Friday, October 23, 2009

The New Caricature

Posted by Anonymous




Look carefully, what do you see?:










I see caricatures of black men and women.




The ones from days long gone are blazing and unabashed in their racism. The new ones are thinly masked by the veil of style and music. These images are current and past mass distributed media of African-American people. The dominant narrative surrounding people of color in two different eras is remarkably similar. The miserable thing is that these messages are widely consumed by people across the world. 



“Apple Bottom” jeans, Rocawear, and G-Unit, all of these brands allow us to consume a stereotypical appearance and prejudiced ideas. Years ago the common sentiment towards people of color was a set of trepidations, a picture of an animal race: oversexed, dirty, stupid, and goofy. Now the widely diffused images carry mirror messages: ignorant, hypersexual, materialistic, and unintelligent. Now us consumers can pick up a shiny, freshly wrapped package of that old-time oppression and racism. By buying that bag of “hood-ware” we are participating in an institution that continues to oppress.

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Mission Statement

Our fashion blog: Shoppers With a Creative Budget, tries to bring a fresh approach to the "fashion blog". This blog is a collaboration of four female college students with very different ideas of what is "stylish". We by no means consider ourselves experts but we wanted to combine what we know about dressing to create a blog for people who flock towards our range of styles. We believe that fashion is subjective and there are many ways to make yourself feel great whether its with the help of stiletto heels or vintage threads. Each of us brings a different opinion to the fashion forum and our goal is to inspire others to take chances with fashion and pass on fashion advice or trends we've stumbled across. Shopping on a budget is our specialty, as college girls on strict budget we feel that just because your wallet isn't overflowing does not mean that your wardrobe has to suffer. We are here to help you find the best ways maximize your time and spending and help you find the best clothing to express yourself!

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Get to know the Bloggers!

Lauren A: Lauren finds fashion so interesting because represents the paradoxical intersection between creative individuality and mass collectivism. She loves people watching and tracking the evolution of trends as they travel from one "group" of people or time period to the next. Likewise, she enjoys actively participating in this form of visual representation. She own many dresses. Her favorite place to shop is Value World, because with inspiration and a sewing machine, you can get the same old shit sold anywhere else - but cheap.

Lauren L: Lauren is a freshman at the University of Michigan and loves all things fashion. She shops at many different stores like Urban Outfitters and Akira. She is the type who likes to buy very trendy pieces at cheap prices and will save up and splurge on classic pieces. To her, style is all about having fun, expressing your mood, and being creative.

Martha Q: Martha is a fashionable and conscientious student at the University of Michigan. She shops almost exclusively in her hometown of Seattle. Value Village, Aprie, and Buffalo Exchange are among her favorite clothing vendors. In her opinion style is more than clothing, style is how we present ourselves to society.

Taylor: She has a weakness for designer bags and heels. Her current most favorite material possessions are her Mike & Chris leather coat and her bulky tortoise and gold Michael Kors watch. But unfortunately, Taylor's taste in clothes easily exceeds her college student budget. So she has been forced to resort to creative shopping and utilize exclusive online communities like sample sales and other online shopping websites so she can continue to fill her closet with her favorite designers without emptying her bank account.
 
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