General Conference

I LOVE General Conference. Thank goodness for modern technology! More and more people have access to the words of living prophets every 6 months. It's fantastic. 

I paid special attention to what the prophets had to say about media. And there were lots of comments on it. Overall the message seemed to be, "Use it wisely." There were praises and cautions concerning the uses of the media, especially the internet and cell phones. Here's Elder Oaks' counsel:

The Deseret News published an article about how people are sharing the gospel on social media. The image above is one of the 60 images the article showcases. Here's the link if you want to pin/share any of them. I think it's really cool.

http://www.deseretnews.com/top/3157/0/60-inspiring-quotes-from-April-2015-LDS-general-conference-.html

However, I think the apostles expect us to share more than Pins on our Facebook or Instagram. I think it's important that we stand up and live the counsel they offered in conference. Not only that, but we need to be actively engaged in defending the family, promoting kindness, and securing religious freedom through civic activities and conversations. I hope that as I do so, I can do it with kindness and not be a hypocrite by tearing down others with differing opinions. Let's all #sharegoodness no matter what religion we are!

A Letter to the Disney CEO

For class, I wrote a letter about Disney princess body portrayals. I am passionate about this issue because I have struggled with body image at various points in my life. I am not blaming Disney for that, but I do think the media has played a HUGE role in making me feel like my body is not good enough. Here is the letter I wrote:

Dear Robert A. Iger,

            I would like to offer some feedback concerning portrayals of females in Disney films. I have been impressed by movies like as Brave and Frozen that feature girls who are not stereotyped as the damsel in distress with love-at-first-sight syndrome. Specifically in Brave, I appreciate that Merida is depicted with a realistic waistline and body type. She is also spunky and different, with great character development throughout the movie. The first time I watched Frozen, I was so excited about Disney princesses whose sole purpose was not to win the prince. The film was about love between sisters and I felt like I could really relate because I have a close bond with my sister. Thank you for stepping outside the box and introducing more complex and deep characters and plots. These are the kinds of movies that I really enjoy and that I want my future children to enjoy.

            While there are many other things I truly appreciate about Disney films, such as the prosocial behavior of characters, I would like to bring some criticisms to your attention. I am currently enrolled in a university class that explores the effects of media on human development and I have analyzed some components of your Disney princess movies and advertising through that lens. Growing up, I idolized Disney princesses and wanted to be just like Ariel or Belle. However, as I have come to view the princesses more critically, I am disappointed. Most Disney princesses have extremely unrealistic and impossible body proportions that can really skew girls’ perceptions of body image and expectations. What is stopping Disney from widening waistlines to a normal proportion? I would like these “role models,” that are so influential for young girls, to be normal body sizes and types! Even in movies such as the new Cinderella, the use of a corset to create a ridiculous, though not fake, “ideal” or standard, in my opinion, undermines the good message of the movie. I think it is more detrimental to see a real person achieving that sort of proportion than it is to see a cartoon depiction. I am afraid women will feel inadequate because their normal waists cannot look like Lily James’ corset-tightened waist on an empty stomach. The diversity of ethnicities, social economic statuses, and roles of females have all been great improvements, but the body types of these princess protagonists continue to be disproportionate, misrepresentative and irresponsible portrayals of “normal” bodies. I would like to see that change made in future films.

            Additionally, I am frustrated that the advertising and merchandise of more realistic characters are changed and sexualized. Taking Merida as an example again, her body type in the movie is more normal, but her picture on certain products or merchandise is grossly skewed to the typical Disney princess unfeasible waistline. She is also made to look like an adult, with make-up and a more revealing dress. I think this is sending the wrong message to young children and teens. I think you are doing a better job with producing some more realistic, relatable characters, but the body type depictions must be improved as well. Children look up to and idolize these characters and giving impossible standards may possibly lead to negative outcomes and unhealthy self-images for children starting at a young age. Please consider making changes in your future productions.

        

    

In conclusion, I believe you are producing great films and improving by creating more complex female protagonists, but there is a real need to examine the messages you are sending by creating impossible, unrealistic body types for these characters. Thank you for making family-friendly films with good values and I hope you will continue to do so while making improvements to benefit the young viewers you target.

Sincerely,

Chelsea Borup

Like what is this?! Disney Princess 10 year Reunion???

What's so hard about these minor changes?

The Office

When I haven't felt super good lately, I've looked up funny videos. It's a win-win-lose because it's something to do when I need to rest, it makes me laugh, but then I'm sort of wasting time. But no matter! I wanted to share some funny Office ones because they are my favorites lately.

Let Me Google That

I wish I could travel back in time to when my parents were my age so I could see how they did things differently. I use google for EVERYTHING. 

I call my mom every time a quick google search fails. My iphone maps app gets me most places. I can compare stores and prices with the touch of a button. What was it like when cell phones weren't a thing?? It sounds kind of nice, but I am grateful for all the good the internet does.

Real Life Example:

I needed a quick alteration on a dress that was my great grandmother's. Needless to say, I didn't want just anyone working on it and messing it up. I jumped on the WWW and looked up nearby tailors and alteration store reviews. Most had normal, mixed reviews, but one place had exceptionally good reviews. I read some of them and they all talked about how they took a vintage or meaningful piece of clothing and she did a great job. So that was that. I took it to her. I guess I will see on Saturday if trusting the reviews proved a good choice or not. But isn't it cool that I didn't have to drive around looking for alteration stores or ask everyone I know if they know of someone who does a good job?!

Elder Perry: Laying Down the Law

I'm getting so excited for General Conference next weekend! It's so amazing that we can hear living prophets' counsel and cautions, wisdom and promises. In preparation, and just in general, I love watching Mormon Messages. Today I watched the newest one about the Ten Commandments. Elder Perry talks about how our world still values some of the commandments but many are ignored and seen as less important. I thought they were things that really went along with our media discussions. For example, no graven images seems to be perpetuated by media portrayals and focus on celebrities and icons putting them on pedestals and seeking to be like them, instead of striving to be more like our Savior. I love Elder Perry's promise that we will find true happiness as we are obedient.

Running Songs

Yesterday I went on a run and had my ipod on, enjoying the weather. I had a good run on Monday, but yesterday was a struggle. I was lucky I brought my ipod because my only motivation was good music. I had Pandora on some of the time and I didn't want to waste a good song on walking, so I would tell myself I'd keep running for that song then walk a block. It totally worked. The ratio of run to walk would have been much lower if I had decided to run without music. So it was a total blessing yesterday, despite my goal to use my runs more as a time to think without distractions! Yay for technology!

Save the Bros

The fact that this is a real product made this video so much funnier. Props to the creativity of this company. Although it swears once (bleeped), I think it's funny that they can use satire to sell a product. Funny funny stuff.