The subject I found most intriguing during last weeks seminar was the changing relationship between the written word and iconographic images from the reformation to the present day.
For me personally the written word, and language as a whole, carry much more weight and substance than images and icons. Firstly images are far too ambiguous. As was mentioned last week the swastika once (and to many people still does) represented peace . For many westerners nowadays though it represents fear, hatred, pain, suffering. To the Jewish population it represents the culmination of thousands of years of oppression andprejudice. The words, meanwhile are much more succinct and specific: Nazism; Peace... there is no ambiguity there. The one manner in which images may succeed better than words are in crossing cultures where language causes difficulties; but even in this problems arise. Different hand gestures mean different things in different cultures. To an American the index and middle fingers extended outwards into a V shape will always mean peace. To a British person however having the fingers facing outwards means f**k off and a dutch friend of mine tells me that holding them sideways (in a greater or less than shape <>) with the fingers facing outwards means c**t. They may only be minor issues but they are significant in dealing with people of different cultural backgrounds.
However despite this I cannot deny that we live in an incredibly image based culture now. Images are piped into our lives on biblical proportions: in magazines; television; billboards; the internet these images are constant and damaging. Unlike words images can work on a more subliminal level, permeating our subconscious before out conscious and causing us to be drawn towards certain things over others without even being aware of it. Perhaps the most damaging subliminal image that is thrust upon us is in the representation of the human body; primarily (but by no means exclusively) that of womyn.
Unilever began running, in 2004, the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty and whilst I do feel the campaign was poorly executed, not to mention its purpose being entirely to sell more products, they did produce an eye opening advert which shows the extent to which images are created for our consumption.
One of my favourite bands also regularly addresses the issue of the unfair representation of beauty in western cultures; most sigificantly in their 2006 song (and music video) This is the End (for you my friend):
Anti-Flag - This Is The End (For You My Friend) (Official Music - Watch more funny videos here
Inside the album sleeve there is also a short piece by Jean Kilbourne, a noted social theorist who specialises in the representation of womyn by the media:
"Advertising is an over $250 billion a year industry. We are exposed to over 3000 ads a day and will spend two years of our lives watching television commercials. Yet, remarkably, most of us believe we are not influenced by advertising. Ads sell a great deal more than products. They sell values, images, and concepts of success and worth, love, and sexuality, popularity and normalcy. They tell us who we should be ... Sometimes they sell addictions."
"Hollywood and the fashion, cosmetics and diet industries work hard to make each of us believe that our bodies are unacceptable and need constant improvement. Print ads and television commercials reduce us to body parts -lips, legs, breasts- airbrushed and touched up to meet impossible standards. TV shows tell women and teenage girls that cosmetic surgery is good for self-esteem. Is it any wonder that more than 80% of fourth grade girls have been on some sort of fad diet"
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