cultural

28Jun

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

IN OTHER NEWS, SOCIAL MEDIA

The Enduring Appeal Of Tumblr Reveals The Potency Of The Web’s Cultural Memory

When tech billionaire Elon Musk made a deal to acquire Twitter in April 2022, many Twitter users threatened to shut down their accounts and migrate elsewhere online. Tumblr – a microblogging platform launched in 2007 long known as a laboratory for social justice causes and burgeoning fan cultures – became one contender. However, many Twitter users proposing a migration to Tumblr seemed to be those who had abandoned the site only a few years prior. In 2018, Tumblr content deemed sexually explicit – or NSFW – was banned. The controversial policy led to a mass exodus from the site, the so-called Tumblr apocalypse. Both as a communication researcher and early era user of Tumblr, I’ve contemplated the site’s unique place in internet culture. And in the years following the NSFW ban, I’ve see...

The Cultural History Of The Plastic Pink Flamingo – From Kitsch To Park Avenue

6Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

CULTURE

The Cultural History Of The Plastic Pink Flamingo – From Kitsch To Park Avenue

In 1957, a 21-year-old art school graduate named Don Featherstone created his second major design for the Massachusetts-based lawn and garden decoration manufacturer Union Products: a three-dimensional plastic pink flamingo propped up by two thin, metal legs that could be plunged into soft dirt. Featherstone’s duck and flamingo ornaments sold in pairs for US$2.76, and were advertised as “Plastics for the Lawn.” They became simultaneously popular and derided in the late 1950s and remain a recognizable species of American material culture. Featherstone died this past June, but over five decades after he submitted his design, the plastic pink flamingo continues to grace American lawns and homes. While many are quick to label the plastic ornament as the epitome of kitsch, the flamingo has ac...

How Does Cultural Appropriation Differ From Cultural Appreciation?

8Jul

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

IMPACT

How Does Cultural Appropriation Differ From Cultural Appreciation?

Joshua E. Kane, Arizona State University Fashion companies are increasingly being taken to task for selling expensive versions of traditional Indigenous dress. Gucci’s kaftans came with a US$3,500 price tag, which is far more than the $10 that Indians pay for a very similar-looking traditional kurta. Louis Vuitton’s $700 scarfs resembled the keiffyeh that is viewed as a symbol of Palestinian nationalism and sold in much of the Arab world at a far lower cost. Both fashion labels received criticism, but not only for the seemingly inflated prices. They were accused of appropriating Indigenous cultural artifacts for profit. It is also an accusation that has been leveled against many celebrities. The American model Kendall Jenner was accused of “hijacking Mexican culture and wearing it as a c...

The Stories Of New Teachers That Face Complex Cultural Challenges – 3 Latina Teachers In Their Toughest Moments

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

Journalism

The Stories Of New Teachers That Face Complex Cultural Challenges – 3 Latina Teachers In Their Toughest Moments

Gun control. Hallway decorations. Hairstyles. Those aren’t the things I expected to be stumbling blocks for three Latina educators that I helped prepare to become schoolteachers in recent years. But each situation came up in their classroom or in the course of their jobs at various elementary and middle schools in the state of Indiana, where I teach. Their situations are indicative of a time in our society when we are called to more closely pay attention to issues of racism and social justice. I’m tracking these former students – along with three others – as part of a study I am doing on the first-year experiences of Latina teachers. As an educator who helps prepare future school teachers, I believe these experiences help shine light on some of the expectations that students, parents and...

The Cultural Obsession With Six-Pack Abdominals

15Mar

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

CULTURE

The Cultural Obsession With Six-Pack Abdominals

The cultural obsession with six-pack abdominals shows no signs of abating. And if research into male body image is to be believed, it will likely only grow, thanks to social media. Today, there’s an entire industry centered on obtaining – and maintaining – chiseled abs. They’re the subject of books and social media posts, while every action movie star seems to sport them. Pressure is also mounting on women to sport six-pack abs as body ideals for athletic women have evolved. All of this raises the question, when did the six-pack craze start? It may seem like a relatively recent phenomenon, a byproduct of the fitness culture boom in the 1970s and 1980s, when Arnold Schwarzenegger and Rambo reigned, and men’s muscle mags and aerobics took off. History proves otherwise. In fact, Western c...

How Cultural Differences Shape Your Gratitude

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

Journalism

How Cultural Differences Shape Your Gratitude

Americans say thanks a lot, but other cultures may have a deeper understanding of gratitude. If you’re trying to become happier, you’ve probably heard the advice to practice gratitude. “Gratitude is literally one of the few things that can measurably change people’s lives,” writes pioneering researcher Robert Emmons in his book Thanks! His studies suggest that gratitude can improve our health and relationships—making it one of the most well-studied and effective ways to increase our well-being in life. But prescribing gratitude to everyone is a problem: Most of what we know about it comes from studying Americans—and, specifically, the mainly white American college students from the campuses where researchers work. That creates a cultural bias in the science, and that’s w...