Shannon Cuff and Heather Statz
The Story of Stuff: The authors use documentaryfi.Ims and Reading Advertisements print ads to help students v iew adv er ti s ement s fltor e 'cr through Critical Eyes itic al ly. S tu dent s' responses to the works are included.
n November 28, 2008, Jdimytai Stuff, and our personal and teaching lives were for- Damour, age 34, was killed by a ever changed. For us, Leonard's film wasn't just stampeding mob of customers run- about learning how US citizens' obsession with ning to get the day-after-Thanks- consumerism affects our global community; it w4s giving bargains (McFadden and Macropoulos). Even about getting to the root causes of consumers' ac- after customers in the stofe wefe informed that four tions as a way to educate others and effect change. people were injured and one rnan died, most chose \With t'he thousands of messages our students see to keep shopping. Although this was officially des- every day encouraging them to buy and wanr more ignated an accidental death, we question this "ac- stuff, we fear they will "learn that belonging is not cident" in hopes of identifying ways to prevent such rooted in concepts of democratic citizenship but in tragedies from happening again. Looking at the consumerism" (Stack and Kelly 7). \7e believe stu- root causes of this unfortunate death, it seems clear dents must develop a strong critical literacy that that consumerism played a large role. makes them aware of ho* they are persuaded as In our quest for "stuff," we sometimes lose consumefs. focus on other things: people, relationships, happi- In our work with undergraduates at the Uni- ness, joy, and many more intangibles. \7e believe versity of Missouri and with teachers in local high this tragic event gives teachers an excellent oppor- schools and junior high schools, we connect critical tunity to staft a significant discussion with their and media literacy education. One of many ways to students about consumerism and the importance of introduce students to critical literacy is through developing a critical view ofadvertising. Sfhy did media education. Donna E. Alvermann and Marga- people start lining up the day before, on Thanks- ret C. Hagood write about the power of popular cul- giving Day, to purchase discount goods? \7hy was ture texts as away to accomplish that goal. There is such excitement and competition generated that re- a "widening gap between young people's worlds sulted in injuries and the death ofa fellow shopper? outside school and their experiences in the class- \Zhy do we believe we need so many things? \fho room" (Buckingham 311), and teachers should rec- tells us we need them? ogntze the importance of using popular culture rexts such as television, magazines, film, video games, and music to engage students in critical conversa- Background tions. In an effort to push students'thinking about In June 20O8, we took a Critical Literacy class that consumerism and its affect on today's sociegy, w; altered oril p"mp..tive on teaching. Our instructor used two films and a series of modern adverrisements showed Annie Leonard's online frlm The Story of to encourage students to reflect critically.
English Journal 99.3 (2010):27-32 27 fhe Storg of SLuff:. Reading Advertisements through Critical Eyes
Taking lt to the Classroom who are informed about the rrurh of consumerism as well as the thinking behind advertisements can relay rl Through working directly with junior high and this to their students. high school srudents, we have learned how differ- Consuming Kids is a 67-minute documentary, .: ently groups will respond to the same sources of in- and when working with the junior formation about consumerism. In classroom serrings high srudenrs, our session time did not allow and at conference sessions, students have surprised us to show the film in its entirety. Instead, us with the candor and honesty of their reflections we showed a five-minute ciip of the video and asked studenrs as they consider the role they play in consumerism. to openly reffect on it by posing the foliowing quesrions: \7e have also been surprised by the resisrance of \fhat stands out for you from the video clip? What some students' discussions of advertisements and do you agree with? \Vhat do you disagree the buying of "stuff." Not all students respond pos- with? Studenrs wrote for several minures and itively or willingly to issues of consumption. In our then shared. As we listened, we were pleased ro see how teaching, we are not trying to send the message that excited they were ro dis- cuss the wodd of advertising consumption is bad; rather, we want to empower and how media targets young people. response young adults ro interpret media intelligently and In to claims about brand loyalty being to make decisions as thoughtful consumers. raught at an eatly age, Maddie