Henna...blog # 6

I got a new friend request on myspace yesterday from a local Fijian Indian henna artist. I accepted her request figuring that I might need to hire her when I getting married (hahhhaahah). Well i was looking at her pictures and apparently she does a lot of events where she does henna. Her artwork is very impressive - Check it out http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=19615882 ...however, what struck me as odd is that her main picture was a white girl's hand..with henna on it..placed on a white male body. This definitely reminded me of the "Henna and Hip Hop" article by Sunaina Maira. I wonder if this henna artist has ever felt angry that our henna is being used on white people when traditionally it was meant for religious ceremonies such as weddings. But can we really blame her? Henna has become commodified (Skoggard). She is obviously making profit from an ancient artwork used for religious functions which she was lucky to have the talent to do. Maybe i can't really blame her. But I wonder if she still feels angry or if she would do it on people other than Indians if she weren't being paid.

Have a great summer class..it was awesome getting to know y'all!! Prof. Valverde, I'll definitely keep in touch with you for that letter of recommendation ;^) ...and yea, im so excited! ..im Finally taking one of professor Maira's classes next quarter..my first one ever!! Please put in a few good words for me ..hahahahah

Kamasutra ...blog # 5

I recall in high school, i had just started dating this black guy who asked me "so you must be great in bed coz you know that Kamasutra huh?"...i was shocked...firstly coz he came off like such a perv..secondly coz he had "consumed orientalism" (Kim & Chung) and bought into Indian women being exoticized. All he probably knew about the Kamasutra was what the orientalists had turned it into; a highly sexualized text that is focused solely on sexual positions. It was once a book of love and discipline for the hindus..not just about sex. The orientalists from the west however took it, appropriated it (lecture-video)and commodified it. It was now up for sale on the shelves of western bookstores when it was initially just owned by Indian women of higher class.

Ok so I admit, i do know alot about the Kamasutra actually but only coz i did a research paper on it a while back...younger Indian women of a noble class were given the book of love when they were getting groomed for marriage. In it, the book had lessons about how to treat your husband good, to respect him, and had everything for a well-rounded wife. it even required that the lady who was given the book learned the arts: dancing, singing and playing instruments. It was a book that bettered the Indian woman. then when the woman got married, she was able to give the book to her husband, who then read the men's share of the book. in it, he was taught to do for his wife everything she does for him...to respect her, love her and please her. So given the fact behind the kamasutra, doesn't it seem so pure and uncorrupted? it wasn't just about sex.

Then came the westerners (dun dun dun). A man named "Sir" Richard Burton got his hands on the book and translated it. Obviously, during translation, things are left out or misinterpreted..especially if the interpreter is culturally unaware. And of course he only took what he wanted to take from the book; the GREAT sexual positions.

So yea, the next time a guy asks me if know the kamasutra, imma kick him in his man business (so feminist)

Can't give up Forever 21 =^( ...blog # 4

Ok so I know that this class is supposed to raise an awareness against consumerism. However, I LOVE forever 21. Their clothes are cheaper than department stores and quite trendy too. When i get paid, i like to buy a new outfit every week (hadnt been doing that much lately though even before this project, which made it easier for me to go along with this project). Forever 21 is affordable so that i can afford to buy a new outfit every week. I know that im choosing to ignore everything we've learned about forever 21 in the Forever in Trouble" article by Byun, but hey, I'm a college student who likes to TRY and look good lol. So as soon as this project is over, on the 29th day, im going to Forever 21! ...SORRY!! ..its like an addiction though...and im going clubbing to celebrate the end of finals and the beginning of summer...gotta look good!!!!!

My boyfriend had his first day off in 2 weeks this saturday. He only gets one saturday every two weeks off and i wanted to buy him something. HOwever, i had to stop myself and even started to explain to him why i didnt go into forever 21 to buy anything. He had a shocked look on his face "Like yea right, you won't actually keep up with that crap" ... i told him about the information in the "Santa's Sweatshop" by Palmer (such as people get paid so little for the labor) and that it was one of the major reasons why we were trying to be green for 28 days. He said that he was proud of me...but then looked at me funny when i told him that i was going back to buy something on the 29th day. MAN ...now im starting to feel guilty again!

Till next time....

Bindi...blog # 3

Man!! I LOVE being Indian. I love the traditional attire, (mainly because I look hot in them =) the music, the movies, the bindis and everything else that is Indian. Even though im a third generation Fijian Indian (which means that my great grandparents were from India and every generation thereafter were born and raised in the Fiji islands), I like to think of myself as "Desi". This is because I am not native Fijian (we look completely different).

