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| | A Sampling of One of My Diatriabes for an Asian American Studies ClassHawaiian Ads in the 1950s and 2000s:
Travel Literature and the Imperialist Agenda
In 1959, Hawaii gained statehood. Since the early 1950s, the U.S. “commodified” elements of Hawaiian culture and its people to fuel the emergence of a post World War II “touristic economy” (Netstate.com; Imada 388). Advertisements that marketed Hawaii as a choice destination were used to educate people about a recently acquired foreign land. Pamphlets featured exclusive feminine images of Hawaiians, particularly bikini-topped hula girls. These images evoked the exotic sentiment of primitivism and introduced femininity as a conquered commodity within the context of a power hierarchy . Additionally, the images and text reassured customers that amenities accompany a feminized culture, providing them with a safe and familiar place away from home. Comparatively, contemporary ads from the 2000s that sell Hawaii as a destination spot focus on amenities and highbrow leisure activities to allure tourists. Primitiveness of Hawaiian women still exists in the ads, but many times a white person replaces the image of a native person. In this paper, I will discuss how travel literature continues to emphasize Hawaii as a feminine state, and how imperialistic ideology reinforces post-colonial dominance over Hawaiian culture and tourist expectations.
Overt and Subtle Forces of Imperialism
Constructive elements of the ads offer insight into the imperialistic ideology that the U.S. continues to exercise over Hawaii. The U.S., the primary producer of the travel ads, uses specific visual elements of gender to create expectations of the emerging tourist economy in Hawaii. In the 1950s, ads overtly used the feminine hula dancer as the primary representative of Hawaiian culture and women (How; Waikiki; In Hawaii). Commodification of feminine elements such as the hula girl during colonial and post-colonial times appropriates only one perspective of Hawaii and its women into the mainstream United States. Women in non-hula clothing are absent from the ads, and the subtle and overt suggestions of the “sexually available” images of half-dressed women categorize Hawaii as a naked, vulnerable, and subservient nation (Imada 407).
Continual use of women in ads to attract tourists to Hawaii indicates how imperialism still exists in mainstream literature. Ads from the 2000s are reminiscent of the 1950s because they also incorporate erotic images of women to represent Hawaii. Both periods have ads with exotic women or a sensual White woman present—both are overt and subtle images suggesting Hawaii is a feminine space. Post-colonial images featuring white women in addition to the traditional hula girl imagery overtly suggest that women are the sensual aspect of Hawaii. Furthermore, the message suggests that Hawaii is a feminine nation and that the U.S. has the right to dominate this space being the masculine force (Halekulani; Moloka’i; Hawaii Hotels; Travelocity). The imperialist agenda of the U.S. persistently dictates the types of images seen in the literature about Hawaii, continues to use advertisement to reinforce the power dynamic between the nations, and ensures that tourists associate femininity with Hawaii.
Ethnic and Feminine Images
Advertisements also use ethnic (Hawaiian) and non-ethnic (white) images to distinguish and reinforce the power hierarchy between the two nations. In the 1950s, ads that feature Hawaiians exclusively used women that identify as hapa-haole , because these females physically embody the sentiment of two nations merging into one (Imada 406; How; Waikiki; In Hawaii). In the same way that the imperialistic view of femininity promotes subservience, the imperialistic view of ethnicity provides an even greater distinction between the foreign and white power dynamic. During the 1950s, ethnicity was not a desirable characteristic to possess in the dominant white culture (Imitation of Life; Hoelscher). The portrayal of pre-colonial non-hapa-haole women to white U.S. tourists might imply that the original Hawaiian people are “unassimilable”—an ideology also present in the mainland against the Chinese immigrants. Therefore, the blend of ethnicities into societal norms was used to suggest that these women are the deliberate byproduct of a successful union between the nations, and thus they are valuable commodities.