said, "The way they package ads, they are The documentary Couunting Ki*: The Com- making sure what we do when we're young is mercialization of Childhood, print ads, and The Story what vre'Il do when we're older." "ads of Stuff have all been used with both junior high Jericka said that hypnotize us', and make us focus on rhings we and high school students. In this article, we look at shouldn't be focus- ing on. Some students each source and students' responses from both grade disagreed with parts of the video. In response ro asserrions levels to provide possible lesson and unit ideas. that children are more obese today than in years past, lilly asked, "\Zhy Consuming Kids won't they let us have variety? \fhy do they label kids obese?" An open and diverse discussion In the new docume nrary Consanuing Kids: The Com- with the group conrinued for more rhan ten min- mcrcialization ofCbildbood, educators are called to ac- utes, with us barely needing to facilitate. tion to do something about the onslaught of Nichole's three-minute writing caprures rhe coqporare marketing specifically aimed at children. spirit of the discussion among the junior high stu- There are now more than 52 million children under dents (writing samples have not been altered): the age of twelve in the United States, and corpora- I don't think that the experts are all-the-way right tions afe conducting intense studies to rarget this because we are not targeted because not all people audience (Consuming Kids). The book Cbild Honoring: eat all the time and some people are naturally a lit- How to Turn Tbis Vorld Arouncl takes a chiLdren-first tte bigger. . . . I think that kids don't buy things approach "tro to addressing negarive conditions children all the time, on occasion but not every single day. I face and the acrion adults should take to berter soci- think that there should be a policy on how to adver- ety (Cavoukian and Olfman). Along with other ad- tise. That's where I agree to tbe experts, but I don,t vocates, Raffi Cavoukian and Sharna Olfman criticize think chey are just targeting younger kids, everyone youth marketing techniques and call on schools to is being rargeted in different ways. develop media literacy curricula. In the documen- The high school students we worked with tary Consaruing "N(/e Kic/s, Cavoukian says, have a were able to watch the entire documentary in class moral duty to transform societal values and creare a while taking notes. The next day, we asked them to culture that respects the children with whose care use their notes to write a short reflection capturing we have been entrusted." Gaching students of all their thoughts. Nick, a twelfth grader, responded by ages how to read their world must include an in- saying he thought the "Video is unfair because it -/t..rr. look at the wodd of advertising and consumer- doesn't give both sides of the story. \fe can'r jusr say \)fe ism. are bombarded with advertisements of all everything is wrong and corrupt.without looking at types daily, and students need to be empowered with the other side." Jared, an eleventh grader, said, "I the knowledge of how to read these ads. Educators think that consumerism isn't either bad or good. It
28 lanuary 201O Shannon Cuff and Heather Statz
helps out the corporations and the consumers. \7e about how ads are created. She talks about the effec- are manipulated to buy products, but we don't have tive center of attention of both vertical and horizon- to." Morgan, a twelfth grader, took another view on tal ads and how this directionality affecrs our the video by responding, "Before my pre-teen years, interpretation of what is known or given and what is I remember commercials for toys only consisting of new or promised. Roy F. Fox uses the term symbol- three ads before the cartoon would come back on. speak to explain how advertisers lure consumers. Now there are ten or more commercials that chil- Symbolspeak is the "art of dren consume on breaks which sell things that are a" suggesting" and it "results Some students admitted lot more 'character' or 'block-buster' centered." from the skillfully manipu- they didn't like being The high school students engaged in a lively lated ambiguity of images" told that consumerism is discussion following their writings. Just as the dif- (70). Symbols are used to wrong they enjoyed ference in the wfitten responses shows above, the "distort rcality slightfu Iandl buying things and had opinions varied greatly and most seemed passionate to mislead a little.bit (and no desire to stop. about their stance. Some students admitted they sometimes even to lie)" (69; didn't like being told that consumerism is wrong; emphasis in original). Teens they enjoyed buying things and had no desire to must be taught how to read advertisements for sym- stop. Others said it was difficult to realize how