Week 2 Green - Narayan

Pryanka Narayan

ASA 141

Week 6           

            We are now entering week 2 of the challenge, and I have been having a very difficult time. For instance, since we are in Spring but heading into Summer, there have been many cute clothes that are on sale, and while I would love to indulge myself into them, I must refrain. I have informed my friends, sister, and boyfriend to all keep me strong during this time. Today was especially hard because I went to Target with my best friend. There I saw so many clothes that I really wanted to buy, though she had to keep reminding me of the project. Since I could not shop for clothes, I went shopping for dinner, and I saw many intriguing things. Though the most interesting thing was seen prepacked Indian sauces, and items that had an Indian take on them. The items were beautiful, and the fast curry packets were interesting, but they all reminded me of the It’s hip to be Asian article. As the article discussed the marketing of culture, and I was starting to see it with my own eyes. Another article Cultural Influences on Marketing Strategies also discussed how many companies are searching on how to make items trendy, and they are branding culture. I have personally seen this concept implemented within my own family, as my dad is guilty of this. If he sees anything that represents his culture in any shape or form, he’s ore likely to purchase that item. Being more aware of this concept has allowed me to broaden my horizon, and while this project is difficult, I understand the severe importance.

                                                    References

   Bhachu, Parminder. "It’s hip to be Asian: The local and global networks of Asian fashion

entrepreneurs in London." Transnational Spaces. Routledge, 2004. 52-71.

Hunt, Janet. “Cultural Influences on Marketing Strategies.” Small Business - Chron.com,

Chron.com, 12 Feb. 2019, smallbusiness.chron.com/cultural-influences-marketing-strategies-26121.html.

Week 2

Abigail Wang
Week 2
ASA 141

Week 2

This week I did not find the challenge to be too difficult because I did not find any unnecessary items appealing to buy. I did however start a list to add any things that I find I want to buy throughout the challenge to track what I feel I want to buy and observe any patterns. When I went grocery shopping I made sure to only buy things I needed and not any unnecessary items. As I continue this challenge I also want to consider how the Asian diaspora is exploited by the fashion industry. This is done through factory work, and also the commodification of 'Asian' fashion. In this weeks readings, specifically in 'Its Hip to be Asian,' the author describes how British fashion designers and celebrities have taken Asian fashions and rebranded them as exciting and new and slightly exotic. This commodification and 'celebration' of Asian fashion connects to Lisa Lowe's analysis of multiculturalism in the celebration of Asian fashion yet the continued rejection of Asian people and allowing white people to claim Asian fashion as their own. As this challenge continues I want to explore how to support Asian fashion designers and clothing brands who also practice sustainability and treat their workers well. 

The founders of Forever 21 on the cover of Forbes magazine.

Week 2 - Be Green

Elaine Yang
ASA 141
Week 2

Completing my first week of the Be Green Challenge, I would have to say that I am feeling very confident about the challenge. For this whole week, I kept a close watch on my spendings and stayed away from one-time disposable items, even extending to my grocery-purchasing habits. I have a tendency to splurge on grocery shopping since I live very close to Trader Joes. Extending to bringing home bags of new snacks and drinks one to two times a week and ending up not finishing them before purchasing more. It was refreshing for me to really constrain myself in doing so and utilize what I already have. It saved me a lot of money and there was much less trash than usual.

In terms of online shopping and purchasing clothes, I was able to restrain myself as well. After learning about Fast Fashion and retail store's constantly refreshing cycle, I kept myself away from browsing these websites. That being said, as week 2 begins, I am looking forward to my progress in this challenge. Since I have midterms and numerous studying to do this week, I will for sure stay away from unthoughtful purchasing activities.

In "Cultural Economy of Asian Chic", the author stated that the consumption practices of Americans created Americans' sense of difference from, and superiority to other cultures that might not have the resources to produce and export. This underlines the bad purchasing behaviors in America and other western cultures.

(https://www.livekindly.co/major-fashion-retailer-forever-21-officially-bans-sale-of-mohair/)

Week 2: Be Green

Sidney Siu
ASA 141
Blog #2

As we end our first week of the Be Green Challenge, I don’t think I feel any different than last week besides the fact that I am conscious that I didn’t buy anything outside of necessities. I barely have to be careful of not buying something extra for myself because I don’t usually look for or randomly buy things when I don’t need it. Lucky for me, I don’t have any events coming up where I would have wanted to buy something new to wear. I believe that as the weeks go on, I will need to be more mindful of buying things. For example, I will probably need to go to Target soon and will really need to concentrate on only getting what I need.

In Thuy Linh Nguyen Tu’s Crossing the Assembly Line, she mentions how many Asian American fashion designers get their start by learning from their parents who work in the fashion industry. This makes me think of all the Asian (American) immigrants who work so hard in garment factories, only to get paid pennies. So by buying unnecessary products, such as fast fashion clothing, we are contributing to the demand for theses products that workers aren’t getting a decent pay for. It also contributes to the cycle of global warming as it emits a lot of CO2 from endless transportation, keeping the factories running, and pollution of wasted/old products. Not only do we need to stop/halt new greenhouse gas emission, but according to National Geographic, “scientists have also emphasized that we need to extract existing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.” This just goes to show how bad the human carbon footprint is and how little time we have to fix the problem.

