Blog Entry #3: Fashioning the Self

     The 1960s in America was a whirlwind of phenomenal events and drastic changes. It is unsurprising then to note that one of the most iconic fashions garments, the miniskirt, was introduced and popularized during this tempestuous period of time.

     The miniskirt is defined as a skirt with a hemline about half way up the knee. In the 1960s, it captured noticeable attention from teen girls in this period of time thanks to one special lady, Mary Quant. A British fashion designer, she owned a boutique named Bazaar in London that provided high quality and affordable garments to adventurous young women who were unafraid to try new styles. When she introduced the mini, named after her favorite car, Mini, in 1964, it was quickly embraced by teens eager to make a statement against parents and established social norms. Thus, the term “Swinging London” was created to describe the spirit of London teens: free, lively, youthful, and bold. What was so evolutionary about the mini was the unprecedented attention it brought to women’ legs. It represented a form of female social and sexual liberation that announced the women’s ownership of their body and diminished the influence of Parisian couture that had dominated the fashion world for centuries before. It facilitated the “youthquake” with its less-is-more mentality that ambitiously asserted the youth rebellion against convention. The following collage presents several pictures of Mary Quant featuring her own designs.

     The miniskirt also ushered in a new style of dressing known as the Lolita look in which young women dressed like prepubescent girls. This phenomenon was made popular by one particular model named Twiggy. Her spreads on fashion magazines featured her as awkwardly long-limb and doe-eyed emphasized by heavy mascara. The look established a whole new standard of beauty that valued youthful freshness over womanly curves. The following picture features Twiggy and her Lolita look.

     While the miniskirt’s initial introduction proved to be successful among the younger crowd, it was not until designers such as André Courrèges, Yves Saint Laurent, and Rudi Gernreich decided to adopt this style into their runway showcases that it garnered the attention of the fashion industry and the public. Together, these renowned fashion experts helped transform a simple street fashion into a major international trend. The following collage shows designer André Courrèges and his “Space Age” collection launched in 1964 that contributed to the miniskirt’s gradual integration into mainstream fashion.

     Unfortunately, the mini suffered a short decline in the late 1960s in the U.S. when the disillusionment about the Vietnam War took away people’s hope and optimism toward the future. This political despondency led to the return of long skirts that lowered the hemline back down to the ankle. The criticism toward the Lolita look that garnered impersonal names such as “dolly birds” and turned women into lifeless dolls also led to the rejection of the mini in late seventeenth century.

     Fortunately, it was revived in the late 1970s because of punk music and swiftly adopted by women in their twenties and thirties in the next two decades thanks to the introduction of business suits. This returned emphasis on feminine figure allowed the mini to be adopted into the big-shouldered, professional business suit that projected a woman’s confidence and authority. Its smart and sexy image proved to be so effective that it became a power statement for sophisticated career women who were unafraid to embrace their single status.

     Today, the miniskirt is a definite part of mainstream fashion worn by girls and women alike. As shown in the pictures above, many aspects of pop culture feature the mini. It has successfully become a symbol of confidence, youth, elegance, and independence. 

Blog Post #2: Philosophy & Creativity

      After watching Astra Taylor’s Examined Life, I found Butler and Taylor’s conversation to be refreshingly stimulating as it draws attention to nature’s most wondrous creation: the human body. Throughout the history of humanity, people have strived to comprehend the extensive capabilities of the human body. Physiologist dedicate their whole careers exploring the human anatomy, discovering the various functions of each body part that make living possible. Oftentimes, people take for granted the diverse range of activities our bodies enable us to engage in. But for the handicapped, their losses make them appreciate what their bodies allow then to do, as they experience first-handedly what it’s like to live without a fully functioning body. During Butler and Taylor’s discourse, an insightful point is brought up: in today’s society, disabled people not only have to deal with their physical defects, they also face social repression and cultural aversion that prevent them from living a normal life. While we do have sympathy for their handicapped conditions, we lack the empathy to treat them as a part of our society. As an unfortunate result, these people often end up ostracized by the mainstream culture and disintegrated from our society.

     Initially, I held the same kind of attitude toward disabled people. I sympathize with them but do not make an active effort to understand what it is that they go through without an abled body. Thus, I have decided to conduct a 24 hour experiment in which I, who is right-handed, pretend to be left-handed to experience what life is like when one loses something he or she takes for granted. I wanted to explore Butler and Taylor’s idea that we often fail to fully grasp the importance of something, in this case our human body, until we have lost them. Through this experiment, I hoped to evaluate my perceptions of my body and find out to what extent does a disability impact one’s life. The following photographs document some of the everyday activities that I did using my left hand.

