Describe yesterday's trip to the cultural center.
1) Reflect upon the exhibit and your connection/reaction to what you saw. Marilyn Monroe was quoted as saying, "I am an artifical product." What does this mean? What does it say about the relationship between stardom and media?
2) Do you feel that there are other celebrities or cultural figures who represent these kinds of political ideas? Who might be a great example of the relationship between image and power in the media? What do you think about how they are using this relationship?
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I really don't know what she meant by i'm an artifical product but over all I wasn't interested at all.I do feel that other celebrities repersent these kind of political ideas. I think Micheal Jackson has a relationship with his image and power. People think that he's crazy because of his image and living of lifestyle, but he has power in the media as far as his music. His music is his power because he can take people away from his image and into his sole.I think people are using the relationship with image and power wrong beacuse your image has nothing to do with how your mind thinks or create.
1.)The walk to the exhibit took forever! On the way there we saw people who were sitting outside of restaurants eating! i envied them, because i was as hungry as a bear! When we finally got to the museum I was very excited to see what types of pictures and art they had for us to view. When I had gotten up to the Marilyn Monroe exhibit I was very enthused because I had never seen any real pictures of her only drawings! I thought that the Marilyn Monroe exhibit was very interesting because i had already known a lot of information about her from what i had seen on E! True Hollywood Story. i felt that her quote "I am an artificial product." meant that she pretends to be someone other than who she wants to be, and that she is held back from who she wants to be by the media and producers that want her to keep up her image.
2.)Yes I feel that there are other celebrities’ and cultural figures that represent the idea of being someone else to keep their fame. I believe that Lupe Fiasco is a great example of the relationship between image and power in the media. He does not let the things that are hip and cool distracted him from being who he wants to be. He has his own individual style and his own way of thinking, that encourages his fans and other people around him to be there selves.
Well I must say that the trip to the cultural center was a great learning experience. I liked this art peice that was called th 3 generations. It shown Egyptians, a African woman from Africa, and it shown a chain. It shown black people in the late 1800's early 1900's also. I think the Egyptians represented where Africans came from, the African woman shown how life was beautiful in Africa before slavery, the chain represented slavery, and the 3 black people in suits and dresses represented freedom for African Americans. When I went to the Marilyn Monroe section of the museum I really learned some things about her that I did'nt know already. I did not know that she had 8 abortions through her life and i also did'nt know she messed around with JFK. I think when Marilyn Monroe made the statement, "I am an artificial product". She meant that she is not being portrayed as a regular human being, but more so somethig commercialized; not real. This can only say one thing about stardom and media and that's people changing themselves for fame and money. I can say that I think
Anna Nicole Smith had those same political ideas. She turned on her family, she would do things just so her name could be in the tabloids, she married a old guy, and everyone knows she was just with him for the money.
My idol is Marilyn Monroe. I think she was just so talented and awesome. Though her image was jaded because of the dfact that she was very premicuious, she was still a legend because if her talents. She was a singer, actress, and the very first model.
When she stated that i am an artificial product, i think she meant that the image you see is not the real her, By being made up into this somewhat of a showgirl when really she was really down to earth, the world never seen "Norma Jean" they only knew Marilyn Monroe. The media is such a crazy issue. They change a lot of perspectives of peoples images, even if it is just for a movie, they make it so that people think stars are how they act in movies or music videos. In reality we are all artificial at somepoint. Instead of being who we really want to be, we change for so many aspects of just any random day. We change the way we dress around certain people or places. We change the way we talk when we are with different people. We change to please others instead of ourselves. Monroe made a quote "Real beauty and femininity are ageless and can't be contrived, Glamour can be manufactured." This showed me the side of Monroe that I read in her book. She was a true beauty in and out.
Oprah is one of the most powerful people not just women in the world. She has not only billions of dollars but she has the power to change the world which she has already started to do. She is a political, cultural celebrity. She takes in all three when it comes to sharing her wealth time and love with the world. She uses her power to make issues such as the genocide, katrina, sex trafficking and other big topics known through her talk show and books. She helps so many people though many have said that she is selfish with her fame, she does only what she feels she needs to do. Oprah is a living legend and we have yet to see what she is more so capable of doing in the future.
