Merchants of Cool: Mooks and Midriffs

In response to watching Merchants of Cool, I have learned that companies view human beings as essential customers, especially affluent teenagers that are willing to spend money to fit in. To target their audience, these companies create stereotypes like "midriffs" and "mooks." These stereotypes are infectious for teenage boys and girls, as human beings conform to what they experience on television and the internet. Today, we see social extremes for both men and women in media that we are exposed to. The reason I feel like these stereotypes are created are to make teenagers more marketable and exposed to products that reinforce these stereotypes. For example, violent video games may appeal to teenage boys that have been exposed to the notion that violence is masculine from examples from the media like the "mook." The same can be said for "midriffs," as Britney Spears is an example that was brought up from Merchants of Cool. Spears was portrayed as hyper-feminine and sexually charged, appealing to the "midriff" stereotypes that enables advertisers to easily market specific articles of clothing to teenage girls. Therefore, the creation of stereotypes like "mooks" are beneficial for other companies to sell their product to appeal to a mass of teenagers that follow most characteristics of a single stereotype.

"mook"

"midriff"

In the end, marketers target teenagers for their money and see them as walking advertisers. When a friend wears a special brand of a company, their friends deep down are accustomed to that brand. In addition social extremes for teenagers are seen to be "mooks" and "midriffs," encouraging teenagers to be a superficial stereotype influenced by the media. In addition to the fact that creation of stereotypes from media that is exposed to us has a negative impact on our social patterns as a society, it ironically suggests that companies own and run the country behind the scenes.