13.6 The Shirt You Spray On

Thursday, November 13, 2014

This article discusses  a liquid mixture made of cotton fibers that you can spray on yourself instead of putting on a t-shirt. According to author Tamara Cohen, we could soon be spraying ourselves into everything from T-shirts, dresses, and trousers to swimwear and hats. 

Fabrican, which is essentially fabric in an aerosol can, was created by Spanish designer Dr. Manel Torres who spent 10 years working on his invention. It consists of cotton fibers, polymers (plastics which hold them together), and solvents which keep it in liquid form. In a video, a model can be seen spraying a white and blue t-shirt on himself in under 15 minutes. After it dries, the garment can be taken off, washed, and re-worn. The material can be dissolved and used again to make something new or repair old designs. 

Dr. Torres created Fabrican to be able to create clothes instantly and cheaply, "I really wanted to make a futuristic, seamless, quick, and comfortable material". He also emphasized the influence science and technology can have on fashion, "to show science and technology can help fashion designers, I ended up returning to the principles of the earliest textiles such as felt, which were also produced by taking fibers and finding a way of binding them together without having to weave or stitch". 

Fabrican still has a few years to hit shelves as Dr. Torres is working on new ways to create more forgiving shapes. He is also trying to minimize the distinct whiff of solvent about the garments.


This aerosol technology has been around for a while. One of the popular aerosol technologies is a spray-on latex body sprays which functions similar to spray-on t-shirt. It does not contain cotton fibers but a form of rubber inside the can. Because of its healthy materials (no petroleum contained in the spray) to apply to human body, latex technology is adopted to form the spray-on condoms. 



Another popular aerosol technology is a spray-on hair. This invention, which came out in the 80's, has helped a lot of men and women struggle with losing hairs and regaining self-confidence.




Development of aerosol technology inspires not only fashion and cosmetic industries but also medical industry. The basic concept of its skin-screening is perfect for covering wounds and dressing bandages and cast. Transdermal drug delivery, which is a system of administering drugs through patches, can combine with the aerosol technology and enable patient to heal injuries quicker. Also, patients would be able to choose a spray that matches their skin tone to hide the patch. Otherwise, they are able to choose bright fun colors that entertain self and decrease stress level. The numbers of usage of spray-on fabric will increase as its flexible needs and technological developments.


  

4.3 Botox for Men

Sunday, November 9, 2014

Botox is now being used by men and its popularity increases largely. The number of US men who paid to get the injections in their faces nearly tripled from 2001 to 2007. Though it is a time in recession, the numbers aren’t going down.

The most popular is to remove those two vertical lines between their eyebrows because they tend to give impression of the man angry or confused. Also, it is popular to remove the horizontal creases in their forehead.

It is an interesting fact that men tend to be more nervous about the pain comes from the injection than women. Nine-time Olympic gold medalist Mark Spitz say, “Maybe that’s why women have babies and we don’t.” Another interesting fact is that there is a trend of what kind of face men would like to have after the Botox Injection. An ophthalmologist says, “Five years ago, everybody wanted that frozen look. Now they tell me, ‘Make me look refreshed. As few lines as possible, but I still need to have expression.” They do not pursue a perfect beauty after injection but hope to have a lively look as a human being. Their girlfriends and wives are very often satisfied with the change on boyfriends and husbands.


Body dissatisfaction is a common issue in the U.S. It is believed that very few Americans are completely satisfied with their bodies. If it becomes excessive, body dissatisfaction can lead to excessive exercise and dieting, eating disorders, and plastic surgeries. While it's presumed that women are the most dissatisfied with their appearances, often comparing themselves to celebrities, men also do the same. Some popular methods of dealing with body dissatisfaction among men include:



Hair Transplantation

Nose Reshaping

Eyelid Surgery

Breast Reduction

Implants

Liposuction


Abdominal Etching
Armpit Botox




12.2 Fantasy Fashion: Avatar's Look Is Influencing Designers-Whether They're Aware of it or Not

Friday, October 24, 2014

This article, published by Laurie Pike, discusses the influence of the movie Avatar on designers and their collections. 


The article begins by introducing Alexandra Becket, a designer in the Fairfax District. After watching the movie, Becket returned to her studio and began sketching images that were influenced by the film she had just watched, "Trumpet shaped mushroom plants, glowing night foliage, floating jellyfish-these are my latest shapes and forms to reinterpret". Jewelry designer Martin Katz was also influenced by the film's underwater elements, "the visuals in the movie look like the sort of life you see on a coral reef". 

Jean Paul Gaultier, Spring 2010
 "I saw 'Avatar' and, like everyone, found it extraordinary. And from there, I began thinking of nature and ecology"

The film is being recognized by the fashion industry as the latest pop-culture touchstone. As stated by jewelry designer, Tarina Tarantino, "any designer or artist who sees it will be inspired either directly or subliminally". While the influence it has on designs might not be directly translated, it could contribute to the growing trend of dark minimalism that building before the film's release. Overall, the film is seen as having the potential to "train people's eye to appreciate visuals with a  narrative behind it" and ultimately value the workmanship that goes into it. 



