So apparently there was an episode of Oprah’s talk show that discussed the progress of women’s self-image in numerous countries, including the States, Mexico, Great Britain, France, and other such countries.

And then there was Korea.

While the other countries talked about positive aspects as well as concerns about body image, Korea was most specifically pointed out to be a nation where women are “obsessed” with plastic surgery and that they aspire to “go under the knife to shed traditional Korean looks for Westernized features.” And nothing else.

There has been a lot of controversy over the rise of cosmetic surgery in Asia, and most Westerners simply say “Oh, well they’re just trying to look like us! Damn our Western standards of beauty!” Laura Miller, who wrote an article about Japanese youth and their interpretations on beautification, rebuked this claim, and says that yeah, maybe Asians living in America aspire to look more Western, since they, you know, live in a country where Asians are severely under-represented in mass media.

Instead, Miller argues (in what I think is an excellent point) that Japanese people who get plastic surgery are more than likely trying to emulate the looks of –who else?–Japanese celebrities, since they are the trend setters and the ones creating new social standards of beauty. I imagine that this goes the same for Korea, along with the idea that no matter what country you live in, there is always the pressure to look younger.

Also, since when was Korea the only country to be so-called “obsessed” with body image? What of America, the land of self-improvement reality shows, diet shows, diet gadgets, and um, like, talk show hosts who document every pound they gain and lose?

Sources:
- Oprah Winfrey’s Negative Remarks about Korean Women Spark Storm - The Chosun Ilbo
- S Korea’s cosmetic surgery boom - BBC News

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Manga t-shirts seem to be popular among Japanese guys right now, and what better way to show this than the awesome line of old Shonen Sunday manga t-shirts that Uniqlo is currently offering. R bought this shirt of Gegege no Kitarou, an old manga series about ghosts that has been running in various incarnations since TV was still black and white.

You can visit the Uniqlo site for other shirt designs and ordering information. The t-shirts are currently going for 1,500 yen each or 2,800 yen for two.

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Image from Businessweek

Does getting your hair cut mean that you’re anticipating a slowing economy? Businessweek has a short write up in regards to Nikkei’s findings that the length of women’s hair depends on how they see Japan’s financial stability.

Comparing the hair data to Japan’s economic well-being, Nikkei writer Kosuke Iwano found that in 1990, 60% of the women surveyed kept their hair long or semi-long. But by 1997, when the economy was flagging, short or medium for the first time accounted for more than half of all haircuts. In 1998, Japan’s economy was savaged by major financial bankruptcies, including that of Yamaichi Securities, at the time the country’s fourth-biggest broker.

Apparently getting your hair cut shorter means less maintenance, which means less styling products and less money spending. But, as Businessweek points out, maintaining a short hair cut involves, well, keeping it short. Which means going to the hair stylists more frequently, which could very well cost more than having styling products, which can last for longer stretches of time. Nikkei’s findings present an interesting concept, but with too many loopholes to make a plausible argument.

Living here, I’ve seen mostly medium-to-long lengths of hair, almost always made up of hair extensions and dyed. I’ve also had a Japanese roommate who used a ton of products on her short hair cut. As for maintaining a short style, it is not uncommon for people to do it themselves–I see do-it-yourself hair cutting magazines and scissors frequently in stores.

So does getting your hair cut have any relation to the economy? Maybe, but not to the extent that Nikkei would have us believe. People are always going to do what is deem fashionable by society–regardless of economy status.

Source: Japan’s Haircut Indicator - Businessweek

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Taken in Harborland, Kobe 

When I went shopping in Kobe yesterday, I came across this poster in a Hello Kitty store and had to do a double take. Sanrio just came out with a 13-item series of goods featuring Hello Kitty as designed by tokidoki!!

You might recall a while back that I wrote a post drooling over tokidoki watches. Now I am drooling over these cactus-themed hand bags and dolls. Seeing them in person with only an inch-thick plastic tarp between us was a little cruel though!

