Semiotic Analysis: GUCCI Bag Advertisement

Introduction 

Media controls our lives nowadays. It is not the environment which is familiar for us to inhabit. But in modern world, media comes to propose not only means of communication but also new way of life with the massage it constructed based on the ideology and goals they want to achieve. Then, we as a consumer trap into the imagination world created by the media. Advertisement is one of media product. The emergence of advertisement can not be separated from the development of capitalistic hegemony. Capitalists use advertisement to gain profit through the massage that is constructed in an advertisement.

…does not assume that the media work as simple channels of communication, as ‘windows on the world’. Instead, it argues, they actually structure the very realities which they seem to ‘describe’ or ‘stand in for’. (Stafford & Branston, 2003)

Recently, advertisement has become a commodity. Many people involve in advertisement business and create sophisticated advertisement which is successfully influence people to fall on the contained meanings. The implication for success advertisement is the emerging of social paradigm relate to the product which is offered. An advertisement also reflects what the producers want from the consumer by buying the product. They use symbols relate to the desired meanings. Some advertisement for women product for instance may use women with glamour make up and gown to depict the glamorous of the product. Those are signs which serve meanings behind them. This is how advertisement constructs social reality through the ideology of the producers. In analyzing signs and symbols and the correlation of those into meaning, semiotics theory is needed.

One advertisement which becomes the focus in this paper is GUCCI printed advertisement of their new collection of women bag for fall 2010. The advertisement constructs women, make up, accessories, and also the background to depict the glamorous effect of the product. The combination of each symbol leads consumers to be trapped in the ideology that is presented toward the bag which bring them of having desire to the bag. It happened because in media construction, consumers are passive.

Discussion

Semiotics is the study of sign. It was seriously studied in the late 1950s in media studies. Semiotics relates to the social production of meaning by sign systems. Signs can be language, things, cultures, or whatever that posses meaning. Drawing largely on the work of the linguists Saussure, Peirce, and Barthes, semiotics argues that verbal language is just one of many systems of meaning. These include gesture, clothing, architecture, etc. which can be studied like verbal languages (Stafford & Branston, 2003). 

In analyzing semiotic Saussare propose the signifier and signified in determining meaning since those two concepts make up a sign. The physical form of a sign called signifier while signified relates to the concept of the sign, it may not a real thing. Language as well as picture, gesture, film are constructed to reveal meaning through signs they created which is often complicated.

the language we speak does not simply reflect the material reality of the world; rather, by providing us with a conceptual map with which to impose a certain order on what we see and experience, the language we speak plays a significant role in shaping what constitutes for us the reality of the material world. (Storey, 2008, p. 112)

Advertisement is one important form of sign. As a means of promotion it contains the ideology of producers to attract consumer. Advertisement often uses either simple or complicated signs to construct the intended meaning. It sometimes uses the signs to narrate a story which represent the product and easily attract many consumers to be trapped in their construction.

Although all of the advertisements do not physically represent the product, they all provide an important iconic representation of both the product and what the product, should stand for. Thus, analysis of all of the adverts will strongly focus upon the advertisements' photographic imagery, and the ways in which this imagery generates the appropriate signified concepts (or emotional overtones) which promote the image of the product (Clare, 1998).

In this case, what we need to focus in analyzing advertisement is the image presented. As signs, image posses meaning which represent the product. It is how the producer wants to ask consumer to agree with them though they do not even care with the real meaning of the image. Advertisement will tell us about the product and also the ideology they stand for through the sign’s meaning.

Bag is very important, especially for women. It is not merely a bag to put all their things but also an identity. It shows “women” because it represents each woman’s style. A bag can strengthen woman’s confidence, we can see from the various forms and styles. When a woman buys a bag, they may not buy it because they need it but they want it because either it is beautiful or they only interested in the brand. Thus, fashion industries exploit woman’s desire through the products they make, and the role of advertisement is really important, either printed or not. 

I take the advertisement from GUCCI to be focused on this discussion. It is the advertisement for the new collection of women bag for fall 2010. A glance, the advertisement shows the glamour of the bag through the combination of the model, accessories, and also the background which represent the aim of the producers. But, does it represent the real intention of the producer in promoting the bag? And how those symbols combined into one meaning?

