Weekly Written Analysis 5

Popular Culture
HUMN 341 – E1WW
Elisabeth Nixon, Ph.D. Candidate
Assignment 5-1
Weekly Written Analysis - 5
Jamie Hinson

One major current popular culture topic is nutrition and dieting. There are so many advertisements in today’s world offering different ways of dieting and eating healthier. All of the fast food restaurants, such as Wendy’s, McDonald’s, and Subway, offer different options on the menu that are more nutritious than ever. They offer a variety of salads, fruit, vegetables, and all white meat chicken; which is much healthier than a big fat juicy cheeseburger. There are even advertisements on television for different weight-loss and nutrition programs; such as Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, and Nutrisystem. Also, there are numerous amounts of diet pills available as well.
People today are constantly counting carbohydrates and calories. However, “there are several kinds of diets:
Weight-loss diets restrict the intake of specific foods, or food in general, to reduce body weight. What works to reduce body weight for one person will not necessarily work for another, due to metabolic differences and lifestyle factors. Also, for a variety of reasons, most people find it difficult to maintain significant weight loss over time — among individuals that have lost 10% or more of body weight, only 20% are able to maintain that weight loss for a full year.
Many professional athletes impose weight-gain diets on themselves. American football
players may try to "bulk up" through weight-gain diets in order to gain an advantage on the field with a higher mass.
Individuals who are underweight, such as those recovering from anorexia nervosa or starvation, may adopt weight-gain diets which, unlike those of athletes, have the goal of restoring normal levels of body fat, muscle, and stores of essential nutrients”, (Wikipedia.com, 2008).
Society has led people to believe that everyone should look a supermodel. There are so many people in this world who were not built like a supermodel and who try anything and everything to try and look like a supermodel. Even celebrities try all of these different types of nutrition tips and dieting plans to try and look a specific way. For this reason, nutrition programs and diet plans are very popular in today’s world.

Reference
Wikipedia.com. (2008). Dieting: From Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved on June 16, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieting.

Weekly Written Analysis - 4

Popular Culture
HUMN 341 – E1WW
Professor Elisabeth Nixon
Assignment 4-1
Weekly Written Analysis - 4
Jamie Hinson
June 9, 2008

A very popular social networking web site called, Facebook, was created by Brian Zuzkerburg in 2004. Brian was a student at Harvard when he created Facebook and has since dropped out of school to run the company full time. Facebook was first meant to be for college students only, but now there are tons of high school students and adults who have joined and created their own page.
One great thing about Facebook is that it is a great way to keep in touch with old friends that have moved far away to go to college or who got married right out of high school. There are even a lot of military who have a Facebook page for that reason as well. It is also a great way to communicate with other people and see an update on their lives. Facebook users can upload pictures and videos of what is going on in their lives to keep their friends up to date.
There can also be some negative effects of Facebook. Today, there are more and more stalkers on there who can be very creepy at times. It is possible, however, to block those accounts from your Facebook page. Another issue is that people are creating fake pages and using picture and information from other people and acting like someone that they are not. This is one reason why online dating can be dangerous.
I believe that it is okay to have a Facebook page for the right reasons. However, it is not a good idea to put a home address, work address, telephone number, or any other traceable information in a personal Facebook page because there are a lot of creeps in today’s world who will take advantage of that information and it could possibly be dangerous.


Reference
Facebook.com. (2007). Facebook is a social utility that connects you with the people around you. Retrieved on June 9, 2008, from http://www.facebook.com/.
Youtube.com. (2006). Facebook Interview. Retrieved on June 9, 2008, from http://www.youtube.com/.

Weekly Written Analysis - 3

Popular Culture
HUMN 341 – E1WW
Elisabeth Nixon, Ph.D. Candidate
Assignment 3-1
Weekly Written Analysis - 3
Jamie Hinson


Yachting is a great example of popular culture that I am very passionate about. Millions of people around the world share this same passion. Boating is something that has been a part of my life, as well as many other people’s lives, since the day I was born. My ultimate dream is to be a Naval Architect, or Yacht Designer.
There are so many different types of yachts out there today. Some people believe that their 30-foot pontoon party boat is a yacht to them. Others stereotype yachts as a cruise liner. The most popular yacht of all time is known as the Titanic. The Titanic is a great example of a popular culture artifact, not only because of the movie that was made about the sinking of the Titanic, but because of the facts about how the ship hit an ice burg and sunk to the bottom of the ocean. The Titanic was supposed to be unsinkable; however, a few short hours after it randomly hit an ice burg, the ship sank and killed thousands of people aboard.
Boating and/or yachting is one of my favorite past times. Boats and other watercraft come in all shapes and sizes. They range from jet skis all the way to ships. Of course anyone who owns a ship is typically a very wealthy person. As shown in the yacht tour video above, there are yachts that are nicer than a lot of houses. Some yachts have marble floors, hot tubs, helicopters, jet skis, multiple state rooms, etc.
There are many wealthy celebrities in the world today who believe the statement: You haven’t made it big until you own a yacht. I believe I have heard P. Diddy say something along those words when he was talking about his private yacht on television. When you see someone who owns a mega-yacht, like the one in the video, you know that they are very wealthy.


