Class Reflection:


1.) I did all the work.
I can honestly say that I am happy with how I stayed on top of things this semester in this course. After not taking a writing class since my senior year of high school, I kind of had this feeling that I was going to struggle with staying on top of things in this class. Finding the time to write papers as well as keeping up with homework from other classes and having a job has been a struggle, but I have managed to stay on top of things and I am glad with how this semester has ended.


2.) I did my best at all of it.
I believe that halfway through the semester I really got my butt in gear and tried my best at the last few assignments. At the beginning of the semester with the documentary project I found myself to be getting a little bored of my writing assignments because I felt like I kept repeating myself over and over again. I wasn't really sure how to spice it up and make it sound more appealing. My rant project seemed to go a little bit better but my attention wasn't fully into it. With the informative and surprising assignment I was really able to get into it. I wanted to get creative with the topic and I ended up learning so much more than I already knew. That assignment was probably my favorite one and I was very happy with the grade that I received because I did put quite a bit of work and time into it. With our latest assignment, I can say that I really do hope to get a good grade on it. I've also spent quite a lot of time researching and editing my paper over and over again. My process folder is ginormous and I'm so relieved to have finally turned it in! But over all I can say that I do believe I did my best throughout most of it. The beginning of the semester was sort of a slow start for me and I realized I had to pick it up a bit which is why I really tried my hardest on the last few assignments we had.


3.) Going forward...
Going forward from here, I can honestly say that I am very happy with my overall experience in this course. I learned so much and I've felt pretty confident about my assignments which doesn't always happen so often. I know that everything I've learned is really going to help me go forward from here and do well in my future classes that may have writing assignments.


     Take aways...
I learned so much more about formatting that I either forgot about or didn't even know. I know that this will help me to write much better papers in the future for other courses. I can also say that I learned so much more about summary writing than I ever thought I would know. Using multiple different resources really helped me to get a better understanding on how to make a research paper sound so much better, especially with how to use them correctly and efficiently. I also learned how to properly introduce authors with creative attributive tags to make my papers flow better. I think that taking this course really helped to give me that push I needed towards writing because writing is a useful skill that everybody needs. Being a good writer is very beneficial and I believe that this class really helped to improve my writing skills so much.


     Things to improve on...
I think that some things I can improve on are using my voice some more in my papers. At the beginning of the semester I felt like my assignments were rather boring and felt like I just kept repeating myself. But with the last few assignments I was able to really express myself as well as arguing my main points. This helped me to get into the assignment much more and have a much better experience with writing and editing. I also believe that I can use some improvement on the confidence I have in myself. I find that I doubt myself a lot which can really affect the way that I write. But I am glad to say that this course really helped me to realize what I can improve on!

Hey everyone! It's so crazy to think we only have one more class left until we hand in our papers and we're done with CW2 for the semester. I can honestly say I've made so much progress with my paper throughout the last few weeks. I just have a couple minor things to add to my paper and then it'll finally be complete. I do have a couple of remaining questions to ask before I am completely confident about turning my paper in but other than that I know it'll be 100% ready by Thursday.


Hopefully all of your papers are coming along as well! It's been a rough last couple weeks with editing and perfecting drafts but all of the hard work will definitely pay off in the end. I can also say that this paper topic has really opened up my eyes to a lot of things regarding cosmetics that I use. I know from here on out that I'll be much more aware of product names when I'm considering purchasing an item. It's easy to overlook the names which is why I've never paid much attention to them previously. Anyways, good luck with your drafts everyone! Just one day left!

Hey everyone! Only a few weeks of school left and our due date for our rational argument essay is already next week! It's almost hard to believe. I can honestly say it's been a long and tough process keeping up with the drafts and journals and blog posts, but I believe that this entire process has really helped me to feel confident about my paper and improve over all as a writer.

After today's class I spent a lot of time looking over my paper and really trying to make sure that I'm stating things that people don't already know. I want my reader to be surprised and I really want to make them think. I've spent a lot of time drafting my essay as well as researching sources that help to prove my main argument and I hope that all of the work I've put into this is enough.

I think that today's peer review and class discussion was also very helpful. I realized what I need to work on, not only for this assignment but for future assignments for different classes as well. I'm hoping after another peer review and class discussion I will be able to better improve my paper. Well I'll see you all on Thursday! :)

I can't believe how close we are to the end of the semester already. Everyone kept saying that time would fly by and they sure were right. Three weeks may seem like a lot of time to still work on our essays but I know the due date will come up super quick.


I am happy to say that I have my full draft completed and I plan to continue to keep making changes to it, tweaking a few things here and there. I also need to spend some more time on my attributive tags as well as omitting the "hit and run" quotations throughout my paper. I also need to go through and get rid of some sentences that don't belong because my paper is a little bit longer than it should be.


It's been a lot of tough work keeping up with this essay as well as staying on top of drafting,
blogging, progress reports, writing journals as well as finding and summarizing sources. And as tough as it's been I can honestly say this process has really helped me to stay on top of things and to know where I'm at and what I need to do or focus on.


