Barbie as the Epitome of Beauty essays

Barbie as the Epitome of Beauty essays Short skirts, tiny waists, large breasts, and flawless airbrushed smiling faces. These are the images of womanhood that I have seen while I was growing up. I see them on the television, on the sides of buses, on billboards, magazines, and everywhere else. And I wonder why so many female adolescents have self-image and weight issues? Add these limited images of feminine beauty a little baby pink, blond hair, blue eyes, and what do we have? I would have to guess the beloved plastic childhood toy that smiles out to us in the Pepto-Bismol coloured isles at Wal-Mart - Barbie. Since the time I was a toddler, I have witnessed the preaching of society that, features like Barbie's are the epitome of what it means to be beautiful woman. Tiny waists and large breasts were beginning to come out as the image of feminine beauty. Society has unconsciously made women focus their attention on their looks, which in my opinion has turned into a social disease. I think that Barbie was an early advocator of the "beauty myth". A doll who, if she were real, would be too thin to fit all of her internal organs and is too busty to stand under her own power. Barbie living in her pink palace and riding her pink corvette with her molded man Ken. Barbie had taught me that every member of society was living this very same life. I have to question if the weight of responsibility for this beauty myth falls only on Barbie's tiny plastic shoulders? But of course not! To be fair, Barbie was not the only culprit, I can remember getting dolls whose main purpose was to remove or apply make-up, style hair, or spend fake money with a fake credit cards, as if that's all it meant to be a woman! Barbie had now redefined what is was like to be a feminine in our society. Although today I can see more of an ethnic variety when it comes to dolls, but the majority has perfect white skin. I still believe that Barbie reigns as Queen of it all; queen of pink, of po...

No More Used Cars

No More Used Cars No More Used Cars No More Used Cars By Maeve Maddox Time was, a car that no longer belonged to its original owner was a used car. Clothing that had changed hands was second-hand clothing or, in a family, hand me downs. Not anymore. Apparently, in our consumer society, thrift is still practiced, but admitting to it is not cool. Old clothes are now sold in consignment shops, not second-hand stores. Used cars are advertised as previously owned. but now even that euphemism may be on its way out. This week I received an advertising mailer offering deals on reprocessed cars. At first I thought the printer had made a mistake for repossessed. Apparently the company sending the mailer anticipated such a reaction because a definition was thoughtfully provided: Reprocessed Vehicle (noun) A late model pre-owned vehicle that has undergone a 27-point interior and exterior mechanical and safety inspection and conditioning and has been warranted for reliability. British writer David Rowan offers several more euphemisms for the embarrassing word used : pre-enjoyed, previously cared for, and experienced. Rowan has gathered a fascinating list of very scary euphemisms from serious news stories. Many of the expressions are U.S. coinages. The Pentagon seems to be an especially prolific contributor to the class of words that fall upon the facts like soft snow, blurring the outlines and covering up all the details. See how close you can come to what these euphemisms are supposed to mean. fiscal underachiever HRP immediate permanent incapacitation NBC suit real-time precipitation situation sidewalk counseling toy soldier urban camping welcome station wildlife conservation park Check your answers against Rowans list (Update: link no longer online). Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:What is the Difference Between "These" and "Those"?The Six Spellings of "Long E"20 Names of Body Parts and Elements and Their Figurative Meanings

