Week 2 - Samantha Soleta

The idea of a "Korean Cool" has been a very intentional and orchestrated shift in popular culture which propelled Korea into the international public sphere. What's interesting about this rapid and dramatic change in Korean media is the role of the Korean government in creating this new image. The international image as well unity amongst the Korean people was divided following the separation of North and South Korea. Over the past few decades, different administrations and leaders focused on culture as one of the main points for improvement, leading to the start of successful movie franchises, k-pop groups, and more which thrusted Korea into the spotlight and inspiring not only the Korean people but other cultures as well.

In my own experience, I used to explore my own Filipinx culture by watching Filipinx networks with my mother. However, most of the shows and movies that I watched with my mother, were actually recreations of Korean hits. Even the songs that many stars in the Philippines would sing on talent shows would come from K-Pop artists. Going forward with my own start up, I think the Philippines would benefit from taking similar measures in emphasizing the talent of Filipinx individuals. One of the many stereotypes that we hear about ourselves is our "innate" ability to sing, dance, and perform. However, Filipinx stars who have talent across all these aspects are rarely in an international spotlight. Creating ways to give Filipinx talent a bigger platform is definitely a good start.

(Picture above are the rising Filipino stars. the TNT Boys, recreating a famous performance by the Korean group called the Wonder Girls. "Nobody" by the Wonder Girls gained popularity when I was their age. It's interesting see, more than 10 years later, that this song is still so iconic in the Philippines.)

Works Cited

ABS-CBN News. “'YFSF Kids': TNT Boys Transforms into Wonder Girls.” ABS-CBN News, ABS-CBN News, 4 Aug. 2018, news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/08/04/18/yfsf-kids-tnt-boys-transforms-into-wonder-girls.

Hong, E. (2014). The birth of Korean cool: How one nation is conquering the world through pop culture. London: Simon et Schuster.

Week 1_Toan Tran

Personally I have never been one or at least thought I was one to dabble in business and marketing, but as my roommate reminded me once, "everything is business; business is everywhere," which I can definitely see now. Paul Graham's How to Start a Startup and Startup = Growth gave me some perspective into how businesses are begun. With a good team, efficient use of money, and a product or service people want, a business can be successful. So with that, I look forward to seeing how other countries brand themselves to a high level of national aesthetics and how my fellow classmates and I will create a startup for our selected country of interest. What stuck out to me the most about this article was when it says that the people a startup wants to hire are those who are described to be animals. And I completely agree, because those people would go the extra mile in getting the task done and incorporating their work heavily into their lives to show dedication and commitment. I have so much more to learn about business and marketing, but I am excited to see where the rest of this class takes us in that manner in addition to learning about other countries' national aesthetics.



References:

Everything Is Business - Google Search. https://www.google.com/search?q=everything+is+business&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS789US789&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjQ_YP1i4DgAhWTFjQIHZYBBrEQ_AUIDigB&biw=1440&bih=722#imgrc=woNvqepMKoBs5M: Accessed 22 Jan. 2019.

Graham, Paul. How to Start a Startup.

Graham, Paul. Startup = Growth.

Week 2_Toan Tran

      Personally, I view Korea as being quite "cool". Growing up, especially around the years of 2009-2012 when I was leaving elementary school and heading into middle school, Korean culture sprung up around my life in the form of Korean Pop music when a good amount of my friends began listening to it. It soon became an image of what was "in" at the time, and from there, Korea's cultural influence began being more and more prevalent around my life and inevitably in others' lives as well. This wave of Korean popular culture, or Hallyu, spread like wildfire. But it is almost unbelievable reading in The Birth of Korean Cool how Korea was not seen as "cool" back in the 1980s when it has gotten to such a high level of national aesthetics today. However, given Korea's long history, it is evident how it was seen the way it was back then. With Korea going through major economic and social reconstruction, it eventually branded itself by building up the network medium everything is broadcast through: the internet. I see the internet as such a great medium—although it does has its downsides—for marketing and Korea definitely took advantage of this as it made internet a priority of sorts for their people. For its long reaches across the entire world, even the little things such as a Korean popular culture hand heart has creeped into people's lives. Personally, I would not know how else they can maximize their level of national aesthetics, but I am now more intrigued in what we are learning and what we learn throughout this course.


References:

Hong, Y. Euny. The Birth of Korean Cool: How One Nation Is Conquering the World through Pop Culture. First edition, Picador, 2014.

Korean Pop with Heart - Google Search. https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS789US789&biw=1440&bih=722&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=ej5GXMyXPMbYtQXmj4jAAg&q=korean+pop+with+heart&oq=korean+pop+with+heart&gs_l=img.3...5960084.5965571..5965973...0.0..1.624.1557.6j5-2......1....1..gws-wiz-img.......0j0i67j0i8i30j0i24.j4Wjp8GJUpY#imgrc=drmA4ySJtQdm1M: Accessed 21 Jan. 2019.

Week 3_Toan Tran

      Reading Living Luxe really opened up my eyes to the paradigm we have been looking through of France. It is interesting to see how France was not seen as exquisite or refined back in the sixteenth century and how it eventually worked its way up to the level of national aesthetics it holds today. However, if France apparently holds a "monopoly" of sorts on culture, style, and refined living, then how did it reach that level? I suppose that with France having Paris as its pillar, it had an advantage to attracting more and more tourists as it outcompeted its other nearby cities such as Venice or London. But this was due to France knowing how to market and it all started back to during the renaissance period when fashion was not so well run as a business. Louix XIV, a former king of France, gave it his all when it came to branding the country to build it to the way it is today. He basically decided that France needed to have a certain unique make to it, so this vision came with food, fashion, architecture, basically anything that he could set his eyes towards. What an ambitious and intelligent man to be able to market France the way that he did, but it was also with the help of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, who assisted in the economic side of things. I suppose that with even more advertising and globalization, it can reach an even higher level of national aesthetics, but at the moment, I feel that France has already made quite a mark on the world.

