Self Image: Activity 3

Activity 3: Blog Entry
Consider some of the social pressures that you think may shape your behavior and personal image.

• List the images most commonly associated with the categories or ‘boxes’ you have already listed in Activity 1. 
• How have you responded to social pressures to conform by adopting an appearance that relates to the categories that you feel you have placed in or have chosen?

My Response

Conformity is like a virus, it keeps spreading and only some people are immune to it. I've always been strongly against the concept of conformity, because I don't wanna be like other people, I want to be me. So many people choose to conform because it makes them fit in with the cool kids, and they just want to be accepted. I'm unaware of the ways I have responded to social pressures, but I'd like to think that I've just been me since day one. I was wearing superhero stuff before it was cool because when I was younger I always read comic books instead of watched TV. To this day I still watch nothing but cartoons, I barely found out who Kim Kardashian is about 3 years ago. I wear leather jackets because I've always thought they were cool, and don't really care that we live in Arizona where it's always hot. I've dressed the same way since kindergarten, just a simple combo of t-shirt and jeans, maybe the occasional dress shirt but nothing too fancy. I guess my response to conformity is just to ignore it and do my own thing, because I'd rather walk alone than be another wolf in the pack.

If everyone gave into the pressures of society and chose to be like everyone else, this is probably what a like outside of a grocery store would look like, except maybe with more modern clothes. Point is, we would all dress, walk, and talk the same way, like a bunch of factory drones.

People always say that I'm a really big anti-conformist, which is kind of true. Personally I just prefer to stick out from the crowd, I don't want people to dress like me and listen to my music because then I would be the source of something I don't like, which is unoriginality. Sweet dreams are made of this and everybody's looking for something, but I just want something else.

Self Image: Activity 2

Activity 2: Blog Entry
Find images in the media, which have been used to represent attractive and unattractive aspects of the human face. Examine and record carefully the photographic techniques used to accentuate both these qualities, drawing up a list that relates to the images you have found.

• List the physical characteristics that we have come to admire in both the male and female face and write 100 words in response to the following questions: 

1. Do you believe that media images or public opinion are responsible for the characteristics of beauty becoming universal stereotypes? 
2. Do you believe people admiring media images of glamorous models can do any harm?

My Response

• Media images and the public opinions that come with them have changed what people view as beautiful. Below are two images: 

The image on top is of New York City on a typical day in the winter. The Image on top is the stereotypical picture of New York City and all it's beauty at night. The bottom one gets everyone's attention and makes a lot of people believe that the city looks like that once you're in, but it really doesn't (as shown in the top image). I chose to use a picture of a city instead of people because all the people used in media are pretty, it's their job. The typical person used for magazines, commercials, and any other media usually has defined facial features, a perfect body, and a million dollar smile, but not everybody looks like that. The same can be said for these pictures of New York, one looks pretty and gets people to go check it out but the city really looks like the other image.

• My answer to the question of whether people admiring media images of glamorous models can do any harm, is a very simple "Yes", but it won't stay simple for very long. Beauty is open for interpretation, Matte vs Shiny, Beach Ball vs Hourglass, Young vs Old, everybody has their own preference, but when the same thing is constantly covered and displayed by the media it becomes the standard. People will begin to believe that these models are everyday people that can be found at the McDonald's which isn't the case. The level of harm varies of course, will a girl get turned down because she doesn't look like Kim Kardashian? I hope not, but maybe. Will a guy say yes but wish he had Scarlett Johansson instead? Kinda very likely, depends on the age of the guy I guess. The same can probably be said about women, but I have no idea how they think so I won't speak for them. So in a nutshell, idolizing models isn't a completely bad thing, but don't let it affect your expectations or else it will do more harm.

Self Image: Activity 1

Activity 1: Blog Entry
What follows is a list of categories that serves to define and divide us. Make a personal list of the categories you belong to or have conflict with and visual symbols that are associated with each. Aspirations and expectations should also be listed.

1. Age/generation - is can dictate levels of independence afforded to the individual. 
2. Gender - Our sex affects the way we are treated by some individuals. 
3. Race - Prejudice and perceived racial superiority can affect hopes and aspirations. 
4. Religion - Moral codes and ideologies that serve to guide, unite and divide. 
5. Class or caste - A classification that an individual may never escape from. 
6. Personality - Extrovert and introvert are classifications of personality. 
7. Intelligence - educational establishments, based on IQ, often segregate us. 
8. Political persuasion - Left wing or right wing. Each carries its own ideology.

My Response

1. Age/Generation - Right now, I'm 18 so I basically have the freedom to do as I please, but I choose not to because it's fun to act like a kid still. I feel like this isn't the social norm for my generation, everyone's growing up quick and getting out in the world by the time they leave high school, yet here I am playing with action figures and reading comics in my room during my free time.
   
2. Gender - I'm a male, I've never really noticed anything different about the way people treat me. The only really annoying thing I've noticed about being a guy is that I have to pay for everything myself and get a job (which I refuse to do).
   
3. Race - I'm of Spanish decent, but for the most part I'm just an american boy. My family never practiced any specific traditions, I don't even speak spanish (which is usually expected by some of my relatives or peers). If I had a dollar for every time somebody said to me "Oh you don't speak spanish?" I would be a millionaire.
   
4. Religion - I'm not a religious person, but I like to think there's something up there after we die. I try to just be a good person and avoid doing things I'll regret. If I had to pick one religion that I fall under, I guess it would be Mormonism, but to claim that one would be quite a stretch.
   
5. Class/Caste - Me and my parents are considered to be in the upper middle class. My parents own a big house, full of nice furniture, and two (almost) brand new cars. I don't really own anything, so for now I'm just piggy backing off of them.
   
6. Personality - I'm a fairly introvert person. I prefer to be alone, or with a small group of close friends. The only time I enjoy being around large groups of people is during a wrestling tournament/duel.
   
7. Intelligence - I'm pretty smart. I'd say I'm pretty well rounded in everything but I usually get a lot of attention for my writing, especially my creative writing and essays, but I am terrible at math. This fact actually introduced me to one of my best friends, Ky, because she hated (and kinda sucked at) english but she was really good at math.
   
8. Political Persuasion - Politics aren't my cup of tea, since I have very little control over what politicians do. Plus there's so many people today that very loudly and publicly voice their political views and opinions, but sometimes they have no idea what they're talking about and just make themselves look dumb, so I'd like to avoid being one of those people. Personally, I look at politicians as puppets; One is red, the other is blue, just pick the one that will work for you.
   

Time: Activity 5

Activity 5
Blog Entry
Create four images that contain a mixture of solid (sharp) and fluid (blur) forms. Using the camera that you have been checked out, create four images as creatively and artistically as you can!



The following pictures were taken at a wrestling duel, Mountain Pointe vs Caesar Chavez. To capture them, I followed the wrestlers whenever a takedown was attempted, which kept them kind of solid while the background became more fluid. Hopefully the pictures turned out okay, I know I liked them.

Travis Myers taking down his opponent. Sadly, the takedown didn't count because his opponents feet landed out of bounds. Poor kid had to go into overtime because of that.

Justin Hagart moments before pinning his opponent. There isn't a whole lot of blurred motion in this image other than the Caesar Chavez kid's leg and hand.

Romeo Chavez about to suplex his opponent. He set this move up really nice; at the start of the second round his opponent chose bottom, so Romeo just let him stand up without any resistance and then hit this move. Romeo used this move 6 times in this match.

Romeo Chavez moments before reversing his opponents takedown. Romeo used his opponents momentum against him to kick him over and then get the pin.