Hopefully all of your essays are coming along as well. Have a good rest of your week! :)

Hey everybody! Hopefully you've all had a great weekend and hopefully you're all making good progress on your essays as well! Here's a copy of my new progress report:

Lewis University

April 14, 2015

 

To:                  Dr. Kyburz

From:             Ashley Nelson

Subject:          Progress Report of Current Status of Rational Argument Essay

 

Introduction

Background on the project itself:

Throughout my paper, I discuss the problems that arise with the beauty industry naming cosmetic products with scandalous names. Are consumers just oblivious to these names or do they actually buy them because of the scandalous names? My paper also defines the term “cult following” which is where a beauty product becomes so popular, whether it be through magazine ads or YouTube tutorials, that many people begin to form the same opinion about that product. A common way that we all hear about whether a product is good or not is usually through YouTube. Many people and beauty experts post how-to videos and their opinions on certain products. With scandalous product names like “Deep Throat” and “Orgasm,” which come from the brand NARS, how do people formulate their opinions around these names? My paper goes on to explore people’s opinions as well as how to react when a young teenage girl wants to start wearing makeup, especially if it’s from the line of NARS. Another important aspect of my paper deals with women using more makeup during the times that they are fertile throughout their monthly cycles. Two studies were done and both portray results of this being true.

Discussion of achievements since last reporting:

One of the biggest achievements I have made is finding three scholarly sources as well as two additional sources. Also, at the last reporting I only had about two pages of my essay drafted and it was just thrown together because I was still struggling on a pathway to focus on. Staying after class that day to get some opinions and help from Dr. Kyburz was very beneficial because she helped to open up my eyes to all of these different paths I could potentially choose for this paper and I was able to choose one and focus on it. After receiving that help, I was able to go home and find some new sources and draft my full paper. I know it could still use a lot of editing but I’m just glad that I have a full draft done and that I have a decent amount of sources.

Discussion of problems that have arisen:

Some problems that have arisen since the last reporting would have to be my scattered thought process throughout my paper. I noticed that I ask a lot of questions geared toward the reader and I’m not sure if this is a good approach or not. I also feel like I have a bunch of my thoughts and ideas mixed around in my paper and I know that the order of my essay could use a lot of work. I emailed Dr. Kyburz my essay and she gave me some really great feedback which I intend to use to help edit and keep drafting my paper. I know I still have a lot of work to do from here and I know I need to get my ideas arranged in a better order throughout my paper.

Discussion of work that lies ahead:

From here, I plan to use the feedback I received to help further lead me in the right direction. I need to continue to keep editing my essay and drafting consistently up until the day that it’s due. This is our last paper that we’ll be working on for this semester and I want to make it sound good. In my head I have all of these different ideas and ways that I could structure and tweak my paper but I just have to get myself to sit down and really focus on working on them. I still have a lot more progress to make from here.

Assessment of whether you will meet the objectives in the proposed schedule and budget:

I believe that I will meet the objectives in the proposed schedule. I was running a little behind at the start of this drafting process, but now I’ve caught up and I feel pretty good with the progress that I’m currently making. I’m usually always on top of getting assignments done and always have them finished in time because I don’t want to be docked for easy points that can be earned by simply just having the assignment completed. I want to set a goal for myself to do as well as I possibly can on this paper, and if I set that goal for myself, then I know I will be able to meet all of the objectives within this assignment.

Hey everyone! Here's my full rough draft of my paper. I still have a lot more work to do and am going to put a lot more time into it this weekend. Anyways, have a good weekend and see you all next week!!

Ashley Nelson

Dr. Kyburz

College Writing II

9 April 2015

Hidden Message?

            Whereas many people seem to think that makeup is harmless and just something women commonly wear, makeup industries may actually be sending out a deeper message along with their products; one that consumers are oblivious to. Product names on beauty products are something that most of us just look over. We’re more so concerned about finding the right shade or product that suits us well. More recently, the beauty industry has been releasing makeup products with scandalous names that cause their customers to blush just thinking about them. Alexandra Kozinski in “What Turns Cult Beauty Products Like NARS Orgasm Blush into Massively Coveted Products?” touches base on a famous makeup industry that consistently places scandalous names upon its products; that company being NARS, most commonly known for their blush that was recently released in the shade of “orgasm.” This product was so popular that the company ended up making a whole collection based off this blush (Kozinski). But why are people so quick to buy these products with outrageous names?

