Diana Castellanos Post #1
We have thought about how objects influence our daily life, but rarely do we think about how objects have gotten us to do their bidding for them. For example, the apple has become a staple in the households and diets of not only many Americans but also people all around the world. But do humans have too tight a grip on the existence of apple? From the reading, “In Search of the Primeval Apple Forest” in the book Apples by Frank Browning, I have learned that the apple has traveled throughout history by being transported by humans and other mammals. But I’ve also learned that science and the search for sweetness has changed and stopped the way the fruit evolves. Farmers now grow only a select few types of apples that can easily be marketed and sold to the public. But scientists realized that this technique could eventually kill the apples, and have tried to keep up the evolution of the apple by visiting the start of its history: the apple forests of Kazakh. I think it’s important to re...
Olivia Davidson Post #3 Section 4:10pm
ReplyDeleteLast lecture we discussed the Barbie. I found this topic to be somewhat relevant to me. As a child, I owned many Barbies and tons of Barbie accessories. My mom bought most of the toys for me. Since I didn't have any sisters my mom would often play with me. Although there are many arguments about how Barbie's measurements are unrealistic, the way my mom introduced Barbie to me was less about her looks and more about what she could embody. My favorite Barbie to play with was "Doctor Barbie" and "Vet Barbie." My mom tried to teach me lessons about being a good friend or working hard using Barbie as an example. I tend to think that people put too much power into objects like this. If we were worried about how toys affected children's behavior, we could put that blame on other toys, such as The Bratz Dolls. Everything about these dolls embodied being mean and having an attitude, but if we just allow a child to be creative and play and stop pushing beliefs about how some things may influence children, then maybe a toy is just a toy. Another prime example I have of someone giving toys too much power was a comment someone made to my mom when I was a child. I was carrying a baby doll around a department store when a women stopped my mom and said, "Toys like that encourage teenage pregnancy." I will never forget this comment because I found it ridiculous. There are so many factors that play into who someone will become and I think toys are the least of our worries.
Your story is very interesting! I totally agree with you that toys, particularly Barbie, are one of the very last things that I think will have a negative influence on the development of children. In addition, it promotes a way for parents to educate their children in a good and natural way.
DeleteI also had multiple Barbie dolls and tons of accessories. However, I do not believed my mom played with the Barbie dolls often. Playing with the dolls by myself wasn't that educational so my mom introduced me to oline Barbie / Mattel games. I think that these online games tought me lessons about being a good friend. As I got older, developed a fondness for jigsaw puzzles and Gundam figurines. Sometimes it would take me long time to complete a puzzle or figure, so I think they helped me improve my attention span and work ethic. It would be cool if we did a study on jigsaw puzzles.
DeleteI was the opposite, I believed I had one barbie princess doll. I had plush toys, poo chi the robot dog, a whole bunch of disney toys, also puzzles. But I remember the My Scene Barbie dolls which had dolls of different ethnicities, but of course they all had the same body type. I loved my toys but they did not teach me "lessons" I just loved collecting them, but I know for other children they are a key in helping them grow up. Aside for my parents, I think for me, public television, such as PBS kids taught me some important life lessons.
DeleteHaving finished my paper this past weekend, I feel like I finally understand the role of my object, the key, over time. I wrote about the key in three time periods, ancient, Renaissance, and current day. In ancient times, keys replaced the need for humans guards to protect ones belongings. During the Renaissance, the market for keys greatly increased and locksmithing became a popular profession. In the current day, new technological advances are decreasing physical key usage and we are instead seeing more use of biometric keys. Biometrics use physical features or behaviors to unlock. It was interesting to learn about my object, the key, and I am glad I chose to write about it for my paper.
ReplyDeleteThat's a really interesting object to choose. I know this course is supposed to get us thinking about the mundane objects we take for granted in our lives, but I would have never thought of keys. Its an object we mostly all use every single day but it is so underrated.
Delete@Allyson
DeleteThe key is an interesting object. And how it goes back to many years. Yet as the years passed the key evolves and becomes newer. Yet now they have proxy cards. Which is certainly a key. I loved how you picked the key as your object
I haven't given much thought into keys before you seeing your post. It is definitely interesting how the key has changed through time. Today, the key is closely tied to our identity -- facial security, fingerprint, and etc. It would be nice to see your paper. It is also worth exploring how they will change even more in the future.
