Thursday, December 9, 2010

Question #7

7) Explain how the following video, How to make your breasts look bigger, is both an appropriation and reappropriation of sexual signifiers, and discuss the implications of the film from both perspectives (i.e. the appropriation and reappropriation of sexual signifiers from early pornography) (100-150 words).



Underwear:
How To Make Your Breasts Look Bigger

Appropriation is defined as the adoption of some specific elements of one cultures by a different cultural group. Usually things that are appropriated are removed from indigenous culture contexts, and their meanings are changed. While this is a definition of appropriation, reappropriation is the cultural process by which a group reclaims, or literally RE-appropriates terms or things that were previously used with a different purpose. In this video, "How to make your breasts look bigger" we see both appropriation and reappropriation taken from sexual signifiers from early pornography.

In this video we see appropriation from her wearing merely just a bra and through her actions/attitude taken from early pornography. The way she presents herself, by pushing her breast together and the raspy and sexy voice can be seen as being appropriated from early porn. At that time, these things were seen as normal and sexy, which this girl is now making her own - her own way to get a guy to notice her. This video also shows reappropriation in ways such as her big push up bra. This sexual clothing has been reappropriated so that today it is seen as sexy. The sexy voice of talking slowly and raspy has also been reappropriated in the sense that this old technique was once used to lure guys in, and even today it is reappropriated in media to do the same thing. This women also makes sexualized noises which was seen in early pornography.

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