Body Image and Media

I am really glad that the video mentioned that boys are also affected by body image in media. Growing up I as fairly overweight and every time I would see a male in the media they would be muscular. I was so ashamed of my body. Though we are no where near where are media should be in terms of body size I think we may be on the right path. There has been a lot more discussion and focus on body image in media and I read an article the other day that said just recently Sports Illustrated featured a plus size female model. That is a huge step in the right direction. I am hoping that his trend continues because the increase in eating disorders in both females and males has been on the rise, and that needs to stop.

I Screen, You Screen.

I found the article to be extremely interesting in that it was sort of a history lesson on music videos. It sort of got me thinking about how did music videos, and when, did they come about. For me they have always just sort of been there and until my family got a computer when I was in middle school I only saw them on MTV. The article also helped me to understand why MTV switched to more reality shows and less music. The market they started has shifted completely to the internet, and mainly YouTube. Why would people watch them on MTV when they can watch whatever music video they want whenever then want on a platform like YouTube. People often joke about the fact MTV switched up their programming, but who can argue them after giving it a little thought?

The music videos on pinterest are really good, and I'm pretty sure my favorite is the literal version of Total Eclipse of My Heart. That video has been a long time favorite of mine and never fails to give me a good laugh no matter how many  times I watch it. Another favorite of mine is Michael Jackson's Thriller. As far back as I can remember I think that was the first music video I ever saw, and when I first watched it with my parents I thought it was a movie. The way the directed the video was fantastic and I loved that they incorporated a real story with real scenes outside of just the song. It gave it sort of a musical movie feel rather than just a music video.

Music Videos and John T

It's not that I have never really thought about the meaning behind music videos, it is just that I generally think for perhaps a short second on the subject and my mind goes elsewhere. Getting the chance to actually analyze all these different music videos was a fun experience! I think the thing that stuck out to me most about our class session was the fact that even though all of us were watching the same videos everyone was finding different meanings and metaphors. It really showed me that music is a truly personal experience and the message and meaning can change from person to person, it really makes music more beautiful than it already was.

I really enjoyed the John's story because he talked about his crippling fear of failure. The fear of failing is so universal that anyone who hears it can feel some sort of connection to his story. The way I connected to it was the way that it brought back memories of trying to find a college to attend. I had never been a very good student in high school so the idea of going to college kind of felt like I would be setting myself up for failure. Event though John has experienced so much fear he keeps pushing forward and creating new work and getting more job offers. His attitude towards hard work to overcome fear is very admirable and we should all try to take this lesson to heart.

As a side note, kind of random, I really like the fact that he was able to get his work out there because of things like Tumblr and YouTube. It is really amazing how some of these social media websites have become so big that they can actually make people famous and give people jobs. Not only John, but hundreds of others, are getting more famous thanks to YouTube and other sites, and they're able to make a full career out of the internet. How cool is that?!