Are Brands Pigging out on Chinese New Year?

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2019 is the Year of the Pig, according to the Chinese Zodiac cycle. But what is normally celebrated largely in East Asia has been noticeably appearing in my fashion feeds lately, and I’m not exactly sure how to feel about it.

And no, I’m not just talking about Peppa Pig (who I think deserves to be a more heavily celebrated part of fashion trends). Brands like Kate Spade, Tory Burch, and most notably Gucci, have been releasing pig-themed collections. My question is… why the craze now? Is it even a craze, and if it is, is that okay?

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I first caught wind of this “fad” when Jeffree Star gifted Shane Dawson the entire Gucci x Disney collection, featuring the Three Little Pigs. The collection includes totes, sweaters, tees, backpacks, personalized pins, and many more. In terms of fashion, accessorizing with pigs apparently runs the whole gamut. I had much more leniency toward any judgmental thoughts toward this duo, as they’re known for embracing the pig imagery/iconography aesthetic together.

The bag itself is fine, I guess. But are we really turning to commercializing a cultural and symbolic event for seasonal fashion sales? The mere scope of this “trend” in the fashion industry is incredibly unsettling.

My discomfort only intensifies with the targeted Facebook ads, displaying loads of Kate Spade and Louis Vuitton items, chock full of pig insignia and occasionally emblazoned with “The Year of the Pig.” And yes, it is the Year of the Pig… but since when do these fashion companies give a shit about Chinese New Year?

“... are we really turning to commercializing a cultural and symbolic event for seasonal fashion sales?”
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Even more criticism falls on Dolce & Gabbana, which recently came under fire for playing into insensitive Chinese stereotyping for commercial purposes. As globalized as this world has become, I certainly don’t think that the fashion industry is a beacon of Asian cultural appreciation.

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Another offender of cultural perversion is Burberry. Sigh… I know, literally everyone is screwing up, and it’s not even two full months into 2019.

With the launch of it’s new campaign Modern Tradition, Burberry has been using the image of an Asian family to represent family bond and reunion. Maybe it’s just me, but Burberry, you’ve completely missed the target here. Ghost-like families that look half dead, wearing unreasonably bougie outfits in front of a monochrome background isn’t what Asian family looks like!

In fact, I think all of these brands have missed the point of cultural appreciation, if that was their goal to start out with (which I really doubt). Western popular culture is almost obsessed with roasting Asian populations for being heavy consumers of designer items, but when it comes down to American and European fashion houses benefitting from these consumer preferences, there seems to be little to no hesitation to pander to Asian culture and populations.

Sadly, this pandering is rarely done well and often registers as tone deaf or overtly insensitive. What bothers me is every other person’s willingness to reduce China’s cherished traditions into a “collection to have on your radar.”

No matter what the rationale behind these brands’ decisions are, cultural commodification in a creepily or tastelessly appropriative manner will never be in style.

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Dear 'Vogue': Contrary to Popular Belief, We're Not All the Same Person

ed·i·tor: /ˈed·ət̬·ər/ a person who corrects and make changes to texts or films before they are printed or shown.

Vogue is an undeniable authority in the fashion and journalism industries and is arguably the most iconic and revered publication of its kind. Interestingly, the magazine seems to have neglected to include editors in their publication process in two recent instances, as they’ve misidentified six high profile women of color.

Vogue made headlines several days ago when an article reviewing the SAG Awards red carpet misidentified Asian actresses Gemma Chan and Tan Kheng Hua as Liv Lo and Michelle Yeoh, respectively. The blunder came no less than three weeks after a similar incident in which Muslim activist Noor Tagouri was misidentified as Pakistani actress Noor Bukhari in the February issue.

Liv Lo, not Gemma Chan. Image via

Liv Lo, not Gemma Chan. Image via

Gemma Chan, not Liv Lo. Image via

Gemma Chan, not Liv Lo. Image via

Tagouri spoke out about her disappointment, stating “I have been misrepresented and misidentified MULTIPLE times in media publications – to the point of putting my life in danger. I never, EVER expected this from a publication I respect SO much and have read since I was a child” (via).

This issue reveals more than just Vogue’s apparent lack of editorial scrutiny. People of color in any industry are often treated as interchangeable, with remarks such as “you look so much like [insert other person of color]” or “I thought you were the other one” or “you all look the same to me” becoming a part of everyday life.

Just ask any student of color at a PWI (predominantly white institution) and you’ll get an earful of similar stories. Sure, some famous people really do look like each other, but major publications aren’t confusing them left and right because of the color of their skin or their foreign-sounding names. The people of color being mistaken for one another often look nothing alike; a reporter thought Samuel L. Jackson was Lawrence Fishburne, with the former famously calling him out. You cannot tell me they’re doppelgängers.

These latest blunders are simply tiring. This is another deep rooted issue that is supposedly resolved through “diversity” or “sensitivity” trainings, yet we’ll undoubtedly see it again next month. I don’t have the answers on how to change this problem beyond simply paying closer attention and being more diligent with how we look at others, especially those we deem different. Maybe start by sending the aforementioned Vogue editors back to journalism school?

