My sister-in-law is a professor at a medical school, and during a conversation she lamented that medical students were dressing like they were on television programs: men wearing scrubs instead of traditional lab coats; and women wearing more provocative clothing than they had in the past. She spoke to me about it, because she thought there might be a connection to popular culture. Indeed there does seem to be some modeling going on between characters on television and young doctors. So I wasn’t surprised when I read the abc12.com celebrity blog about this very phenomenon. The blog post confirmed what my sister-in-law and I had been speaking about: medical schools are concerned about where doctors in training learn about their profession. Some informal learning comes from Grey’s Anatomy, ER and other medically oriented programs. But it goes beyond those likely culprits as other programs, like Law and Order often feature medical situations. Oh, and the problem isn’t isolated to breaking dress codes, medical students also learn about intubation and CPR from medical programs. On the one hand it makes sense that medical students would enjoy medically oriented entertainment. And, modeling behavior is nothing new when it comes to popular culture, as much of the academic literature has focused on the transference of violent behavior from the screen to actual life situations. The kind of modeling these young doctors are performing relates, I think, to the concept of imaginary social relationships. In this case the young doctors see idealized images of media figures that over-time they learn to be like. It is a form of admiration that makes sense for students who do not yet know how to behave and how to look like a physician. What makes it interesting is that formerly medical students would have obtained this information from medical professors and others in the field with which they would have contact. The fact that the influence is from television makes this phenomenon all the more interesting. This is not the first time this has happened. I can remember what was called the Kojak effect, so named for a nattily dressed police detective named Kojak. As a result of his popularity among police detectives many began to dress in suits and ties, like Kojak, instead of the normal police uniform. Media figures model behavior and we sometimes adopt it. I guess you could count the popularity of former Friends star Jennifer Aniston’s hairstyle that swept the nation after she appeared on many magazine covers. Or, the “Be like Mike” advertising campaign where youngsters were beckoned to become like their favorite basketball player. To be like a media figure or to dress like a media figure suggests a greater role for celebrities than they perhaps had in the past. In the past it would have been parents or other relatives, teachers, civic leaders, among others who would have been our role models and major influences. Today, in our media saturated world, it is celebrities and the characters they play on television and in movies that provide such modeling. I have to tell you though, the next time one of my doctors starts acting like the ones on Scrubs, I outta there!
4 comments:
This is so true! Today, individuals are constantly trying to look like media figures. It is so weird because I was actually just thinking about this the other day when I went to the doctor. My doctor was dressed up all cute in heals and all. She reminded me of Addison when she was on Grey’s Anatomy. I started to think to myself, “What happened to doctors wearing the long white jackets?” Times have really changed. While I was thinking about this idea a few examples popped into my head about times when either I or others have tried to be like media figures. As many people know Jennifer Aniston is one of my favorite media figures. Even though I never got the “Rachel” haircut I still found ways that I could be like her. One time I loved an outfit so much that she wore in an episode of Friends that I actually went out and bought clothes to try and create the outfit. From the shirt to the skirt to the boots I bought everything and it worked. I thought I looked just like her and I loved it! Throughout the years I have known so many people who dye their hair because they want to look like a famous celebrity. Whenever my sister goes to get her haircut she always takes a Victoria’s Secret magazine with her. She loves model Alessandra Ambrosio’s hair, so whenever she goes to get her haircut she asks that it be cut just like the models. I always found this a bit strange, but now I understand.
I was thinking how it used to be that we would dress up like our favorite characters or celebrities on Halloween. Well, not anymore. Now we dress up everyday so there is no longer a need for Halloween. Aside from costumes, people seem to buy clothes all the time that stars wear on TV, in movies, in ads etc. I also started thinking about those shows you sometimes see on TV, maybe E news or something like that, where they have celebrity look alikes. People will actually send in photos because they think they look like a famous actor or actress. It’s crazy the things people will do to look like someone famous. I find it funny sometimes.
I really think people will continue to look like celebrities more and more as time goes on. I feel that this is something that is not going to stop; it is just going to keep on getting worse. I just hope that a lot people don’t get too out of control and start having plastic surgery in order to look like their favorite media figure; even though I am sure many of people already have!
I also agree that celebrities and pop culture are taking a greater role in our everyday lives. Not only to we imitate celebrities’ fictional characters on TV shows and actual celebrities when it comes to dress and hairstyle, but I think that sometimes the imaginary relationship is so strong that we even come to expect certain situations in our own lives that we watch on TV.
For example, in keeping with the Grey’s Anatomy talk, I recently had to go the emergency room with a friend because she was having an allergic reaction. It was nothing serious, and the doctors gave her an IV of steroids and then sent her on her way. But, as we were getting ready to leave, I couldn’t help but think that this is usually the time in an episode of Grey’s Anatomy when the seemingly healthy patient experiences some extremely unexpected ailment. I don’t really have a lot of experience in hospitals and emergency rooms, so I base my knowledge on these situations from Grey’s Anatomy, one of my favorite TV shows. Of course, my friend was fine and nothing unexpected happened but it just goes to show the influence pop culture has over our lives.