In analyzing the advertisement we need to describe the physical characteristic of the things used as symbols. In the advertisement of GUCCI, the characteristics of the image are:

· A woman with GUCCI bag in her right hand. The bag is brown with gold chain.

· The woman was blonde.

· The woman uses simple make up, mostly gold effect.

· The women wears gold and big ring.

· Old tree as the background.

· The woman wears wool cloth with cat’s feather motives (gold and black).

· The woman wears gold belt.

· The background of blue.

· The woman poses naturally with her hair blown by the wind.

In gaining the full meaning of this advertisement, I would like to interpret the meaning of each symbol through cultural perspective.

· The woman, as most women nowadays, uses stylish bag which represent their lifestyle.

· The blonde hair shows the concept of beauty from western perspective. The color of blonde relates to gold which means high class and glamour.

· Simple make up relates to natural, and gold effect signifies the glamour.

· Gold and big ring shows the high class.

· Old tree signifies nature.

· Wool cloth with cat’s feather motives (gold and black) once again signifies glamour, nature, and high class.

· Gold belt shows glamour and high class.

· The pose signifies freedom.

GUCCI advertisement depicts a blonde woman which signifies beauty from the western perspective. In western perspective, blonde is considered the measure for women to be beautiful. The concept comes from Barbie, with its long and blonde hair, which becomes the symbol of American beauty. The woman put simple make up on her face which shows us freedom and natural. As we can see, we do not see red lipstick or thick eye shadow, her natural make up represent simplicity which is wanted by most women nowadays. The gold effect on the make up reflects the exclusiveness. Big, gold ring and gold belt she wears also reflect the same meaning, the exclusiveness and glamorous. Wool cloth with cat’s feather motives (gold and black) represents nature, glamour, exclusiveness. There is old tree behind the women which signifies nature. The pose of the woman represent freedom since she poses naturally as if her hair blown by the wind in the open air. The blue background in the image also signifies nature. 

In unifying these meaning we need to correlate it with the product’s description to reveal what the producer intended to reveal. The bag as the product in this advertisement is the collection of Fall season. In this season, leaves drops from the tree and leave it leave less. It will relate to the tree presented in the image. The GUCCI bag has small, simple, square form with brown color and some patterns on it. It has gold chain. The description of the bag is just that simple.

Then, we correlate the two meaning to have a compromise in the intended meaning of the advertisement. As what we have discussed the image represent woman with freedom and her want to come back to nature with its simplicity because simple can mean freedom. It is what women wanted nowadays in the instant world in which they are forced to be simple in what she wears because of their activities. It will match with the form of GUCCI bag as what we have described with small, simple, and square form. Another thing is the glamorous side of the bag; we can see it from the depiction of the woman with most gold things such as rings, belt, make up effect, and wool cloth. It matches with the concept of GUCCI bag which is glamorous and exclusive. Indeed, everybody knows that GUCCI is famous product with high class market. So, this is how they attract active high and middle class women. The concept that is brought by GUCCI on their collection match with the time they released the product. It was fall and GUCCI brought brown color as reflected in the tree. It also signifies the natural feeling of the product. Another massage that is brought by this image is also about status. As what I have talked before bag represents identity and lifestyle. In this case, GUCCI tried to bring the high quality of the bag for the woman which will create the image of high class society through the brand of GUCCI and the bag.

There is a contradiction in this advertisement as what Saussare states about meaning which is produced through differences or in this case binary opposition.

On the basis of this claim, he suggests that meaning is not the result of an essential correspondence between signifiers and signifieds; it is rather the result of difference and relationship. In other words, Saussure’s is a relational theory of language. Meaning is produced, not through a one-to-one relation to things in the world, but by establishing difference. (Storey, 2008, p.111)

The advertisement brings about naturalness and glamorous at the same time. It can be seen from the way the woman dress and her accessories, then it is contrasted with the wooden background presented and the make up she wears. The meaning in this case can be clearly generated because we see contradiction in the image. It may be made that way to reveal the natural but glamour image which reflected the GUCCI bag.

The analyses show us how the producer successfully depicts the product into the image. The natural, simplicity, and exclusiveness which are represented in the advertisement tell about the bag very well. That is what the producer wants to say to the consumer, it is about the bag, the style, and the brand that is represented by the fall theme.

