Blog #4 - Barbara

Barbara Peanh

This past week was my last week participating in the "Be Green" challenge. I was able to control my temptations this time around and did not buy anything. Honestly, this challenge tested more than my patience and it really was a great experience which allowed me to put myself in a semi-vulnerable position. Although I gave in during the third week, doing this challenge made me more aware of everything I was doing concerning "buying." I think being able to constantly check and remind myself whether or not I need certain things has resonated in me and I've developed a new habit. I am going to try my hardest to manage my consumer spending habits from this day forth and will consciously make an effort to stop falling in love with "things." Continuing the challenge will also help me quit my hoarder tendencies.

This week in class we covered teen's influence in Japanese style and culture and how teen's have turned certain style's such as "kawaii" as a marketing tool. Kawaii is considered all things cute including cute goods, services, cute clothes, and the mere presence of acting "cute" by faking of childish behavior and innocent looks according to Kinsella, as noted by Kawamura in her article "Japanese Teens as Producers of Street Fashion" (p. 795). Many girls who appropriate themselves with this kawaii style can't fully describe or define it themselves aside from the fact that it is a feeling and having an immediate reaction to all things cute such as puppies, bright colored objects, floral arrangements, and maybe even babies. Japanese teens are hired by companies to be stylists, designers, marketers, and sales girls in order to establish and market all things that are kawaii.

I think girls adopt this kawaii style and buy into trinkets and things that are cute because it makes them nostalgic about their childhood and because the child in us is still present despite the fact that we're growing older. By marketing items that reach the void and remind us of our childhood, we buy these items to express ourselves in such a way. My way of dealing with this "kawaii" style is by buying very decorated, cute stationary, cards, notebooks and pens. For example, I would buy a notebook that has Hello Kitty or something Disney related on it versus a plain notebook. I don't think that doing this makes me cute, but it definitely makes me feel like a kid again, which is why so many girls still collect Hello Kitty, or animated items that were the biggest trends when we were younger.

This "kawaii-ness" that has developed into adulthood can be defined as "re-juvenilization." Christopher Nixon defines re-juvenilization as "a new breed of adult, identified by a commitment to remain playful, energetic and fun in the face of adult responsibilities. This new band of grownups refuses to give up childish things they never stopped loving, or else revels in things they were denied or never got around to as children" (Post Bubble Culture). Companies market and expand on this new concept of re-juvenilization because they know adults who can afford to consume will give in to buy all of these goods that remind them of their childhood. For example, with Sanrio, Hello Kitty is branded in many ways. There is a Hello Kitty restaurant, a Hello Kitty nursery/ playstation in the Taiwan airport, Hello Kitty toasters and microwaves, and it has gone as far as having a Hello Kitty condominium.

By having young teens such as the Japanese young girls who establish these new styles or reinvent past trends, it brings a lot of business and allow people to identify with their more childish sides by being "kawaii" with nostalgic goods. Although we might not take kawaii to the extreme or extent of Japan's kawaii culture, we all adopt this style and practice in our own way.

The Hello Kitty waiting area for kids at airport in Taiwan - I have been here and it made my wait more pleasant.

obnoxiously cute phone jewelry/accessories

Inside source:
Kawamura, Y. "Japanese Teens as Producers of Street Fashion: Kawaii as a Marketing Tool." Page 795. Reader.

Outside Source:
Shannon. " Hello Couture Kitty! Sanrio Kawaii as "Re-juvenilization." Post Bubble Culture. Retrieved from http://postbubbleculture.blogs.wm.edu/2010/04/12/hello-couture-kitty-sanrio-kawaii-as-re-juvenilization/

Blog #4

 The lesson from Hello Kitty

Vy Nguyen

The fourth week of Be Green Challenge was a little uncomfortable for me when I saw great collections of spring and summer clothes everywhere in the mall. My usual self would walk in, paid for what I want then left. Since I committed into the challenge, I felt uneasy not getting what I thirsted for on the display windows. Of course, this was the whole point of the challenge. Yet, to personally experience such tensed feeling, I was surprised myself!

