30 Day Blog

Malyssa Mavetz | Design and its Discontents

[theephemeraleternity]

Day 30

I made it!!! it’s the last day to blog (sad face actually)! I feel like this was a really good way to take a little time each day to observe the world around me. It is easy to get caught up in a busy schedule and routine. We forget to take a second to look around and understand ourselves. 

I came to realize I have a lot of habits that aren't so great. I am now aware that there are changes I could make as a consumer AND designer. I kind of knew about fads and such in the back of my mind, but I never would have took time to research and find out more on the issues. 

I have a deeper understanding of myself and the society I live in. This process was frustrating at times but also liberating. I like being able to put my thoughts and experiences into words. Hopefully this will be the start to making more people aware and making a change!

[theephemeraleternity]

Day 29

After peer review and talking about my splurchase, I thought more about nail polish and its effects. At first, I wanted to change my topic, but I gained a lot of information and ideas for a redesign. I thought of several links such as nail polish remover, the packaging, and nail salons which could relate to the topic. 

I know the what ever nail polish is made of, is potent and not good for me. Is there a formula that could be less harmful to user and the environment? I learned that there are natural nail salons that use alternative ingredients to the chemicals. Also why are they always packaged in little glass bottles? What happens when they are thrown away? Should you dump out the liquid before tossing them? There has to be another way to package them. Maybe the elements are too strong for any other material to withstand. 

If the polish itself can’t be redesigned, there has to be alternatives to the remover which is also just as bad and dangerous. In addition, the cotton balls, tissues or what ever is used to remove the polish adds up as waste. All of these elements contribute to the issue and should be solved/redesigned. 

[theephemeraleternity]

Collection 4

This week I focused of what fads I contribute to. I collected the things that I personally have given into. A lot were things I've already blogged about. Others are things I’ve noticed others doing. 

The things I noticed were scrunchies, converse, tea, avocados, chokers, the type of music I listen to, apple products, essential oils, nails, athletic leggings, water bottles, crocs, jeans with holes in them, ukuleles, vines, snapchat, memes, piercing. In addition, more fads that I don’t particularly take part in: Netflix, Hulu, chipotle, mom jeans, Birkenstocks, juuls, laptop stickers, balayage hair. 

I am usually someone that tries to refrain from partaking in the societal norms. But this made me realize that living in a society that has a culture revolved around fads, it almost impossible not to get sucked in. At the very least, it’s not even a choice when those things are all the stores sell for you to consume. 

[theephemeraleternity]

Day 28

Yesterday’s blog got me heated, so here I am again. This time questioning the integrity of the REAL essential oils. I know the expense comes from how many plants it takes to go into them. I also know they have farms and systems to produce these products.

I am looking into how much land is used or water or other resources to farm these plants. If it takes so many for one 15ml jar, these farms must be massive. I imagine the industry is causing an impact on the environment. 

I also have no idea who grows them or what the process is to excrete the oil. Fact: it takes 60 whole roses to make one drop of essential oil. Yes, some people really benefit from essential oils, but, maybe this fad is really hurting us more than helping. I feel like I am being wasteful as I fill my diffuser now for the smell. The affects are nice, but I am not in dire need like some people might be. 

[theephemeraleternity]

Day 27

I wanted to expand more on the essential oils fad. This has come up multiple times within the last few weeks. I’ve seen and talked to different people about essential oils and essential oils products. 

I am a believer and user. I keep seeing others as well, which is great BUT, they aren’t the real thing!! Target and many other stores mass produce these products for much cheaper. Real whole 100% pure essential oils are very expensive because the process of excreting the oils from the plants isn’t easy, nor is it low demand. Some take many plants just to get a little oil which is highly concentrated. A few companies such and Doterra and Young Living have farms and produce wholesome oils which are not found on the shelves of stores. The mass produced oils found in your local tjmaxx are a percentage of the oil along with fillers of other chemicals and who knows what. I’ve examined many and they often say right on the bottle not to ingest. This is the first red flag. Essential oils are good for us. You should be able to ingest them. 

So, I guess what is sad is that this is again a fad of the healthy living, but most people aren’t even aware what they are getting or using. I’ve informed several people that had no idea what they were using was harmful since it is marketed as being “healthy” and “pure”. I have realized how easy it is for the consumer to buy into the packaging without reading and understanding what the product actually consists of. 

[theephemeraleternity]

Day 26

Thinking about the packaging aspect, I don't think it is too big of an issue. Most times the avocados are not packaged at all. They are just sitting in the grocery stores. However, I do buy the bag of them sometimes which is more convenient and a better price. 