Conclusion

Advertisement as one of media product contains many signs in constructing the reality. It seeks consumer’s respond through the depiction of the image which represents the product they advertise. Semiotic approach is used to analyze all the signs presented in the advertisement. They are combined to produce one meaning. GUCCI advertisement for their new bag collection represents the natural and glamour of their product. It was represented through a woman with natural make up and background of the image, and also through gold which represent the glamour. The advertisement is attractive and clearly depicts the aim of GUCCI in creating this kind of bag for their new fall collection. This is how semiotic work in analyzing the signs in the image.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Berger. Semiotic Analysis. Sagepub retrieved from http://www.google.co.id/search?q=BERGER%2C+SEMIOTIC+analysis&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a on 19/11/2010 18:55

Danesi, Marcel. 2010. Pengantar Memahami Semiotika Media. Jalasutra: Yogyakarta

Irvine, Martin. 2005. Media and Semiotic Theory: Key Terms and Concepts retrieved from http://www9.georgetown.edu/faculty/irvinem/theory/Theory-KeyTerms on 19/11/2010 18:47

Storey, John.2008. Cultural Theory and Popular Culture.

“The Pursuit of Happyness”: The Hybridity of American Thoughts

by Safitri Bonea Palakkarisma

Introduction

Puritanism and Enlightenment have been the most important part of American thought. Since the early life of this country Puritanism enriched and contested the development of American thought. It has become the base of American culture and shapes the characteristics of American people. The growth of American thought also experienced many evolutions until the most influencing Enlightenment came to America in the half of 18th century. It replaced God with reason as the source everything. Nevertheless, Puritan thought is still strong rooted in the mind of American people. Enlightenment also gives so much influence by giving a chance for science to develop and to allow men to have an optimistic life through their ability in controlling their own life in pursuing happiness. Although Puritanism and enlightenment have two different concepts in describing the most powerful thing which control the universe, both produced the social values that is engraved in most of American people. The values of the two thoughts are combined to form American characteristics.

Many thought that lives in America are reflected not only in real life but also in the cultural product. Pop culture which emerges as the respond of cultural development and contestation also contain values from those thoughts includes Puritanism and Enlightenment. The most popular product of pop culture is movie. Movie is the representation of social phenomenon which is interested to be analyzed relate to the social value which is reflected by the characters or the plot of the story. As social reflection, movie indeed brings also the American thoughts because it is the representation of social construction of reality. In pop culture industry, values maybe contested and sometimes blurred in order to create an interesting output include in movie, but movie is still the best resources to see the various values of American thoughts that influence the characteristics and life rhythm of American people.

The Pursuit of Happyness, a film by Gabriele Muccino, put those two values of Puritanism and Enlightenment in the character of Chris Gardner. The reflection of Puritan and enlightenment values shapes his character in gaining a better life for him and his son. Although the values are not wholly reflected by the character, the combination of those Puritan ethic and the ideas in enlightenment are clearly engraved in Chris Gardner. The development of American thought is not about the winning of one thought to another, but on how all thought, Puritanism, evolution, transcendentalism, enlightenment, etc develop the American values and American people.

Discussion

American thoughts are the strongest guidance of the development of America and its people. Why not? Those thoughts that grew produce many values which grow together and shape the characters of American people. The diversity of America encourages the growth of many value and thoughts that enrich and shapes the characters of American people. Since the coming of the colony, I think America has been in the early phase of its diversity. The new thought of Puritanism came and become the strongest base in the development of this big nation. The domination of Puritanism did not forbid the other thoughts emerged. At the first time, the emergence various thought is considered a deviation and it attracted controversy as those thoughts might be contested and opposed each other. Nevertheless, at the end, this debate did not put one thought dominate America and encouraged the various values in all thought to grow in the same line in shaping America.

The development of though also go together with the development of culture. Today American society is facing a new order of culture in which everything instant and entertaining become the most lovable thing. Pop culture, yes, it becomes the bible of the society as it successfully attracts many followers. The discussion of pop culture especially among the academician is being developed nowadays. Movie as one of the product of pop culture attracts many scholars and student to analyze movie in the case of cinematic stuff or the values that is reflected in movie’s construction of reality. It has been very influencing for most people all around the world and it has been a good medium for America to show their diversity and their open towards the development of human mind. In this case, movie also reflects the American values and thoughts as what we see in American movie is the representation of American reality. As the popular product, movie is not purely the reflection of American society due to the spectacle which is imposed by the Capitalist society. However, American movie brings various myths and, in this case, is American values and thought. These myths are the main topics in American media regardless the rhetoric in the society. Thus, in movie we can see how American thoughts live in all the characters. 

