by Aria Hsia(photo: Vogue)
As the days grow colder and the nights grow longer, most people find themselves layering clothes on their bodies to keep themselves warm and to hide the fact that they may have gained a few extra pounds in the upcoming holiday season. A specific group of women, however, are working against the current as they train even harder to maintain abs of steel even when the days of sunbathing by the beach are long gone. Each year, right before Christmas season, lingerie empire Victoria’s Secret puts on their annual fashion extravaganza with musical performances by the hottest artists. It is a spectacular display of fashion and art, yet simultaneously a testament to the vanity and superfluous indulgence of Americans. Each year, millions of viewers tune in to watch the “Victoria’s Secret Angels” strut down the runway in their sparkly bras and enormous wings, and wonder what their beauty secrets are. Millions of more girls and young women stare at the screen, at the models with their perfectly curled hair, dazzling white teeth and legs that stretch for miles, then back at their own reflection in the mirror, and begin to hate what they see. With so many young girls watching the show and being exposed to those standards, they begin to believe in that definition of beauty. The 2010s have been defined by groundbreaking business moves that pushed for inclusivity and diversity, in terms of race, size and gender. More and more businesses have adapted to the changing scheme of consumer preferences, yet Victoria’s Secret remains static in their will for advancement. (photo: Vogue) Victoria’s Secret has never been clean of scandal; the show caused controversy as early as 2002, when PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) rushed the catwalk with signs protesting the use of animal fur. Among the earlier controversies was one that occured right after the show’s first television broadcast, with complaints that the show was inappropriate for television. The brand has also been been criticized for their insensitivity towards cultural appropriation, due to their costumes that were “inspired” and “borrowed” from certain cultures, including Native American headdresses, African tribal tattoos, and Asian fabric patterns. In 2017, the show was held in Shanghai, a decision that was supposed to demonstrate Victoria’s Secret’s cultural inclusivity and global impact, yet ended up under fire once again. Gigi Hadid, arguably one of the most sought-after models of the decade, was severely criticized after a video of her allegedly “mocking Asians” by squinting her eyes to imitate a Buddha cookie surfaced on the internet. Hadid apologized and was subsequently removed from the show, and Chinese fans were more than happy at the news. Hadid, a household name in the fashion industry, is among the top earning models of the 21st century along with Kendall Jenner. The new generation of Angels is another debatable subject, as many deem the two young models unworthy of their success due to their prestigious family backgrounds. Compared to previous models who worked their way to the top, Jenner was criticized when she revealed that she was “super selective” of the shows that she would do — a luxury that only seems to be applicable to those born into wealth. (photo: Evening Standard) Victoria’s Secret is currently the leading brand and largest retailer of women’s lingerie in the United States, but does their fashion show reflect the same success? Recent statistics have shown that their viewer ratings are slipping, and at a faster rate than they can afford. In 2017, the viewer rate dropped to under 5 million viewers, 32% less than the previous year’s. This year around, the number diminished to just around 3.3 million. It is a stark contrast to the show’s peak in 2001, when 12.4 million viewers tuned in. Their drop in ratings should come as no surprise, as they have continuously been under fire for their refusal to make meaningful changes, notably in representation by hiring women of color, plus-size models, or transgender models. The first Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show was held at the Plaza Hotel in New York City in 1995. Watching clips of the 1995 show, it is remarkable how much the fashion industry has evolved in the recent decade. Where were the massive wings and all the glitz and glam? Early shows featured models in intricately designed lingerie, and the central focus was on the garments themselves. The runway was completely bare save for the Victoria’s Secret brand name printed on the backdrop — there were no flashy sets, no crystal chandeliers, no performing artists, and no backup dancers. The audience’s attention was solely on the models and their statement lingerie. Even their lingerie was different — the models wore products that were actually from their catalogue and that customers could purchase. (photo: allure) What does the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show say about us as consumers? Perhaps the current generation is so easily swayed by flashy packaging, merely glamming up their marketing stunt is enough to make us believe that we too, can look just like those “angels.” But what we see on screen is only an illusion — once the lights dim and their hair and makeup are removed, perhaps these models are just as ordinary as we are, just a few feet taller. Regardless of the comments that defend the show as a display of art and creativity, at the core, the Victoria’s Secret Fashion show is a marketing ploy that we as consumers indulge in to satisfy our ever-expanding desire for beauty and perfection. But at the end of the day, if it continues to resist change and deny its customers what they want, it’s hard to envision the show’s relevance in the next decade.
