The culture vultures

Unraveling the myth of Hats and Hat wearing

Thu, 16 Nov 2006 16:05:02 GMT

An Introduction...

A great many functions can be said of the hat. Protection from the elements, falling objects or injuries are manifest functions of the accessory worn throughout man’s history. Yet throughout humanity, hats have other latent functions. The hat is a construct of man for the obvious functions listed above and is given symbolism in his wearing of it. As part of a uniform, the hat can hint at equality and group identity yet paradoxically performs the task of giving power and status to some. It is also an expression of hierarchy, a show of professionalism, a reflection of social distinctions another fashion trend, or to mark certain occasions such as weddings or funerals, the latter of which has become the more common function performed now.

In the early part of the 20th century, the hat was indispensable, performing most of its functions but waned in the later part of the century as technology not only eliminated traditional ways of life but also diminished the wearing of the hat itself. Every member of society was with a hat both inside and outside the house; it was a dress code everyone abided by. People also altered the kinds of the hat they wore, females made them fashionable and were fascinated by it while men made it their trademark, serving their dignity and pride. Occupations and uniformed groups made it a vital part of their dress code, and the hat was even subverted into forms characteristic of its time. As automobiles came along, the hat was designed specially to allow people to climb into cars to drive but it was later blamed for the demise of hat wearing as cars instead, replaced the hat in many of the functions embodied.

Hats are functional in society as explained earlier, but they are also culturally significant. Phrases containing the word ‘hat’ are a dime in a dozen, and whether the phrases ridicule the hat or admire it, the continuation of the usage of such phrases reveal the hat’s importance even today, despite it having been opted out of most people’s attire. People make decisions “at the drop of the hat” and pull tricks “out of a hat”, give respect by “taking off one’s hat” and dismisses out datedness as “old hat”. Of historical importance would be the term “as mad as a hatter” and the inspiration for the character of the Mad Hatter in Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland. In the nineteenth century, a toxic mercury mixture was used to treat felt - the material most hats were made of, had harmful effects on workers in the industry who suffered “hatter’s shakes” among other symptoms. As can be seen, the clothing item worn on the head has manifested itself in literature, in everyday language, and still retains some of its traditional functions in the modern day world. People may not adorn the accessory as it was required of everyone in the past but its presence in today’s society in other forms tells of its cultural significance.

Hats and Gender

The early 19th century saw hats along gender lines, but as society became more equal, unisex hats became common. The varying appearances of the hat came about from the different gender roles, and have further reinforced gender identities.

The plain colours and defined shape of men’s hats reflected the masculine characteristics such as strength and authority. It is also reflective of the male physique- solid and firm, which highlights their roles as decision makers of the family and society at large –a proper and no-nonsense attitude.

Men’s hats were also easily removed in order to ‘tip their hats’ as a sign of goodwill. Hat tipping was a frequent practice at that time as a form of respect, which only men performed as a reflection of society’s expectations on them, that is, to behave as gentlemen and at the same time, authoritative figures.

Likewise, women’s hats reflected socially approved female characteristics such as beauty, emotions and the curvy female physique. The adornment of accessories such as ribbons, flowers and feathers on the hat reinforce the notion that women are more expressive than men and more concerned about their outward appearance. It also indicated the roles women played in that era – domesticated, decorative, to be generally admired but not of much use, the quintessential ‘trophy wife’.

In more recent times, hats are no longer bound by gender lines. With the feminist movement worldwide, women were seen wearing men’s hats because they want to possess the power that comes along with the hats. In a music video by Shania Twain ‘Man I feel Like A Woman’, the wearing of the Top Hat (with the suit) shows us this. We first see Twain in a power suit but as the song progresses, she slowly sheds various items of clothing, revealing a short tube dress but the Top Hat remains for the longest time. She only removes it towards the end revealing her long hair. Up to this point, she evokes a sense of control and power (despite being in a sexy dress), and it is only after she removes the hat that the power diminishes.

Hats and their significance in society

Because of the way they stand out in a crowd, hats can create an impression about the wearer’s social status, affiliation, and personality.

“Until the 1960s, the article of clothing that performed the most important role in indicating social distinctions among men was the hat.”

In England at the beginning of the nineteenth century, men of higher status usually wore a Top Hat to distinguish themselves from the other classes. Perhaps it was a myth to make the wearer appear aesthetically taller and socially dominant. This physical and visual disparity between people on the streets reinforced the social inequality present and that it would remain.

Hats worn by the lower classes were practical in nature. The sun hat for example, was made out of straw with a wide brim to shield the wearer from the sun during gardening or yard work. While hats worn by the upper classes were less functional because they did not have to do menial work that demanded the practicality of the hat. Later on, a bridge between class distinctions came along in the form of the iconic Bowler hat of England where status boundaries became blurred, significant of changing political times where democracy was strongly endorsed and the Bowler became a mass-produced item making it a “democratic” hat available to everyone.

In this comic, the feather on the soldier’s helmet de-authoritizes him because of the associations feathers have with feminity and frivolity, which is hardly what an authoritative figure should possess. This is because people attach meanings to objects, and hats signify an individual’s status and his affiliations.

The head is an important body part because it houses our cognitive abilities. By placing something above that most important part, not only protects that part, but it also enhances the importance of the object, which is why power and authority are conveyed through hats – objects placed on the head. Respected professions like chefs and policemen are recognized by their distinctive headwear, and similarly given their professional authority because of their hats’ given meanings.

Hats and Uniformed Identities

Hats can be worn as a kind of distinctive headwear that proclaims national identity, clan affiliation, political beliefs or common cultural interests. Uniformed workers use hats to create a common, homogenous identity and protection.

Military groups use berets to characterize the different units within the army structure as symbols of identity and vocations. Emblems function as signifiers on the different berets and signify the difference between the ranks and figures of authority. The standardization gives soldiers a sense of belonging so much so that they function as a single entity. As the saying goes, “One for all, all for one”, the soldiers go through the same strict regiments and suffer weal and woe together as a collective body, treating one another as equals. The crests marks authority and structure, empowering leaders to direct and establish an impenetrable defence force for the country. The standardization of the berets and uniforms reinforce the myth of unity, which is constructed through similar treatment of the soldiers.

With the wearing of certain hats, like the nurse hat featured below, comes the obligation to conform to certain expectations as it places occupational stereotypes on the wearer. A classic exemplification of this would be the nurse, whom society deems as the caring, kind, conservative, gentle, patient nightingale. These are typical characteristics that society expects of a nurse, which may not hold true. As seen from the figures below, the nurse in figure 2 is portrayed in a completely different light from that of figure 1. The former bears the typical traits of a nurse while the latter reflects a possible personality of a real nurse who is sexy and wild, deviating from the social norm. The qualities expected of a nurse are constructed through the demands of the job scope and adopted by the public, forming stereotypes of the profession.

Cultural Transformation and Hats

Like most cultural objects, certain hats have undergone cultural transformations. They have been taken from a certain place in time, and brought to another, and used in a way that was not what it was meant to be, as discussed in Michel de Certeau’s article ‘The Practice of Everyday Life’.