The Pursuits of happiness, as one of movie that will be focused on this paper reflect these Myths. The values of American though can be seen in the movie especially from the main character, Chris Gardner. The movie is based on a true story. It tells about Chris Gardner who is struggling to sell his bones machine. He is abandoned by his wife as the life of the family become harder because Chris can not produce any money. He lives mobile with his son after being driven out of his apartment. Realizing that his expensive bones machine can not change his life, he struggles to find a job. He join a program in Dean Witter stock broker company to be the only who is accepted in the strict competition to be stock broker. Many obstacles he faces in gaining this achievement, but he stays strong and belief that everything will be alright. Although he is strong, he criticizes Thomas Jefferson and his declaration of independence in how he recited the phrase the pursuit of happiness. He just wonders why happiness should be pursued- he compares it with his life in ‘running’ for the happiness. 

The pursuit of Happiness reflects the typical value of American people and the pursuit of happiness that strongly engraved in the mind of its people. The rights to have a better life in the wilderness of the world support this idea. Chris runs to pursue his dreams for his only son. The strong idea of hard worker and optimistic dominate the character of Chris and most of the successful people depicted in the movie. In this case, the values of American thought that can be seen is the combination of Puritanism and Enlightenment as the biggest influence in the development of America. Those thoughts are clearly depicted by the characters in the movie and how Chris deals with his life. Nothing more important than the family is also shown despite the fact that Chris is left by his wife. It shows Chris struggle for his only son, and the way he try to let his wife go to search her own happiness as Chris can not give it to her.

Puritan Ethics

Chris Gardner brings the strong idea of Puritan ethics. He is depicted as hard worker and believes in God. Chris Gardner believes that God has a plan for him and he needs to seek for that. In this case, Chris believes that his life can change. Probably what we can see in this case is the opposed idea in Puritanism. Chris’s believe on God does not bring him to surrender towards the fate as what the Puritan ethic believe. In Puritanism, we know that God is the source of everything and he controls all people’s fate. In addition, the predestination also dominates Puritan people in the first time in which human live were in sorrow due to the original sin. They can not change their fate and live happily because God punishes them for this original sin. It makes the characters of Puritan people to be pessimistic.

In my opinion, what is believed by the early Puritanism has not become a problem for the American people nowadays. They have left this thinking but still holds what they consider is important. In this case, Chris Gardner represents the characters of most American people in becoming religious and worldly oriented as well. The puritan thought helps people to be wise in living their life modestly. Living well in the world and believe that God is the source of everything. 

Chris believes in God, and he understands that God has a plan for him and his son. He tries to achieve what God has given for him. One scene that is interesting is when Chris’s son tells him a story about a bull that is in danger as it will fall from the valley. One bull comes and offers help, but the other bull refuses because on the belief that God will the bull. Next, another one bull comes offering the same help, but the other bull keep rejecting it. Then finally the bull falls and died. After the bull died, he asks God why he did not save him. God replies that he has sent two bulls to save him, but he keeps rejecting it. Chris’s son laughs after telling this story. In my opinion, why this story is told by Chris’s son is to signify the criticism towards Chris which almost gives up. The innocent of his son bring a strong idea of life. It shows us how the role of God is important, but one thing that we must remember that God gives a way in giving his help, so people must struggle to get God’s help.

Not many scenes depict Chris’s interaction with God, but one scene shows Chris in the church and the church choir sings the song of God’s help that make Chris becomes stronger. Most of American people maybe are not as religious as once, but the Puritan ethics is strongly engraved in most American people. The idea of hard worker is strongly depicted by the character of Chris which represents the character of American people. 

