Who am I? Hmmmmm, I ask myself this question everyday. Who am I? Most people loathe getting older, but I embrace it. In my mid 30's I have finally found out who I am and what I desire. Kingston, Jamaica is the origin of my birth. I am proud to be Jamaican and also half Chinese. My father is 2nd generation Chinese, born and raised in Jamaica. Yes, we do have lots of Chinese in Jamaica, as well as White Jamaican. Israeli's, Germans, Indians, Syrians, and other ethniticies. Our country's motto "IS Out Of Many One People," which Obama used in his inauguration speech. Jamaicans all over the world were so proud to hear Obama use our motto to the masses. What that motto represents is the mixture of races all in one. Bob Marley sang out loud, "One Love," to show the world we are all one. The divsion among race is obsurd and utterly ridiculous. We are out of many one people, therefore, we are so mixed up that race does not exist. Almost every Jamaican has a mixture of races in their family. America is not so far behind. In ten or more years America, or the world for that matter, will not be able to classify people by race any more.
For instance, in my wedding picture to the left you will see my two sisters, one who is black and the other Chinese. I know, I know it is strange, but for Jamaica it is the norm. My father who is full Chinese was married to a Chinese lady before my mother. So, I have a full Chinese, half sister. My mother was also previously married, to a black man, so I have a full black, half sister. I guess I am in between both of them, which is pretty cool in my eyes.
My father is full Chinese and my mother is half black, a quarter Australlian, and a quarter East Indian. I have all races in my ethnicity and love it!!! My husband is a Russian/Polish Jew who was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetuts. We have two little boys, Jude is 7 years old and Zen is 2 years old. Our children are the epitome of a Bennetton ad. We educate our children of all their cultures and they embrace it with intrigue and grace. Are they confused? Not in the least! More than anything else they love it! Their life is full of colours and different cultures. My children do not see colour because they are exposed to different races on a daily basis.
I was raised the same way..
Living in Jamaica I never saw race, because we are not a race focused society. Although, we are extremely classist which isn't any better. We do not have applications asking your race? A census? or anything like that. So, when I moved to the States I was lost. Can you say culture shock??? Race? What is that???
I moved to Miami in the summer of 1986. I was in Junior highschool and did not make much friends. The Black American girls did not like me, because I was not black enough, the White Americans did not like me because of the obvious, the Chinese did not like me because I was a half breed, only the latinas accepted me because they came from a mixed culture as well, but I was left out of many conversations due to the language barrier.
After the mid 80's Miami became the hub for caribbean countries. Jamaicans, Trinidadians, Caribbeans in general starting flocking to my school, so after awhile I found my own people, which was great to feel accepted. Except, I became very bored hanging out with Caribbean people all the time. I wanted to venture out and hang out with every one. I had my Jamaican posse but accrued friends from many other clicks as well. I find my husband commenting to our friends that, "Yanicke can hang out with the reddest red neck, to the thug on the street corner, to the yuppie at Berkley, to the aristocratic Russian, to the Rasta man from Jamaica and I love her for that." If I am surrounded by one type of crowd I find myself becoming dissatisfied. Why do you ask? I want variety! I love variety in people, films, food, fashion, etc. There is not one way for me. I find being in a bubble quite boring and trust me I get bored easily.
Who am I? I have to say I am a person who is a believer of a colour blind society. Culture is the cornerstone of who I am. I can be some what political and a protesting advocate in many ways, which I will not get into because that is a whole other blog. I was a Fashion Deisnger for a couple of years graduating from fashion school, but after having children I did not find any substance in the field. I am currently pursuing my teaching credentials and would love to teach inner city elementary schools. Those children need some one to believe in them. They tend to fall between the cracks and I want to help them succeed. Wow, I feel like I am answering a beauty pageant question for world peace..
Anyhoo, my past time hobbies are painting, cooking, yoga, jogging, reading, and most of all dancing. Everything from Afro Cuban Jazz to Hip hop. I live through music. Music plays continously in my house. I love mixing with people from other cultures and gaining knowlegde from my friendships. The two things that get under my skin are "know it alls" and "Snobs." I have an adaptable personality but cannot extend my energy to people who think they above or better than any one else.
