Events
Shampoo in China: Development, Consumerism, and Modernity
15 Mar 2013
4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
G24, Arts and Humanities Hub, Fung King Hey Building
Professor Joseph BoscoDepartment of Anthropology
Tel: 39437107
ABSTRACT: This talk seeks to understand consumerism by examining the rapid adoption of shampoo in China since 1979. Before 1979, the same bar soap used for laundry was used for washing the body and hair, and it was rationed. In the 1980s, many domestic soap and shampoo brands emerged, but after 1986, products made by multinational companies became popular. Many consumer advocates have argued that the quality differences between different brands are slight. Yet some “foreign” brands (made in China) cost three times or more than local brands. Why are people willing to pay a premium for fancy soap and shampoo, when only the user, in most cases, knows what type of soap he/she has used? What images and ideals are consumers buying with each bar or bottle? What does the rapid adoption of shampoo in China tell us about consumerism and the prospects for sustainable development?
