Susan Bordo: What Satisfies a Hungry Woman? Research

In the essay by Susan Bordo, we discover a writer interested in the analysis of images that we're exposed to every day; her argument about these images--whether they appear on television or through some form of print media--is that such images are not passive, and should not be passively absorbed, even though that is how many of us "read" the commercial medium. She further concludes that the way, commercially, our culture has targeted women’s bodies in advertising has now crossed over to representations of men, though she acknowledges that traditional ways of representing men and women still exist. Some of you may feel Bordo looked too closely at her subjects, but many of you may be willing to admit that much of the media works in subtle ways that, at least on the surface, we fail to approach critically.
For this option, I'd like to see you attempt some form of scaled down analysis that Bordo embraces. Select a print ad (or ads or ad campaign), a television advertisement, or an icon of popular culture and look closely at it, much more closely than the average consumer or viewer may look while reading or watching television. Obviously, it will be far easier to approach an ad that is marketed toward men and women about the subject of body representation. Describe the commercial or ad in detail to us (you may include on-line ads with your paper when you send it in, and then discuss the subtle or subliminal ways it works on the consumer). You will need to use some judgment in your selection of material here, just as you will have to for your research papers. This is crucial: try to choose a subject that lends itself to analysis, rather than one that is easily read or interpreted, as the latter will leave you little to discuss. You may, of course, work with more than one ad if you wish, as does Bordo.
You may want to begin your discussion by quoting from or working with Bordo. The degree to which you work with her will be determined by the content of the ad you select. Should you try to take this approach, be careful that you quote not merely the specifics of her discussions, but rather the generalities or theories that she offers. This could place your own discussion in a clear critical context. You may also want to include references to John Berger, as there are ample opportunities to quote passages of his essay that deal with our “ways of seeing” these ads. (Note Bordo’s use of Berger in her text.) Remember, your analysis needs to be specific, but it also needs to include a discussion of what the larger message is to consumers of the images you've selected. As Bordo suggests, the purpose of advertisements is not simply to get you to buy the product, but to create a sociological need for the products without which you will be seen as inadequate or inferior. What do the successes of such advertisements say about who we are and what we value?
Here again, you have the option of working with the Bordo essay without analyzing an advertisement. You may wish to use her essay to critically evaluate your own stance on the power and presence of media in our lives. But this will take a fairly close reading of Bordo's work, and a willingness to battle or argue with her on the points with which you disagree, if indeed you are in disagreement.