheaper than what some people were expecting. The price on the iPad is $499 for the most basic model. It has a 9.7-inch display, a half-inch thick, and weighs only a pound and a half. It will do pretty much anything an iPhone can do including e-mail, web browsing, calendar and event managements, photos, music and video, and applications.

Celebrity CEO Steve Jobs says, “Awesome new tablet computer will be better than smart phones and laptops. It’s like holding the Internet in your hand.” He also said watching videos, movies and TV shows on the iPad is “awesome.” (Marcus 2010). Some people think that the iPad is just an oversized iPhone while others think it is an amazing product. I feel that millions of people will purchase the iPad because it is the newest product in technology and they will want to try it out. I personally will not be purchasing an iPhone or an iPad in the near future because I don’t have the extra money and I don’t have any use for one. I have my cell phone and laptop and that is all I need right now!

Reference
Marcus, Miriam. Steve Jobs says new tablet computer is “awesome.” Forbes.com. January 27, 2010. http://www.forbes.com/. Accessed January 29, 2010.

Assignment 3-1, Weekly Written Analysis

I chose to write about the current popular culture topic of text messaging while driving. There has been much discussion recently about text messaging while driving as many states already have a law banning it and other states are still mulling over the issue. After watching the Oprah Winfrey Show on Monday, I will never text while driving again. I will have to admit that I am guilty of it, but I have only done it a few times. Many people text while driving on a daily basis. Oprah Winfrey had several families on her show that had lost a loved by being hit by someone that was text messaging while driving. It was a very sad show. A young couple on the show had an eight-year-old daughter that was hit on her bicycle by a women in an SUV that was text messaging and not paying attention to the road. The young girl did not make it. The couple was on the show to convince people not to use their cell phones while driving. Oprah also had a young man on her show that had hit and killed a husband/father because he was text messaging while driving and was not paying attention. He was nineteen years old at the time it happened. He now has to live with that the rest of his life. Oprah stated that text messaging while driving is equivalent to taking four shots of alcohol.

More than a quarter of all traffic accidents in the U.S. occur when people talk on their cell phones or send text messages while driving. A new study released by the National Safety Council stated that 200,000 traffic accidents occur annually when people are sending text messages (Resnick, 2010). That study just goes to show what a huge national problem driving distracted really is. Nineteen states have banned the sending of text messages while driving. I really hope that one day all states will ban it. It could save so many lives.

Resnick, David. Study Underscores Dangerous Link Between Texting and Crashes. PR Web; http://www.prweb.com/. January 23, 2010, January 23, 2010.

Assignment 1-3, Journal Article Analysis

Journal Article Analysis
Running Like a Girl: Women’s Running Books and the Paradox of Tradition

The journal article “Running Like a Girl: Women’s Running Books and the Paradox of Tradition is an article that discusses women in sports and what kinds of things are discussed in Women’s Running Books. Iris Young wrote a book titled “Throwing Like A Girl” in 1977. In that book she explained how girls took great care with physical activity and protected the body as if it were a fragile object. She stated that because women restrict their movements, confine them to a limited space, and regard their bodies as objects that must be protected and looked after, they limit their engagement with, and potential in, the world. Twenty years later she wrote a critique of her original book. She commented on how things had changed in twenty years. Girls today carry themselves with more openness, more reach, and more active confidence than girls twenty years ago (Young 286). It is true that there are many girls and women in today’s society that are very confident with their athletic abilities. Women have come a long way in twenty years.

The female athlete’s emergence is a new cultural icon. Many female athletes today market products and services. Professional female sports figures are becoming more popular. Many corporations use female athletes to advertise their products in order to increase sales and image. Serena Williams is an example of a professional female athlete. She is a tennis champion that has advertised for Nike, Tampax, Gatorade, and Hewlett Packard. Another female athlete that you see a lot in the media is Jillian Michaels from the reality television show Biggest Loser. She is the tough trainer on the show that helps the overweight contestants to lose weight. She is one of the leading health and wellness experts in the country. She also does a little advertising while training on the show. She has advertised Extra Sugar Free Gum as a way to help with hunger.

The journal article discusses Women’s Running Books. More women run today than ever before. The writer’s of Women’s Running Books coax their readers into believing in their ability to take the first run. They do this by establishing the credibility of the author as a woman who has managed to become a runner. The author points out that her life is no different from that of other women. She has children, a job, a husband, and at one time a tummy. She is a normal, ordinary gal. She explains how running has brought her to terms of self-discovery, self-esteem, physical well-being, etc. (Jutel 1008). Many women are scared to take those first strides, but once they do they are very satisfied with the results. Women run for all different reasons. Some women run with their boyfriend or husband to become closer to them. Running together may be the only alone time that they have. Some women run only for the physical well-being. They want to lose weight or get fit. Many women run to relieve stress and clear their minds. Women that were once addicted to smoking or drinking heavily are now addicted to running. Women of all ages are discovering the benefits they would never have imagined (Jutel 1009).



References

Young, Iris. “Throwing Like a Girl: Twenty Years Later.” Body and Flesh: A Philosophical Reader. Ed. D Welton. Malden, MA Blackwell Publishers Ltd, 1998. 286.

