Shopping for Pleasure and The Art of Necessity

  The article "Shopping for Pleasure" discusses about the mentality of the feminist mind in shopping malls and how it only represents and targets certain class, ethnicity, and body type of people while neglecting and looking over the fact that other inviduals don't fit within the category or cannot afford such products. The reason why most of the malls fail to profit off their merchandise is due to the fact that they target particularly on middle and upper class women with an hourglass figure. This excludes the interests of men and often overlooks the lower class citizens who can't afford such products or the individuals who can't fit the advertised merchandise. This also disenfranchises and neglects the narratives of other women, as they are being underpaid and overworked in order to produce the products in the store. One way the issue could be addressed is to have stores that are not only inclusive in terms of target audience, but also have styles that are either androgynous or fits men as well. Unfortunately, we often see a one-sided narrative, where the only people who can afford and enjoy such products are middle to upper class individuals who can fit the figure of the model. This also hints towards the testament of one's ability to integrate into society's standards, as rather than accepting themselves for who they are and recognizing their own beauty, forces girls to criticize and shame themselves for being unable to fit the standards and going through extreme measures in order to feel accepted or to be what the marketers envision them to be. Exclusion of Asian Americans and misrepresentations of individuals have forced them to address and vocalize their stances on these issues.  "The Art of Necessity" discusses the significance of utilizing art as a medium to voice and address political issues in the streets that are often overlooked or misrepresented by the society. Athough the acts of defiance shows authorities the youth's willingness to express themselves and defy  authoritative figures who continue to oppress them, one must question who has the privaledge to participate in these acts and where and what the media wants to focus on. Before Asian Americans are able to stand in solidarity with their fellow peers in advocation of struggles, they also must face the challenge of being recognized as a Citizen, being integrated in society, and having the voice to speak up against causes without being overlooked or ignored by a system that has belittled and suppressed a group of people into ghettos for the past century.