Week 2: Food Expenditures

Annika R. Uyenco
Blog 2

As someone who does not shop often for material items, this challenge has not been difficult for me yet. Growing up, I have seen people I know buy various items from stores and they just pile up or get thrown away after a while. I was taught to not adopt this shopping habit which I am quite thankful for because I have continuously saved space and money. However, I do have the tendency to impulsively buy things (especially cute and colorful knick-knacks at Target). Impulsive shopping can be dangerous for me, especially if the price is cheap or if I desperately want something I know I won't want anymore after some time. This mindset is a pretty common one. Mariah from the video "The Truth About Where Hair Extensions Come From," said in an interview, "People want things that are disposable. They just, like, want long hair today and that's that." This is true for a lot of items that are meant for temporary pleasure. Once I started college though, that went away due to other important areas of my life I needed to spend money on such as rent and food.

Though I do not struggle with buying material items, I continue to struggle with spending money on food. Although food is a lot less disposable in a sense and have more value, I prefer to spend money at the grocery store since I can buy a lot and can provide food for myself for a longer time period than buying one meal at a restaurant. However, on Wednesday afternoon, I was hungry but unfortunately did not bring any food with me from home and ended up buying a meal at the farmer's market. I made sure to get my money's worth and not waste food. This is a common dilemma for many people, especially working adults and working parents. When these people get home from work, it is tiring to have to cook and prepare food. According to an online article "Lazy with Food: Restaurant Vs. Grocery Expenses," "people waste a lot of money on dining out – anecdotal evidence and personal experiences tell us that much."Hopefully next week my discipline for not shopping for material items will rub off on my food expenditures.

Sources:

Miller, G.E. “Lazy with Food: Restaurant Vs. Grocery Expenses.” 20somethingfinance.Com, 21 Jan. 2019, 20somethingfinance.com/restaurant-vs-grocery-expenses/.

Refinery29. The Truth About Where Hair Extensions Come From | Shady | Refinery29. YouTube, YouTube, 9 June 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlZ1SWLBfPE&t=71s.

Green Challenge #2

So-Hyeon (Diana) Park

ASA 141

Blog #2

Today is Friday when I usually take out trash. I ended up taking out a huge pile of empty boxes since apparently, I ordered a heck before the Green Challenge began. Probably I ordered them subconsciously, thinking and knowing I would not be able to buy them for the next five weeks. The challenge is going great so far as it is only the first week and I am still in consumer pleasure period.

"It's hip to be Asian" by Parminder Bhachu, one of the upcoming week reading assignments, was about Indian fashion shops in Britain. Towards the end, the author mentions how Britain influences British Asian designers through the process "Englishization" while the British Asians impact the British fashion realm. Similar phenomena can be found all around the world. An example is "Mukzin," a Chinese brand founded by Kate Han and George Feng who studied in the UK. Coming back to their home country, China, they were saddened to see the Westernized Chinese fashion industry. Their goal was to "blend traditional Chinese culture with elements of Western gear" (Sharkey). Its strict policies such as high wages to support Chinese craftswomen, safe working environment, and no child labor contradict to the video content on cheap labor yet poor and dangerous working environment in Third World countries.

 These are some Mukzin clothes that blend Chinese and Western styles.

Works Cited

Bhachu, Parminder. “It's Hip to Be Asian | Transnational Spaces | Taylor & Francis Group.” Taylor & Francis, Routledge, 31 July 2004, www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9780203647219/chapters/10.4324/9780203647219-7.

Sharkey, Lauren. “Gigi Hadid's Fave Chinese Fashion Brand Is Now Available On ASOS.” Bustle, Bustle, 3 May 2019, www.bustle.com/p/mukzin-is-the-chinese-fashion-brand-on-asos-you-need-to-add-to-your-summer-wardrobe-17298518.

Entry 2

Entry#2

Reanna Lao

Last week I made it my goal to only shop at the farmers market or at the Co-op. I also challenged myself to not order takeout, or If I was, that I would have to bring my own container. This week, I made food with the remaining groceries from the previous week, so there was no need to go grocery shopping. Towards the end of the week however, I had to order take out. Yesterday, I ordered takeout without bringing my reusable containers. I remember waiting in line thinking about how I would fail the challenge, however, hunger was a feeling that I could not shake off. I had a long day which ended at 9pm and I was not about to start cooking. I would rather pay for the convenience of a ready to go burrito than to prepare my own food. Next week, I plan on going to the farmer;s market to buy groceries. I am a bit worried about how much I will need to spend to get locally grown food. On this topic, I can't help but to relate to this week's reading about immigrant garment workers. In "Crossing the Assembly Line," there was mention about underpaid asian immigrant garment workers and how choice of buying cheap items will determine a family's survival. This got me wondering what choices do other minimum wage citizens have in terms of consumption. I wonder if there even is a choice as minimum wage workers are financially pressured to buy cheap foods and clothes. I think it is quite sad that the fast fashion industry targets minimum wage workers who by shopping at forever 21, support the en slavery of garment workers. 

Lastly, I wanted to share with the class a really cool Korean variety show which focuses on human relationships. In one episode of the Human Condition, cast members were challenged to carry reusable takeout boxes. In another episode, the members collected their waste for the entire week to see how much they consume.

References

Thuy Linh Nguyen Tu, Crossing the Assembly Line.

KBS, The Human Condition