Yesterday, I met with Linh and took her to the mall to buy a costume for Halloween. She was so excited. She told me during our last meeting that she was going to be the Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland, but she didn't want to buy a pre-made costume because it's so expensive. I usually make my costumes myself or buy them in pieces, so I offered to help her.
We went to Ridgmar Mall because that's where I work both of my jobs. Linh asked me to take her to Hot Topic because sometimes the store scares her and she didn't want to go in alone. I thought this was funny. A lot of people have the misconception that Hot Topic is a scary store. The walls are painted black, but there's more light in a Hot Topic than in a Hollister. The movie is sometimes loud, sometimes screaming, but there's also much calmer music on the playlist. The employees are tattooed, pierced, and/or wearing strange clothes, but they are all nice people who care about helping customers. Honestly, Hot Topic employees are the same people that one might see working at any other store or restaraunt. One might not notice this because in those situations, the employees are encouraged to cover up their tattooes, remove their piercings, and wear a uniform or conform to a more rigid dress code. Anyways, Linh was surprised when she came into Hot Topic with me and the music was soft. She saw several things that she liked and enjoyed being in the store. We picked out some blue eyeshadow and red lip liner for her costume.
Then we tried all the girly stores: Wet Seal, Charlotte Russe, and Forever 21. We were looking for a black corset, preferably with some embellishment or something to make it look more royal. We were also on the lookout for a black skirt that wasn't too short. Linh wanted to ensure that her costume was not "slutty" like a lot of other women's costumes that are avaliable in stores. This is another reason why she and I are making her costume. We found everything that she needed pretty easily- and Linh only spent $18. After Linh bought all her pieces, we sketched her costume together. I gave her a short list of the things that she still needed to complete her costume and instructions on how to do it.
It was interesting to see how people treated Linh and how she interacted with salespeople in the stores. She isn't always aware of the customs, so sometimes she looks a little lost or asks unusual questions. People noticed her slightly unusual behavior and seemed off-put by it or they thought she was funny. I wanted to explain to everyone that she's a sweet girl and she's only been living in the United States for three years. It seemed as if people didn't know what to say to Linh, so they would say nothing. When I go into a store, I usually have minimal interaction with the salespeople as well. However, that's because I choose not to talk to salespeople unless I truly need something. I am a sales associate at two stores so I know what it's like on both sides. I mostly don't want to bother anyone. I don't mind when customers talk to me, and I make an effort to respond to them- no matter how unusual their conversation may be. The cashier at Charlotte Russe didn't even attempt interaction. She rang Linh up and if Linh asked a question, the cashier would give a quick, monotone response. She was somewhat rude to us. I couldn't tell if she was being rude because Linh asked questions and phrased things in weird manners, or if she was just tired and didn't want to be at work. The associates at other stores made an effort to talk to us and answered Linh's questions honestly and casually. The cashier at Forever 21 made conversation with us about Halloween costumes. I think people are unsure of how to react to people they're unfamiliar with, so they become stand-offish or laugh.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
A Few Words on Feminism
Dear classmates in Literature and Civilizations II,
This post is not about our reading, but I think it's important. This post is inspired by a question posed by Professor Williams in class today. He asked for a show of hands from those who consider themselves feminists. I was almost afraid to look around the room, so I only saw about half. As far as I saw, I was the only one to raise a hand. And I did so without doubt, or qualifying statements or questions, or hesitation. There is a problem with this.
I want to start with the dictionary definition of feminism: "support of social, political, and economic rights for women equal to those of men". This definition was taken from the dictionary.com application on my phone, so it is not perfect nor is it the sole definition. However, it is a good one. Please, for at least a few minutes, focus on the definition and throw out all negative connotations that you may have ever attached to feminism.
Feminism is not about: bra-burning, not shaving, not wearing makeup, refusing to be a mother, thinking women are superior to men, insulting or demeaning men, being a lesbian, or any other silly thing that someone told you feminism was. It's true that some of these characteristics pertain to some feminists. Every movement will have its radicals. Radicals can be found in politics and religion, and certainly in feminism. However, radicals are not the sole definition of a movement or group. As with any movement, there have been different waves of feminism and the goals of each wave differ. Still, the core goal of each wave and feminism as a whole is to obtain equality.
Feminism is for any person who has ever thought that women deserved to be treated equally to men by the law and society. It is for any woman who has ever wanted to be paid as much as a man for the same job. It is for people who believe in what is right and just. It is for women who want to be more than just bodies, but be real people. It is about embracing femininity and masculinity in every person- regardless of their sex. It is about being whatever type of woman one would like to be. It is about freedom. It is about allowing women to have equal opportunities. Feminism allows an entire world of possibilities to be open to women and men.
Being a feminist is not shameful. It should be natural to any woman who just wants the chance to succeed in life. I encourage people to take a Women's Studies class or read a feminist book. If you don't want to read a dense text on feminism, try something from Jessica Valenti. She's young and easy to understand. Her writing style is casual, but informative. Even if you don't want to read or study anything about feminism, please give the idea a chance and don't condemn feminists.
Sincerely,
Your forever-a-feminist classmate,
Libby
This post is not about our reading, but I think it's important. This post is inspired by a question posed by Professor Williams in class today. He asked for a show of hands from those who consider themselves feminists. I was almost afraid to look around the room, so I only saw about half. As far as I saw, I was the only one to raise a hand. And I did so without doubt, or qualifying statements or questions, or hesitation. There is a problem with this.
I want to start with the dictionary definition of feminism: "support of social, political, and economic rights for women equal to those of men". This definition was taken from the dictionary.com application on my phone, so it is not perfect nor is it the sole definition. However, it is a good one. Please, for at least a few minutes, focus on the definition and throw out all negative connotations that you may have ever attached to feminism.
Feminism is not about: bra-burning, not shaving, not wearing makeup, refusing to be a mother, thinking women are superior to men, insulting or demeaning men, being a lesbian, or any other silly thing that someone told you feminism was. It's true that some of these characteristics pertain to some feminists. Every movement will have its radicals. Radicals can be found in politics and religion, and certainly in feminism. However, radicals are not the sole definition of a movement or group. As with any movement, there have been different waves of feminism and the goals of each wave differ. Still, the core goal of each wave and feminism as a whole is to obtain equality.
Feminism is for any person who has ever thought that women deserved to be treated equally to men by the law and society. It is for any woman who has ever wanted to be paid as much as a man for the same job. It is for people who believe in what is right and just. It is for women who want to be more than just bodies, but be real people. It is about embracing femininity and masculinity in every person- regardless of their sex. It is about being whatever type of woman one would like to be. It is about freedom. It is about allowing women to have equal opportunities. Feminism allows an entire world of possibilities to be open to women and men.
Being a feminist is not shameful. It should be natural to any woman who just wants the chance to succeed in life. I encourage people to take a Women's Studies class or read a feminist book. If you don't want to read a dense text on feminism, try something from Jessica Valenti. She's young and easy to understand. Her writing style is casual, but informative. Even if you don't want to read or study anything about feminism, please give the idea a chance and don't condemn feminists.
Sincerely,
Your forever-a-feminist classmate,
Libby
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)