Research Topic

For our Research Project I decided to write about Joyce Maynard, her life in memoirs and articles focusing on her relationship with men. I will also be talking about gender roles in general, and especially focusing on the second feminist movement (and maybe the radical feminism from the 70's) which was from the early 1960's to the late 1980's. I'm hoping to discuss how Maynard, a successful author and famous woman, was controlled by men during a time when most women were trying to gain equality (ie: employment discrimination based on sex.)

Lost in Translation

In Eva Hoffman's memoir, Lost in Translation, Eva writes about her experiences as a Polish immigrant who starts her life over in Canada. When the Hoffman's moved to Vancouver Eva was only fourteen. I liked the excerpt that our class read mostly because I could relate to it. When I was 13 my family was in the process of moving to Japan. We went to Tokyo and I enrolled in a middle school and we bought a house. A few weeks after we came back to New York a last minute decision was made that we would not actually be moving.

My experience was much different than Eva's in that she was facing a much more dire circumstance. In the 1950's, Poland had just come out of the second World War, and the communists were slowly taking power. The Hoffman's decided that the best thing for their family was to leave for Canada. Eva and I were in the same position; however, in that the decision to move was not ours. It was completely out of our hands.

I don't know what would have happened if I'd moved to Tokyo, but I do know I would have faced a lot of similar language barriers that Eva did. Even though Eva's story wasn't as traumatizing as Le Ly Hayslip's in When Heaven and Earth Changed Places, the style in which she writes makes her story incredibly interesting.

Because Eva has to learn English and somewhat abandon Polish, she becomes obsessed with language. It's strange to read her memoir, which is so well written, and have her re-count trying to understand English. Hoffman is able to completely change what could have been a boring story about an immigrant girl and makes it riveting just with her mastery of language.

Fashion Blogs

Fashion blogs are one of my favorite things to read simply because they give personal insight that is hard to find in the fashion world. You can pick up a Vogue magazine and read that large, black framed hipster glasses are all the rage. And so while you rush out to buy this new "must have" accessory you forgot that maybe the world outside of fashion is not quite ready yet for these glasses. Blogging is a great way in which to bring the fashion world into the real world. What you see on the runway and what you see people actually wearing can be vastly different, and blogs for me, are the nice link between. You get an opinion on what is new in fashion that is not tainted by the Conde Nast magazines.

I have been reading fashionologie as my blog of choice and have discovered many interesting insider information already. The New Yorker's style issue is the best place to find designer profiles. This might not seem very important at first glance, but it is amazing to find a in-depth piece that offers more about a designer than their resume. Fashionologie seems to understand, and points out that the profile of Donatella Versace is more than just the cookie-cutter interview. Lauren Collins describes Donatella exactly the way people truly view her (with "meaty brown hands") and skips the overflow of compliments and adoration. No one wants to read about how amazing Marc Jacobs is, they want to read about his shocking mid-life crisis transformation from geeky to dripping in diamonds.

The blogger from fashionologie also gives reviews for books that involve fashion insiders. She gives a review of a memoir by Lucky magazine's beauty-editor, Jean Godfrey-June. There are also multiple posts throughout the month that have interesting links to stories that involve everything from a website giving away a YSL handbag, to the story about how Vogue created the term "brassiere." Other great posts include the actual breakdown of how much a fashion show truly costs, and side by side pictures of models that no one can seem to tell apart on the runway.

One of the things I hate the most about fashion in general is that it has become so hard to be unique. Designers, models, and practically everyone in New York City has tried to stand out so much that even the most outrageous outfits now seem boring. No one truly seems to have their own style anymore. But fashionologie definitely stands out to me. She has a sense of what she likes and doesn't like, regardless of whether or not it's popular.

And how could not love someone who puts this in their "About Me" section:

"I have a soft spot in my heart for Alexander McQueen’s Spring 2003 collection, because it was inspired by pirates. I swear I’ll learn to swashbuckle before I die. Besides, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father, and I must learn how to slay you."

*small side note: Fashionologie is 100% correct - Phillip Lim is going to be HUGE!