The belief that God has plans for human makes American people to have the characteristics of hard worker. Chris also has this character. American people believe that they can change their life through every chance that God is given to them. Thus, hard work is the only way to achieve this. When I watched this movie, I was tired as what I see the struggle of Chris in getting money by selling his bones machine and his running in achieving what he want with all the obstacles. Chris also put aside all the risk in joining payless program as stock broker in the belief that he can pass the program and become the part of Dean Witter. In the end of the story, it is proven. His hard work gives a big chance for his life. He is successfully accepted to be the only one who pass the program and officially work in the company. It happens due to his competence and his struggle in passing the program. Puritan ethics probably is not purely reflected in the life of American people, but its influence is so big in shaping American characters to live well in modesty.

The important of the family is also reflected in this movie. Although, Chris separates from his wife, he still tries to keep her stay. He finally let his wife go because he realizes that he can not give happiness to her. His son is the most important for Chris. He keeps living and struggling to pursue a better life due to him. He can acts both as the father and mother and friend as well for his son. He never let his son sad, though his son understand what kind of live he lives. In Puritanism, family is also important because it is where their heart is bounded. Just like what Chris experience. It is not the kind of family with house in which house is the final destination, but what Chris experienced is the close relationship with family which makes him to keep it and to go for his life. This is a good value of Puritanism in maintaining brotherhood not only with family but also all people.

Enlightenment Contributions

One thing that conflicting in the idea of Puritanism that is reflected in the character of Chris is the way he believes in God. He believes in God but he also believes that he is the only one who can change his fate. The enlightenment ideas influence this idea very much. Henry Bolingbroke stated the concept of man as capable of infinite perfectibility instead of the gloomy doctrine of original sin and as creature whose good and evil traits resulted fro environmental condition rather than Divine Grace or Sins (Horton & Edwards). In this case, enlightenment idea is to believe that God is the first cause of everything and men has the biggest control over his life. Men is the driver where their life should be, because God only provides a way in getting into the place that men want to go.

Chris Gardner, as what I have said in the previous discussion, believes in god. However, he does not surrender to fate and his condition. He believes that he is the only one who can change his life. He keeps struggling despite all the Obstacles he faces. Dean Witter in this case is the medium from God to help Chris. Chris bravely enters a new world for him as stock broker. He gives his efforts in passing the internship program to drive his own fate in the company, and finally he reaches his goal. One thing that is reflected by Chris is the way he keeps his things, the bones machine. He lost those machines many times but he does not surrender to not find the machine anymore. Every chance he gets in getting back his stuff, he will go for it. American people also reflects this values, they do not surrender easier in facing obstacles in their life as it make them grows. Many Enlightenment figures still uphold their Puritanism idea. They grow in that environment and still believe the existence of God such as Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine, but the role of God is just in guiding people to reach his goal not the one who wholly control fate.

The title of this film, The Pursuit of Happyness, reflects the most important part in the declaration of independent. As what Benjamin Franklin, one of important figures in Enlightenment stated in the early times that America needs to abandon the view of election by God and encouraging the view that life should be dedicated for the pursuit of happiness practiced in daily human life (Horton & Edwards). The statement becomes the basic idea on the life of every American people. They understand that they have rights in living a good life. It encourages people to have a broaden view to believe in themselves in achieving happiness. Chris Gardner supported by this statement though he keeps complaining on why Thomas Jefferson had to put the word pursue in it. It is reflected Chris life who dominates by ‘running’ in living his life. The idea of success become the motivation for Chris in gaining achievement because in the enlightenment Benjamin Franklin also believed that nothing wrong in the worship of success so long as that success was honestly obtained (Horton & Edwards). 

The idea of hard working and the pursuit of happiness that is strongly upheld by most American people produce optimistic value in life. In gaining success, indeed people should be optimistic because it encourages people to work harder and defend all the obstacles the face. Chris is optimistic. Although, it is not clearly depicted because his image is always gloomy, his efforts in pursuing a good life for him and his son reflect this idea. This optimistic value brings American people in successfully achieve their goal. 

The Characters of Thoughts Hybridity

As what we have discussed in the previous chapters, the values of American thought are still reflected in the life of American people nowadays. What we see is not one belief or thought anymore, but the combination of what is believed to be the good idea in building America and its people. Puritanism with its believe in the control of God and the Enlightenment which proposes men’s struggle in facing and in changing his life bring American people to the success of life and the importance of moral virtue as the key of personal happiness and social well being. The character of Chris Gardner in The Pursuit of Happiness reflects this idea. His believe that God has a plan for him and his son encourages him to gives his efforts in deciding what he will do to be success.