In chapter 12, the concept of fantastic socialization is discussed. This refers to dressing in roles that could not be realistically played in the future, such as superheroes. Much like Avatar, we gain a lot of influence from fantasy films and characters because of their "otherworldly" appearance and super powers. Today we have events such as ComicCon that bring fantastic socialization to fruition through cosplay. 

9.2 Asante Hightimers and the Fashionable Display of Women's Wealth in Contemporary Ghana

Saturday, September 27, 2014

The article begins by introducing the reader to a certain category of women in Ghana’s Ashanti Region which are called preman. A preman, which in English translates to playman or playboy, is a very expensive type of woman. She wants to be seen at every social occasion dressed gorgeously in the latest most fashionable styles. The article then explores the relationship between the flamboyantly fashionable behavior of the preman and the long-established Asante cultural practice of potawa, visual and verbal assertions of superior status. 

Hightimers and Asante Competitive Display

Funerals are at the center of the Asante life. Fridays and Saturdays are dedicated to the observance of customary funeral rites. Towns and villages throughout the Ashanti Region are filled with men and women dressed in mourning ensembles made of red, black, and brown textiles. These funerals constitute totalizing events. This refers to events that touch on almost every dimension of social life. These funeral events bring together great numbers of extended family, friends and colleagues and are considered high-visibility occasions or fashion showcases where one will see prestigious textiles sewn into the ensembles worn. It is at these events that you find a high concentration of preman, sometimes they even attend grand funerals of complete strangers to have the largest possible audience. 

Imporance of Dressing Well in Asante

The Asante are always concerned with dressing well as a means of gaining social prestige. In the Asante Region’s capital, Kumasi, there is an ongoing sense of social accountability maintained by regular face to face interaction because the city is “like one big village”. This adds a strong social pressure to dress well and often beyond their means. 

There are terms coined by the Ashanti to refer to women as fashionable non-fashionable women. “O pe laif” is used to compliment women who dresses fashionably while the opposite, “o ye atetekwaa” is regarded as an insult and means the woman doesn’t like to dress well all the time. There is also pepee which refers to a person who doesn’t dress well because of extreme frugality. 


Special Significance of African-print Cloth  
  
Women of the Ashanti Region participate in a unified system of value in respect to ensemble fabric and style. Women’s ensemble fabric are broken into two basic categories ntoma (cloth) and material. Ntoma is an umbrella term for three highly valued textiles; kente, adinkra, a cotton cloth stamped with symbolic designs, and a factory produced fabric known as African-print cloth with symbolic imagery. The term material refers to all other factory made fabrics aside from African-print cloth. 


 
Relationship between Fabric and Ensemble

There is a disctinction of value between the two categories of ensemble fabric, ntoma and material. Ntoma fabrics are used only for women’s prestigious ensembles while materials are relegated to Western-style ensembles comprised of dresses or skirts and tops. “A woman’s selection from among these three categories depends on the occasion and on her stage of life”. 



African-print Cloth as Women’s Wealth

The accumulation and wearing of prestigious African-print cloth is considered emblematic of female maturity and financial well-being. Due to its historical value as a circulated commodity and form of currency, cloth is regarded as a form of wealth. 

Women’s Cloth Wealth and the Asante Display Imperative 

Women’s dress in the Ashanti Region begins receiving scrutiny once she reaches adulthood, marries, and bears children. If a woman fails to wear good-quality African-print cloth ensembles, she is laughed at or ridiculed. Most women are familiar with the current market value of African-print cloth and can differentiate between prestigious cloth and cheaper grades of locally produce cloth. The women expect men to provide gifts of cloth and clothing to help them keep up their appearance, and the women often spend a significant percentage of their income on it as well. According to Asante women, “A good husband must try to help his wife acquire good-quality African-print cloth”. 

Fashion as Status Seeking Display 

Fashionable new styles develop and spread rapidly throughout Kumasi. Currently, there are two categories of kaba ensembles; simple and fanciful. Simple styles are modest and ladylike. The women use better quality cloth for these styles because they will remain in fashion for a long period of time. Fanciful styles are more distinctive and intricate. Less expensive wax-print cloth is used for these relative short lived styles. 

Fanciful styles are symbolic of a woman’s wealth because they are a lot more expensive to sew due to the intricate detailing and expensive decorative materials. Also, it symbolized a woman’s wealth because they are willing to spend more money on an ensemble that will be short-lived. 

Along with ensembles, a woman’s ideal body shape is valued in the Ashanti Region. A plump, rounded woman is considered visible evidence of a woman’s inner state, indicating wealth, a good marriage, and a peaceful state of mind. 


Fashionable Display and the Controversial Preman

Not all women in the Ashanti Region participate in dressing extravagantly. Some view it as being wasteful and a burden, not a status-seeking opportunity. Others view preman as a scandalous type of person with revealing necklines and slit skirts. Wearing revealing clothes leads others to criticize premans because they behave like prostitutes.

