Week 2: Be green!

Mary Qin
ASA 141
Week 2


The first week of this challenge has been a little bit difficult. With the weather becoming warmer, everyone seems to be increasingly more fashionable. I walked through Forever 21 last week and noticed that the clothes on the shelves reflected the fashion trends that have noticeably become popular around campus.  As a result, I was tempted to update my wardrobe as well. Hjoleifur R. Jonnson and Nora A Taylor's article, "National Colors: Ethnic Minorities in Vietnamese Public Imagery" mention how clothing can mark people's identities and differences in society. I feel like this idea kind of ties to my biggest motivators to shop. I like to look cute, on trend, and put together. I want my clothing to compliment my confidence and who I am, which makes this challenge difficult for me. This kind of reminds me of  the film, "Good Hair," where women are willing to spend thousands of dollars just to look nice.  A lot of this pressure comes from the media, which depict a specific type of hair as "good hair." I feel like most people think that only teenagers are greatly effected by peer pressure and the media. But, in fact, even grown women of all ages are influenced by the media's standard of beauty. Forever 21 is a good way to keep up with those fashion trends, especially on a budget. However, the different videos and articles in this class have made me second guess whenever I buy a new piece of clothing from that store. I feel like it can be almost impossible to completely refrain from fast fashion on a budget. Marc Bain mentions in his article "Can Cheap Fashion Ever be Ethical?" that the biggest problem with cheap fashion is the general way the industry works. While some people see it as just a temporary problem and use China as a example that started with cheap labor before using the money to advance into better jobs, I think that there will always be exploitation until there is some sort of regulation.

This challenge has helped me notice how much I am temped to shop for useless things. Even just today at the museum, I was tempted to buy a key chain as a gift to my significant other. I don't really know what he would do with it, yet the temptation was there. This challenge has also made me try to think about creative ways to get objects that I would like to utilize. For example, I realized this week that I lost my lash glue. My first instinct was to order some more, but I am trying to instead ask to borrow my friend's.

Word Cited:

Bain, Marc. “Can Cheap Fashion Ever Be Ethical?” Quartz, Quartz, 27 Apr. 2019, qz.com/1570685/can-fashion-brands-like-hm-ever-be-ethical/.

 Jonnson, Hjoleifur R.and Taylor', Nora A. "National Colors: Ethnic Minorities in Vietnamese Public Imagery" Re-Orienting Fashion: The Globalization of Asia of Asia Dress. 2003.

Stillson, Jeff. Good Hair. 2009