Here's a relaxing song for this stressful week! Take a break and listen:) Resting Hour by Green River Ordinane

Michelle Obama's unaltered and Photoshopped dress

            One part of the Oscars that surprised me was Michelle Obama's presentation of the best picture award. Since when did the White House mingle so closely with Awards Ceremonies, which are basically lengthy, fancy, and highly publicized promotions of films and Hollywood? The Oscars remind me of when we talked in class about Beyonce going on Oprah to speak about her autobiographical film, Life is but a Dream. Beyonce promoted her film and her brand by speaking to Oprah, and the Oscars promote the glory and glamour of Hollywood through the awards ceremony television event. 

            But now back to Michelle Obama. She wore a shiny, silver scoop-necked dress that showed some of her chest and shoulders. This much skin is unacceptable to show in Iran, and according to The Guardian the Iranian news coverage strictly mediated how the public saw our first lady. The Iranian media company called Fars edited the photos of Michelle to give her a more conservative neckline. The new photos complied with the Iranian dress code for televised, foreign women. This alteration to Michelle's dress is interesting because it clearly shows that the media controls how we perceive events. It would be easy for someone to believe that the Photoshopped, short-sleeved dress was actually what Ms. Obama wore. Most people believe what they see, and many people may not question if the dress was altered in photos. Most people believe what the media shows them, and this gives media the power to manipulate how people think about an event and the truth of an event. In fact, when the media covers a story, how does the public know what the truth in that story is? As Chomsky and Herman describe, the media is influenced by many factors including fear of flak and the government, so they cannot unbiasedly convey Truth. Because the media can take so many liberties when portraying stories for the public, people must always recognize that the media shows some truth, but not the whole, well rounded Truth.