Sunday, December 7, 2014

Kristina Gong, Blog #4

The challenge will be over in a matter of days and I cannot wait! Not so much in terms of shopping for myself, but I really need to get a start on buying Christmas gifts / birthday gifts for friends and family. I know it kind of defeats the purpose of the challenge, hoarding a whole bunch of stuff in my online shopping cart waiting to click “purchase” once this challenge is over. I would love to craft gifts and write really thoughtful cards as my presents, but with finals coming up cutting so close to Christmas, I wouldn’t have enough time to craft anything decent.
However, I’m sure my wallet appreciated [for the time being] me not shopping for this past month, even though I probably just spent all that money on food.
With that said, I’m sure I will be hitting the malls after finals are over for retail therapy. Thankfully, after reading this week’s reading by Kawamura about Japanese teens as producers of fashion, I’ve learned that fashion doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive and designer. The idea of the upward flow theory (as opposed to the downward flow of the elite setting trends) exists, so my wallet does not necessarily have to suffer too much as a result of me wanting to “keep with the trends.” Kawamura points out that Japanese fashion does not come from the professional Japanese designers, but is led by high school girls who have become extremely influential in controlling fashion trends. I Google searched “Japanese Teen Fashion Trends” and found an article with the top Japanese Street Fashion Trends of Summer 2014. The majority definitely did not start with designers, such as sneakers, ripped jeans, and sports jerseys.



However, teens influencing fashion isn’t a groundbreaking concept, as this phenomenon was seen as early as the 1920s in the West. At this time, social norms for teenagers were changing. More teens were going to high school and college, rather than going straight into work. The idea of “dating” and unchaperoned social engagements also came about, both of which contributed to teens being able to spend more time together in groups. The fashions of this era reflected the newfound freedom teens had as a result of changing social norms.  

"Influence of Youth on Fashion." Fashion, Costume,;Culture: Clothing, Headwear, Body Decorations,;Footwear through the Ages. 2004. (2004, January 1). Influence of Youth on Fashion. Retrieved December 7, 2014, from http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3425500473.html

Kawamura, Yuniya. " Japanese Teens as Producers of Street Fashion." Reader.

Top 10 Japanese Street Fashion Trends – Summer 2014. (n.d.). Retrieved December 7, 2014, from http://tokyofashion.com/japanese-street-fashion-trends-summer-14/

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