Comments on: Why do so many Japanese girls love brand bags?

By: myukili

myukili — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 02:13:15 +0000

I think in my opinion they see many outside designers as a status symbol, just as we do here in America. Gucci and Prada, etc. are well known designers that represent status, luxury and poise… this is due largely in part to their branding, and advertising in magazines, and tv ads. I remember my high school days, many young girls carried around these bags from Abercrombie and Finch, Old Navy, BOSS wear.. pretty much whatever was in and hot for that season. They’d tote around their gym clothes and lunches in them. It hasn’t just been Japanese girls that carry them, although this article is specifying some phenomenon with them specifically, maybe we just haven’t been as aware of hand bags our own girls are carrying around.
I’ve seen myself this carrying of the hand bags with people my own age when I was in high school, I’m sure its a safe bet to assume they just want to appear popular and look wealthy. In some cases they may just like the styles.

By: japaneseview

japaneseview — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 06:30:21 +0000

Hi Lucy Diamond,

Why don’t you express yourself with your own words instead of the recommendations of others? It sounds like you depend on other people’s ideas. There are many different points of views. When you have differences in culture, the definition of an idea can be different. I told my viewpoint as a Japanese individual living in Japan most of her life.

By: Lucy Diamond

Lucy Diamond — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 01:38:27 +0000

Seriously, read these books:

Introducing Cultural Studies by E. Baldwin
The Practice of Cultural Studies by R. Johnson
Keywords by R. Williams (the chapter on culture)
Theorizing the Everyday by F. Martin
Media and Society by M. O’Shaughnessy
Identity and Nation by M. Guibemau and D. Goldblatt
Home Territories: Media, Mobility and Identity by D. Morley
Cultural Studies and the Study of Popular Culture by J. Storey

Then come back and review all the things you have written, especially all the assumptions about ‘culture’ is.

Japan, open minded to foreign cultures? I have lived in Japan for half a year and I have to disagree. Oh, Japan, the land of freedom! Where people are not victimised! Oh China and Korea, where people still walk around in robes and write with brushes!

I can’t argue with you unless you’ve read some books on culture. Otherwise you’ll just keep throwing these strange assumptions around.

By: japaneseview

japaneseview — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 10:12:00 +0000

Hi thepaceisqlacial,

Japanese language did not have a word for “identity” until we created it not so long ago. Today the English word “identity” (without Japanese translation) is widely accepted because the actual Japanese equivalent does not translate well. What “self esteem” means is still not clear to Japanese people and its Japanese definition is not well established. Therefore I think it is natural that when “identity” and “self esteem” do not exist in a language, people would not have a strong sense of identity or high self esteem. Having brand goods is perhaps a safe way for a Japanese to show his/her value in a culture that does not celebrate individual differences.

By: thepaceisglacial

thepaceisglacial — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 05:51:53 +0000

I think the “brand phenomena” in Japan is due to a variety of things such as low self esteem and the sheep like mentality of many young Japanese today. For better or worse designer goods are often an indicator of one’s worth here. At first some people may have looked to sporting expensive brands as a way to stand out among other Japanese but nowadays every other grandma on the train is sporting a Louis Vuitton monogram handbag.