            As a woman who wears makeup on a day-to-day basis, I’m curious as to why companies allow for such names to be displayed on their products and why they’re okay with it. Recently, I purchased the Urban Decay Naked palette. Not thinking anything about the name, I was more so concerned about the shades and how well the eye shadow would work for me. But why refer to it as “Naked” if it’s actually covering up one’s eyelids? I didn’t come across the product because I liked the name, I came across it because I heard many people talking about how wonderful it was so I figured I’d give it a try. These fads are called “cult” following. When someone famous like a celebrity or a makeup artist reveals how great a product is and where to get it, people who hear about it or follow them will immediately try to find that product as well, commonly referred to as cult beauty products (Kozinski). Kozinski explains her first encounter with a cult following:

One of the first two beauty products I recall to have gained a cult following in recent years was MAC’s Angel lipstick and NARS Turkish Delight gloss. This lip combo was made famous after Kim Kardashian revealed these were the products she used to achieve her signature pinky-nude pucker. More recently, there was the explosion of the Urban Decay NAKED palette (followed by NAKED 2 and 3), which have quickly become staples in the beauty arsenals of makeup artists, bloggers, and beauty enthusiasts everywhere. (Kozinski)

The online community has a lot to do with how cult beauty products gain their followers. YouTube has thousands of channels dedicated strictly to beauty product reviews and tutorials. Wanting to know more about a product before buying it, often times women will watch a tutorial or review to gain an opinion about that product. If enough people share the same opinion then this is how the product gains a cult following (Kozinski).

            So who is the famous creator behind this NARS company with the scandalous orgasm blush? Klaudia Tirico analyzes where the NARS products get their names from in “The Man Who Named ‘Orgasm’ Blush: Francois Nars Dishes on the Brand’s Scandalous Product Names and More.” Francois Nars is the famous man behind these products as well as their names. A line that now has a massive collection of over 600 products originally started out with only twelve coveted lipsticks. Tirico explains, “Nars is known for his outstanding makeup innovations and provocative shade names like Orgasm and Deep Throat, but have you ever wondered how he comes up with all these genius offerings?” (Tirico). The details for this question are revealed in a recent interview. When asking how he came up with this creative approach to new product innovations, Nars said:

I’m very spontaneous; I try not to think too much. I follow my instincts and use everything I’ve learned over the years. I create products based on what I’m attracted to in that moment….I am always reinventing products, never settling for the same thing. We are constantly moving and looking forward, we try not to create the same thing twice. It’s important to be open minded and fresh, never boring. (Tirico)

Regarding the brand’s outrageous product names, Nars said that it was very simple in his mind. He gave the products those names as a way to bring them to life and make them seem more special. He wanted to give them a personality. Nars explained:

I wanted it to really click for women; I wanted them to remember the given product. It’s no longer just a tube of lipstick—it’s a movie or a character that you can identify with, a destination you travel to through products and colors. The names make the product ‘larger-than-life.’ (Tirico)

            Maybe what he’s saying has a point, that these product names are a form of inspiration he had at the moment. But a blush called deep throat? Really? When being asked what shade of blush you’re wearing I’m sure many women will literally blush when they say the words “deep throat.” Is this some kind of strange way for Nars to be bold and attract attention to his company products? Or is there some deeper meaning behind these names. For example, Nars also has a lipstick called “manhunt.” Is this name indicating that women who wear this bright red lipstick are on the prowl for men and that’s the only reason why they’re wearing it? Research shows that there are times where women actually do wear bold and dark makeup as a means to attract men and to feel more confident. Nicolas Gueguen in “Makeup and Menstrual Cycle: Near Ovulation, Women Use More Cosmetics” reports on two separate studies that were done regarding women and makeup. One study was done in a laboratory and the other study was performed in a real context. Once the participants for study one were picked out, they arrived to the laboratory where each participant was welcomed by a female experimenter. She informed them that they were going to be partaking in a survey on cosmetics choices. Gueguen explains the study in more detail:

The participant was first instructed to evaluate the time spent, in minutes, putting on makeup that morning before arriving at the laboratory. After that, the experiment added that she wanted to take a photograph of the participant’s face. Then the participant was administered an LH salivary test in order to determine her fertility….Based on the results of the LH test, each participant was allocated into one of the two conditions: fertile or nonfertile. Among the 64 participants, 14 were in their fertile phase whereas 50 were in their nonfertile phase (Gueguen).

The results from this study indicated that the participants estimated that near ovulation, they spent more time putting on makeup. Evaluation performed by professionals showed that near ovulation, the use of cosmetics was higher. Gueguen expands on these results, stating:

Thus, these results confirm that women near ovulation spent more time applying makeup and used more cosmetic products than women in the nonfertile phase of their cycle. This result confirms that women near ovulation displayed behavior that would increase their physical attractiveness probably to appear more attractive to men. (Gueguen)

Maybe this study has something to do with why women are attracted to buying beauty products with scandalous and outrageous names. Maybe it is because they truly believe in what the name stands for and they want themselves to be more appealing.

            Study two took place in an actual real life setting where participants were interviewed for a short survey. During the interview, the interviewee was to take note of how much and what type(s) of cosmetics each woman was wearing. Based off of this, the participant would be scored, three being the highest score and zero the lowest. The participants who took part in the interviews were asked to take an LH salivary test which would determine their fertility. Out of all the participants, 789 were in their nonfertile phase whereas 114 were in their fertile phase. In conclusion, Gueguen stated:

Study 2 showed that, in a field setting, women were likely to wear more cosmetics when they went to a nightclub or a bar on a Saturday night, two places in France typical for initiating romantic relationships. Thus, in teal life it appears that high fertility is associated with women changing their physical appearance in order to be more attractive to men. (Gueguen)

After both of these studies, the only question that remains is why women wear more makeup around ovulation. Other studies have shown that women know wearing makeup increases their physical attractiveness. Gueguen states that this explains why the women in study one spent more time putting on makeup and why the women in study two used more cosmetic products when they were near ovulation and in their fertile phase of their cycle (Gueguen).

