As someone else mentioned, I too was introduced to bell hooks in a race & gender writing course my freshman year. By not capitalizing her name you can already tell she challenges our society’s ideologies. She has very interesting points and her writing style is clear and easy to follow. In her article, "Eating the Other: Desire and Resistance" she begins to analyze societies interaction with "the other" and our tendency to "Other" each other. We make assumptions about people we view different than ourselves everyday. Historically westerners have categorized othering by the west vs. the rest; the primitive "them and the civilized "we". Although hooks made an interesting and important point, "The message again is that "primitivism" though more apparent in the Other, also resides in the white self" (372).
In advertising there has been a history of representing people in certain ways in order to advertise to mainstream white culture. Although overtime the desire for exotica has increased, even from white culture (if not especially from white culture). Representations of the "other" are fantasies. Sex is what sells and is what drives the advertising business therefore most images are in a sexualized manner. When I think exotic I think sex, I think minimal clothing, and I think of animalistic seductive images. Exotica also means purely different, challenging the norms such as the picture I posted of the bald woman. The picture of the gothic girl also is a representation of someone trying to be socially different and establishing their own identity. They turn something that might be considered weird beautiful. People want to see new and different things although this doesn’t mean they don't still conform to cultural norms. "To make one's self vulnerable to the seduction of difference, to seek an encounter with the Other, does not require that one relinquish forever one's mainstream positionality" (367). It is like a secret pleasure for a lot of white culture.
In advertising there has been a history of representing people in certain ways in order to advertise to mainstream white culture. Although overtime the desire for exotica has increased, even from white culture (if not especially from white culture). Representations of the "other" are fantasies. Sex is what sells and is what drives the advertising business therefore most images are in a sexualized manner. When I think exotic I think sex, I think minimal clothing, and I think of animalistic seductive images. Exotica also means purely different, challenging the norms such as the picture I posted of the bald woman. The picture of the gothic girl also is a representation of someone trying to be socially different and establishing their own identity. They turn something that might be considered weird beautiful. People want to see new and different things although this doesn’t mean they don't still conform to cultural norms. "To make one's self vulnerable to the seduction of difference, to seek an encounter with the Other, does not require that one relinquish forever one's mainstream positionality" (367). It is like a secret pleasure for a lot of white culture.
"Now that sophisticated market surveys reveal the extent to which poor and materially under-privileged people of all races/ethnicities consume products, sometimes in a quantity disproportionate to income, it has become more evident that these markets can be appealed to with advertising" (371). Images are not only satisfying white cultures fantasies; other cultures like to be and are attracted to images of their culture represented in mainstream media.
I think it is a positive step for many reasons to add diversity to our media, although stereotypes are often involved and do not represent cultures accurately. Therefore as hooks stated, we need to approach all of these images critically.
I think it is a positive step for many reasons to add diversity to our media, although stereotypes are often involved and do not represent cultures accurately. Therefore as hooks stated, we need to approach all of these images critically.
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