My life is interesting and colourful. I have friends all over the globe and have many cultures incorporated into my family and would not have it any other way. The world is my playground... One love.
For instance, in my wedding picture to the left you will see my two sisters, one who is black and the other Chinese. I know, I know it is strange, but for Jamaica it is the norm. My father who is full Chinese was married to a Chinese lady before my mother. So, I have a full Chinese, half sister. My mother was also previously married, to a black man, so I have a full black, half sister. I guess I am in between both of them, which is pretty cool in my eyes.
My father is full Chinese and my mother is half black, a quarter Australlian, and a quarter East Indian. I have all races in my ethnicity and love it!!! My husband is a Russian/Polish Jew who was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetuts. We have two little boys, Jude is 7 years old and Zen is 2 years old. Our children are the epitome of a Bennetton ad. We educate our children of all their cultures and they embrace it with intrigue and grace. Are they confused? Not in the least! More than anything else they love it! Their life is full of colours and different cultures. My children do not see colour because they are exposed to different races on a daily basis.
I was raised the same way..
Living in Jamaica I never saw race, because we are not a race focused society. Although, we are extremely classist which isn't any better. We do not have applications asking your race? A census? or anything like that. So, when I moved to the States I was lost. Can you say culture shock??? Race? What is that???
I moved to Miami in the summer of 1986. I was in Junior highschool and did not make much friends. The Black American girls did not like me, because I was not black enough, the White Americans did not like me because of the obvious, the Chinese did not like me because I was a half breed, only the latinas accepted me because they came from a mixed culture as well, but I was left out of many conversations due to the language barrier.
After the mid 80's Miami became the hub for caribbean countries. Jamaicans, Trinidadians, Caribbeans in general starting flocking to my school, so after awhile I found my own people, which was great to feel accepted. Except, I became very bored hanging out with Caribbean people all the time. I wanted to venture out and hang out with every one. I had my Jamaican posse but accrued friends from many other clicks as well. I find my husband commenting to our friends that, "Yanicke can hang out with the reddest red neck, to the thug on the street corner, to the yuppie at Berkley, to the aristocratic Russian, to the Rasta man from Jamaica and I love her for that." If I am surrounded by one type of crowd I find myself becoming dissatisfied. Why do you ask? I want variety! I love variety in people, films, food, fashion, etc. There is not one way for me. I find being in a bubble quite boring and trust me I get bored easily.
Who am I? I have to say I am a person who is a believer of a colour blind society. Culture is the cornerstone of who I am. I can be some what political and a protesting advocate in many ways, which I will not get into because that is a whole other blog. I was a Fashion Deisnger for a couple of years graduating from fashion school, but after having children I did not find any substance in the field. I am currently pursuing my teaching credentials and would love to teach inner city elementary schools. Those children need some one to believe in them. They tend to fall between the cracks and I want to help them succeed. Wow, I feel like I am answering a beauty pageant question for world peace..
Anyhoo, my past time hobbies are painting, cooking, yoga, jogging, reading, and most of all dancing. Everything from Afro Cuban Jazz to Hip hop. I live through music. Music plays continously in my house. I love mixing with people from other cultures and gaining knowlegde from my friendships. The two things that get under my skin are "know it alls" and "Snobs." I have an adaptable personality but cannot extend my energy to people who think they above or better than any one else.
My life is interesting and colourful. I have friends all over the globe and have many cultures incorporated into my family and would not have it any other way. The world is my playground... One love.
Growing up in a third world country there were many material things that was a rarity. Like any other young nine year old girl all I wanted was an American Barbie. Living in Jamaica at the time in the mid 80's, if
some one owned a barbie doll they won a popularity contest among their
peers. It did not matter what social background you belonged to,
because for that moment you were the coolest girl on the island. I remember the day I finally got a real Barbie doll from my father who returned from a business trip abroad.
Looking back I remember holding my Barbie and staring at her beautiful yellow (blond) hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. Then I noticed something..... BOOBS! What are those? The first thing I did when I received my Barbie was undress her. I couldn't help it! She had a tight outfit on and two obscene mounds on her chest which were captivating my innocent mind. Being a nine year old girl I was curious. After a month of playing with my doll, her hair was cut short and she no longer wore clothes. She became a nudist over night. Come on whose Barbie wasn't naked all the time? Once in awhile you would come across a little girl who had her Barbie dressed in the latest styles and sat bored in her pink Corvette, but most had their barbies in their birthday suits.