ma- bolspeak in order to be smart consumers. \7hen we nipulative the media could be, especiaily when it teach students to read the context of the adverrise- comes to targeting younger and younger children. ment, they are better able to understand the truth of Many pointed out faulty logic in the film and its message and the feelings it intends to create. wanted to "set the record straight" when it came to "Got Milk?" is a common advertising cam- Disney heroines. Consuming Kids shows a few clips paign recognizedby school-age students. The ad we from various Disney productions that showcase ma- shared features Hayden Panettiere in a tight, red terialism and glorify "mean girls." Sevegal students dress wearing the famous milk mustache. A glass of stated that the video did not show that these gids milk is exploding in her hand, and part of the text were the antagonists in the films and shows, not the says that teens who choose to drink milk tend to be protagonists. While they may seem obsessed with leaner. \7e asked the students a series ofcritical lit- "sruff," they are not the ones "winning" the boy or eracy questions modified from Bomer and Bomer ro the trophy in the end. Thus, Disney is not present- get them talking about the ad: (1) \7hat do you ing these materiai, mean gids as role models. see? (2) \fhat message does the ad communicate? Regardless of the opinions expressed, we were (3) \Vhy does the ad look this way? (4) \Vhy does it encouraged to see the students engaging with the work? (5) \fhose voice is left out? (6) How do you material and passionately expressing their views..$7e feel when looking at the ad? believe this discussion enacted what Randy Bomer Asking the questions in this order allows stu- and Katherine Bomer recommend when they write, dents to focus on the denotative, a more comfortable "[Teachers] need to recognize that being an educator place to start, before moving to rhe connotative, a consists not only of installing skills, concepts, and more advanced venture. \flhen discussing the ad, information in kids' heads but of building lasring students noticed the skimpy attire and flashy red conversations, new relationships among people, and color. One student commented that it was "brain- a responsive and ethical social wodd" (8). washing us" to think milk would make us thinner. Several said not everyone likes milk or can even drink milk. "\Zhat about those who are lactose in- Looking at Ads tolerant?" asked ayoung man. Students shared other To contextualize the world of advertising, we shared examples of this particular ad campaign that hang several print'ads from popular teen magazines with in their cafeterias and the hallways oftheir schools. /'L the group. 'We wanted the students to think about \7e predicted that the female students would how advertisements ale constructed and why they have strong reactions to the "Got Milk?" ad, so we persuade us. Peggy Albers's research on visual dis- also wanted to share an ad designed more for males. course analysis provided us the structure to talk \7e showed the students an ad of a muscular young
English Journal 29 The Story of Stuff: Reading Advertisements through Critical Eyes
man with prosthetics below each knee dressed in in our sessions with students. According rc Tbe Nike clothing. The ad's rexr srates the man's body is Story of Stuff website, Leonard has visited over 30 his weapon and how he is "the fastest thing on no countries in the past 20 years investigating facto- legs." \7e asked the students the same six questions ries and dumps. She is concerned about environ- listed above, and they noted that the purpose of this mental health issues and sustainability in the 21st advertisement was to promote century and has worked closely with several organi- According to an article strength. Nike clothing would zations to raise awareness about the effect of con- published in the Neu help this man achieve his goals. sumerism on the economy, the environment, and York limes, fhe Storg But when we asked them if he the health of the world's population. The Story of of Stuff has "become a cou.ld do rhis in different atrire, StufffiIm is her latest projecr and has been viewed sleeper hit in classrooms they said yes. David said that online more than five million times. he never sees "regular guys" in \7ith both groups of students, we showed the across the nation" Nike ads. Other students noted last eleven minutes of the film, which includes sec- (Kaufman, par,2). that the point of the ads was to tions on distribution, consumption, disposal, and show the ideal, what Nike alternatives. After the students watched the clip of products can help create. But they also admitted that The Story of Staff, we gave them a few minutes to most of the peopie they know who wear Nike do not write down their thoughts. A seventh grader wrore, look like the man in the ad. This point in the conver- "\[e can reduce the waste if the people who make sation raises the question of who is being left out. If stuff make it recyclable. \7e could have a better it's the "regular guy," what does this say about what eatth. 