Can you appropriate your own culture? As a mixed-race person I feel this ALL. THE. TIME. It’s weird being in a place where I don’t feel like I can express either side of my ethnic heritage without “faking” it. At the same time, I’m not sure I entirely fit into American culture either.
Revanche thinks this guy’s ongoing gig– pretending to be the father of a young lady at the behest of her mother— is kind of horrifying. And I completely agree! Also, if you’re supposed to be stealthily pretending to be another person, why have your face and real name published in a major publication?
Clearly, this explicit pay-money-for-emotional-labor thing is not just a quirk of Japanese culture though. See, e.g. this American lifestyle hacker, who is offering $10k for someone to set him up with a long-term girlfriend.
Racked did a special series on free swag in the beauty and fashion industry. It has really made me rethink how much vlog/blog-based marketing has manipulated my fashion tastes over the years (here’s looking at you Everlane).
This quote from Sheryl Sandberg in her When to Jump interview has given me a lot to chew over: “One of the most important times I see people not jump when they should is about changing either industries or functions. […] There are so many times I’ve seen people not make that jump because they’re afraid they’re– and I’m doing this in air quotes, you can’t see me but— ‘move backward.’ […] If you can financially afford it, and you’re going to work the next, I don’t know, thirty years… who cares about going down?”
I tend toward simple basics for most of my wardrobe but I am crushing hardcore on this phoenix print dress from Relax Baby Be Cool (sold at Bomb Petite).
Me explaining my creative ideas to friends:
Yet Another PF Blog 