Observation Essay - The Barbershop
Immediately I recognized that things were different, as I struggled to find a parking spot in the tiny lot hidden just off of the highway. The barbershop is located in an area too small to be considered a strip mall-and apparently too small to handle all of its customers' vehicles. It is the third in a row of three shops, although the first, a former ice cream/water ice business, was for rent. I knew that all of the drivers of the automobiles in the lot were in the barbershop, as the repair shop next to it does not open until 9 A.M. Apparently all Saturday mornings here begin with such a full parking lot. Once I found a parking spot, I was ready to begin my observation of the U.S. Male Men's Hair Care Center.
I walked into U.S. Male tentatively, looking for a corner seat. Air coming through the open door chilled the shop's interior, which was teeming with customers just fifteen minutes after the shop had opened. The stares from those already seated in the shop's green plastic chairs along the right wall, as well as from those getting haircuts in the four leather chairs to my left, pierced me as I wandered over to one of the vacant seats. There were only two available, so I was stuck between a chair seating Outdoor magazine and another holding a man in his forties who was reading The News Journal and sipping a rapidly cooling cup of coffee.
There were ten customers in all, and they all seemed ready for a wait as many came prepared with equipment similar to that brought by the gentleman on my left. I was surprised by the lack of conversation amid the fairly large crowd, although I attributed this to it being too early in the morning to engage in any sort of meaningful conversation. Two...
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...nted near the high left corner of the entrance to the shop. On the spinning blue band in white letters was written "Hairstylist," rather than what I thought was the more appropriate title, "Barber," since schools that train hairstylists are different from the schools that train barbers.
I also noticed signs on the outside of the building, as well as on the billboard near the highway, which emphasized "Fast-Service" and "Fast Walk-in Service." These signs also showed subtle indications of the maleness of this shop. The "L" in the word "Male" on the billboard facing the highway had the barber pole drawn into it to stress that "U.S. Male Men's Hair Care Center," as it is advertised in the phone book, was in fact a barbershop. I smirked when I noticed this, and I surmised that this was done to prove to men that this was not a salon. Salons are for women, of course.
b. Assuming Ruhling is now interested in a requirements contract, how should Ruhling proceed with the bidding/award process?
Thus, we can assume that the audience itself, the members who believe in the content of ads and its sincerity, as well as, people who agree with the portrait of the women that is being created are the only prisoners in this particular situation. “To them, I said, the truth would be literally nothing but the shadows of the images” (Plato 868). On the other hand, according to the Jean Kilbourne, author of “Two Ways a Woman Can Get Hurt” what is not mention to the public is the fact, that many women from the very young age during the process of finding out the truth and being blinded by the “light” are fighting with depression, low self-esteem, eating disorders and sexual harassment. “I contend that all girls growing up in this culture are sexually abused – abused by the pornographic images of female sexuality that surround them from birth, abused by all the violence against woman and girls, and abused by the constant harassment and threat of violence” (Kilbourne
This Story takes place in 1961, in a small New England town's A&P grocery store. Sammy, the narrator, is introduced as a grocery checker and an observer of the store's patrons. He finds himself fascinated by a particular group of girls. Just in from the beach and still in their bathing suits, they are a stark contrast, to the otherwise plain store interior. As they go about their errands, Sammy observes the reactions, of the other customers, to this trio of young women. He uses the word "Sheep" to describe the store regulars, as they seem to follow one and other, in their actions and reactions. The girls, however, appear to be unique in all aspects of their beings: walking, down the isles, against the grain: going barefoot and in swim suits, amongst the properly attired clientele. They are different and this is what catches and holds Sammy's attention. He sees them in such detail, that he can even see the queen of the bunch. Sammy observes their movements and gestures, up until the time of their checkout. At which point, they are confronted by the store manager and chastised for their unacceptable appearance. He believes their attire to be indecent. Sammy, feeling that the managerial display was unnecessary and unduly embarrassing for the girls, decides to quit his position as checker. Thought he knows that his decision may be hasty, he knows that he has to follow through and he can never go back. He leaves, with a clean conscious, but the burden of not knowing what the future has in store.
Sloan Wilson did not publish The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, a classic on 1950's middle-class conformity, until 1955. But, by July 1953, PALL MALL cigarette advertisers appear aware that "society seemed to reward those who lacked rough edges and eschewed eccentricity" (Blum 794). This conclusion seems justified by a TIME magazine advertisement. Here, these promoters apply this conformity principle and other advertising techniques to a specific socioeconomic group. They seek to lure the expanding male, middle-class audience by presenting indecorous fun, an enticing social situation, and smooth smoking delight all stemming from their product.
Advertising, whether criticized or celebrated, is undeniably a strong force in American society. Portrayals and Images of women have long been used to sell in published advertisements. However, how they have been used has changed enormously throughout the decades. Women have fought to find a lasting and prominent position in their society. Only in the span of twenty years, between 1900’s and 1920’s, the roles of women changed dramatically here in United States.