Traits of a successful Byzantine emperor from the perspective of Research Paper

Traits of a successful Byzantine emperor from the perspective of Michael Psellus - Research Paper Example In his historical works, he describes the attributes of the various emperors (it is notable that he had shifted his political alignment numerous times during his lifetime, thus implying that he had assessed Emperors and shifted allegiances when he perceived that an Emperor was weak). Thus, one can make the argument that Psellus was a pragmatists and a proto-Machiavellian figure, as evidenced by his political career, and the standards by which he assessed politicians and emperors. From reading Psellus’ Chronographia, one can arrive to the conclusion that Psellus’ ideas on what constituted a successful emperor were derived from the earlier Byzantine history (since the notorious â€Å"dirty power politics† that one can observe throughout the late Byzantine history can be traced to the earlier Roman times). Therefore, the traits that would make one a good Byzantine emperor were theorized by Psellus at a time when the Byzantine Empire was enjoying a century of success , stability and expansion (while also going through difficult times later on). Thus, Psellus himself was a high-class Byzantine political figure who was actively involved with the court politics of the Byzantine Emperors . Since Psellus had specialized in court politics, his perspective is inseparable from the Constantinopolitan political culture. Various political events that took place in Psellus’ time and the reigns of various emperors that greatly differed from each other provided Psellus with a wide-range of political experience to derive his assessment model from, since he always had the opportunity to observe how the imperial court had functioned under different emperors. Michael Psellus Traits of a Successful Byzantine Emperor In his book, the Fourteen Byzantine Rulers, Psellus provides a first-hand account that includes observations of blatant mismanagement, unethical political practices, incompetence, as well as successful or exemplary incidents that he attributes t o various Byzantine emperors and politicians. Since Psellus was a member of the Byzantine court for nearly a quarter century, he was able to not only observe but also interact with various emperors. This enabled him to better comprehend the various traits and ruling-styles of different emperors and thus form connections between the traits of a particular emperor and how those traits related to economic growth, military success, or the general well-being of the Empire at different instances throughout his career3. It should be noted though, that Psellus’ views were undoubtedly influenced by the norms of his time. Thus, Psellus’ political assessments also have a historical touch to it, apart from only concerning the discipline of political science. From the first to the last of the fourteen emperors, Psellus provides the following traits as being necessary for Byzantine Emperor to be a successful ruler4. Alertness, thoughtfulness and Intelligence The notion that these se ries of traits are necessary for an emperor to be successful is evidenced by the after-math of the demise of John Tzimisces. The legible heirs to the throne were Basil and Constantine, and both of them had been gaining political power prior to the death of Tzimisces. Michael Psellus explains that the two heirs had different political

Dyson Crafting a Deployment Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Dyson Crafting a Deployment Strategy - Essay Example Education, knowledge, culture, supporting high tech start-ups and financing high tech start ups were his proposals. He laid emphasis on exploiting knowledge, challenging the government to consider investing in university or industry research, where there are possibilities of making specializations and excellence in certain fields. There is a general acceptance among leaders in public and private sectors that UK has a strong scientific base, which lays a good foundation for making innovation a reality. Support should continue to be given to local institutions of learning and research with emphasis on those which utilize innovative approaches to provide sustainable solutions to the problems or needs of people in the country or globally. Research and development is nowadays a common feature of any institution which needs to grow and remain relevant to the demands and needs of relevant consumers. It is especially essential that R & D be not a totally separate department where innovation exists, whereas the other areas in an organization remain stagnant. R & D should be incorporated into the general structure of the company and everybody should view it as part of the means to achieve an organization’s purposes. This paper aims to obtain experiences from clients who use Dyson products in their homes and offices. Specifically, clients will be asked to explain why they prefer Dyson products or generally how the products differ from others they have used before. To get the right and helpful answers from the clients, it’s critical to design the questions in such a way that they are not confusing to the customers, and that they are convenient and comfortable for the clients to give comprehensive and correct answers or responses. The questions should be straight to the point or direct. Methodology This study employs a cross sectional strategy whereby information will be collected from clients of the company once, without any follow up except for clarification . Questionnaires will be used to collect information and they will be self administered unless there is request for questions to be read. This data will be analyzed quantitatively to obtain measures of central tendency and variation, and a final report will be written to inform the company on what customers expect from them. There shall be feedback where the information obtained from clients will be presented before senior management of the company so that any clarifications can be made to enable the company make informed decisions regarding the design and manufacture of their products (Dyson, 2012). Obtaining of information from clients or customers is very critical for any organization, because it helps the organization to be able to know the feelings or attitudes of the customers and potential clients regarding their products or what they sell. This specifically helps companies in coming up with decisions which can greatly help the company to move forward. Basically, asking for c ustomer response helps in efficient decision making, and many companies capitalize on this when making critical decisions regarding the running of the companies. These responses may be collected using questionnaires or interviews, both physical and telephone interviews, where customers are