Reference
Youtube.com. (2008). Broward Marine 120: Raised Pilothouse Yachts. Retrieved on June 3, 2008, from http://youtube.com/watch?v=ALmsFyajPBU.

Journal Article Analysis

There are millions of women in the world today that strive to be beautiful. They worry about everything from their hair to their toes. Whether it is spending thousands of dollars each year on hair products, manicures and pedicures, spa treatments, or products that promote younger looking skin, these luxuries are not effective enough which then leads to cosmetic surgery.
One very popular type of plastic surgery is known as breast augmentation, or breast implants. There are many different reasons women have for wanting their breasts enlarged. Most women have breast implants to have a higher self-esteem. They believe that larger breasts will make them feel more like a woman. Other women decide to get breast implants simply because it is a trend; when someone has something valuable, everyone wants it. Women face the pressures to be beautiful and perfect each and every day, and it is only getting worse as the years go by. Tabloids and media are the means of the majority of the pressures to look beautiful. Television, magazines, newspapers, movies, etc.; the pressures to look a specific way are posted everywhere every single day. “The dissatisfaction many women experience with their body image is so profound that they respond with obsessive eating disorders or cosmetic surgery,” (Mellican, 1995). “Women are, in fact, at war with their own bodies,” (Mellican, 1995).
There are many dangers that women face with breast implants. Some of which were never described back in 1963 when breast implants became popular. Today there are two main kinds of breast implants: silicone filled and saline filled. Silicone filled implants, which were invented approximately forty-five years ago, are firmer to the touch and can be dangerous to the body’s organs if the implants would leak. Saline filled implants are the safest implant because if they would leak into the body, it would not be harmful to the organs because it is simply saline solution. However, the shell of a breast implant is made from silicone. Studies have shown that there have been a few women whose bodies have rejected the implants because they are allergic to the silicone. In this case, the organs in the body will slowly shut down and not function to their full ability. This is a very scary issue and something that many women who have had the surgery have experienced. The only choice is to leave the implants in and eventually die, or have the implants removed in hopes of fighting off the allergic reaction. One good fact about breast implants is that there has never been a case, thus far, where the implants were any cause related to breast cancer.
There are two choices when it comes to placing the implants under the breasts. Most women choose to have the implants placed under the pectoral muscle. This is usually the choice when there isn’t much breast tissue, which helps make the breast look more “real”. However, some women who already have a substantial amount of breast tissue have their implants placed over the muscle, which in turn lessens the recovery period. There are also different textures and shapes of implants to choose from. The shapes range from round to teardrop. There are also textured and smooth implants.
Any insecurity that women deal with is brought on by themselves. Being a woman myself, I understand the statement: We are our own worst enemy. We critique our bodies more than anyone else. Coming from experience, I was lucky enough to not have any complications during surgery or following surgery. I chose to have breast implants for a few reasons. First of all, I did want to feel more like a woman. Now that I have them, they did not make me feel more like a woman. Secondly I wanted to feel more proportioned. Again, I am my own worst critic. It has now been three years since my surgery and if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t. Honestly, I don’t enjoy the extra attention that comes with large breasts and I know that I was absolutely fine just the way I was. We should all be thankful for our health and stop taking so many beautiful things in life for granted. Life is too short to be worrying about trying to be perfect. The truth is no one is perfect and everyone is beautiful in their own way.


Reference
Mellican, R. E. (1995). Breast Implants, The Cult of Beauty, and a Culturally Constructed ‘Disease’. Journal of Popular Culture Issue 4, 7-17. Retrieved on May 27, 2008, from Health Source: Consumer Edition.

