TWENTY-FOUR: Under the influence of America

Special to the Kemptville Advance

Sept 2004

North American styles and trends have had a strong influence on consumers in other parts of the world for decades but it borders on the ridiculous in Taiwan.

Young women wear rhinestone shades even after dark so that they look a bit more like ‘’J. Lo’. The hip-hop style of baggy pants hanging off the hips, bandannas tied around the head and basketball shirts worn extra large is everywhere, and hip-hop dance classes are popular for all ages, with even the occasional senior joining in.

T-shirts with English words on them are very popular, even if the caption makes no sense whatsoever. In most cases, after all, the wearer is oblivious to this fact. Many times, the words are complete nonsense, or just plain obscene. Click on ‘www.engrish.com’ to read some of the funnier t-shirt captions that have been spotted in and around Taiwan.

Many Asian women have their hair permanently waved to achieve a more ‘American’ style, and some have even gone so far as to dye it blonde.

It is still popular for most women to shun the sun in Taiwan, carrying umbrellas in the harsh sunlight to protect their skin. It is difficult to find a facial cream that doesn’t contain bleach or some other whitening agent, as the paler skin is more desirable. One weekend I shaved my legs before heading out to the beach. On the way to the train station I picked up a bottle of sunscreen lotion. Arriving on the sand, I applied the lotion to freshly-shaved skin, unaware that it contained a bleaching agent. My skin cried out in pain and I ran into the cool sea to find relief. Note to self: salty water does not provide much soothing for raw skin. The younger generation of Asians in Taipei are more frequently venturing out onto the beaches and accepting the darker tan that they acquire as a result, because this too is American.

On the extreme end, some of the more affluent Taiwanese have even gone so far as to have surgery to change the shape of their eyes to a more Caucasian look.

Designer outlets selling Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, DKNY and other popular American brand names are everywhere. Taipei 101 hosts the more exclusive designers, to feed the growing demand of the Asian consumer who wants to wear the same European label as her favorite character from “Sex and the City”.

The popular television series set in New York City’s single scene is quite a hit among women in Taiwan, with many of them sporting the personalized necklaces that ‘Carrie’ wears on the show. Unfortunately many Asian fans of the show believe the characters of this show are accurate examples of North American women. We’re all aggressive and date like men.

As Taiwanese students go through their school years, many of them will change their English names more than once. These names often reflect their obsession with American culture. During my time in Taiwan I have met young girls named after Disney characters such as ‘Ariel’ or ‘Winnie’ and one boy was named ‘Stanford’ after the university. A personal trainer at the gym has just re-named himself ‘The Aussiee’. He isn’t Australian.

English schools in Taiwan actively recruit teachers with a North American accent. This is a trend exclusive to Taiwan, as many other Asian countries still prefer the UK English accent.

The private English cram schools or “bushibans” have names like “Best Kids American School” or “Urbanity, Sagacity and Ardency Leadership Program”, taking full advantage of the opportunity to use the acronym “U-S-A”. Some families will save for years to send their children to school in the United States. These young people often return to Taiwan with strong American accents and in many cases, the propensity to use American slang and profanity at an attention-getting volume level. “Loud and proud” is the theme for American pop music in shops and bars, with Eminem blaring obscenities uncensored at 90 decibels.

American restaurants are also very popular among the Taiwanese, with long lineups outside TGIFridays (on Fridays) and McDonald’s being the favourite spot for a leisurely weekend breakfast.

Some of my Asian colleagues have been so heavily influenced by the new McDonald’s ad campaign that they have adopted it at work. There is an “I’m lovin’ it” sticker on the photocopier and my assistant has it on her screensaver.

The powers that be in Taiwan government are somewhat sheep-like in their willingness to follow the U.S. to extremes. When Michael Moore’s controversial documentary film “Fahrenheit 911” was released, it was banned in only two countries: The United States and Taiwan.

When North Americans arrive in Taiwan, they attract quite a bit of attention themselves. The locals take notice of what the foreigners are wearing, how they pronounce their English, what slang they use and what their interests are. Foreigners shopping on the night market in Taipei often attract a crowd of curious Asians crowding around them, eager to buy what the “guay-lo” (white ghost) bought. It’s very good business for vendors to have a Westerner browsing at their stall.

Of course, there has long been the assumption among Asian women that marrying a Caucasian will bring them into a life of prosperity. This, of course, isn’t often true but many Caucasian men continue to be pleasantly surprised by the amount of positive attention that they receive from the opposite sex in Taiwan. (I mean, these men couldn’t get a date in their own country but here they are treated like Elvis.)

Some Taiwanese who get the chance to experience the American culture firsthand will decide to return to their home country to start a U.S.-style business of their own.

I went to dinner with several friends at an American/Italian style restaurant called ‘Diamond Tony’s’ in Taipei a few months ago. Dinner was a nice surprise, as the food truly tasted Italian, without a touch of Asian influence. The only thing that spoiled it for me was the loud, obnoxious Asian man at the next table, who was wearing a Stetson hat and cowboy boots and using the f-word in every sentence, with a strong Texas accent.

When the restaurant hostess asked us how we enjoyed our meal, I made my complaint about our rude dining companion.

“Oh, him,” she groaned. “I can’t do much about him. That’s the owner, Diamond Tony.”

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Images of Diamond Tony's Taipei 101 location courtesy of www.mykafkaesquelife.blogspot.com