            It doesn’t really take common sense to figure out that a lot of women wear makeup as a way to bring out their natural beauty and to make them feel prettier. It takes effort to put it on so there has to be an underlying reason for why she takes the time to apply it. Being near ovulation apparently plays a key role in why a women may wear more makeup than she usually does. This may also be a reason for why women are so willing to buy scandalously named products and become “cult” followers of them. But do companies like NARS have these product names geared toward a certain age group of women? Mothers with teenage girls that are experimenting with makeup certainly won’t want their daughters wearing a blush called deep throat or orgasm. Is this where companies are drawing the line with these appalling names? Susan Spicer in “12-14 Years: Ready for Makeup?” discusses the complications that arise when your young teenage daughter begins to wear makeup. It’s pretty normal for them to want to experiment with new looks and this can sort of help them identify with who they really are in a way. Spicer explains that rather than getting upset about the situation, it’s better to help her out and give her tips as her mother (Spicer). It is better to be a positive influence rather than to bring her down. But where do these teenage girls get the impact that they need to wear makeup; peers, magazines, TV, their own mother? Pamela Davis in “Makeup” tells the story of a little girl who watches how her mother applies her makeup. She alludes:

Here is her lipstick—Cherries in the Snow—worn flat to the rim. I swab enough to redden her mouth. She rolls her lips together spreading the color. I say we are done and hold a mirror in front of her face. She turns her head this way and that, pretending to see herself beautiful. (Davis)

This is how the journal ends and the last sentence is so powerful, hinting that the mother tries as hard as she can to feel pretty, using multiple different cosmetics, but without the outcome that she’d like. As a little girl witnessing this reaction, she may be impacted by this as she grows up through her teenage years. She may look back and think upon how upset her mother was after she’d apply her makeup. She may also feel as if she’ll never be pretty enough either. Makeup shouldn’t be used as a way to hide oneself behind, but it should be used as a way to make one feel bold and beautiful.

            Names given to products should be expressed in a way that make consumers want to buy them in a good and positive way. They shouldn’t be embarrassed to buy the product just because of the name and they shouldn’t buy it as a means to hide themselves. Makeup is a beautiful tool and it shouldn’t be manipulated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Work Cited

Davis, Pamela. “Makeup.” Prairie Schooner, Vol. 85, No. 3 (2011): 60. Web.

Gueguen, Nicolas. “Makeup and Menstrual Cycle: Near Ovulation, Women Use More

            Cosmetics.” The Psychological Record, Vol. 62, No. 3 (2012): 541. Web.

Kozinski, Alexandra. “What Turns Cult Beauty Products like NARS Orgasm Blush into

            Massively Coveted Items?” Bustle. 23 June 2014. Web. 8 April 2015.

Spicer, Susan. “12-14 years: Ready For Makeup?” ProQuest Research Library, Vol. 26, Issue 9

            (2009): 140, 142. Web.

Tirico, Klaudia. “The Man Who Named ‘Orgasm’ Blush: Francois Nars Dishes on the Brand’s

            Scandalous Product Names and More.” BeautyBlitz. 5 Sept. 2014. Web. 8 April 2015.

 

 

                                                                                                              

Hey everybody!! I feel like I've been posting on here a lot lately but I know we're supposed to keep blogging about our progress on our essays as part of the assignment. Good news is that even though I wasn't prepared with a full draft in yesterday's class, I was able to complete my full draft today! As of yesterday I still wasn't sure of which direction to take with my makeup topic but Dr. Kyburz was a huge help in giving me different pathways I could take. And I think I picked one that'll really turn out to be a good essay! As of right now Ive drafted a full six pages and have found three scholarly articles that I used in my paper as well as two additional sources. I know I still have a lot of work to do with my paper and a lot more progress to make but it's nice to know that I still have time to work on all of that. I'm just glad that I was able to sit down and get myself to type today. I had to find a couple new articles to use which made the process take a little longer to do. But overall I can't wait to see how this paper turns out. Hopefully you all are doing well on the progress of your papers too! See you all in class tomorrow! :)

Hi guys! I hope you've all had an awesome Easter break! This last week has really flown by and been busy so I figured I better sit down and start getting some more progress done on this paper. I recently found an interesting article that performed two studies about women and cosmetics. The first study was performed in a lab setting and research from it showed that women who are near ovulation tend to wear more makeup to feel more attractive. They'll also were more revealing and sexy clothing as well. Reading about the study was actually pretty cool. The second study showed that women who go to nightclubs or bars tend to wear more heavy makeup to look more attractive to men, but this is sort of common sense. Most of us do this and I'll admit I even do this when I go out on a date or something like that. The second article I found just discusses the changes makeup has made throughout history and it states that something that is considered attractive in one society may not be attractive in another. Makeup has changed so much throughout history and will continue to change as time goes on. I'm still in the process of coming up with a real good thesis but I feel like I'm making good progress with these interesting articles I've found. Good luck to everyone else on your papers!
Enjoy the last few days of your break and see you all on Tuesday! :)