Matthew effect Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Matthew effect - Movie Review Example The different researchers and experts in the show are keen to highlight that their studies have revealed that children have different cognitive abilities. Some children face difficulties in learning how to read, whereas others register immediate progress upon entry into school. A difference in a few months of joining school can have a remarkable difference in the academic progress of students in kindergarten especially in their ability to read. The show also discusses the effects of redshirting children in kindergarten extending the experiences in the lower levels of learning. However, redshirting can introduce differences in the reading abilities of children with some children becoming the oldest in the class (Redd). In my opinion, the Mathew effect has the potential to affect the life of an individual. According to Gladwell featured in the video, teachers are more likely to give attention to students who post a better performance. Therefore, the gap between the good and poor performers only widens over time. Therefore, there is a salient need of presenting students with similar learning opportunities in order to minimize the gap in cognitive skills brought about by the Mathew effect

Social Networking The Current Trends Media Essay

Social Networking The Current Trends Media Essay Nowadays social networking sites are gaining a lot of popularity among youth. These have played a crucial role in bridging boundaries and enabling them to communicate on a same platform. It has become a popular and a potential mean for them to stay friends with the existing ones and to grow up their social circle at least in terms of  acquaintances. Communication   has   become   effective   thanks to the existence of the internet. A social network is defined as a set of individuals who establish with each other in friendship manner. The individuals and their activities in the social network are interrelated and the bond are channels for transfer the immaterial resources. According to Boyd and Ellison definition of Social Network Sites, Social Network Sites is a web-based services that allow individuals to construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, to articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and view their list of connections and those made by others within the system. All social networking sites have almost the same features. Their backbone consists of visible profiles that display the details or the presentation of oneself. The basic level of entry in most social network sites is the setting up of a profile which is a personalized page developed by the user in which he/she presents him/herself to the friends through text, photos music and videos among others. The individual is asked to fill out forms containing a series of questions. The profile is generated using the answers to these questions, which basically include description such as age, location, interests, and an about me section. Social network sites also allow users to mobilize and organize their social contacts and profiles in the way they want other members to see them. Social network sites also give the externalization of data characteristics. The externalization of networks is possibly one of the first times online users have been able to view their own online social networks, and share them with friends and the general public. Some social network sites also support applications which allow users to describe the relation between themselves and other members. The label for these relationships differs depending on the site popular terms include Friends, Contacts, and Fans.Most social networking sites required confirmation from both party for the relationships term, but some do not. These one-way confirmation ties are sometimes called as Fans or Followers, but many sites call these as Friends as well. The term Friends can be misleading to others because the connection sometimes do not necessarily mean friendship in the common way, and the reasons people connected with others are varied. Social network sites also introduced new ways for community formation. although the virtual communications have existed since the beginning of online applications, social network sites support new ways for people to connect between themselves. Users of these sites may choose to communicate through various digital objects, such as tagging and in-built applications within the social network sites. Social network sites are also not just a collection of chat rooms and forums. The users can play games, take fun quizzes, share photos and ideas with friends. Social network sites nowadays also become simpler and easy to use. Anyone with basic internet skills can create and manage an online social network sites presence. Furthermore, social network sites are free of charge and open for anyone to join. Most of them just require registration, while others limit membership through an invitation from members who are already members of the site. Simultaneous posting across different channels also available today. Weve already seen how Twitter has this magical power of posting your tweets to your Facebook wall, and how LinkedIn can import your content from Twitter. And weve seen how this is taken to an extreme by sites like HootSuite which can publish to hundreds of different networks and groups from one click of a button. The HootSuite service is commonly used to manage online brands and to submit messages to a variety of social media services, including Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Mixi. HootSuite also provides a browser-based dashboard that enable the users to keep updated on their Twitter account. We should get ready to see more of this seamless integration between different platforms. Today current trends in social networking sites also really focusing more on internet privacy. With social networking websites like Facebook.com and MySpace.com, it is too easy to obtain personal information about someone and use it to harm them. In a case with MySpace.com, the  availability  of  being  able to  customize ones own  site has allowed people to use phishing html code to create phishing profiles that allows that   person   to   access  anyones  profile  who  have  visited  the  phishing  profile. Phishing can often lead to the loss of personal information such as usernames, credit card numbers, and passwords. This in turn causes great privacy issues since that person can now  access personal information and then sell it off to marketing companies for a profit. This selling of  information to companies has bring to the rise in spam emails that we all  received. Another issue of concern with social networking web sites is the of copyright infringement. The original owner of the selected file were not mentioned during the sharing of thousands n thousands amount of files shared through social networking web sites. Also, commercial products are also being reproduced by individuals and uploaded to these social networking web sites. YouTube is a great example of how copyright infringement can happened using a social networking website, because the members can pretty much upload everything on YouTube. This show us that people are doing copyright infringement and uploading files and video clips that do not belong to  them. The only real way that copyright infringement is reported is through the self-policing of the YouTube   community . YouTube has been sued many times in the past and is now being sued for over one billion dollars by Viacom because of above cases. The trend at the moment is that whenever you search for content you are presented with content relevant to your interests, that is chosen in relation to your past searches, your likes, and so on. . Users of a social network can be associated with one or more interest categories. Posts or updates made in the social network by friends of a first user are associated with one or more interest categories. A social feed can be filtered based on the interested categories or the first user of the social feed or the interests associated with the posts or updates made by the first users friends. The danger here is that this process channelled us in one particular direction meaning that we can only see what the robots think we want to see. So we need to make another effort to find new and different content, since it is increasingly unlikely that this will pop up in the search engines. Today, we now can access social networking sites using smartphones and tablets. Smartphones and tablets are obviously the latest technology products right now. Meeker forecasts the worldwide number of smartphone and tablet users should overtake the worldwide number of computer users next year. That means around the world, more peoples experience of computing and Internet technology will come from mobile devices than via traditional desktop or notebook. If forecasts bear out, this shift will not only continue, but accelerate. Furthermore, business can use social networking websites for their  advantages. Social networking website can be used for hiring the employees. Such sites as jobstreet actually help many people searching for jobs and many companies looking for employees to find each other. It is as simple as creating your  own resume and upload it there. Another aspect of business affected by social networking websites is marketing.Not only is online advertising more effective than commercial advertising such as TV ads and magazines, it is also  more cheaper and reaches far more  people than  other forms of   advertising. In conclusion, there is no doubt that social networking sites has great impact on the society it has lot of challenges which we have to face .So, we should focus on the ethical use of these social networking sites so that it serves our society in a right way and the society can play an important role because it is a time bomb for the society. In one hand it provides a way to connect to our dear ones, and on the other side it gives a platform that become danger to others.