The development of these mixtures indeed happened due to the diversity of American society which makes it to be an open society. The legacy of American thought is not disappearing as it keeps contesting and debating which support their existence. There are many values that shape the American character and enrich their way of thinking. This is why American society becomes so open towards development and invention which promotes even small changes in every people’s life.

Thoughts grew due to different perspective in responding life. One people and another might have different idea just like what happened in the long journey of American thought. Puritan may be the base of American thought but Enlightenment enriches the idea of both hard working in the area of optimistic which is important in the betterment of life. Those ideas brings a new way of thinking in which success should be gained through moral virtue and God is the first way in providing people with the medium in which people can success because Men without God is nothing, and God is not autocratic in this case, this is how the hybrid of American thoughts works.

Conclusion

The development of American thought in American society is also reflected in the pop culture as the product of cultural mobility. The existence of these thoughts is not merely a single pure idea to believe but it has transformed into mixture thoughts. The diversity which promotes open mind ness brings these thoughts grows and shapes the American characters. Puritanism and Enlightenment contribution is one of these phenomenons. Their mixture belief strengthens the characters of American people in living their life optimistically in God’s help and men’s effort to success. Chris Gardner in The Pursuit of Happiness reflects this idea, the product of Puritanism and Enlightenment. His effort in success is gained by the hard work values and the belief in God of Puritanism and the optimistic and the idea of pursuit of happiness in the Enlightenment. Although, some ideas in those two thoughts oppose each other, the growth of American thought force them to work together in shaping American character and in enriching hybrid American thoughts.

BIBLIOGRAPGY

Horton, Rod W. & Herbert W. Edwards. Background of American Literary Thought. New York

[Movie Analysis] Nancy Drew: Not-So-American Teen by MAKNA SINATRIA

Nancy Drew The Movie:

Not-So-American Teen

By: Makna Sinatria

INTRODUCTION

                Drama movies have been the most influential image making in American culture, especially on making the image of the Americans. More and more drama movies take the everyday lives as its main theme. By doing this, the media—especially the drama movies—are trying to portray the Americans—male or female—on the point of view which they like. But I seriously think that the producers of the drama movies make the movie as what they thought to be most ideal to portray Americans, thus make it as if the identity of Americans. Although media portrayal of both genders changes time over time, but somehow it maintains the stereotyped representation of what “women or men” should be (Luke, 1996).

            Drama movies nowadays revolves around teen movies. Teen movies are movies about American teens (especially girls) on their high school life. How they managed their love life, school life, everything that mainly concern about our daily high school life, with yeah some problems which will be like the climax of the movie. Most teen drama movies are the portrayal of the American teenagers—or who they want to be like—and this has been the major formula or theme on many teen drama movies in America. Well this pattern does not only in teen drama movies, in some TV series too, like Gossip Girls or Beverly Hills, 90210.

            On movies and TV series, the media (the producer) is actually trying to make some kind of mindset in our mind, with their portrayal how the American teenagers should be, we as the audiences are influenced by this a lot. This may only exist in movie, but I believe that some girls want to have life like the characters in the movies and TV series have, beautiful, sexy body, happy life with a lot of money, shopping everyday, partying all night, no parents restriction, and above all, the freedom.  

The representation of female characters in the media would be expected to play a role in viewers’ perceptions regarding gender identity, which may ultimately influence attitudes and beliefs about appropriate gender roles (Behm-Morawitz and Mastro, 2008, p. 132).

            A lot of movies and TV series focus on the American girls’ life, and created more stereotypes on girls, that girls are into shopping, fashion, beautiful, sexy body, flawless skin, stupid, only aim at the popularity. Somehow, the media nowadays are making the negative image of American girls. They have the thought that although American girls are beautiful, rich, they didn’t focus on how smart the American girls are. Moreover, the media are trying to say that it’s common idea that blonde girl with blue eyes will be stupid, like in Legally Blonde, she only uses her beautiful look to seduce the men, well, she appears to be smart in the end of the movie anyway.