DeleteThe key would have definitely been an interesting topic to research. I can see how keys became more widely used as metal production and forming technology improved. It is also very interesting to see, as you mentioned, how the key and it’s purpose has changed as the need for security and safe keeping becomes increasingly important and machine controlled instead of by humans. Keys evolve with society’s needs and certainly we will see even more complex and advanced locks and keys invented in the future.
DeleteI was amazed after the lecture on Barbie dolls. I did not know that the production of this iconic toy involves so many countries into it. Barbie is one of many products that are made available by globalization. For instance, the nylon hair is from Japan and the logistic control is done in Hong Kong. This means that Barbie is not just only a piece of toy for children but it also has a lot of influences in term of job generation in multiple countries. In addition, the body design of the Barbie doll also reflects the current view of the society on what a women body should look like. A Barbie doll is so powerful that we carry out many studies related to the mentally development of human overtime based on the sales of different types of Barbie. For instance, we can compare the sales between male Barbie dolls and female Barbie dolls to have some interpretation on the gender inequality. Furthermore, I have read several economics articles that analyze the economics growth trend based on the fluctuation in demand for Barbie. Finally, I also learn an interesting fact from the lecture: “The children of the US are only 3% of the world’s population but own 40% of the world’s toys.” This statistic weakly infers us that there is a big cultural and economical gap between the US and the rest of the world, and it is reflected through the amount of money being spent on toys for children.
ReplyDeleteI want to expand your point on the how barbie is made available by globalization. In linking back the social relations and relationships between object and subject in previous lectures, the barbie symbolizes a national change in trades, sales, and materialistic goods that affect our lives.
DeleteI 100% agree with your analysis of the Barbie lecture. I was also surprised by just how many international pieces there were to the Barbie's construction. It adds to the globalization of the Barbie as a commodity. I also found the "3% vs. 40%" quote extremely interesting, because as you said, it shows just how impactful U.S. culture and the U.S. market are.
DeleteIn my opinion, the lecture on the history and story of the Barbie raises questions about the concept of a “transnational object” and transnationalism in the modern world. As discussed, professor Kaplan presents the barbie as a transnational object not just because there are international barbies, but also because Mattel, which is a toy manufacturing company, is a transnational corporation. Furthermore, we discussed the doll itself has never been produced in the US, instead, its parts are produced in different countries (e.g. Ethylene sent to Taiwan to make plastic pallets to form the basis for Barbie’s body). This suggests that the Barbie doll is a transnational object in terms of its production and manufacturing processes. In comparison, the phone is also a transitional object because its use and strategies are known across geographical boundaries. In a sense, the barbie and the phones are transnational objects in different contexts. This means that our modern world is interconnected by different kinds of transnationalism, which refers to the increased interconnectivity in the world. Therefore, I personally believe transnationalism is the foundation of the society and it revolutionizes people’s lifestyles.
ReplyDeletePrior to Tuesday’s lecture on the Barbie doll, I watched a documentary on Netflix, “The Toys That Made Us”, which discussed the history of iconic American toys like the Barbie doll, G.I. Joe, and Star Wars themed toys. The documentary also discussed the importance of these toys in American culture and how they influence our lives. This documentary made me realize that toys help reinforce gender roles. Toy are never neutral, they are always market to a specific gender. Advertisements for girl toys like the Barbie doll and the Easy-Bake Oven often show girls at home with other female figures while ads for boy toys like Nerf guns show boys running around outside the home with other boys. This indicates that children are taught that women are docile and restricted to the home while men have more freedom. Even as we try to move away from gender roles in our adult life, we will probably fall prey to these advertisements and subconsciously fuel more gender stereotypes.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree...toys can be sexist and misogynistic and reiterate gender stereotypes that do not belong. We never really notice these things as children, but gender norms have been inflicted on us since birth and the toy industry continues to do so. It is nice to see toys that actually advertise that men and women can be whoever they want to be and are not restricted to a particular role.
