Youth Culture

Fads are constantly changing among today's youth.  With the prevalence of the Internet and social media, youth today is exposed to more music, trends, and fads than any previous generation.  I am going to highlight a current trend among youth culture, but remember this could all change by next week!

Taylor Swift

With her recent 1989 album release, Taylor Swift is back at #1 on the music charts.  I am sure you have heard kids singing her most popular single Shake It Off since its release in August.  Kids and adults alike love Taylor Swift, although this album is considered to be somewhat of a comeback album.  While Swift's album sales did not suffer with her last album Red, Swift received great criticism for her boy crazy antics.  Swift revamped her image and assured critics she has more to talk about than just boys.  

Despite your feelings about Taylor Swift, her popularity is undeniable and her appeal among students is something to capitalize on in the classroom.  Most of her songs convey positive messages and are catchy, to say the least.  Shake It Off is the perfect vehicle to talk about valuing each other's differences, as well as how to handle negative situations.  Have the kids watch the music video for Shake It Off and share their reactions to it.  Read this article if you do not catch the powerful messages of the video: 5 Surprising Lessons in Taylor Swift 'Shake It Off' Video

The song is also perfect for "shaking the sillies out."  Play the song and allow the kids to get up and sing and dance to the song halfway through the day.  It is okay to be silly in the classroom sometimes!

This may lead to a group of students who will NOT STOP singing Shake It Off.  They know every word, yet they cannot seem to remember the steps of the scientific method.  When planning your next kinesthetic activity, incorporate the song and dance into an activity.  You can change up the lyrics to teach a lesson about the scientific method.  Be creative and have fun adding actions to help students remember the steps.

Another option is to introduce a topic by listening to one of Taylor Swift's songs.  The song Mean is perfect for starting a conversation about how to handle negative feelings or even poetry.  

Music is one of the most powerful tools that can be used in the classroom.  Use the music your students enjoy to help them remember information and learn valuable lessons.  Enjoy the music video for Shake It Off :)

The Presence of Racial, Socio-Economic, Gender, and Sexuality in Advertisements

Everyday, we are bombarded with advertisements that are telling us what to think, how to act, and what is valuable in today's society.  The messages can be subtle or blatant.  One must look at every advertisement with a critical eye because all are intended to persuade us to think a certain way.  I will be taking a closer look at print ads which include themes of racial, socio-economic, gender, and sexuality.  

The Presence of Race:

Air France Ad Campaign 2014

www.fubiz.net

An Air France ad campaign, which debuted in April 2014, includes print ads of mostly white female models dressed up in costumes and makeup depicting a country (http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/04/14/air-france-racist-ads_n_5147256.html).  The ads serve as a representation of the country.  After scrolling through the images, it is apparent that the women are presented like creatures or objects, and not people.  

Pekin is the romanized name for Beijing.                  

    

Compared to:

          

I cannot imagine people in France being happy if the model for France was depicted as a mime holding a baguette.  Why is it that France and the United States ads include modern and natural looking women from perhaps the 1950s and 1960s?  The ads tell us that people in countries such as Brazil, Japan, and China are not fully human and are stuck in a time at dates back to ancient times.  

Another interesting aspect of this campaign is the New York advertisement.  The women depicting Miami and San Francisco are facing forward and very natural looking.  Why is the black woman representing New York depicted as a performer/singer?  It is as though she is not good enough to simply be herself.  She has to play a character.

J. Crew Cuts

J. Crew Cuts Looks We Love (click to view ad).  J. Crew Cuts features an ad campaign of two white boys and a black boy.  When scrolling through the images, pay attention to the amount of times the white boys look into the camera versus the black boy.  The white boys each look into the camera four times, while the black boy only looks into the camera one time.  When one does not look directly into the camera, it suggests submissiveness. 

The Presence of Class/Socio-Economic:

Dolce & Gabbana's summer 2014 ad campaign is an interesting juxtaposition of class.  The ads feature both men and women dressed in Dolce & Gabbana alongside men who appear to be peasants/servants.  The ad suggests that you want to be part of the Dolce & Gabbana crowd and not the working class.

The Presence of Sexual Identity:

Over the past few years, there have been more and more ads featuring gay couples.  Many of these ad campaigns cause backlash.  Whether it is with good intentions or not, certain brands are giving a positive face to gay couples and families.  On the other hand, many brands continue to only feature straight couples, which suggests this is the only way a family looks. 


Kohl's advertisement featuring a straight couple.


H&M ad featuring the, "Fashion Family Collection."

A wedding gift registry ad for Target.  


J.C. Penny advertisement for Mother's Day.



Teddy Grahams ad featuring a family with two dad's.  

The Presence of Gender:

Skyy Vodka

Skyy Vodka's advertisements are notorious for featuring women in sexualized positions, as objects, or as being conquered by men.  Below are ads which feature these themes.

A woman's legs straddle the Skky Vodka bottle as if it is a stripper pole.  The legs also appear as an object and not part of a human body.

Here, a man is standing over a woman and looking down at her.  The woman's breasts are predominantly featured, as well.  

The woman's legs are not straddling the bottle, but the image is depicting another sexual innuendo.  The woman's face is not present either, which plays into this idea of woman as sexual objects.  The statement, "Always the Y's decision" suggests that sex is always the wise decision.

Gap Kids 

An ad campaign for Diane von Furstenberg for Gap Kids features ads of a girl saying, "Shh."  This image has been seen in many advertisements and plays into the idea of the submissive girl.  The ads also features girls looking off into space, as well as very young girls who appear to be heavily made-up and standing tall.  All of these images promote an innocence and submissiveness, yet a sexualization of young girls.