BLOG 1: Lecture reflection task
When we were first told about the better lives unit, one of the themes was stuck with me the most, diversity. With no surprise, I was drawn immediately to hear the lecture on representation by Teleica Kirkland. This lecture focused on the viewpoint of the black community and how it has been represented in the media. More than ever right now, we are trying to break the eurocentric wall. Social Media has helped to give light to minorities that had not been represented in media the way they should have been.
One of the things that I learned and found fascinating was when she talked about outraged marketing. It’s hard for me to get my head around the fact that people and brands will hurt minority groups on purpose just so their brands are talked about. I guess like everything in society and especially in fashion, money is more important than the social responsibility they have. But its good to see big luxury brands like Gucci, correcting their mistakes and making sure that it will not happen in the future. This is the mentality that brands should have to make sure that the voices of diverse groups are being heard and represented in fashion and media. This lecture has opened my eyes to understand more clearly the difference between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation. Both are separated by a very small like, but now more than ever we have to tools to know what is right from what is wrong.
Overall I think representation is essential, but it has to be done correctly. If you are going to do something, do it with people that are part of the culture, that understand it because if you are going to hurt and disrespect people on the way, do not do it.
After this lecture, I was eager to learn a little more about representation but in other minorities groups, like Asian culture, the lgbtq+ community and also different sizes. There is a lot we can do being part of the fashion industry that will help them feel more comfortable with who they are and whom they want to become. There is something happening at the moment in our society, we are changing, but this change is going to take long, but the more people involved, the better it will be.