1 class periods of 90 minutes each
Large Groups
This lesson is to help students understand messages that the media is sending and how to choose what to support and what they value.
Students will understand that media is sending messages that are affecting them whether they know it or not.
What's the big deal? Karin Jasper, Ph.D states "Women are encouraged to be over-concerned with their appearance, to invest time and energy in how they look at the expense of other important goals. The media, fashion, and advertising industries have been accused of causing eating problems by their almost exclusive presentation of thin female actors and models."
She also states "…current advertisements perpetuate the myth that everyone can be thin, they lend reality to what is false. We are led to believe that if we would do all the right things, if we would eat right, exercise right, and think right, then we could all be thin. The fact is that genetic factors contribute to our having a variety of body types."
In Media Messages by Linda Holtzman she quotes Douglas Kellner saying, "Radio, television, film and other products of the culture industries provide the models of what it means to be male or female, successful or a failure, powerful or powerless…media culture helps shape the prevalent view of the world and its deepest values: it defines what is considered good or bad, positive or negative, moral or evil."
Holtzman also states "On the one hand, most of us know and can articulate that the programs we are watching are fictional; yet we often believe and internalize the invisible messages we are receiving. This same process occurs as we listen to popular music or watch a feature film."
Basic Questions to Ask
Have students evaluate one song and one movie that they have listened to recently and explain the messages sent by them. Have them answer if they support those messages or if they are supportive of their values? If not, what should they do?