It's my sister-in-law birthday next week, and she loves Hello Kitty! Yes, I will for the first time break my commitment by purchasing a Hello Kitty related product for her. This week lesson on Japanese "kawaiiness" struck me a question what a white cat with a red bow represented that my sister-in-law loved so much. According to the third Hello Kitty designer Yuko Yamaguchi's interview with Time Magazine, Hello Kitty has an expressionless face allowing her lovers to "project their own feelings onto her face". Unsure whether if this interview is the artist's aesthetics nor an attempt to publicize Hello Kitty emotional diversity, I admired Sanrio's success in recognizing the interconnection between marketing and consumer demand as Yuniya Kawamura talked about in Fashion-ology.

 This is Yuko Yamaguchi and Hello Kitty.

Going back to the idea of kawaii aesthetics, Professor Valverde mentioned about the concept of valuing one's childhood. In my opinion, Hello Kitty is no cuteness. It has only been overhyped by Sanrio Corporation to attack one's emotional weakness for their money. On a business standpoint, it's great to have demand. On a socio-political lens, Hello Kitty consumers are perfect example of those whom trapped in the world of consumerism! As a whole, one's creation will not be appreciated if there is no corporate marketing effort. That's why my group chose to further discuss about branding in the fashion industry in our presentation next week!

Inside source:  Kawamura, Yuniya. "Fashion as an Institutionalized System." Fashion-ology: An Introduction to Fashion Studies. Oxford: Berg, 2005. N. pag. Print.

Outside source:  "10 Questions for Yuko Yamaguchi." Time. Time Inc., 21 Aug. 2008. Web. 08 Mar. 2014. .

Blog # 4

Camilla Yuan

This is the last week of the “Be Green Challenge” and I’m proud to say that I was able to uphold this challenge!  Although the “Be Green Challenge” wasn’t too much of a stretch for me, I can still congratulate myself and feel good about my efforts.  By being aware that I wasn’t allowed to purchase anything for 28 days, I was able to gain a different perspective on how much we consume.  Unknowingly, we buy a lot of things—and oftentimes, those things aren’t necessarily needed.  I was able to categorize which clothes I actually wore and bought just because I liked it at the time.  I think this challenge is good for people to take on because it shows them their impact in a consumerist society and how their purchasing efforts just continue to perpetuate the notions behind why things like the “Be Green Challenge” were created in the first place.   

In one of this week’s readings, the Japanese street fashion scene was discussed.  In Kawamura’s “Japanese Teens as Producers of Street Fashion,” Japanese teenagers are actually the masterminds behind the coming and going street fashion trends.  The emergence of the impact of Japanese teens on fashion stems from “an intentional shift away from old ideology and ways of life…reflected through their norm-breaking and outrageous, yet commercially successful, attention-grabbing styles” (787).   Looking at their wild and outrageous style, Japanese teens have definitely made a statement in the fashion industry in Japan.  By becoming increasingly creative and innovative, “the teens wanted to challenge and redefine the existing notion of what is fashionable, aesthetic, and against the grain of the normative standard of fashion, in search of their identity and a community where they feel that they are accepted”(787).  Trends such as Ganguro, Amazoess, Yamamba, and Mamba, were all popularized by young teenage girls, as an avenue for individuals to come together and serve as a symbolic group identity.  Furthermore, the young women hired as salesgirls in the department stores serve as the fashion experts of the current trends.  These women are “no longer merely selling clothes but contribute to the buying of merchandise and designing for the store labels” (791).  Essentially, these teenagers have switched up the roles of producer and consumers, having the consumers now play the role of advertising directors, retailers, and new-product-development consultants (Bruce and Soloman 309).  Having these salesgirls present themselves as “icons,” they know exactly which clothes and garments are trending, they act as co-producers of a service and marketing as a process of interaction with customers (Bruce and Soloman 310). 

