I know we just wrapped up sense perception, but I saw this video at a conference this weekend and found it fitting. When it was used at the conference, it was talking about how we shouldn't buy into the superficial lies that we are ugly. My question is, even if everyone saw this video, do you think the media would still have a voice of what is "beautiful" and what isn't?
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I think that this is an amazing video. Unfortunately amazing in that it is reality. How has this affected our knowledge of what beauty is? What about knowledge of ourselves?
Great Post.
Wow. Did you see how much they elongated her neck? The distortions were disorienting to watch, and that made them disturbing. What bothers me is that, at the end, the girl on the billboard still looks beautiful to me. I think the question about the power of the media's voice is a significant one. The end result is a beautiful human face, and even seeing the artificial steps taken to get there doesn't change that. It is uncomfortable to see my perception of beauty portrayed as an illusion, but even more uncomfortable to realize that I maintain that ideal image, regardless.
I definitely agree with Erin. It is a little creepy to watch this touch-up and distortion happening. I mean, I've always known that the pictures on billboards and adds were "touched up", but its a completely different thing to actually watch the process happening. And yes, the girl still looks beautiful to me as well, which, I agree with Erin, is a little disturbing. This definitely changes the idea of beauty, and I think this ideal image of beauty skews everyone's minds. For me, as a girl, I find myself still reaching for that perfection shown on the billboard, even though it is unattainable. I am very interested to see what guys have to say about this, coming from a completely different perspective.
Here's my take: I think the manipulation of the face in this instance is a bit creepy and frankly wrong, but it's this that leads me to hate advertising in general for its manipulation of reality. Particularly with regard to the fashion and cosmetics industries, pressure to conform suppresses individual expression, which I believe is the root of real beauty. The irony here is that this video itself is an advertisement, and that weakens the argument it presents, in my eyes. I'm coming at this from an interesting angle because my mom is a graphic designer and I aspire to design products or buildings. I think it's important to strive not for perfection, but for satisfaction with oneself. When I see the billboard I actually stop and consider what it implies, and this skews my own view to the point that the image portrayed by the billboard and by extension its message become almost grotesque and undesirable. In my own designs I aim to serve the needs of individuals and I recognise the various standards and markets that I as a designer must cater to. At the same time, however, I am comfortable knowing that society does not consider me perfect and that I myself don't, either. I strive to be as true to myself as possible, though I am open to the fact that even I do not entirely know who I am and that for me to achieve a full understanding of myself may be impossible. If I feel I or another is being treated unjustly or without respect, on the other hand, I will not put up with it.
Ian, do you think the girl on the billboard looks beautiful?
woaahhh that is so trippy! But really interesting, too. If our perception of beauty is not based in fact, what else in our daily lives has been warped by our American, materialistic culture? As the daughter of a chronic dieter, portion sizes come to mind. What about our views of world events, told by a nationalistic lens? Sight and language are so easily manipulated to convey a meaning different from a PJTB. Ideally, we could use sense perception to reach true, unadulterated knowledge. But if we can't rely on our senses, what can we rely on? Intuition? Ha.
i think that this is a fascinating video! good one matt! personally i didn't think the girl was that pretty to begin with, and as i watched her transformation i still wasn't convinced. however, the finished product was soo different from her original look, and I naturally found myself seeing the billboard as beaufiful once i saw it was a billboard even though a minute before i still hadn't foudn the retouched picture beautful.
interesting... very interesting.
Erin: No, I don't find her particularly beautiful. However, I'm unsure of the extent to which that is affected by my knowledge that the photo has been significantly altered, so it's difficult to judge how I would have felt before seeing the process behind it.
Bismah, I don't agree that she wasn't pretty to begin with. She looked like anyone you'd run into on the street, only put under unflattering lighting with out make up. I think that's where Ian's point about how the video its self is an ad comes in. To make the point about the manipulation of our perception of beauty, Dove manipulated our perception of that woman's beauty. Does their intent to foster improved self image cancel out the fact that they did exactly what they're advocating against?
I don't think their message's intent is rendered obsolete by its format, because there is a valid point made about the manipulation of our (unattainable) ideals via technology. However, it does illustrate the influence of one's own agenda, even unintentionally.
Wow, yeah this video really does show how deceived the public can be by the media. After watching this video, and having our discussions in class about the power of sense perception, I know now to be more careful about believing advertisements like these. It's scary to think of the many people unaware or simply inattentive to this type of deception in the media. Like Ian mentioned earlier, because his mom is a graphic designer, and he wants to be one too, he actually stops and analyzes an advertisement when he sees one. However, there are many other people who don’t think about advertisements like Ian does, and even more people not in TOK. Most consumers will simply pass by an advertisement and go on with their lives like a NORMAL person without putting any further thought into what they just saw except, “Wow that person is beautiful” or “I wish I could look flawless like that”. Especially for young women, this is a very difficult image to live up to, mainly because it is UNREAL. The problem is, many people ARE aware of the editing and photo shopping that occurs in most advertisements, but like Bismah said, we still see this fake image as beautiful. Does that change our idea of what is beautiful? Do we picture beauty as something that must be created instead of something that comes naturally?
Sarah, you said that she was put under "unflatering lighting with out make up". Does someone need to have these to be beautiful? Dont people look like that every day? Personally, i think she looked beautiful before and after, but i almost ignored the after picture. I have known for a long time most photos are tampered with. I have almost come to the point where pictures like these disgust me - I imediatly turn the page when I come to a picture of a supermodle in a magazine. Who defined beauty in our society? I have tried hard to not let the stereotype rule me. Why dont we define beauty for ourselves? I, for one, try to look towards the inside first.
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