Weekly Written Analysis 2

Army Wives is a fairly new television series on a popular channel called Lifetime. This widely known television series is about the Army and their spouses. The everyday life of an Army Wife is not an easy life to live. There are many trials and tribulations that are lived by many of the wives and husbands of those enlisted in the military. Ironically enough, we are living in war times today. This show is one that can refer to those who are experiencing these circumstances in their own lives today; which is why it is such a good example of popular culture.
The story behind Army Wives is very heart-warming, romantic, and exciting. The show really gives a sense of what it is like to be a significant other of an American Soldier. There are a lot of hard times and many lessons learned in this television series. It truly gives a sense of what many are truly dealing with while living on an Army Base. The characters in the show “face all sorts of challenges trying to fit in, stay connected to their soldier spouses and abide by strict military traditions. Last season brought infidelity, family drama, sizzling romance, ruthless rivalries, shocking rumors and heartbreaking deployments” (Lifetime, 2008).
There are thousands of Lifetime Television viewers who can truly relate to this popular television series. I believe that this television gives a great sense of truth. Although the show doesn’t show any scenes of real combat at war, it shows the effects of real combat at war – at home. There are difficult situations; such as bomb threats, deaths, adultery, gossip, and many other life-changing experiences that a lot of family members deal with when their loved ones are enlisted in the military. However, there are also a lot of great experiences; such as births, being promoted to a higher rank, marriages, and friendship. This show has definitely given a good example of how important friendship really is. Army Wives is a great example of popular culture for all of these reasons.

Reference
Lifetime Entertainment Services. (2008). MyLifetime: Army wives. Retrieved on May 28, 2008 from http://www.mylifetime.com/on-tv/shows/army-wives/about.

Icon Analysis

There are many icons/idols that strike my interest in the world today. One major icon is Carrie Underwood. She made her way to number one at American Idol and has sold millions of records since. She has worked very hard but seems to remember where she came from. I truly think that she understands not to take anything in life for granted and I have nothing but respect for that. Carrie will be around for years to come.

Another contemporary icon that I value is Mario and Luigi from Mario Brothers Nintendo games. I received my first Nintendo when I was three years old and the first game that I ever played was Duck Hunt on Mario Brothers. Mario and Luigi have been around for a very long time! I believe that they will continue to do great in the world of video games.

One other icon that has made a lasting impact on me is The Little Mermaid. Ariel and her friends, Sebastian and Flounder, always made me smile when I was a little girl. Everything I had, from my bedding to my clothes, had to be The Little Mermaid. This Disney Movie has definitely made a lasting impression on tons of kids around the world!

Weekly Written Analysis 1

People have many different definitions for the term, popular culture. To me, popular culture is used when describing a person, place, or topic that is well-known across the world. A great example of popular culture is the hit television show called American Idol. Simon Cowel, producer and one of the judges for American Idol, has definitely created a singing competition that has brought a positive attitude to television. It is known that thirty-some million people vote for cast members on American Idol weekly, which means that there are millions of viewers watching the show. Not only are there many viewers in the United States, but also in many other countries around the world.
“Last season, American Idol entered the philanthropy arena with ‘Idol Gives Back’, which raised more than $75 million to fight extreme poverty in the U.S. and Africa. The special was honored with the prestigious Governors Award, the Television Academy's highest accolade, at the 2007 Creative Arts Emmy® Awards” (American, 2008). There are many good qualities to American Idol. Not only is it a talented singing competition, the organization raises money for people across the entire world that are poor and need basic help, such as food, water, clothing, and medical attention that just they can’t afford. This uplifting organization has raised millions of dollars for those in need here in the United States and over seas. American Idol has, in many ways, helped to unite many people across the world and encouraged them to help those that need such help. The saying “American Idol gives back” is so true!

Reference
American Idol. (2008). American Idol: About American Idol. Retrieved on May 21, 2008, from http://www.americanidol.com/about/.

What would you consider to be an example of a pop culture artifact? And why would you choose it?

One great popular culture artifact is Elvis. Nearly everyone around the world has heard of "The King". Elvis is such a legend that many people believe that he lives on. Elvis has had many number one hits before he died in 1977. His many hits included "Jailhouse Rock," "Hound Dog" and "Blue Suede Shoes." Elvis is a world-wide phenomenon who will never be forgotten. Although there are many impresonators, no one will ever truly be "The King".

Why is an understanding of popular culture relevant to you in a business environment and in your present and future career?

The business world of banking has made a lasting impression on the world and doesn't seem to be going out of style any time soon. I have worked in a bank for the past four years and plan to do so post graduation here at Franklin University. Due to the fact that I am majoring in Financial Management, my banking experience has given me a great deal of experience towards a great future career! If people had rejected the idea of banks when they were first developed, and/or if banks all of the sudden didn't exist, this would tremendously affect my future career and my current major as well.

What is popular culture, and what does it mean to you?

Popular culture, to me, is everything that includes the past, present, and future that has made a lasting impression on the world. Examples can include everything from politics and religion to foods and fashion. Popular culture has to deal with a person's contemporary lifestyle and cultural patterns that are found worldwide.