Inside source:

Kawamura, Yuniya. "Japanese Teens as Producers of Street Fashion." Current Sociology 54.5 (2006): 784-801. Print. 

Outside source:

Bruce, Margaret, and Michael R. Soloman. “Managing For Media Anarchy: A Corporate Marketing Perspective.” Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice 21.3 (2013): n. pag. JSTOR. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. . 

Blog #3 - Barbara

Barbara Peanh



This blog covers my last two weeks in which I failed miserably. I celebrated my birthday two weekends ago and had great trouble wearing the pair of heels I had packed. They were so painful that I was only able to wear them for ten minutes. Considering I couldn't stand the pain, and the fact that I still had another night left in Vegas, I faltered and bought a new pair of heels. I was so upset with myself because I was doing really well for this project, but my puppies were crying! This purchase was in fact necessary and I can't imagine buying used shoes (especially in Vegas) because it's so unsanitary, and images of feet fungi flooded me, hence why I couldn't buy the shoes in an alternative and more green conscious way.



I also failed yesterday. I was browsing sites online, which I promised myself I wouldn't, BUT it's a form of therapy for me. Pathetic, I know. I happened to be on Karmaloop.com and they had an amazing sale. 50% off + free shipping if you spend $75 ... I ended up buying two pairs of Jeffrey Campbell heels, leather shorts, and a LeSportSac luggage bag..  Granted a few of these items were already on sale, the retail value of everything I bought was $427, and I paid $141. I'm pretty sure I shop the most compare to everyone in our class and I actually use shopping as a form of therapy, retail therapy. I have been so stressed out and emotionally distressed this past couple of weeks that I did resort to shopping.

I think it's really hard for me to cut the habit of consuming because I use clothing and brands to create a certain identity for myself. In the book Fashionology, Kawamura quotes Crane on his view of how fashion and social identity intermingle. He states "the consumption of cultural goods, such as fashionable clothing, performs an increasingly important role in the construction of personal identity, while the satisfaction of material needs and the emulation of superior classes are secondary" (Kawamura, p.99). His view wholeheartedly describes how consuming material goods affect me.


However despite the fact that I faltered, I actually do a lot of recycling of my clothes. I went to Crossroads two weeks ago which is a store and company that buy, sells, and reuses clothing. I did a mini winter cleaning of my closet and hauled it to Crossroads. After selling my clothes (they have their associates select items that would sell in their stores), I had the opportunity to either redeem $147 in store credit, or $99 in cash. I took the cash because I need that more than store credit. Everything else that I didn't sell, I ended up donating.

(Recreated outfit in Goodwill Window)

I learned that Santa Cruz is really big on thrifting and reusing. In the article "Your Alternative Guide to Thrift, 831 Style" by City on a Hill Press, students in Santa Cruz are becoming more conscious of their closets with the rising cost of fees and the state of the economy. Therefore they have found alternative ways to fight consumerism and to get creative with their older materials of clothing. For one, they shop at thrift stores such as Goodwill. Secondly they sell their clothes at stores such as Crossroads Trading Co. and Buffalo Exchange so they can use the credit to swapping for/ buying newer pieces. Students are also getting really creative and recreate pieces by having DIY (Do It Yourself) projects.

Inside source:
Kawamura, Y. Fashion-ology. (2005). A shift from class fashion to consumer fashion. Retrieved on March 02, 2014.

Outside source:
City on a Hill Press. Your alternative guide to thrift, 831 style. Retrieved from http://www.cityonahillpress.com/2009/05/28/your-alternative-guide-to-thrift-831-style/

Blog #3

What if I want to expand Boba (Tapioca Pearl) Tea to the White Consumers?

