Media Worlds

Media Worlds According to Erika Engstrom: "because there are no legal rules for the wedding as a social event itself, wedding media such as found in The Knot's offerings provide informal, though structured, instruction (etiquette) to women regarding the correct way weddings should be conducted. In this sense, the uniform weddings portrayed and described in detail in such media, in the form of easily accessible magazines and etiquette books, television programs, and popular films, thus become the dominant version" (Engstrom 62).

In other words, popular culture, the media, and websites that seamlessly merge advice and advertising now structure our view of what is a normal wedding, filling in for what was once dictated by religion or local culture. Ironically, although more marriages end in divorce, more couples live together before marriage, and the roles of the genders are being increasingly questioned in society, marriages are getting more expensive and elaborate.

Once, most poor women in the 19th century wore their best dress to marry, now elaborate Victorian-style confections cost thousands of dollars. However, the same phenomenon can be observed within the food industry. While Americans are cooking less, there is also an explosion of interest in food as an artifact and as a form of entertainment, spanning from cooking programs to lifestyle magazines and websites.

Even if viewers do not always practice what they see on television, there is a communicated message of what and how it is 'normal' to eat, just like The Knot promotes a message of how it is normal for women to wed, in a manner that satisfies its sponsorship. As a culture, given the rise of obesity and general ill health, we are just as anxious about the right way to eat as the right way to love.

Rachel Ray, for example, has a website that contains a variety of recipes, many of which 'link back' to Rachel's show or magazine features. Ray satisfies the public's demand for guidance about the right way to eat. There is also a component of the website where the reader can shop for Rachel Ray products with which to cook. The message that is communicated is that a 'good mother' can follow these recipes and satisfy the cultural need to cook for her family, while still taking acceptably easy shortcuts.

Rachel is presented as kind of an 'every woman' with whom the reader can identify. This blend of commercialism and the communication of the message of the 'right' ways to cook are also seen on the Food Network website. Recipes are promoted as healthy or kid-friendly, and all link back to shows that are on the network.

On the website, the viewer is urged that "making your own pizza is easier than you think with our step-by-step instructions," provided you watch a video instructing you to do so, according to Giada (a chef on the network). Because of the wide range of programs on the network, a variety of 'aspirational lifestyles' are encompassed, spanning from cooking for the family, to decadent food, to exotic and international cuisine, and 'quick and easy' meals.

Collectively, the advertised shows support the notion of cooking from scratch, but also offer a wide range of what is considered 'from scratch' to reduce.