Topic: The Music Industry and Runway Dreams in Modeling: Examining the Objectification and Commercialization of the Philippine Next Top Model and P-Pop Idol System
Rationale: The act of being in front of a camera demands a certain amount of pride and courage to captivate an immense audience and hence to accept oneself according to certain social and beauty norms. The entertainment media shows such as Philippine Next Top Model and the P-Pop idol industry, both of which impose a rigid set of expectations and beliefs on their contestants, propagate these kinds of perspectives. Particular emphasis is placed upon analyzing the distinctions and parallels specifically regarding how the Philippines' objectification and commercialism have created concepts of beauty and the ideal look for entertainment.
Objectives: The purpose of this study is to examine the parallels and discrepancies between the Philippine idol training system and modeling industry in particular with regard to the strict beauty requirements that must be met in order for participants to be admitted into both entertainments. The impact of the patriarchal and capitalist mechanisms underlying media lenses on prospective participants in the modeling and idol industries will also be covered in this paper. Finally, the objectification of both industries will be analyzed from a feminist and Marxist viewpoint, giving the general public a better knowledge of both.
Methodology: The methodology of this study is founded on Pierre Bourdieu's Cultural Capital Theory, the Marxist Theory of Karl Marx, and the Feminist Theory, which are able to provide a thorough analysis of how the entertainment industries capitalise on the commodification and objectification of social norms and beauty standards. Within the framework of feminist theory, the research will examine how women's bodies are used for media entertainment by focusing on the main ideas of Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze Theory. With regards to Marxist Theory, it will highlight how participants' brands and image-craft serve as a marketplace for sponsorships, ratings, and endorsements. Thus, Pierre Bourdieu's Cultural Capital Theory will aid in understanding Marxist theory in the sense of how these influential industries impose certain beauty standards to have a market value; and those who do not fit such standards are expected to be less successful.