997o of our stuff is thrown away!ll!!" One of our society values.and who is empowered? our high school students reflected, "I was surprised Finally, we showed the students an ad from at how much of what we buy/consume is just thrown Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty. The ad features a away within about 6 months. Also that each person size 12 or 14 brunette in her mid-20s wearing a contributes'about 4.5 lbs. of trash each day." How- biack, strapless dress. To the right ofher body, con- evet some of the high school students chalienged sumers are asked to check the box marked "[at?" or Leonard's message. As Conner, a high school stu- "fab?" \7e were curious to see how students would dent, noted, "The video was really long on telling us respond to an ad created to counter the typical ad problems and short on solutions. It was 19:30 min- geared toward teens. They recognized rhese ads utes of telling us how we're messing up but ooly a were attempting to address the alternative to the minute of telling us solutions." Another high school type of woman who usually advertises beauty prod- student felt overwhelmed by the informarion. Ceci- ucts. But they also pointed out that the end goal of lia wrote, "I agree with her ideas that there are ways these images was to get $/omen to purchase Dove to stop the wasteful economy, but I just think it's products. Interestingly, many more students couid reaily hard to do as one small person." see themselves in this ad but did not say they would According to an article published in the Mzz necessarily buy more Dove products. YorkTimu, The Story of Stuff has "become a sleeper After sharing all three advertisements and hit in classrooms across the nation" (Kaufman, par. discussing them openly with both groups of stu- 2). Educators have seen students inspired by the dents, we noticed the students were adept at seeing video take action by creating response videos and what's on the surface of the advertisements. FIow- posting them on the Internet and by staffing recy- ever, we noted a disconnect between the ability to cling campaigns at home and at school. But, teach- discuss the connotations of the ad and how they ers have also seen that some students are offended apply to the students directly as consumers. by Leonard's tone and style and challenge the film's conciusions; some students have asked for fewer scare tactics and more suggestions on how to im- The.Eforg of SLuff prove the situation. Regardless oftheir responses to Since Tbe Story of Stuff first made us question our the information presented, we think itls important own roles in consumerism, we try to share as much that students are thinking critically about adverti.s- of Annie Leonard's 20-minute short film as we can ing, consumerism, and the global market.
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Putting lt All Together STith the high school students, we wanred ro try a different approach To synthesize the ideas presented, we asked the ju- ro allow for more abstract thinking, so we modified an idea nior high students to write a piece-in their choice from Naomi Shi- hab Nye to generare of genre-ssing rheir reflections from Consuming lists that wrirers can choose from to wrire shom poems. asked Kids, the print advetisements we discussed, and \7e the.students to wrire five questions they had about the subject, The Story of Stffi We used our own writings in a three things that variety of forms-poetry, diary enrries, fiction, stood our from the lesson, and then three similes memoir, science fiction, graphic representarions, or meraphors about consumerism or "stuff." Choosing from of the etc.-to encourage the students to create a product two three lists the students generated, that showcased their thoughts and feelings. we asked them to compose a short poem. Nicole, a seventh-grade student, wrote the following: Morgan, a seoior, wrote this poem: Dangerous Fieedom \X/hy do we do it? Our work down the drain. Consumerism is like a bird- People in deep debr. it soars free without any resrriction. Gone our hope ofour future. The FTC doesn'r regulate kid's Welcoming the shame. commercials anymote. Relying on our planet. Are there any limits? Yet no planet to be seen. Hiding from the collectors. Another senior, Adam, composed this poem: Searching for'the heip Untitled which cannot be found. the pollution we make Children of the future the sruffwe take paying for rhe , dearh ofour economy . is going to rurn us and no one there to mourn. inco what we \Vhy do we do it? make waste. Several srudents wrore