By contrast, ads from the 2000s reintegrate a pre-colonial image of an ethnic Hawaiian woman—one who is darker skinned, broader in hips and shoulders, and wears more clothing—to suggest how pre-colonial ethnicity is a valued tourist commodity (Moloka’i). The ads still incorporate native images of women to represent Hawaii. However, contemporary print and online ads replace post-colonial natives with pre-colonial ones to suggest that the U.S. has the power to define and influence the idea of what an “authentic” exotic islander should be—feminine, submissive and accommodating (Moloka’i; Travelocity). In addition, sensual white women in contemporary ads often replace ethnic females. This shift suggests that the opinion of the people in the U.S. prefer to see sensual white woman in the ads rather than images of an ethnic woman (Hyatt; Halekulani). The race and ethnicity used in these advertisements are indicators of how the cultural values of an imperialist nation can dictate a tourist’s perception of an ethnic group, and capriciously introduce new values of femininity just by changing the type of person seen in the ads. During both periods, images of ethnic women are present. However, the transition from native images to white women demonstrates the overt intentions of the imperialist agenda to whitewash Hawaii, and to keep hold of its reign over a feminine state (Hyatt; Halekulani). Ethnic and non-ethnic images suggest that Hawaii is a destination reliant on feminine appeal, and the representations of women in the ads shows how the dominant cultural values of the U.S. dictate the content of the literature about Hawaii.
Leisure and the Homogenization of Hawaii
In addition to ethnic and gender imagery, the presence of homogenous leisure activities offers insight into the dominant effects put in place by the power hierarchy. In the 1950s, there was a shift from agribusiness to the new tourist economy, and the main attractions in addition to the sensual hapa-haole women were beaches and other exotic destinations (How; Waikiki; In Hawaii). Pictures and descriptions of waterfalls, surfing and walks along the beach demonstrated how leisure was attainable as a lowbrow activity. In contrast, ads from the 2000s replace lowbrow with highbrow leisure—golf, tennis, swimming pools, gyms and spas—and the experience in Hawaii assumes that the accommodation is the destination, not the island (Hotel; Hyatt; Halekulani). Furthermore, the creation of leisure in a synthetic environment—snorkeling in a fish-stocked swimming pool—replaces the natural environment—snorkeling in the Pacific Ocean—and removes the exoticism from the islands themselves. The foreign element is no longer present in the ads and homogeneity replaces exoticism as hotels in Hawaii offer identical décor, services, foods, entertainment and amenities to those in the United States.
Deliberate marketing of homogenous facilities in contemporary ads suggests that tourists who travel to Hawaii from the U.S. value access to homogeneous activities and services above all other features (Hotel; Hyatt; Halekulani). A comparison of the facilities from the hotels in Georgia to Hawaii demonstrates how Hawaiian establishments offer identical amenities as those in the U.S.—they both offer pools, gyms, spas and accessible golf courses as a means to attract tourists. Familiarity and homogeneity reveal how advertisers position Hawaii as a malleable nation that can accommodate U.S. tourists and their expectations. The homogenization of the facilities as seen in mainstream literature reinforces the power that the U.S. has over Hawaii.
Conclusion
The use of ads to attract tourists to Hawaii indicates how the historical presence of imperialism still exists in mainstream literature. During both periods, images of exotic women and femininity are consistently present. The proliferation of selling Hawaii as a feminine nation, offers insight into how the socio-political power dynamic between the two nations remains in place. The U.S. directly intervenes in the promotion of specific experiential expectations to tourists who travel to Hawaii with the deliberate use of ethnic and white gender, leisure images and text. The visual elements in the ads from both periods represent an idealized version of Hawaii. Each element promotes a different type of experience, and epitomizes how gender, ethnicity, and leisure suggest that while Hawaii is an exotic destination, it is a tourist dependent economy reliant on its subordinate relationship with the U.S.
Travel ads from both the 1950s and 2000s use images and text to promote Hawaii as a destination, but more importantly demonstrate how the U.S. imposes its cultural values on Hawaii.
The homogenization of tourist attractions as part of the U.S. marketing agenda ensures the absence of Hawaiian cultural values from the mainstream—an overt and subtle example of imperialism. Travel literature from the two periods emphasizes hegemonic ideologies from the dominant U.S. culture, and the dominance over Hawaiian culture that ultimately shapes the cultural expectations of tourists. In the future, the native people of Hawaii might attempt to transform the expectations of visitors, and contemporary literature hints at an ethnic revival as a means to prevent further “whitewashing” of the Hawaiian landscape (Trebay). However, fighting the imperialist ideology that has been in place for fifty years may jeopardize the Hawaiian economy. Hawaiians have a challenge ahead of them as they attempt to reclaim their heritage and address issues of diplomacy with the continental states. Travel literature of the 1950s was a successful tool for shaping the cultural expectations of U.S. tourists. For that reason, the feasibility of re-appropriating an authentic Hawaii requires the removal of the imperial agenda, and the readjustment of visual and textual representations of island culture.
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| | | Posted 3/25/2006 1:32 PM - 0 comments
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