• International Journal of Costume and Fashion
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.73-87
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• 2017

Monpe, Korean women's wartime attire during the Japanese colonization period, has survived for 70 years as typical baggy workpants for rural women and emerged as retro-fashion. This paper applied a theory of "meme" to explain the monpe fashion trend in Korea. Based on literature review, empirical analyses were conducted by analyzing market and media including newspaper articles and blogs. We found that the monpe meme has evolved over time through variation, penetration, and diffusion. In terms of variation, the impression of monpe transitioned from a negative image to a positive one as a result of changes in design, functionality, and popular image. In terms of penetration, the monpe meme has spread into popular culture, again through mass media, with images of active, sexy, and attractive monpe-wearers on television and at popular occasions. Finally, the monpe meme has diffused throughout a broad range of consumers of various ages and both genders as an item of clothing for various occasions through diversified distribution channels. In this way, the development of monpe as fashionable clothing in Korea during the 2000s is itself a meme reflecting its evolution from a disgraceful colonial legacy to an item of contemporary fashion.

• Journal of the Architectural Institute of Korea Planning & Design
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.59-68
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to measure and observe Memes of people in Korean modern architectural discourse. After extracting Memes from the text of 'SPACE' magazines, network analysis was used with the Memes which were obtained. The results of this study were as follows; 1. Korean modern architectural discourse field was influenced by people in order of American, French and Korean. 2. Korean modern architectural discourse field was influenced by people in order of Le Corbuiser, Mies Van der Rohe, Louis Kahn, Kim Soogeun and Gilles Deleuze.

• Journal of Information Science Theory and Practice
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.30-44
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• 2022

This research aims to identify and reveal the meaning of memes about COVID-19, and explain changes in meme content in regard to the information development of COVID-19 in Indonesia published by the mass media and online media. The data is sourced from memes that are shared on social media, especially WhatsApp groups in the period of January to June 2020. To reveal the meaning of memes, a semiotic analysis of Roland Barthes' model is used. Qualitative analysis is used to reveal the relationship between memes and the information development of COVID-19 in Indonesia. The results of the study show that meme content has shifted according to three stages of information development of COVID-19 in Indonesia published by the mass media and online media. When COVID-19 was not yet confirmed in Indonesia, meme content contained mostly humor that was not educative, moreover it seemed to underestimate the coronavirus. Meme content which is mostly humorous and pornographic occurred when COVID-19 was confirmed in Indonesia and during the lockdown policy. At last, as the government has begun to distribute social assistance, the meme content looks more critical. The results of this research emphasize the urgency of the mass media as a source of public information during the COVID-19 pandemic, become a reference for the community in making memes as a forum for expressing feelings and social criticism, and serve as a reference for the government to act and make the right decisions related to the pandemic that is endemic in their country.

• Journal of the Korea Fashion and Costume Design Association
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.83-99
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• 2013

This research is a follow-up study about analysis on the many different customer groups and their various culture trend, which intends to realize diverse values depending on the sense. The purpose of this study was to develop direction forecast for the future fashion industry through consideration about the characteristics of contemporary fashion industry by the change of different customer's culture trend. And also try to find solution to survival strategy of fashion fields able to evolve with customer. Change of the customer's cultural trend draws a shift in policy in the 21st fashion industry as follows : 1) mash-up 2) complexation through decentering and blurring 3) invisible and immaterial value oriented 4) expansion of minor small market. Moreover, this shows sociocultural meaning as follows. First is spread of flexible and horizontal relationship through collaborative consumption and collaboration. Second is concentration on floating and indeterminate chance through dismantling of various different fashion categories. Third is formation of the permanent difference by selection and focus. Last is expansion of understanding about cultural-ecology. Customer cultural trend is 'meme' of cultural gene in fashion field, so it intends to co-evolute with customer by continuous change.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.1-17
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• 2021

The development of the Internet has led to the emergence of an internet meme culture using duplication. This phenomenon has appeared in the fashion field as 'fashion memes' and its playful expression has helped it to spread. Vetements is one of the well-known brands that actively incorporates fashion memes into their fashion. The purpose of this study was to examine the playfulness of Mikhail Bakhtin's Carnival Theory and identify the playful identity, design characteristics, and implications of Vetements' fashion memes in light of Bakhtin's playfulness. The research methods were literature research and collection case analysis, and empirical content research was conducted in parallel. The scope of this study was fashion memes shown in the products from 2017 S/S to 2019 F/W. The study results showed that Bakhtin's playfulness could be divided into "playfulness in the destruction of hierarchy", "playfulness in grotesque imagery" and "playfulness in the emphasis on the lower bodily stratum". Based on these findings, the playful identity of Vetements' fashion meme images can be described as follows. First, it breaks down the existing order of fashion brands like the destruction of hierarchy in Bakhtin's theory. Second, it is grotesque; it is strange, eerie, yet ridiculous at the same time. Third, it is a playful metaphor of contamination, filth, and lower stratum. The modes of embodiment of such identity include Vetements' collaboration with famous brands, the use of cheap items, and the expression of genderless ideas.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.519-529
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• 2022

This research analyzed the characteristics of Hanfu street snaps in the Chinese version of TikTok to determine the development and meaning of Hanfu. Based on grounded theory, this study selected 102 representative cases by sorting Hanfu street snaps on TikTok according to popularity. Subsequently, through open coding, the cases were organized and summarized into five main categories. The findings are as follows: 1) The national cultural pride has enabled a greater number of Hanfu fans and groups to upload short videos promoting the Hanfu movement on TikTok to expand the influence of the activities and popularize cultural knowledge. 2) The users attempted cross-cultural communication by participating in cultural festivals in Western countries wearing Hanfu. 3) The 'See now buy now' function of TikTok enables numerous Hanfu merchants to upload short videos about Hanfu products to promote their products and boost sales. 4) As 'gamification' affects everyday life, computer game enthusiasts among them wear Hanfu in the form of role-playing. 5)As a unique "meme" phenomenon on TikTok, wearing Hanfu to make interesting videos has also become a form of entertainment. Thus, although the characteristics of Hanfu street snaps on TikTok originated from the transmission of Hanfu culture, the culture has now been transformed through social media into symbolic consumption and play culture.

• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.44
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• pp.307-331
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• 2016

Webtoon is the most popular cultural contents representing contemporary Korea. This study explores the cultural aspects of participatory culture surrounding Webtoon, and reveals the cultural implications of webtoon in contemporary Korea. Particularly, this study notes that the engagement of the participatory culture is formed from the user-generated images and analyzes the reproduction patterns of them. Chapter 2 analyzes the mimicking process of user-generated images based on the 'meme' concept. Especially based on the variation degree of text or image, the user-generated images could be classified into three types of 'completely variant', 'partly variant', and 'completely same'. Users use these images as one of the fun factor by transplanting them into daily messenger conversation. Chapter 3 reveals the cultural meaning which is derived from the process of user-generated images creation. In particular, this study notes that most of the user-generated images are mimicking the main character of the original webtoon, and analyzes the underlying desire of the mass based on the literary theory of Northrop Frye. The main readers of webtoon are petit-bourgeois living in Korean metropolitan, and the user-generated images also reflects the daily lives of these ordinary people. User-generated images of webtoon are imitating the original contents in a way of replicating or mutating the images or texts. Also, they are consumed and enjoyed as an amusing code among users. Especially by mimicking the appearance of the main character in a self-reflective way, they appeal to day-to-day sympathy of users. In that user-generated images reveal the desire of the public living in contemporary Korea, this study examines the cultural implication of webtoon.