mad for fad
By Yeji Chun and Katherine Kim
Edited by Amy Shin
Design by Nicole Yang
Edited by Amy Shin
Design by Nicole Yang
“I remember the time I got my first bag of honey butter chips. I was so excited, since it was really popular and everybody was talking about it,” said Allyson Kim (8), as she remembered holding her bag of honey butter chips.
Allyson Kim is only one of the students in SIS that has heard of these trends and gained strong interest in them. In fact, the increasing popularity of these trends have reached the public. The chips gained huge popularity among Koreans in 2014, and have sold out numerous times. People even line up for hours to buy the bag of chips that had gained attention everywhere, especially in the media. So why do Koreans follow fads, and what has enabled them to constantly keep up with the trend? Humans have the desire to be considered “special”, while fitting in at the same time by purchasing fads such as the selfiestick and snapback, as well as the honey butter chips. Individuals can temporarily receive attention by becoming a part of a minority that owns the fad. People can even become internet famous by posting about their new fad. When a twitter user, @hodori_love, shared a picture of his honey butter chips, he received over and 5700 retweets in just 5 days. As people start to acquire these fads, others follow along to “fit in”. Having snapbacks can make people feel special wearing fashionable hats, but as it gains popularity and becomes a trend, people buy it to fit in. This is why fads are not only for feeling special, but fitting in at the same time. However, not only are these rare, some are very expensive. “When I bought a selfiestick, I was surprised by the price,” Madison Hong(8) said. Even though some fads are expensive, people still purchase them because Koreans nowadays have enough money. Compared to a few decades ago when people had just enough money to spend on basic needs, Koreans now have enough money to purchase objects other than necessities because the quality of life in Korea has improved. Additionally, money spent on fads prove that people are definitely willing to pay for fads at any price to be able to fit in. Fads have become an important part of Korean culture because of the rapidly growing economy and the desire to stand out, and at the same time, also fit in. |
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