OUGD501: Lecture- Identity

This lecture links to the previous session and essay I completed from looking at interactionist and psychoanalysis theories based on identity. (see previous)

At the beginning of the lecture it was suggested that in the past, historically middle class western white males decided what made people intelligent. It was traditionally thought that our biological make up makes us who we are this leads to a large amount of racism especially within the images above it idolises their own race and portrays a negative representation of other races which aren't western/white. 

Fragmentation of the idea of "self" allows people to determine what their own identity is for example online profiles such as Facebook are constructed idealised representations of ourselves. They are fragments of our personality and how we look and therefore only show a small snippet of ourselves. 

Upper classes within the 19th century used their wealth to dress in expensive clothing. The idea of a "stroller" portrays the idea that these men are simply far too rich to have to work like the working class who spent most of their times in the mills. However in terms of fashion the lower classes started to mock the way they dressed by copying it and using lower quality materials and therefore resulting in a cheaper version of it. This still happens today with high street stores creating cheaper versions of designer and catwalk fashions that traditionally only rich people could afford. 

This theory even in the 21st century creates the idea of "other" or "otherness" that people are seen as separate and not the same as everyone else, they can be seen as lesser importance simply because they do not follow the dominant ideal. 

This photography set called "Worktown" was created in Bolton, Lancashire by Humphrey Spender it claims to document the lives of the working class. But as the photographer is of a middle to higher class it could be seen to be quite a biased opinion and point of view of the working class. The photograph of the cinema only shows a select few people and perhaps the photographer has carefully framed these photographs to suggest and portray his own opinion of these people. The fact that the photographer is wealthy means that he is able to take these photographs and live without an income for a few months because he is able to do so therefore finding some of form of entertainment in creating these photographs for free at the expense of those in the frame.

OUGD501: Symbolic Interactionist Theories of Identity & Task 1

Turner, J H (2013) Contemporary Sociological Theory

New York: SAGE publishing 

The seminar session was focused around this secondary text above which condenses many different broad and dense theories into a select few pages which are quite intense, therefore the session was about understanding these theories and how they can relate to ourselves and our practice as graphic designers. 

The first section mainly concentrates on Stryker's theory which in its basic form indicates that human behaviour or "self" is changed by the environment surrounding them whether that be places or social constrictions. Stryker's theory suggests that people occupy parts of a structure which is set and not flexible, this means that in certain situations people will put themselves into part of this structure automatically. These structures have shared expectations which means they will "enact roles" to fit within the structure in relation to others. 

Stryker's theory suggests that people see themselves as objects within a given situation and will designate themselves particular roles on the knowledge they already have on the situation. This means that people tend to perform a set of roles or identities which change depending on they must fit into a certain environment. Based on Stryker's theory this means that people see themselves from an outsiders perspective and concentrate on how they should behave in a given situation and not necessarily how they want themselves to be. When particular roles are used more than once and they receive praise this is when a repetitive use of a particular role is used and therefore it becomes natural for us as people to think we must behave in a certain way to gain praise. This means that we learn what identity to adopt in certain situations making us fully aware that we can change the role we are acting and that we are aware we can play different versions of ourselves. The salience hierarchy is a formal way of suggesting that we have identities which work extremely well in given situations, and through the praise we receive and the idea that we learn we can change our identity the more popular choices of roles are used often and therefore are placed higher in the person's hierarchy. 

The second part is based on George J McCall and J L Simmons' theory of identity which contrasts Stryker's viewpoint and opinions due to the idea that McCall and Simmons' believe identities are improvised based on an individuals plans and goals in social situations rather than identities being formed by structures and social hierarchies like in Stryker's theory. 

McCall and Simmons' theory suggests that a person would consider their identity through the eyes of others and evaluate themselves continuously, which means that the individual is changing their own identity rather than like in Stryker's opinion the environment changing themselves. People evaluate their role performances based on how they act in relation to who they truly believe to be their true self. "The most important audiences for a role performance are the individuals themselves" this suggests that their performance of self is more important to themselves than to be accepted within a structure. 

