I was recently on a trip off my island to the mainland, staying in Wellington. While I was there me and Ziggy and a friend of mine went shopping.
We stopped into the newly refurbished Bendon Lingerie shop so my mate could pick up a bra.
We stepped inside and were greated by mannequins dressed in lingerie sporting thick, black, long, blunt cut wigs.
There were pictures of coy geishas adorning the walls and fortune cookie-style missives above the bra racks.
All the mannequins were obviously supposed to be asian. I found THIS article describing the grand opening and how the shop is actually called the "Asian Exotic Lingerie Store".
Now, is it just me, or is this whole thing just re-inforcing the asian woman = prostitute stereotype? If not then certainly the asian woman = exotic pouting beauty?
I mentioned this to my friend and she said "Well, aren't asian ladies allowed to wear nice undies" but I belive it goes MUCH deeper than this. The store isn't marketed to asian women, nor is anyone asian working in the shop. More like a case of cultural apporiation (see linked article - tea, drums, painted models prancing about, peeking from behind fans!?) to sell knickers if we completely leave out the sexism side of the argument. Anyway, I call Bendon out!!
I would love to get your opinions on this, am I being too sensitive or am I right?
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2 comments:
Man, see... this is why I could never be a feminist. I just don't have the brain cells spare to think this much about stuff. Like your post about that 'it's how we're drinking ad' - I never in a million years would have thought to take it that way.
How pathetic. (Me, that is, not you, who actually DOES the thinking!!)
hehehe... thats why we have the interwebz and blogs so that people who spend too much time thinking can foist their opinions on the unsuspecting public!! :)
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