Looking+Closely+at+Pop+Culture

Looking More Closely at Popular Culture


 * society’s unspoken rules and assumptions – stereotypes
 * men are strong; women are weak
 * women are emotional; men are logical
 * white people are better, more valuable than anybody else
 * women work at home; men go to work
 * Some of the “rules” put forward in ads and movies are clear to see
 * The ad is making a point of it explicitly
 * Some “rules” are harder to see because it is the absence of something that influences us.
 * Ads and movies __seem__ to show our world – they seem to be a window we look through
 * Ads that want us to buy something only show beautiful houses
 * they’re selling luxury
 * but accumulation of images makes it seem like that’s an accurate view of the world
 * Movies and ads used to show (still do a lot of the time) a world made up of white people with money
 * doesn’t reflect reality

Singin’ in the Rain
 * One Hispanic actor – but playing a white role. Everyone else is white.
 * Men are making all the decisions about the movies
 * How does this affect the audience?

Some Like it Hot Writing about this, discuss ideas that
 * Only non-white actor played a train porter.
 * Cross dressing gives us lots of information about gender roles
 * Does some of this challenge the stereotypes, rather than supporting them?
 * Band and bandleader are all women
 * girls don’t have any money
 * need to marry millionaires
 * Undermining the stereotypes
 * Sugar ends up with Joe
 * Osgood and Daphne are a couple?
 * support or
 * undermine assumptions, stereotypes