BOOOO LAKERS!!!

I was just kidding about the title to this blog. (Or was I?) Anyhow…

I had the chance to spend some quality time with my cousin yesterday. When he arrived at my house to pick me up, the first thing that I noticed was that he was all decked out in new LA Lakers apparel as well as a Nike headband and shoes. I knew that game six between the Lakers and the Nuggets was going to be held later in the evening. So I had a feeling that was why he was dressed up. However, I decided to ask him anyways why he had new clothes on. I wanted to know why he was dressed up like a basketball player when all we had planned was to go help my aunt kill the weeds in her backyard. My cousin then confirmed to me that he was indeed in basketball clothing because of the game; he wanted to show support for the Lakers. In addition, he told me that he was going to go play basketball with some friends after we were done helping my aunt. "I am going to need the need the 'proper' attire," he said.

Overall, recalling my conversation with my cousin made me realize two things. First, it made realize that the sports industry is an institution. According to Yuniya Kawamura, "Fashion as an institution produce hierarchy among all makers of clothes by adding social, economic, cultural and symbolic capital to clothes, which are then transformed into luxury, elite clothes" (55). Looking at the sports industry, it can be seen that it does all of those things that fashion does. Take Nike, for instance. Nike sells sports products. In order for the company to sell its merchandise, professional athletes are usually hired in advertisements. When audiences see these ads, it makes them want to get the products that they see. To them, having those advertised items will help them play a sport better. In addition, it will help them have a "sense of superiority" because they have products that elite athletes have/use (55). The whole cycle then just repeats itself.

Here is a commercial that I found. It clearly exemplifies what I was trying to say above.

(The kid in the video knows that Lebron and Kobe are respectable basketball players. Because of that fact, he tries to inquire information about them. He wants to know how they became great basketball players. For instance, he states: Kobe, do you practice your dunks?" A statement such as this shows how fascinated he is with these players because they are perceived as some of the world's finest basketball players. In additon, by asking so many questions, it shows how he is trying to find a way to be like them. This includes knowing what type of shoes they have. Overall, this example shows how people on the top of the social ladder as well as the economic ladder are leaders of institutions. A trickle down effect will result, and then people will start to copy the fashion, for instance, of the elite.)

The second thing that my conversation with my cousin reminded me of is that there is a way to be green, fight consumerism, and still support one's favorite team at the same time. One doesn't need to have a jersey, headband, etc. that has one's favorite team's logo on it. Instead, one can simply reuse the clothes that one already has. For instance, one can wear clothes that are the same color as one's favorite sports team. A simple shirt will do. By reusing what one already has, one is fighting consumerism as well as showing some love for his/her favorite team.


Reference:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxdbaJleol4
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/Youth-soccer-indiana.jpg
Kawamura, Yuniya. Fashion-ology An Introduction to Fashion Studies (Dress, Body, Culture). New York: Berg, 2005.

Unique

I don’t know about everyone else. But the last two days have been hell for me. I spent the majority of Saturday and especially today working on the research paper. I am really glad to finally have the paper out of the way. On another hand, I am also glad that I am almost done with the challenge. It’s my fifth week into the challenge, which means that I only have one more week to go. Yay, me!

Anyhow, yesterday I went through the reader and looked at the different portrayals of Japanese fashion from pages 320-330. In my heart, I knew that if I wore anything similar to the styles seen on those pages, I would get some form of ridicule from people. More notably, if I were to wear an outfit and make-up of the Mamba fashion, I would really get a lot of heads up since Fairfield is not use to seeing such a thing nor do I believe a lot of people know that it is a type of fashion acceptable in Japan. Nonetheless, that did not stop me from becoming inspired to dress in my own “unique” way. (When I use the word “unique,” I mean something that goes against a norm in society. Here is a link to a dictionary’s meaning.) Originally, I wanted to dress like the Takenokozoku because their fashion was neither too “outrageous” nor too “normal” for me. However, I did not have anything in my closet that was similar to lady’s blouse and bottom on page 320. And because of the challenge, there was no way I was going to spend money in order to achieve the look. As a result, I decided to reuse articles of clothing and accessories that I already have. I came up with this:


As one can see, I did not achieve any of the styles seen in the reader. I want to point out that I did use different items from different styles to make my own style. For instance, I had a boom box like the Takenokozoku and boots like the Gonguro. (So what if they weren’t platform boots; they were still boots!)
After I had my attire on, I decided to test it out in the public. I went to a friend’s house. When she first saw what I was wearing, she asked me if I was serious, and I told her I was. I told her that the youths in Japan had a unique sense of fashion, and it was accepted there. “If that’s the case, then why can’t I have my own style,” I told her. I was greeted by my auntie, my friend’s mom. When she saw me, she also asked me why I was dressed the way I was and whether or not if I knew that it wasn’t Halloween. In addition, she gave me a look as if I was nuts. Before I left my friend’s house, I showed her and my auntie images in the reader. The both agreed that some of the fashion in there were “unbelievable” and “funny” if worn.

