Opportunities, Being Sexy, Living life - Chris Kutcher

I saw this video when it first came out and was surprised to see something different than the cliche Hollywood speech for an award. Typically they are grateful for their award and don't care much more after that just that they are the best. Whereas Kutcher is truly grateful for where he has gotten in life himself and what he has learned in his teen years. Although a short video it does has some significance especially for the audience he is talking to. Don't mind the girls screaming for Kutcher, its the Teen Choice Awards for 2013.

In Kutcher's speech he mentions 3 important topics that made him who he is and what he has learned from his teen years: opportunities, being sexy and living life.

Larson's Cultural Images and Myths

There are 6 Cultural Images and Myths and in this speech I have found 3 that Kutcher relates. The first myth that I noticed was  Wisdom of the Rustic. Kutcher talks about from when he was at the age of 13 he always worked. He went from job to job but first finding that next job that all were a stepping stone one after another.

The Wisdom of the Rustic is the valuing humble beginnings and believe that difficulty teaches. He says that he never had a job that he was better than. He was always grateful to just have a job. Kutcher knew that putting in the hard work would benefit him in the long run in life. He always worked hard to get what he wanted and continued that learning process. From a young age working with his dad he knew what in meant to do hard work.

Another myth that also ties in is the Possibility of Success which is the idea that success comes to those that are honest and work hard. Kutcher always knew that putting forth the hard work that it would pay off for him. He never would quit his job until he knew that he another job. Because he was knew it was important to have a job he never quit. Thus helping him to become more an more successful. "Opportunities look a lot like work" - Ashton Kutcher

The third myth in this speech is the Value for Challenge, which is wisdom that can be gained only through challenge and suffering. Not to say that he suffered to be where he is but Kutcher knew it was a challenge. The only way for him to challenge himself is to find those opportunities and to always seek to gain more knowledge. I think that these 3 myths tie into each other pretty well and for this speech. Kutcher gave an abnormal speech because you don't see too many teen role models that encourage our youth today to work hard, get a higher education and to build a life worth living.

Process Premise

One of premises that I found in this was a need. There was a reassurance of worth that Kutcher expressed to the audience. Many of them just want to be like people in Hollywood but Kutcher tells them that its not all glamorous. People had to put in work to get where they are now. However he says that they can build a life where they are now. Make life worth living and that the people are them are no smarter than they are. Motivating them to be who they are and that the only way to be sexy is being smart not physical features.

He also talks about his roots, having a sense of roots. How Kutcher was raised and learned what he needed to at a young age to accomplish where he is now. Learn while in your youth so that you can achieve anything you believe in.

An emotion that Kutcher expresses is happiness. He is grateful where he has gotten in life but that is because of his fans and the hard work he put in to achieve his status. He started from small beginnings, having typical jobs people have until he got into acting at age 19.

I also would say that he had a good attitude about himself. He didn't seem to concerned about the award which he won but more so on the message he wanted to share to the teens. I think this speech was something different and needed for teens. He addressed his audience and brought up his past of hard work so that maybe those teens may see what he did when he was their age.

Why Exercise seems Harder to Others

In this video by Emily Balcetis she explains her studies and correlation of people and exercise. She explains how people, fit and unfit, have different perspectives on exercise. She conducted several studies to help support her idea and help understand peoples perspectives. Her studies don't seem to be absolutely accurate but tries to convince her audience how people view things differently. In the beginning of her speech she shows a picture of a man that has a peculiar facial expression and asked them in one word describe this man. In a survey of 120 people there was a variety of answers ranging from discomfort to happy. This study just goes to show that people have different perspectives and view things differently. Then, why do people see exercise as harder than others?



Dr. BJ Fogg's model explains that there needs to be three elements in order for a behavior to happen. Which are motivation, trigger and ability. All need to happen at the same time in order for a behavior to happen and if it fails then one of the elements is not fully present. Balcetis's speech triggered me in to view her speech. I was curios to know what her reasoning was, as to why people view exercise as harder than others.



In Balcetis's speech she gives the examples as to why people have different perspectives. In her experiments she had groups focus on the goal (the finish line), ignore any surroundings and to guess the distance from where they are to the finish line. Then they had a separate group do the same thing but acknowledge the different objects surrounding the finish line and then guess the distance to the finish line from where they were. Those that focused on the finish line reported a shorter distance compared to those that saw everything to the finish line. Her motivation was trying to get her audience to focus on a goal, thus making it seem easier to accomplish. If people, fit and unfit, focus on their goals ignoring anything around the task will seem easier to accomplish.  Although it seems that this could get people triggered to view exercise differently, I don't think that it would last long. Those that are unfit lack that motivation to work out hence the reason why they are unfit.

In order to take action (exercise) you will need to be motivated to do so. BJ Fogg's model also requires to have motivation to help get the desired behavior. Balcetis's motivations for the audience was to help them see exercise as easy. If people see something as easy they are more likely to act than those that are not. Those that are unfit (because of their lack of motivation to exercise) would much rather do something easy than hard because of their physical ability. I would agree that if you focus on a goal then you will be more motivated but when it comes to exercise and people do not see their results as quickly as they like motivation decreases.

Lastly is ability in Fogg's model. As all human beings we have the ability to exercise but everyone different than each other. I have the ability to workout but would need the motivation and a trigger to get me to that behavior. Balcetis's acknowledge that unfit people can work out but that they can make it seem easier if they are to focus on the goal.

In general I agree with Balcetis's idea of making exercise seem easier by staying focused on a goal however it is difficult for others to focus on the goal they wish to achieve. There are plenty of distractions to everyone when it comes to exercise. A lot has to do with what you consume. If you are not eating healthy it will be difficult for your body to preform any strenuous work if it does not have the right amount of nutrients. Although she explained a different perspective on exercise it did not quite motivate me to see exercise as easier. She also correlated that your hip to waist ratio has to do with how well fit you are. The larger hips and waist you have the more unfit you are. I don't see that as being scientifically correct. You can not assume that measurement of people determines their fitness level. When she mentioned this in her speech I did not agree with much more she had to share. People come in all kinds of sizes and are different in their own abilities. Researching a measurement of peoples waist to hip does not support her idea of exercise being easier for smaller and skinnier people.

Her title to her talk caught my attention and curiosity to see why people view exercise as easier but after hearing her methods and studies it was not sound to me. When you talk about exercise it can range from any kind of physical activity. While listening to her speech it made me think about professional sports. Particularly line backers in the NFL, yea they are probably not as small or skinny as a wide receiver but does that mean they are unfit. They have that bigger body build but are strong dudes, so does that mean they are unfit in what they do? Comparing this speech to Fogg's behavioral model, she did not motivate me to see exercise differently and there were no triggers to make me stop and run off to the gym because I now see it as being easier. I also believe that her studies are falsely viewed and do not support her idea that exercise is seen as being easier for others.

We are almost half way!! Glad to have Eric back!! One of the best in the DCP!!!