The documentary Killing Us Softly 4 discusses and examines the role of women in advertisements and the effects of the ads throughout history. The film begins by inspecting a variety of old ads. The speaker, Jean Kilbourne, then discusses and dissects each ad describing the messages of the advertisements and the subliminal meanings they evoke. The commercials from the past and now differ in some respects but they still suggest the same messages. These messages include but are not limited to the following: women are sexual objects, physical appearance is everything, and women are naturally inferior then men. Kilbourne discusses that because individuals are surrounded by media and advertisements everywhere they go, that these messages become real attitudes and mindsets in men and women. Women believe they must achieve a level of beauty similar to models they see in magazines and television commercials. On the other hand, men expect real women to have the same characteristics and look as beautiful as the women pictured in ads. However, even though women may diet and exercise, the reality...
In the short story “A&P” by John Updike, a young store clerk named Sammy observes three young girls walking into the store, and in great detail describes the appearance of each girl. He obsesses over these girl’s every move throughout the story. Eventually the girls go to cash out only to be halted by the manager who tells them they need to be “decently dressed” when shopping at his store. After Sammy rings the three girls up he tells the manager he quits in order to impress the girls. Unfortunately they don’t notice and when he leaves the store he realizes the girls are gone, and that he has made mistake. The author paints the protagonist as an individual who despises his job, and as a very cynical person who loathes the average customer at
3) When I visited my channel target, Express, I saw women in their late twenties of different ethnicities dominating the store at the sale rakes with few men in sight. The men that where there where with a significant other. Customers where mostly browsing and had no bags in hand from other stores nor was there anyone at the checkout counters making purchases. The set up of the store catered more towards women, the more expensive merchandise in front with sale rakes in the middle of the store followed by accessories by check out with a smaller men’s section to the side. If one did not enter they would never know men’s apparel was sold there. This was odd to me being in an urban location downtown Los Angeles; Express demographics show a wide range of age, gender, ethnicities, and income level. Downtown LA is made up of a male dominated location, making up just over half its residents at 55.39% of the total population, women being the remainder 44.61%. The average age of these residents are twenty-five to thirty four followed by thirty-five to forty-four. There is a predominantly Hispanic or Latino race making up over 17,000 residents followed by Caucasians at just over 6,000. The average household size is three people with an income per member being $4,851.96.
When the lift doors opened at the sixth floor, a wave of dim light and buzzing voices greeted me. It was as if I'd taken the lift to a dark movie from the 70s. Facing me was the entrance to a supermarket selling all types of candy, weird foods, and random home items. Wondering what about the market attracted so many eyeballs and footfalls, I began walking around the floor, and then from floor to floor, observing the many stylistic and curious shops.
Hooks, Bell. “Straightening Our hair”. Good Reasons. eds, Lester Faigley, Jack Selzer. Boston: Longman Publishers, 2001. 446-452.
1. Review of the literature on research with emphasis on children and the relationship with stepparents
Side-by-side are two advertisements, each showing a picture of a car and two family members. The ads demonstrate the amount of power allotted to women in the times they were made. The differences in these ads far outweigh the similarities. The ad from a 1954 Good Housekeeping shows a woman being reprimanded by her husband for wrecking their car. The otherfrom a 2003 Redbookshows a wife and mother holding her daughter with one hand and an umbrella with the other. One woman is ignorant, irresponsible, incapable, and not in control; the other is competent, responsible, and in control. The evolution of advertising reflects the changes that have taken place in the way American society views women. The ads use body image, body language, and text to encapsulate the stereotypical women of each era; in the 50's, women needed to be controlled, but now women can be in control.
Ford Motor Company. (2010). Sustainability report 09/10: Economy: Working as one team. Retrieved August 17, 2011, from Ford Motor Company: http://corporate.ford.com/microsites/sustainability-report-2009-10/economy-recovery-team
“Towards a New Paradigm in the Ethics of Advertising” is a scholarly essay written by John Alan Cohan. Cohan aims to identify the unethical ways women are portrayed in advertising today. This essay explains common ways that women are exploited in advertising and why is each is hurtful and wrong. Then after outlining the unjust practices in women’s advertising, Cohan call for a “paradigm shift” in advertising, where he claims that ads can still be profitable, without harming women in the process (323). Cohan in writing this essay recognizes that women are being misrepresented and harmed by ads. He feels that this issue needs to be brought to advertisers attention, his main audience, and hopes for women’s representation in ads will be healed.
The Ford Motor Company has been in business since the nineteenth century, and it has enjoyed a rather successful run as one of the top automobile-making industries in the United States. Ford Motor Company is a prosperous business because of strategic planning and changes that it was willing to take a risk on developing and implementing. Successful corporations have to adapt to the constantly changing environment or the company will be doomed to failure. In other words, customer shopping habits change as new products are introduced to the market or when other factors beyond Ford Motor Company’s control affect which vehicles are sold. For example, there is an increased demand for fuel efficient cars when the average price per gallon