DeleteI have not heard of this Netflix documentary before but it sounds interesting! I'm not sure when the documentary was made or if they talked about this, but I think it's great that some of the new Star Wars movies have involved female main characters. This might help prevent children from thinking that certain toys or brands are limited to a single gender.
DeleteI just watched this! It definitely opened my eyes to the psychological effects behind toys like this, since I never played with dolls/figurines much as a kid.I wonder if toys of this style will become less popular over time, since entertainment is becoming more digitalized.
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ReplyDeleteWhen discussing the Barbie, as an object. I found it really interesting how the barbie has never been manufacturer in the USA, yet it is said to be an all american girl due to its physical appearance. The barbie brought a lot of controversy when it comes to expectations and a standards for many women. Since the barbie is the standard body every women must have. It is interesting how the barbie it's a transnational object since it is manufactured in many sites all over the country. The Barbie its definitely a dynamic object.
ReplyDelete@Emily
ReplyDeleteI totally agreed with you, but it is interesting as well how over the years this has been changing. Since our cultural awareness is changing, so is the toy market . Now you can find toys that re more gender neutral. An there are more variety of yous as the years pass by. Yet its is interesting to see th hat there are some toys that would never be gender neutral, one of these would be the barbie.
Talking about Barbie on Tuesday's lecture reminded me of my childhood. I used to have a few Barbie dolls and I remember being inspired mostly by the Barbies that advertised the notion that girls can be whatever they dream. I had huge dreams growing up so I always enjoyed pretending to live out these dreams through my Barbie. However, like discussed in class, Barbie started out with one specific image of a woman – an image with unrealistic proportions that was unattainable for any woman. Barbie advertised a blonde, blue-eyed tall woman with a slender body and a small waist and hips - but this was unfortunately not representative of most women at the time. Seeing only one specific image of what a woman is supposed to look like can be detrimental to children. As a child, I never questioned Barbie’s image in particular, but that did not mean I did not notice underrepresentation of race and body types. I could not help but wonder why no dolls in any store ever looked like me. But there was a time when the Bratz doll came into the market and I remember losing my interest in Barbie. At the time, I did not really piece together why this was, but looking back, I subconsciously connected more with the Bratz doll. Bratz dolls were ethnically diverse and embraced all cultures which is what I think made them so popular. I never really took this into perspective, but toys and dolls have a huge impact on children that goes beyond toys themselves.
ReplyDeleteI found the lecture on Road Maps very interesting because I did not know that there was a lot of meaning and history on the object. Interestingly, there is more to a road map than just giving one's location. As the professor said in lecture, "The road map is supposed to be a legible and transparent tool for navigation. But the US roadmap masks the social relations that limit the very automcobility that the first maps and guides celebrated." This really surprised me because I always thought that the road map was objective and unbiased. What really struck me the most was that African-Americans had a special map during the time of racism. After learning more about the object, I got to appreciate the road map more.
ReplyDeleteThe barbie lecture, specifically the points about containerization I found to be especially engaging. I had always wondered when it was that shipping began using such standardized containers. It was also very interesting to learn that a single man, Malcolm Mclean, was mostly responsible for containerization (at least its inception). In a way, the shipping container visually being so standardized makes it easier to consider the various objects inside as part of a single system. One container could hold grains, and another could hold the plastic used to make barbie doll arms. In this way, it places objects otherwise unrelated into a new type of space.
ReplyDeleteI never was one to own Barbie dolls, or any dolls for that matter when I was a child, so it was really eye opening to see the statistics and cultural impact of the Barbie brand in the readings and in Professor Kaplan’s lecture. Seeing a $10 toy on a store shelf, I never really stop to think about how complex the item is structurally, where the raw materials to make it were harvested or originating from, how many people it took to make it, or how the object got from a factory to a store shelf. It’s astounding that something like a Barbie doll could require such back breaking efforts as taking natural materials, forming plastic, injection molding body parts, having 15 different paint stations, nylon hair shipped in from another country from the factory, and ironically having the retail packaging for Barbies shipped in from the United States to just be sent back to American Stores. But Barbies have also had such a strong cultural history that is filled with controversy. A child’s doll is not expected to have such controversy as white-washing, setting impossible physical standards for young girls, and revealing clothing styles with sexual connotations. Overall, seeing all of Baribie’s history in production and society, both in good and bad lighting really opened my eyes to the nature of mass production today and the hidden complexities behind daily objects that once seemed so simple and mundane.
