I took: Disneyland and American Culture and the Sociology of Pop Culture (wherein I studied Trekkers and wrote a paper on Titanic (the movie) that involved video clips).
I skipped the Sociology of Porn (or some such) though I hear it was fascinating.
Princeton really need to step up on its "classes with names that are likely to subject it to public ridicule". #modelbehaviors
I'm waiting for the day someone wises up and finally bases a class around my memoir of being a blog commenter and on again/off again bloggist. #modelbehaviors
@WaltzingMatilda: oh honey, i know how you feel. i essentially created my own minor which i have called "sexuality and gender roles in pop culture". and some day (a long time from now) i will go to grad school and write a dissertation on Intersectionality in Mass Media.
i took a history of pop music class (starting pre-ragtime) and hated it, it was was too base and didn't delve into anything. [i'm THAT kid in the music class, which is probably why i'm a music supervisor now]. #modelbehaviors
Pop Music 2 was my favorite, favorite class - for multiple reasons. First, tracing rock's origins and development from African drum beats to Chuck Berry to Elvis to the Beatles to Bob Dylan, etc. - LOVED the history of rock. Second, much better classmates. Tons of kids failed Pop 1 because they thought it would be easy, so Pop 2 was all kinds of music majors and enthusiasts. My small section was SO much fun. #modelbehaviors
@WaltzingMatilda: I've written two A essays on Christian Indie and its secular consumers, and the cultural significance of the globalisation of hip-hop, and its impact on Black youth culture.
Popular music studies mark, yo- easiest, most fun paper ever! #modelbehaviors
I'd be interested in seeing the syllabus for this course. While I'm skeptical, I do agree that sometimes the "fluff" course turn out to be much more difficult than expected. I took a course on popular music, and it was actually much tougher than any other course I took for my music minor (it was more challenging than the history of the symphony even). I think it depends on the instructor and what kind of standards will be upheld. #modelbehaviors
Is AFTER THE RAIN by Princeton alum Brooke Shields additional reading? Anybody remember the name of her first book, the one she wrote while still a student? #modelbehaviors
@hello.kitty: It was carried in my college bookstore- all I remember is the chapter headed, " what my Virginity Means to me", which my mean friends and I would giggle at. #modelbehaviors
I understand that knowledge of pop culture is important, but classes like this is why America is slowing down on innovation and intelligence. #modelbehaviors
@Triana Orpheus: Thank you. While I don't necessarily believe that we should all flock to engineering schools, this is sorely evident in the decline of college level writing/analysis, reading comprehension, and basic information retention skills. (Can you tell I work at a writing center/book store?) #modelbehaviors
@Triana Orpheus: right? we sound like the sourpusses here, but it seems to me that pop culture is about the only thing in which the majority of americans is well-versed.
that said, i do keep hoping that reincarnation is true because do i ever want to come back in just one lifetime as a leggy, wealthy supermodel. what could suck about being giselle bundchen? even for just a year.
@Triana Orpheus: I disagree. I think it's just as important to be able to think critically about pop culture as it is to be able to think critically about Woolf or Tolstoy, and it's just important to be able to understand how and why we are producing these books/magazines/movies/television shows (and what effect they have on us as a society) as it is to understand how and why we have favelas in Brazil and brutal rape in Congo, or how we are still feeling the effects of World War II and Vietnam in global politics. All culture was pop culture once -- even the books student read as classics now. Why is it any less valuable to understand that books and essays and other media are a product of their time and place while you're in that time and place, instead of hundreds of years or thousands of miles removed? #modelbehaviors
@egg cream: It isn't of less value when the people who participate in the study and dissection of pop culture are intelligent and thoughtful enough to make it user to society as a whole. If sociology is what you are great at, by all means, go forth and prosper. But you explain to me how a class on supermodel memoirs is going to keep us competive with Japan, China and India.
@DexterHaven: I say this as a former English major, yes it is. There is a reason why the creative majors are so underpaid. That does not mean they don't add value to our lives, they add immense value. If I didn't have music, I'd go crazy. But the creative arts are subjective and will not affect everyone in the same way. Some piece will be of more value to someone else (which explains the reason why I've never read a single memoir by a celebrity but other people love them). But the scientific and technological advancements that are made can be of use to every single person across the globe and I feel like we're moving away from that and moving more towards classes like this because they're easier. #modelbehaviors
Thank you for this piece. Oddly Mulder was in my mind recently after the Muse exhibit at the Met here in NYC. As one of the most beautiful models ever, I was always confused why she never went as far as some of her other counterparts, like the Trinity. She was gorgeous and definitely one of my favorites, the other being Patitz, during the 90's model bomb. This is a terrible story and seems to be a continuing problem in an industry that capitalizes on sexualizing young women.
And I know that this is a problem throughout the industry, but does it seem to be more present in Europe?
WTF is going on here?! It seems like Jezebel simultaneously fetishizes modeling, dance, Marilyn Monroe's exact weight and measurements and writes long, impassioned articles about how OMG TERRIBLE FOR WOMEN THEY ARE.
I'm not trying to be a jerk here, but I seriously do not understand what's happening. All of our anonymous model's articles seem to talk about how terrible her profession is, yet she's a frequent contributor. There are policies against bodysnarking and other 'triggering' comments, yet we see articles about "The worst diets I ever tried" (thanks for the thinspo, tips & tricks Moe!).
