English 101: Essay #1

For your first essay, you have five (5) options:

1.) Visit the "Women in Fashion" portfolio, and write an essay in which you chart and analyze the depiction of women in fashion advertising from the 1940s through today. Be sure to compare and contrast the advertisements, noting both their similarities and differences, and be sure to offer an analysis of (provide an argument about) how the depiction of women in these advertisements has and/or has not changed over the years.

2.) In "The Beauty Myth," Naomi Wolf argues that the "modern arsenal of the [beauty] myth is a dissemination of millions of images of the current ideal" (492). Test her theory, as well as the specifics of her argument, by analyzing an advertisement in a current women's fashion magazine. Be sure, in the process, to spend a significant amount of time outlining Wolf's argument, discussing the current ideal of female beauty, and making reference to other examples of the ideal in a variety of mediums. Finally, be certain to make an argument about the social significance and consequences of disseminating such an ideal. In other terms, be sure to spend a significant amount of time discussing whether the current representation of women is positive or negative, as well as the impact that this representation has on women.

3.) In her article "Sex, Lies, and Advertising," Gloria Steinem insists that virtually all of the content in women's magazines is a disguised form of advertising. In other words, she insists that there is a direct relationship between the editorial (the articles) and the advertisements in magazines like Elle, Cosmo, W, Glamour, etc. Test her theory by writing an essay in which you analyze the relationship between the content and the advertisements in a single issue of a current women's magazine. In addition, be certain, in the process, to include an overview of Steinem's argument as well as a discussion of the social and political significance and consequences of the relationship between the content and the ads in women's magazines. In other words, do the articles and ads provide a definition of what it means to be a woman in American culture? Is this definition positive or negative?

4.) In "Commodify Your Dissent," Thomas Frank insists that consumerism is "no longer about 'conformity' but about 'difference.' Advertising teaches us not in the ways of puritanical self-denial . . . but in orgiastic, never-ending self-fulfillment. . . . We consume not to fit in, but to prove, on the surface at least, that we are rock 'n' roll rebels, eaach one of us as rule-breaking and hierarchy-defying" (165). In other terms, the cultural rebel reigns supreme. Test his theory, as well as the specifics of his argument, by analyzing an advertisement in a current men's magazine, such as Details or Maxim. Be certain, in the process, to include an overview of Frank's argument, make reference to other examples of cultural rebellion in a variety of mediums, and discuss the social and political consequences of transforming elements of oppositional culture into marketing motifs.

5.) Noam Chomsky, a famous cultural critic and social dissident, makes the following argument: "All over the place, from the popular culture to the propaganda system, there is constant pressure to make people feel that they are helpless, that the only role they can have is to ratify decisions and to consume." To be sure, American culture moves at break-neck speed, and we are taught that we need to keep up, that we need to endlessly (and passively) consume. There is, of course, another option: drop out and tune in. Engage silence and stillness. For this essay option, then, I am asking that, for a few days, you pull the plug on commercial consumption: no television, no movies, no music, no internet, no phone, no reading--just you and your mind for a few days. Along the way, record, in writing, your thoughts and emotions, and then use this material to construct a formal essay on your discoveries. Needless to say, the essay should, in some direct or at least indirect sense, make an argument about the role of consumption/consumerism in American culture. If you choose this option, you will be required to turn in your notes along with the essay.

The requirements for the essay are as follows:

Regardless of which option you choose, here are a few things you should keep in mind as you are writing your essay:

EXCHANGING DRAFTS
For the first essay, you will be required to read and make comments on the rough drafts of your classmates' essays. To do so, you will need to access the discussion forum and post your comments in the conference folder entitled "Essay One Drafts."