This article investigates the influences of fast-fashion on the dynamic performance of dressed bodies of female consumers aged 18–45 in Taiwan, the demographic that most enjoys buying fast-fashion clothing. It analyses the types of fashion democracy that fast-fashions provide Taiwanese female consumers. This article also proposes an alternative qualitative research method and concept that allows researchers to investigate the intricate relationships between clothing, the body and society by reviewing the interactive relationship between clothing patterns and wearers' bodies. Findings show that Uniqlo is the most popular fast-fashion brand in Taiwan exhibiting fashion democracy for Taiwanese female consumers.
Abstract Gilles Lipovestsky claims that the mass production of ready-to-wear clothing was initially expected to create a democratic dynamic of fashion. These democratic aspirations were anticipated by scholars foreseeing a universality of access due to the availability of ready-to-wear clothing styles. However, we now acknowledge that this belief that fashion can be equally accessible to all is outdated. When fashion began to appear approachable for all, various styles, pluralistic aesthetics and new expressions of individuality came immediately into existence, brought about as if by the threat of such a democratic dynamic. Paradoxically, however, there has emerged an overarching aesthetic ideal of slimness and youth that encompasses the entire array of bodily performances today's fashion world allows, pushing aside anyone whose physical shape does not match this ideal. Fashion's quest for democratic utopia seems to have led consumers directly into a new predicament. However, my fieldwork on Taiwanese female fashion producers and consumers indicates that Taiwanese female consumers, rather than being enslaved to the hegemony of ideals governing this fashion system, negotiate within the system by dressing to articulate their own preferences of fashion and the ideal body.
In Warriors of the Rainbow, Wei Te-Sheng sharply distinguished between heroes and villains in the 1930 Musha incident – the Taiwanese heroes fight against the Japanese villains. This contrasts with Kano, where Wei presents the romantic Orient of Japanese colonization through baseball games. Although his films are not always historically accurate in details, they realistically represent Taiwanese collective emotions towards Japanese colonization. Preferencing Japanese colonization over Chinese administration is not unusual in today's Taiwan and thus not original to Wei. Taiwan's Japanese colonial past was previously acknowledged by two well-known Japanese writers, Ryotaro Shiba and Yoshinori Kobayashi, in the late twentieth century when Taiwan newly asserted its freedom of expression. This article will analyse the role played by Japan in establishing the creation and projection of a unique Taiwanese identity in the field of popular culture by employing a 'point of view' framework from narratology.
Summary Accumulating evidence indicates the multifaceted nature of social support. Although support seekers may receive help, they may also encounter upsetting responses. It remains unclear how seeking and receiving social support, when differentiated, are associated with individuals' strengths and well-being. This study collected survey data from 357 adults recruited from the southeastern United States. We classified participants using the factors of support seeking and support received into four groups: Interconnected (high on support seeking and receiving), Tended (low on support seeking, high on support receiving), Rebuffed (high on support seeking, low on support receiving), and Isolated (low on support seeking and receiving). We then examined the differences among groups. Findings The study found significant differences among the four groups in measures of regulatory strengths, meaning-making strengths, interpersonal strengths, and perceived well-being. In general, the Interconnected group scored highest among the four groups, followed by the Tended group, the Rebuffed group, and lastly, the Isolated group. Applications The finding that the Rebuffed group did not score significantly lower than the Isolated group underscores the importance of support seeking. Individuals may benefit from the support seeking process even though they do not obtain the support needed. Social work practitioners should facilitate and optimize their clients' support seeking, including removing clients' barriers to support seeking and addressing clients' negative experiences in the support seeking process. Social work researchers should measure multiple aspects of social support, including support received and support seeking.
AbstractAdverse childhood experiences, such as abuse and neglect, have been shown to have longstanding negative consequences on a child's development and outcomes. Studies have noted that there is variation in how youth in child welfare respond to adversity, yet few studies have examined the psychometrics of measures of resilience in this population. In particular, the 14-item Resilience Scale (RS-14) is a widely used instrument yet has not been evaluated for use with adolescents in child welfare populations. The purpose of the study was to describe the levels of resilience reported by adolescent girls involved in the child welfare system and to evaluate the reliability, validity, and factor structure of this scale in this population. Participants were 249 adolescent girls, ages 12–19, who were involved in the child welfare system. Interviews assessed resilience, symptoms of post-traumatic stress, depression, social problem-solving, and demographic variables. Results indicated that levels of resilience among the participants were in the moderate range. The RS-14 demonstrated evidence of good internal consistency and test–retest reliability. Convergent and discriminant validity were established. Confirmatory factor analysis testing a single-factor solution resulted in a weak model fit. A follow-up exploratory factor analysis supported a two-factor solution. Findings suggest this instrument is an appropriate tool for use in child welfare populations.
Mentoring is a crucial aspect of personal learning and is an effective approach for forwarding career development. In this study we examined the mediating effect of mentoring systems on the relationship between personal learning and career outcome of employees in Taiwanese companies. Using a survey conducted with 246 employees, we analyzed the effect of personal learning on career outcome. The results showed that employees' personal learning and mentoring had a significant positive effect on their career development. Further analysis demonstrated that mentoring mediated the effect between personal learning and career outcome. In conclusion, mentoring mechanisms can have a sustained influence on personal learning and career outcome.
Researchers have found that mentoring can impact protégés' career outcomes positively or negatively. In this study we explored the mediating effect of mentoring on the relationship between personal learning and career development in Chinese enterprises. Data from 316 employees of Chinese enterprises were collected and analyzed to measure the impact of their personal learning on career development. It was found that personal learning and mentoring had a significantly positive impact on career development. Mentoring mediated the relationship between personal learning and career development. We, therefore, suggest that, when promoting career development benefits, enterprises should enhance the positive effects of personal learning and career development through mentoring mechanisms.
