Huh, the entry page looks just like the page for writing posts. Meh.
Anyways, yesterday was a good day, as I finally purchased Metal Gear Solid 3! Hooray! Excellent game. But BK was sold out at CC, and it's only $10 too. :( Oh well.
My allergies have been keeping me up, so that sucks. In fact, it's the reason why I'm still up. :evil:
...Well that's it... -_-;; For now at least.
***ARCHIVE, ENTRY FROM OTHER, NOW DEFUNCT BLOG***
This'll probably come off as rant-ish, but hey, I gotta say what I gotta say. And take the seriousness with a grain of salt; it's there for effect.
What it is (http://www.candies.com/): The commercial starts off with a quick (and I mean quick) shot of a Kohl's store, then cuts to a Hilary Duff in a limo with a ridiculous amount of shopping bags, all of which are from Candie's. To mention, Duff's "new" song, "Supergirl" is blaring in the background throughout the entire commercial. Next, we see Duff stepping off her limo to attend some event or another, and as she walks down the "red" carpet, there are hundreds of photographers with constantly flashing cameras on either side (the entire thing is overly exaggerated I might add). There are a couple shots of her clothes/accessories mixed in there (her bag appears to be a "Prada"). As Duff continues to walk down the carpet, Michelle Trachtenberg, Samaire Armstrong, and Ciara, respectively, are shown in shots from Duff's perspective where the stars are awed and are "checking out" Duff's "gear." Duff is then shown where she mouths, "What?" with a shot of Ciara shuffling her jacket to indicate where to get the clothes/accessories Duff is wearing. Then it is a close-up shot of Duff saying, "Candie's, at Kohl's." Trachtenberg and Armstrong are then shown nodding in understanding and the three stars rush to their own limousines. They promptly arrive at Kohl's/Candie's and run toward the entrance, along with their bodyguards/assisstants. Immediately thereafter is the three smiling and literally strutting out with a Candie's bag each, with their bodyguards at either sides of the Kohl's entrance, their arms full of bags.
And: "Any girl can wear Candie's!" enthuses Ciara. "Someone may relate to me or Hilary or Michelle or Samaire, but what is great is that no matter what her style she will relate to one of us. That's what makes it so real."
"When you see the Candie's ads, you can envision yourself with your friends having a great time," remarked Duff.
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When I saw this commercial for the first time, my immediate thought was, "Holy crap..." I was disgusted; it was so...paper-thin! It's been said, and I've known of it but the impact is as strong as ever. From what I can gather, this commercial in its effort to sell to its demographic portrays a disturbing image of modern society. It's blatant message of "be cool, be us, buy because it's the only way" is not to be taken lightly.
Millions of Americans are obsessed with celebrities, those wonderful and fascinating people. People like us, yet living in a glamorous world of their own, beyond the reach of all but them. An exclusive club of the crème de la crème of society. The normal life appear dull in comparison to the excitement to be found within their lives. They are right there in our TV sets and we see them, so close yet so far away.
And naturally, people want to copy those they see as idols, and be like them. They want the accesories, the clothes, the styles, the hair, everything! And the industry plays right into this dangerous obsession for enormous monetary gain. They promote the image that be like them, and you'll be popular and happy.
I see kids in my classes talking about "that skirt" or the "brand name here" bag that costs $300. Not necessarily celebrity-influenced but very materialistic nonetheless. These kids must have the/a "certain item" to be up-to-date. They go shopping nearly every day, spending hundreds of dollar every week, buying more and buying new. And it just never ends. The illusion of "right in the eyes of society and of high status" persists. They view different as a threat to their status and alienate it thus molding further their views of "right in the world."
Ciara all but implies that all girls (whether they may deviated slightly from the criteria of a "girl of today") identify with celebrities and the attatched stereotypes, including liking products endorsed by the celebrities. That Candie's is an easy, widely available resource to acquire status of the "norm." The persuasion that this is reality, and Candie's is a means to achieve the goal.
Continuing on, the said commercial exemplifies the epitome of such ideas and the current situation of shopping and image. It just leads on and propels the march of the vizards into making the industry richer, and the depth of the people poorer. When people percieve something as real then that perception grows to become reality.
That is the scariest truth of all.