The bag is usually a mesh plasticy material. It doesn’t seem super horrible, but also not really biodegradable. The netting style means less materials. I just wonder what could be an alternative for it. 

This made me think about the reading about packaging food with food. If the avocados HAD to be packaged, because they don’t (not going to lie its nice), finding some sort of food material that could be reused would be ideal. How cool would packaging avocados with the pit or skins that just thrown away be??

[theephemeraleternity]

Day 25

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAsfCHBnR0E 

After watching a video on how avocados are grown and harvested, I saw the labor that goes into picking each of these fruits and and other supples needed. People have to pick low and high off the trees. There is tons of water used to wash them. They are then passes though sanitizer (interesting and probably unhealthy). As they pass through the assembly line, they are sorted by workers. 

once they are ready, they are packed into boxes which is a lot and seems unnecessary. They are refrigerated and packed onto trucks. I’ve never really thought a lot about what goes into the process and I don’t think a lot of people have. 

I wonder how much water is really used and what chemicals are in the sanitizers. Is it really necessary to wash and sanitize the fruit? Could they take a more eco-friendly approach? 

When I looked up how avocados are impacting the environment, I found that the demand is forcing Mexican farmers to increase their farm size. This is affecting the land and causing environmental issues. 

https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/avocado_consumption_environmental_and_social_considerations

[theephemeraleternity]

Day 24

Expanding more on the avocado fad, why are they so popular?! They originated in south and central Mexico. They're healthy so maybe it goes again with the health craze. But they have become a symbol in our society. The vine, guac and chipotle, avocado toast, it’s just everywhere. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/01/22/the-sudden-rise-of-the-avocado-americas-new-favorite-fruit/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.8c2c6430a9f8 

There’s been a constant increase in avocados since 2000. Fast food companies have started adding avocado to increase sales. With loosened import restrictions from Mexico, which is the largest producer, more avocados have some in and been consumed. 

85% of them are grown outside of the us. The market is huge and getting advertised everywhere. and its just a fruit! With production, I wonder what goes into growing them and keeping up with the demand. I know they are the cheapest or easiest to produce. 

[theephemeraleternity]

Day 23

Thinking more about fads, how are they started and how do they continue? According to google, “Trends have a much longer lifespan than fads. In fact, they can continue to be fashionable for years and even decades. The primary difference between a trend and a fad is that trends have the potential to be long-term influencers on the market.” 

fad-”A fad, trend or craze is any form of collective behavior that develops within a culture, a generation or social group in which a group of people enthusiastically follow an impulse for a finite period.” Are fad necessary for our society to feel safe? Do we need to know what we are doing is right? http://community.wvu.edu/~xijiang/Our%20Changing%20Lifestyle.doc 

Why do we love to be identical to one another? Why are we always wanting what everyone else has and wishing for the approval of others around us? These fads seem to be a safe place for people. They drown out insecurities and put us at ease knowing were doing what’s cool and what’s in. 

[theephemeraleternity]

Day 22

After class today and peer review I realized I’ve been talking about a lot of fads (avocados, tea, coffee, nails, essential oils). It got me thinking, how does a fad start? what makes a fad a fad? Definition: “an intense and widely shared enthusiasm for something, especially one that is short-lived and without basis in the object's qualities; a craze.”

It is interesting that fads come an go and then often time return much later. I wear the very same pair of pants that my mom wore 20 years ago, today. Scrunchies are back, “mom jeans”, chokers. All of these things have made a come back. But why? is it because Kim Kardashian wore scrunchie and all of a sudden they were in again? Why did they ever fade out in the first place? 

Also the definition of a hipster is “a person who follows the latest trends and fashions, especially those regarded as being outside the cultural mainstream.” But now that everyone is going for the hipster look, being a hipster is...basic.? So today’s fad is to go against the norm and not fit in, but everyone is doing it, so actually everyone is fitting in. If that makes sense. When will it be cool to just fit in again?

[theephemeraleternity]

Collection 3

For my third collection, I was thinking about my tea consumption, and decided to collect my tea bags. I wondered what tea bags are made of and if they are biodegradable? I always just throw mine away. 

If they are biodegradable, maybe they could be put to another use like compost or something. If not, then the bag should be redesigned to be! I wondered if loose leaf is more environmentally friendly than the bags. It also sucks that they can’t re reused!

Making some type of apparatus that can be used multiple times would cut down on constant buying and consumption. I feel like I go through boxes all the time and need to buy more. Then again, maybe this is a marketing strategy.