ReplyDeleteI think much of the production of items is lost once the items reaches the shelf, and even more so when the item gets to the consumer. Tuesday's lecture really reminds me of how complex the process of producing every day items can be.
DeleteThe Barbie doll lecture was one of my favorites covered in class. I took AMS 30, Images of America, and we had discussed the Barbie doll in that class as well. It was interesting to compare and contrast the different perspectives that the two different AMS classes took on the Barbie. This lecture made me feel nostalgic, because as a child, so much of my alone time consisted of me playing with my Barbies. If I wasn't out doing something active, I was in my room playing with my huge collection of Barbie dolls. I used to keep all of them in a huge plastic bag that I kept in the back of my closet. My Barbies really brought out my imaginative side. I was so enthralled with these dolls that I crafted my own multi-story Barbie dream house. Using cardboard, tape, markers, and a variety of accessories I found around the house, I made my very own Barbie mansion and created an environment for my Barbies to take over. In hindsight, it's crazy to consider how much of our childhoods were consumed by this one doll. Society's obsession with material culture is ever-present, and our discussion on the Barbie proves this.
ReplyDeleteI was amazed during our Automobile lecture that it would literally take years to go from one side of the country to the other. Now we can travel all over the country in our car, and fly all over the world on a plane. In America, we cannot live our lives without some sort of transportation. I was unaware that when automobiles emerged, electric and steam powered automobiles were competing with gas powered automobiles. Back then gas was a byproduct, not useful for anything. So to get rid of the gas, they decided to use it for automobiles. Now the tables have turned, there is not enough to last us the end of the century. Something as fundamental as a car be be used to separate gender and class. Electric cars was considered weaker than gasoline, so more appropriate for women. And sports cars are seen more for the elite class.
ReplyDeleteIt is really interesting that gasoline was chosen as a fuel option because it was a material in excess. I have learned through this course that many materials that have shaped our lives are chosen by large corporations out of convenience and affordability. The ability of corporations to assign value to materials and objects based off of self-serving reasons is very disheartening.
DeleteI find it frustrating to see that we could have taken a much more environmentally friendly route to automobiles. Our cars would most likely be much more advanced than the ones we have now, considering the fact that Elon Musk is currently breaking records with his Teslas.
DeleteI knew Barbie was controversial to some extent, but the lecture on Tuesday linked Barbie to so many things that I had no clue about. I never really paid any attention to Barbie dolls other than when they'd occasionally pop up in headlines, specifically about the lack of diversity between dolls. I'm glad to see they're shifting in their image of the Barbie as time has gone on. I think this is one of the cases where the consumers are actually influencing the production of Barbies to some extent. This is in contrast to the refrigerator industry we learned about in the beginning of class where the industry had a big choice in what the consumers would receive. Mattel acknowledged the change in the times and shifted the image of their barbies accordingly.
ReplyDeleteI found the bra lecture to be fascinating because of how brilliant the Maidenform marketing team was. Their advertisements were clever and lighthearted, even while covering very serious gendered topics. Clearly the "I dreamed..." message struck a cord with American women at the time, which speaks to the social dynamics of that age. These advertisements appeared whimsical and humorous which successfully masked the inequalities they presented. The portrayal of this product allowed the Maidenform team to sexualize women in a way that was previously inappropriate and introduce career options that were not commonly accessible to women. Thus, women did not buy bras solely for their function, but also for the empowering message that accompanied the product. Today, Victoria's Secret takes a vastly different approach to their marketing campaign. Instead of presenting women in daring, outlandish, and fun settings; Victoria's Secret sells off of pure sex appeal. Perhaps this is because our society is desensitized to this material, or maybe it is because the career empowerment messages are no longer as relevant or out of reach.
ReplyDeleteI also found the bra lecture to be a very intriguing one. I talked more of the history of it but your points on the sexualizing and inequalities present with this commodity were all great remarks. There were so many aspects of this talk that significantly opened my eyes to how far the bra has come and the sex appeal associated with it. I would have to agree that humor desensitizes the message marketers are trying to convey in ads, we need more empowerment messages when it comes to the way women are portrayed in these garments.
