What the Dog Saw: and other Adventures
Malcolm Gladwell is an English-Canadian journalists who wrote an extraordinary piece of work called “What the Dog Saw: and other Adventures.” In this book there are 19 stories, two specifically have a common theme these two stories are called the Ketchup Conundrum and True Colors. The Ketchup Conundrum discusses how diverse mustard is compared to ketchup. And True Colors on the other hand discusses how hair dye advertising shaped the 20th century stigma for women who were trying to hide the strands that they didn’t like.
In the Ketchup Conundrum French’s mustard dominated the shelves; there was nothing else like it. So the Heublein Company wanted to make their brand of
Grey Poupon just as powerful as French’s mustard. The company did this by giving out samples and having taste tests. Once people tried Grey Poupon they were hooked which was very rare in the food world. Soon Grey Poupon became one of the most powerful brands in mustard; it was like “magic.”
Then a man by the name of Jim Wigon decided to enter the ketchup business by creating the Grey Poupon of ketchup four years ago. He thought that this would be the perfect time since the conversion of mustard to Grey Poupon had happened years ago. His ketchup was one of a kind and wanted everyone to know it was the world’s best ketchup. Fancy Ketchup was not gaining any market share, which made ketchup universal. There was no other type of ketchup that could take the place of it or at least be notable on the shelves. This is when Howard Mosjowitz is introduced to tell the story of “the worlds best ketchup”(Gladwell 36). This man came to the conclusion that “there was no such thing i...
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...e commercial was that this was one of life’s finer pleasures”(Gladwell 33). And that’s exactly what people thought when they watched the commercial; the businessmen and the Rolls’ -Royce drew them in. In True Colors a company by the name of L’Oreal was a competitor of Clairol. They wanted women to know that they were “worth it”( Gladwell 98). L’Oreal introduced the new idea of what women wanted to hear. The two companies knew that they needed feminists to spread their product and advertise it. And that is why True Colors is different from the Ketchup Connudrum because True Colors needed businesswomen unlike in Ketchup Connundrum who needs businessmen. This helped to distinguish femininity and masculinity in these gendered advertisements. Both stories have many comparisons and difference; overall they capture exactly what Malcolm Gladwell wanted the readers to see.
In the late 1880's in Missouri two men named Chris L. Rutt and Charles G. Underwood created a revolutionary instant pancake flour mix. They created the trademark after visiting a theater and seeing women in blackface, aprons, and red bandanas doing a performance of a song entitled "Old Aunt Jemima." This popular song of the time inspired them to use this very image as their company logo.
In The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored, the author James Weldon Johnson, constructs an oppressive and judgmental image of America through the experiences of an unnamed man of mixed ethnic background. The main character remains nameless in an effort to represent the common man as well as to add to the issue of identity. As a mulatto, the ex-colored man struggles with the question of what he is. The book explores the differences between races and the difference in the way a person is treated depending on what color their skin is. Since the ex-colored man was not simply b...
“…it is said that there are inevitable associations of white with light and therefore safety, and black with dark and therefore danger…’(hooks 49). This is a quote from an article called ‘Representing Whiteness in the Black Imagination’ written by bell hooks an outstanding black female author. Racism has been a big issue ever since slavery and this paper will examine this article in particular to argue that whiteness has become a symbol of terror of the black imagination. To begin this essay I will summarize the article ‘Representing Whiteness in the Black Imagination’ and discuss the main argument of the article. Furthermore we will also look at how bell hooks uses intersectionality in her work. Intersectionality is looking at one topic and
A vast majority of this ad is in black and white. The Psychology of Color says that black is a powerful color and with the black and white the producers are giving an authoritative tone to the woman. With no colors, the image is simplified, giving a wide range of ways it could be taken. There is only one hint of color in the ad, which can sometimes be indicated as the most important piece; the pink, the tribute to our femininity. Just like in Haley’s chosen ad in the [Re]Writing, this image is in black and white with pink writing. “By using the ‘girly’ colors that symbolize love and passion with the negativity associated statement, [the thunder thighs] it suggest that women should love their bodies,” Sarah Haley, page 108. Pink is a prime component of all Playtex ads, it is meant to salute our feminine side. With the new liners it is advertised that our tough, athletic side can also be praised, giving a best of both worlds kind of image. Even the box of this product is meant to stand out and promote our love with our bodies, with an emphasis in pink and yellow. Yellow is known to advance from surrounding colors and install optimism and energy, and pink is bright, sensual, and passionate. A wrap of all these colors, the black and white image, and the pink and yellow box and writing, it can be inferred that we should be happy with our
Often times, literature reflects the problems within a society. An author finds their character’s struggles and triumphs in the people of each era. Inspirations from real life events fuel not only great literature but also books that become remarkable social pieces. A perfect example is Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird. This novel is reflective of the 1930’s era. In the story racism runs rampant through society with only a noble few trying to stop it. The racism that is apparent and a focal point for the novel is, although fiction, closely matched to that of a racist era in America. Racism represents fear of the unknown in many themes in the book as well as in the daily aspect of life.