The manifest function of the beanie is to keep one warm during winter by preventing heat loss from the head. But it became associated with the hip hop breakdance culture that used it as part of head protection when performing certain moves like the head spin. With the spread of hip hop culture worldwide, we occasionally see people in hot and humid Singapore with a beanie on. It has obviously taken on a new function in bestowing an identity on us.

Most hats that were created back in the 19th century and denoted a person’s social status. Over time, different hats have come and gone, while others remained like the common baseball cap. Hats also started to transcend class boundaries, but all of these were only determined by the reproduction processes that were available. Notice that the Top Hat did not go mainstream and has yet to make a return to fashion compared to other hats like the Flat Cap and the Bowler that people can still be seen wearing even today. This was probably because Top Hats needed to be handmade by a skilled hatter while the Bowler and Flat Cap could be easily mass-produced by the technology available.

Conclusion

From our analysis of hats, it is plain to see that hats play a significant role in conjunction with clothing, in the construction of myth in our everyday lives. It provides a platform for people to display and express certain characteristics of themselves, the identity that one bears in relation to himself or herself, in correspondence to the groups that the society has constructed which shapes the individual’s concept of self and in making sense of the world around. We also confirm our subjectivity through hats. We produce and create it and give meanings to it through wearing and by placing motifs and accessories on it, but yet it also gives meaning to us. So the subject-object relationship is cyclical.

Hats bring about the opportunity for myths to be lived out in the various areas covered-gender; status and hegemony; promote group cohesion and occupational stereotypes; and contribute to the shaping of identities. As we break down the signified meanings that hats embody, we assert that the ideas they signify are vital portions in the construction of one’s identity and therefore play a key role in alerting authorities of the attitudes and characteristics of their population, with the messages they manifest through what they wear, especially with regards to teenagers and youth who often portray who they are inside by what they wear and carry on their bodies.

Although hats are not widely worn in modern society, and only on commemorative events such as the Royal Ascot horserace held in Britain, it has retained its social symbolism such that fashion designers continue producing fashionable hats for the upper-class women attending social functions. The hat today still harbours its class and gender distinctions as men are seldom seen donning hats while the rich and famous women wear the latest hand-made designs in haute couture.

Sun, 12 Nov 2006 14:25:50 GMT

hey guys,

do check out this link it has pretty good stuff.
sadly, it's not the part that i'm doing on.

http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/117987.html

Anyway, has anyone come across any hybrid hats? I haven't really, and could ya give examples of hats that have been adopted by subcultures or become a fashion item - the communist hat is one such hat.. I can't quite think of any at the moment

tash

we'd better get started..

Sat, 11 Nov 2006 09:20:04 GMT

Evan's entry

I'm expounding on what Evan's already wrote in her entry. We're really running short of time already and i'm sure we all would like to get this essay over with and start studying for the final exams too, so, let's get started!

Basically, each one of us will have to take one segment and do a draft on it, 350 words thereabouts, it's fine if we write lesser or more, since total number can be anywhere from 1500-2000. (done in MSWord, the usual rules apply, font size 12, times new roman that stuff, makes it easier when we put everyone's segments together)

Since there's six of us, i've split the sections into six equal parts and just comment on this entry which one you'd want?

1. Introduction:
-explains reason(s) for choosing Hats as our topic (talk about its cultural values, its significance and the hat's manifest and latent functions; NOT about why we are choosing hats for this project, don't think we need to explain our choice of hats over other cultural objects)
-history and origins of the wearing of the Hat
-links historical and social construction of hats to its cultural significance in modern-day society

2. Symbolic Meanings of Hat-wearing
(a) on Gender
(b) on Status/Hegemony/Politics/Ideologies (show how hats show a difference in class status, is it constructed by the dominating class?)
(c) on hats and how it brings society together (in uniformed groups, occupations, reinforcing group identities)
(d) Hibridity of hats/ Fashion statements made by hats/ Subculture hats? (more modern day context here than traditional, i think)

3. Conclusion
how is the hat naturalised/socially constructed (based on its meanings above), what signs/signifiers/signified/myths does it have?
why has the hat so prevalent in yesteday's society become lesser-worn today? what does it say about its cultural significance now?
(basically rounding up everything in the essay)

anyway, the lecture notes also talked about how technology influenced the development of culture in society so we should fit that in, but i don't know how..

alright, may we distinguish ourselves from the others by putting our "thinking caps" on to write a great essay! and if i've made any errors in my classification above, please correct me too. (:

oh yeah, do we need to include a biblio at the end? but anyway, if any part's from a book or website, it's still better to acknowledge the source?

-jiaxin

HATS

Fri, 10 Nov 2006 16:54:27 GMT

Resources

1) Book Title: HATS: Status, Style and Glamour
Author: Colin McDowell

2) Book Title: The Century of HATS
Author: Susie Hopkins

Power and Honour

Hats are the most unnatural of all items of clothing; they are the least necessary but the most powerful. They are the tools of transformation and authority. This is why power and ceremony are normally hated.

Covering the head for protection was a consideration for only the lowest labourers. For everyone else, the hat was a mark of status. That was the true reason why men and women of all classes covered their heads. It showed their estate and allowed them to give and receive what was known as hat honour.

If political hats are about power and allegiance, this is even more true of military headwear. The wearing of military uniform is intended to foster the group loyalty that is an important part of a disciplined fighting force.

The cocked hat was the standard masculine headwear in the eighteenth century and was worn by officers in most countries as part of their uniform. The cocked hat died out as military headdress because, for all its style, it wads not practical in battle. It was replaced by the Hungrarian shako which was first adopted by the Prussian army in the early eighteenth century and then copied by most European armies and some American regiments.

Standardization of the male dress, in civilian as well as military life, wads making originality and eccentricity the sole province of women. As the nineteeth century progressed, men’s hats dwindled to a handful of styles, while women’s blossomed into a bewildering variety.

Helmet of the Household Cavalry, a piece of military headgear whose use is now purely ceremonial.

Tibetan monk in ceremonial headdress

Religious Hats

What distinguishes religious hats from headgear designed merely for protection or in response to fashion? They are sober, largely unornamented, and often have an upwards emphasis that can be seen as symbolizing the soaring of the soul towards heaven.

Pope Paul VI addressing the Synod, October 1969

Hoods

The hood is a classical shape that has hardly changed over the centuries. It is designed either to frame the face or to shroud it.

Lady Magaret Beaufort (Countless of Richmond), late 15th century

The Bowler

Although essentially a comic shape, the bowler has long been the chief symbol of male power dressing. It was the hat of both city gent and the man of affairs until well into the 20th century. But it can also represent the pathos of dented dignity, as Chaplin’s battered bowler invariably does, no matter how jauntily he may cock it.

Stage and Screen

Stage and vaudeville entertainers have always worked within a limited number of hat styles. The boater, the bowler and the topper have been their stock-in-trade for two hundred years. Symbolic women’s hats have appeared less often, though in music hall and pantomime comic working-class women frequently played by men, have often been shown wearing a black poke bonnet, or a cheap straw hat with a bedraggled feather. Symbolism in women’s hats came fully into its own only with the cinema goddesses of the 1920s and 1930s.

