Wow, people have told me that college really flies by but I didn’t really believe it until now. I’m just about done with my first semester of college and it feels like I’ve only been here for like a month at most. However, college has been both a fun and learning experience. Specifically in this class, I do believe that my public speaking skills have significantly advanced. I’ve learned to not have as much anxiety when talking in front of groups and how to better engage an audience. Still, I have much to learn. In future semesters I hope to be able to speak about a subject without first having to write a paper. By this I mean I want to better be able to articulate my thoughts on the spot, without using fillers. What I think I have struggled with the most is my organizational skills. Sometimes I would leave work to the last minute, not because I was putting it off, but because I would forget that an assignment was due. However, I have excelled in not procrastinating. In high school I used to always get distracted by different web sites or my phone, but I have found that it has been much less of a problem while in college. While my lack of organizational skills sometimes kept me from doing my best work, my love of the library has helped me complete my best work. Overall, this semester has really shown me what to expect for the rest of my college career.
After reviewing my Ted Talk video, I can tell that there is a lot of room for improvement. However, I am glad to say that I have come a long way in my speaking abilities. Because I read intensively into the subject of my video, female sexuality, and am interested in it, I found that it was much easier to talk about. Rather than memorizing a speech, I more or less talked from the knowledge I had, using the powerpoint as a foundation. Although this did make my presentation more conversational and less stiff, it also made it quite long. While I was speaking I would remember facts that I had read and would add them in, making my presentation significantly longer than it should have been. Also, I noticed that my transitions were lacking. Although I would know about two separate subsets of information, I wouldn’t know how to efficiently connect them without it sounding awkward or forced. This would then sometimes lead me to stumble across my words, have a prolonged period of silence, or awkwardly fidget around. Despite all that could have been improved with my presentation, I am happy with my progress. I consider myself to be a below average public speaker and generally get incredibly nervous before having to do it. However, because I was more comfortable with the subject than with other previous subjects, I was more confident in my knowledge.
My paradigm shift paper discussed the changes of how society viewed sexuality, and I took a special interest in both the evolution and devolution of dating. I took a chronological approach and gave a summary of females and their sexuality from the Victorian Age, up to present time. I then concluded what this could mean for the future of our country.
For the TED talk video, I think that I want to have more of a focus on the “why” instead of the “what.” I want to explain the reasons why change occurred, as opposed to giving a simple summary. I would also like to have more of a focus on how sexuality is perceived today. The reason for this is because we are living in the present, so thus modern sexuality relates to us personally. I may add how drugs and alcohol come into play, because they are a big part of college life, and do definitely influence one’s sexuality.
Another big part I would like to add is to go into much greater detail about what this could mean for the future. Will sexuality continue to grow? Will it plateau? For some reason, would it decline? I want to add this because I believe it is the most interesting. Sociologists and sexologists alike have both given ambiguous answers as to the future of sex. Summaries of the Victorian Era sexuality are fascinating, but they have already occurred. However, the future brings a long much more curiosity because nobody knows for sure what will happen. For now, we can only give our best guess based off of prior data, extrapolation, and theories.
The Progressive Era from 1910 through 1919 brought along major societal changes, especially for woman. This new woman was drastically different than her Victorian Era counterpart. This woman was allowed to hold a job, which gave her more economic independence, which consequently made her less dependent on her husband (Hill, 2008). Although generally these jobs were exceptionally low paying, females were now able to have a broader social life and be able to form their own identities for themselves. As the views of women changed socially, political changes also began to be made. With the passage of women’s suffrage and laws that improved working conditions for women, females began to be less dependent on males (Imbornoni, 2007). Despite this growing independence for women, there was still a lot of controversy concerning their sexuality. This is illustrated by the first birth control clinic led by Margaret Sanger, which was shut down only ten days after it opened. World War I greatly influenced gender roles and sexuality, because while men were away on the battlefield, women took over for them. During this time feminists began to question the notion of a family and began to start somewhat of a sexual revolution (Tone, 1996). Divorce became more common, premarital sex did not shatter reputations, multiple partners became less rare, and dating was born. Still women could not flaunt their sexuality and be socially accepted, but now they were not forced to blatantly ignore their natural sexual desires.
The problem I’m having with my paper so far is that the first half of my paper is almost completely summary, with very little argument to it. I’m not sure if I should try to add more argument to it, but I don’t really know what my argument would be.
