4/28/13 #2 Lyrics Go in One Direction

What Makes You Beautiful (Chorus)

Baby you light up my world like nobody else,

The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed,
But when you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell,
You don't know,
Oh, oh,
You don't know you're beautiful,
If only you saw what I can see,
You'd understand why I want you so desperately,
Right now I'm looking at you and I can't believe,
You don't know,
Oh, oh,
You don't know you're beautiful,
Oh, oh,
That's what makes you beautiful

Listen up ladies and gents, gents specifically, I've made a discovery worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize. Well, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but I think I should at least get some recognition from TMZ, or at the very least Perez Hilton. I've discovered the secret to the success of the boy band One Direction, and it has nothing to do with their Ken doll faces. In this case, it's all about the words, and it started with their first big hit.

The circumstances of  my discovery are hard to retell. I guiltily admit to having a few One Direction songs on my iPod. After learning about diction in critical thinking, I made an astounding discovery in about the four minutes I spent listening to "What Makes You Beautiful". While I don't think One Direction could ever compare to The Backstreet Boys or NYSNC, they are lyrical geniuses. 

It's all in the words, when it comes to One Direction's fame. The use of second and first person pronouns is very important. The first line of the chorus says, "Baby you light up my world like nobody else." They use the word you to refer to whoever is listening to the song as the objects of their affections. You are the person lighting up their world. They don't use she or her or even a generic name. They also use the word my to make it clear that this song is about you and them, not anybody else, which is also indicated by the word nobody.

The use of the word beautiful is also a key to the start of their success. There are so many words to describe attractive women (and men too of course) these days. Guys/men/well anyone like to assume that it's okay to just pick one from the pot. If she hasn't called you back for a second date, that was probably your first mistake. The boys from One Direction understand this. They carefully selected the word beautiful, which has a very positive and dramatic connotation. She isn't just pretty, she's beautiful. Beautiful indicates that their looks are out of this world. They're not just pretty, but unique, special. Also, beautiful is often used in a mature, far-along, loving relationship. With that connotation  the word beautiful makes it seem like fans actually have a connection with five boys they've never even met.

Drama through word choice also makes them popular. It establishes a deeper connection with fans or soon to be fans. They don't just want you, they want you desperately; not really or badly, but desperately. Your beauty doesn't make that happy, it overwhelms them. Who's really the heartthrob now: you or them?

An interesting word in this song is ain't. It's a surprisingly casual word, considering the tone of the rest of the song. Maybe they're trying to establish some street cred'? Is it really effective in doing so? It's as effective, as anything could be in establishing street cred' for a British boy band. 

So, that's the secret to One Direction's success. Maybe it isn't just One Direction, but all boy bands. Time to go listen to some Backstreet Boys.

4/28/13 #1- A Shout-out to a definite '80s miss: Big Hair

Those people that think big hair is still a big deal should try Garnier Fructis Volume Extend. I had the good fortune to discover this ad in my new Justin Bieber edition of Teen Vogue. (No wonder I was paying close attention to the ads.) As much as I love the Biebs, I'll have to blog about his iconic "swag" another time.

I couldn't help but get distracted from JB when I saw this ad. Everything about it is big and bold. The first thing that caught my eye was the hair, as it practically takes up the entire width of the advertising space. Her hair is big, blonde, and not a single strand is out of place. Who doesn't want hair like that? The second thing that caught my eye was all of the red. Red is a significant color in society. Blood is red. Taylor Swift's album is red. My favorite color is red, and I'd like to know how the marketing team at Garnier knew that. The point is, red is a big deal. Scientists have even conducted studies that say red generally catches people's attention the most out of all the colors. The last thing that initially caught my eye was the number 24. That number was bigger than anything else written on the ad. I also love the number 24, even though I can't stand Kobe.

After the ad caught my attention, I actually read it (gasp). Like all ads, this Garnier ad used specific diction to sell their product. The first word that I noticed was the word natural. Natural is very similar to the word organic in respect to its use as a weasel word. The ad says that it's made with natural fruit fibers. The word natural is romancing the product. Everyone wants to be a natural beauty. Natural makes them think of good things, but the word is necessary. Fruit fibers are natural. The come from fruit, which comes from a tree, which comes from the ground. By that logic, if I wanted to make my shampoo natural, I could just add some fresh-squeezed orange juice. Besides, how natural could you make shampoo when it's really just chemical soap you put in your hair.

The ad also used the word invisible to describe the fruit fibers that are wrapping around each individual strand of hair (gross!). The word also relates to the coveted idea of natural beauty. Your hair is being beautified by fruit fibers, but no one can see it. I feel as if this is a trap advertisers set for consumers. The use of the word invisible makes it seem like they're letting us in on a big secret. We actually get to know how the product works. Yes! In all honesty though, I really didn't need to know that fruit fibers are wrapping around the strands of my hair. It sounds like snakes. Maybe the advertisers should reword it.

Finally, I noticed the phrase "all-day fullness". I found this phrase redundant and unnecessary, like the word natural. They already have a big number 24 and the word hours that indicate it lasts all day. I'm not quite sure they felt the need to reiterate. In fact, it's a little bit insulting. Do they think we don't know that 24 hours means one day?

In the end, Garnier didn't convince me to buy their shampoo. I love the idea of something that lasts all day. God knows I need my deoderant to last that long. Maybe it's just that I can't buy into the whole big hair thing. I'm sorry but i don't consider people like Dolly Parton to be my style idols.