Deep Thinky Thoughts at 8 am

Jun 07, 2012 08:59


Okay, so last night I got into a bit of a fight with someone on Twitter. They were attacking anyone who was supportive of Urban Decay's decision to expand into China.

I fought miserably as I don't know much about the issue, but she gave me three last thoughts:

- How, specifically, are they helping gender equality? I am an ardent feminist and I oppose ( Read more... )

journal, random wonderings, human sexuality, twitter

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Comments 7

harkpad02 June 7 2012, 19:26:05 UTC
I find it an interesting question. I have to admit that I didn't have any clue who "Urban Decay" was (I don't wear much makeup and when I do I grab it at Target), so I went to their website and found a statement about their expansion into China ( ... )

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checksandplaid June 7 2012, 22:25:06 UTC
I think that you make a really good point about Urban Decay being a for profit company looking to break into China. But I'm not sure that being Western is enough for a company to get a nice fat slice of the consumer pie over there anymore. Marketing 101: you need a hook to attract consumers. Their brand as a trendy moralist company could be seen as a source of small rebellion for the middle class, kind of like the Afghan Salons from a few years ago.

On a slightly more cynical note: whatever happens in China, their notoriety in the Western Hemisphere has skyrocketed from this. For every person complaining about Westernization and colonialism on Twitter, there's probably at least one willing to fork over some cash to support the cause.

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harkpad02 June 8 2012, 02:41:42 UTC
See, that's just it. They're a for-profit company and they're getting buzz. I just found out who they are because of this. Of course, I know NOTHING about marketing. Obviously they do. . . :)

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book_junkie007 June 7 2012, 23:06:13 UTC
Ah. I own four pieces of makeup which are all Urban Decay, but I bought them last year. I'm not one for buying makeup on a regular basis, either. 99% of the time I wear no makeup at all ( ... )

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checksandplaid June 7 2012, 21:56:16 UTC
Just a quick thought about the last point: it's a strawman argument to say that there are two types of civilizations: helpless savage tribe who need to be rescued from their backwards ways or open, just, democratic society. You can be a civilized society and still be run by oppressive dick heads ( ... )

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book_junkie007 June 8 2012, 00:15:06 UTC
Exactly. There are too many shades of grey to ever come to a definitive answer, whether it's culture, morals, or something else. The world doesn't come in black and white, as much as people would like it to. I think she was an extremist: there's only one way or another, never a middle ground ( ... )

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