One potential topic for this project would be the paradigm shift concerning the people’s changed views of sexuality. While once a very sexually conservative nation, promiscuity is a lot more common place in modern times. From what we wear, to what we watch, to who we look up to, sex and sex appeal are everywhere. It used to be a serious act that people who were truly in love performed after they had gotten married. Now, it is much more than that. Casual sex is a usual habit, practiced by mainly college kids and young adults. The whole courtship process has been erased, and sex seems to be the start of most relationships rather than the culmination of many years of being in love. Another changed aspect of sex is the financial aspect. Sex is not just an act, it’s a way of making money and selling products. One example of this is pornography, which has become an industry in itself. Another example is how people use sex appeal to sell products. Beautiful models wear clothes and attractive actors show themselves using deodorant in order to make the audience want to buy the products. In the early 20th century, this sort of moral turpitude would be scandalous.
Another idea would be the paradigm shift regarding humans versus synthetic. In the beginning years of our country being established, everything was done by manual labor. There was no machinery in order to make jobs easier. Now, human jobs are being replaced by automated machines at a rapidly growing rate. The reason for this is that inventors are creating machines to make our lives easier and more efficient. However, there are many downsides to this I would like to discuss. I would go into depth about how machinery is affecting the job market, how technology has changed human to human interaction, and on an opinion basis, if our country has come to rely too much on technology and modernization.
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Selling Skinny: A Rhetorical Analysis of Diet Pepsi’s Skinny Can Campaign
In a society where being thin is the latest fashion statement, advertisers have established an important marketing strategy: skinny sells. Many people, most noticeably women, are influenced daily by the media which is where societal ideals of beauty mostly stem from. Every day, people are bombarded with images of stick thin actresses, singers, and models that have become the conceptual image of what is an ideal appearance for women in America. However, these standards are unrealistic. Of course dieting and living a healthy lifestyle can lead a woman to slim down a bit, but she cannot change her genetics. Therefore women with naturally curvy body figures are forced to feel both self-loathing and ashamed about their own appearances. Thus, when advertisement campaigns such as Pepsi’s new skinny can are released, this body image issue is further intensified. They are manipulating woman’s insecurities in order to make a profit, but at what cost? In a country where the rate of eating disorders have continually been on the rise since 1950, advertising “skinny” can not only be unethical, but also lethal (Hudson et al., 2007; Streigel-Moore &Franko, 2003; Wade et al., 2011). After all, studies have confirmed that anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder (Arcelus, Mitchell, Wales, & Nielsen, 2011). So even though this skinny can campaign does not seem like a big deal, its focus on advertising by making women strive for a stereotypical and unhealthy body shape has had a detrimental effect on the female population.
The advertisement is comprised of three main elements: the woman drinking the soda, the can, and the tagline “the new skinny can.” What has caused the most controversy over this ad is the tagline. Some backstory is that PepsiCo Inc. presented this new can at New York’s Fashion Week in 2011, saying that it was made in “celebration of beautiful, confident women,” (Skidmore). This seems to imply that being skinny goes hand in hand with being a “beautiful, confident wom[an]” such as the one pictured. It was not long until it was met with harsh criticism. One such complaint was made by The National Eating Disorders Association that claimed that the campaign was offensive and said the company’s comments are both “thoughtless and irresponsible,” (Skidmore). Jill Beraud, PepsiCo’s chief marketer, claims that this is not was intended and that “Our slim, attractive new can is the perfect complement to today’s most stylish looks,” (Skidmore). Does that mean that today’s most stylish look, is skinny? Why else would it be mentioned that the can is slim along with attractive and stylish? PepsiCo is clearly trying to relate woman’s obsession over thinness and this Pepsi can in order to promote sales.
The woman pictured actually is famous actress Sofia Vergaro, the actress who plays the feisty Latina, Gloria, on the comedy Modern Family. Vergaro generally is not thought of as the stereotypical skinny woman because of her busty and curvy appearance, yet in this ad she seems tiny. Her body is placed at an awkward angle and there are shadows placed strategically, in order to give her the appearance of having small arms. Her face even looks very slim due to the coloring of her makeup, and the large sunhat engulfs her head to make it look even smaller in comparison. This version of Vergaro looks so differently than how she is normally seen, that rumors began to spread that she was digitally slimmed down. Vergaro had to publicly announce “’That is not true at all… It was just a different way of dressing me,” (Abraham). That may be true, but everything about the actress was done in order to make her look like an appealing woman that other woman would envy. She is skinny, but she also has flawless skin and a ski-slope nose. Her big lips are painted bright red, drawing attention to her sucking on the straw. She is looking forward confidently and with empowerment. In essence, she is what American women strive to be. Subconsciously, viewers will associate the perfection of Sofia Vergara with this Diet Pepsi, and subsequently want to buy it.