The discussion in class that centered on the imaginary social relationships we have with media figures reminded me of several instances of this happening in my own life. I was home over this past weekend and my mom was reading the latest issue of People magazine, and there was an article or something discussing how Isaiah Washington was going to be evicted from his house. My mom said to me, “It’s just so hard to imagine Dr. Burke losing his house! It’s weird that the character he plays on TV is nothing like his actual personality.” Even though Dr. Burke hasn’t been on Grey’s Anatomy (I really didn’t choose this show on purpose, it just happened that my examples all came from it) for 2 seasons, people still think of him as Dr. Burke.
I began to think about what happens when celebrities’ real life behavior doesn’t match up with the characters they play with whom people develop relationships with. Obviously, for my mom, it created some tension to think that Washington would be getting evicted because the character he played would never be in that situation. I think this ties in to the idea of hyperreality we discussed a few classes ago in that it is becoming harder to distinguish the line between fiction and reality.
Another example of this, and yes it does involve a Grey’s Anatomy character, happened to me before I even became a real fan of the show. I was watching an episode of Punk’d and the celebrity target was Ellen Pompeo, who plays Meredith Grey. She was sitting at a restaurant, and while I forget exactly what the prank was, I remember that her reaction was really surprising to me. She was swearing and her whole demeanor was completely un-Meredith, she seemed kind of crass and rude. It was just kind of unsettling to see someone I thought I “knew” behaving in such a seemingly contradictory way. We sometimes forget that celebrities are real people; separate from the characters they play on TV.
But even celebrities when they are not playing a character seem to have a tremendous influence over people. I know that for myself, I am a complete sucker for buying or wanting to buy the clothes and accessories celebrities are photographed wearing in their everyday lives. Most of the time, I would not have picked out the shirt or whatever the item is on my own, but once I see it on a celebrity that I like, I have to have it. It doesn’t make sense, but nonetheless I fall for it every time.
I also find myself developing imaginary relationships with media figures that are not celebrities in the traditional sense of actor/actress/singer, etc. Most notably, I really like Jon and Kate Gosselin from the TLC series Jon and Kate Plus 8. I don’t know if I necessarily model myself after them since I am not married or a parent, but I love watching the show and feel like I know the family and take in interest in seeing how the kids are growing and what they are up to. It was really upsetting when I learned a few weeks ago that there were rumors of trouble in the marriage and Jon was photographed hanging out with college girls.
I know that things like this happen in relationships everyday, but somehow it was more disturbing coming from Jon and Kate. Maybe I looked to them as like an ideal couple that was making it despite their hard situation. Whatever the reason it was upsetting to find out about, and it made me think the whole show was fake since on the show they always seem so happy.
I think there are many different types of imaginary relationships we create with celebrities, characters, and media figures. Though they may not always make sense, I think it is undeniable that not only do they exist, but they have a great hold on all of our lives whether we realize it or not.
I do agree, that today people are trying to make themselves look like the actors or actresses they watch on their favorite television shows. I agree with Ali I love Friends and Rachel was always my favorite character even now when I watch the DVD's from the most recent seasons (8, 9, 10) I find myself loving everything she wears and trying to some how dress like her and have her sense of style. I find myself doing this too with Sex and the City with Carrie and her shoes. But I also think we need to look at the trends that are going on outside television and celebrities. Yes the doctors today maybe dressing more provocative but is that because that is what's in style now and not because of what the doctor on Grey's are wearing? I think television does attribute to our fashion but like people it also follows trends and doesn't always create them.
I do think many doctors are dressing more casually due to the shows on television, but you also have to look at how are their peers dressing? Some younger doctors might be dressing less and less professional because they see other doctors at the hospital doing the same. This summer I had an internship at a medical device company, on the first day I would have to say I was the most dressed person there including other interns. I didn't learn how to dress based on a television show or a celebrity but my parents and even Loyola taught me when I am in a professional environment be dress professionally. As the summer went on I did dress more casually because everyone else was, I followed the trend in the environment regardless if I really agreed with it or not. Maybe the reason why more doctors in this case are dressing more provocatively is because "everyone else is doing it." I always feel silly when I have a presentation to do in class and my previous classes I have to show up more dressed and everyone asks you where you were or what do you have to do for class. I think you can tell a lot about what a person is doing through what they are wearing.
Times have changed and dress codes I think have become less and less strict. When I was in high school you could not wear a tank top at all, now I think the girls are allowed to wear strapless tops to classes in high school and I have only graduated about 4 years ago. I think dress trends are constantly changing and maybe right now it is changing to be more provocative and casual.
I do think people will continue to try to look like the celebrities they like but I also think celebrities are constantly trendy and know what is in style that it sometimes happens we dress like celebrities without even trying. But maybe celebrities are what makes things stylish and trendy?
I actually wrote about something similar on my blog! It's about the idea of shopping by celebrity and the influence celebrities have over the way we shop. The idea of "shopping by celebrity" is something that is all over the place. It is in all the gossip magazines and online. One of the boutiques in L.A., Intuition, is hot spot for celbrities. It is a store that paparazzi camp out at. This store, along with Maxfield's and countless others in L.A., has become a celebrity in itself. But that's beside the point. On the store's website, you have the choice to shop by celebrity. You can buy the same exact item from the same exact store. If that isn't modeling yourself after a celebrity, I don't know what is!
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