As a whole, my experience has given me a better understanding of diffusion as well as an insight on the dynamics of fashion. According to Yuniya Kawamura, “In dealing with fashion consumption, we have to consider the group mentality of those who adopt and wear fashion. Mass fashion diffusion and consumption can be explained as a process of collective behavior among large numbers of people.” I tried to sell my look by advertising. By the reactions I received, however, I could tell that there was no way that my style would make people want to buy articles of clothing so they could dress the way that I did. From the words I received, I could also see the mentality of the group I exposed my style to; they saw me as a stigma for not wearing the fashion seen in present society. Overall, I learned that location is an important factor to consider when speaking of fashion. American culture is not used to seeing looks such as the Gonguru look. In addition, unlike Japan’s street wear, those fashions have not “migrated” here. Overall, I am now left to wonder how people such as my auntie and friend would feel if looks such as the Gonguru were accepted. Would they change their opinions on unique fashion such as the ones that I had worn? What if people accepted my style? Would they do the same? If so, this would definitely be a fine example of how fashion “is not created by a single individual but by everyone involved.”

Resources:
Yuniya Kawamura's "Fashion-ology"
Yuniya Kawamura's "Japanese Teens as Producers of Street Fashion"
Macias's and Evers's "Japanese Schoolgirl Inferno" and Profile images
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unique

Be Cute for Less

It is my fourth week into the challenge. Last week, I gave into consumerism by buying a pair of fake pearl earrings to replace the ones that I had lost. Shame on me, right? Lol. I couldn’t help it though. After not swiping my Hello Kitty debit card for almost three complete weeks, my urge to spend was as high as the Eiffel Tower. I know it is a lame excuse, but I am not going to put myself down that hard. I have two more weeks until I complete the challenge. Although I have already failed, I still intend to try to live by standards of the Compact Challenge for the remaining time.

In this week’s reading “Cuties in Japan,” Sharon Kinsella describes the kawaii style in Japan. The kawaii style is defined as “cute” and “childlike” (220). After reading this article, I became interested in seeing what the actual style looked like through clothes and accessories, and so I decided to look it up. In my opinion, some of the kawaii stuff that I saw were way out of my league. A.) I wouldn’t be able to pull such outfits off. B.) There is no way I am wearing Pikachu or something like that on me. And C.) I feel that if I wore something like the picture on the left (at the age of twenty), NO ONE would take me seriously. Japanese cute fashion wants its followers to take “a sentimental journey back into idealized childhood” (241). But why would someone like me, who is already often seen as a juvenile, want to be perceived as a child more? On the other hand, I must admit that the other outfits that I saw of the kawaii fashion were cute. Seeing them sparked my interest to go shopping. I was about to shop online. But then I remembered the Compact Challenge. Buying several pieces of clothing would make me give into consumerism more, and it would definitely leave my bank account empty. As a result, I came up with different ways to get my own version of the kawaii fashion. Even though my methods won’t produce similar outfits (or anywhere close) to the kawaii fashion that I saw and liked, they will give hints of “cute” (243).

Method 1- Reuse whatever I still have.
I don’t know about everyone else, but I still have things from my youth. For instance, I still have my bracelets and hairclips that I use to wear when I was about five to eight years old. Why go through the “consumption of cute goods with cute appearances” when I already have the stuff? Also, what’s even better about reusing the things that I have from my youth is that they each have a meaning. Also in the article, it mentions the emergence of Sanrio and its production of cute paraphernalia. I have a lot of Hello Kitty items such as a watch, necklaces, bags, and shirts. (And yes! I mentioned that I had a Hello Kitty debit card earlier. I really do!) To create that kawaii-ish look, I can use these items as well.

