... on the show not only signifies the designer himself but also a world of glitzy glamour inhabited by the elite, the chic, and the "beautiful people" (for example, the Friends cast). Hermann maintains that viewers have the "capability to distinguish between fact and fiction" but what happens in a case where the lines are blurred? (2). Here the result is an obvious commercial for a huge conglomerate disguised in a sitcom. This is nothing new for Friends since many episodes are about consuming. For example, Phoebe is dead against mass production stores like Pottery Barn because their furniture products are not unique and people "all end up having the same stuff". Yet, by the end of the episode Phoebe can resist Pottery Barn no more and purchases a lamp. This episode teaches the viewer to consume and conform. Messages such as these are embedded in the text but are cleverly disguised. The savvy "reader of television" may pick up on underlying messages such as these while others would simply run out to the nearest Ralph Lauren or Pottery Barn.

Inside Pottery Barn

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By: Lisa Alfano