Pop Culture

Popular culture influences me in many ways. Specifically, popular culture has changed the places I want to see, the movies and clothes that I like, the holidays I celebrate, and the way I think. For example, I used to watch many dramas from Hong Kong, so I really wanted to visit Hong Kong. Here in America, I often see Paris in movies and TV shows, so I really want to go to Paris now. Before I came to the U.S., I didn’t watch movies in theaters. Now, I love watching movies in theaters. Popular culture has influenced what clothes I wear. I see models wearing new clothes in fashion shows. A few months later, I see similar clothes in stores and I want to buy them.

Popular culture also influences the holidays that I celebrate. Before I came to the U.S., I didn’t celebrate Christmas and Thanksgiving. However, now I celebrate them because they are important in American culture. When I lived in Japan, I had to wear high heels and make-up every day. Because I lived in Japan, I was influenced by Japanese culture and how women should dress in Japan. Now, I wear casual clothing because it is ok for women in American culture not to always wear make-up or high heels. Popular culture can have a very strong influence on your life.

Cultural Identity

My poster about my cultural identity had many pictures. Some of the pictures I chose included martial arts, calligraphy, and qi pao. First, I chose “Chinese martial arts” because it has a long history in China. I also know Americans like martial arts, especially in movies. Next, I chose a picture of “calligraphy” because it shows how long Chinese history is. Last, I put a picture of “qi pao” because it is still popular in China for special occasions and because I like fashion. Since I have also been influenced by Japan and America, my poster had many small pictures of different Japanese and American things, too!

Reading

I enjoyed the reading “People Like Us” from class the most. When I started to read it, my first thought was, “Why is this article so long and why is the vocabulary so difficult?” However, after reading it, I liked the article a lot. The article made me think about my friends, and how they are mostly similar to me in education and background. Since I am a college graduate, most of my friends are also college graduates. An interesting part of the article is the author says if you chose 12 friends randomly from all Americans, the odds are 6/1000 for half of them to be college graduates. Though this reading, I learned that most Americans (and I) probably don’t know many people from other backgrounds.

Music

Faye Wong is my favorite singer, and she is popular all throughout Asia. My oldest sister gave me Faye Wong CDs when I was in high school. “Eyes on Me” is one of her English songs. I didn’t understand it before this class, but it came on a CD with my favorite Faye Wong song, “Red Bean”. Faye Wong is a Mandopop singer; Mandopop means Mandarin popular music. It was started in Shanghai in the 1920’s. It was influenced by American Jazz and popular music. Teresa Tang is one of the most famous Mandopop singers. Jay Chou and A-Mei are the most famous right now.