Method 2- Make my own cute things.
My sewing skills are not sufficient enough to make anything really. So making cute garments is not really an option for me unless I took “x” hours to learn and practice. That’s too risky though with midterms, finals, and research projects coming around the corner. What I can make though and know how to do (if I have time) is make “cute designs on previously plain writing paper and stationary" (225). Although clothes and paper are at different ends, for me to draw on plain paper, I can still create the same kawaii style that I am trying to achieve with my clothes and accessories. I have done this before with materials I had laying around the house. It didn’t cost me anything. Plus I had some good quiet time to myself while I drew, cut, colored, etc.

Method 3- Color Choice
In “Changing the Habits of a Lifetime: The Adaptation of Hejazi Dress to the New Social Order,” Mai Yamani talks about how “colours are significant” in Hejazi dress (61). For instance, unmarried woman didn’t wear black because it was seen as “to heavy” on them (61). According to this website that I was looking at, “Pink is a color used extensively in the cosmetics and toy industry. They promote feelings of happiness, romance, and spirited youth.” If this is the case, wouldn’t it be more convenient for me to just look for pink items (or other items with other youthful colors) that I already have?

Method 4- Hairstyle
Do pigtails ring a bell? And what about those butterfly hair clips that I have from the late 1990’s? I can use them alongside pigtails! That won’t cost me anything!

Overall, these methods will help me to achieve that “cute appearance” (245) that Kinsella mentions in her article while still following rules of the Compact Challenge.

PS: After rereading my blog to check for errors, I want to say that I am tired of the word “cute.” I have mentioned that word at least once in each paragraph. Because of that, I now have the color pink inside of my head as well as flowers, rainbows, and puffy dresses. (Random, right?) It’s really disturbing me. Lol. As a result, I don’t think I will be planning to go anywhere near the kawaii style anytime soon.

Sources:
http://www.wikihow.com/images/c/c1/Kawaii_211.jpg
http://www.your3dsource.com/whatcolorsarebestforyourwebsite.html
Sharon Kinsella’s “Cuties in Japan”
Mai Yamani’s “Chaig the Habits of a Lifetime: The Adaptation of Hejazi Dress to the New Social Order”

Dressing Traditionally

About a month ago, my dad left for vacation to the Philippines. Before he left, I asked him to buy me an “Imelda dress.” “What is that, and why?” my dad asked. I explained to him that I wanted to be Imelda Marcos (former first lady of the Philippines who is worldly renowned for having over 2,000 pairs of shoes) for Halloween this year. I had the shoes, and I almost have the hairstyle down. But in order for me to complete the look, I needed a dress with the distinct butterfly sleeves on them. My dad said okay and that he would buy me one. In addition, he corrected me and said that the dress was called a terno.

When my dad came back to the United States, he handed me the terno he bought. I have to admit that when I first saw the dress, I was not as pleased as I thought I would be. The terno that he bought was nice; but it was nowhere similar to any of the dresses I have seen Imelda wear. It wasn’t elegant looking nor did it have any special designs/details. I then asked my dad how much it had cost him. “About forty bucks,” he said. When I heard how much he spent, I complained to him that the price was too expensive for something that resembled a counterfeit. My dad said, “You didn’t buy the one here (in the United States) because you said it was too expensive. Now you complain. Why come you didn’t make one yourself then? Plus the woman who sold it to me asked me if I could add a special bonus to the price of the dress because she rarely got customers. I said yes because I wanted to help out.”

Now that I realize it, my dad was right. Who am I to complain about the price? I don’t know how to make a terno. Heck, I don’t know how to sew! The only way for me to obviously get one was to buy one.

My dad later told me that the woman who sold him the dress worked at a sweatshop where she helped sewed ternos. She did not make enough money at her job; as result, she decided to make her own dresses and sell them as a sideline. The dresses that she made at home were the same as the ones she made at the sweatshop. The only difference was that she used cheaper fabric.

In Ann Marie Leshkowich’s article, “The Ao Dai Goes Global: How International Influences and Female Entrepreneurs Have Shaped Vietnam’s ‘National Costume,’” she explains that Vietnam was under an economic crisis in the 1980s (93). In order to help boost the economy and prevent people from starving, the government opened its textile industry. Although they are not exactly the same scenario, I feel that the opening of the textile industry in Vietnam as a means to help its people is somewhat similar to my dad’s willingness to pay more for the terno. Instead of buying a dress from a place that is popular such as Nike, he bought a terno from someone who labored hard on the dress. (Government officials are corrupt; it’s not like they would do anything about the treatment of workers at a sweatshop. Something major has to happen in order for them to act.)In "Santa's Sweatshop...," tips are given on how to be a better shopper. One of the tips is "to see wear things are made" (8). I don't know how my dad ended hearing about her life story; but by talking to her, he was able to see where the item he was purchasing was made.

