DISGRASIAN™

AMAZIAN OF THE WEEK! Hello Kitty Turns 35

The very first Hello Kitty merch, Coin Purse, 1974

Name: Hello Kitty (née Kitty White)

Born: November 1, 1974

Occupation: Icon

Known for: Presiding over a $5 billion dollar empire, pioneering kawaii style, having no mouth, that fucking red bow, serving as Japan’s tourism ambassador, being everyone’s favorite pussy–from children to club kids to celebrities to haters–and decorating everything from guns to bongs to maxi pads to vibrators.

What explains Hello Kitty’s enduring popularity?

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Filed under: Birthdays, Brands, Death to Hello Kitty, Goodbye Kitty, Hello Kitty, Hello Kitty Turns 35, Icons, Japanese Pop Culture, Kawaii, Kitty White, Lady Gaga, Sanrio

RIP Robert McNamara

We wish an eternal good night to Robert McNamara, who died in his sleep early this morning at the age of 93. There were many lessons learned from the former Secretary of Defense’s mistakes regarding US involvement in the Vietnam war, to be sure–but perhaps we gleaned more by appreciating his ability to look back and actually admit when and how he was wrong. We’re Asian for chrissake; we certainly know how difficult the latter can be.

[Washington Post: Robert McNamara, Architect of Vietnam War, Dies at 93]

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Filed under: Admitting One's Mistakes, End of an Era, Former Secretary of Defense, Icons, In Retrospect, R.I.P., Robert McNamara, The Vietnam War, Vietnam, War

BABEWATCH: Yiying Lu

Name: Yiying Lu

Hails from: Sydney, Australia

Occupation: Artist and Graphic Designer

Why She’s a Babe: All you Twitter users are already familiar with Yiying’s iconic logo, the Fail Whale, an adorable creature buoyed by birds that pops up whenever Twitter gets overloaded with traffic, which is a lot, lately. What you may not know is that Yiying is as cute as her creation. Or that she doesn’t earn revenue from the perpetual use of her design, apart from the Fail Whale gift items available on Zazzle. Which seems kinda messed up–though legal–especially since Twitter is the fastest-growing social media platform in the sea. Just sayin’.

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Filed under: Artists, Australians, Australiasians, Failing Isn't Asian, Graphic Designers, Icons, Twitter, Twitter Fail Whale, Yiying Lu

The Abbey Dawn of a New Sartorial Age

Avril Lavigne debuted her new fashion label, Abbey Dawn, in Tokyo this weekend, ripping off paying homage to every major rock and pop icon of the late 20th century. Everything from punk to pop and glam to grunge was sent down the runway in the singer’s first juniors’ collection for Kohl’s.

There was a nod to Sid Vicious:

And to early Madonna:

To Kurt Cobain:

And even to fictional and truly truly truly outrageous riot grrrl Jem:

Then there was this paean to, um, Avril herself:

Hmm. Did I say that she paid homage to “every major rock and pop icon of the late 20th century”? I guess what I meant was that Avril gave big-ups to “…many major rock and pop icons of the late 20th century, and one marginally-talented, tie-wearing random.”

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Filed under: Abbey Dawn, Avril Lavigne, Fashism, Grunge Fashion, Homages, Icons, Jem and the Holograms, Kohl's, Kurt Cobain, Madonna, Random People, Sid Vicious

BIRTHDAY CELEBRASIAN!

Happy birthday to Connie Chung, who turned 62 on Wednesday. Her dragon lady eye-makeup and softball-style of journalism has made us squirm over the years, yet we can’t help but love her. For a long time, she seemed to be the only dignified Asian figure on television. She was not only drop-dead gorgeous, but she kicked ass in her profession, becoming the second woman to co-anchor the evening news (after Barbara Walters). Connie spawned a whole generasian of imitators, but she remains an untouchable icon (not to mention drop-dead gorgeous, decades younger-looking than 62, and chic as all get out). We also love that, despite her beauty and achievements, she still possesses some endearing, cuddly qualities, like converting to Judaism for hubby Maury Povich–which makes her Chewish–and poking fun at herself.

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Filed under: Anti-Agin' Asian, CBS, Chewish, Chews, Connie Chung, Dragon Lady Makeup, firsts, Icons, Journalasianists, Maury Povich, News Anchors, Originals

RIP Yves Saint Laurent

The world bid adieu to fashion icon, feminist, pioneer, and artist Yves Saint Laurent, aged 71, this weekend. In light of the news, our day has surely lost a bit of its color–but Saint Laurent never feared change, and this is perhaps merely change, so we will follow suit.

Goodbye, beautiful, bold friend!

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Filed under: Deities, Fashion Pioneers, Goodbyes, Icons, RIP, Sad Things, Yves Saint Laurent