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by Peter WangWhen I first went to Shanghai, I was amazed by the fact that only EVs (electric vehicles) could be seen on the road. What happens in Taipei, however, is quite the opposite. Every day I am bombarded with vehicles roaring by and also suffer from the disgusting exhaust lingering behind them. That’s when I started to pay attention to EVs in Taiwan and found that the electric scooter business was actually growing here. In this article, I will briefly introduce Gogoro and Wemo.
Gogoro is a Taiwan-based electric scooter brand that has taken the scooter market by storm. As the public grows increasingly aware of environmental issues in recent years, the idea of green transport also starts to bloom, especially among younger generations, boosting the sales of electric scooters. In November, the start-up company marked its highest market share in its three-year history, hitting 13.37% of the entire motorcycle/scooter market. And among all the electric scooters licensed, Gogoro itself accounts for 82.46 %, taking the lead in the industry. However, despite the success of Gogoro, whether or not electric scooters are really in every aspect better than the old-fashioned ones is still the subject of ongoing debate. The strengths of electric scooters are obvious: powered by rechargeable batteries, electric scooters not only create zero carbon emission on the road, but also greatly reduce the unnecessary noise that gas-powered scooters make. Other reasons why more and more people are jumping on the bandwagon vary. For example, electric scooters are lightweight, thus they have better acceleration performance. Marching under the banner of saving the planet, Gogoro, or electric scooters in general, still face criticism. Those who oppose them are suspicious whether their power is really green. If battery power comes from the electricity generated in fossil-fuel power plants, which is responsible for 80% of Taiwan’s energy supply, EVs are still harming Earth. The problem thus boils down to one thing–whether we can produce pure green energy or not. Probably the major concern of Gogoro users is that the battery swapping stations are only easily accessible in big cities. On the East coast and in Kenting, there are only about 20 stations, out of a total of 750. It seems that there is still a long way to go if Taiwan is to popularize the use of electric vehicles. Another recent development is the 2-year-old electric scooter share system known as Wemo. It has already become an integral part of downtown Taipei, providing great convenience for over 70,000 Wemo members. This October, Wemo further expanded its service area to Beitou and Wenshan district, covering almost all of Taipei City. In response to the growing demand, Wemo will go into service in parts of New Taipei City next year. To put it simply, Wemo is the ultimate version of U-Bike. Users can simply pick up a scooter left by the previous user at any place, since the scooter is not required to be returned to any kind of station. To find a scooter, users can check on the Wemo app and see if there’s one available nearby. Once you unlock and start the scooter by a simple click on your phone screen, the dashboard will light up and show you the remaining power and the mileage before the scooter dies. In short, everything is operated through the app, from starting the engine to opening the storage compartment under the seat, where you can find two helmets to hit the road. The service is especially suitable for those who only need one-way rides, which happens to be the case for most people. After each ride, users simply have to park the scooter in a public parking space and make a payment for that ride on the Wemo app. This totally saves the hassle of returning scooters to fixed stations, which can be another 10-minute walk from where you really want to go. As for the pricing, it is generally considered inexpensive. For users under 24, it is 9 dollars (NTD) for the first 6 minutes of each ride (which means if you only have a 4 minute ride, you still have to pay a fixed 9 dollar fee) and an extra 1.5 dollars for each additional minute. With Gogoro, Wemo, and many other EVs, people now have more options to go green, not to mention the favorable government incentives that make people have more reasons to do so. Hopefully in the near future, Taipei can become a more environmental and citizen friendly city with less noise and pollution. by Chris Lynd 林持一In 2009, caught by the evil web of online social media, I embarked on my journey into an abyss of the depreciation of human values. After nearly one decade of abduction, I broke free, quitting social media altogether. To some, it may sound incredible, given that the whole society has not just been addicted to, but poisoned by social media for over ten good years. The reasons for my decision are not relevant; what’s important is what I have observed since then.
