Guest Blogger: BiAlamode: The Cultural Blend

The Cultural Blend

Ever
wonder why so many people find the mixing of cultures so
disconcerting? Well, I’ve often wondered this myself….in
silence mind you, but for me I see “the
cultural blend” as a beautiful thing. In the last five years or
so, hubby and I have started traveling in earnest and I must say the
places that I’ve seen so far have whetted my appetite for knowledge
about people and their
cultures. Those parts of the world that I have come across have
pushed a “curiosity button” inside me and I gotta tell ya, I’m
ready to see much more
of the world’s beautiful places and yes,
Asia tops the list.

I
think that may also be one reason why I love fashion so much, its
colors and patterns bold and bright, so visually stimulating…..and
the possibilities?…..well…..they’re
endless. In my humble
opinion, “the cultural blend” can be found in many places but one
of the first places
would be in fashion.

You
see, fashion blends a little sumptin’,
sumptin’ from everybody’s culture.
Fashion designers truly fascinate me, because their creative minds
start at the point of their
own origins and then their designs sprout wings and take flight.
Wherever that “little creative birdie” lands, influence takes
hold.

Truth
be told, we human beings blend culturally all the time, whether we
even realize it or not. We take little pieces here and there from
cultures that cross our path…putting our “little spin” on that
thing. We make it our own. Be it designers making Japanese kimonos
with African textile prints,

or
Koreans entertainers wearing cornrows and afros………….

or
American female singers wearing traditional Asian attire and a young
lad following suit……………..

Whatcha
end up with is a “cultural smoothie” I like to call it. When the
“blending” of cultures takes place, it creates an appreciation
for and stimulates an open mind regarding others who are different
from us, or at least…..it should.

From
our fashions…even to our music, when “the cultural blend”
happens, that’s when true
beauty comes to fore. Oh
and when “the cultural blend” happens in the….ahem…..“Biblical
sense” the world and
its inhabitants get blessed
with this…………………..

And
this…………………………

And
this…………………………

And
this……………………….(*didn’t
forget you fellas*)

And
this………………………

And
this……………………………..

And
iconic talent like this…………………….

Hey,
all I can say is if this is what the world gets from being tossed in
a Magic Bullet, keep
the “cultural smoothies” coming baby….keep’em coming!

I think
these three feel me….SMILES!

Until
next time……………………………….. #TeamCulturalBlend.

*Photos
courtesy of the World Wide Web therefore considered public domain,
all photo collages courtesy

of
D. LaShore aka BiAlamode, please credit as tagged*

*(All
text herein is the property of the author D. LaShore and may not be
copied with permission)*

ABOUT ME

Hello to all of the Pink Fashion Ninja’s out there,

I’d like to first introduce myself to everyone. My name is D. LaShore, otherwise known as BiAlamode. I’m a 40-something married woman from Houston, Texas USA and I have been intrigued with the Asian culture from the time I was a youngster. During my youth, besides school, my days were filled with dolls and playhouses and my Saturday mornings were filled with cartoons (anime) and the occasional martial arts film, several of which starred martial arts legend Bruce Lee. Through those movies and also documentaries and dramas I’ve truly come to appreciate this beautiful culture that is quite unlike my own.

As an adult, it was a young actor/singer named JiHoon Jung aka Rain that was/is totally responsible for bringing me even deeper into the Asian culture…the Korean culture, specifically. After seeing him in the Hollywood movie Ninja Assassin and watching endless videos of his many musical performances, I became one of his dedicated Clouds. Through my association with the Cloud USA fan site/blog and its founders Terri Robinson and Stephe Thornton, the door to the Korean culture has opened even wider for me. It’s afforded me the opportunity to meet some very wonderful people. April Jackson aka The Pink Fashion Ninja is one of those people and I’d like to thank her for this opportunity.