So let me get to the point. When i watched the video in class about the bindi being appropriated, i honestly did not feel insulted. I think that it is ok for westerners to adorn the bindi. The bindi was traditionally worn by only married Indian women to show that they were not single anymore. This bridal bindi was only red in color. Later, different colors of bindis were used by single Indian women as a fashion statement. The bindi lost it's "religious" or "significant" value, other than as an Indian woman's cultural possession. SO since the bindi isnt as important anymore (many Indian women hardly ever wear it), i think it is ok for westerners to experiment with it. Afterall, can we honestly say that we haven't taken or appropriated elements of the Western world?

According to Kim and Chung in "Consuming Orientalism: Images of Asian/American women in multicultural advertising", orientalism by the westerners is very detrimental towards Asians. Indians are seen as exotic. While this may be true, i think that something as minute as the bindi, should not be of concern in regards to the Indian culture....we have bigger things to worry about ...like the appropriation of the Kamasutra. I wrote a 10 page research paper on the appropriation of the kamasutra a couple years ago. Maybe in my next blog, i'll enter some of my findings.

peace out!

Indian clothes ..blog # 2

Ok so im trying to think if I accidently bought something which we've been trying not to. It's weird but I feel like I buy things unconciously. Like I know that we're doing this little experiment and I'm trying to be really good about it. But you can only imagine how hard it is when I have to sit here and think about whether or not I unintentionally broke any rules of the experiment. But glad to report, I haven't. I have been avoiding going to stores at all.

Last night, I went to an Indian Prayer session at a family friend's house. These things have a fairly big crowd with about 30 people there at least. We had all donned our indian Salwaar Kameez, saris and jewellery. As I was sitting there listening to Hymns, and looking at everyone's outfits, I couldn't help but think about the "Diasporic Connections: Case Studies of Asian Women in Business" article by Hardill and Raghuram. I was thinking about how Indians go crazy looking for gorgeous Indian outfits in America. There are about 10 popular Indian stores in Sacramento that we go to. It's like a competition. Whose clothes look better. I was thinking about the owners of the stores and that they all seem to be Indian women. The husbands have a partnership but it is the wives that stay at the store and literally run it. However, come to think of it, I don't think that any of these business women actually design the clothes. They all order their clothes and most of these have the traditional look. Maybe we need a store in the Sacramento area that designs indian clothes to suit the needs of the customer? I was also thinking about where they order their clothes from and the amount of profit that they make. Each outfit is around $100-$500 USD. Considering that Indian Rupees are substantially smaller in currency, they must make a lot of profit. But whenever we bargain with them to lower the prices, they always say "well I have to make some profit too."

On a random note, I was digging through my purses tonight and found an old knock off louis vuitton purse. I remember when i first bought it, not many people had a really good replica so I was proud to carry it around. Now, there are so many replicas around that the average Jane has it. That's why now that purse is an OLD knock off Louis vuitton :D There's nothing special about it anymore because consumers’ needs cause counterfeiting products to increase according to Decker in "Knockouts of Knockoffs." In my opinion, when there are too many counterfeits so that everyone has the product, the product loses it's value. It is no longer something that no one else has. It is no longer everyone's envy ;^) So here is yet another reason why im doing well with this experiment. I currently have no desire to own a product that may be easily replicated. If i pay top dollar for something, it better be one of its kind. And I think it's going to be a while before i find something one of its kind :D

im out!

And So The Battle Begins...blog # 1

Initially, when the Professor mentioned the Anti Consumerism Movement, I thought to myself "wow, that must take a lot of determination, sucks to be them!" I truly thought that I would NOT be able to do something of the sort. I was an only child uptil 9 years of age, so I got what I wanted. Then when I turned 15, I wanted to feel responsible and buy everything for myself, so I got a job. Unfortunately, instead of saving the money and spending it wisely, I became a shop-a-holic. My styles are always changing; whatever is the trend, I follow if I feel I can pull it off. Of course, this means that I am always buying things which becomes popular through the diffusion theory, the decision of many people to adopt a certain style (Jones, Leshkowich & Niessen 2003). I've gone from urban, to emo, to preppy to all (wow!).

So you can only imagine how i felt when some smart ass yelled out "Let's do this as an experiment in lieu of the final!" I was thinking that I would most likely do better on the final than this experiment. However, after taking into consideration the many political, economic and social factors that "fashion" is comprised of, I decided that maybe I CAN give it a shot. After all, 28 days isn't that bad, is it? I'm NOT Paris Hilton, so this might actually be easy. And it's true, I do not know where any of the things I own, came from. Could I be contributing to the exploitation of workers in sweatshops? (Holstein, Palmer, Ur-Rehman, Ito). These thoughts, paired with my own selfish need to get out of an actual in-class final, I am actually trying to adhere to the rules of our experiment. It is now day 4 and I have NOT bought anything unnecessary. The fact that I don't get paid until next friday might also be a reason why I haven't. It'll be a REAL test once I get paid. I hope I can stay strong.