New Normal:

This is the link to our final video, New Normal.

This film was created to highlight the fact that everyone should be able to wear what they want, when they want. We added a voice over as well as music in the background of the video. We did this so that the message of the video was fully understood and conveyed.

The background of the video highlights the fact that colours are often stereotyped to a gender. However the white colour highlights the fact that clothes should be gender neutral, that is why we had a male model wearing a dress.

The voiceover is to further emphasise that people should be themselves and that no one’s opinion should sway how they feel about themselves or stop them from expressing themselves. The voice over is a male because many judge men for dressing more feminine and call them derogative terms. The stereotyping of fashion could be harmful to the person’s mental health. Men are often thought as strong, unemotional and self sufficient. Often if men do not act this way they are seen as weak and fragile. The most common derogative names given to men who are not the media’s idea of masculine are called “flamboyant”, “gay” or “pansy”. Though these words in general are not commonly used to be offensive; the media has caused these regular words to be seen as rude and should someone be called these, they are not good enough.

Although we focused on the male perspective in our project that does not mean that this topic does not apply to women. Women have been called “sluts”, “tramps” or even “slapper”. The media judges women on the length of their clothing as well as their appearance (e.g. makeup) and brands a label on them which will often be seen by younger audiences which are more easily swayed by the media and its opinions, and will plant an idea of what they ‘should’ be wearing when they actually should be able to wear what the want without the fear of someone telling them they don’t look normal.

The media is the worst thing to read if you want to feel happy with yourself. The media constantly fixates on the topic of fixing yourself or making yourself look like the most famous celebrity (that often has a hair and makeup team, and possibly plastic surgery). The media shows celebrity “flaws” which then sways the reader’s mind on what they see as an acceptable way to look and dress.