"Bend Down the Tallest Branch That My Mother May Have Some..."

[rainbowjehan]

Here's something that annoys me:

An excerpt from my psychology textbook regarding context-judgement.

Context effects also extend beyond immediate perceptions, across a wide range of events. For example, people generally define their own social and physical characteristics by comparing themselves with others. Often without realising they are doing

Comments

[ladybretagne]

Ummm I'm sorry there Mr. Psychology Man, how about you DIE IN A FIRE with that kind of attitude. Ugh, people, seriously.

[rainbowjehan]

but but but it's your fault if you feel bad for being a fattie, you just shouldn't listen to all the people calling you that!

[ladybretagne]

That is clearly a logical response! I see it now! *groan*

[rainbowjehan]

/sets the record on the "amazing revelations" track

[petronelle]

Oh, for fuck's sake. I'm with you, and the conclusion "If the toxic things bug you, don't look" sucks hard.

Also, now I'm singing my favorite verse of the Cherry Tree Carol, wherein Joseph flew in angry. Whoosh.

[rainbowjehan]

Tell me about it. >_> I'm actually really glad that people are commenting to agree with this, because when I first read this passage I knew that something felt off to me but I wasn't sure whether that was just personal hypersensitivity based on my background or whether there really was something wrong.

>:D in anger he flew!

[mmebahorel]

Stop reading magazines, or watching TV, or reading newspapers, or going out in public where they might see billboards, or riding public transportation, or looking at any websites that carry advertising: yes, those are completely viable solutions.

[rainbowjehan]

Ikr? This might be a solution if the images and culture that goes with them weren't so goddamn pervasive, but it is. Frankly, companies like Dove that campaign against it are admirable, but even the amount of backlash that they get for doing things like that (MAD magazine ran a parody a few years ago complaining about the "lumpy half-naked women" in Dove commercials) shows that our collective consciousness has absorbed what these people are selling, and considering that it's literally everywhere it's not really surprising.

[dreamer_easy]

Psychological self-defence is good. I abuse all advertising verbally (sometimes in public, oops). Which said, I am constantly bombarded with those "perfect" images, AND I DON'T READ THOSE STUPID MAGAZINES TO BEGIN WITH. The suggested solution wouldn't work even if it wasn't victim-blaming.

[rainbowjehan]

This stuff is so ubiquitous that saying "ignore it" is like saying "ignore that bully" while he's punching you in the face.

[_grayswandir_]

Hm. I'm going to play devil's advocate here. The thing is, I think it's pretty obvious to everyone, surely including the folks writing the passages you quote, that the best answer would be if advertisers used actual human-looking models and we could judge ourselves against other actual human people instead of some kind of magical airbrushed fake people. But, if you're going to give people advice, I think it makes a lot more sense to tell them "the ads lie, ignore them" than to tell them they should somehow change how advertising is done, which might not be impossible but is really not something you can just go home and decide to do. I can't change the advertisements on TV. I can ignore them and realize they don't matter. And I think I personally would feel a lot more helpless if I thought the only solution was to get rid of advertisements, since that's way, way outside my control.

And honestly, I feel the same way about murder (or rape, or whatever). Obviously the answer is to stop the murderers. But since I'm not a murderer

[rainbowjehan]

I see your point, but I think the way the passage is worded (calling models "perfect", "beautiful", and "highly-attractive") carries an implication that advertising culture is full of women who look the way women are supposed to, and that women who can't attain that should avoid looking at what they can't hope for. That's a large part of what bothers me. I feel like something is "off" about the wording and somehow condones (or appears to condone) the problems with advertising culture as a result, and that's really why I posted about it.