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My nephew Daunte the day after he was born–all dressed in yellow

OK, so maybe this isn’t a post about fashion, but I think one develops a sense of style early on from how they are dressed by their parents. I also can’t stand the disgusting gender division when it comes to children’s clothes and toys. Queercents just made a post voicing the same complaints I have regarding young ‘uns and gender-biased clothing:

Babies usually look rather androgynous, and because of our homophobic, sexist culture’s discomfort with androgyny (or any other disruption of the gender binary, such as queerness itself), parents race to mark their babies as unequivocally male or female. What amazes me is the number of parents who buy their daughters nothing but pink, frilly, constricting clothing from day one, and then can’t stop telling everyone how their daughter just ‘naturally’ was always a girly girl, who would NEVER wear pants. Gee, I wonder why?

When my sister had her baby boy last year, it was BLUE BLUE BLUE. He was dressed up in every masculine outfit you can think of, even as a mobster for Halloween (’cause violence can be cute, right?)

This article also brings to mind the time I saw someone very dear to me unraveling an entire blanket she crocheted because “yellow isn’t a boy’s color.” Since when?

In Japan, the gender norms seem to be even more socially ingrained, where in school teachers hand out Hello Kitty pencils for girls and Shinkansen (bullet train) pencils for the boys, and even the way you talk defines your gender. (There is one awesome exception with one of the girls I teach, who uses the super-masculine form for “I” !)

It’s kind of disheartening to see that even nowadays one only has to look as far as the children’s clothing store to see future gender constraints.

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Image from International Herald Tribune

The dress was made from recycled waste: 6,000 grape juice containers of the soft-pouch type. The dress was introduced at the concert, no less, by the film actress and eco-activist Daryl Hannah. The story of how Lee’s gown was created had long been part of the promotional campaign for this recital, presented by the Concert Artists Guild, the estimable organization that auditions and supports emerging artists. (International Herald Tribune)

(If you’ve never seen or experienced a soft pouch juice container, it is not unlike drinking out of a squishy, cold bag. )

It’s true that there are really creative ways to recycle waste, and making a fashion statement that increases environmental awareness is one of them. But I think making a gown out of drink pouches is overkill. Think about it–instead of recycling the plastic used in the pouches, they have been cut and sewn (creating more waste) in order to making an article of clothing that can’t be worn realistically. If we could make the clothes that we wear today out of the same materials, that would be one thing. But since converting plastic into cotton-like material hasn’t been invented yet, there are other ways to make a statement about recycling.

Buy Second Hand
One easy way that would benefit both your wallet and the environment is to buy second hand clothing. This might be a hard concept for some because there is an issue of pride at stake. Some might feel that buying clothes at a thrift store means that they are financially unstable and have to settle for used clothing. But many thrift stores (or recycle shops as they’re known here in Japan) contain many hidden gems, which is why I think thrifting is gaining popularity again among high school and college students, since it’s a point in your life where you are trying to define who you are. Purchasing second-hand creates less demand from retailers for new products, which in turn discourage “need” for sweatshops and the destruction of animals. Most people who don’t condone fur coats and leather goods agree that it’s OK to buy them second hand.

Learn How to Sew
Learning how to sew is a big step in being eco-friendly. You can transform clothing that is no longer wearable into something that suits you, and you can take that XXXL t-shirt from the second hand store with the design you liked and turn it into a dress. There are many avenues to explore this with, and all it takes is to learn to how to handle a thread and needle.

Make Your Own Clothes
This is just a step away from learning how to sew to alter ready-made clothes. You can buy your own materials and patterns and make your clothes yourself. This ensures that the finished product came from a sweatshop-free environment and didn’t use up a lot of resources. Think of the journey clothing you buy in retail stores make, all the airplanes and trucks they traveled in to get to your store.

Buy Basic Clothes
If you do buy clothes, buy styles that are timeless and can be worn year after year. Buying trendy styles creates a lot of waste in that once the season is over, more than likely you will stop wearing it and eventually it will get thrown out. Look for styles with basic cuts in subtle colors. Avoid clothes with crazy patterns or time-sensitive wording or catch phrases.