DeleteYour point about Victoria Secret was real clever because I never really thought of it that way. However, after learning about the history of the Bra and from what is represented to what it is today, I agree that it has become desensitized. This is probably because compared to back in that time period, women have more rights and are more equal than at the period the Bra emerged. It shouldn't be like this, the message the Bra had should stay the same because at this point VS is basically mocking the significance of the bra and stating that sex appeal tops empowerment. Which goes against the core representation of the Bra.
DeleteThe letter that I found Most Fascinating was about automobile, it is interesting to think all automobiles will first run by electricity what do I change to run by gasoline. The reason for this I think is due to the blue in the oil industry and to drive the demand for oil so either most corporations at that time try to make availability in use oil. the automobile industry built aupon this principle and capitalized on it.Harrison Ford came up with a Auto industry assembly line for cars that made them cheaper to produce for middle class Americans since at that time everyone needed transportation to go around places and they only cheap solution when the long run over cars rather than trains. the Model T was considered as one of the greatest inventions although it ran through gasoline fuel and completed with other electric brand cars it quickly took over America because of its wide appeal and advertisements to show how that model T was a family car.
ReplyDeleteReading over most of these posts I would have to agree with the majority that stated the barbie lecture was the most interesting thus far, but to stray away from the popular vote I also thought the talk on bras was too! Being a product I use daily, it was intriguing to see where the garment started and it what it is today. The fact it was once made out of metal is mind blowing, for even with the material they are made out of currently I find them uncomfortable. Then with it being used to shape women's waists is a style choice that shocked me. With Professor Kaplan exhibiting all the ads with these girls and their tiny waists and the attraction behind it shows how unhealthy this day and age was. Even when she showed a picture of the bra being pointy rather than flat and cupped was an amazing quality I would have, personally, never expected. I know many men probably did not enjoy this lecture but being a female it is significant to know how far a product can transform over the years, with it being worthy even a hundred dollars under certain brands. Now it is glamorized and completely changed from a metal garment to a pricey, softer commodity currently.
ReplyDeleteThe thing that interested me about the Barbie doll lecture was that it was modeled after a similar European one, especially since the European one was mostly a gag gift. The fact that it originated as a mock sexual figure, then became a children's toy, is a bit of a step in the wrong direction in my opinion. This is why it is no surprise to me that Barbie's body figure became such a controversial topic, yet I would have expected the developers to change it by now. The waistline should not have become even skinnier than it previously was.
ReplyDeleteThe first article on Bra's "Uplift: The Bra in America" found in the AMS reader provided interesting history on the development of the Bra. I found it to be quite shocking how wearing a brassiere and wearing looser clothing was associated to prostitution. However, when I thought about it, I realized that for prostitutes it would be more convenient to have a brassiere which was easier to remove and less constricting than a corset. It would make their job easier. The harmful effects of the corset pushed for the Bra to be created and then further developed, which I am thankful for because wearing a corset in this heat, is a killer. Later the Bra became a symbol of hygiene and even like defiance towards the standard of beauty for the body, set by the people of the time. The most interesting fact I found was that Idalia Weed patented design for the bra is the most similar to the modern day bra, which was pre patented in the 1890s. I found it shocking how something from so long ago remained so essential in the modern life of today. Of course with the free the nipple movement, Bra's are becoming more a more optional opinion, perhaps in the next decade, the use of Bra might be minimum.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree, analyzing the social relationship between women's bodies and garments can give us insight not only on how these objects shaped the body, but how they shaped careers as well. Now, the progress of the bra has shaped many social movements today.
DeleteI found the road map most interesting from the second half of the quarter. Since I always thought of the object as completely objective tool that people have used for decades, centuries even, it was interesting to hear quite the contrary in professor Kaplan's lecture this quarter. The context in which any particular road map was made can give us so much insight on the social relations within the county, or state, at the time. For example, a road map from an Alabama county in the 1940's may contain information that relies upon Jim Crow laws, or any type of segregation to be enforced. These maps can tell us stories now that were a harsh reality for certain bodies traveling throughout the United States. My favorite quote from Kaplan's lecture: "The question of WHERE we are can never be divorced from WHO we are."
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