diary entries, including this pair of entries from eighth-grader Dominque: Meaning Matters February 28,2018 In their discussion ofhow parterns ofvisual think- Dear Diary, ing develop eady in life, Karen Keifer-Boyd and Jane Maitland-Gholson remind us rhar our ability. I hate myself. I was walking to school and I decided to engage and interpret visual information to take a shortcur through the mall (not a g6od at mul- tiple Ievels influences idea). There were posters after posters of teenage how we make meanings models. Some had long black straight hair blow- from visual culture. A large part ofour visual cul- ing in the wind and others had curly blonde hair ture that students of all ages are sutrounded by that any smart guy would kitl to touch. They were is advertising in a variety of forms: billboards, skinny, wore make-up and even had cute clothes. commercials, and magazine ads. "Young people Some girls even wear bikinis and . . . Iook . . . are among the most significant markets for many fabulous in it. of these new technologies and culturai forms, and I want to get my hair done, get a manicure, get even younger children are now coming to be seen new clothes, buy a whole new make-up set, and as a powerful consumer group in their own right" get a work our and get a tan so maybe I can look (Buckingham 310). Because studenrs take this just like them. So let's see if my new make-over bombardment of ads and works out!l!!! rampant consumerism as a given, they may not give it the critical / attention March 12,2018 it deserves. Meaning-making matters, and English Dear Diary, teachers must provide students with tlre language Good news and bad news. to question their visual culture and form their own I look fabulous. B2d ngv/s-I went bankrupt. opinions. @
English Journal 31 The Storg of Stuff: Reading Advertisements through Critical Eyes
Cited Works www.mediaed.orglcgi-bin/commerce.cgi ?preadd = Albers, Peggy. "Visual Discourse Analysis: An Introduction action&key=134>. "Where lVe to the Analysis of School-Generated Visual Texts." Fox, Roy F. tive." Inwgu in Language, Media, and 56tb Yearbook of the Narional Reading Confaence. Ed. Mind. Ed. Roy F. Fox. Urbana: NCTE, 1994. 69-9t. Deborah \7e1is Rowe et al. Oak Creek: National Print. .about Reading Conf ., 2007 . 81-91. Print. Kaufman, Leslie. "A Cautionary Vdeo America's " Alvermann, Donna E., and Margaret C. Hagood. "Critical ,Stuff Neza York Tines (10 May 2009). I7eb. t 1 May Media literacy: Research, Theory, and Practice in 2009.
Shannon Cuff began her teaching career as a high school English teacher in southwest Missouri. She is now a student at the University of Missouri pursuing her PhD in Literacy Education. Shannon is passionate about informing teachers about critical literacy and the best practices in literacy instruction. Email her at [email protected]. FJeather Statz is a learriing specialist at Hickman High School in central Mlssouri and is pursuing her doctorate in English Education at the University of Missouri. Her research interests includecritical and media literacy and genderstudies. She may be reached at [email protected].
"PersuasiveTechniques in Advertising" provides an introduction to someof the persuasive appeals used in adver- tisin.g: pathos, logos, and ethos. Students will analyze advertising in a variety of sources and biplore the concepts of demographics, marketin-g for a specific audience, and dynamic advertising: The lesson culminates in the produc- tion of demographic-specific commercials. http://www.readwritethink.orgllessons/lesson_view.asp?id=l16G
Call for Proposals: NCTE Theory and Research into Practice (TRIP) Book Series
The NCTE Books Program invites proposals for its TRIP series (Theory and Research into Practice). These books are single-authored and focus on a single topic, targeting a specified educational level (elemenrary, middle, or secondary). Each book will offer the following: solid theoretical foundation io a given subject area within English Ianguage arts; exposure to the pertinent research in that atea; practice-oriented models de- signed to stimulate theory-based application in the reader's own classroom. The series has an extremely wide range of subject matter; past titles include Genre Theory, (Jnlocking ShakespeareS Language, Code-Switching, arld. lVriting about Litaature. For detailed submission guidelines, please visit the NCTE website at http://www .ncte.oig/write/books. Proposals to be considered for the TRIP series should include a short review of the 'theory and research, as weli as examples ofclassroom practices that can be adapred to the teaching level speci- \Web-based fied. Proposals should be submitted through NCTE's manuscript submission and review sysrem, Editorial Manager, at http://www.editorialm anager.coml octebp/.
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