Blue is the primary color of this ad, embossing the background and Vergara’s whole outfit. While this may seem like a simple color choice, this scheme was not left up to choice. Many people know that blue causes calmness and relaxation in people, but it also is known for quenching appetite. Food researchers have stated that when humans searched for food, they learned to avoid toxic or spoiled objects, which were often blue, black, or purple. Later studies have proven that when food was died blue, people found it to be less appealing,” (Johnson). This is not a coincidence, but yet another subtle way of “selling skinny.” Everything about this ad was planned to make people not want to eat, and instead drink this beverage. The laughable irony is of course, is that soda, will cause weight gain. Many people turn to diet sodas thinking that they will not gain weight, but this does not seem to be the case. Researchers have proven that “It contains artificial sweeteners that, many times, can actually force you to crave more soda. If that occurs, you’re likely to drink more soda and, as a result, take in more calories than you really should,” (Fox). Yet, these sugary soda substitutions are still sold by the million a day. Why? It is because women who are plagued by the constant pressure of meeting society’s aesthetic standards are desperate to believe anything that tells them a way to be skinny. This is illustrated by the purchases of diet pills and use of crash diets, both of which have been proven to be essentially ineffective and sometimes even dangerous. However, America’s continual and growing use of both of these methods of weight loss show our society’s infatuation with how much we weigh.
Pepsi isn’t the first company to use skinniness to sell their product, it’s just one of the more blatant examples. The usage of anorexic-esque models to sell clothing has been an advertising strategy since the 1960’s. As these ads continue to be printed in magazines or commercials appear on the television, the rate of eating disorders continues to dramatically rise. This epidemic will not slow until society begins to stop idolizing skinniness. However, this cannot be a reality until markets cease to “sell skinny.”
Works Cited
Abraham, Tamara. “‘Pepsi Did NOT Slim Me Down’: Curvy Sofia Vergara Defends Controversial Ad for ‘skinny’ New Diet Soda Can.” Dailymail. N.p., 11 Mar. 2011. Web. 6 Oct. 2014. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1365385/Pepsi-did-NOT-slim-Curvy-Sofia-Vergara-defends-controversial-ad-skinny-new-diet-soda-can.html>.
Fox, Maggie. “How Can Diet Sodas Make You Fat? Study May Explain It.” NBC News. N.p., 17 Sept. 2014. Web. 6 Oct. 2014. <http://www.nbcnews.com/health/diet-fitness/how-can-diet-sodas-make-you-fat-study-may-explain-n205406>.
Johnson, David. “Color Psychology.” Infoplease. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Oct. 2014. <http://www.infoplease.com/spot/colors1.html>.
Skidmore, Sarah. “Diet Pepsi ‘skinny’ Can Stirs up Big Controversy.” AP Online. N.p., 11 Feb. 2011. Web. 6 Oct. 2014. <http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1A1-a1ffbe442cd24e6697d4b3c9432f39e0.html?refid=easy_hf>.
Throughout the speeches, I realized that the best presentations were given by people who rarely looked at their notecards, or did not use them altogether. Some people with the notecards were constantly looking at them rather than at the audience, and this creates a very disrupted connection between the two. Some others would not know where to hold the note cards and would constantly move them, which would be somewhat of a distraction. For the people who did not use note cards, they spoke straight out of knowledge of their subject. This means that they just know what points they want to cover beforehand, but every time they say the speech they may articulate it a little differently. The reason that these presentations were the best is because they were the most fluid. Also, because the presenter was so knowledgeable about the subject, he was confident. This confidence is easily noticed, and makes the audience feel comfortable and as though they can believe the presenter.
A style that worked out well was getting the audience to participate. This makes the speech seem less formal and also keeps everyone awake. By getting people involved in the speech, they become more interested in it overall.
Visual aids that seemed most successful were picture slides. I did not like the powerpoints as much because then it is taking away the focus of the speech itself. The videos were also a good tool because videos are useful for capturing people’s attention. However, if the video is too long, the audience may lose interest.