From what I know about Marilyn Monroe is that she was considered one of the biggest seductress she would spend hours on her look and doing small gestures to keep not only men but other woman seduced. She was a very appealing woman and she had known that in order for her to be successful she would have to be appealing to both crowds. Marilyn Monroe became an icon and people became so interested that they almost want to posses her. She was leading herself to her own failure as well as them to. She made herself so elusive that she was there but wasn't. she was like Cleopatra who also was considered to be the same as Marilyn she would get everybody to follow her from her sweet song or persona so far out to sea that they would drown when they tried to grasp her she was like water uncontainable so when they realize where they are it’s too late. So in the time that she was trying to deceive everybody else she ended up hurting herself to.
An artificial product in someone who sells their name for fortune and fame. Marilyn Monroe was a perfect example. She put herself in the media made herself a lot of money and is now becoming a legend. There are a couple stars that are portraying themselves as artificial products right now. One I think people don't think about is Hannah Montanna. She is a huge role model for kids across the country and his more popular by the minute. Her face, name, clothes are everywhere. You can't go into a place for children anymore without seeing something that envolves Hannah Montanna. Little girls want to sing like her, and dress like her. I'm not saying she is a bad person or is doing bad things, but she is starting a movement for little kids across the country and is becoming an artificial product.
One person that is a bad artificial product is Britney Spears. Theres more like her. Lindsy Lohan, Olsen Twins, Nicole Richie. These women were beautiful stars and they let their lives go downhills. Either with drugs, becoming anorexic, drinking, recklessness, and basically being a dumbass. I'll just focus on Britney to save time. Through the 90's she was pops hottest and biggest star. Guys wanted to date her and women wanted to be her. She had it all. She became too famous for her own good. She made a huge mistake with her love life and is now viewed as one of the worst parents in the world. Britney became an artificial product and she thought she was untouchable and nothing bad could happen to her. Stars/famous people should just be themselves and not worry about the money.
The trip the Cultural Center was a great I loved the Monroe section even though it was her in like the same 8 maybe 9 poses. The quote from her I think is more true today than it ever has been because record labels and movie agents are just always looking for the flavor of the month and the fact if anyone can stay on top in a good light for 6 months is amazing. Famous people today are told to look a certain way and stay like that it for one thing can mess with people and it also has effect on their body. Rock bands today aren’t nearly as bad as they used to be it seems like these days every since the 80’s and even early 90’s because everyone is dead or is a vegetable from so many drugs. Ozzy Osbourne has done so many drugs from the start of Black Sabbath since the even late 90’s as a solo musician that the guy can barley talk or move on stage. This same happened to Monroe living a huge life of excess with drugs and booze and even sexual partners to have at least 3 S.T.D. to me Monroe should never be looked up to because of who she was, but if she had stayed Norma Jean that would be a different story I’m sure.
Some famous people on the other hand do use their fame to do well in the world or they at least try to. Puff Daddy or Diddy had a huge advertisement to vote in the previous election, which was to get young kids to vote and apparently make a difference. Lots of people joined this band wagon to help get kids voting and caring about it, well Paris Hilton was one of these people. She did ads and other things wearing a shirt saying “Vote or Die!” there was one huge problem. Paris wasn’t a registered voter and couldn’t vote in the election. This makes me think if famous people lie to the general public to get a message out there to make a difference when they do the opposite of what they just told the world not to smoke or snort or drink. It’s sad that when famous people lie about saying drugs are bad and then go snort a lie off a mirror. I would rather take advice from an anti pot ad where Cheech and Chong say “Don’t some pot man!” then Paris Hilton saying “Vote or Die!”
The cultural center was nothing like I expected. I thought there would’ve been more art than they displayed. Throughout the exhibit I enjoyed the photographs the most. I felt that the photographs had more meaning to them than the paintings I saw. The photos had a concept that I could understand, and some of them I felt I could relate to. I also liked the quotes that where on the wall next to the photos.
When Marilyn Monroe felt that she was an artificial product because, what she did in the spot light wasn’t really her. I believe she felt she had to do it in order to be who she became.
I believe there are many celebrities that are controlled by the media. But they have no choice if they want to be successful. I believe that any celebrity that’s under a contract is a product. Therefore, a sale pitch is needed so they create a gimmick for the media, and sell them to the public.