On another note, looking at my terno reminded me of “Women, Citizenship and the Politics of Dress in Twentieth-Century Philippines” by Mina Roces. I don’t have much to say about this article. But what I find interesting is that her point about women being “bearers of tradition” still exists today. For instance, in the latest Manny Pacquiao fight, singer Martin Nievera sang the Philippine national anthem. For his life performance, he wore a blazer, slacks, and a black shirt with the Philippine sun and stars on it. Have you seen any other Manny Pacquiao fights?

Here are videos of Nievera as well as others who have sung the national anthem at Pacquiao fights.





Others: Link 1, Link 2, and Link 3

Nievera is the first man to sing the national anthem at a Pacquiao fight. All of the others who have sung the national anthem have been women. What I have noticed after reading Roces’s article is that all of the women who have sung the national anthem have worn a terno. My question is why come when Nievera sang he didn’t wear a barong Tagalog or something else that is traditional? Why is that he had chosen to wear Westernized clothing at an event where others before him have worn traditional clothing? Is this because he is a man and wanted to be seen as “powerful,” or is it because the outfit was something he just really wanted to wear?

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_costume
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barong_Tagalog
http://www.youtube.com/v/3Fcwt67y7qY&hl=en&fs=1
http://www.youtube.com/v/hxQt05vhnUE&hl=en&fs=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISytMF1BlK8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_tbN8ZXBE4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1RKj1xrznY&feature=related
http://thinkpeace.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/marcos.jpg

Re-Orienting Fashion The Globalization of Asian Dress (Dress, Body, Culture). New
York: Berg, 2003.

Roces, Mina. "Women, Citizenship and the Politics of Dress in Twentieth-Century
Philippines." NIASnytt (2004): 8.

Holster, William J., Timothy M. Ito Brian Palmer, and Shahid Ur-Rehman."Santa's
Sweatshop in a Global economy, It's Hard to know who made you gift--- and under
what conditions." (1999).

Who Cares if it's Fake?

If I must say so, my first two weeks participating in the challenge went well. I bought a wallet and coin purse on Sunday. However, those things did not count against the challenge because they were gifts for a friend whose birthday was last week. Other than that, the only things I can recall buying were food and a blue book.

Yesterday, I found a Coach bag that my godmother from the Philippines gave me two weeks ago. I sat for a while with the bag in hand and wondered why I had stashed it in the closet in the first place. I looked at its details as well as its design and pattern. Lastly, I paid attention to its overall appearance. It then finally hit me why I decided two weeks ago that I didn’t like the bag and that I had no future plans of using it. I love Coach, and I have (ridiculously) spent hundreds of dollars on their bags and wallets. But I decided that I would not wear this bag because it was not “the real thing” (Decker 11). It was a counterfeit!

I read “‘Knockouts of Knockoffs:’ The Global Implication of Fashion Piracy” last week. In her paper, Melissa A. Decker points out that “it’s OK to buy knockoffs” (10). When I first read that line, I agreed with Decker because I found it absurd to pay over $2500 for any article of fashion such as a designer handbag. “That’s basically my tuition fee here at Davis. If you can get it for a cheaper price and it looks exactly the same, then that fine. Plus people only buy designer stuff not for the quality but rather for the name itself,” I said to myself.

Isn’t that ironic? I told myself it was alright to use counterfeit goods; however I decided that I wouldn’t use a counterfeit bag that I had.

I needed time to rethink things over. I finally came to a conclusion that my reasoning for not wanting to use the bag had to do with the “social system” I came into contact with (Kawamura 75). Decker points out: “Sporting a knockoff no longer carries the same stigma as it used it” (10). In my case, however, I felt that statement was not valid. Like Hejazi women, the people I came into contact with viewed designer paraphernalia as a “significant status indicator” (Yamani 59). It didn’t necessarily have to do with whether one had a lot of money or not. But rather, having a designer bag signified that one had class (good taste in things). “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” states Decker. And I believed that statement was true. My family members and friends had designer bags, and they believed that having those bags was a necessity because they were “desirable” (Kawamura 74). In order to keep up with them, I felt it was necessary to buy designer bags as well. It is for that reason why I believe I told myself two weeks ago that I didn’t like the bag my godmother gave me. I felt that if I wore a fake, this would degrade my perception by other people. People say it doesn’t matter what people think of them and that what people say has nothing to do with how the way they dress. But looking at my example as well as others, it can be seen that that is total bullshit. To some extent, the perception of others does matter, and it does influence how we dress.