One thing that stood out to me about my Barbie was that she did not look like me: multicultural. I know even today it must be difficult to find a Barbie half Chinese and half Jamaican, but at least ethnic. There are quite a few ethnic Barbies today but back then forget it. I remember looking at my Barbie with her blond hair and blue eyes and feeling insecure about my ethnicity. When I moved to America a couple years later that Barbie image haunted my mind. My first day of school I saw Barbie look a likes all around me, making me feel like I did not belong to this society. That day I went home and felt resentment towards my doll. I did not play with her for months until my mom surprised me with Ken. It was all over!
Barbie introduced me to SEX. At this time I was 12 years old and very curious about my body and the male's body. I remember Ken looking even prettier than Barbie, go figure. There were countless days when my friends and I played house with our Barbie and Ken doll. Barbie and Ken always started out as friends, then mommy and daddy, then humping each other in the front seat of the Corvette. Were we horny pre teens or did our dolls have a hidden agenda? Did these dolls arouse our curiousity by their over sized boobs and big bulge? Thinking back, I didn't play with my other dolls in this fashion. Why is that?
Emily Prager explains in her article, Our Barbies, Ourselves "the damaging effect of a doll that establishes such an impossible standard of physical perfection for little girls - and for little boys who grow up expecting their girlfriends to look like Barbie." Being a young girl playing with these dolls creates a certain pressure to look like the American sweetheart. For instance, the little girls in those kid beauty pageants are made up to look like a barbie doll. Some even use fake teeth and contacts with adult like hairstyles. The resemblence is scary but they look identical to Barbie. These dolls condition little girls to be obsessed with an unrealistic vanity and materialism. Remember Barbie also comes with a BMW, cell phone, and credit cards. Prager also reveals in her article the death of Jack Ryan, who was the consultant at Mattel and also the designer of Barbie. Ha! Ha! Now I understand a man designed Barbie. Is that why she had such vuluptious boobs? It all makes sense now. When you think about it Barbie looks like your stereotypical slutty, airhead on the cheerleading team. I wonder if the same man made Ken? Years later I had to ask myself the question. Was Ken gay?
Looking back I remember holding my Barbie and staring at her beautiful yellow (blond) hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. Then I noticed something..... BOOBS! What are those? The first thing I did when I received my Barbie was undress her. I couldn't help it! She had a tight outfit on and two obscene mounds on her chest which were captivating my innocent mind. Being a nine year old girl I was curious. After a month of playing with my doll, her hair was cut short and she no longer wore clothes. She became a nudist over night. Come on whose Barbie wasn't naked all the time? Once in awhile you would come across a little girl who had her Barbie dressed in the latest styles and sat bored in her pink Corvette, but most had their barbies in their birthday suits.
One thing that stood out to me about my Barbie was that she did not look like me: multicultural. I know even today it must be difficult to find a Barbie half Chinese and half Jamaican, but at least ethnic. There are quite a few ethnic Barbies today but back then forget it. I remember looking at my Barbie with her blond hair and blue eyes and feeling insecure about my ethnicity. When I moved to America a couple years later that Barbie image haunted my mind. My first day of school I saw Barbie look a likes all around me, making me feel like I did not belong to this society. That day I went home and felt resentment towards my doll. I did not play with her for months until my mom surprised me with Ken. It was all over!
Barbie introduced me to SEX. At this time I was 12 years old and very curious about my body and the male's body. I remember Ken looking even prettier than Barbie, go figure. There were countless days when my friends and I played house with our Barbie and Ken doll. Barbie and Ken always started out as friends, then mommy and daddy, then humping each other in the front seat of the Corvette. Were we horny pre teens or did our dolls have a hidden agenda? Did these dolls arouse our curiousity by their over sized boobs and big bulge? Thinking back, I didn't play with my other dolls in this fashion. Why is that?
