One of my friends had an interesting theory about t.v. adding so much pressure to our lives.
Much more than our pre-t.v. ancestors had.
Of course we all know how much pressure it adds to young girls who feel they have to meet the unrealistic standards of models in ads. But it is pressuring us in other ways too. I never thought about how much till she brought this subject up.
For example, she was saying... Did u ever watch HGtv and then look around at your own house and think ... Damn! this isn't as great as I had thought! So many shows depict top of the line everything and it makes us feel as if we aren't as fortunate as we had thought we were!
Huge mansions, gorgeous backyards, bigger and better... EVERYthing! Mr. petals loves watching that station and I always yell to him... 'Why are you watching this? It's Depressing!!'
Did u ever see those shows that go on and on about the perfect wedding?
The bride and groom pick out the perfect flowers, they have a wedding coordinator. They have to even sample and choose their perfect cake! When we got married, the cake came with the package. i don't even think I asked what filling it would have! So brides today, must compete with all these added details or risk having a wedding that will be considered horrible?? I am so happy I planned my wedding unaware of needing to be so fancy schmancy!
It's also the same with entertaining. Years ago you would put out some wine and cheese and your friends would be happy in No time. Now... martha and the likes of her are making us feel so inferior if we don't create an impressive masterpiece spread. No wonder I hate having company lately! I don't have the time, energy or desire to perform these creative miracles!
I think my friend makes a really smart point... Now, Think about years ago, without tv. The only people they mostly compared themselves with, were their neighbors who were probably in a similar economic status as they were. Any unrealistic ad in a magazine, was just that..Unrealistic. No regular folks can really have a house that expensive, hair so coiffed, clothes so fine.
I was thinking about this as I was watching a tonight show i had taped. Some actress sat there talking to Jay and her legs were so distractingly SHinY! I leaned over to Mr. Petals and said...
Oh great, I guess we're all suppose to have shiny legs now too !? He didn't know what i was talking about. He was half asleep, but I realized that I am so guilty of being made to feel inferior by much of the junk on t.v. How 'bout you?
2 hours ago
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On the other hand.. those commercials with people fumbling around draining the water from pots of spaghetti just make me laugh.
I posted something about different commercials.. "Let's Be Honest" ;)
Absolutely. There's so much pressure to do and be what television and the ads tell us we should.
I've been looking through wedding books and magazines, trying to pull my wedding together, and have been floored by what is presented as "must haves". It's easy to get sucked into spending far too much.
I absolutely agree. The amount of pressure it places on us is small compared to what our teens face.
I think most of us older set are slightly more immune (but not completely!) but it fills me with dread when I hear my kids talking about stuff they see on tv.
There is no getting around it though cos if they dont see it here, they hear it at school, in mags, on billboards, on their fruit juice cartons, their clothing, their bags - they are so bombarded with 'stuff they have to have'. Its awful.
That's why I watch The Hills. When I see the problems they face, suddenly finding a way to pay my bills doesn't seem so important :)
No seriously, I've thought about that very thing. I've even wondered if the lack of such things was one reason people of previous generations stayed married and just seemed to be more content.
Very true! I can't live without my shows though. LOL XXOO
Lucy this so true, so true! I think about what the kids are seeing and hearing on TV today and realize childhood as we knew it no longer exists. They become miniature adults with what they see and experience and I believe this creates a lot of the animosity that exists in families today. When I was a kid certain types of shows came on after I was in bed. We didn't have 400 cable channels or TIVO or DVR's where you could watch the reruns at any time of day. In fact I had to ask permission to turn on the TV! The sex, violence and controversial topics were shielded from kids. Our parents had actual control to protect our childhoods.
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