Looking around my room I was trying to find something to start me off....I saw a picture of the rapper 2pac wearing hes signature bandana with the knot at the front...now i've always recognized the pattern on bandana's but never knew it's origin, either way if I saw the pattern on it's own my first thought would be 'gangster' as these are the people that most wear it whether it be a crip or blood they would always be sporting a bandana with their colours.
So I looked up the pattern and what it meant - It's droplet-shaped fruit/vegetable motif of Indian and Persian origin. The pattern is sometimes called "Persian pickles" by American traditionalists, said to have Hinduism and Zoroastrian ties it is supposed to be a sign of life and eternity. Kind of ironic really as most of the guys wearing these bandanas won't see past 25.
2. Script Writing / Lettering
Originally these type of typefaces were used for making/writing up such things as bibles / war posters and yes still newspapers....but a new type of form of expression has taken up these typefaces - tattoo's - now something that was seen as beautiful and elegant and authoritarian has now been tarnished by the people that would show off this art work more often in public (Rebels, Bikers, Gangsters) making them, 'bad', 'scary', and rebellious.
3. The Barber shop red and white spiral
Now from when barbers were barbers they have always had a red and white (sometimes blue) stripe the only difference is now is that we think it's just a spirally thing that is just supposed to catch our eye and nothing more.
In the middle ages though there was a lot more significance in it and you could say the meaning was lost as the modern barbers don't provide the old services anymore. These lines were meant to represent bloody bandages around a pole as barbers were the surgeons back then had to tend to things such as; tooth extractions, surgery and child birth (the blue part is said to be either a symbol of a freshly cut umbilical cord or homage to the american flag)
In Asia though it is said these poles are also used to signify a brothel or a barber shop posing as a brothel if there a 2 poles.
4. Beauty
It's been said before but look in any fashion magazine these days and the woman that is perceved as beautiful is one that pretty much weighs a quarter of what she is in height.
But you look back to the days of the rennaisance what was seen as beautiful then was a more vuloptous woman with a fuller and rounder face.
What exactly brought about this change i can't say for sure but my guess would be that a larger woman meant a more wealthier woman, a woman many would look up to and hips to bear a child....and who do women look up to now? the models that walk down the runway that have to squeeze there bodies into the new designer dress that reflects the new Independent woman of today's society.
5. Japanese School Uniforms
What was probably seen as a boring and stale form of attire for most people has turned into it's own fun fashion trend and has also gone mainstream by being perceived as 'kawaii' (cute).
J-pop and manga rocketed this trend as they also wanted to be perceived as 'kawaii' and or innocent by their fans and although their is some customization to their 'weekend' uniforms they are still uniforms, so japan has definitely left it's mark.
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