Hats That Swing

Ask any jazz musician why he wears a hat and he will tell you that it gives him that sense of style essential if he is to ‘swing’. Many of the ‘greats’, from Fats Waller to Boy George have worn trademark hats to set the mood for the performance to come. It is not just at the pop concert or on the stage that hats so instantly set a mood. In everyday life, we can judge people’s attitudes and opinions the moment we see their hat. The old slogan ‘If you want to get ahead, get a hat’ was undoubtedly true, but a rider could also have been added: ‘If you want to hide your attitudes, go barehead.’

Rikki Lee Jones

Movie Glamour

The cinema’s cliché glamour hat is the wide-brimmed Edwardian affair popularized by Cecil Beaton in My Fair Lady.

Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady, 1964

Bridal Hats

Bridal headwear has always symbolized the bride’s purity and majesty. In Roman times, brides wore yellow veils; in the Middle Ages they garlanded in their hair with freshly gathered flowers, but it was not until the 19th century that the bridal wreath and veil of the ‘traditional’ white wedding evolved. Bridal hats are a 20th century development and vary from a band of flowers to high-fashion. Perhaps most elaborate is the headdress of the Japanese bride, which is often so heavy that she cannot walk unaided. Called a ‘tsumo-kakusho’, it is designed to hide the horns of jealousy on the wedding day.

Japanese bride in traditional headwear

Feather hat

Feathers have adorned prestigious headwear from the ceremonial helmets of the Greeks and Romans to the headdress of American Indians to the hats of the great couturiers.

Hat by Nicolas Oakwell, Spring/Summer 1991

The Bonnet

The bonnet is probably the oldest hat style in history. Leather bonnets were worn by noblemen at the time of William Conqueror in eleventh-century England, and remained the headgear of the nobility during the Middle Ages when they were made from embroidered velvet and brocades.

A frilly lace boudoir bonnet worn by American actress Billie Burke in the operetta The Duchess of Dantzic

Hats go into Advertising

The all-powerful media loves hats. Designers are well aware of this when they use quite extraordinary, impractical creations in fashion shows. There may be few repeat orders for extravagant sculptures adorning the heads of supermodels, but it is always a good opportunity to get a photo in the fashion magazines or on the newspaper page. Hats have media power, a fact discovered and exploited by the advertising industry. The British company Tilda Rice were among the first to consider hats for their advertising campaign.

Posted By: Yi Jie

Fri, 10 Nov 2006 04:57:07 GMT

This is an article about "The Six Thinking Hats and Creative Problem Solving using a Comparsion", hope it might be interesting to you. It tells us how the six different coloured hats are being interpreted.

I found out through research that in the past, to differentiate between good guys from the bad guys, all you had to do was to look at their hats. White signifies good, and black signifies bad. If they wore a white hat, they represented truth, justice and the American way. If they wore a black hat, they represented the dregs of society, the kind of person you would never want to become.

Identity, Belonging and Cultural Identity

Some hats are wore as a kind of distinctive headwear that proclaims national identity, clan affiliation, political beliefts or common cultural interests. Sometimes, these hats are adopted by others because of its practicality or attractiveness, or the appeal of its cultural associations.

For example in a school baseball team. All the players in the team wear headgear (hats), that indicates their collective identity. So the emphasis is on the group and not the individual alone.

This is one article I found on the meaning and history of wearing hats in Canada.

Do you wear a hat? Maybe to keep you warm in winter? Or for your job? To look good? For playing hockey or riding a bicycle? Or because all your friends wear baseball caps? This is an exhibitabout why people in Canada, past and present, have worn hats — people of different ethnic groups, religions and walks of life.
Hats express things about their wearers. They stand out and frame the face — the most expressive part of the body. Some hats are practical, like the hard hat; some are symbolic, like the police officer's hat; and some hats are both, like the baseball cap.
You will find many different kinds of headgear in this exhibit, and just as many different meanings for them. Some head coverings will appear again and again, such as the veil, the cowboy hat, the feathered head-dress and the cocked hat. So, put on your thinking caps and explore!

Authority and Status

Hats can convey power. Some, such as the army helmet, proclaim military might. Others identify professional authority, as in the graduate nurse's cap. Hats such as the tall black top hat represent prestige and social standing.

Hope this helps,
Siow Yuan

Fri, 10 Nov 2006 04:38:41 GMT

Hey guys, we were talking about idioms/quotes with the word hatsin it and so I found a few.

I take my hat off to you - something that you say which means that you admire and respect someone for something they have done.
Talk through one's hat - to talk nonesense/to bluff
Under one's hat - as a secret or in confidence
Throw/toss one's hat into the ring - to enter a politcal race as a candidate for office
At the drop of a hat - at the slighest pretext or provocation
Hat in hand - Humbly; in a humble maner
Hold on to your hat - An expression warning someone of a big surprise.

That's about it. =)

And some history about women's hats.

"Although women from an early stage were always expected to have their heads covered by veils, kerchiefs, hoods, caps and wimples, it was not until the end of the 16th century that women's structured hats, based on those of male courtiers began to be seen. It was in the late seventeenth century that women's headgear began to emerge in its own right and not be influenced by men's hat fashions."

I was wondering whether that could a form of simulation. Like how women's hats were evolved from men's hats and its became its very own style, like a form of hyperreal? =x

And I read an article about how the first man who wore the top hat caused plenty of panic among passerby. 'According to a contemporary newspaper account, passersby panicked at the sight. Several women fainted, children screamed, dogs yelped, and an errand boy’s arm was broken when he was trampled by the mob. Hetherington was hauled into court for wearing "a tall structure having a shining luster calculated to frighten timid people."'

And here's an article on the history of hats and another.

Hope this is helpful. =)

-Charlott-

OUTLINE

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 03:32:27 GMT

Heyee all! Evan here.. this is what we roughly came up with...the brainstorming process during our lesson and after the lesson with Jiaxin, Lott, Tash and me!

Professor John's advice: Look for some specific examples (articles of clothing to focus on)pick something in a concrete way, an item to run through all the questions we came up with previously. try to find a context to narrow things down

Professor Ryan's advice: We need to come up with How and Why we arrive at the subject Said we can choose not to have a specific country, but we need to find a way to narrow down and then build it up into larger analyses..

our plan: break up and narrow down into specific conncepts that we have learnt and find eamples, research from there regardless of spatial context. (can be from any country) After running through some ideas like denim, jackets, jeans, uniforms and hats,

Our final OBJECT:HATS

Structure:

Introduction:

Why we chose hats( trend of hat-wearing slowly creeping back in, perhaps due to increasing conern of skin cancer, hats and health, social values?myth?, symbollic meaning of hats,

Body: Our study:

1) Origin of hats (functions of hats), how the functions evolved e.g. from protection against the sun to fashion purposes, hats as social demarkations, elements of fashion, related to power, politic and social relations

2) Meaning of wearing hats in terms of -Gender-hats having different significance for both genders -Status (power), hegemony, uniform hats in the army, navy etc, what each colour represents, authority, uniformity of hats in occupations~group identity, sense of belonging with a group, Hats that are least functiona implying higher status, shows this person does not need to work
-hats and ideology (top hats vs. communist hats) - Hybridity of hats with different genres coming together - Hats as signs or signifiers of things

YAY!ok...have fun people!take care!!and Don't stress k?WE CAN DO IT TOGETHER!!!