Before I start, let me show you some figures:
So why is social media so damnable? Why is it the new opium? Problems of social media The online social media network is the extension of people’s lives into a virtual world. People are addicted to the virtual world because it’s fun to do things behind a screen, without interacting with others in reality. But in fact, social media no longer stays virtual — it becomes our reality. Social media is the ultimate embodiment of human hubris, selfishness and desire. People post their lives and thoughts online to draw attention, considering the contents so meaningful, worthy and important that everyone should be interested. The ‘glamour’ generated by likes and comments becomes so crucial that people can’t live without it. Through such, social media hypnotises people to believe that posting a picture and some description suddenly constitutes who you are. It’s self-involvement, all about yourself, not others. However, without the likes and comments, it wouldn’t have worked at all. If we break down the action of posting a selfie, for instance, here’s what we get:
In addition, relationships between people in social media is based on a crazy assumption: you read their posts and pictures and you think you know them. You may be their follower but you know nothing. It’s only virtual knowledge. Also, sharing your personal life on the Internet can be harmful to you, no matter with an exclusive, selected audience or not. I once did a controversial stalking experiment with a mate to find out just how dangerous it is to expose your life on the Internet:
What social media does to us It threatens our mental health. As more and more people tend to read on their phones and write short sentences in a post, our patience attention span and concentration levels have decreased. When it comes to physical health, it gets worse. Beside the vision problems after gluing our eyes to the screen for too long, more and more youngsters are being diagnosed with cervical spondylotic myelopathy, or spinal cord compression, originally a disease that mainly suffered by elderly people. Thanks to social media and smartphone, its enforcer of darkness, the disease is now common among young people, too. Apart from the threats to our health, it also sabotages our perceptions badly. Social media is not a trustworthy source for news. The Internet is a wasteland. People publish news stories on social media everyday, and without proper editing and fact-checking, they are not necessarily accurate or true. Everyone can post, so be careful with news sources when you are looking at the world through the eyes of social media. However, the worst impact of social media is the twisted meaning of making friends that it introduces to human beings. Social media has revolutionised our concept of making friends and how to maintain them. Traditionally, we meet some people somewhere, and after a while of knowing them, we may become friends. It’s based on trust and mutual understanding. However, in social media, the word ‘friend’ becomes a different term, more like a ‘contact’ rather than a good mate. Online friendships are based on profile sharing. Without real interaction like eye and physical contact, online friendship is fragile. There’s no trust if you don’t know others in real life; and without trust, a relationship — any relationship — cannot last. After quitting social media Not being attached to social media anymore, my life seems to be lightened. Just one week after I quit, according to a brilliant new usage tracking function on my phone called ‘Screen Time,’ my average time of phone use decreased by 32 per cent. It was so astonishing that immediately I told all my (real) friends about it. I start to wonder how social media is harming our civilisation. Another week later, I began to read books while commuting. Gradually, my ability to read returned. On my way somewhere, I’m now capable of appreciating the trees, architecture, streets and even the people who are using their phones. I’ve got back my ability to observe and think. I’m living as happily as a child. With so many things to learn and appreciate in the real world, we should just leave the virtual world behind. The social media is the last word of both human intelligence and stupidity. Maybe it’s a great tool when it comes to business, but for your private life? Just avoid. by Chienn Tai How many times have you overdosed on caffeine or smoked half a pack of cigarettes by lunchtime just to make yourself focused in class or on your work? And somehow you still failed? Is there no alternative to these stimuli?
How about microdosing on Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (a.k.a. LSD or “acid”)? Wait a minute, you might say, is this article really encouraging people to take drugs in class or at work? Strictly speaking, yes, but it also has more to convey. Psychedelic drugs used in very small amounts might actually contribute a lot to your academic performance, helping you to concentrate more on your daily work. Let’s take a look at the history of this renowned hallucinogen. You may have heard of Bicycle Day on 19 April, but its origin was not exactly a celebration of the bicycle. In fact, it was more about the very first “acid trip” experienced by the Swiss chemist,Albert Hofmann (1906-2008), the one who discovered the psychic effects of LSD while riding home one day from his lab. Ever since then, LSD has been on the street and widely used and experienced by different groups of people—from young people who party, artists who compose, and psychologists who ponder the development of the