This phenomenon suggests that all women are required to remain loyal wives and stay at home mothers who aspire to achieve perfection. In “Mirrors of Masculinity: Representation and Identity in Advertising Images,” Jonathon E. Schroeder and Detlev Zwick claim that “highly abstract connections are made between the models, a lifestyle, and the brand” resulting in a need to associate these products with a specific way of living (25). Instead of simply displaying these luxurious bracelets and handbags, the ad creates an elegant environment through the incorporation of sophisticated items. The women are dressed elegantly in dresses and blouses, adding a conservative element to the ad. The ad presents a rather stereotypical image of the very successful heads-of-household type mothers who have brunch with other elite women in an exclusive circle. Everything from the merchandise they sport to the champagne glasses down to the neatly manicured fingernails provides insight into the class of women presented in this ad. The body language of the women strips the image of the reality element and instead appears to be staged or frozen in time. This directly contributes to the concept of the gendered American dream that urges women to put up a picture-perfect image for the world to see. Instead of embracing individual struggle and realities, the American dream encourages women to live out a fabricated
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...
Common sense seems to dictate that commercials just advertise products. But in reality, advertising is a multi-headed beast that targets specific genders, races, ages, etc. In “Men’s Men & Women’s Women”, author Steve Craig focuses on one head of the beast: gender. Craig suggests that, “Advertisers . . . portray different images to men and women in order to exploit the different deep seated motivations and anxieties connected to gender identity.” In other words, advertisers manipulate consumers’ fantasies to sell their product. In this essay, I will be analyzing four different commercials that focuses on appealing to specific genders.
...rnationally. Their communication technique just seemed to get so many views, and everyone started to try out the Old Spice product.
I have examined and analyzed the COVERGIRL™ NatureLuxe advertisement that uses common feminine stereotypes. In this advertisement, COVERGIRL™, which runs in Seventeen magazines, targets women through their choices of colors, fonts, and images used. Certain stereotypes are used; such as, those who are more feminine tend to prefer lighter, happier colors, such as pink. Also, the use of a celebrity, who many young women look to as an icon, assists in the advertisement of the COVERGIRL™ product. COVERGIRL™, more than likely, is able to successfully market their lip-gloss product in the United States by using common gender stereotypes to show femininity and how those, mainly women, should be presented in today’s society.
There are fashionable furniture and decorations in the room, all of them in gender-neutral colors. The family is well-dressed in soft blues and white. Every face in the ad is adorned with a tremendous smile. The caption in the upper-left corner describes “dad” as cool and a best friend, bike fixer, swim coach, tent builder, and hug giver rolled into one. Or two. The family includes a young daughter and son who appear Hispanic, and their two Caucasian fathers, approximately in their thirties. This stylish clothing advertisement not only sells JCPenney’s clothes, but also challenges the conventional roles and ideas that have been imposed on the American
Advertising in American culture has taken on the very interesting character of representing our culture as a whole. Take this Calvin Klein ad for example. It shows the sexualization of not only the Calvin Klein clothing, but the female gender overall. It displays the socially constructed body, or the ideal body for women and girls in America. Using celebrities in the upper class to sell clothing, this advertisement makes owning a product an indication of your class in the American class system. In addition to this, feminism, and how that impacts potential consumer’s perception of the product, is also implicated. Advertisements are powerful things that can convey specific messages without using words or printed text, and can be conveyed in the split-second that it takes to see the image. In this way, the public underestimates how much they are influenced by what they see on television, in magazines, or online.
There are numerous works of literature that recount a story- a story from which inspiration flourishes, providing a source of liberating motivation to its audience, or a story that simply aspires to touch the hearts and souls of all of those who read it. One of the most prevalent themes in historical types of these kinds of literature is racism. In America specifically, African Americans endured racism heavily, especially in the South, and did not gain equal rights until the 1960s. In her renowned book The Color Purple, Alice Walker narrates the journey of an African American woman, Celie Johnson (Harris), who experiences racism, sexism, and enduring hardships throughout the course of her life; nonetheless, through the help of friends and family, she is able to overcome her obstacles and grow into a stronger, more self-assured individual. While there are numerous themes transpiring throughout the course of the novel, the symbolism is one of the strongest prospects for instigating the plot. In The Color Purple by Alice Walker, numerous symbols influence and drive the plot of the novel.
Through literary works readers are able to learn about the various meanings of human life experiences. Literary works influences each reader differently. Country Lovers and The Welcome Table are two short stories that deal with the common struggle of racism and discrimination among African American women.’’ Racism is an enduring, salient aspect of social and global structures. It is based on demonstrably false theories of racial different appropriated by a culture in order to deny or unjustified distribute social privileges, economic opportunities, and political rights to the racially stigmatized groups. Racism thus, structures social differences, power or culture or whom.’’ There are many stories that are written to show the everyday struggles of human conflicts and struggles that humans embark on in everyday life. The two stories I will be identifying the differences and similarities among the two powerful stories of two African American woman. I will be examining the content, form, Style of the literary works.
The media favors one women's body type; the tall blonde with perfect, tan skin and long, beautiful hair. Because the images of women in advertisements are unattainable, it keeps them purchasing new products in their quest to be like the models they see (Moore). The actual women in these advertisements can't even match up to the