Conclusion

As Ghana’s economy worsened, women’s acquisition of African-print cloth became limited. By 2007, a new cheaper version of African-print cloth from China enabled women to continue wearing fashionable African-print cloth. 







Status and Dress

Textbook stated that “the concept of fashion relies on people wanting to dress like other people, or more
precisely to emulate others though dress” (including clothing, shoes, accessories, and hairstyle). We smoothly accept the appearance of respectable fashion pioneers who wear and attach some new pieces ahead of trend. And, we try to find its identical items in order to receive benefits (rising social status) from reflecting their lifestyle to our own. But, once your fashion friend, so to call a fashion competitor, appears with the ‘center of trend’ items, you may feel jealous to his/her ownership or anxious about taken status as a fashion leader. Thorstein Veblen’s classic theory of conspicuous consumption suggests that every person appeal one’s status through visible evidence of their affordability of luxury goods. Fashion, what you wear occasionally, talks your status, the position in a social hierarchy.

In the history of fashion, one’s knowledge knowing appropriate wear gains social reputation as a professional at certain field. So if you want to be successful, you have to dress appropriately, such as wearing suit and tie to business interviews. But, at recent business scene, wearing inappropriately often earns
respect from the public. Recent Harvard University research which published 2013 and discussed about Red
Sneaker Effect states that wearing appropriately is wrong way to get ahead of life. Other study based on this Harvard report finds out that a person who wears T-shirt and jeans and has a beard look more confident and successful than one wears suit and tie. This is because of changing occupational majority and minority ratio. At the beginning of 20th century, only about five percent of US population engaged in tech business while majority was factory worker and farmer. Suit and tie represented his social status that no one else has. But, now office jobs are most common occupation, and people don’t receive any special impression by whom wearing business attire. On the other hand, by increasing numbers of successful entrepreneurship in tech field, self-made millionaire at home-base job who does not need to wear suit and tie represent current confident and successful individual. Here, ironical flip of ‘fashion talks status’ exists.



3.4 Saudi Women With "Sexy Eyes" Will Have to Cover Them Up in Public

Monday, September 22, 2014

In this article, author John Thomas Didymus discusses the possibility that Saudi women with "sexy eyes" might have to cover them up in public soon so that men will not be distracted by their "tempting eyes".


In Saudi Arabia, women are already required by law to wear a long black robe called "abaya" which covers practically every part of a woman's body from their feet to their hair. A small slit-like space is left at the eyes to allow the woman to see when she goes in public. If an "abaya" is not worn in public by Saudi Women, they can be punished with fines and public flogging.

The suggestion that women should cover their eyes came after a member of the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice stared at a woman with "sexy eyes" as he walked innocently down a street. When the woman's husband caught the man staring at his wife, a fight broke out and the man with straying eyes was stabbed in the hand. The Committee is the morals watch dog for Saudi Arabian society and ensures that society keeps to the strict rules of morality.

Although a definition for "sexy eyes" has not been provided by the committee, it is assumed that they are "uncovered eyes with a nice shape and makeup. Or even without makeup, if they are beautiful, the woman will be in trouble." The committee has the support of the Saudi state, including Prince Naif and King Abdullah.


Non-Verbal Communication

Two components about secret of “Sexy Eyes”

1. How being hidden inspires imagination

Have you ever felt people own secrets or dark atmosphere are attractive? If yes, it is because they inspire your intellectual curiosity and imagination. Humans generally find excitement when to look for reasons of matters because the answer allows bringing ease after “OH! Make sense!” (logical understanding).

Saudi women always must wear abaya, a dark fabric covers entire body. But, eye is the only exceptional part of body that is exposed from a small slit between the upper portion of the fabric. It is natural that the “sexy eye” brings men excitement through imagination if there is no other feature to judge the woman’s external beauty.






      VS.




     


Exposed Muscle vs. Hidden Muscle

2. Eye contact brings love
“Eye Contact” is a form of non-verbal communication and often provides social and emotional information to others. A psychological study of eye contact (body language) called “Eye Reading” tells the person’s mental status. It has been known that eye is a reflection of the emotion because eyes make several fixed movements according to the intention.

This eye contact takes important roles at any scene between men and women. Eye contact often becomes the reason to start relationship. But, why are people attracted to eyes so much?

This is because people are biologically attracted to round objects.
Do you know why babies are soft and round? This is because babies need protection. They are not able to live by themselves so must look for protection offered by adults. Since people unconsciously find attractive and take protective behavior towards small and round objects, babies are born small and round.

So as eyes are consisted of many round shapes. Eye lid is oval, eye balls are round, the pupils and irises are perfectly circle. It is natural that people feel emotional movements towards eye and its impressions.


Example:
Communication through Eyes

The power of eye contact as non-verbal communication can be seen in the example. Dressing up the eyes can have different meanings depending on the culture or subculture.

Japanese "Lolita" Subculture: eye makeup emphasizes modesty and youthfulness.


India: vibrant colors demonstrate the impact of Bollywood and the importance of Color in India.

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