Life is Not Complete without Shopping

This book is a series of essays by Singaporean sociologist Chua Beng Huat, one of Asia's leading commentators on the sociology of shopping and consumption. They are explorations of the consumption experience in Singapore, whether that be hanging out at the town center McDonalds, riding the escalator at Ngee Ann City, or learning how to look at price tags at Prada. Why do powerful women wear cheongsam? What is the symbolic significance of Peranakan food in Singapore? What do locally-made films say about class in Singapore? This collection of essays combines keen sociological analysis and sharp observation. Chua looks beyond the billboards and the TV commercials to examine how Singaporeans constitute their social reality in an environment steeped in global consumer imagery.