     This is a photo of me writing with my left hand. Needless to say, it was a long and arduous process. Unaccustomed to holding a pencil, my left hand has not developed the skill of writing English alphabets. The words I have so slowly and carefully written are barely legible. This particular experience made me appreciate my body’s ability to let me communicate my thoughts and emotions efficiently through words. As a student, writing is very much an essential part of my everyday life. This activity influences the way I view my body as it brings attention to just how crucial a role it plays in allowing me to perform everyday tasks smoothly and effectively.

     This is a photo of me using chopsticks with my left hand to eat lunch. For every time I have successfully managed to transfer food into mouth, I have dropped them for approximately five times. It was definitely frustrating to look at the food in front you and have trouble putting them into your mouth.

     This is me holding a cup with my left hand to drink tea. This particular exercise proved to be the easiest of them all as not much body movements are required for this task.

     This is me combing my hair with my left hand. While it wasn’t challenging to perform, the action felt awkward and unnatural.

     This is me brushing my teeth with my left hand. It was an interesting experience as I had trouble controlling the pressure I applied to my toothbrush. During the process, I was either brushing too hard or too soft. It had taken my so much strength to maintain consistency that by the time I was done my left arm felt stiff and sore.

     By doing this experiment, I discovered my ignorance of the significant role my body plays in my everyday life. Sure, I was aware of what my body is capable of doing but with little things like opening a door or brushing my teeth, I have unconsciously formed a kind of expectation of what my body is supposed to do for me. This conclusion reveals to me that Butler and Taylor were right in their assertion that people often take for granted what their bodies enable them to do. The experiment was undoubtedly a memorable and humbling experience that made me truly grateful for what I have and taught me the ability to empathize with those who are not as fortunate as I am. 

Blog Entry #1: What is Creativity?

Creativity. Such an abstract yet powerful idea that seems impossible to define yet popularly explored and sought after. Before playing Pictionary, I held some assumptions about the idea of creativity. To me, it is a style, an attitude developed by people. Everyone has the ability to be creative; it is not a characteristic limited to an exclusive group of people. While certain activities are conventionally associated with creativity (such as art, music, and film), I believe that all activities that we engage in our everyday lives have the capacity to be creative. Creativity is not determined by what you do, but by how you do them. After playing Pictionary, the experience reinforced my assumptions regarding the nature of creativity. Pictionary is a game for everyone. Age, gender, race, and other superficial factors play no role in determining a person’s success in this game, just as they have no influence in deciding whether a person is creative or not. Thus, playing Pictionary reaffirmed my view toward the universality of creativity: the idea that creativity is an element that can be embodied by anyone and everyone. My experience with the game also confirms my support for the following statement: “creativity is wild, undisciplined, free expression.” By exploring creativity on the rudimentary level of art, one can easily observe the eclectic forms of expression my classmates and I have presented through our pictures on the whiteboard. In our haste to communicate words through creations of art, we drew upon accumulated knowledge and pure imagination to get our thoughts across. The process is unrestricted, whimsical, and totally spontaneous. The game literally provides a blank slate for us to imagine, to experiment, and to create.

Upon seeing the title of the video: “Gaming Can Make a Better World,” I was immediately filled with skepticism toward such a bold assertion. To me, gaming is simply a form of entertainment, a pastime for those who seek a break from the stressful reality. Sure, games help us take our minds off our worries in life but to solve world hunger? I have my doubts. Game designer, Jane McGonigal shares with us her theory on the importance of gaming. She brings up four key points that demonstrate the surprising benefits of engaging in such an activity: urgent optimism, social fabric, blissful productivity, and epic meaning. Through playing Pictionary, I found these radical viewpoints to be refreshingly insightful. Urgent optimism: we are positive toward the outcome of the game because we know that when we fail, we can always try again. To win or lose is insignificant because in the end, we had fun and acquired valuable experience from our active participation. Social fabric: we got to meet new people and have gotten close to them through our collaboration in the game. Blissful productivity: we were productive because we liked what we were doing. Epic meaning: it brought meaning to creativity as we compare our prior assumptions with what we have learned from the game. The experience gave us a new perspective that reshaped the way we think about creativity, adding new meanings to our preconceptions. As a society, I believe that those who have no prior experience with gaming should engage in the activity to first-handedly experience the thrill, the surprising satisfaction it brings. It will then become easier for them to relate to McGonigal’s idea regarding the significance of gaming. But most importantly, we have to learn to use the skills we have mastered in games and apply them to the real world. Games and gaming are inconsequential if we continue to immerse ourselves in the virtual world as they will bring us further apart from reality. Instead, we must deal with the problems we face in the real world with the same optimism and productivity that have made us so successful in the virtual gaming world.

To achieve creativity can be likened to achieving an epic win. It seems almost impossible to comprehend and utilize such a broad and indefinable concept yet when you do, you discover that it is shockingly simple.