The purpose of this study is to examine the sociocultural meanings of flapper look in American society during the 1920s. Using the ProQuest database, I searched articles from The New York Times published between 1920 and 1929 for opinions and discussions on the flapper look. Keywords included “clothing,” “dress,” “fashion,” and “flapper,” and advertisements and articles on menswear, leisurewear, and bathing suits were excluded. In the resulting articles, I extracted the following sociocultural meanings: autonomy, activeness, practicality, attractiveness, and extravagance. Meanings were analyzed from the opinions and discussions focusing on skirt length, dresses that directly and indirectly exposed the body, heavy make-up, non-constricting underwear, the H-line dress, bobbed hair, hygiene, comfort, and consumption. In sum, the 1920s flapper look represented progressive characteristics such as autonomous and active womanhood and practicality, which matched the technological development of the time. However, the flapper look was commercialized and exploited to make women look attractive and extravagant. Even though American women had access to higher education, more economic power, and suffrage in the 1920s, they were limited in their ability to overcome social conventions and the power of consumerism. Understanding the double-sidedness of flapper look within the social context of the time would enhance the comprehension of the relationship between women’s lifestyles and changing fashion.

The purpose of this study is to examine the Americans' perception on Korean food by analyzing the articles of the New York Times which is the best quality newspaper in America. The number of articles of the New York Times on Korean food were 111 from 1980 to 2005. The average yearly articles was 1.3 form 1980 to 1989, 4.1 from 1990 to 1999, and 9.5 from 2000 to 2005. A large number of articles(54.1%) concerning Korean foods were restaurant reviews based on the experiences in dining at Korean restaurant in America. Main authors of restaurant reviews were Eric Asimo(14), Florence Fabricant(11), and Mark Bittman(8). The kinds of Korean foods reported in the New York Times were 111 which included staple food(21), subsidiary food(82) dessert(4) and Japanese Food(4). There were 15 recipes on Korean food reported in the New York Times including 3 items on Kimchi and 3 items on Bulgogi. The New York Times said Kimchi, Buigogi, Galbi, Pajeon, and Bibimbop were popular among Americans. The New York Times described Korean foods as exhilarating, robust, bold, rustic, healthful, incendiary, assertive, lusty, and exuberant. There were many favorable comments on Korean foods in the New York Times.