Trend-watching is a fascinating part of my work as a PR consultant. In the age of Facebook and MySpace, we've become obsessed with our own so-called status stories, those segments of our lives we share with others to reach a desired status. Whether it's the monthly number of hits your page gets or a personalized t-shirt revealing the airport code of your zaniest trip ever, our obsession with individual experience has reached new heights. According to Trendwatching.com, we obtain status by conveying our experience to others. The products we use become the props in our own personal play.
This morning I ran across this product by Yosimiya from Japan.
It is a sack of rice with your newborn baby's face on it, weighing the exact amount of your child at birth and shaped like a swaddled newborn. Holding the bag of rice is like holding the baby itself. Crazy, huh? The personalized, made-to-order 'dakigokochi' are priced from JPY 3500 (USD 32 / EUR 22).
