Zoe Maggio's Blogs

Snapchat 5/29/19 Throughout middle school, I used snapchat as my main source of communication with my friends. I used it so often and I still don’t really understand why. My main reason to be on snapchat was to keep my streaks which is purposeless. I can’t understand why I was so dumb to think that I had to keep streaks with people who I rarely event talk to in order to stay social. I remember bragging to my sister about how many streaks I had and thinking she was lame for not having as many. First of all, I’m glad I made it through this stage in my life and now understand how to maintain my friends without sending a black screen to them to keep a stupid number next to their name. I think this need to keep as many streaks as possible was a result of wanting to fit in with everyone else. I never questioned what I did because everyone was doing it and I thought those who didn’t were the ones who stuck out. I still use snapchat daily, but I still don’t know the purpose ...

5/25/19 By watching MissRepresentation, I learned a lot about the history of women’s roles in media. I was surprised to watch how women journalists on the news were depicted by their appearance so much by men. It was unbelievable what men said about women on national television showing no respect. This movie helped me understand why women often feel so discouraged to be involved in politics and media in general. In the film a man said the more power  women get, the more backlash they receive for it. I agree with this statement and think it’s a result of men being taught that they have to be smarter, stronger, and better than women. The film also talked about this issue. I think boys are being raised to believe they can’t show their emotions and they have to act tough and strong. They learn these ideals through media and common phrases like “Boys will be boys” and  “You throw like a girl.” Although these may not have like they have a big impact on boys, when everyone in ...

5/21/19 One topic discussed in Merchants of Cool that I found interesting was the “midriff.” The movie showed clips of girls in their early teen years trying to get parts as models or actresses in commercials. To get the part, they all were wearing tiny crop tops, had fake tans, and were very skinny. I don’t think at age thirteen these girls knew what they were doing by selling their bodies for a commercial or the media. They simply do it because they want to make money and become famous. In my opinion, this is a horrible idea for young girls. Britney, a character we followed throughout Merchants of Cool was just thirteen years old when she started going to auditions specifically looking for a midriff model. The media valued this idea so much and practically had the idea of a perfect model in every ad, movie, commercial, etc. In the media today, there is much more of a variety of girls. I think merchants now look for diversity rather than the typical skinny white girl we have seen...

5/15/19 Living in California, just about seven hours away from where many of America’s movies, shows, ads, etc. are made, I think we all can agree that we live in a time where the entertainment industry is huge. I personally rely on many types of entertainment each day. I couldn’t imagine a day without having the tv on or watching a video. One major business in the entertainment industry is Disney. I’d say it may even be the largest source of entertainment for children in America today. From the classics like Cinderella , to a dream vacation at Disneyland, Disney has had a huge impact on my childhood as well as many others. Each year they have continuously come out with new shows, movies, rides, princesses that make themselves one of the big businesses reliant on lovemarks. Having two little sisters, I tend to see Disney channel on the tv every Saturday morning still and have found that the shows being produced today are practically the same as 10 years ago. Shows that I love...

5/14/19 Today I was scrolling through my instagram feed and saw multiple celebrities like ASAP Rocky and Kendall Jenner posting videos for Calvin Klein about “their truth.” After watching these videos along with others from big influencers like Billie Eilish, Shawn Mendes, and Noah Centineo, I found that Calvin Klein has started their own “campaign” on speaking “my truth.” All of these people shared stories on what believe their truth is. Many told stories of their childhood, their biggest challenges, or who they are today. I found that all eleven of their models in this campaign had nothing in common in their interview videos. They all had their own thoughts and different ways of taking on the idea of their truth. By all speaking on different topics, CK was promoting individuality and ideas that the viewers could relate to. These influencers talking weren’t really talking about the products and besides being dressed in Calvin Klein clothing, the interviews had nothing to do with ...

5/7/19 ` As we have been analyzing commercials and ads in class, I have been looking at commercials I see so often every day in a much different way. I look at the actors used, the voice over/music, the setting, and the overall message. After we spent a class watching commercials, I remembered an ad Mr.Masincupp once showed us in his class, Gillette’s “We Believe: The Best Men Can Be.” I really admire this ad and think it does a great job of making a memorable commercial for a viewer that ensures they will remember it. Unlike others, this commercial doesn’t talk about the product at all, and doesn’t even show men shaving their face at any point. Instead, it focuses on making a video that conveys a strong and important theme. The video starts off on men’s faces of all different ethnicities.Then, we see footage of a boy being chased by bullies, two little boys fighting on the ground, a boy crying to his mom after being bullied, men assaulting women, etc. These videos made ...

5/7/19 As I’m sure we all are aware of by now, the Met Gala took place today, May 7th. The Met Gala is a well-known fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This event takes place the first Monday of May every year, and is arguably the biggest event of the year. Since 1946, the Met Gala has been a high class event that all the biggest celebrities are expected to be at, and iconically dressed. This event puts on a lot of pressure for the celebrities themselves as well as the designers that dress them. It is ultimately a huge fashion show for the biggest name brands like Versace, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Marc Jacobs, and so many more. In a way, this event can be a major marketing opportunity for these brands, as if they didn’t make enough money already. For example, this year Serena Williams, one of the hosts, wore a beautiful long yellow dress. On the Met Gala’s instagram they posted a picture of her and clearly stated the dress was made by Versace. Serena Williams is...