Sunday, May 04, 2008  Goddess versus sex goddess: It's all in
the vision  Do you ever wonder whether you've been a little
trained, like Pavlov's dogs?  I do. I get so used to the pat and
stock things that usually I accept them, unquestioningly. But
when a moment comes that I do pause and ponder, I wonder why
this idea or this image is supposed to be so representative,
either of a concept or of something I'm supposed to like or
want.  It happens all the time in marketing and advertising.
Every day I'm bombarded with images and messages directed to me
(the marketing bucket of me, anyway: middle-class, practically
middle-aged mom with two kids and buying power): laundry
detergents that power through stains, clothing that makes me
look hot, cosmetics and creams that make me look young again,
ads about weight loss, and so forth.  I wonder, which came
first: the chicken or the egg? Did I look at my teeth one day
and wonder about their color or did an ad tell me I needed to
whiten my teeth?  TV, radio, billboards, W