Vy Nguyen

This is my third week committing to the anti-consumerism challenge. I feel extremely thankful that "eating outside" does not violate my obligation to "no-new-luxury-goods". Otherwise, I failed from the first day of this challenge. I love boba tea! I love it so much that I religiously go to TeaBo every Friday for a peach green tea with boba. Moreover, I even name my little shiba inu, Boba! Boba brings me joy and recalls nostalgic memories of my siblings bonding time after school every Friday back in Vietnam. The green tea requires to be a little herbal to increase one's sensation. A little tough texture of the tapioca soaked in honey mixture is so divine, and carries so much chewing excitement! Indeed, just like other Asian specialties, tapioca pearls are not visually appealing. Along with some negative impacts on health, boba is not very popular among the non-Asian community, specially the white community. In today blog, I have a proposing curiosity: What if I want to expand Boba (Tapioca Pearl) Tea to the White Consumers?






This is just a picture of boba from Jazen Tea in San Jose, CA (left); and a meme that I found making fun of white people stereotypes not liking bubble tea (right).


This week in class discussed about the case of "ABERCROMBIE & GLITCH / Asian Americans Rip Retailer for Stereotypes on T-shirts". On a business standpoint, I understand the rationality in term of business strategy for Abercrombie & Glitch to do what they have done expanding to Asian customers. On the personal ethics viewpoint, these products sent solely the message of embracing white people's history and discrimination to Chinese workers. More importantly, these shirts confusingly assumed all Asians are Chinese when most of the jokes mainly surround the Chinese laundry workers. This case study reminded me of a recent discriminatory YouTube superstar, Alison Gold, singing "Chinese Food".


This is the most discriminatory scene of the music video, which demonstrates that the producer cannot distinguish between Chinese and Japanese culture.


As shown in the picture above, the blond Alison was trying to promote Chinese food yet she was wearing the Japanese kimono while claiming "I love Chinese food" with her geisha friends. After the marketing strategy lesson from Alison Gold and both Abercrombie & Glitch, I learned to NEVER offend my white consumers by assuming all white people come from one "white continent". As much as I want to share my boba love to everyone, I will definitely not make a shirt or a music video dedicating to the white community!


Inside source: "ABERCROMBIE & GLITCH / Asian Americans Rip Retailer for Stereotypes on T-shirts." SFGate. N.p., 18 Apr. 2002. Web. 01 Mar. 2014. .

Outside source: "Why Alison Gold’s ‘Chinese Food’ Caused a Stir." The Wall Street Journal. , 19 Oct. 2013. Web. 02 Mar. 2014.

Blog #3: Amy Lee

Amy Lee

Week 3 of the Be Green Challenge

          I've been paying more attention to all my purchases. I'm even trying to save on my groceries. I started buying in bulk at Costco. I don't know how well that'll turn out because I cant finish the food before the expiration dates. If I don't, then I'll be wasting and losing even more money. I'm trying to get my housemates to help out finishing all the food. 

         I realized that me buying so much food is also a form of consumerism. I'm buying more than I need. Maybe it is to compensate for my lack of shopping for things that are not necessities. The idea of spending just to spend. Although we are allowed to purchase clothing and other things material things second hand, I've been too lazy to do so. I have went thrift shopping before. it was overwhelming and I tend to get impatient while shopping. I just want to go in and grab what I need. My first experience didn't leave me with a great impression. The store was super big and it must have been hard to organize all the merchandise from men, women, and children's clothing to shoes and toys, electronics, and kitchenware. 

                                            

                      

I don't have an urge to go back. Maybe I just have to get used to the idea of wearing something someone else (a stranger) have worn before. As of now, I would rather buy something cheap that is new than a brand name that is second hand. However, since starting the challenge, I've been doing more research on alternative ways to buy clothes or electronics, such as through the Facebook page for UCD students: Clothing and Accessories for Sale. At least for this, there is active bargaining and I know who's clothing I am buying. I also registered for the Stride for Aggie Pride 5k run and I had to pay $7.00...does that violate the terms of agreement?

I think my mindset and favor of buying everything brand new stemmed from my mom. Growing up, my mom never shopped much other than for necessities and groceries. However, when she does, she tends to buy the same styled shirts in different colors and they weren't the cheapest shirts  either....But she also wears them for quite awhile. She stressed buying something new because she rarely shops and when she does, it's like a treat.

