A "Disturbing" Look Into Women's Portrayal

Below,  you will find Disturbed's "Inside the Fire" video. I will warn you in text, and the lead singer, David, will warn you vocally, that this video is very graphic, and if you are squeamish, do not watch it. They also let you know that if there is someone or you are someone hurting and in need of help because you are suicidal, that there is help at both the beginning and end of this. However, those of you brave at heart and willing to see why this was chosen for the portrayal of women, I wish you nothing but good tidings. For those not willing to watch, continue reading.  

         I'm going to start off by saying that I had to watch this video several times to make sure I had this right. For the first time in several videos I have found one where women are not pictured as sexual beings, objects, or crazy.
       First, you see David, the lead singer, recognizing what this video is and what it means to him. For him, the portrayal is not sexual. This woman is meant to be treated with love, respect, and a certain sense of empathy. She is not an object, she is someone he cared for. He takes her limp corpse into the bathroom and begins to bathe her, not for sexual pleasure, but as the final act of respect.
         Later and all throughout this video you see this woman as a bloody corpse to represent the haunting he feels for the rest of his life. There are constant referrals to how he will take his life to be with her. He wants to die so that their souls can be reunited. So, instead of Sut Jhally's idea that women go crazy and depressed when men are no longer around, Disturbed force it to be the exact opposite. The only minutely "sexual" appeals are where the female is being bathed (but as a corpse I think that was more from the respect aspect) and the times where you see her dancing in blood, but considering the rest of the band is seen doing the same, it's hard to say that it's her sexuality being presented or the fact that she's dead and they are all in this crazy land of insanity together.
          Speaking of the female being a corpse, there are a few instances where someone could argue that she is being manipulative and trying to force him to stick the gun in his mouth, but she does not manipulate him with her sexuality as Jhally would point out as "manipulative sexual behavior". She just tries to mess with his mind enough so that he will do one of 2 things. He will either take the AK 47 off the wall and shoot himself or he will go complete unhinged and be forced into an Asylum. Huh, come to think of it, that was their very next album.... NOW I see why they did that...
        Anyway, back on topic. In the end, you do see him put the gun in his mouth and "pull" the trigger which forces us back into reality and we see him in a straight jacket where at the end he pulls his hand free at the last second.
        So, was this a real occurrence where his girlfriend/lover/best friend/fiance/possible wife committed suicide? Well, he explains that suicide has touched him personally, so reasonably, yes, this could have happened, and he may have been locked up for mental unhinging, sure. The dancing in blood part, not so much, but the answer to Sut Jhally's idea of rock video portrayal of women, I believe has been sidetracked, even for just one video.
         The idea of objectivity makes this woman into a person that needs taken care of, love, and respect. Not for her to serve any purpose but to be taken care of because someone loved her and felt bad that she died.
         As a side note, I would like to say that the way Disturbed handled this with both starting and ending the video with regard to others' safety was a responsible thing to do, and their lead singer was very upfront about it. I say kudos to Disturbed, personally.

Meanings within an Ad

Surface Meaning: Cute(ish) heterosexual couple wearing nice clothes, smiling and looking happy. Female has her hand on male's chest. She is looking away from him and he is looking down at her. There are rings in the foreground with information about the couple. The background is blurry but appears to be a street with trees and bushes and a sign. At the top of the page that states the company name and "real moments".

Advertiser's Meaning: They want you to believe that if you propose with their rings, you are going to have a wonderful and excited "Yes" as this ad implies. They also make the ring stand out in 2 ways. The first way is putting them right in your face to the right. Then, they show you how it looks on her hand. It actually looks pretty big comparatively. The couple looks extremely happy, but for some reason her face is giving off another expression outside of the happiness. (I'll discuss this later in the blog). The rings are sparkly, and that also helps them to attract customers (or maybe it's just me) that get distracted by shiny things.

