Journal 9: Another Sector of Artists by Tien Dang

I never realized how tattooing is just another art form. Growing up, I remember my mom would always make comments about how hideous people with many body art looked. This goes along the same line as piercing. I mean, I must admit, some tattoos are pretty tacky. I personally could never imagine myself getting a random tattoo on a whim. If I were to get a tattoo it would have to have a lot of

Commodification: Marketing in America

Well we’re coming soon to a close and this is the second to last blog post of the class and well its been a pretty good quarter, and I have learned a lot about fashion and its connections to the Social Sciences. Fashion is an outlet where people display their perceived worth and from that we can infer their actual status in life. Compact Challenge Update: So far so good, after the one and only

Japanese tatoos and Americans

I found it really interesting that the art of tattooing has its roots in wood carving (Mullowney). I think full body tattoos are growing in popularity. Especially since Miami Ink began airing and Americans got exposed to another side of tattooing, one where the tattoo has a purpose and is influenced by Asian arts.For instance, this tattoo of a Koi has lots of elements from Japanese wood carving

Transationalities through Commodity Culture Stephen Dimal Blog #9

The concept of transnational space in Claire Dwyer's article is a very interesting discussion which has ties to the present happenings going on UC campuses across the state. With everything that is going on right now with the "Compton Cookout" at UCSD and the hate crimes at the Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender resource center here on our UCD campus, one now has to wonder about the idea of race

How Many People Does It Take... ?

Yuniya Kawamura begins to explain in Fashion-ology the great number of individual persons involved in the fashion industry. Designers, marketers, testers, researchers, managers, those on the assembly line, retail managers, sales people - the thought of how many people's work goes into each and every design that enters the mall is enough to overwhelm me completely.According to Kawamura, fashion is

Long Live McQueen

Kawamura's chapter "Fashion as an Institutionalized System" discusses the hierarchical structure that forms in the institutionalized system of fashion. This hierarchy is created by adding "social, economic, cultural and symbolic capital" to clothes, creating elite and luxury clothes.So what gives a fashion designer an "enduring reputation"? According to Kawamura, the designer can't have just

Japanese Body Art

Tattoos in Japan have undergone a rich and enduring history. Mullowney asserts that Japanese tattoos have had a history in woodblock cut outs. Japanese tattooing relies heavily on ancient art. There is a certain style and form necessary in creating a certain aesthetic. This article also talks about emerging tattoo artists that are involved in primarily Japanese art and styles. Of American decent,

Commodity Culture

“Transnationliam has thus become a ubiquitous term of reference for the multiple ties and interactions linking people or institutions across the borders of nation-states” (439). As our society becomes more transnational, there is an undeniable link between cultures and peoples. Research of identifying transnational migrant and diasporic communities is no longer adequate in defining

Blog for week 9... Paul Mullowney article

I don't know much about Ed Hardy. From what I hear and see in stores, Ed Hardy, to me seemed like an ordinary white dude who knew how to draw and creatively adapted his art to "what was cool" in a contemporary sense to be "popular". I don't wear Ed Hardy, not because the brand isn't appealing to me, but because it seems like it's wayyyyyy too played out. I guess a similar example would be Echo or

Changes in Tattoos