Hats and Ideology

Wed, 08 Nov 2006 14:59:19 GMT

here's some relevant info with regards to this point:

COMMUNISM

this is how the communist hat looks like by the way. it's known as a beret with the red communist star. and yeah, that guy is Mao.
The Smurfs wear standard clothing (with the notable exception of Papa Smurf): a simple white Phrygian cap and white slacks. Each Smurf has minor accessories that differentiate them from each other. This systematic uniform is argued by some as a representation of the largely uniform style of attire dominant in several early periods of the Soviet Union and The People's Republic of China, including the "Mao suit". The Phrygian cap is also a symbol of freedom and equality, notably in the Roman Saturnalia festival and in iconography of the French Revolution. On the other hand, standard clothing is common in many isolated communities (such as Amish), and is also common in representation of other mystical creatures like dwarfs and gnomes. -Wikipedia

"As a matter of fact, what we observe are two different phenomena," Dr. Mirosław Pęczak, sociologist, explains. "One is nostalgia for PRL and this applies to older people who for some reasons cannot cope with the reality of the Third Republic. The other is fashion from the PRL followed by young people. Young people have no conscious experiences from those times and PRL gadgets and symbols referring to communism as a system are attractive to them." Hence the search for Bambino gramophones or "Swedish" jackets. Pęczak believes that the fashion for T-shirts with a star or an eagle stripped of its original crown, is an expression of an off-hand manner. "And perhaps of an ironic attitude towards the present," he adds. "We can also venture to say that sometimes this is just provocation-of parents, the system, recognized authorities and the rules. Young people have always been defiant."

This is why the new fashion does not surprise Łukasz Gorczyca, born 1972, who jointly with friend Michał runs Świetlica Sztuki Raster on Hoża Street. "It is obvious that PRL is in fashion today," he says. "This is what culture and pop-culture mechanisms are about. What was fashionable some time ago returns to fashion again. This happens all over the world. The 1960s, 70s and 80s have returned to fashion one after another. The PRL [communist] system in Poland added color to all this. The mechanisms in Poland were different from those in Western Europe. The political situation was different, which obviously affected the way various things looked in those times." -http://www.warsawvoice.pl/view/4769/

VERSUS.

DEMOCRACY

This is a History of the Top Hat

"If the bowler connoted a more democratic future, the top hat, most certainly represented, in the words of hat historian Colin McDowell, the power of political conservatism and the rule of the status quo."

"Freudian psychologists had their own interpretations on these hats and those who wore them regarding them as obvious phallic symbols."

"And Uncle Sam, symbol of democratic America, for some reason still prefers a top hat--perhaps with all its elitist connotations, the top hat was still a move in the right direction from the crown."

-http://www.villagehatshop.com/tophats.html

This is a great site to get all our Hats' pics

more links on hats:
http://www.arts-mind.com/2006/11/03/which-hat-to-wear/
http://www.galactic-guide.com/articles/8R54.html
http://www.hatsworldwide.com/about.htm
http://www.mgilleland.com/dec2003.htm
http://www.haberarts.com/amedeo.htm

HAHA. okay, so i'm kind of treating this place as a convenient area to put the research in. (:
-Jiaxin

Tue, 07 Nov 2006 13:19:40 GMT

Heyee peeps!!
more questions as food for thought:

1) Why do we see it as a need to be fully clothed? put in another way, why is nudity seen as something crude, offensive and shameful?

2) (Sorry I have to question something so ahem..private) Could it be precisely because we hide our nakedness from the opposite gender that sparks off lust? Just an assumption: Men in Tribes still existing that have the culture of being naked don't go arond lusting after every woman they see naked because they're used to it..

3) Should we or can we breakdown clothes into their materials, colours, prints, to analyse? Ask questions like "Why is it that material:silk, colours: pastel, light, reddish, PINK, Prints: flowers, animal seems more associated with women whereas material:cotton, tougher fabric, polyester colours:darker, bolder, BLUE Prints: stripes, checks ar more associated with men?

4) Why is it that the notion of "sex appeal", "sexiness" is often linked with scantily clad women? Can charm, attraction, beauty and sexiness stem from character?

5)Why is it that women are the ones associated with fashion and beauty? Is it because we have more variety to choose from? Has it got to do with the biological make up of man and woman?

6) Why is it that pants are for men and skirts for women? Does it have to do with the design?Is it because pants make it easier for one to move about and since men did more physical labour, pants are more practical for men? Or is it that skirts are seen to be more dainty, prim and proper, befitting the poise, elegance and gentlleness that a woman SHOULD have?How did these social expectations come about?

7) Who dictates fashion?Hollywood?Bollywood?The rich and famous?Large fashion designers and their boutiques?Common people who look good in what they wear on the streets-->copycats? Why do the trends repeat?e.g. retro? How do we classify clothes as "old-fashioned" or "in vogue"?( Some of the questions raised here are inspired by info read here..just additional insights and modified them to provoke more questions :) )
Noticed that for most of the entries, the definition of "clothes" per se have been lmited to what we see today around the campus, within Singapore (modern society)..things like t-shirts, jeans, pants, skirts etc...
Are we going to focus on Singapore?do clothes in general?or focus on another country?
Realized that each country and culture has their own unique kind of traditional clothes that have evolved along the way (e.g. Kimonos for Japanese, cheong sams for Chinese ladies, baju kurong for malays), each tell different stories of their own..(the variations of standard clothings befitting a male of female is also different for each culture)

using an example from my Japanese studies project on beauty.. How the kimono is worn represents the status of a woman, the colours worn and prints on them also establish certain messages. "Then (meiji era), as now, a taiko tied relatively high imports a sense of propriety, and one tied low (as the geisha do) is more voluptuous" taken from Dalby Liza Crihfield, Kimono: fashioning culture

That's about it for now..c u all bright and early tmr morning!!:D

Clothes - Discussion of points

Sun, 05 Nov 2006 14:37:09 GMT

I found some articles that are worth reading.