North American Natives Essay -- American History, The Iroquois Nation

The early natives of North America can be divided between six different regions that they lived in. The regions were easily designated by the different environmental conditions and resources found in those areas. The regions were known as the Eastern Woodlands, the Plains, the Southwest, the Northwest Coast, the Arctic and the Sub-Arctic. Each region provided a different set of challenges that help shape the people that lived there (Harcourt, 2009). In order to survive prior to the arrival of the European settlers the native people of North America had to adapt to their environment and use what it could provide or they would parish. Each region provided what the people needed in many different forms. If the people were able to adapt and learn how to use those resources they would survive. The Eastern Woodlands The Native Americans that inhabited the area from the Mississippi River to the Atlantic Ocean and up to the Great Lakes were considered to be in the Eastern Woodlands. During that time forest covered most of that area. What the Native Americans depended on to survive was provided from the natural resources that were all around them. They used what the forest provided for their homes, food, tools, clothing and weapons. There were many different groups of people that lived in the Eastern Woodlands but the two most predominate tribes were the Iroquois and the Cherokee nations. The Iroquois Nation lived in what later became known as the northern part of the United States. The Iroquois were made up of the Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Ogondaga and Seneca tribes. They were also known as League of the Five Nations and all the tribes had to agree on decisions (Cipriano, 2003). By forming the League of the Five Nations th... ...nd understanding they had developed over generations. They also relied on each other for assistance with hunting and building their homes. These skills were evident throughout all the regions as the people learned to use the natural resources around them and other members of their tribe. However you can see the impact of outside influences like the arrival of the horse and the impact it had on the Plains Indian and their old way of life. They were able to embrace this change and make it a part of their new way of life. In order for those original people of North America to survive they had to adapt to their environment or change that environment somehow so they could survive. We are facing the same challenges today as we change our environment. How we adapt to that new environment so we can survive is the challenge the people of North America faces today.