The roles than an individual will perform are always evaluated depending on how well they are perceived by others and if the correct message they are trying to portray is also the same as the audience is receiving. The role performances is based on an ideal version of themselves and when this is not received well there will always be some form of dissatisfaction when they evaluate themselves because the individual sees it as important to be accept by others and for others to accept their identities. Due to the nature of our idealised self appointed roles there is always room for different interpretation as an individuals identity is completely subjective, people will view the same person differently. 

Our behaviour is affected by our chosen identity on who we choose to be. The continuous self evaluation relies heavily on a range of different mechanisms where it starts by not being completely accepted through their role to switching to interact with other who do give positive feedback on their version of self. Through these different mechanisms people learn to be cautious and they cannot be so open with their true versions of self within certain social situations. 

Graphic Design can be informed by these different theories because it affects branding and the identity of companies. Design affects the world from a visual perspective and they do dictate a large amount of the representations of companies and people/ social groups through advertising and branding. Typefaces and colours are stereotyped as being viewed in a certain way and this therefore means that brands and design is artificially created to conform to these stereotypes. Brands continuously change depending on how they want to be viewed and how the audience views themselves. Branding is a form of an identity which pushes a certain set of beliefs and visuals that portray the company in a particular way this is similar to the role performance of people within the theories looked at above because brands change and decide how they want to be seen as versions of "self". People who purchase items from particular brands choose to do so because they buy into the idea of an identity or set of beliefs which suit their own this therefore means that when they buy these products they believe it will reinforce their own identities. 

Reflect and summarise the session in 300-500 words, discuss similarities and connections between interactionist identity theory and psychoanalysis (ego ideal, desire freud/lacan), ID ego and the mirror stage (self objectification). 

The interactionist theories I have previously looked at in some respects do connect well with the psychoanalytical theories of Freud and Lacan. The first being based on ID, ego and superego, the ID is the fundamentals of a humans wants is based on the idea that a child has a set of basic needs which fuel the irrational part of the brain therefore making it seem natural for us to want to have our needs met as adults. The ID part of this theory relates to McCall and Simmons' theory because it is based on an individuals wants from a social situation this links because we tend to socialise and take part within environments which benefit ourselves and the ideal self who we believe we are. The ego part of Freud's theory is based on the idea that you cannot always receive what you wish and society or environments don't necessarily always work in your favour which is more realistic than the ID. The ego denies the instant gratification of the needs of the ID and thinks about the long term affects on the mind in terms of being happy and compromising selfishness. The ego relates to that of Stryker's theory because it suggests that the environment around the individual changes the perceptions of themselves and how they should behave. The third part of this is the superego which relates to the interactionist theories previously studied. The superego is split into two with the first part being the ego ideal which provides rules and standards to live up to this relates to McCall and Simmons' theory because we put ourselves under pressure to perform our ideal self. The conscience part of the superego is similar to Stryker's theory because it suggests there are social and environmental factors as to why we must behave in a certain way whether that be in a professional environment or due to parents and cultural factors. 

Lacan's theory based on the idea of "desire" links incredibly well to Stryker's theory because they share the same perceptions of self based on the environments surrounding it. Lacan's theory suggests that we continuously want recognition of others and to fit in, much like Stryker's opinion based on structures. Lacan also suggests that we depend on others for this recognition and therefore as people we strive to be wanted and liked based on others opinions of ourselves, again this links to Stryker's opinion because it continuously reinforces the idea that we play a role to suit others and not ourselves like McCall and Simmons' suggest. 

The final theory is that of the mirror stage, this theory suggests that children, mainly infants, will reach a stage where they understand what it means to be "I". This realisation of a sense of "I" builds into the idea of an identity and sense of self. Although this realisation begins at childhood it is the initial idea which develops throughout life and created an environment mentally where we question what it means to be "I". This links back to McCall and Simmons' theory because it suggests that much like their theory we constantly strive to seek what is our true selves through self reflection and objectifying ourselves within social situations through continuous evaluation based upon how we behave in a given situation. 