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A Reflection on Black Friday

There’s an insanely satisfying feeling that comes with snagging a good sale. I feel like I’m pulling one over on the big bad companies and their pricey products (never mind that I’m still giving them my money by purchasing the product…). Black Friday is perfectly tailored to fulfill that feeling, as retailers flash big signs displaying all their “deep discounts” that are too often faker than Kardashian family beefs. Stores are notorious for hiking up prices before the consumer holiday in order to deeply discount the inflated prices, bringing them back down to their normal value and labeling that a steal.

Chaos in Sao Paulo, Brazil over Black Friday sales. Image via

Chaos in Sao Paulo, Brazil over Black Friday sales. Image via

The Bargain Betties pack into department stores worldwide to grab those ‘special, one time only, can’t miss’ deals after every Thanksgiving. They’re often walking straight into an apocalyptic jungle, where survival of the fittest and most forceful rules. Under-stocking, overcrowding, and blocked aisles are all tricks of the Black Friday retail trade to increase consumer tension and drive up discount desperation. It can often get dangerous, as riots and shootings over products are common, and “consumers behaving badly” graces headlines every year. Yet every year people still wake up with the sun to get their place in line outside big ticket item stores and feel the accomplishment of scoring a deal.

“Black Friday creates a herd mentality that encourages people to buy things that they don’t want or don’t even love that much because of the perceived scarcity of the deals.” - via Phuong Vuong of Empower Finance

There are undoubtedly some amazing sales at select stores on Black Friday and the physically safer Cyber Monday–but are they worth the hype? Consumer group Which? found that 87% of Black Friday deals were the same or cheaper during other sales during the year! Our collective love for feeling like corporate #scammers clouds this reality, so retailers experience a whopping majority of traffic during holiday sales in the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

This all amounts to the only advice I can give: shop smart! When making big purchases track and compare prices (using tools like Pricerunner) and if you’re looking for a real deal, look for and consider purchasing during more offbeat sale times. Don’t buy the sale, buy the item you want.

And while you’re out there, try treating the stressed, overworked, and often underpaid retail workers with respect and kindness!

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On Wednesdays We Get Drunk: An Ardent Defense of Bar Night

Unless you're out of touch with UChicago or otherwise live under a rock, you've no doubt seen that recent Maroon article. You know, that one. The one that bashes Bar Night for not being "intellectual" enough for UChicago, while overall just presenting as a self-congratulatory and elitist rant rife with pompous language and not-so-thinly veiled racism. I'm not here to tear the article apart — there's been plenty of that on Facebook — but I am going to take the time to defend Bar Night in all of its sticky, drunken glory.

Last night, out of pure spite, I went to Bar Night for the first time in literally years. I'll concede that I didn't really have a ton of fun: my friend Kardelen and I stuck around for about 45 minutes before we went home to make mac 'n cheese. But I digress. The reason I didn't have fun isn't because Bar Night sucks, it's because I was a jaded fourth year surrounded by happy and fun-loving first years. Hell, when I was a first year I lived for Bar Night. I was there almost every week because it was great. And what I saw last night was exactly the same great time as first year me saw consistently every week. It was the ultimate realisation of "it's not you, it's me." 

Bar Night Before and After: first year Emilia enjoying a Dat Donut (left), vs. fourth year Emilia captured in a candid (right). Strangely enough I'm wearing the same coat in both.

Bar Night, after all, is just a frat party. But on a deeper level it's more than that. It's a UChicago tradition. A small weekly commitment to creating fun where fun goes to die. And sure we don't sit around sipping fine wine and discussing Plato, but if you go there you'll know there's no shortage of people drunkenly debating the Republic or the allegory of the cave like the socially awkward nerds we all are. 

“It’s not our insecurities that are toxic, but the way we are convinced we should deal with them.”

But that's not even the point. Why is there this insistence that we need to be intellectual all the time? Are we as a collective so insecure about our own intelligence that we need to take the time to critique others for not liking the same things we do? I want to say of course not, but it happens time and time again, especially here at UChicago. And for what? I wish I could say I don’t know, but I’ve acted this way myself. Most of the time I did it was because I was lonely and full of self loathing. I wanted people to agree with me and tell me how smart I was. I can’t speak for the author of the article, but I was so desperate for some unknown entity’s approval that I was willing to shame others for something as trivial as their taste in music or fashion sense. It’s not our insecurities that are toxic, but the way we are convinced we should deal with them.

So what can we do? In all honesty, not much. What’s important is that we love ourselves for who we are. Who cares if you love Weezy, Yeezy, Beethoven, Bach, or even One Direction? Whether Socrates is your favorite philosopher or whether you thought his works are dry and boring? What you like doesn’t determine your worth as an intellectual or even as a person. Going to frat parties doesn't determine that either.

So, let's return to Bar Night. It is an iconic and fundamental part of UChicago culture. (The question of Greek life as a whole at UChicago is far more nuanced, and honestly I don't think it's relevant to discuss it here.) By all means, you don't have to like it — even I came to the conclusion that I don't enjoy it as much as I used to — but you must admit that it's an important part of many of our college experience. That can't be ignored. To brush it aside in an act of self-promotion of arbitrary value is just wrong.

I only have one more point to make, and it's at the expense of me being a hypocrite. To the OP of the Maroon article: Gasolina is an absolute banger and you are wrong. I hope you know that they played it twice while I was there last night, and it was amazing.

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