[theephemeraleternity]

Day 21

I have so many shoes. I wear shows everyday, and I realized how fortunate and maybe wasteful it is when I come home and see 9 pairs of shoes on the shoe rack everyday. Some people have one pair or less. 

I realized how many shoes I do have. I don’t even wear half of them. I have wasted so much money and what even happens when I decide I don’t want/need them anymore? Do they get recycled? Does someone else get them? Do they rot in a landfill?

I wonder if shoes could be made of biodegradable materials. I know there are shoe drives that collect people’s old shoes to donate which is awesome, but I know a ton of shoes are still being wasted. Maybe there could be some type of shoes that don’t get worn out and don’t need to be renewed as often. 

[theephemeraleternity]

Day 20

Today I went to me pole dancing class. For the record, pole dancing is HARD. Strippers are strong as hell. Anyway, I'm doing it for fun and exercise, but I thought about the sex culture and sex workers. 

This is how some people make a living. In a society that seems to revolve around sex, these people are disrespected a lot. From tv to ads there is sex appeal everywhere you look. Sex is what sells. So, why is it so frowned upon when someone makes a living out of it? Are people just afraid to own it? Why is it only half normalized and accepted? 

Now I'm really thinking about how these people MAKE companies and businesses. If the people getting harassed for doing what they do, didn’t do it, there wouldn’t be any business. Commercials for designers always have naked people. They are always promoting the “sexy” look. Interesting how our society lives with double standards. 

[theephemeraleternity]

Day 19

As of now I am very out of shape. I was very active growing up and through school until I came to college. It seems like I don't have time or energy anymore to go to the gym (lies, I could squeeze it in). But one thing we consume everyday is exercise.

Whether it’s running at the gym, yoga, or just walking to class, we are exercising! The healthy lifestyle trend is still a thing, right? It goes back to the influencers and celebrities again that our society idolizes. Got to keep up with the image am I right?? 

But, are people really exercising, o are they pretending the part? The amount of people (girls) I see show up to the gym wearing some extravagant outfit with hair/makeup done to take a picture and then barely workout, is ridiculous. And people who have gym memberships mostly to make themselves feel better because in reality they don’t even use it. 

[theephemeraleternity]

Day 18

I have my nails painted everyday. I take a lot of pride in having my nails done. I don’t like going and getting manicures/pedicures, and I've never had fake nails. But, I can’t go with my nails not painted. 

I have well over 100 nail polishes. I’m sure they are hazardous to our health and the environment once thrown away. I normally don't throw a lot of mine away, and I can’t imagine where the little jars with chemicals go. 

Aside from me doing my own nails, the amount of people that do get their nails done, is astounding. this is because again, it is an image a lot of girls try to keep up with. Can they do anything with 2 inch claws? not really. So why do they suffer? It’s the image from the instagram influencers and our society. I’m not sure if I’m also buying into the image or if I was just raised this way. My mom used to always paint my nails when I was little. I think it was just what I knew growing up and continued to do. But now that I think about it, maybe I do buy into the culture. All in all, when I think about it, it is probably a very bad habit in regard to the chemicals in it and its ability to decompose. 

[theephemeraleternity]

Day 17

 As I walk to class everyday, I usually listen to music or see most other people listening to music. most on their smart phone and ear buds. No one really uses iPods anymore. Some people use beats headphone, some air pods, and some who knows what brand. 

I realized then how many people consume apple products. The majority of people have iPhones and then iPads, Macintosh computers, headphones, watches, the list goes on. The products are soo expensive, but they are the in thing. You’re ostracized in the group chat if you have anything but an iPhone. 

Yes these products are nice and yes I have multiple. But, apple doesn’t need any more of my money, or anyone else’s for that matter. It’s overpriced and we're getting taken advantage of. But I guess it’s fair because and they know what they're doing when it comes to advertising and marketing. 

[theephemeraleternity]

Day 16

Talking in class about instagram influencers and youtube got me thinking about how relevant that is in our society. People actually make a living off of youtube and instagram. Just by having a large audience, people can make thousands of dollars for posting online.

I personally am subscribed to a few people on youtube and watch infrequently. I do know some people watch “youtubers” often, if not daily. These people are simply employing others by watching them. Same goes for instagram famous people. All they do is post and then make money.

Our society is focused on trends and fads. We look to influencers to tell us what to do next. Why? Why can’t we make decisions for ourselves or do what we want? Why do we let a stranger tell us what do do and let them get paid for it. it is actually a very weird situation when I think about it. What do I have to do for people to watch me and not have to work a day in my life?