OUGD501: Lecture- Subculture & Style

Book to look at: Hebdige D. (1979) subculture the meaning of style

Subcultures form as a symbolic challenge to the norm of society. They formed as they do not feel as though they fit in with normal society and therefore create their own society on their own terms and rules. They are formed as they reject the normal rules of society and generally reject dominant ideology in terms of how society is whether is politically driven or visually driven (clothing/music/interests). 

Subcultures however eventually are then drawn back into society because they are exploited through capitalism and the sale of products this in turn means that subcultures then become a part of the society that they once rejected. An example of this would be skateboarding as it was once seen as a rejection to the rules of the city and would be seen as somewhat rebellious especially among young teenagers. However this has now become quite common and companies such as vans sell clothing which promotes an idea of this lifestyle/ subculture. They buy into an idea of rebellion and the vast amount of "street style/skater style" companies thrive on this. 

Incorporation:

Ideological form: shows the subculture as ridiculous such as media exploitation and mocking of the subcultures style and its irrelevance to society, it makes the teenagers seem somewhat silly and the newspapers make them appear to be rejected. 

Commodity form: is where the subculture is brought back into consumerism through selling goods which ensures participants buy into the idea of rebellion. 

As another example Punk is one of the most known subcultures because it was visual and also somewhat political. Punk questioned what it means to be masculine and much like most subcultures was driven by men. Punk rejected the dominant ideologies of masculinity and redefined what it meant to be british- particularly in London. As well as a rejection of the idea of wealth, it was a subculture for the working class and the youth so they could redefine themselves with music that was different.  

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/00/TheClashLondonCallingalbumcover.jpg

Fred Perry Subculture documentary: 

"Subculture Films is a unique project, documenting the evolution of street style, music and counter culture over the last 60 years. From the original Mods and Teds, the immense influence of Black heritage, UK punk and the worldwide impact the late 20th century's cultural revolution."

Teddy Boys- Was influenced by the upper classes who dressed smartly in suits and longer jackets. This was an opportunity for the working class to mock the upper class by matching them in style and a somewhat parody of the upperclass. This enabled the working class to question why the upperclass could only wear smart clothes which gave them power and a visual identity after the war when politically and socially the country wasn't stable. 

Rockers- They were influenced by traditional ideas of masculinity from american films however English put their own twist on it and made it a subculture for young men to enjoy themselves and was completely different to the smart aesthetics for the teddy boys. 

Mods- They were a combination of the above two but more refined, the teddy boys had long styled hair which formed on top of the head but the mod had a much smarter attire and shorter hair which was close to the head. They were known as modernists and were elite to the other subcultures of the time. 

Skinheads- Were a form of the mod which was more refined and again they had incredibly short hair, skinheads was a media term which made the subculture seem negative and somewhat mocked them. Eventually this subculture became extreme and was taken upon by people who were politically racist and used the visuals of the skinheads to their own gain as it was seen as somewhat shocking. 

This is England is an example of a great British film which questions the representations of the skinheads both through males and females. From previously writing an essay on representation in the media in college about masculinity and skinheads it was interesting to see the lecture also used this example. Within the film it explore the national front and splits some of the characters some of which that use the skinhead look as a form of being different and their own style to stand out, and others use its shocking nature to allow themselves to be racist and to scare others, in this case it is the beating of milky. 

Soul Boys- This subculture was driven by the influence of a multicultural society and types of music people would listen to. It was created so that people could dance together and have a good time, not necessarily because of style as they wore comfortable clothing. The main aims for this subculture were from imported records and enjoying music in clubs together, this wasn't pushed through the idea of bands but through who had the most individual collection of records. 

Punks- As mentioned above Punks were the subculture that were well known for the rejection of popular music because they created their own. Rock music was also known to be performed with reggae and both were accepted because they were seen as equal with the same views of the rejection of popular music. 

Acid House- Was created through the use of drugs and the idea of an atmosphere, the visual aesthetics of clothes wasn't considered at all as the clothing was casual. Acid House and youth culture are still linked today with the use of clubs and a variety of different illegal drugs, these are seen as a form of freedom and youth to allow them to have fun and reject their families/ societies views on how teenagers should behave. 