Emily Prager explains in her article, Our Barbies, Ourselves "the damaging effect of a doll that establishes such an impossible standard of physical perfection for little girls - and for little boys who grow up expecting their girlfriends to look like Barbie." Being a young girl playing with these dolls creates a certain pressure to look like the American sweetheart. For instance, the little girls in those kid beauty pageants are made up to look like a barbie doll. Some even use fake teeth and contacts with adult like hairstyles. The resemblence is scary but they look identical to Barbie. These dolls condition little girls to be obsessed with an unrealistic vanity and materialism. Remember Barbie also comes with a BMW, cell phone, and credit cards. Prager also reveals in her article the death of Jack Ryan, who was the consultant at Mattel and also the designer of Barbie. Ha! Ha! Now I understand a man designed Barbie. Is that why she had such vuluptious boobs? It all makes sense now. When you think about it Barbie looks like your stereotypical slutty, airhead on the cheerleading team. I wonder if the same man made Ken? Years later I had to ask myself the question. Was Ken gay?
Every year Americans sit in front on their television sets anticipating the Super Bowl game and the racy commercial ads which captivates us with laughter and intrigue. Through out the years the beer commercials have reigned their 5 minutes slot as the king of all ads. Their mesmerizing catchy phrases like, "Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaas up" became a part of every day lingo for every person from 16 years old to 30 years old. I remember being overly annoyed by my neighbors who would always yell that ridiculous phrase at me instead of just saying, "Hello" like a normal person. It was cute at first and then it spiraled into repetitive over kill. Just like the popular phrase, "Help me I can't get up" in the early 80's. Until this day I still cannot figure out what that commercial was about.
Superbowl commercials have always been egdy, hip, and sexy. Their commercials are known for their sexy ads using supermodels, catchy phrases, hip music, or celebrities. No matter what they are selling they all seem to use the same material. I mean what else could get our attention?
This year the super bowl ads targeted a new market; children. Can the recession of our economy be to blame? Are these companies becoming more and more desperate to sell their product? It is one thing to use sex or celebrities to sell your product but targeting children to drink Pepsi by having cute animated bees and lady bugs drinking the beverage, or animated lizards with a diamond grill on their teeth while drinking SoBe beverage is at a all time low.
The advertising companies have researched their consumer and has realized that children are the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Kids are attracted to bright colors, animation, animals, and music. Once our children are hooked to the product the begging begins. The advertisers know that no matter how inadequate our financial situation is presently with the struggling economy, parents cannot say "no" to their children. Are we a culture that cannot say no to our children? Is our culture so shallow to allow the advertising gimmicks to alter our perception of what is satisfactory for our youth? Advertising only has as much power over us as we allow. These companies are not the only party to blame for their influential messages, they have researched and analyzed what the American public finds interesting and are weak to, then use them against us.
Advertising has become the cornerstone of American culture. We look forward to the commercials during the Super Bowl half time because of the humor we receive from it. Personally, I could care less about American football but I used to look forward to the commercials from a creative perspective. It intrigued me to see what they will come up with next. Recently, there seems to be an increase of commercials more than the actual shows. The sex and music image glorifies our culture in a bad ass way. Yes, we are American and we are bad as hell and sexy as hell. Even though they are targeting children the ads which consist of animation also has a slight ego boost to it as well. Our culture needs to feel like the rock stars of the world, which is the insecurity that the Advertisers feeds off of.
Superbowl commercials have always been egdy, hip, and sexy. Their commercials are known for their sexy ads using supermodels, catchy phrases, hip music, or celebrities. No matter what they are selling they all seem to use the same material. I mean what else could get our attention?
This year the super bowl ads targeted a new market; children. Can the recession of our economy be to blame? Are these companies becoming more and more desperate to sell their product? It is one thing to use sex or celebrities to sell your product but targeting children to drink Pepsi by having cute animated bees and lady bugs drinking the beverage, or animated lizards with a diamond grill on their teeth while drinking SoBe beverage is at a all time low.
The advertising companies have researched their consumer and has realized that children are the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Kids are attracted to bright colors, animation, animals, and music. Once our children are hooked to the product the begging begins. The advertisers know that no matter how inadequate our financial situation is presently with the struggling economy, parents cannot say "no" to their children. Are we a culture that cannot say no to our children? Is our culture so shallow to allow the advertising gimmicks to alter our perception of what is satisfactory for our youth? Advertising only has as much power over us as we allow. These companies are not the only party to blame for their influential messages, they have researched and analyzed what the American public finds interesting and are weak to, then use them against us.