human brain. Later in Hofmann’s life, he got a chance to speak with Steve Jobs, who boldly stated that “taking LSD was a profound experience, one of the most important things in my life.” In fact, a lot of successful people including Bill Gates and the Beatleshave openly discussed their relationship with this particular substance. Further, a number of recent movies, such as Limitless(2011),Lucy(2014), and even the Marvel production of Doctor Strange (2016) have explored related ideas of brain development. Even though none of them directly mentions LSD, each film includes representations of similar substances. But how does LSD work on the human brain? Take a look at the fMRI scan shown below. LSD lightens up the dormant areas of the brain and awakens even the parts of it that are usually dark (which means that they are not used or not functioning). It has been compared to “a symphony of neurons firing.” It helps boost the connections between different parts of the brain, further allowing them to be utilized to their utmost. Different from other substances such as heroine, morphine, meth, and ketamine, all of which are highly addictive, LSD is a relatively harmless substance to the human brain. Have you ever heard of someone overdosing on LSD? Probably not. But it’s true that LSD trips can go wild and totally out of control, as it provides an alternative state of consciousness; once it is oriented into a bad direction, a so-called “bad trip,” it can indeed lead to traumatic consequences. Sometimes it can even permanently change an individual’s personality. However, microdosing does not create this problem. The dosage is so small that it doesn’t create any disorientation or chemical-induced hallucinations. A growing number of young professionals in Silicon Valley take psychedelic drugs to help improve their performance at work, but a small dosage only, which is approximately one-tenth of the recreational dosage (50-100 micrograms).Silicon Valleyhas a long history of psychedelic drug use to boost creativity, but now many companies are actively encouraging people to experiment with microdosing. However, there is still a long way to go before the general public are educated enough to accept it. No doubt LSD remains controversial, because people fear that it will lead to another example of substance abuse, which has caused many problems in the last century. Nevertheless, if human beings learn how to use it in moderation we can explore the idea of making our minds even more active and more inter-connected, and, hopefully, of changing the world for the better by Aria Hsia (image: tabitabi-taipei.com)
Breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day, and should also be the most nutritional. Studies have shown that in addition to kickstarting your metabolism helping you burn calories throughout the day, breakfast also provides sustenance and energy for whatever lies ahead. Some people prefer to sit down and enjoy a full spread on the table, yet those running late may simply opt for a plain cup of coffee. In a busy city like Taipei, there are so many breakfast options for you to choose from, so there really is no excuse to skip such an important meal. Here is a closer look at the variety of options, and how breakfast has evolved in Taiwan throughout history. Japanese Occupation (1895-1945) Back in the old days, before Taiwanese people had the luxury of feasting on McMuffins and pancakes from mass chain restaurants like McDonald’s, they used to eat much more traditional foods in the mornings. I’m talking congee, pickles, and youtiao (油條;fried dough). Taiwan was originally a rural country, with the majority of the population being farmers. Having enough energy was vital for working long hours in the fields under the scorching sun. Under Japanese colonial rule, Taiwan was heavily influenced in terms of diet. Miso soup was incorporated into their morning meals, along with a steaming bowl of congee. In addition to miso soup recipes, the Japanese also passed along the western trend of cafes, known in Japanese as kissaten(喫茶店). In 1912, the introduction of western cuisine lead to the creation of Taiwan’s first westernized cafe, Lion Cafe, which served coffee, milk, toast and eggs. The Japanese soon realized that their heavily rice-based diet restricted their daily vitamin intake, thus began to encourage the population to substitute white rice with oats and other whole grains, along with milk and toast. Post World War II The end of World War II signaled a massive wave of cultural resurgence when the KMT troops retreated to Taiwan, bringing their traditions along with them. Northern China is well known for their expertise in dough-based foods, from buns, pastries, to noodles, as rice was hard to grow in the harsh weather conditions of the north. Their recipes gradually trickled down into the Taiwanese public, and was well received. In the 1960s and 70s, baseball was all the rage. Even my parents could recall tuning in to watch livestreams of the game in the ungodly hours of the night. To combat their cravings for a midnight snack, they often turned to the only store that remained open — soy milk restaurants, what we call doujiangdian (豆漿店). Doujiangdian menus were largely influenced by the flavors of northern China, and have remained largely the same throughout the decades. The must have items include soy milk, shaobing (燒餅; pastry) with egg and youtiao, rice ball, danbing (蛋餅; breakfast wrap with egg), and steamed buns. To experience the doujiang hype for myself, I paid a visit to the immensely popular doujiangdian called Ruian Soy Milk with a