            I wanted to take Nancy Drew the Movie for this movie analysis as one example that stereotypes are on going on the film industry. The portrayal of Nancy Drew as the not-so-American-teens will be different from the American teenagers on her age, and somehow the stereotypes are different. The reason why I choose the title will be explained furthermore on the discussion part.

DISCUSSION

           

            Just like what most people know—or not—Nancy Drew is a famous book series about a girl detective in the era of 1930s written by many ghost writers in the past but rewritten by Carolyn Keene for easy reading for young/adult books. Many researchers said that Nancy Drew is a figure of a feminist; she is independent, free, and able to do anything (Still, 2009). Nancy Drew is a positive role model for women, as she is a heroine with the ability and freedom as man, but she is feminine. Unlike the common idea that girl who plays detective will be masculine, tomboy and strong, Nancy Drew is a feminine girl with skirts and long blond hair.  

            Basically Nancy Drew is the depiction of the American girl at that time, American girl in 1930s with different culture to girls on the 20^th or 21^st century. But many people said that Nancy Drew series are timeless. The character itself, Nancy Drew is (I’m not going to say she is genderless, because she is a girl) timeless too. She will be okay to be put in many years, whether it is in 1930s or in the 21^st century.

            This timeless character is proven by the making of Nancy Drew the Movie on 2007. The movie is different with the book, not different in term of the sleuthing part because female sleuthing is practically the main personality of Nancy Drew, but how the movie is pact in such a way that inside the detective story, there is the school life of Nancy. In the book it’s rarely described because all the cases happen on the summer break when Nancy was on vacation.

            The genre of the movie itself is family, mystery, comedy, and criminal. But in my opinion we can add the drama genre on this movie, as we can see there are some scenes on her school life, love life, and Nancy’s life with her new friends in Los Angeles. The school life scenes add some seasoning to the movie—not in the book because I think it will be too much romance rather than mystery.  And I will analyze this drama part of Nancy Drew the Movie, and the image of Nancy Drew as American teenage girl.

            The reason why I choose the title of “Nancy Drew: not-so-American Teens” is that in the movie, the setting is not in the 1930s, but in the 21^st century. This is the big difference from the movie and the book. It will be good to analyze on how the image of Nancy Drew as a female detective is depicted compared to the typical American teenage girls on the same movie and in comparison into some other American teenage girls movies.

            As this movie is novel adaption, I can see that the producer is trying his best to keep the image of Nancy Drew as being an innocent girl from a small town. Moreover, the setting of Nancy Drew’s case on the film is not on her small town River Heights, but Los Angeles. On the movie, Nancy Drew has to be able to adapt with the new environment of the big metropolitan city. She has to blend with the new school life, where people wore fashionable style, it’s not that Nancy Drew is unfashionable.

            On the movie, Nancy Drew is different with other girls on her school. The typical American girls depicted in teen movies are fashionable with beautiful clothes and make ups, tall, slender, expose their skin too much (see picture).

This picture is a movie caps from Mean Girls. This movie has same setting with Nancy Drew, in the high school and the girls are 16-17 years old teenage girl. As we can see from the picture, the girls wore pink clothes to show their youth and femininity, short skirts, high heels, and they expose their skin too much for the public consumption. Even only for a glance we can guess these girls hang out in nightclub and mall. Shopping is their life, typical American teenage girls on most of all teen movies, the typical girls who uphold their popularity as the most important thing and set aside their achievement on study. 

Let’s compare them with the image of Nancy Drew in the movie. 

 As we can see in here, Nancy Drew exposed her image as innocent girl with her pastel choice clothes, knee sock, flat shoes, and she really dresses tidily. She never wears jeans like the other kids do. She does wear trousers, but the old style ones. From a glance, she definitely looks different (see pictures).

The picture of the two girls are Nancy’s friends on her new school, well practically they are not her friends because they despise Nancy’s dress and behaviors. As we can see from the pictures, Nancy character in here seems to be trapped in a different flow of times. Everybody are wearing T-shirts, jeans, hat, sunglasses, and always holding gadgets (except on class, of course). Nancy doesn’t have cell phone to be noted in here. Nancy prefer something feminine for her dress, in the movie she exclaims to modify some of her mother’s old clothes, the answer why her dresses are so out-of-date with pastel color like in the past. This is one of the producer’s ways to maintain the originality of Nancy Drew’s style from the book. Obviously, she is a different type of American teenage girls, not into popularity and the outlook, although she seems to keep her feminine side. 