Advertising has become the cornerstone of American culture. We look forward to the commercials during the Super Bowl half time because of the humor we receive from it. Personally, I could care less about American football but I used to look forward to the commercials from a creative perspective. It intrigued me to see what they will come up with next. Recently, there seems to be an increase of commercials more than the actual shows. The sex and music image glorifies our culture in a bad ass way. Yes, we are American and we are bad as hell and sexy as hell. Even though they are targeting children the ads which consist of animation also has a slight ego boost to it as well. Our culture needs to feel like the rock stars of the world, which is the insecurity that the Advertisers feeds off of.
American Idol has become the guru of American pop culture. In recent years reality tv has invaded our living rooms with their drama and mindless entertainment. I am sure we are all guilty of this new phenomenon that has clouded our better judgment. My husband will come home from a long days work and is surprised to see me glued to the television sneaking another episode of The Hills. While trying to make up some odd excuse why I am watching the most shallow reality show, I am eager for my husband to stop talking so I can hear Brody fill Lauren's head up with garbage. My husband becomes so annoyed by their whining voices he asked, "Seriously, why do you watch that crap?" Finally, I turn off the television while thinking to myself, "Why do I watch reality shows?" What is so appealing to hear Simon Cowell criticize some one and be so distasteful or seeing Flava Flave make as ass out of himself?
Reality television is not reality. The producers organize the plots and put people in certain scenerios. To add fuel to the fire, they incorporate lots of alcohol into the mix of it all. Drama with liquor makes good tv! The sad thing is actors who are talented and have made the sacrifices they did to make it to the top has taken a backseat to these reality stars. The networks know their market and have mastered a cheap way of exploiting people for entertainment's sake. Reality tv has also increased the need for people to have this instant fame and an abundance of cash that they irresponsibly spend. Everyone wants to be a super star! Act like an idiot and we will make you a star!!
So, back to my original question why do I watch reality shows? Hmmmmm, maybe I think it is a harmless way of judging people you do not know. I guess in a weird way I enjoy making fun or criticizing people who are exploiting themselves for ratings and it is mildly entertaining to see what individuals would do to make a buck. It is pretty shocking! I must admit since my semester has started at school I do not have the time or desire to watch anymore reality shows. When I think of the two hours on Wednesday nights I spent watching Top Model and the Hills I get annoyed with myself. That could have been time spent with the family, work out, grab a drink with my friends, or try to tackle one of my many refurbishing projects in the garage. No more reality tv for me! I think my cup runneth over...
Reality television is not reality. The producers organize the plots and put people in certain scenerios. To add fuel to the fire, they incorporate lots of alcohol into the mix of it all. Drama with liquor makes good tv! The sad thing is actors who are talented and have made the sacrifices they did to make it to the top has taken a backseat to these reality stars. The networks know their market and have mastered a cheap way of exploiting people for entertainment's sake. Reality tv has also increased the need for people to have this instant fame and an abundance of cash that they irresponsibly spend. Everyone wants to be a super star! Act like an idiot and we will make you a star!!
So, back to my original question why do I watch reality shows? Hmmmmm, maybe I think it is a harmless way of judging people you do not know. I guess in a weird way I enjoy making fun or criticizing people who are exploiting themselves for ratings and it is mildly entertaining to see what individuals would do to make a buck. It is pretty shocking! I must admit since my semester has started at school I do not have the time or desire to watch anymore reality shows. When I think of the two hours on Wednesday nights I spent watching Top Model and the Hills I get annoyed with myself. That could have been time spent with the family, work out, grab a drink with my friends, or try to tackle one of my many refurbishing projects in the garage. No more reality tv for me! I think my cup runneth over...
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YanYan said:
Oh you are so sweet, You are going to make me cry:( I think it is the weather why I... read more
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Laure said:
Hi Yanicke!I really enjoyed reading your blog. And yes.. we do have things in common!The more I read you and... read more
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YanYan said:
Thank you... But being Mexican is a great thing and such a rich culture. You should further research your heritage... read more
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Oh thank you! They are my life:) read more
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