Some common pitfalls were talking too quickly, saying “uhm,” fidgeting, or making awkward hang movements. However, overall the speeches were interesting and gave a lot of information involving civic artifacts.
I agree with many of the opinions Ifemelu shared on her perspective of the American education system. First, she talks about how “Americans were taught, from elementary school, to always say something in class, not matter what,”(16 Adiche). I too, do not completely agree with this sentiment. I view school as strictly a place to gain knowledge to help you get into college, and then to later get a job. I feel as though teachers try to encourage participation for quantity rather than quality. Many times participation is factored into a report card, prompting students to speak in order to get a good grade, not because they actually have anything to say. This then teaches students to speak in order to speak, instead of speaking in order to convey information or opinions.
Another aspect of education she talked about was the financial part of schooling. Although I am extremely blessed and my parents are paying for my four years of University, I have many friends who have really struggled to pay for their education. In fact one of my best friends had to go to community college despite above average grades, just because he couldn’t handle the financial burden of any other colleges.
From what Ifemelu says, it seems as though education was a lot tougher in Nigeria. The simple grammatical errors that people made really surprised her. People probably spoke a lot more formally in Nigeria and did not use such idioms as “You’re all set!” (165). Speaking is also probably a lot more direct, as Ifemelu notes that Americans never seemed to give any direct instructions.
If I were in Ifemelu’s shoes, like her, I would notice how participatory all of the classes that aren’t big lectures are. Debate and opinion are encouraged, rather than strictly right and wrong answers. This is because professors are trying to foster confidence in their students’ articulation abilities, since this is a skill that will be necessary in almost every career and in everyday life. I would notice how these schools are not just teaching information, but also practicing life skills.
When Steve Jobs died, it came as a shock to people around the globe. In order to celebrate his life, our English class did a project on him. One of the options was to write a reaction paper to one of his speeches. So, I searched on the Internet looking for something that may be somewhat interesting. I wasn’t expecting anything that I wanted to actually write about, but was surprised when I found a speech that actually did speak to me.
The speech took place at the graduation for Stanford. In it, Jobs tells three stories. The first, was about things falling into place. He talks about how his biological parents put him up for adoption. A somewhat rich family who wanted to adopt him at the last minute decided not to, because they decided they wanted a girl instead. The next family on the list was somewhat poor and felt blessed to receive this miracle baby boy. Steve later decided to drop out of college because he felt as though he was wasting his family’s savings. He then took a class on calligraphy, which then had a huge impact on the Mac typeface. This showed how despite the odds, everything worked out for Jobs.
His next story he tells is about love and loss. He explains how although he loved what he did with Apple, he got fired. Imagine that; being fired from the very own company you created. However, he explored more things he loved and ending up co-starting pixar as well. He tells the students how important it is to find what you love and don’t settle.
Finally, he talks about death. He explains how he was told he had cancer, and believed he only had three to six months to live. Soon afterwards he got a surgery and was cured for the time being. However, the experience taught him to live life to its fullest, because you never know when you will die.
This speech is so meaningful to me because of how inspiring it is. Everything he says sounds as if it is truly from the heart. It makes me as a person want to shed my own negative thoughts and live a more positive life.
Ifemelu and Obinze spend their college years at the University of Nsukka. It is a small, quaint, village of a school that both disoriented but interested Ifemelu. This, along with all colleges in general, would definitely be considered a civic space. What makes a space civic is a place that is open to the public where people can both interact with each other and with the government. They bring people together and build a sense of community within each other. Nsukka fits this criteria for both Ifemelu and Obinze. Many of their friends go there as well, so it became a place for social activity. Especially for Ifemelu who found that there were “so many options for belonging.” (Adichie 110). One way that the people of this community could get involved with the government is through the students’ union government. The students would protest outside of the vice chancellor’s house, shouting about their lack of light, water, and education. Although this screaming is not the most rhetorical form of involvement, it does cause interaction between the student body and the government. With this kind of environment, Adichie is communicating her opinion about civic life. It seems as though she believes people should be involved both within their community and with their government. Like Ifemelu, Adichie thinks people should voice their opinions and be passionate with their beliefs. As her famous speech on TED talks about feminism shows, she is an advocate for change. She has her firm beliefs, and she believes in letting them be known in order to call attention to things that are not the way they should be.