Brit Pop- Is possibly known as the last subculture to exist and was created to celebrate the mods as a form of celebrating the past. It was a form of retro enthusiasm and celebration british culture and music. 

Music was the main focus for a large amount of these youth subcultures however due to the introduction of the internet virtually any genre of music can be downloaded by just a single click. This therefore means that perhaps there aren't any more subcultures based on music but only people who gather to like the same genre. 

Representation of modern women through their hair and style:

"Saturday Girl is a series of portraits of young women in Leeds; specifically seen through their hairstyles.

It is an exploration of what hair means culturally and personally to young women and how they experience and use the power inherent in becoming visible as women.

Saturday Girl is an exhibition and a series of free events, including a film screening, talks and performance exploring the idea of beauty, power and visibility in relation to women."

This exhibition through photographs shows that women and youth still use their looks and how they can edit it to represent themselves especially through colour, although this isn't in particular a subculture it still shows the idea that teenagers and young people want to be different and at this age they question their perceptions of themselves and the world around them. 

(add other gd references)

OUGD501: Brief

The brief is quite broad and even though I have been going over each of the categories I am unsure which topic to choose as a point of research for the essay and practical piece.

Editorial design

Typography

New Media

Advertising

Print-making

Branding

I really enjoyed being introduced to print making within the first year especially in COP so this could be something that I expand on further but I will speak to fellow students and tutors to see what their opinion is or if they could give advice to help me. 

OUGD501: Symbolic Interactionist Theories Of Identity Seminar

To prepare for the next context of practice seminar I have created a few notes on the overall purpose and ideas within the theories. 

The ideal self is who we truly believe we are as a person. However the performances of ourselves is called a situational self and this changes, it is fluid and will change based on their company and social implications. "Moment to moment interaction". 

Rewards based on forms of self and representation: 

extrinsic: based on money, intrinsic based on personal pride and also the third which is support for an identity, respect from others. 

"The situational self determines a persons preferences about which role identities he or she will enact in a given situation". 

When given good responses to a certain form of self the person will want to gain more of this feeling and therefore enact this form of self more often pushing this form of self further up the hierarchy.

The principle self contains certain cultural values and beliefs (ideologies) this affects how a person will behave based on their own values and beliefs with their own society. A program level identity is the goals an individual wishes to seek.

Forms of self are determined by the link between "self" and social, cultural and dominant ideologies within their own societies. 

Multiple forms of self are:

The individual self conception, role identity based on the occasion and also social identity tied to a particular group. 

A persons identity can be split into four too. The first being personal identity (core identity) this is the fundamental cognitions and feelings people have about themselves. 
Social identities are the cognitions and feelings people have of themselves as members of social categories (eg. gender, sexual preference, ethnicity, class). 
Group identities are the feelings about self that stem from membership of a group or organisation. 
Role identities are the parts people play in any social context but particularly in conjunction with membership in corporate units for example jobs and professional roles. 

It will be interesting to discuss the theories as a group and gain other peoples opinions on the written piece as well as gaining more knowledge and understanding on identity. 

OUGD501- COP Lecture (The gaze and the media)

The gaze and the media

This quote suggests that it is the patriarchal society that enforces women to be passive and to be seen as vain and obsessive of themselves and how they look. "Men act and women appear" is the thought of society generally in the past but some still hold this regressive belief that women are passive and have no purpose other than to look pretty as some form of ornament. 

Artwork through traditional forms such as paintings and modern work such as photography and advertisements hold the same belief that women should be looked at. The use of the mirror in these pictures shows that the woman is vain and obsessed with herself, there is no direct address (eye contact) with the observer and so therefore we feel obliged to look because our gaze is not being challenged. 

These two photographs are of women in a similar pose however they hold completely different body language, the first image shows the woman to be passive and allowing the audience to look with no real control. However the second is much more powerful she gives the viewer more direct eye contact and she covers herself more obviously than the first image. The second image is actually of a prostitute and is receiving a gift therefore is fully self aware of her body and is using it in a way of power to the weakness of men (the viewer).

