House Hippos Never Say No To Panda.

I realize that I am being advertised to almost 24/7.  Even outside this school there is a giant billboard advertising McDonald's specials (it once advertised a double Big Mac and that it the only time that a billboard has been successful in enticing me). This should be scary to me, I should feel violated in some way, shouldn't I?

Well, I don't. When I see a really good, funny, and effective ad, I laugh at it. When I see product placement in a movie it does not send me into a spiralling rage about how the art of movies is dead and nothing is real. None of it phases me in the slightest. This isn't to say that I'm wowed by ever ad and dial every 1-800 number that flashes on the screen, but I have enough thought to know when I'm being advertised to, and to take things just at their entertainment value.

Advertising is treated as a soul-sucking satanic demon in our society, and many times it is. When we analyzed ads in magazines, all I could see were airbrushed, photoshopped, unrealistic women. This can be damaging to many young girls and women. Ads appeal to our desires to be beautiful, happy, popular, and successful. And while many view this as exploitative, we need to realize that companies are never going to stop doing this. Instead of pointing fingers at the companies, maybe we should be learning how to be more critical. When girls see a model editing beyond recognition they should say, "That is not real, that is not me, and I don't need that to be beautiful." I think that's a better way to counteract advertising.

This way, advertising can't effect anyone. We can all sit back, relax and enjoy life and television and movies without feeling like we've been violated. We enjoy commercials for the beautiful and funny things they are, like the hilarious Panda cheese ads,



Sure, they're selling me something, but I'm also laughing too hard to care. And I'm certainly not flying to Vietnam to get some.

But I don't think anyone can explain it better than my favourite PSA, House Hippos. It taught me a lasting lesson of "be critical". This message translates not only to ads on TV, but to all forms of media. Everyone, young and old, can learn something from House Hippos.



Stop worrying, start enjoying. Don't be an idiot, be critical.