Overall, I should rethink about my reasons for buying things. I do not think it is bad for a person to buy something that is over a hundred bucks so long as one is satisfied. Occasionally when I shop, I splurge all of my money on one item. However, after analyzing all this, I now think it is important for me to realize why I want to buy things. Regardless whether something has a brand name or not, I should buy things because I want it, not because of what others think or how I want to be at the same status as others. I should use this idea when I decide what I want to wear as well.

Citing:
Decker, Melissa A. "'Knockouts of Knockoffs:' The Global Implication of Fashion Piracy." (2004).
Kawamura, Yuniya. Fashion-ology. New York: Berg Publishers, 2005.
Yamani, Mai. "Changing the Habits of a Lifetime: The Adaptation of Hejazi Dress to the New Social Order." 55-65.

Unnecessary Baggage

Paper or plastic? Well if you asked me six hours ago, I would have said, “Plastic please.” But since I have officially started the Compact Challenge, my new answer is, “Neither.” Part of the Compact Challenge is to reduce, reuse, and recycle. And after looking at several websites, it can clearly be seen that plastic and paper shopping bags are quintessential counters to the ideal goals of this challenge.

I visited two websites. According to http://www.worldwatch.org/system/files/GS0023.pdf, the production of plastic bags utilizes “less energy and water” compared to paper bags. Also, the production generates a smaller amount of air pollution as well as solid waste. On the downside, plastic bags are excessively consumed. According to http://www.reusablebags.com/facts.php, over 500 billion plastic bags are expended globally each year. In addition to being consumed excessively, they are also not properly thrown away once used. Instead of being recycled, they are found in places such as the creek of our very own UC Davis Arboretum. Another reason why plastic bags should be avoided is because they serve as a potential threat to wildlife as well as human beings.

“WARNING: To avoid danger of suffocation,keep this plastic bag away from babies and children.”

As for paper bags… According to http://blog.greenfeet.com/index.php/paper-vs-plastic-the-shopping-bag-debate/reducing-your-footprint/121, the main concerns as to why we shouldn’t use paper shopping bags are:

A.They require chopping more trees down.
B. Like plastic bags, they are not being recycled. And as a result, they once again become litter.

Collectively, these facts show that although they help to carry our bought goods and random paraphernalia, paper and plastic shopping bags are evil, and they sure aren’t eco-friendly!

Thus, rather than using paper and plastic shopping bags during these next twenty-eight days, I will TRY to use canvas bags (or tote bags as they are commonly called). I have to admit that my overall past experience with using canvas bags is not very good. For instance, I bought two eco-friendy bags from Costco two years ago. The only time I ever used them was on the day that I actually bought them. One bag is currently stashed somewhere in the closet. Meanwhile, I use the other to stash all of my books and school junk in. I am hoping that things will be better the second time around. I must say though, only five hours into the challenge, and so far I am doing well. (I went to Raley’s and bought falafels a few hours ago, and I walked out of the store without a bag! :D)

For those of you who are interested in trying out canvas bags for the Compact Challenge or for the hell of it, purchase them at any nearby supermarkets near you. You could also find them here:

Link 1 and Link 2

Some are quite pricey for my pleasing. (Over twenty bucks for a grocery bag? What?!?!) But I guess it’s worth buying for the sake of going green.

I would also like to include this video in this blog because it has some tips on shopping bags in general.

The part that struck me the most when I first saw this clip is the part where the lady talks about canvas bags. While advertising them, she states: “Some are actually very trendy now.” “Trendy” and “in fashion” are two words that are intertwined as one to me. So when I first heard that statement, it made me think about how Yuniya Kawamura said that something is not “in fashion” unless it has been adopted by the majority of a society (2006). Honestly, I do not see a lot of people using canvas bags unless it's Trader Joe's or some store of that sort. So I would love to see what’s “in fashion” in the eco-friendly bag world. In addition to that, this clip sparked my interest in asking those who use eco-friendly bags why they started using them. Is it because someone inspired them to go green? Or is it pure competitive imitation to gain equality/respect as those who already have gone green (Kawamura 2006)?

That is all for now. Happy Belated Earth Day!!! And till then, take care.