Cultural/Ideological: These people are suppose to represent the perfect couple, but there are "perfect" looking couples in every race. The look on her face looks faked almost. Either that or she's excited to show it off. It looks like the agenda they are pushing is "buy this ring, she'll say yes, and you'll get the girl" but the ideological ideas suggest that she's even more excited about how big it is because she is keeping it within her peripheral vision, and she isn't even looking at him. He is dominant in this picture if you look at the hand placement. She has her hands on his chest, but his arms are wrapped around her. Reminiscent of protection, saving, and not letting go any time soon. He's the hero, he has saved her from a life time of single-hood. Also, this is directed at people that can actually afford this designer's rings. I did a little digging on Ritani's website and found that the bare minimum for a ring from them is around 1,440 dollars. (Nearly passed out at that price) and their bands, just a BAND was over a thousand dollars. Quite frankly, most people can't spend that kind of cash on a ring. The one in ad, by the way, was over 2 thousand dollars and that was EXCLUDING the center stone price. A stone made to fit that setting is at least a carat diamond and don't let me get started on those prices.

Problems I had with this ad: Well, first off, these people are white. They look like an All American type, but see, this is where my advertising instincts kick in... Wouldn't the ring look even bigger on a contrast of darker skin? Sure, she's bronzed but not really enough to make the ring "pop". Anyway, they say that this is a real moment, but it looks way to posed. Also, the look on her face seems too strained. She's looking like "I can not wait to brag about this huge rock on my finger" and he's got this look of "Ha ha, now I've got you. You're pretty, and I finally snagged you" either that or something a little more racy than what I would say on here. Another thing, if this is such a "real moment" why do these people look like the ideological perfect couple. Sorry to be blunt, but give me a real couple. Something a little more diverse than the former linebacker for the High School/College football team and his cheerleader girlfriend. Hell, I will take the dorky looking nerd and his pimply faced fiance over this. 

Okay, so let's review: I'm distracted by shiny things, this advertisement is directed at Upper Middle-Middle Class White America who can afford to spend over a couple grand on rings for their women. Their motive is to show a "real couple" having a "real moment" which may have happened, but it looks far too posed. The male is still dominant even though the female's hand is what is selling the ring. That about covers it.

The Truth About Nutri-Grain Bars

                                                      Photo by: Kae
                            The commercial "Nutri-Grain Bars Feel Great" is amazing. It is hilarious and makes most people watching it (at least me and a few others) really want a Nutri-Grain Bar. Not only is it unbelievably funny, but it has a way to get its message across."I feel great" is repeated so many times, you nearly forget why you are watching the commercial, but then it brings you straight back at the end to say "Nutri-Grain, Feel Great".
         Bingo, you are right there in the action, and instead of being boring and saying why Nutri-Grain is healthy, or giving us some long statistics; they give us the most ridiculous scenarios and make you feel like you can conquer the world after you eat one.
          So as I looked at the commercial, I noticed something else. They used not one, but several appeals to make the viewer get interested. The first, of course, being the appeal that it will make you feel better. "Hey... I feel great" is the first line, and cuts right to the chase. The second use is of comedy when you see a man holding a pair of panties (may also be seen as sex appeal) and then very quickly putting them away and talking about how great the guy is. Then you see the main character walk up to a woman, tell her she's hot and that they were going to get married. Mainly satirical, looking at how many couples start on basis of looks alone, and then even going in as to how they're going to have lots of babies. (Another comment on the World condition?)
         The "group" meets up with another guy, and the appeal of wellness is shown again where the main character tells the man to hit him. The guy hits him and looks happy that he has just shattered his hand on the main character's ribs. The group meets the owner, who ends up being a miserable guy even though he "always  has a tan, and a fantastic ass", but his marriage sucks.
      In conclusion, I think it's a fantastic ad, and it is beyond hilarious. It appeals to Middle Americans working 9-5s in a cubicle. So, they need a way to feel great, and Nutrigrain can help you with that. It's short, sweet and to the point. What's not to love?

First Blog in Forever

Currently I should be writing about an advertisement, but quite frankly, I have no idea as to what I'm going to write about yet. Therefore, I am writing this gobbledygook. So, for all of those who may be wondering, I love the name Blix as it is one of my "alters". More or less, I use this name for nerdy things like MMROPGs and the like.
 Any questions? Good deal, so if there is a particular topic (other than the assigned) that you would like to write on, feel free to ask, and I may or may not (pending mood) post something on said topic.
That being said, good night to you all, pleasant dreams and catch you on the flip side of the pillow!

<---- See ya!