This image shows the Guerrilla Girls (1980s) which try to confront the fact that the majority of artwork in galleries is created by men for men but those images are largely images of women. The campaign they created was refused from billboards because they thought the image was too suggestive for public viewing. This still suggests that opinions that are different from the patriarchal society is not permitted and women's opinions are not valid. 

Advertisements such as these normalise the sexual exploitation of women as the one at the top shows a woman in little clothing within a normal street environment which is rather strange and abnormal situation to be in. However these advertisements and the sheer number of these types of images normalise the idea that women's bodies are to be looked at. This then in turn means that their bodies are seen as objects to be looked at and are as disposable as objects. The sunglasses shield the eyes and the use of non direct address means that the viewers gaze is not challenged like at Berger's quotes earlier. 

There are also male versions of these advertisements but on the whole men are seen as powerful and in control and even in images where they are nearly nude they give direct eye contact to the viewer such as the David Beckham underwear campaigns and similar. There are few exceptions to this rule where men are seen as objects such as the malteaser chocolate adverts but on the whole men are seen as powerful beings and people rather than just objects to be looked at. 

“Woman, then stands in patriarchal culture as a signifier for the male other, bound by a symbolic order in which man can live our his fantasies and obsessions through linguistic command, by imposing them on the silent image of woman still tied to her place as bearer of meaning not maker of meaning.” (Mulvey 484)

The male gaze theory suggests that women are seen as objects and within cinema their bodies are fragmented into sections and seen as body parts and not as a whole being. They do have a positive and progressive impact on the plot as a whole but are simply to be looked at throughout the film and more often than not do not play a protagonist. The theory also suggests that women do not view themselves as how they are but how they must be portrayed to men, therefore they play a fantasy or version of themselves. 

Barbara Kruger is known for her controversial artwork which comments on society through the use of black and white photographs along with text and the colour red. Her simplistic style really stands out to people and the messages of her work make people question their views on society and in this case women. The word "hits" along with "the side of my face" in conjunction with an image of a statue of a woman's face suggest violence and aggression which causes some form of shock because the closeness of the photo makes the audience question their views of women. 

This means that as viewers we enjoy to passively watch people within programmes such as big brother. This creates a culture where we want to know more and see more and thus the paparazzi culture as the audience feel as though they have a right to see more of celebrities as if they own them. 

This leak of imagery online was due to hackers and exploits celebrities in ways in which they have no control over as this form of imagery much like paparazzi photographs are wanted by society they will constantly be created and produced in magazines. The nudes leak was a break in these women's privacy and no men's photographs were leaked as women's were seen as more valuable and wanted. Women such as Jennifer Lawrence and other celebrities have received a variety of different threats from men online for speaking out against the oppression of women in society. These threats can form online on social media such as Facebook and twitter and create a form of hate bullying which is common in younger people generally but especially with girls. 

Websites online can post imagery of "perfect" bodies which are photoshopped and add to the insecurity people especially teenagers feel at a delicate age where their bodies are constantly changing. It creates a culture where they compare themselves to an ideal beauty which isn't achievable by anyone not even celebrities as even they are photoshopped to appear "perfect" versions of themselves. 

Graphic Design examples:

http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2013/september/elle-feminism

This project was created by the studio Mother London alongside the company ELLE. They have rebranded the idea of a feminist and break the typical ideologies of how women are seen both in graphic design but also in the workplace. As a piece of graphic design it is quite clever and bold because it uses pink which is normally seen as a "feminine" colour but they have broken stereotypes by using a bold font in capital letters which makes it a set of statements rather than just being aesthetically beautiful. It also suggests that all genders should be feminists because it is about the equal rights of everyone not just women. 

Advertising to empower women rather than sexually exploiting their bodies through gaze:

Always advertisement #LikeAGirl

Always tackles the negative associations of the phrase 'like a girl', while attempting to encourage self-confidence in young women. They also suggest how women's opinions of themselves can be warped during their early teenage years when someone says "like a girl" as an insult as men are seen as the most powerful and dominant gender. They ask people within the video to "run like a girl" and the people who participate imitate a weak runner who is seen as somewhat pathetic, however when asked again the women say that running that running like a girl should mean running like themselves because the media portrayal of women being weak is false.