Weekly Analysis 2.1

The MTV reality series “16 and pregnant” produced by Morgan J Freeman and Dia Sokol Savage was first broadcast on June 11, 2009. The show highlights teen pregnancy and the difficulties of being pregnant at a young age. The show is full of relationship drama, money, and family issues. Each episode features a different teenage girl, with the episode typically beginning when she is 4 ¹⁄₂–8 months into her pregnancy. The episodes end when the baby is a few months old. The show is nonjudgmental and is told from young mother’s point of views. It highlights some of the realities of having a baby while in high school and focuses on relationship issues. The fathers of the babies are usually shown as fathers who are not ready to handle fatherhood. The teens come from all different racial and ethnic groups and economic backgrounds.

There are mixed reviews about the show, as it does show good and bad events of teenage pregnancy and it is not judgmental because it is told from the eyes of the expecting teen mother. The series is said to be educational and it is said that every teen boy and girl should watch the series.

Is this show actually reality? The girls are shown as struggling to buy diapers and food, but they are driving brand new Dodge cars towards the last episodes, they have manicures, hair colored, and are wearing top of the line clothing. “People” magazine recently had photos of the girls holding their babies; all the young mothers were wearing stunning dresses.  Does this prove that this reality show is not really reality at all? In the real world a teen mother would not be on the cover of extremely popular magazines or even be on a TV show, therefore you wouldn’t have all that money to help take care of your child. In some cases the series does show the mother struggling to care for the child, other mothers have their parents to help them care for their child, and some have no family at all to help. 

Being a single mother myself, I know the struggles of having a child. I may have not of been a teenager when I had my son but I could not imagine being in High School, not having a job and trying to raise a child. In ’16 and pregnant’ you do see struggling and hard times but other times in the show it makes it look like having a child in your teenage years is easy.

References

16 and Pregnant (n.d.). Retrieved May 28, 2011, from Wikipedia:   

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/16_and_Pregnant

Assignment 2-2 Icons

New Kids on the Block

The American boy band from Massachusetts started in 1984 by producer Maurice Starr. The band members, Jordan and Jonathan Knight who are brothers, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood. The band was very successful in the late 1980’s and early 1990s and had sold over 80 million records worldwide. They have also won many awards, in 1990 thy won two American Music Awards for favorite Pop Band. In 1994 they decided to part their own ways, and there were several attempts to get the band back together for years but they were unsuccessful. In 2008 they secretly got back together recording a new CD, The Block, and started a concert tour in 2008. They have been selling out concerts and are doing a tour this summer.

The Cabbage Patch Kids                                      

Cabbage Patch Kids line of dolls were created by Xavier Roberts in 1978. They originally started out being called “Little People”. The original dolls were sold at local craft shows and were made of all fabric. The dolls then switched to hard plastic heads and soft fabric bodies in 1982. The dolls were very popular and a must have toy for Christmas. Each doll had a birth certificate and each doll had a given name and birth date.  The Cabbage Patch kids went on to become the most popular toy fad of the 80s and the longest running doll franchises in America and later a cartoon came out.

Punky Brewster

Soleil Moon Frye at the age of eight played a spunky orphan in the popular 1980s NBC TV series Punky Brewster. The show had an extended life in reruns after it ended in 1986, making Brewster somewhat of a pop culture icon for the '80s generation. She always had her hair in pigtails, wearing bright colored clothes, leggings, and ruffled socks.

I chose these three icons because they were all a part of my life growing up. I chose the New Kids on the block because they were my favorite boy band growing up; I had my room decked out in NKOTB from floor to the ceiling, posters, curtains, blankets, and rugs. I had a NKOTB backpack, you name it I probably had it. I was crazy about them and their music. I would say they were the guys that made me boy crazy. J

 I chose Cabbage Patch Dolls because I received a one every year for my birthday and Christmas. That is all I ever asked for; while other children had a list for Santa I had one request, a new Cabbage Patch Doll. The Cabbage Patch Dolls were my best friends, I took one everywhere I went and when I played teacher they were my students. I have over seventy Cabbage Patch Dolls in my parent’s attic and plan to one day give them to my children.

My last choice was Punky Brewster. I was always told I looked like her. I loved her colorful wardrobe as well as her personality. She was a strong willed little girl who if she put her mind to it, could do anything that she wanted. I saw her as a role model and honestly looking back now I was just like her. She was always happy no matter what happened and had a positive attitude. I remember dressing like her baggy shirts, bright colored belts, and mismatched socks. She is definitely an icon to this day!

References:
New Kids on the Block, Retrieved May 24, 2011, from StarPlus:
http://www.starpulse.com/Music/New_Kids_On_The_Block/

The Cabbage Patch Kids, Retrieved May 24, 2011, from Cabbage Patch Kids:
http://www.cabbagepatchkids.com/

Punky Brewster, Retrieved May 24, 2011, from TV.com
http://www.tv.com/punky-brewster/show/266/summary.html

Pop has gone Gaga

You either love her or hate her, but Lady Gaga has sold millions of albums due to her mystique and outlandish outfits.  She surely will pass Madonna as a media icon, if she hasn’t done so already.  She pulls in a young fan base with her public statements and lyrics which are full of principles and social statements.

There are sure to be more pop icons to follow in Gagas footsteps, but to say Gaga is a leader would be to give her too much credit. Her performances are elaborate and they prove that she is a pop music icon who is tapping into a glam-era cult with a similar personality to Marilyn Manson.

Gaga is being seen as a Madonna rip-off as she mocks Madonna’s cone bras with her machine-gun top. But she is her own person.  She refers to her fans as ‘Little Monsters’, but it is by no means a negative name. She keeps in touch with her  fan base, and recently sent pizza to fans who camped out for days in the rain in New York to get a chance to see her performance on  Saturday Night Live. 

Kudos to Gaga. I do not know when the last time was that pop has seen such a tactically talented media manipulator. With her odd fashions, she sure does catch your eye.    Her musical talent, singing and playing the piano, is worthy of catching your ear as well.   

www.ladygaga.com/default.aspx/

Popular Culture 1-2

Pop Culture is everything that is going on around us and it is everywhere.  Just to name a few examples, hair styles, tattoos, piercings, clothes, music, movies, and icons. Pop Culture basically touches every aspect of our lives. What may be popular one moment is not the next and sometimes becomes popular again in the future.  

The understanding of popular culture is relevant to me in a business environment to know what the demand is to keep guests happy. A happy guest means possibly a returning guest which means more money being brought in.  In the hospitality business of a hotel, knowing what the demand is for the types of breakfast foods, beer, wine, and appetizers for the complimentary receptions, having modern furniture, and keeping everything up to date with technology. New applications are always being added to our computer programs to make the reservation and check-in process easier and faster for the guests.

I consider cell phones an example of a pop culture artifact. When cell phones came out they were huge, not dependable, and expensive. Not many people had them, then they went to a smaller fatter version phone and all you could do was get calls in and out. Next the picture phone came out and text messaging and picture mail began. The Smartphone and Iphone are the latest craze. Now no matter where you go, you can look around and see someone texting or on their phone. Phones are not only used for talking on, they are now used for taking pictures and videos,  television watching, music listening, game playing, internet surfing, emailing, and the list goes on. Cell phones have definitely become one of the most popular technological advances over the decade.  I honestly cannot wait to see what they come up with next.