4 ms·
Paris-fetishization isn't limited to the japanese. In other asian countries paris is also put on a pedestal as some sort of cultural and fashion peak of civilis
by josai 12y ago
Paris-fetishization isn't limited to the japanese. In other asian countries paris is also put on a pedestal as some sort of cultural and fashion peak of civilisation. Just a few weeks ago I was talking to a thai girl who excitedly told me that her lifelong dream was to go to paris - it's so built up there; marketing, films, the setting for drama, and yet some locals seem to lack the context to apply the same sort of reality checks they'd naturally apply to marketing treatment of something more familiar.
Paris is a lovely city, in parts, but the "media hologram" builds it up as more than that - it's a utopia, the birthplace of romance and art, a lifestyle. And maybe it is, but not the theme park portrayed in the media. So I found myself wondering what that girl really expects if she ever does make it there, and whether reality would match up to her dream.
- po 12y agoRight, like the Paris replica ghost city they built in China. It captures people's imagination as the perfect cultural city: http://www.nextventured.com/2013/china-fake-paris/ http://www.nextventured.com/2013/china-fake-paris/
- w1ntermute 12y agoIt's not just Paris. They also built a Manhattan replica ghost city: http://www.marketplace.org/topics/world/chinas-hangover/china-replica-manhattan-loses-its-luster http://www.marketplace.org/topics/world/chinas-hangover/chin...
- Dewie 12y agoThat fascination sounds kinda like how many young people where I live relate to the US, though for different reasons.
- meowface 12y agoI think many countries hold the same idealization for New York City.