            Nancy Drew is described as female heroine too. But she is not described as some strong girl with muscles and masculine image. She is a very feminine girl, symbolized by her feminine look with blond hair and blue eyes—previously seen as the symbol of weak American girl. She has her own way to get away from troubles, she uses her girl’s way—not in the from of seductive method. This signify that although she is a heroine and capable to do many thing. Nancy Drew is still a girl. It is the producer and also the script writer and the author’s main idea of creating new type of American teenage heroine as a detective.

            Aside from the way she dressed differently with other girls, Nancy Drew sure is someone different from other girls. She knows a lot of things which can be regarded as unusual for girl at her age. She is more capable of doing thing compared to her friends, male or female. She is smarter than her friends on the classroom and she has more talent on craftsmanship compared to her male friends too. In the movie she knew how to do CPR, how to do the first aid on choking victim and allergic victim. She even did some little operation to her friends. It’s unusual for a high school girl to perform these actions.

            On an interview, Emma Roberts who played as Nancy Drew even exclaimed that Nancy Drew is the stereotype of good girl. She is genuine, loyal, independent, and kind. Nancy Drew is not the typical American teenage girl on 21^st century—or at least like media are trying to tell us what ‘American teenagers’ should be.

Being like Nancy, the book or the movie version, is a matter of getting out in the world, looking around you, seeing, thinking about what you see and acting upon it. It’s a matter of using your brain, not your credit card (Mannion, 2008).

            In this statement we can see a little satire being exposed on the movie that being a teenage girl shouldn’t be someone as your friends want you to be. You just need to be yourself, like Nancy Drew. She feels like she is an alien on her new world, from her different dress to her tendency to sleuth than to hang out with her friends. She is not like a normal girl, this is emphasized more on how her father—Carson Drew—found her daughter make a mess up birthday party, but he didn’t scold her, he hugged her instead for being normal.

            The most important thing in here, Nancy Drew as depicted in the movie is free from the stereotypes of American teenage girl who only cares for the popularity and money. She creates some different stereotype of American teenage girl who is smart and tends to be different, not in the negative way. Nancy Drew is free, in many things. She is free from fashion pressure. She is free from peer pressure. She is free from dependence on her father. And she is free from sexual pressure too. Her relationship with Ned wasn’t really being exposed in here, but it sure look like Nancy doesn’t really think of her love life. As she seems to let it flow.

            Nancy Drew is an independent girl, in the movie it can be clearly seen from how she drove her own car, meet some important people regarding to her cases, go to anywhere she likes, sleuthing in secret tunnels, and investigating things. She does this alone, but she doesn’t reject help.

              

CONCLUSION

            In the movie or in the book, Nancy Drew is a good example of good girl stereotype and role model for American teenage girl. As she has better thing to think of rather than thinking on how she should have desiring body like other teenagers want to have. Nancy Drew might not be a good example of typical American teenage girl as depicted in many teen movies and TV series.

            She is different with these typical girls, and she obviously does not meet up all the stereotypes of American teenage girls which have spread as the formula of making teen movies. These teen movies mainly focus on the “queen bees”, school life, shopping, partying, hanging out, and these stereotypes has stick to all American teenage girls image. Even some producers have made these as the American dreams.

            Nancy Drew is depicted too as a heroine, but without muscular body and tomboyish. She is a very feminine girl who wore clothes with pastel colors which shows femininity, has a long blond hair—which mostly correspond a weak American girl, and her behavior is very girly. She doesn’t show strength and powerful over the male villain, but she sure knows another way on solving problems and getting out of troubles without muscle power.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Mannion, Lance. 2008. Nancy Drew and the Mystery of the Ambivalent Movie Adaption. Retrieved on December 10, 2010 from http://lancemannion.typepad.com/lance_mannion/2008/03/nancy-drew-and.html  

Luke, Carmen, “Reading Gender and Culture in Media Discourses and Texts” (1996). The Literary Lexicon.

Still, Katie, “The Mystery of the Body: Embodiment in the Nancy Drew Mystery Series” (2009). Women’s Studies Theses. Paper 16. http://digitalarchive.gsu.edu/wsi_theses/16