As ignorant as the title seems, Gisele Bundchen is set to become the first supermodel to become a self-made billionaire. Congratulations to her for having the desired DNA of her employers. Advertisers' message to society: it pays to be pretty; these products make her pretty, you can be pretty if you become more like her by buying our product and any other subconscious message that our brain can process from the image. After all, "a picture is worth a thousand words". Advertisers will try to extract those words that lead to longing and desire for whatever is being sold.
There is an emphasis on beauty that far outweighs the emphasis on intelligence, wisdom, wit and so forth. Gisele, however, is a smart woman. There was a rumor-- or maybe it is truth-- that due to the sharp decline of the U.S. dollar, she wanted to be paid in Euros. Smart and pretty. I would suggest that she next time request to be paid in gold. *wink, wink*
I do not have a problem with the beauty industry. I appreciate all types of beauty. But I also think that a lot of women compromise themselves to look the way that is presented to them in the images, and neglect their personality. That is what bothers me. That the advertisers' success is so great that it makes for some otherwise good people to work on themselves from only one angle: externally.
Beauty, in a certain way, objectifies women. Beauty is the bane of females-- internationally. American magazines and television programs have their European, Asian, and other countries' counterparts. These images conjure the same message, without speaking. Images are processed and meaning is often not considered. At a glance or even a stare, we focus solely on the beauty.
Men, for the most part, are not targeted in such a manner. This is not to say that there are not exceptions but only to demonstrate that the beauty industry can be very sexist too.
This is what I consider the greatest beauty industry and it starts at home: teach your children to have beautiful thoughts. Teach them that they are beautiful from the inside out, so they do not have the need to purchase things that will make them feel or be labeled pretty. Invest in art classes or another activity where one is able to create beauty and simultaneously be productive. Appreciate the beauty of nature and humanity because those require no money at all.
The underlying message is this: people will pay for beauty. The great arts await and should be invested in. It will yield better results, in my opinion, if a child can paint, write, draw or have any other artistic ability--graphic design and others included, than to waste money on higher education.
There is an emphasis on beauty that far outweighs the emphasis on intelligence, wisdom, wit and so forth. Gisele, however, is a smart woman. There was a rumor-- or maybe it is truth-- that due to the sharp decline of the U.S. dollar, she wanted to be paid in Euros. Smart and pretty. I would suggest that she next time request to be paid in gold. *wink, wink*
I do not have a problem with the beauty industry. I appreciate all types of beauty. But I also think that a lot of women compromise themselves to look the way that is presented to them in the images, and neglect their personality. That is what bothers me. That the advertisers' success is so great that it makes for some otherwise good people to work on themselves from only one angle: externally.
Beauty, in a certain way, objectifies women. Beauty is the bane of females-- internationally. American magazines and television programs have their European, Asian, and other countries' counterparts. These images conjure the same message, without speaking. Images are processed and meaning is often not considered. At a glance or even a stare, we focus solely on the beauty.
Men, for the most part, are not targeted in such a manner. This is not to say that there are not exceptions but only to demonstrate that the beauty industry can be very sexist too.
This is what I consider the greatest beauty industry and it starts at home: teach your children to have beautiful thoughts. Teach them that they are beautiful from the inside out, so they do not have the need to purchase things that will make them feel or be labeled pretty. Invest in art classes or another activity where one is able to create beauty and simultaneously be productive. Appreciate the beauty of nature and humanity because those require no money at all.
The underlying message is this: people will pay for beauty. The great arts await and should be invested in. It will yield better results, in my opinion, if a child can paint, write, draw or have any other artistic ability--graphic design and others included, than to waste money on higher education.
