Post 10

My daily routine often involves a stroll down "the Drag" - a street known for its lack of austin flavor and (I assume) named for the DMT'd out denizens that elect to reside in its crevices. Though the city of Austin is known for its plethora of small businesses and localism ideology, the drag is hardy a microcosm of these trends. The UT tower projects almost a direct shadow onto American Apparel, a franchise known more for its sexualized advertisements than for its sound business model.

Most of the advertisements show young-looking girls deliberately dressed and positioned to evoke an "after-sex" look, with messy hair, no make-up and incomplete outfits. Some show girls with their hands down their pants, or covering their "private parts" or even just exposing themselves completely. As Dr. Straubhaar pointed out in lecture, sex is often an incredibly effective advertising tool and American Apparel has taken that allure to a pornographic degree and successfully trademarked a business out of it.

The snap-shotty and informal style of the pictures mimics our "default picture" fixation and the culture that has evolved around it. The appeal of the simple and naturally staged portraits is reflective of the sexy yet spontaneous way that we (especially females) seek to portral ourselves in our virtual social lives. In a way, American Apparel has democratized sexual imagery by functioning as bridge between the exclusive high-end brands that pull off promiscuity by coating with excess and the world of pornography.

Though business is probably driven by more by sorority girls and "neon partys" then by the hipsters and something ironic, the American Apparel on the drag and the pictures and ads that frame the store remind as all everyday that it's OK, and even cool to be just a little slutty in our own disheveled lives.

Post 8

Hollywoods three act structure has come to be the narrative style of choice for the majority of filmmakers. It serves as a good formula for evoking triumph and breakthrough- both themes that leave viewers satisfied. Unlike the Classical Tragedy, the climax of the story falls near the end of the film instead of in the middle.

It's Kind of a Funny Story, the last film I saw in theaters, follows this model. In Act I the protagonist is admitted into a mental hospital where he meets a young girl. The introduction sets up the major conflict, which happens to be interpersonal- what's the purpose of life?- he wonders and is set up to find it in the the unlikeliest of places. That's where the first major plot point occurs, and where Act II begins to answer the question that the first act presented.

In Act II the protagonist befriends several of the patients in the hospital including the girl he likes. Through these characters he begins to unload the anxieties of his past and realize the triviality of his stresses. However the issues of his past make their way into his new utopia and shake things up a bit. The girl he used to like comes in to the hospital enthralled by the legitimacy of his "issues" which throws things of with the new love interest. His dad continues to put pressures on him about school and success. He sees the realness of some of the real life problems that so many of the people in the hospital have.

The Climax happens the night before he leaves the hospital to reenter into his "normal" life and he sponsors a pizza party for everyone on his floor. Simultaneously it is revealed that every conflict is resolved; he gets the girl, his friend gets to get parcial custody over his daughter, his reclusive roommate comes out of his shell, and he stands up to his dad. The remaining falling action/resolution is his naming all of this thing he now does to keep happy and sane. There is a full montage of him ridding bikes, kissing his new girlfriend, and volunteering at the hospital. The clear beging, middle and end not only make the story easy to follow but leave the audience satisfied.