I don’t think I fall into any of the specific types of VALS in the handout. When I make a purchase, I buy something because I like it. I honestly don’t care where it comes from or what brand it is, just as long as it looks good. I don’t always buy brand names and I don’t buy things from the same store all the time. If I see something that looks good, I buy. I do value money though and I spend my money carefully. To find more types of VALS I went to Wikipedia and found the explanation of an Experiencer.

“Experiencers. These consumers are the high-resource group of those who are motivated by self-expression. They have a lot of energy, which they pour into physical exercise and social activities. They are avid consumers, spending heavily on clothing, fast-foods, music, and other youthful favorites, with particular emphasis on new products and services.”

I think the definition of and Experiencer fits me perfectly. I am motivated by self-expression because I buy what I think looks good. I have plenty of energy and I use it by going into many sports and socializing with friends. I also spend my money on new products, such as my iPhone.

Different people have different VALS. For example my aunt, Michelle, is an Emulator-Achiever because she always has to have high quality clothing and materials. She doesn’t care how much things cost, she just buys things because of their brand name. My friend, Maple, is Socially Conscious because she’s a peaceful person. She purchases brands that are good for the environment and her own inner happiness. I think in a way my grandma, Vivian, is a Belonger. She values God, country, and family. She’s open to change, however she usually sticks to what she’s comfortable with such as grocery shopping at Co-Op.

There is extreme hypersexualization in Toddlers & Tiaras. The thing that I noticed the most is how much the parents are influencing their children to do provocative things; they are forcing their children to become adults way too fast. In all the seasons these poor kids are being forced to get fake tans, wear fake eyelashes, wear fake hair, and wax their eyebrows as they scream in pain. They are told that “beauty is pain.” These kids are brainwashed to believe that beauty is the only thing that’s important in life. Every single child has a terrible attitude and they treat people with such disrespect.

The further the seasons went on, the more provocative their outfits became. In one of the seasons a girl even came out dressed as a prostitute! The parents of these kids stuff their children’s shirts to make their breasts look bigger just so they can win a big crown. In season 3 there was a girl that went on stage dressed as an angel and then she literally stripped her angel robe off to show an extremely inappropriate outfit. 

This show disgusts me in so many ways. I feel sorry for every single bratty child on this show because it’s not their fault that they act so terrible. The beauty pageant judges criticize them if their skin isn’t tan enough or if their teeth aren’t white enough. I’ve heard the saying “sex sells” and according to the beauty pageant world, sex sells even if you’re only 5 years old. The hypersexualization in Toddlers & Tiaras is ridiculous and it should be stopped so people can live a more healthy and classy lifestyle.

“Sexy is not about sex; it’s about an image and attitude.” This was one of the quotes from the documentary, and I completely agree with it. When people want to be sexy, they dress and act in a certain way. They don’t do it for sex, they do it to be popular. In the documentary they talked about how girls become popular by giving off sexual energy and being pretty, not from being nice. I do believe that the ideas of hypersexualization exist, but only in certain places. For example, I come from a small school where people wear what they want; they never dress to try and be sexy, they just wear what they think looks good. I think this has a lot to do with how people are raised and who they’re surrounded by. I have good morals and I know where to draw the line when choosing my clothing and the way that I look. Also, I feel very comfortable with the people in my school and I don’t feel like I have to be sexy to impress people. In bigger schools I think this is different. People that I know from the city dress in a sexier way to try and impress the boys in their school. I think hypersexualization in younger age groups certainly does exist. I was at a dance competition this weekend and I was almost uncomfortable watching some of the younger dancers. In the documentary they discussed celebrities in music videos and how they way they present themselves is influencing our society. I definitely agree and I think that there should be a line drawn. Celebrities should know that they’re role models and the way that they dance and act will influence the way that our society acts and dances. In a way, I agree that sex sells, but when buying jeans I would rather see them advertised on a girl that’s wearing a shirt rather than not wearing a shirt. I do believe that advertisements are crossing the line of pornography and sexual saturation. In the video they showed how a girl in an advertisement looked exactly the same as a girl in a porn magazine. I think this is unacceptable and that young girls in our society should not be seeing these things. The main point that I’m trying to get across is that if a child is raised not knowing where to draw the line, then they will rely on celebrities, advertisements, and anything else they see to know how they should act and dress. I think it’s really sad because what’s the point in rushing your childhood? It’s a time for imagination and creativity, not trying to be sexy and impress boys. I honestly don’t think it’s too late to try and back off hypersexualization and its effect on young people. Schools are already beginning to ban certain types of clothing such as tank tops and shorts, and if celebrities can start dressing and acting more appropriate, then the rest of society will follow.

In media studies, we were put in groups of two and asked to create an advertising campaign for blue pop. My group decided on Bluester Juice as the name and our slogan is, “blast off with Bluester Juice today.” We designed a print advertisement of us blasting off in a rocket with blue faces. The commercial and radio ad focused on the idea of how people can be sad and depressed, but Bluester Juice will pick you off your feet and make you have a great day; Bluester Juice can turn someone blue into someone new…. so blast off with Bluester Juice today!

“Transformers” is a movie with way too many product placements. It only takes away from the effect of the movie when you’re paying attention to how many product brands are mentioned and shown in the movie. I don’t really believe that it’s just one big commercial, because the movie still has a somewhat detailed story line. Some of the advertisements for products are extremely noticeable, such as Ebay. I really didn’t like how Ebay was mentioned with an emphasizing tone of voice and shown numerous times. Some things are less noticeable, such as My Little Pony or Alka-Seltzer tablets. Many of the products are just quickly flashed on the screen, which doesn’t take away from the movie if they’re used in a way that makes sense. “Transformers” also advertises on clothing, such as an NFL jersey and a shirt with the band “The Strokes” written across it. 

Product Placement is very annoying when it’s emphasized and unrealistic. In “Gossip Girl” they advertised Vitamin Water by asking someone if they wanted to drink a Vitamin Water in a very noticeable way. In “Gossip Girl” they also advertise computer products and many fashion brands and stores, such as Barneys and Saks. Whenever they go shopping, they announce what store they’re going to. In the popular show “American Idol” the judges are always drinking Coke in bright red cups, and the Coke logo will flash on the back of the screen.

All in all, I don’t really mind product placement if it’s barely noticeable. TV shows do have to make money somehow. Only when the product is said in an emphasized tone of voice or used unrealistically is when it’s really ridiculous.