This article is on a how one lady dressed as a man to travel to the "New World". The reason why she dressed as a man is to enjoy the new social freedoms. In addition, she adopted mulitple identities along her journey and this article explore how the various "hyrid" are produced throughout the narration.

http://www.lehman.cuny.edu/ciberletras/v05/pirott.html

History of Fashion

This website shows how the ideas of fashion changes over the period from 1900 (19^th century) to 1990s, especially after the outbreak of World War I.

http://www.vintageblues.com/history_main.htm

Clothes - Fashion are reflexive because they flaunt their artifice by drawing attention to cinematic techniques. I am sure that you guys had heard about the story on "The Emperor's New Clothes" when you were young. The story is about how the emeror is tricked into believing that he is wearing fine clothes that are visible to everyone but himself. The emperor is then sustained in this illusion because everyone he comes across, sseing that he believes himself clothed, and thinking it iin their interest to tell him what he wants to hear, responds as if he was clothed and not naked. In this way, the discourse of "the emperor's clothes" is reproduced and takes on a life of its own. Like what Natasha pointed out, How has the notion of wearing of clothes been constructed? It seems natural to us, but is it really? This mechanism can be compared to the way we dressed.

"Fashion reflects life", and as a reflection of life fashion reveals not only styles in clothes and adornment, beauty and aesthetics but also our relationships to our bodies, sexuality, and desire. Clothes are strange things, unlike many of the material objects that we own, we invest clothes with meanings of memory and aspiration. Clothes bring to our bodies a whole range of historical and cultural meanings about gender, 'ethnicity', social status and wealth etc.

While clothes function on the level of visual communication and signification, they are also commodities. Like all commodities, clothes are constructed on a series of narratives, which reveal and conceal their history of production, trade relations and cultural use.

Cultural identities are also revealed through the associations of the clothes with 'ethnic' identity as artifice and a part of a masquerade which not only constructs gendered identities as performative roles but also as racial identities.

For example,

In the past like European countries, the multiplicity of style of dress reveals the complexity of issues such as the nature of the state and its articulation with regional and global arrangements and provides new insights into the dynamics of state-society relations and the issues of power and hegemony. The study of dress will show that the politics exists at the sutures of hybridity and informality, and that what happens at the level of the formal institutions is of limited consequences, at least domestically. These reveal the clothes origins and association constructed based on a sequences of narratives which shows us that clothes does have its own grand narrations as well.

Last point I wanted to add:

How fashion trends go out of style but are pcked up by subcultures? Sounds familiar right? Think CD-ROM revolution and Vinyl discs. It is the same thing happening again.

Fashion also fuels itself on subcultures. For example, the once popular vinatge style is gaining popularity again. And it is all thanks to changing mentality of people's mindsets. Vintage wear was once deemed as "old women clothes" and most people did nto like the idea of wearing old clothes that someone had wore before.

But a new crowd is emerging with young adults who have never been exposed to vintage but are experimental with fashion.

Vintage trend had gone out of style for quite a long time before resurfacing again and picked up by subcultures. Vintage clothes has become popular for a number of reasons. Many pieces are collectibles, and are hunted down for their rarity and value. For example, a 1940s silk Hawaiian shirt or a 1960s pair of Levi Big E.jeans could be the one item a collector has been searching for. Militaria also had its own group of collectors who seek out original issue pieces, such as World War II leather G-1 jackets. Vintage designer items from Christian Dior, Pauline Trigere, Yves Saint Laurent, etc are also highly collectible.

What makes vintage clothes popular to non-collectors though; is the fact that many of these items are classics and are completely wearable with today's fashions. And vintage clothes instantly identifies them with an "era of fashion". Individuality has always been a major part of personal style, and unique vintage pieces make a subtle statement. Fashion history will always repeat itself and classic pieces are always in style!

Siow Yuan

according to sociologists

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 14:00:41 GMT

hello hello everyone, here's the sociology take on clothes/fashion:

fashion trends have an important function in society. because trends change over time and especially for the brand names like Louis Vuitton, Dior, blahblahblah, the rich are the only ones who can afford to keep up with such seasonal trend changes, and this enables people to differentiate the higher classes from the lower classes. "Fashion allows people of different ranks to distinguish themselves from one another, fashion helped to preserve the ordered layering of society into classes."

however, the functionalist view can only be applied up to the 1960s as with the advancements of technology, knock-offs of higher-end brands could be produced inexpensively and it didn't take long for the masses to start wearing clothes that usually only the rich could afford. fashion became more democratic after that (meaning that it is no longer dictated only by the wealthy) as new fashion trends are increasingly initiated by the lower classes, the minority, racial and ethnic groups. therefore, upper classes could adopt lower-class fashion trends that emanate from just about anywhere.

an alternative take on fashion is provided by people known as the conflict theorists who argue that because more and more new trends are being introduced, the producers of fashion are able to make lucrative deals out of this and hence become wealthy as a result of the profits gained by making clothes. at the same time, fashion can be said to keep people's minds away from many social, economic and political problems in the world, thereby contributing to social stability, since with fashion to preoccupy them, they would not express dissatisfaction over social problems.

what has been argued above for the function(s) of clothing as well as its ability to maintain social order and propagating social inequality focuses on the production of fashion.

consumers, however, also have a say in fashion trends and the wearing of clothes. there is a symbolic interaction in fashion, meaning clothes help us express our various shifting identities. there is a sense of self which we express in the different clothes we wear. for example, outfits for different occasions, slogan tees. there is a development of the individualistic way in wearing clothes, afterall, none of us dresses identically when it comes to the wearing of clothes even though the style may be the same.

in gender terms (ie. feminists' argument), clothing is a form of patriarchy where male dominance is maintained. they argue that fashion is mainly a female preoccupation and through the wearing of clothes, women are thought of as sexual objects, ie. skimpy clothing, skin-tight material, small sizes of clothes etc. for the men, they wear pants to signify their dominance.

nowadays women wear pants too, signifying a shift to increased gender equality for men and women. however, we don't see the men wearing skirts as much (we don't count transvestites or transsexuals or people who engage in cross-dressing cos that's a subculture of their own), because they are still regarded as the more superior sex, and the wearing of skirt would be a demeaning kind of practice which would defy social norms.

in other words, women could wear pants and be accepted because they want to be associated with 'power', but men would not want to wear skirts because it would mean they have lesser power. therefore, there is an existing gender inequality still present in society, through the wearing of clothes, albeit, in lesser degrees than before.

(ideas taken from my sociology textbook, and we could use some of the theories here to analyse our culural object/practice)- Jiaxin

Project Updates

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 12:12:44 GMT

Hi all,
Lott, Jiaxin and myself met up for awhile after lecture just now to discuss our project and here's what we've come up with.

Our cultural object/practice will be - clothes and the whole notion of wearing them

Some questions to ask when thinking about our subject:

1. How has the notion of wearing of clothes been constructed? It seems natural to us, but is it really?

2. How and what anxieties does it address?

3. What myth does it replicate/problematize? Does it support an existing myth? How so?

Do read the project parameters found in Week 9's lecture notes.

It'll give us a better understanding on what our analysis requires.

We really need to dig in deep and critique clothes and the wearing of it.