Jutel, Annemarie. “Thou Dost Run as in Flotation: Femininity and the Emergence of the Women’s Marathon. “International Journal of the History of Sport 20.3 (Spring 2003): 1008-1009.

Popular Culture, Assignment 2-1, Weekly Written Analysis 2

I chose to write about a current popular culture topic that has been on the news and television a lot recently, which is the hot topic of NBC canceling Jay Leno’s Prime-Time Show that airs at 10 p.m. nightly. NBC is hoping to keep Jay Leno for an 11:35 p.m. show and Conan O’Brien for a 12:05 p.m. show, but that has not been decided on for sure yet. The Jay Leno Prime-Time Show did not meet affiliate needs. Conan O’Brien wanted the franchise of The Tonight Show and Jay Leno wanted to tell jokes at 11:30. O’Brien has agreed to leave The Tonight Show so Leno can return to late-night television (Wang, Cynthia. “It’s Official: NBC Canceling Jay Leno’s Prime-Time Show.” People 10 January 2010 http://www.people.com/).

From what I have seen on television, Conan O’Brien is not very happy with the decision that NBC has made. If I were him, I would be upset too. He has only been on The Late Show for 7 months and is now being asked to leave. Many people have different opinions and feelings about O’Brien leaving The Late Show and Leno’s Prime-Time show being cancelled. Some people like Jay Leno and not Conan O’Brien while others like O’Brien and not Leno. I personally liked Jay Leno’s Prime Time Show because I am not a late night person and with his show being on at 10 p.m. I was able to watch it. I am not able to watch the Late Night Shows that come on at 11:30 because I am asleep by that time. I am curious to see if Conan O’Brien will accept NBC’s offer to have him on at 12:05 p.m. after Jay Leno if they decide to do that.

It is funny how we find ourselves more engaged, more entertained, and even more emotionally touched by what we watch on television. By being involved in the problems and controversies on television, we are able to focus on that and not what is going on in our own lives. It is very easy to advert your attention to what is going on in the news and on television from what you are doing in your own life.

Assignment 2-2, Icon Analysis

The 3 contemporary icons that I chose are Taylor Swift, Ugg boots and Coach handbags. I am a big fan of Taylor Swift. She is a very talented music pop icon. She began singing at the age of 10 and at the age of 14, became the youngest person ever to be signed as a professional staff songwriter at Sony Records. She signed her first record deal before she could drive and at age 17, became the youngest person to single-handedly write and sing a #1 country hit entirely on her own. She won the 2009 American Music Award for Artist of the Year and the 2009 CMA Award for Entertainer of the Year. I chose Taylor Swift because I think her talent is amazing. To have accomplished all that she has as a teenager is very inspiring. There are many young kids and teenagers that look up to her as a role model.

Ugg boots are very trendy and popular boots that are worn over jeans, slacks, jogging pants, etc. Some prefer to wear them under their jeans, slacks, jogging pants, etc. There are all different styles and colors of uggs. Ugg boots are mostly worn by girls and women of all ages, but they are starting to cross over to the men’s market. Men are mostly wearing the motorbike boot-style or rugged waterproof Uggs. You see them on television, in the movies and everywhere you go. I am curious to see how long Uggs actually stay in style. So many trends will come and go very fast. I chose Ugg boots because I own 2 pairs myself and absolutely love them! Not only are they cute, but also very warm and comfortable. I wear my Uggs a lot in the cold weather.

Coach handbags are a popular icon among girls, teens and women of all ages. Just like the Ugg boots, you see Coach handbags in the movies, on television and everywhere you go. Coach also makes wallets, accessories, shoes, jewelry and apparel. They have a men’s line of wallets, accessories, brief cases and shoes as well. I believe that Coach handbags will be popular for a very long time unlike other trends that come and go fairly quick. I chose Coach handbags because I think they are very fashionable and of course I own one! It is amazing how something like Uggs and Coach handbags become popular icons in a short period of time.

Popular Culture, Module 1, Assignment 1-4

A current popular culture icon that I chose to write about is Lady Gaga. Lady Gaga is a theatrical dance-pop performer whose debut single, the international chart-topping hit; “Just Dance,” established her as an up-and-coming superstar upon its release in 2008. Her follow up single “Poker Face” was an even larger hit topping singles charts across the board. She recently had two additional tracks: “Love Game” and “Paparazzi” that made the Top 10. Lady Gaga’s leadoff single “Bad Romance” became her fifth consecutive Top 10 single (bc; blogcatalog.com; 1/3/10). She has been all over the television and on the radio recently. Many people are calling her the next Madonna.
Popular culture includes many forms of cultural communication including newspapers, television, advertising, comics, music, radio, novels, movies, etc. Influential people can be defined as someone who exercises influence or power, such as musical stars like Lady Gaga. The input of these stars creates pop culture by starting fashion trends and putting out catchy songs. Popular culture is what is popular and Lady Gaga is very popular in the music industry. Many people are influenced by music stars, celebrities, athletes, etc. Since so many people are influenced by music stars, celebrities, athletes, etc. they are able to create popular culture. I believe that teenagers are the most influenced by celebrities like Lady Gaga because they look up to them. Lady Gaga among other musicians and celebrities are a topic of discussion among teenagers at school.