Costumes, Halloween & Creativity?--Desensitized for a day

Halloween is one of the most celebrated holidays of the year. It has been able to transcend differences such as age, religion and sex and allow individuals of various cultures to celebrate together.

Every year, there are news stories centered on the most popular costumes, candy, outrageous outfits, and parties.

It has come to my attention that although boys still have the traditional super hero, warlock, and sometimes humorous adult and scary costumes, girls have gone from scary to seductive and downright skanky.

At a Halloween store in college Park called Halloween Express, they sell sexy professional outfits for females ranging from nurse, police officer to schoolgirl outfits. Costumes tailored for women show more skin and have lost their scary side completely.

Another online posting acknowleges the fact that women dress seductively, but condones and congratulates their costumes saying, "Let’s be frank and honest here. This post really has no purpose other than to gratuitously display scantily clad women, so I won’t try to dress it up with witty or sarcastic remarks in an attempt to pretend otherwise."

In today's society the major idea behind the business is that sex sells. Women ultimately want to feel sexy and have bought into this concept and made the costume industy a booming business.

Go to the following link to see how others feel about the change in womens' Halloween costumes: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://internet128.com/images/slutty-carhop-costume.jpg&imgrefurl=http://internet128.com/index.php/archives/2007/02/&h=374&w=500&sz=98&hl=en&start=16&tbnid=CuBHmX8k5MjVlM:&tbnh=97&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3DHigh%2Bsociety%2Bhalloween%2Bcostume%26gbv%3D2%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den

Although gender roles and stereotypical ideals that exist in the social realm are exaggerated on this day, it is somehow accepted and overlooked. Take a look at the stereotypical image of a black male smoking a blunt, with overexaggerated facial features and a kniited cap. If this mask was worn any other day, there would be lots of phone calls Halloween is a holiday that can be celebrated by everyone and ironically people celebrate and find humor in things that would normally be seen as racist, sexist and many other thngs. If we as a society are mentally prepared and somehwat desensitized at a level where we can find humor in these ideals on one day, why are these things such a big issue when the holiday has passed?

Hip Hop-- rhythmic expressions

Music has always been a form of creative expression and a source of entertainment. Music was used as a form of story telling and a way to express social and cultural changes within communities. Recently, hip-hop has taken form as a tool for individuals to creatively express the self and different perspectives of the world.

Hip-hop has transformed since its birth in the 80s and has faced several criticisms by different forms of media and the public. Hip- hop is synonymous to the fundamentals of jazz with its improvisational form. As jazz has transcended generations, hip-hop has transcended culture and has become a culture of its own. It is popluar in its birthplace the U.S. and throughout the world in various countries.

As blogging has become prevalent as a way for citizens to share information, the internet has also provided a forum for ordinary individuals to share and express themselves through music. Internet sites such as youtube and myvideokaryoke allow individuals to publish media online.

Rap has become commercial and is used in various ways to express an idea or product. Check out the following link that shows a Mac vs PC rap---http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jkrn6ecxthM

Youtube was recently sued by Viacom for $1 million for alleged copywright infringements, but the company still continues to be one of the most popular internet sites. Individuals post things from music videos to actual news events.

Many rap artists have claimed that hip-hop is dead (Nas), but artists like Common and Kanye West continue to bring back the true legacy that the art began with. The following link showcases a video from Common's new single "I want you":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AG31zw1Dlw

Artist Big Boi, of Outkast used his music to express his dislike toward the media. In his song, "Hollywood Divorce," he said, "journalists that’s quick to misprint public and private business then retract back for deaf ears and think it’s dismissed."

Some news publications have correction pages, but some individuals criticize their efforts to right a wrong because the corrections don't get as much space/publicity as the original news or headline.

Rappers aren't the only individuals who have reportedly harbored ill feelings toward the media--many ordinary individuals are reluctant to speak to the media for fear of being misquoted. In an ironic way, ordinary individuals have been able to use the internet to report their own news and sing their own tunes through online blogging sites like youtube and google.

With shows such as "American Idol", "America's Next Top Model," Ice T's Hip Hop Academy, and other reality shows--reality and elements of ordinary life have been misconstrued and individuals have attempted to take the jobs/occupations of others into their own hands.

Tony Parker, point guard for the San Antonio Spurs even tried his hand at rapping and released a rap album as did many other athletes and celebrities who attempted to explore other interests.

Take a peak at one of Parker's music videos by clicking on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jkrn6ecxthM

Next, maybe mc's may take a stand and try to do our job as well? If the media doesn't have public trust, who will accurately inform citizens of relavent issues? Everyone is trying to do the job of journalists, but journalists need to do better reporting in order to keep the profession alive.

Art as a form of creative expression

Art is one of the oldest forms of creative expression. Egyptians and individuals from earlier civilizations used it to tell stories and express their culture. Today art is used various forms of media--film, print and online versions. One form of art known as printmaking now has its very own showcase at the University of Maryland located in Cole Field House. David C. Driskell is the artist and former University of Maryland professor to whom the center is dedicated. The center showcases various forms of printmaking with themes of nature, african art and color at the center of its design. The following link shows some of the various exhibitions housed at this new center: http://www.driskellcenter.umd.edu/evolution/Prints.php .

Creative Expression-A virtual world

The College of Journalism at the University of Maryland recently signed on to be a part of a virtual college experience. The program is called Second Life has several other educational institutions involved and will allow the college to explore new forms of media and education through this virtual realm.

With the college's involvement in the program, it will serve as a new form of creative expression through a virtual world. It will also allow individuals to explore media in an innovative way.

Creative Expression

There are several creative outlets that individuals can seek out on a daily basis. Poetry, painting, reading and drawing are just a couple of the many ways individuals can use activity to further enhance their minds.

The new technology age has allowed writers and individuals who would like to be able to publicly express themselves critically through the use of weblogs. This weblog or blog, as most people are familar with is even being closely compared to the business and field of journalism.

Individuals are not only allowed to further their creativity, but allowed to do it on a large scale through use fo the internet.

Citizen media is also possible through the use of media blogs.