For some reason the contradiction really struck me with this article, because it is predicated on the notion that the Jezebel readers are intrigued and curious about modelling... I don't even know. You'll probably dismvowel this comment anyway.
@Kira Smith: Welcome to the wonderful world of gray areas and complex issues!
I can be intrigued by, or even attracted to, the world of fashion and modeling and still recognize that there are problems in the industry that need to be addressed.
These posts create lively discussions, which is great. Tatiana's writing is excellent, and she provides insight into her profession. Why shouldn't she be a frequent contributor? Hearing from many voices gives a better picture of the world around us.
People disagree and debate on Jezebel all the time. It's part of what makes me come back.
Tatiana - your post hit me square in the jaw. As a dumpy, 4'11' "normal" gal, I spent countless hours of my teenaged years alternating between complete facination of and absolute disdain for the women in Vogue, Bazaar, Mirabella and Elle.
I didn't think they had feelings (let alone brains); thay "had it all". What use did they have for self-doubt, angst, loneliness, or dread?
We're all guilty as charged. We buy the images, buy INTO the images. The girls are product or, worse, simply a backdrop. I'm so sorry.
It makes me sad to think that businesswomen like Wilhelmina Cooper & Eileen Ford may have kept their mouths shut in order to advance their own self-interests (or their husband's).
11/10/09
I took: Disneyland and American Culture and the Sociology of Pop Culture (wherein I studied Trekkers and wrote a paper on Titanic (the movie) that involved video clips).
I skipped the Sociology of Porn (or some such) though I hear it was fascinating.
Princeton really need to step up on its "classes with names that are likely to subject it to public ridicule". #modelbehaviors
11/10/09
11/10/09
@coffee milk: Brava. #modelbehaviors
11/10/09
11/10/09
ANTM time!
(but seriously, I did a final class paper on P Funk, so you shall hear no complaints from me) #modelbehaviors
11/10/09
it was the best class i took in college. #modelbehaviors
11/10/09
Full-disclosure: I also have to admit, in my pop culture class, I wrote my final paper on Animal House and its influence on modern fratnernity life.
(I took two on pop music - separated into pre-ragtime and post-ragtime, both were awesome, and one on pop culture. Yeah, I'm that kid) #modelbehaviors
11/10/09
i took a history of pop music class (starting pre-ragtime) and hated it, it was was too base and didn't delve into anything. [i'm THAT kid in the music class, which is probably why i'm a music supervisor now]. #modelbehaviors
11/10/09
Pop Music 2 was my favorite, favorite class - for multiple reasons. First, tracing rock's origins and development from African drum beats to Chuck Berry to Elvis to the Beatles to Bob Dylan, etc. - LOVED the history of rock. Second, much better classmates. Tons of kids failed Pop 1 because they thought it would be easy, so Pop 2 was all kinds of music majors and enthusiasts. My small section was SO much fun. #modelbehaviors
11/10/09
Popular music studies mark, yo- easiest, most fun paper ever! #modelbehaviors
11/10/09
11/10/09
11/10/09
11/10/09
11/10/09
11/10/09
11/10/09
that said, i do keep hoping that reincarnation is true because do i ever want to come back in just one lifetime as a leggy, wealthy supermodel. what could suck about being giselle bundchen? even for just a year.
11/10/09
11/10/09
11/10/09
11/10/09
11/10/09
11/10/09
I prefer to blame business schools and MBA programs for the downfall of higher education, but that's just me. #modelbehaviors
08/31/09
08/31/09
I come from a family of lawyers and actors: the differences between the personalities it takes to be in either profession are slight.
08/31/09
08/31/09
08/31/09
07/03/09
(though, clearly, parts of the industry have destroyed far too many people)
The covers were nice though, right?
07/02/09
And I know that this is a problem throughout the industry, but does it seem to be more present in Europe?
07/02/09
I'm not trying to be a jerk here, but I seriously do not understand what's happening. All of our anonymous model's articles seem to talk about how terrible her profession is, yet she's a frequent contributor. There are policies against bodysnarking and other 'triggering' comments, yet we see articles about "The worst diets I ever tried" (thanks for the thinspo, tips & tricks Moe!).
For some reason the contradiction really struck me with this article, because it is predicated on the notion that the Jezebel readers are intrigued and curious about modelling... I don't even know. You'll probably dismvowel this comment anyway.
07/02/09
I can be intrigued by, or even attracted to, the world of fashion and modeling and still recognize that there are problems in the industry that need to be addressed.
These posts create lively discussions, which is great. Tatiana's writing is excellent, and she provides insight into her profession. Why shouldn't she be a frequent contributor? Hearing from many voices gives a better picture of the world around us.
People disagree and debate on Jezebel all the time. It's part of what makes me come back.
07/01/09
I didn't think they had feelings (let alone brains); thay "had it all". What use did they have for self-doubt, angst, loneliness, or dread?
We're all guilty as charged. We buy the images, buy INTO the images. The girls are product or, worse, simply a backdrop. I'm so sorry.
It makes me sad to think that businesswomen like Wilhelmina Cooper & Eileen Ford may have kept their mouths shut in order to advance their own self-interests (or their husband's).