Filter Out External Influences
It’s really easy to watch TV and find some fashion style that inspires you to go out and try to replicate it. It’s just as easy to feel overwhelmed by those in your life whose lives revolve around fashion and keeping up appearances. I feel like this a lot, especially being in Japan, but the ultimate reason I have for not giving in to such materialism is that a.) I am never going to be that person (that I want to look like), and b.) I don’t need x piece of clothing to survive. Before I decide to buy some clothing, I try to ignore all ads, mannequins, models or whatever is influencing me to get it. Sometimes I will wait a while before I decide to get it. In any case, don’t purchase things on a whim because you might regret it later.

So yeah, you can make a big statement by making clothes out of garbage bags or aluminum foil, but if you really want to make an impact then try to re-examine the way you purchase your clothes.  Sometimes a bigger impact can be made by doing something small.

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  I got this red cape-ish thing the other night at Honeys (you can actually see it in the February issue of Zipper.) When I first tried it I wasn’t sure what to think, but after being persuaded to buy it by R, I have to say this has been one of my favorite things that I have bought here!

The material is great for spring in that it’s not too thin, but makes a good layering device. I love the length and style of the sleeves, too. In the picture I am wearing it with skinny jeans from Express and a plain black long-sleeve turtleneck, which I use as an inner layer for almost everything I wear. I am also wearing a belt from Uniqlo, but you can’t see it

My reasons for buying this:
- I like red things, and red so happens to go with my skin tone/hair
- this was the last red cape thing in stock (probably because it was in Zipper)
- it is fairly neutral without being boring
- it creates a nice silhouette for people with my body type
- the quality of the material is good
- works well with layers
- can be worn in either spring or fall

Lately I have been into simple cuts in neutral colors, but with a twist. Trends and fads change all the time so I try to stay somewhere in the middle, looking for clothes that are interesting but won’t fizzle out of style too soon.

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A stole is a basically a large bandanna or scarf made of thinner material. R bought this stole today, which he wears folded in a triangle tied around his neck and under his jacket.

Reasons he chose this particular design:
- black and white match most any other colors, which makes it a versatile accessory
- there is a pattern of little Pac-man-esque ghosts which counts as a unique-ness factor
- folded up, it helps create warmth under the jacket
- the texture is interesting (it’s made of a muslin-like material)
- the fringe is also visually interesting
- it’s a good neutral accessory

I think it’s about time that guys had some cool accessories aside from scarves. I’m not sure how stoles are being received in America, but in Japan all the cool guys wear ‘em. What do you think?

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I discovered a cool online fashion website that sells designer goods that look as beautiful as the site: Colette. You can tell that a lot of hard work has been put into the site–the graphics are interactive and cute, and the use of Flash is impressive without being overwhelming. (Despite the convenience of Flash-based websites, I always hate waiting for them to load for some elaborate introduction that I usually skip over.) On top of that, the site has a lot of amazing music that plays while you surf.

I could easily idle my time away exploring this site–not just yearning for the amazing hard-to-find goods (Scissor Sisters t-shirt!?), but also looking through various works of art and news. Why can’t other sites put a little effort into their design and make it more user-friendly? (I’m looking at you, H&M.)

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Heh, see what I did there?

Anyway, this post is inspired by a site that was recommended to me by a good friend, SuperMaggie. There you can buy cool clothing with original designs featuring plants and wildlife. This got me thinking that it would be good to have a list of sites that offer similar cool and original designs. Shall we take a gander?

- SuperMaggie: As stated above, this was recommended to me by a friend. Their designs are very sleek and elegant, but not without a little strange factor. My favs: Tiger, Anemones, Peacock
- Ames Bros.: I discovered this brand in North Hampton, Mass. and own two of their shirts. Unfortunately they are hard to come by, even online, so you’ll have to do a little searching. But here are my favs: Destroyer (I have this in tank top form), Wisdom, Duel Jr. Boybeater
- Urban Outfitters: I rarely buy t-shirts from here unless they are on sale, because they are fucking expensive. But sometimes you come across cool designs! My current favs: Shadow Tiger, Pastries, Skelly Rainbow
- Other good sites for original designs: Threadless, Etsy, Karma Loop

Even though you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, you can often tell what a person is like by the kind of t-shirts they wear! What sort of statements does your shirts say?

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