And as mentioned in the book, French culture is something that also supports its national image when it comes to talking about food, fashion, and fine wines, so this continues to perpetuate this paradigm of France to foreigners.

Refined City Life of Bordeaux, France

References:

DeJean, Joan E. The Essence of Style: How the French Invented High Fashion, Fine Food, Chic Cafés, Style, Sophistication, and Glamour. Free Press, 2005.

Bordeaux France - Google Search. https://www.google.com/search?q=bordeaux+france&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS789US789&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiIl4mD8f3fAhVmFTQIHSUBDscQ_AUIDigB&biw=1440&bih=722#imgrc=3dOVimdQO0kVQM: Accessed 21 Jan. 2019.

Week 3 - Uyen Ngo

When it comes to mainstream films that have a storyline revolving around fashion, such as the popular 2006 classic "The Devil Wears Prada" or even TV shows such as "Friends", Paris is often noted as the goal for the aspiring young protagonist. Paris, or rather France as a whole, has become the world capital for fashion. Due to the fact France has acquired this status for over three centuries now, it is easy to forget the influence of the government or in this case, the monarch, on the national aesthetics of a nation. While it is important to remember that no single person, or even a single body of government, can be responsible for the development of a whole nation, it is key to note that the ruling class is essential in pushing that first step of change.

France is a prime example of the magnitude of influence a ruling class could have, shown with their early King Louis XIV. At a defining moment in his country's history, he was able to make France a country with "a sort of monopoly on culture, style, and luxury living" (Joan 3). It is also important to note that France's success in creating their national image also due to the people. It is mentioned that "France's national image was the product of a collaboration between a king with a vision and some of the most brilliant artists, artisans, and craftspeople of all time" (Joan 9). King Louis XIV was smart in using his resources such as his minister of finance, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, who worked to create a system to favor his nation's economy. 

In connection to my project, while I have not yet concretely decided what issue I wanted to center on, I am certain in focusing on the nation of Vietnam, which is composed of a very young population that is made up of many talented artists and intelligent individuals. So I want to find a way to use that resource as France had three centuries ago. 

Citations

DeJean Joan. 2005. The Essence of Style: How the French Invented High Fashion, Fine Food, Chic Cafes, Style, Sophistication, and Glamour. Free Press: New York

Image: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-2536591/Fashion-amp-beauty-French-women-dont-need-facelifts.html

Week 3. Garcia, Moises

Paris began its majority control over luxury living that still live on to this day, three and half centuries later. This happened because the French understood the importance of marketing; thus, when fashion became French, the fashion industry began, along with concepts such as fashion season that continue to be essential. For the first time, new standards for elegant living transcended all the barriers, both geographic and social, that had previously limited their influence. France knew that this was their golden opportunity and they would not let it pass them; they knew that in order to be successful with their future on fashion they would have to export it all over the world while importing as little as possible. France also became known for their interior decorating during the Versailles era. What allowed the French to also be so successful was the fact that value was not the primary target when coming up with ideas, for example it was not about price or performance, but it was much deeper, it was about intangible factors such as aesthetics and elegance. The French mention that “it’s not enough to offer customers a good product: you have to make them feel special by providing a hefty dose of emotion and drama along with the merchandise. I can connect this to my start up, of wanting to create transportation for children that go to school in El Salvador that have to deal with real danger every time they set foot outside of their home. I want to create an environment that makes the students to feel elegant when riding the bus, so that they know they are important to us; and that is what the government should also be portraying through these actions of creating transportation. At the end of the they are the future of that country and how do you expect to create a culture that is inviting when there is no growth for its own children. 

Citations 

-      http://www.coha.org/education-reform-in-el-salvador-progress-and-challenges/ (picture) 

-      Dejean Joan. 2005. The Essence of Style: How the French Invented High Fashion, Fine Food, Chic Cafes, Style, Sophisticated, and Glamour. Free Press: New York 

Week 2.Garcia, Moises

When you google Korean culture, what comes up is that they are greatly influenced by Japan and Chinese culture. So what Korea do? Well  Korea knew in order start its reinvention it would have to start by banning and getting rid of any pop culture that wasn’t its own so that the competition would only be internal. Korea has then within the past years set itself as the “Blockbuster nation”, for it is the country now that East Asian people look at when it comes to films, music, and playing experiences. This coming from a nation that had a dying film industry in just the 1990s. Korea is now most known for their TV dramas which is the driving force of the Korean Wave. Korea got a lot of their Korean popular culture from imitating American popular culture, even though it aspires to be as different from American as is possibly can.  I believe that Korea is already achieving what it set out to do, which is get their films, music, and gaming to reach the people of Korea and East Asia, and show that they are just as innovative as Japan and China, because even in the US they are known for their kpop which is huge in the states. I can connect this briefly to my startup because like Korea EL Salvador is not very known for its production but rather for what it receives similar to what Korea was before their eruption.

-      Hong, Eung. 2014. The Birth of Korean Cool: How One Nation is Conquering the World Through Pop Culture. Picador: New York 

-      The Journal of Popular Culture, Vol. 44, No. 3, 2011 R 2011, Wiley Periodicals, Inc (Transnationalization of Korean Popular Culture and the Rise of ‘‘Pop Nationalism’’ in Korea)