Hey everyone! How's your writing process going so far? I've added a second scholarly source to my research and I continue to keep finding more relatable information in regards to women and makeup. The newest article I found discusses the "real" reason for why we wear makeup, and that's to help us feel confident and gorgeous. Women have been wearing makeup for many years now, and many cultures all agree upon one thing, that makeup helps us to accentuate our natural features. For example, women tend to have redder lips and darker eyes compared to men, so in turn, women will use makeup to help draw out these features. Pink cheeks also make a woman appear to be more healthy which is why so many women wear blush. Another important factor for how bold or light we wear our makeup depends upon the event we're going to. A woman who's going to a wedding may do her makeup differently whereas if she's just going to work or to a job interview. This last part is basically common sense that most of us women know, but it does play a huge part in determining how we do our makeup. I know I still have much more research to do from here but I just wanted to share my process with you guys so far. Hope your research processes are going well too! See you all Tuesday!!

Hey guys here's the link to the article about makeup that I was talking about in class today! It's a really short read but has a really powerful message.

http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.lewisu.edu/stable/23056501?pq-origsite=summon&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

So I was scrolling through the app Ifunny, not sure if any of you guys still use it or have used it but I think it's hilarious! Anyways, I came across this image and immediately knew I had to use this for our visual rhetoric project. The image drew me in because you can obviously tell the woman views herself as an alien or some hideous creature without make up on. More often than not, if a woman or girl wears makeup on a daily basis then decides to not wear it one day then she may feel as if she doesn't look as great as she usually does. I'm one of those girls that wears it on a daily basis and I like to have fun with it, using winged eyeliner one day or a different shade of eyeshadow another day. I feel like it's an easy way to change up your look when you're bored. If I decide to go without makeup then I feel as if people stare at me in a different way or they'll either say "you look tired" or "you look sick" which makes me question why I ever left the house without makeup on. I know online you can find millions of pictures, quotes, and sayings that say all women are beautiful without makeup and that we shouldn't care what other people think about us but I honestly don't feel like my usual self if I'm not wearing makeup, which is sad to say. I started wearing makeup around 7th and 8th grade and it's been a habit of wearing it everyday since then. Of course I won't bother to put any on on my days off because that would be pointless, but I think it's fun to play around with different looks especially if I'm going on a date or to a special event. There are some girls who never wear makeup and still feel confident, which is great for them! But I'm not one of those girls and that's why I felt like this image was so relatable and humorous because that's exactly how I feel if I don't wear any makeup. Hopefully some of you girls can relate as well!

Hey everyone! I know we're kind of coming towards the end of our informative and surprising essays, but I can honestly say this paper and the workshops we've had have really helped me to progress more as a writer. All of the articles I used to help write my paper were found on Google and I never really even considered adding a scholarly article into my research. But I feel like doing this as an assignment not only helped me to better understand our library's resources, but it also helped me to appreciate the values of using a scholarly source. Some of the pleasures that came out of using a scholarly article in my essay was that I know this information is from a credited source and not just some opinion article found somewhere on the Internet. The person who wrote this article obviously put a lot of time and research into writing this piece and I found the information to be very useful to add into my essay. I feel like this source makes my essay sound better and more professional in a way. Some of the challenges I faced while using a scholarly article was finding one that interests me as well as fits in with my essay topic. I must've spent a good forty-five minutes to an hour just searching for an article that I wanted to use in my essay. It took a lot of investigating and I read so many different scholarly articles but I finally came across one that I really enjoyed. Another challenge I faced was how to address the article in my essay because there were no authors mentioned within the article, so I really had to spend extra time on my attributive tags. Although I faced some challenges while finding a good scholarly article, I found the process and the use of one to be very beneficial. I hope all of your essays are coming along well! See you all next week, have a good weekend! :)

Rant reflection:

As a little bit of a reflection upon why I chose to write about what I did, I picked this topic because I’ve been in all of these situations. I wasn’t a child at the time but I was that teenager who would never really open up to my parents, and when I would, they would be scrolling through Facebook or surfing the internet while on their phones and laptops. Still to this day, they continue to do it. I know they see it as harmless, whatever, everyone does it. But if your son or daughter is trying to tell you about their day or what their plans for the week are and they bring it up a few days later and you don’t recall the conversation, then obviously that’s a problem.

I chose to use Facebook to make this public because so many people today are on Facebook. I believe with the help of friends, my rant could be shared from one Facebook page to another, spreading my thoughts and opinions about how much technology has consumed our lives. I see posts shared by friends on a daily basis, and with a little help, I know I could get my point across to many others out there.