couple of friends. A ten minute bike from the NTU campus, Ruian Soy Milk is nestled around the street corner of a quiet neighborhood. From outside, the shop looked seemingly old and inconspicuous, but the newspaper clippings pinned to the walls said otherwise. A big reason for Ruian Soy Milk’s popularity is probably due to the fact that it is open 24 hours, thus satisfying NTU students’ midnight cravings. A quick look at the menu confirmed that this was in fact a very traditional breakfast place. Soy milk was at the top of the list, along with a few other common breakfast beverages such as rice milk and milk tea. Between the four of us girls, we ordered scallion pancake, turnip cake, danbing, xiaolongbao (小籠包soup dumplings), youtiao, and xiandoujaing (鹹豆漿; salty soy milk). As pictured below, we enjoyed quite a feast. I was familiar with everything on the table except for xiandoujaing, which I had heard of, but never had the courage to try before. It is simply plain soy milk with an extra shot of vinegar and some spring onions sprinkled for garnish. The acidity of the vinegar reacts with the soy milk, causing it to clump up and form a thicker texture. Although it didn’t look the most appetizing, it was not an unpleasant taste and I can see myself ordering this in the future. The combination of xiaolongbao and doujiang, and left a warm and comforting feeling in my stomach, and made it worth getting up early in the morning. No wonder my parents loved to stay up late watching the baseball games. The Emergence of Fast-Food Chains In 1984, the first McDonald’s opened in Taiwan. It was a revolutionary move, as the clean, brightly-lit atmosphere not only transformed Taiwanese people’s taste for food, but their taste for their eating environment. In the past, breakfast shops were mostly dim-lit and sparsely decorated, sometimes even a stall set up by the street. McDonald’s air-conditioned and sanitary dining space inspired breakfast shop owners to step their game and reinvent their image. One man in particular, Kun-yan Lin, caught on fast. He noticed the simplicity yet popularity of hamburgers, and decided to sell sandwiches and burgers instead of the traditional menu. His breakfast shop was called Mei Er Mei (美而美), and went on to become the equivalent of McDonald’s in Taiwan’s breakfast world. I am quite familiar with Mei Er Mei style breakfast, as it is the most accessible and common breakfast shop in Taiwan. You can spot at least one in every neighborhood, and in extreme cases like my neighborhood, there are four on the same street all within a one minute walking distance. Despite their menu being advertised as “western” back in the 80s, it is now regarded as a staple and iconic Taiwanese cuisine. What sets Mei Er Mei breakfast shops apart from others is their reliance on the griddle — instead of cooking with pots and pans, their chefs cook everything on the sizzling hot metal surface. Their variety of options on the menu is also a huge selling point, as they offer basic breakfast items like sandwiches and danbing but also more unique foods we typically don’t eat for breakfast, like fried noodles. As I don’t eat noodles for breakfast on a daily basis, I thought I would try it out for the sake of research. I ordered the most common noodle dish, tiebanmian (鐵板麵; skillet fried noodles), which is essentially noodles served with a mushroom sauce. The mushroom sauce is the same kind of sauce they serve with steak at Taiwanese style steakhouses, a sticky orange liquid with slices of mushroom. The noodles admittedly weren’t my favorite, but I appreciated the variety of breakfast Mei Er Mei had to offer. The second breakfast shop I visited that I categorized as more “modern” and “westernized” was an independent shop in my neighborhood called Hot Heart Lulu. From the store’s exterior, I immediately guessed that the owner was young and hoped to draw customers with its “Instagramable” aesthetics. The tables, benches, and countertops were all made of same beige wooden material, and the walls were decorated with cute little drawings of flowers. I noticed that the majority of customers ordered at the counter, and waited for their food to be served, instead of ordering to-go in a hurry. It seemed much more like a brunch stop or cafe instead of a typical Taiwanese breakfast shop like Mei Er Mei. Their menu also included an impressive assortment of beverages, from caramel milk teas to hazelnut lattes, confirming my thought that this store doubled as a cafe after breakfast hours. I chose the most popular item off their menu and luckily I had my sister to share it with me, otherwise I could not have finished the massive meal by myself. The impressive set included toast, scrambled eggs, a slice of bacon and pork cutlet, hash brown, salad, and yogurt, all for 120 NT dollars. How anyone is expected to finish this alone for breakfast beats me. The elaborate placement of the meal made me realize how much breakfast has evolved in Taiwan, simply by aesthetic terms. It seems that breakfast shops not only emphasize on taste, but also how well their food photographs and appears on our phone screens. While the purpose of eating breakfast used to only be about filling our stomachs for energy, it has evolved into an activity that allows us to indulge ourselves with good food and good company. |
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The Taida Student Journal has been active since 1995 with an ever-changing roster of student journalists at NTU. Click the above link to read about the authors Archives
May 2024
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