Postmodernism & The Office

 The Office and Postmodernism

For this week’s blog post, I decided to watch the video titled, The Office & Postmodernism. The Office is a fly-on-the-wall mockumentary parody about modern American office culture. The Office (US Version) airs in March of 2005 and instantly became a massive hit. The office looks at the lives of the works at Dunder Mifflin, a paper supply company located in Scranton Pennsylvania. The show is centered around Regional Manager, Michael Scott, played by the Emmy award winner, Steve Carell, is a single, middle-aged man who serves as an extremely boastful tour guide for the mockumentary. While at first glance, one might not notice the similarities between postmodernism, and the Office – it quickly becomes apparent after taking a closer look. For example, The Office utilizes three different styles of postmodernism, the style of filming, the use of intertextual references, and its presence on the internet. This is formally known as re-articulation, which is defined as the bringing of elements of traditional documentaries, such as single camera set up, and the feeling that a real story is being told. A Mockumentary, which is the style in which The Office utilizes, takes these ideas and elements and provides ironic humor. This is done by the practice of hyperawareness, which is frequently utilized throughout the show in different forms. The Office's use of intertextual references is one of the key elements of its postmodernism. The Office frequently makes references to different popular culture references from other TV shows and films, such as Battlestar Galactica, The Apprentice, and Lord of The Rings. These references are used to provide humor, as well as to push the story forward. These intertextual references are emblematic of the hyper-consciousness of postmodern popular culture, and as such creates an ironic knowingness in the audience as the views know what they’re referring to. Finally, The Office's presence on the internet through their website is a perfect example of postmodernism. In addition to the content created on the TV show, the creators developed a website that provides additional content for the audience. On their website, they have blogs supposedly written by the characters on the show, as well as games, videos and episode guides. It also offers online-only videos such as web-episodes and music videos that add an additional layer of content for the show. As a fan of The Office, I never realized the use of postmodernism throughout the film. While this concept is widely popular nowadays, the idea of watching an episode, then going online to experience even more content is a prime example of postmodernism. Overall, the office illustrates postmodernism with its use of intertextual popular culture references, mockumentary style, and their vast variety of Office related content available online. 

Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lzrZtEedgw&t=0s&list=PL8YtsooGljrlPkr7Ija54C6TtpCElse9j&index=16

Slashing Beauty Standards

I am going to discuss the concept of beauty standards and the effort made to break them, within this idea of cultural hegemony. Don't have any stomach rolls when you sit down. Make sure there is no cellulite in your thighs. Wait, are those stretch marks? Are you bikini season ready? These are some of the many things, due to the standard of beauty pushed by the mainstream media, that girls of all ages worry about daily, whether we like to admit it or not. How are we supposed to think any different when this idea of 'perfection' is plastered all over social media, magazine covers, television, and the like? 

We are all familiar with Victoria's Secret and the body types those models possess, but what message does it send to the 5'4, 140 pound, natural girl, when those are the only body types included in such a company? It sends a large message, one that led to supermodel and activist, Ashley Graham, speaking out on the topic at an NYC Launch party for a new Revlon cosmetic item. "For me beauty has always been beyond size. This is about using women who look different because we all look different and we need to praise that difference about us. That is what is beautiful, it’s that we’re all not created the same" (Kaitlyn Frey, People Magazine 2018). This came about after the 2018 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, and here you can find her initial reaction, along with others, to the issue at hand. 

Ashley Graham is a perfect example of someone breaking the standard of beauty that has been so widely acknowledged. She is not 5'11, she is not 115 pounds, she is not a size 2;  she has curves, cellulite, stretch marks, and is absolutely stunning in every sense of the word. The body positive movement has been around for quite some time, but just recently it seems like the trend is on the rise. Not only are people being vocal about the topic, but the drop in sales at Victoria's Secret, is reflective of women no longer settling for just one body type being deemed 'perfect'. "Just a few weeks ago, VS announced they were shutting down 53 stores after sales dropped 7 percent in its last quarter. This steep decline was a direct result of the brand refusing to listen to customers to include more bra sizes and feature more diverse and inclusive models in their campaigns, reports CNN" (Faith Brar, Shape Magazine 2019). 7% is really just a drop in the bucket for Victoria's Secret, but the need to close down 53 locations may have been somewhat of an eye-opener that VS needed.

This conflict has created some, but not necessarily significant change. Just last week, Barbara Palvin, a 25 year-old Hungarian model, was given her 'wings' and named a Victoria's Secret Angel. Her body type is different from other VS models as she stands at 5'9, weighing 120 pounds, and is between a size 2 and 4. Here is where you can see the varying opinions on her becoming an angel. Some people saw this as the brand being more inclusive, and others, including myself, saw this as the brand completely missing the point.

The attempt made by Victoria's Secret to be more inclusive was minimal, but it was there. Small strides hopefully will lead to larger ones, and maybe one day we'll see some stretch marks and cellulite in a VS magazine or walking down a runway. 

If we don't, there is always the clothing/lingerie/lounge-wear company Aerie, who has made a conscious effort to acknowledge and recognize all body types, as they are; no airbrushing or photo shop. Just women in their natural, god-given beauty. Oh, and a purchase made there versus VS, won't require taking out a small loan.

“That’s Just Their Style:” A Look Into Recycled Pop Electronic Music Icons like The Chainsmokers and Zedd.

Do you remember The Chainsmokers’ 2015 song “Roses”? Maybe not, but you’ve definitely heard 2017 The Chainsmokers’ (featuring Coldplay) hit “Something Just Like This.” If you listen to them, they are the same song with different lyrics. The “drop,” is not changed at all. It is completely the same. The melodies are strikingly similar in The Chainsmokers’ “Honest” when compared to their more popular song featuring Pop Artist Halsey, “Closer” as well.

The same could be said for producer Zedd’s “Stay” and “The Middle.” Although it isn’t as blatantly recycled as The Chainsmokers’, the two songs follow the same recipe of distorted female voice, broken down with ticking noises. The same formula is used in the remixes as well. If you listen to Zedd’s remix to Shawn Mendes’ “Lost In Japan,” it is the same distortion and ticking sound. Sure, it could just be that it is Zedd’s “style,” or “sound,” but it seems to be only slightly varied from “The Middle.”

Each of the songs mentioned had their time in the spotlight, and although their popularity isn’t for lack of trying, as they both found a formula that appeals to the masses and decided to not fix something “if it’s not broken.” This, however, directly relates to Culture Industry. As described by Prof. Eaton, 2000s pop electronic music provides an abundance of itself, in only slightly varied versions of the same song, standardizing what it means to be a popular electronic song in the late 2010s. At the risk of sounding like a mass culture theory post- these songs almost distract the audience into thinking that producers such as The Chainsmokers and Zedd are creating groundbreaking sounds, whereas there are plenty of artists (even electronic artists) who do not get the popularity in which they deserve because they do not fit the mold of the top 40. It seems as if every time a “new” song by artists that are just regurgitations of their older songs takes away from the creativity of it all.

Jay-Z, rap sensation, said it perfectly in his 2009 song “On To The Next One:”

Hov' on that new sh*t, [n-word] like "How come?"

[n-word]s want my old sh*t, buy my old albums
[n-word]s stuck on stupid, I gotta keep it movin'[n-word]s make the same sh*t, me I make The Blueprint

An obvious nod to his albums named The Blueprint, Jay-Z makes the point in which artists should not be discouraged from moving forward with their music. Furthermore, there is an almost infinite amount of music out in the world, and staying within the cheap recycled music within the top 40s is just staying within the dictated popularity from whomever has the largest amount of money to market their sound.