Honestly, after reading the article I found online during class, my eyes have really opened up in regards to how often we use technology. I really put a lot of thought into this and reading about how we cannot have a whole conversation without feeling the need to check our phones is upsetting. What’s more upsetting is that so many people can admit to doing this too. I’m not so innocent here either, but this article really kind of sparked up this rant of mine. We devote so much of our attention to our cellphones and whatever else that we forget how to hold actual conversations with real people who are right in front of us.

This article is really what gave me the idea to post my rant on Facebook. Since my rant deals with technology, I feel a lot of people who read my rant would hopefully get an eye opener and understand where I’m coming from. I’m not saying we should just throw away our cellphones, because they are very helpful when keeping in touch with family members who are across the country and what not. But if you’re with a friend or a significant other or even your child, give them your full attention and be responsive with questions and input during the conversation. It will show just how much you’re listening to them which will make for a much better conversation. We can’t show emotion through a text, but we certainly can in person. Make that person you’re with feel respected and want to engage in continuing talking with you, because if you’re staring into your phone every five minutes, it’s hard to hold a conversation with someone whose attention isn’t fully there. Consider what I have said, and consider what you need or want to change about yourself to prevent yourself from doing these same things to others.

 

Hey everyone! I decided to use Facebook as my way of sharing my thoughts and opinions for my rant project, so here it is!
 

Hello Facebook friends! As you all know, social media is a very easy and good way of spreading information around because we have the ability to like and share one another’s posts. The whole reason why I am writing this post is because I want to get this out there and I hope with all of your help it can reach out to more and more people by simply sharing this.

What I want to discuss is the use of technology in today’s society. In order for you to be viewing this post right now, you’re obviously using some form of technology, whether it’s a smart phone, a tablet, laptop, iPad, etc. In some form or another, many of us use technology on a day to day basis. Some people can’t even go a day without their phone or their laptop in their face, whether they realize it or not. A good thing is that technology is very beneficial to today’s society because it gives us access to more things than we may even realize. But along with having this access, comes the downfall of a lack of communication with others as well as forcing us to multitask.

I read an article online that really sort of opened my eyes and saddened me a bit too. By trying so hard to multitask between holding a conversation in real life and a conversation with somebody through our phones, we’re jumping back and forth between two different areas, causing us to really be nowhere. When children come home from school, many times they’re excited to talk about their days and what happened. If they notice their parent isn’t paying attention to them because they have their face buried into their phone, the child will begin to think that they’re boring or that something’s wrong with them. It’s hurtful and whether the parents realize it or not, they’re slowly creating an unrepairable wall between them and their child as time goes on. Soon, the child will grow older and become addicted to technology just like how they saw their parent’s addicted to it. Then the parents will argue and yell at the now grown child because all they ever do is play on their phone or computer. But isn’t it the parent’s fault because they made it seem like it was okay while the child was growing up?

It’s disappointing to see how much society has changed. Today, it’s a common thing to see people staring at their phones while out to dinner or walking down the sidewalk. What happened to the old fashioned ways of giving your full attention to the person you’re with? It’s insulting and annoying to be around someone who stares into their phone constantly and barely gives you the time of day or asks you to repeat a story multiple times. How far are we going to let this technology take over our lives and control how we communicate with people in real life? Don’t get me wrong, texting and emailing and calling are great ways to stay in touch with people, but it’s also important to keep in touch with the people you’re physically with as well. Give them your full attention; that text or email can usually wait until later. Unless it’s absolutely one hundred-percent important, put your phone down for just a little while and actually listen to what the people around you have to say. We miss out on so much by having our minds in another reality while checking all of our social media apps and trying to communicate with those who aren’t with us.

So put your phone down and pay attention to your child that’s trying to tell you how exciting their day was. Pay attention to what your friends around you are talking about. Listen to what your significant other has to say while you’re out to dinner. Our time here on Earth is limited so we should cherish all of these moments while we have them.

Thanks for reading everybody!

 

Hey guys! Here is a list of the rants that I free wrote about in class the other day!

 

• I can't stand when I run into old friends from high school and they act like they don't even know me or they fake a smile and run along. It just irritates me and it hurts to know that someone you used to be so close with can treat you like such a nobody.
• It gets on my nerves when I see or hear about teenagers, especially those who are under age, who do nothing but party on the weekends and get drunk and high. When I was in high school, the thought of drinking or doing drugs never even crossed my mind because I had better things to do with my time and I hung out with the right crowd. These kids don't consider the danger and risks their putting their lives in by giving up all control of their bodies and becoming completely wasted.
• I work as a cashier at a retail store and on a daily basis I have customers who get mad at me because I ask to see their ID if the back of their debit or credit card isn't signed. It's a company policy and I'm supposed to ask, otherwise I'll get in trouble if I don't. I had a guy cuss me out the other day for asking and it just ruined the rest of my day. Some customers can just be so rude and obnoxious with some of the things they do or say. I could go on all day about my pet peeves as a cashier.
• I can't stand when people assume I'm going to be a police officer when I say I'm majoring in criminal justice. Then they tell me I'm too small and petite and could never be a cop before they even ask what I really want to do as a career. There's so much more you can do with a criminal justice degree than just be a cop!
• I can't stand how much technology has taken over our lives. Don't get me wrong it can be very useful and handy sometimes which I am very thankful, but other times it's just unnecessary. It irritates me so much when I'm out on a date and the other person is glued into their phone. It makes me feel like I'm boring or not good enough to have their full attention, just put your phone down! It can wait until after dinner, whatever it is. Trust me guys, girls are going to get upset if you stare into your phone the entire date so don't do it! Social media is another big factor that can really ruin relationships. It's amazing to learn just how much things have changed in this era compared to what it used to be.