We should try to link them to the cultural theories learnt such as:

- Simulation

- Hybridity

- Hegemony

- Self reflexivity

- Post-modernism
That's all I can think of right now
Some of you might want to do a little homework on the Origins of Clothes and possibly it's fuctions and symbolisms. I think for now we should look at clothes in general, let's not narrow it down yet ..? Agree/Disagree

Anyway, we did come up with a few interesting points which are worth exploring:

1. Clothes replicate the myths of gender and power

2. Dominant classes use it to reinforce their status

3. Clothes function as coverings, reflective of us hiding our true selves, private vs. public sphere

4. Media as a tool to propagate clothes, propagates and dictates fashion

5. Fashion and models, subject and object relationship. Clothes become the subject and the models the objects?

6. Hybridity of clothes and how they fuse cultures/genres

7. Do clothes perform any self-reflexivity?

8. Clothes in relation to Post-Modernism, eg: Project runway episode - make clothes out of anything found in e apartment

9. Do uniforms function as a prison of sorts? Boundaries the wearer needs to conform to

10. Think about fashion boo boos like dressing identically, why is it unacceptable or frowned upon?

11. Repetition of clothes styles and its significance

12. How fashion trends go out of style but are picked up by subcultures? Sounds familiar right? Think CD-ROM revolution and Vinyl discs. It's the same thing happening again.

Okay that's all for now I guess, please feel free to add on!

tash

Insight into other countries cultural costumes

Wed, 25 Oct 2006 12:10:46 GMT

Korean Costume

This traditional Korean dress is known as hanbok. Women used to wear short jackets and long skirts which were elegant, while men wore trousers and coats for starters and a vest which was worn beneath an outer coat. The dress is worn according to the different seasons or status in society. Hence, making clothing an important mark of social status. As viewed in a Korean drama, named “Gong”, the royal family and the ruling class worn the traditional costume despite the cumbersome clothing and numerous rules of dressing.

Today, a variety of hanbok have been altered to suit the daily life comfort. However, the younger Korean generation finds it troublesome to wear bulky clothing. Even though hanbok is sometimes worn during occasions, it has gradually lost the sense of “culture”.

Image from: http://www.clickasia.co.kr/digicart/products/shop/hanbok/004.jpg

Japanese Costume

Kimono starts out as a garment called a kosode (small sleeves) from around the Nara Period (710~94), worn first as underclothes and later as an outer garment. The garment became known as a kimono from the 18th century onwards.

The kimono is a traditional costume worn by Japanese women and men. It has been seen that these costumes are worn by the older generation or on special occasions. This was partly because of the complicated procedures involved that is beyond the ability of most young generation. As kimono is made from high-quality silk that cost million yen, many cannot afford to own one. Nevertheless, brightly coloured kimono are common at summer festivals and fireworks displays, particularly for young women and children.

Image from: http://www.sprakle.com/2000/pic08.jpg

Entry posted by:
Yi Jie

Fashion in Campus

Tue, 24 Oct 2006 02:37:37 GMT

Since we had decided on clothes as our culture object, we can start from all general aspects of clothes. =)

Fashion of NUS students:

Let us take a look at how some of our NUS students were dressed when they were been spotted!

Photos up!

Jeans and T-shirts, flip-flops or Converse sneakers (campus culture?)—her everyday get-up-and-go, no fuss or muss, gear. Perhaps, that's how most students are found dressed. But certainly, there are exceptions too =). Take a look at the next two photos.

While most students were spotted dressed in normal tees and jeans, these students here displayed a different sense of fashion. And I applaused their courage to wear differently from others. Culture does play a part in clothes and fashion as well (See how the different students were dressed). More and more students are certainly arriving to school with overwhelming display of colour, or a multitude of accessories. The mindsets of the students: If you've got what you got to show, flaunt it!

What really shaped these mindsets of the students? It still boils down to culture. Hah!

In my own opinion, I do believe that dressing is an expression of your individual self that is presented to others. And one can easily see what kind of character you are based on how you dress. If you dressed sloppily, it is interpreted that you are a messy person by nature. Right? That is how culture had have a siginificant influence on us.

After all, dressing boldly and differently is still better than a walking fashion disaster. Do you agree?

Cheers,
Siow Yuan

Disclaimer: All photos are taken from Hooked Magazine

Cultural Objects

Thu, 19 Oct 2006 01:18:41 GMT

Yes, I think wearing clothes can be an unique cultural object indeed. Maybe we can relate clothes to cultural costumes, or simply how each person dress can affect their image. For example, in different occasions (Party, Business, Festive occasion, etc...), people may dress up in different way to symbolize the importance of this occasion.

I also like the other's suggestion, for example, Evan's idea on Social Interaction, how instant messaging can affect communication and our language. To add on, the use of abbreviations in instant messaging can be a cause for the usage of singlish in our daily lives. Even using emoticons in MSN can't simply show the real expression of the user.

Another cultural object that I can thought of is the Bus Stop Poster. I guess majority have notice the advertisement poster at the bus stop stand. No matter you are taking bus or simply just passing by, the advertisement will somehow capture your attention. Taking buses may be part of our daily routine to school or to work, so it is natural that people will give a glance to the posters. From this, we can relate to television advertisements, radio broadcast advertisements, and many others.

Maybe we can just decide on one object and start to ponder on the ideas for that particular object. :)

Sign Off,
Yi Jie

Tash speaks

Wed, 18 Oct 2006 11:29:00 GMT

Hey guys,

sorry for not posting sooner.
I think we've thrown out some pretty good ideas for study.

I quite like the following:

- Need for entertainment whereever we go (PSPs, PDAs, Laptops, mobile phones, ipod)
- K-BOXing
- Korean drama serials
- iPod
- Online shopping (especially how we can now almost acquire anything we want at such a convenience)
- Mobile phones

As for my suggestions, I only have one.
We could look into the everyday phenomenon of .. wearing clothes.
Okay it sounds ridiculous but I thought of it because our dear lecturers keep telling us to question the supposed 'natural' things around us.
How it really isn't natural but constructed in some ways.
And maybe we could branch out from there like the significance of wearing what we wear. Do clothes affirm our subjectivity? (think the mirror in the swan)

Yah that's just my 2 cents worth.
=)

evan's ideas!

Sat, 14 Oct 2006 16:01:46 GMT

hey peeps! Just my few cents worth of project idea!:D

the "ugly" side of Singaporean culture...this includes not only Singlish, kiasuism, kiasi-ism, but also the hectic rat race Singapore is in, how everything we do has to be efficient, instant and that it even shows in the way we walk and talk~! Jus take a look around you on a typical weekday at school or in town, wherever you are, there are footsteps quickening and people dashing to work at the start of the day. Even when we talk, we need all sorts of abbreviations like ERP, HDB, UOB, NUS, LT etc... the list goes on for like forever! And perhaps this is why we face the problem of bad service. For now, i'm assuming that many of the working-class citizens strive so hard to maintain a luxurious lifestyle or to make ends meet. Everyone's just in it for the $$. Even students plunge head on into courses that seem to be the "next-big-thing", and there's hardly room to consider passion for the job. Hence, most people are just trapped in a particular line and gain very little fulfillment or satisfaction in what they do and thus take less pride in our work, leading to bad service attitudes. Can even link this to the technological advances in Singapore that has enabled us to be even "busier" every single day. Seems like the computer has taken over many parts of our lives. ENTERTAINMENT-we have things like U-tube to download movies, video clips, napster and all to download songs. (Of course, with a price tag), online games etc, communication, SOCIAL INTERACTION: through MSN, Friendster, blogs, video conferencing. With the advent of the mobile phone---(the MUST have in Singapore)there is not one person we cannot contact...although these are less effective than face-to-face communication (Which is often taken for granted), they still do create a network base for us to keep in touch with each other. WORK life: IVLE, webcast lectures, internet, emails, thumbdrives etc has made information so easily available with the click of a button that we are able to work from home and over office hours, more often than not, work creeps into our lives and seems to be taking up huge portions of our lives. On the other hand, this stressful lifestyle has opened us up to the spa culture. The easy way to "relax la!" and one of the few options people turn to for comfort, FAST physical stress-relef, massage (basically the spa culture).

