11) Find two critical texts from the semester, and discuss how they relate to or expand the argument of your overall topic for the semester, drawing on a specific advertisement you did NOT discuss in your papers.
Over the course of this term I studied the notion of perfection and the desire to have a “dream” life, which in most cases is unattainable. I looked at different “American Dreams” through different demographics and found that consumerism played a huge factor in the portrayal of happiness. Two text which relate to my overarching theme this semester is Juliet Schors article, “The New Politics of Consumption, Why Americans Want So Much More Than They Need” and Janice Radways article, “Women Read The Romance, The Interaction of Text and Context.”
These two articles relate to my topic of a dream life which is in fact is almost impossible to obtain. In my analysis I look at the demographics of mothers who in most cases want the classic “American Dream” as Schor describes “Trophy homes, diamonds of a carat or more, granite countertops, and sport utility vehicles are the primary consumer symbols of the late 1990s.” In my content analysis I look at a photo essay portraying the classic “American Dream” of having the two kids, maid and perfect husband, but also shows how this sense of consumption and wealth can deteriorate a relationship as in my image the couple is breaking up. This is similar in Schors article as he talks about the competitive consumption and how society believes that you have to “Keep up with the Jones.”
Janice Radways article also relates to my topic of this dream life. This article discusses women’s obsession with romance novels probably because it creates a fantasy life. Reading romance novels allows for people to escape reality and engage in a life they perceive to be perfect. This desire for perfect romance could be seen in a variety and vast amount of media as a lot of media revolves around romance. Not only do these women dream a life of romance but also maybe just simply a life that isn’t their own. Society always wants more. Consumption can be seen as the dream in itself.
These two images of Gossip Girl portray both the dream and unattainable life. Gossip Girl portrays a lifestyle in NYC which the teenagers live in pent houses by themselves and live a unsupervised life. Not only is this a dream life for teenagers but also for men as Chuck Bass has a life with extreme wealth and girls always be his side. As this lifestyle can be a dream, Gossip Girl also shows how consumption can deteriorate relationships and in fact create extreme unhappiness and conflict. This show portrays that this stereotypical fantasy life is in fact unattainable and that consumption doesn't always create happiness.
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