 

Highs and lows of the documentary Supersize Me!

Hey guys! So I thought class today was rather engrossing because of how everyone expressed their thoughts about their documentaries. A lot of people in class did their documentary project on the film Supersize Me which made it easy to relate to everyone else's ideas. Listed first are a couple of the highs of the film that I believe stood out the most in my opinion.

• Spurlock firsthand experiences what it's like to take in McDonald's products three times a day for a month straight, making it a much more personal film. It also really adds to his credibility.
• His documentary caused McDonald's to get rid of their Supersize option on their menu.
• A main focus of this documentary was to study and prove how damaging it is to eat at McDonald's this often.
• Another main focus is showing the negative effects of processed foods, especially in schools. A study showed that troubled kids being kept in a detention home/school were given healthy non-processed foods and they were excelling in their classes. They seemed happier and more energetic.
• This film has become quite famous and has already had a strong impact on society.
• As tough as this experience was, Spurlock stuck it out throughout the entire film which showed just how dedicated he was.

Here is a list of the lows of the film:

• Spurlock's health plummets, causing him to become very lethargic and depressed.
• Spurlock gains about twenty-five pounds in weight and suffers from severe liver damage at the end of the film.
• He begins to experience heart palpitations and has trouble walking up and down the stairs without becoming exhausted.
• Spurlock throws up his entire meal just a few days into the experiment.
• Spurlock faces multiple concerns from his doctors and nutritionists over his health and they plead him to stop eating all of this McDonald's.

Here's my work cited for the documentary that I viewed!
Super Size Me. Dir. Morgan Spurlock. Perf. Morgan Spurlock. 2004. Online.

Hey guys! Here are just a couple of responses to some of my favorite questions that I enjoyed answering. Can't wait to read all of your responses as well! Have a great weekend and see you all next week! I did my documentary project on the film Supersize Me, incase anyone starts to wonder who this Morgan person is that I speak of in my responses.

2.) What surprised you?

     The thing that surprised me the most was how quickly it causes damage to Morgan’s body. In just thirty days, Morgan has eaten as much McDonald’s as most nutritionists say you’re supposed to eat in eight years. This statistic really painted a vivid picture for me and led me to understand just how unhealthy it is for Morgan to eat this much McDonald’s in such a short amount of time. He has a good idea of what he’s getting himself into but I think he is just as shocked with the results as many viewers, including myself, are. I had an idea he would gain some weight from this experience, but twenty-five pounds is quite a lot of weight. Morgan also mentions that during this thirty day McDonald’s binge, he takes in thirty pounds of sugar and twelve pounds of fat, making it clear that his health has dropped in numbers. Hearing this made me sick to my stomach because I honestly have never considered just how much sugar is really in these food items. I almost want to give up McDonald’s for good from here on out because it honestly doesn’t do the body any good, it just tastes good which is what makes us crave it. I’m also surprised that Morgan was able to stay strong and finish out his experiment without quitting after he realized how sick and unhealthy he was becoming. With a lot of hard work and determination, Morgan was able to create a very popular and successful documentary; hats off to him.

4.) What would you like to know more about?

I would like to know more about how the doctors and nutritionists felt about Morgan doing this. They know it was to show the dangers of eating fast food but I wonder if they’re predictions of the outcomes were the same as the ones that actually occurred. I would also like to know if there have been any long-term health effects following Morgan’s experience of eating nothing but McDonald’s for a month straight. He suffers from severe liver damage at the end of the film and his cholesterol sky rockets. My question is, just how long did it take for his health to get somewhat back to normal. I can imagine a lot of dieting and exercising was involved as well. The last thing I would like to know more about is how all McDonald’s lovers across the world feel after seeing this documentary. I wonder if they feel nauseous just like I do or if they think the whole thing is silly because they’re afraid to confront their addiction with these food products. There are people out there who may not even realize just how often they eat at McDonald’s, they just turn to the franchise because it’s convenient and saves them the time of having to cook something themselves. I really enjoyed viewing this documentary and I believe that Morgan’s message was beyond powerful. I wish more and more people would realize just how harmful a lot of McDonald’s products can be if they eat here quite often

 

 

                                Image source

I was scrolling through some images on Google and when I came across this one I knew I had to share it. All over the country, it's easy to spot a McDonalds because of the large yellow arches and they're just about everywhere. Before looking at this map, however, I never realized just how far spread out McDonald's is. There are McDonald's in counties that I never would've guessed had them. It appears that the largest concentration of McDonald's are in the U.S. and covering all of Europe. As I've said many times earlier, McDonald's is a quick, easy and cheap place to get a meal. Their food also tastes good but it's not good for you if you eat there quite often, as Morgan Spurlock showed us in his documentary.

