2/19/2021 0 Comments Cover Mock-Up #2
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2/18/2021 0 Comments Text Analysis 5
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2/12/2021 0 Comments Double Page Spread ConceptWorks Cited: https://www.canva.com/ Preparation for writing the article
Article Draft: Enlarged Quote1 I’ve known Elle Weis since elementary school, our neighborhoods are not even a 10-minute walking distance from each other. I can’t say I’ve seen someone grow to love themselves like they have, they’ve taken to wearing confidence on their sleeves in a way I hope to be able to do one day as well. I wanted to take the time to interview them as I wanted to know how their personal journey to discovering who they were, their beliefs, and what their gender identity is, is reflected through their fashion sense. “Coming out made me feel more comfortable in my own body.” Elle said, “In turn, giving me a great deal of confidence and new appreciation of my self-worth.” Insecurities tend to rise in adolescence regarding our appearances as we all begin to grow into ourselves and subconsciously compare ourselves to others around us. Media plays a large part in that, especially when it comes to fashion. “I always wanted to be a mix between masculine and feminine ever since I was a small child.” Elle claims, “But when I met more people more like myself, I learned about new types of fashion and how big the style spectrum really is.” Growing up enjoying typically masculine and feminine things equally, such as sports and fashion, Elle was placed in a world that wanted them to choose between the two without taking into consideration of a middle ground. “Gender is a social construct to me... everyone should be able to wear what they feel confident and comfortable wearing.” They expressed, talking about their feelings on the topic of stereotyping on gender expression, “I don’t feel there should be any stereotype.”1 Elle also practices Wicca, a belief system surrounding Pagan Witchcraft, which she says has also changed how she expresses herself, “I’ve taken in a more hippie or nature-like style because of it.” 2/1/2021 0 Comments Critical Reflection 3
1/25/2021 0 Comments Critical Reflection Question 2
1/21/2021 0 Comments Critical reflection question 1
Modern media is at face value developed and produced by multiple companies, when in actuality they are all primarily controlled by the same corporation with the face of choice acting as a way to create an illusion of diversity in consumerism that they do not really have. Most media companies have the same parent company, meaning that most of if not all the content developed from one of their subsidiaries must first go through them. However, it is important to recognize why this could be classified as an issue as this could lead to a detrimental lack of diversity and representation in the media they produce, how it will be received by people of diverse cultures, and the information that is given out through the media they themselves produce.
Representation and cultural diversity has become a topic of stronger debate in the past few years with outcries from minority groups regarding the lack of relatability and visibility in the media they consume. These outcries have popularized the idea with younger media consumers of the cisgender heterosexual older white man, wherein older white men who are not part of the LGBTQ+ community are not empathetic to what other genders and people of different races go through. It is through this lack of empathy towards the struggles of minorities in society that often reinforces the ideas of long-lived and long since accepted stereotypes in media, as the producers and writers are not knowledgeable to how others may live. A stereotype that was popular on shows like the Disney Channel was the “token character,” which was a character of a minority race that was often heavily stereotypical. An example of this could be Baljeet from Phineas and Ferb; Baljeet was the only reoccurring person of color in the show and held the stereotype that Indians valued their education and intelligence, leaving Baljeet’s primary character trait as someone who loved STEM subjects. And while that on its own may not be perceived as a terrible thing, an incredibly similar character was on Disney Channel’s, Jessie. Ravi Ross was an adopted child from India who like Baljeet was primarily known for his love of sciences and mathematics. These stereotypes have the potential to reinforce the idea that these are interest all Indian children have and should excel in. It is damaging for a child to be placed in a social box as they grow up. The lack of diversity in media companies and the media they produce can also lead to a damning difference in how an audience receives a piece of media. Most large media producing companies are American- examples of which being Microsoft and Walt Disney- can lead to a divide in how their media is received. This often leads to censorship to better please people worldwide so companies can get a better profit and therefore more funding. This is an issue faced commonly by the LGTBQ+ community, where the representation media producers proudly claimed to have placed in are often miniscule and easy to edit out. Companies with large media ownerships will prioritize funding and sales over those they claim to represent, as the idea of losing a profit leaves their competitors with an advantage. A recent occurrence of an instance like this would be the CW and their long running show Supernatural. Soon after the finale, English speaking fans discovered that other countries had additional dialogue that they did not receive involving a romantic confession between two male prominent male characters causing an outcry at the lack of representation for them. News media doesn’t fare better than the entertainment aspect of media companies and the giants that own them. Most news media has the same parent company, meaning the same information is distributed differently on a wider scale, as all the news outlets share the same ideologies. The best example of this being Fox Entertainment and their news media outlets: Fox News Channel, Fox Business, Fox News Radio, Fox News Talk, and Fox Nation. Fox is widely known for their heavily right-leaning viewpoints and mixed factual reporting. Its large media coverage has the potential to result in a mass spread of misinformation due to the political biases that come from the owners of Fox who fund these news stations. Media ownership and funding will always be a topic of controversy, especially given the ideas of monopolies on businesses. While people are becoming more educated on the issues that arise due to companies with large media ownerships, it hasn’t done enough to properly educate people in the issues that arise due to them. People still want to see diversity and representation; people want there to be less defining differences in cultural consumption, and people want there to be less spread of misinformation from what could appear as a variety of sources. 11/6/2020 0 Comments Table of Contents - Mockup
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AuthorI'm a High school student trying to learn to navigate and study the use and techniques behind Media, welcome to my journey. Archives
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