This document discusses Jean Baudrillard's concepts of hyperreality and simulacra and how they relate to media representations of reality. Baudrillard argued that the media can create idealized simulations of reality that become indistinguishable from reality itself. This leads to a "hyperreality" where audiences' perceptions of the real world are distorted by artificial media representations. The document analyzes how this applies to topics like gender and beauty standards in advertising, war reporting that constructs narratives, and how viewers may mistake simulations for reality. It also references Dove's "Real Beauty" campaign and the controversies around its approach to portraying women.

1. Baurillard & hyperreality

2. Baudrillard
Part One: Jean Baudrillard (1929-2007)
Baudrillard was a controversial Philosopher
whose main ideas and concepts have been
used to understand the effect of living in a
Postmodern
environment
on
our
perceptions of reality.
His most important book "Simulacra and
Simulations" became the basis of the Matrix
films
Simulations and Simulacra
Hyperreality

3. Baudrillard cont.
•
The effect of Postmodernism on the Audience can be extensive and can alter
our perceptions of the media and reality as the media and reality merge.
REALITY

HIGHTEN AND EXAGGERATE
(SIMULATE)

SIMULACRA

HYPERREALITY

4. Simulations and Simulacra
• Media represent reality and
in doing so change it to make
it more visual and fun.
• However what happens when
we start to believe that this
"Simulation" is actual reality?

5. Activity: Chinese Drawings
• You will each get told to draw an object, then
you pass it on and that person draws that
object, you pass it on again…..

6. Activity: Chinese Drawings
• How far from the original are the 2, 3, 4
drawings?

7. We live in a world of simulacra and
artificialness!

8. • The effect of living in Simulacra is……..
a distorted sense of reality or Hyperreality.

9. Hyperreality
Key Term: Hyperreality
Was first described by the
Philosopher Jean Baudrillard were
he suggested that the media can
now
create
such
idealistic
representations of reality that out
perform actual reality.
The audience is left feeling
depressed as they're own life
doesn't live up to artificial reality.

10. Baudrillard and Aspirational TV
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59OJ17raqWw
• How can we see the hyperreal world of TV
advertising as a simulation of Reality?
• What effects will this have on the public?

11. Baudrillard and the Media (war)
• Baudrillard wrote an article
called "The Gulf War did not
take place" which was very
controversial.
• In it he suggests that the
Media set the agenda on the
narrative of war - the war we
saw on TV did not match real
events.
(they don’t show all truths (restricted truths) therefore
this limits knowledge/power)

12. News events = Haiti Earthquake
• How can we use Baudrillard's ideas to understand The
Haitian Earthquake?
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZRJtAED8uo
newswipe haiti
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62QIIjOmJq0
newswipe season 2 ep 3
• Can you relate this to recent events such as North
Korea & Boston bombings? Similarities/differences?

13. Think of what is NOT on TV
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ongoing_conflicts
• On going conflicts NOT on TV news agenda

14. Baudrillard and Hyper-sexuality
• Watch the following news links on the recent report into
Media representations of gender.
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8538000/85
38207.stm (the whole of society is hyper-sexualized’)
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8538179.stm (children of
both genders are over-exposed to sexual imagery’)
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8537757.stm(media blamed
for sexualization of young girls’)

15. The debate = should this happen?
• Using the concept of Hyperreality apply it to the
ongoing debates of sexual imagery and children:
– Should the media represent hyper-sexual/hyperbeauty (idealistic) representations?
• Yes? = why? – free speech, democracy, money/profit
• No? = why? – sets up false expectations/aspirations that
people cannot reach = they feel inadequate
– How can you apply Baudrillards ideas to virtual
worlds like The Sims?

16. Dove evolution advert
• Hyperreal beauty
http://www.nextnature.net/2007/03/simulacra-fordummies/
Simulacra for Dummies
• ….it seems appropriate to post (above website) this
movie as an ultimate “Simulacra for Dummies”. This
movie is quite known and probably already posted on
this blog. But just in case, here it is once more: the
“Evolution” movie made by Dove.
The construction of reality.

17. What does this mean?
Original quote: Does life imitate art or does art imitate life? (Oscar wilde)
"Life doesn't imitate Art, it
imitates bad TV"
(Woody Allen)

18. Summary
Baudrillard
The media presents a simulation of the world
that is artificial and hyperreal
Some audiences read the hyperreal
representation as reality - hyper-sexuality
The representation of reality is mediated
through the media - war reporting

19. Dove adverts
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhPeA5LaEiI&safe=active
Article: (if link doesn’t work search – dove and financial times “Dove’s Real Beauty Sketches”
• http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/146e19ee-a92e-11e2-a096-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2RSNZ1f3H

20. Controversy with dove
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKLDEj73gGQ&safe=active
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbVvx2vsF04&safe=active
•
•
Article:
http://www.businessinsider.com/why-people-hate-doves-real-beauty-ad-2013-4

21. Extension
Dove parody
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpWkZiZaQsA&safe=active
•
•
Article:
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/04/22/dove-real-beauty-sketches-reactions-parodyvideo-blog-critics_n_3130929.html?utm_hp_ref=uk

22. Comparison of companies
dove
Body shop
2013 – sketch artist idea for advert (to
show pretty/ugly……seems positive to
reflect that everyone is beautiful
BUT
Emphasis on beauty – outer
beauty/image (let’s face it – they
wouldn’t have a model with a deformity
would they?)
-no animal testing claim
-but they have animal products (crushed
bone)

23. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9v6vB-mbjWE&safe=active
Elnett Adverts

24. H/W
Set: Fri Dec 6
Due: fri dec 13
(hand in before
trip)

25. • Must do dove
• Can choose either elnett or other similar
advert of your choice (must have hyperbeauty
and/or hypersexuality)