Do women really like Axe anyway?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3qYT60DSKQ

Have you recently seen the new commercial for Axe on television? I find it completely disturbing to be quite honest...
Axe has for a while been an extremely popular body spray for men, however I find the way it is advertised on television is very degrading towards women. When I saw the first few commercials come out on television, I didn't think much of them. However, with newer Axe commercials continously coming out, it seems like they are more and more extreme. These advertisements illustrate that when men spray their bodies with this Axe body spray, women come running from every direction, and cannot resist groping, and fondling the "Oh so good" smelling Axe man. In the latest commercial, the ad goes as far as having the man made of chocolate, where in one scene two women are licking the man's chocolate face as if they can not get enough. In a second scene, a women on a bus is sitting close to this 'Can't resist' chocolate Axe man, and ACTUALLY takes a bite from the man's butt!!!? Isn't this a bit much?
Two things come to mind when I re-watch this clip on video - 1. How far do commercials feel that have to go to sell their product? and 2. Do women actually like the smell of Axe??? Personally, I feel that Axe, or any body spray for that matter has an extremely over powerful smell that smells like a cheap version of cologne...

ADS, ADS, and more ADS....

Have you ever thought to stop and look around you while you were walking on the streets downtown Montreal? If so, then you probably could not help but notice the enormous amount of advertisements that surround you in an attempt to try and drag you into buying their product… Perhaps some of the above ads spark your memory?

Notice how these women are being portrayed. The first ad depicts an extremely thin looking woman who supports the media’s ‘ideal image’, in which muscular half clothed men are fighting for this woman’s attention. The second ad on the other hand, demonstrates a woman whose face is completely blocked by the presence of a hand bag –which is what the ad is trying to sell. Both ads are examples of how women are being negatively represented in the media.
With this in mind, the media has formed the belief that in order to be beautiful, sexy, attractive, loved and ‘begged’ for by muscular men, women need to buy these makeup, clothing and perfume products. The interesting thing behind this is that if these women are lucky enough to have their face displayed in the ad, it is usually not without having a limited amount of clothing, or being represented as sex objects.

The Smart Smartboard...

When I first registered for this course at the beginning of the semester, I knew that my learning experience would overall be very interesting and challenging seeing as I have never really been a computer’s ‘best friend’. I was certainly up for the challenges, and was excited to learn new things as it relates to technology, and ways to properly use them as a future educator. Throughout the semester so far, I have learnt how to embed videos onto PowerPoint (which I am sure one day will become very useful), I’ve learned how to make photos albums using Bubbleshare, and to create my own blog... However, this week I saw something for the first time that I was extremely interested and excited to learn about – The SMART Board!!! Throughout different classes in my first semester at McGill, I overheard classmates talking about their experiences on stage and about this magnificent ‘SMART Board’, but really could not grasp a full understanding of what it was. Finally though...I have been provided with a visual and the chance to use one during our Media lab!
I really enjoyed seeing the different options that the SMART Board provides to teachers and students that are not available on a regular chalk board. I think as much as the SMART Board can potentially take away from the traditional way of teaching, and sometimes distract students from the actual subject being taught, I do think it is an extremely useful invention with many positive benefits. I believe it provides students with a fun learning environment, allowing teachers and students to positively interact and share their learning experiences with one another.

Media and weight gain - weekly blog

Ever since I was a young teenager, I have been quite aware of the media and its portrayal of women. Since I can remember, the especially thin, frail looking woman has been promoted in the media as the 'ideal image'. Luckily, the media intensity when I was a teen was much less than it is today. As years go on, this 'ideal' figure becomes more and more portrayed in the media. If you search on the net for the 'ideal image for women', almost all of the women that are presented are way too thin, demonstrating extreme frailty. It is actually upsetting to think of the amount of young teens who are impacted by the medias 'ideal image', and try to change their appearance according to their Hollywood stars/role models.
I was watching television this past week, and was disturbed by the outpoor of comments related to Jessica Simpson and her 'so-called' weight gain. I was rather disturbed by these rumors/comments because if anything, Jessica Simpson remains extremely thin. If anything, she looks healthier! However, instead the media decided to pick away at Jessica's 'slight' weight gain, by announcing to the world, that her weight gain was rather evident. The TV show, then went on to demonstrate their point by showing the public eye photos of her slight weight gain. Just to imagine what this is doing to every young teen who looks up to Jessica is devastating.
Such thin portrayals lead to devastating eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia in young teens. Therefore, it is extremely important as future educators to recognize the spotlight in which women are presented in the media, and to understand the impact this can have on young students.

Exploring Media Project - 'Some of the most influential people in my life...'

BubbleShare: Share photos - Play some Online Games.


Education and learning is an extremely important part of my life. When I reflect upon the people who have made a significant impact on my life, I think of my family and friends. For the purpose of this exploring media photo album project, I have selected photos of specific individuals who have significantly contributed to who I am today - my family, my best friends and my boyfriend.

The importance of education has always been a common thread that runs, is shared and is supported by my family and friends. Growing up, I was surrounded by people who believed in me, who supported me and helped guide me in my educational decision making. I feel it is this type of a belief and support system that has encouraged me and helped shape my learning experiences to be positive, formative and successful.

The ability to follow your educational aspirations, and achieve your goals are not always easy growing up. There are many influential aspects of life going on around you that can have a positive or negative influence on your decision making. In particular, it is difficult for students to remain on task, conduct the appropriate activities and actions to maintain a consistent educational path needed to reach their individual goals and objectives, especially with the many influential distractions that exist within day-to-day society. Distractions like your peers, pressures from school, life in general, to include the influences from the media mania world we live in. Having a positive support group around me throughout some of those turbulent times (where you feel the rug has been pulled from beneath you), can sometimes make or break achieving ones goals.

That being said, not everyone has a support group! So much so, that some students do not have anyone around them who share the same vision or values. As much I am can easily think of the positive mentoring that my family and friends have had on my educational successes, it is as important for me to know that these positive influences are not commodities that you can buy. It is important to realize not everyone is as fortunate, and that not all students had a family who share that common thread on how important it is to achieve a good education, so that your aspirations and goals can be realized.

Children, who are raised within an environment that provides positive influences, mentoring and coaching, support, and respect for the educational system, are likely to have an easier opportunity to achieve their goals. It is this type of environment that has provided me with the opportunity to receive the support I needed, when I required it, the push and debate I got, when I needed to be challenged at times, resulting in where I am today; working on my second degree, studying at McGill University, and working towards my Masters in Educational Psychology.

Educators need to provide positive mentoring and coaching support opportunities for their students, which will hopefully help support them in achieving their aspirations and goals in life, particularly for those students who do not have positive family and friend support systems in place beyond the classroom. There are many opportunities to help children reach their educational dreams, and we as future educators need to be there for them, we need to demonstrate where there are positive resources available, to include within the media mania world we live in.