Wokee!that's my idea for now..feel free to comment!guess we'll decide by next lecture!:Dnitex!

Siow Yuan's suggestions

Sun, 08 Oct 2006 14:28:58 GMT

Some contributions for the project:

Some cultural objects we can work on =)

1) Mobile phones - Technologies are advancing faster than we are expecting. Nowadays, practically everyone in the world own a mobile phone! Functions for phones are pretty advanced too eg. radio, camera, bluetooth etc. Perhaps, this will be a good reason to peer into the world of mobile phones as a cultural object and study the ripple it had caused.

2) Laptops - Our "Must Have" item; something most students always carried them around the campus! =) Especially when nowadays, institutions and even fast food restaurant such as McDonalds are having wireless capabilities. This means that we are able to go online anytime, anywhere. So will laptops eventually replaced our Personal Computers (PC)?

3) Languages - Currently, Singapore is caught in a Korean and Japanese craze due to all the dramas that had been showing in the TV recently. As a result, a lot of students are picking Korean and Japanese as additional languages. Why do they prefer to learn a third language than to improve on their main languages? What is so fascinating about those languages? And will the craze die off sooner than we expected?

These are some of the suggestions for cultural objects which I can come up with in the timing being.. Will post up if I can think of any new ones =)

Cheers,
Siow Yuan

jiaxin's suggestions

Thu, 05 Oct 2006 14:56:29 GMT

here are my contributions for our very-difficult-to-pin-point Cultural Object:

1) the Ipod. we love them, we can live without them, but we choose to live musically through them. i love mine so i assume those who have will love theirs too. it's an icon of our age as well!
2) Korean Drama serials. teeheehee, i get to watch some more. (: but seriously, it's popular asian culture and which shows asian values as well. thos who haven't watched Gong, watch it now please, you have no idea what you are missing out on if you still haven't watched it.
3) Instant Noodles. our instant generation. why is it cultural: embedded in everyday life which is getting more and more convenient with such convenience.
4) since others have broached on shopping, we can look specifically at Online Shopping. (a practice)
5) reality tv shows- ie. Amazing Race. isn't it quite amazing in itself that it has spun so many series and we still watch it because we love the adrenalin rush of seeing people make it to the square box in different exotic places which is one step closer to that million dollars?? not only that but we have local versions of it, schools adapt the Amazing Race into our own versions. i don't know how culturally relevant this show is, but i find it very intriguing. personally, i like racing about and searching for clues and stuff to get to a final destination. it's similar to how there's always repetition in the world and people continue accepting the same storylines and all. plus, the concept of a race is not entirely new but on tv, it's a new kind of thing.
6) Cosplay/Harajuku, i don't know, subculture?
7) Sleep. haha, is this considered?

okays, my mind is telling me to do number seven, so good night all!
-JIAXIN

Suggestions for project.

Thu, 05 Oct 2006 14:05:10 GMT

Since I'm kinda stressed out over another project and want to take a break away from it....

Here's some suggestions for cultural objects/practices we might work on.

Tissue Culture or the culture of booking seats at food centres using various weird items.
Queuing
Not queuing when boarding buses/trains.
Ugly Singaporean culture
Addiction to mobile phones
Need for entertainment everywhere we go. Hence inventions of PSPs, MP3/MP4 players
Piracy. Why do we committing such crimes when we know its illegal?
K-Box
Annoying parents. ( Just kidding.)

My brain's kinda dead for now. Hence the really weird suggestions. Might add on next day. Any suggestions people?

Signing off,
Brain-dead Charlott.

Fieldwork (Week 4)

Wed, 06 Sep 2006 03:33:13 GMT

What is “Uniquely Singapore” is the importation of culture. A multi-cultural society that encompasses both the modern and traditional. Considering the fact that we consist of 3 main races- Chinese (76.8%), Malays (13.9%), Indians (7.9%) and not forgetting the minority races comprising of Eurasians, Peranakans and foreign-born citizens (1.4%) which makes Singapore a cosmopolitan city.

In the early 19^th century, Singapore has several distinct ethnic neighbourhoods to segregate the new immigrants into specific areas planned by Sir Stamford Raffles. This includes Little India (for the Indians), Chinatown (for the Chinese) and Kampong Gelam (for the Malays). Gradually, as the government implements stricter policies, the populations are no longer segregated in distribution. Nevertheless, these ethnic neighbourhoods retain unique elements of their specific culture. Thus, we decided to visit Little India, Chinatown and Kampong Gelam to explore some of our old roots and "borrowed"cultures.

Chinatown

Welcome to our first destination of our journey, Chinatown.

Being in Chinatown doesn't necessarily mean that everyone you encounter while walking down the streets are yellow-skinned with black eyes and hair. In all our ethnic enclaves, you will find that there is a good mix of all the different races due to the racial quota system that ensures that each town has all the different races living and working together, and that none of the minority races would be disadvantaged.

Signboards in both English and Chinese greeted us the moment we stepped into the vicinity. Chinatown itself is further divided into four main districts - Kreta Ayer, Telok Ayer, Tanjong Pagar and Bukit Pasoh - each with a distinctive flavour of its own. The heart of activity is in the Trengganu/Smith Streets area. The unique-ness of Chinatown was that some parts of Chinatown is not even Chinese. For example, the Al Abrar Mosque along Telok Ayer Street, and the Jamae Mosque and Sri Mariamman Temple along South Bridge Road. The peaceful co-existence of the different places of worship in the same area, even until today, reflects the racial and religious harmony in Singapore.

In the past, Chinese merchants would engage in business from the ground floor of quaint pre-war shophouses and this had passed on for generations. Even in modern-day Singapore, one could see such roadside stalls being set up in the different areas of Chinatown. This had gradually evolved into what many are familiar with, "The Night Market" - where the streets will be liven up with activities during the night. The restaurant (shown in the photo) is being preserved with a hint of the past.

Little of the architectural structure has been changed for the colourful network of streets and alleyways over the past few decades. The appearances of the buildings and streets had historically and culturally been preserved to indicate the past of Singapore. However, the facade of some shophouses have been colourfully re-painted to maintain the pristine outlook of the buildings and add a tinge of class to it.