 

As I mentioned before, I decided to watch Supersize Me for our documentary project. I reflected some of my thoughts on this documentary in an earlier blog post and I have a couple more thoughts I would like to share as well. The number one thing I like about Supersize Me is that one man’s actions have such a great impact on many lives. As an independent filmmaker, his experiment of eating nothing but McDonald’s for thirty days straight went viral. The purpose of this documentary is to show the increasing spread of obesity throughout the U.S. and because of this film, McDonald’s got rid of their supersize menu and added in some healthy items instead.  The most problematic thing about the story being told is how Morgan’s health levels begin to drop and he continues on with this experiment despite what his doctors and nutritionists are saying. It was very dangerous for him to go through with this, but he does it and his documentary has become a huge hit.

Morgan Spurlock, the director and star of the film, would be the number one person in the documentary that I would enjoy getting to sit down and have lunch with. I would love to hear firsthand about what went through his mind while he watched his body change and health levels drop immensely in just thirty days. I feel like I would be able to connect with him so much better if I got to meet him in person and ask any additional questions about the film that pop into my head. The first thing I would ask Morgan is just how long it took for him to get his health back to normal. McDonald’s food caused quite a lot of damage to his body and I would be very interested to know if he switched to a very healthy diet and started working out or if he just continued to eat regular food and give it time for his health to go back to normal.

Another thing I would ask is if at any point during this experiment he felt truly scared. He knew his body was changing and he knew how bad the food was for him, but I just wonder if halfway through his journey he considered quitting because of what their food products were doing to him. Overall, I really enjoyed watching this documentary and I see a lot of other classmates enjoyed it too. I believe the reason why I was so interested in this film was because I myself eat fast food every now and then when I’m in a hurry to get to work or when I’m on my way home from class. McDonald’s is always an easy go-to place for food, but after watching Supersize me, I honestly don’t see myself going back and ordering McDonald’s anytime soon if at all for that matter.

I thought the film Supersize Me had a very deep meaning to it and I hope whoever watches it can understand its meaning as well. If I had to describe this film to a friend, I would tell them that it’s definitely worth watching. Just about everybody across the country and even around the world eats or has eaten fast food at some point in their life. North America especially is viewed by other countries as being obese and overweight, maybe because we have so many fast food joints spread out all over the place. When I think of the words “fast food” that’s exactly what I picture, food being prepped and made rather quickly. Many people eat fast food because it’s quick, cheap, easy, and convenient. I myself will eat fast food, McDonald’s in particular, at least a few times a month. But many of us don’t realize just how damaging these food products can be to our bodies. McDonald’s food is filled with large amounts of sugar and fat. In the documentary, Morgan eats nothing but McDonald’s for thirty days straight for breakfast, lunch and dinner and by the end of his journey, he gains about twenty-five pounds as well as takes in thirty pounds of sugar, equaling a pound of sugar a day. In order to motivate a friend to watch this film, I would briefly tell them some of the side effects Morgan encounters along the way. Hearing about the side effects is completely different compared to actually watching and witnessing Morgan’s body change throughout the film. I believe that more people should be aware of the dangers that McDonald’s food products hold. As I mentioned before, their products are quick, cheap and they taste good, but are they really worth risking our health over? In order to take action and address the problems explored in Supersize Me, I would recommend more people to watch this film and really take in what McDonald’s food is doing to our bodies. In just thirty days, Morgan has eaten as much McDonald’s as most nutritionists say you’re supposed to eat in eight years. The sad part is, many people across the country eat McDonald’s way more often than the average person should. At the end of the film, Morgan suffers from severe liver damage and his cholesterol sky rockets. If more people were aware of just how damaging this food is, I believe fewer and fewer people would continue to eat here.  

Hey everyone! This is my first time ever creating a blog and so far I think it's pretty cool. It's a whole new learning experience and I believe it's a fun way to incorporate everyone into the class material. First of all, I just had a few questions I wanted to throw out their about my blog. My biggest concern is about my title; does it sound okay? It took me a little while to come up with one and I wanted to make sure it didn't sound tacky or anything. Another question I have is about my layout. Do my colors and layout choices seem okay? Picking out these tiny details also took me a while to do because I wanted to make sure everything was easily readable. I appreciate any feedback I receive on this post and thank you in advance!

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The other day I was on Facebook and somebody shared a link of a handful of pictures similar to this one. It consisted of a collection of pictures of dogs who did something bad and they had signs hanging around their necks stating what they did. In about each image, the dog has a shameful look on their face which makes the pictures even more funny. I feel like if I were having a bad day, looking through a gallery of pictures similar to this one would help cheer me up because they would easily get my mind off of whatever was bothering me. I also own a small dog similar to this one which is another reason why I laugh at these because there are many times where my dog has done something bad and I can easily relate to all of these dog owners. For as bad as our dogs may be sometimes, I think we deserve to give ourselves a good laugh every now and then no matter how mad we may be at our dogs.