The trip yesterday to the cultural center was a great experience for me. The various art pieces opened me up mentally and gave me a reason to think deeper than I usually think.The Marilyn Monroe exhibit was suprising it altered my perception of her. It showed how deep inside she was still human and not just this holywood icon everyone knows her to be. By her saying that she is an artificial product that validation coming fom her was real. I think that statement she made came from a place where she tried to hide a dark place.That statement told me that stardom and the media are lethal it can make and break you. By saying that I mean if your not strong enough to handle people judging you in and out you are going to fall, on the other hand if you are strong enough to handle the criticsm you have nothing to worry about.
I feel like there are other celebrities that represent that political idea. The rap artist lil wayne is a great example of that. He started out with rapping with a group and came back on the scene as a solo artist. When he reappeard he had a blast off in sells and grew to be what is now a superstar because his sells are more than average. The image he portrays is being a hard core rock star and is starting to become popular with the teenages.
Yesterday as a class we took a trip that seemed like a 2 mile walk, to the cultural center. The main art I saw was about Marilyn Monroe, they are having a special piece about her for a period of time. She said a quote that says, "I am an artifical product." I think she means that she knows she is fradulant, basically meaning that the image she is putting out to the world is not really who she is.
The relationship between stardom and media is simple. The media only puts out what the want the audience to see. They depict the bad from a celebrity and exploit it as much as they can. They are in fact, not really showing that celebrities true form.
2. Lil Wayne is definitly a celebrity who I feel portrays a fradulant lifestyle. I believe that he is not the same Lil Wayne he use to be, the one I like (Lights Out, 500 Degrees). I believe that he has a team of ghost writers (people who write other people's lyrics) that do all his dirty work. Of course the team is not going to say anything because I'm sure he pays them a pretty penny. He just doesn't put a good image of what a successful black man should be. He abuses the fact that many young kids look up him (I don't know why), and takes advantage of it. By putting out the same type of lyrics. No type of versatality. There are a few other celebrities as well, but I'm not going to get into that.
Tray A.K.A. Social
Okay so i really did not go to the exhibit but i want to contribute to this discussion because Marilyn Monroe is really one of my favorite people and not in that Anne Nicole Smith way (rip) what i mean is that i understand what she meant by that quote "I'm an artifical product." What se means that people made her out to be a certai thing. Like her image was basically this voluptous bombshell who had men falling at her feet. She was made out to be a vixen in the news and at the same time a homewrecker to the people who believe that she had an affair with JFK. MARILYN MONROE! But that wasn't her at all when she was at home she just wanted to be Norma Jeane Mortenson and girl who was none of what the media put out there She was just a down to earth person who had a dream of becoming famous like many girls out there. she just didn't know what the price of fame was. Thats kind of my theory behind her death at the sametime. she had to struggle with all that stuff out there. Some people dont relieze it though and that could have led her to her death. But for the people like me who don't believe that she would do anything like that a fan that just got to attached to her could have killed her there are people outt there that have obsessions with stars that could be harmful. One celebrity that i think is our modern day Marilyn Monroe well not exactly but like the star that has to keep an image. Britney Spears. Since she came out when she was a teen people expect her to be like the perfect person but we all grow up ad make mistakes and we shouldnt just make her like she is the only one LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE lol jkjk but i do think that she could have made different choices but you have to make mistakes to learn. Other stars that are like out there and people expect something from them just to list a few are lindsey lohan, paris hilton, the bush twins and the list goes on!
OK, some interesting responses here. I am not sure that there's a wide-spread understanding of what was meant when Marily said she's an "artifical product." Certainly, folks are able to identify other start who are "fake." Marilyn was absolutely conscious of the fact that the MEDIA made her to be soemthing that she isn't--a product. She was something to "buy."
I think one of the main differences today is that we aren't just buying stars in terms of their movies, or their posters, but we "buy" them in terms of their stories and their lives. Paris Hilton is a great example because she DOESN'T EVEN DO ANYTHING!! She's a facade--she isn't even real somewhere in there. At least that's my perception. Maybe she is a real, great person. But, it doesn't seem that way. And, it seems that Brittney is actually crazy. So are these folks like Marilyn? Or is that the wrong question? Maybe the better question is: If Marilyn was an "artifical product," what is Paris? Is she the same thing? And, what does it mean for a person to be a "product?"
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