The modern face of Chinatown can be found in the area around the junction of Cross Street with New Bridge Road and Eu Tong Seng Street. The largest shopping complexes includes, Chinatown Point, People's Park Complex, Yue Hwa etc are not only good sources for Chinese products but also offer great bargains in their extensive ranges of more conventional products.

Chinatown is truly a unique bustling and vibrant district with a personality that reflects both its past and present.

Sights: Medical halls mix herbs and spices and other exotic ingredients into potions for all ailments; traditional delicacies like sea cucumbers lie drying in the street; fruit sellers squat near mounds of rambutan, strong-smelling durian, mangosteen and other seasonal fruits.

Sounds: Vehicles passing, people bargaining over the prices of products, languages conversed in are mostly Chinese and local dialects like Hokkien, Cantonese

Smells: Food, chinese medicine, herbal tea

Kampong Gelam

With its large golden dome, it is hard to miss the largest mosque in Singapore, Sultan Mosque. Situated in the heart of Kampong Gelam, it is a religious place where many muslims devouts gather for prayers every friday. Yet, for a place of worship, we can see glimpses of high-rise buildings in the background. This once again reminds us that as much as Singapore tries to retain the cultures of the different races, the essence of the culture is actually lost as one cannot be fully immersed in the similar culture our forefathers may have experienced. Take a closer look beneath the golden dome.. You will notice a black belt around it made out of bottle bottoms! Donations of cash and kind were welcome to construct this mosque. Those who were less well-off contributed through buying bottles. To recognize their contributions, the bottoms of these bottles were sawn off and stuck onto the black belt that you see beneath the golden dome.

Malay weddings are a common sight in the void decks of HDB flats in the residential areas of Singapore. It is when the bride and bridegroom are treated as king and queen for the day, as seen by the throne-like seats shown in the picture. A feast is usually prepared for the guests of the weddings and it is usually a lively and informal event. Traditional malay songs are played as a source of entertainment during the feast.

Shophouses are a common sight along the streets of Kampong Gelam. What is interesting here though, is the existence of a Chinese silk manufacturer amongst the Arabic shophouses. Racial harmony shown once again!

Sights: Shophouses, people (mostly muslims and tourists, little children playing outside the mosque, shops selling traditional games eg, Five Stones etc.

Sounds: Vehicles passing

Smells: Food, Perfumes

Little India

HDB flats in the background juxtaposed by the shophouses at the fore ground exemplifies the mix of the old and the new, how our country still retains the old parts of Singapore (traditional shop houses our fore fathers were accustomed to) amidst all else that's new (high rise buildings that 80% of SIngapore's population lives in now). Our living quarters might have changed but we very much retain the same culture of living in close proximity with each other's neighbours (also partly due to Singapore's land constraints), unlike other countries where neighbours could be miles away from one another.

Something we are all very familiar with. Value for money deals that pop up almost everywhere in Singapore, Little India notwithstanding. The culture of shopping is a national one, surfacing not just in the big departmental stores along the Orchard shopping belt but even in heritage areas like Little India. Mustafa Centre offers 24 hours shopping which is popular with Singaporeans, especially when the goods are also relatively inexpensive. E.g. an adidas perfume that costs about $16 can be bought for $9 right here!(Almost half the price slashed!) Not to worry, most of their goods are genuine and have not expired.. A fantastic place for shopping for all you night-birds out there.

Shopping! For groceries that is. Despite the prevalent supermarkets around Singapore, people do still shop at wet markets in heartlands as well, and in Little India, we see the same applies for the majority of Indians too.

Sights: Low-rise shophouses against a backdrop of towering HDB flats, people (mostly Indians and a number of Chinese and tourists), 24-hour shopping centre (Mustafa Centre)

Sounds: Vehicles passing, people conversing in Tamil mostly

Smells: strong smells of all sorts - food, aromatherapy, herbs, ointments (indicative of strong Indian culture)

Thoughts:

The HDB flats that peaked out of the skyline reminded us that although Little India still held onto its roots, modernity was still ever present. The fact that some shops were selling the latest handphones and the presence of Mustafa Centre - the 4 storey departmental store only reinforced it further.

Narrow walkways along the shophouses, meaning that people have to squeeze past each other, either that or allow the opposite flow of people to pass through before going forth, very similar to the heartland shops all around Singapore.

Miscellaneous:

Here are some common occurances around Singapore, some sights we all see everywhere around us which we have been so accustomed to.

The lady everyone is afraid of!
Signs that are all-too-familiar to us. As described by foreigners and ouselves alike, we have a "Fine" culture.

One of the many betting centres around the country. Singapore Pools is quite a household name.

A signboard outside a construction site, with all four of our official languages. Most of us are able to understand two of the languages here, one being our mother tongue, reflecting our own racial cultural identity. At the same time, we are able to understand the lingua franca, English as well, which is the language of communication between our different races.

Advertisements on our buses provide vibrant colours on our roads. With the preparations for IMF and World Bank's arrival, another Singapore campaign is going on. Akin to our "Speak Good English Movement" and even the twenty two years long "Singapore Kindness Movement".

Conclusion:

Singapore's multi racial community has brought with it its many faces of culture, without one distinctive emerging one. We quote Minister Mentor Lee (as published in the Straits Times article, "S'pore culture unlikely to emerge: MM" dated September 6, 2006) in that "The basis of our culture is what we inherited from our original countries, our original cultures."

Afterall, Singapore is made up of mainly the Chinese, Indians and Malays, many of whom have roots traced back to the respective countries where our fore fathers came from. Hence, the culture here is essentially a melting-pot of our indigenous countries. Furthermore with industrialisation and recently, globalization, Singapore also comprises of people all over the world, some of whom had made Singapore their home as well, adding on to our multi-faceted culture here.

However, we think that Singapore has developed our own unique-ness, which can be seen in our everyday lives such as our usage of Singlish and other idiosyncracies, unique to ourselves.

OUR ANALYSIS OF "BEYOND THE CAMOUFLAGE" POSTER
Kym Ng:
-representative of the female’s role in defence -Mix of civilian clothes and army uniform, implying that each Singaporean has a role to play -Smiling-good connotations that it would be a fun, exciting experience :brainwashing Singaporeans to think that defence is fun -Shows that you do not have to be of big built or tall to play a part in total defence
Ix Shen: -Muscular body-strength in the military force, connote security -Army boots in contrast to Kym Ng's pink combat boots shows the obvious, that males have to play a larger role in defence due to the fact that they are physically stronger
Chinese characters: Yu Jun Gong Wu Plays on the puns of “Jun”=gentlemen vs. soldiers and “Wu”=dance vs. fight therefore connoting the idea that boys can be Cultured and refined to become men through army?
BEYOND THE CAMOUFLAGE: -Civillians unaware of the things going on in camps, to create awareness -Increase trust and confidence of citizens through watching the show, the “toughness of the programmes” to increase sense of security, belonging -Ironic that “camouflage” is in bold, standing out -How much that is shown to the audience is true? Propaganda?
Circles: -Part we all have to play in defence is never ending, just like the circles -cirlces act like a view finder (small part, focus directed), obscure view of the truth, Big picture not exactly visible