For this blog, I am going to focus on the Abercrombie article: Abercrombie and Glitch: Asian Americans rip retailer for stereotypes on T-shirts. I chose this article because I remembered seeing a shirt back in San Francisco Chinatown that said Got Rice? I didn't think much of it, but this article made me think of it again. I know that for some people, Abercrombie's to put this shirt on the shelves was foolish and a conscious attempt to be offensive, racist, and to stereotype. 

                                        
                                       

    
             "We personally thought Asians would love this T-shirt," said Hampton Carney

with Paul Wilmont Communications in New York, the public relations firm where Abercrombie referred a reporter's call"' (ABERCROMBIE & GLITCH / Asian Americans rip retailer for stereotypes on T-shirts). As much as this sounds like an excuse or justification, we have to keep in mind that not everyone has the privilege of sitting through an ethnic studies class. And we all know that Asian American history isn't offered until college, and not in every state either: take Arizona, for example. San Francisco State had to fight for a place for ethnic studies. By banning ethnic studies for young people, Arizona is directly targeting minority groups. It's like the 1882 Chinese Exclusion law all over again. Only this time, it is targeting Mexican Americans. Not only is banning ethnic studies discriminatory, but it is also upholding the white majority power in American. It is also reinforcing the glass ceiling of ethnic knowledge. Why is it okay to preach white American history and label it as a standard class and not only ignore other ethnic classes, but actively banning it too? If ethnic classes were more accepted, Abercrombie would be more conscious of other people other than themselves and know that this kind of joke is offensive and mocking. 

I am not condoning Abercrombie's decision to sell such a product. I'm trying to understand why they thought it was okay. For some people, their only exposure of Asian culture is through the media and there is already an overload of stereotypes on screen. Being a large corporation/ business, Abercrombie has the responsibility of being more aware of their messages. They can defend this shirt by saying that they make fun of everyone equally, but I guarantee that they wont produce a shirt mocking the African American community. I would never wear this shirt, new, used, or free. It's bad humor and it's embarrassing. 

Inside Source: Stasburg, Jenny. "ABERCROMBIE & GLITCH / Asian Americans Rip Retailer for Stereotypes on T-shirts." SFGate. N.p., 18 Apr. 2002. Web. 01 Mar. 2014.

Outside Source: Rodriguez, Gregory. "Why Arizona Banned Ethnic Studies." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2012. Web. 02 Mar. 2014.

Blog # 3 by Yee Xiong

My third week of this challenge was quite dull; because I'm so used to not buying anything anymore, I went through the store without having second thoughts. But, I do remember this time when I was dying to buy small fluffy slippers so my feet wouldn't be cold when I wake up in the middle of the night to go use the restroom or go into the kitchen. 

In Jenny Strasburg's article, "Abercrombie & Glitch: Asian Americans Rip Retailer for Stereotypes on T-shirts", she reports on the Abercrombie and Fitch designed that was extremely racist towards the Asian American community. The company decided to design shirts that says "Wong Brothers", "Buddha Bash", and "Wok-n-Bowl". The photo below is how it looks like on the shirt; along with this design, it also has an "Asian" feel to it that the company thought its Asian customers would have loved:

The picture above is not something that should be considered funny or appealing to the Asian American community. If anything, it shows the ignorance of the company to understand the Asian American community and their lack of cultural competency. Furthermore, graphic designers who are involved with this process should have more of an understanding in how their work may be used to  offend others. For example, the last name, "Nguyen", is a Vietnamese name and because it sounds like "win", others think it is okay to use it for their own entertainment. 

It is embarrassing and completely wrong that people would think a design would be appealing to people from another culture. I believe there should also be a stricter screening process to disallow cases like the Abercrombie and Fitch case to continue. Asian Americans should also not buy into this because it would be mocking their own culture by purchasing such a design.

Inside source: Jenny Strasburg's, "Abercrombie & Glitch: Asian Americans Rip Retailer for Stereotypes on T-shirts"

Outside source: http://teespring.com/allidoisnguyen