Shane
At the beginning of chapter 1, Adrian says "one waits around until something interesting spontaneously occurs." Are anthropologists just supposed to record something that is spontaneous or are they supposed to record even small details that might not be that exciting?

Mary
It seems like the brides in Taiwan understand the "inner and outer worlds" but do you think they ever believe in the possibility of this "fantasy" world?  If so, what influence do the bridal portraits have when it comes to the hope of this world actually coming true?

Gabriela
How did the chapter "inner and outer worlds" help you put the bridal photography into context?

Scott
It seems that Adrian is writing in a time where the norms are being re-written in terms of courtship and marriage.  Does writing during a time in transition make writing ethnography more difficult?  Is there a way to have the reader fuly comprehend all aspects of the norm change?

Mary
[What] does a photograph actually do?  Can a photograph freeze a moment?  How much do people attach emotion to photographs?  Does this emotion fade overtime?  If this is the case, would the purpose of a photograph ultimately be the capture appearance?

Suzanne
If the wedding is "about the bride (p.145)," why is it that she must "downplay her individual thoughts (p.144)?"  Who is the wedding ultimately really about?

Allison
Is love fashionable? Are feelings, rituals, customs, marriage, all just a fad? How do these reconstructions of beauty relate to the "fantasy world" that we talked about in class last week?

Meagan
"Bride and grooms agree to perform the rites under the direction of  the older generation, but couples (and their young bridal  photographers) control the public representation of their marriages in  their pre-wedding-day bridal photographs on proud display at  
banquets."  (143)  Is control of representation more powerful than  control over the actual wedding rites?

Liz
The author talks about how getting married is seen as an "unpleasant fate" for women because they become constricted to "inside" duties placed upon them by their husband's family.  However, the author points out that many women in Taiwan are now permitted to work in their own wage-earning jobs after marriage and even hire maids to look after children and help with their housework.  Why do you think the view of marriage as unpleasant for women continues to persist in Taiwan despite evidence to the contrary?

Becca
Chapter 3: “Months later, he called and announced that his mother had lightened up and was now willing to accept her.  By this time, however, Jin-ru had found a new boyfriend with whom she had already put down a deposit on a bridal photography package” (87).  When I read this excerpt, I initially did not know if the author intended to say that the deposit on the photography package was the determining factor in the woman’s decision between the two men.  Is this what happened?  And moreover, how do you feel about the potential for authors to mislead readers (intentionally or unintentionally) just with a certain sentence formation?

Tom
As Adrian deeply analyzes a fantasy of Taiwanese culture, wedding photos, how does that affect her perceptions of "realities" of the Taiwanese? What is a reality? How are/aren't these wedding photos a reality?

Laura
Adrian states: "Nei zai mei opens a window into the complexities of how familial duties are interwoven with individualistic freedoms in contemporary Taipei" (76).  How do such individualistic freedoms comply with a man's familial duties as a partner and father? What does this imply about Taiwanese culture, particularly, in regards to gender roles in society?

Emily
"Mothers, it is said, try to protect their sons from changes in gender roles that seem to undermine male prestige and predominance" (105). This is a weird dynamic that women are opressing other women. Why do you think this is?

Hannah
If couples take pictures jokingly in traditional clothing, to mock the traditions of their country as well as marriage, what does marriage mean to these new couples?

Bijal
On page 127 Adrian tells a story about Mrs. Li and the engagement cakes. According to Mrs. Li the groom's family was ignorant and did not know the customs of engagement cakes. If the engagement cakes tradition is so important, how is it possible that people do not know about them?

Danielle
Why would parents and brides want the photographs to look so different that the bride is unrecognizable? Since many brides do not like the stylist's work who are they trying to look beautiful for? Do you think that anyone finds this look attractive?

Simone
In the chapter “inner and outer worlds,” Adrian seems to change to topic from bridal photography to the history and current perceptions of marriage in Taiwan. How do you think this helps or hurts her ethnography?