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Omar, Matiano
Professor Koning
English 113B
25 February 2014
Gough, Jaime writes in Spaces of Social Exclusion, We have a configuration of self-
contained corporate office buildings with their own fast food and leisure facilities, other self-
contained and self-policing private shopping malls, private car parking lots, and a range of
privately owned places of leisure and sport the central iconic buildingis the shopping mall
itself Many believe that the significance of malls are as simplistic as buying our necessities. But
there is a deeper meaning behind shopping centers. The Northridge Fashion Center and
Panorama Mall are representations of fortresses a picture in which the poor are excluded. Both
malls can be a fun place to socialize with friends after class is over, many of us plan a visit to the
mall at least once a month but fail to realize all of the aspects that lead to the goals of the mall to
get us to conduct all our dinning and bargain hunting at their centers. One of the main objectives
of the mall is to try to appeal to the community by connecting them though social economics,
aesthetics and surveillance.
Before we can continue we need to get a visual rhetoric of what the Northridge Fashion
Center and Panorama Mall look like. On my trip to the mall I noticed that the Northridge Fashion
Center is a 2 story complex building while the Panorama Mall is only 1 floor. At Northridge
most of the light source during the day comes from outside because their ceilings are glass see-
though windows while the Panorama Mall uses lights during the day and night. Both the
Northridge and Panorama mall offers plenty of free parking garages for the sizes of the mall with
the exception that Northridge has two structure units you can choose from while Panorama only
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has one. Some of the anchor stores at Northridge include Macys, Sears, and Old Navy while at
Panorama its Wal-Mart and La Curacao. With all the walking people are bound to get hungry or
thirsty, this is where the food courts come in. In the second floor of the Northridge mall is
located a 15-bay Food Court in which includes Italian, Japanese, American, Chinese, and
Mexican food, perfect for anyone. The Panorama Mall has similar types of food to choose from
except it also includes Mediterranean food. I noticed that both malls in the first floor have
individual stores located across the mall that sell small items like phone accessories, hair
products, make up and key chains. Both malls have glass windows that light up on their products
that make the place look fashionable and expensive. As regarding a theme there is not theme
going on at the Northridge Fashion Center. The walls are white with marble walls and flooring.
The mall has a hidden elevator next to a Jewelry store and escalators throughout the shopping
center to make it easier to navigate. As for the Panorama Mall, the walls are light mustard yellow
with similar flooring from Northridge Mall. The Panorama Mall is still trying to expand and
recently added about 12 new stores. Now that we have an overview of what the malls look like
then we can talk about the significance of these spaces.
In the eyes of regular people they would argue that the Northridge Fashion Center and
Panorama Mall is made just to create revenue through the distribution on fashion products
because we assume people go to spend money. Whenever we need a new wardrobe the first
place that we love to go is the mall because that is its function, right? Lewis George writes in
The Mall and the Value of Social Interaction "The mall is one of the few places teenagers can go
in this society where they are-albeit reluctantly-allowed to stay without being asked to leave"
(316). In is also seen as a place to relax and socialize with friends and family because it does not
cost anything to go in. Whenever we are bored and have time on our hands the mall is usually
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one of the options to choose, but why? It is because its full of entertainment to keep us busy for
hours and hours like the movie theaters. I remember in high school my friends and I would go to
the mall to kill time. We would spend hours just relaxing, talking, eating and window shopping
even though sometimes we didnt have money. It is also a perfect place to express our fashion
trends and pick out any wardrobe we like, buy it, and wear it because we think retailers come
equipped with clothing of all shapes and sizes. Most people would argue that they do not feel
discriminated against when they go shopping but in fact welcome. People would say that malls
can be for anyone. Whenever we see security guards or police we get scared instead of feeling
safe because we feel like we are going to get stopped by them. But, there is a deeper meaning to
the function of a mall, there is a reason why we choose any particular mall over the other.
Have you ever felt discriminated against because you dont look the way society presents
people? The Northridge mall and panorama mall reinforce the stereotypes that only young,
popular and good looking people can shop at malls. What is the first thing that you visualize
when we hear shopping centers? The first thing that comes into my mind is good looking peppy
teenage girls because we relate shopping to women but the problem is that designers only want
attractive people wearing their clothing lines. In an article by Wise Geek Why are Fashion
Models are so Thin? It says, Fashion models are thin largely because of the way designers want
their clothes to be displayed during the marketing process. They also appeal to a number of
positive concepts members of society hold, with thinness acting as a means to feel better or
acquire something desirable. We see this in the commercials where stores like Macy, Old Navy
and Sears only show model looking people in their commercials. Stores like Forever 21 only
want specific girls wearing their clothes. The highest size in shirts that they have is large and if
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they do have large then you would find a small quantity of them. So where am I leading with
this?
The Northridge Fashion Center and Panorama Mall tries to implement the exclusion of
some people out of the mall. Jamie, Gough writes in Spaces of Social Exclusion, The
Disneyfied city centre shopping malls become no-go areas for those classified as not belonging,
by virtue of their credit rating or their ethnic background (120). The majority of the department
stores that we see are American stores. Well what constitutes a store to be American? A store
can be considered American if it implements the American culture, fashion, entertainment, and
high end goods in which the superior people are include. The Northridge fashion center does not
want any poor people going in their stores because they are not superior enough to be
representing their clothing. Some of the clothings are placed in real expensive boutiques that is
difficult for the average person to buy. Also if people entering the mall are not wearing the
appropriate clothing then people would look at them like they do not belong there. Some of the
prices that the clothing has are really expensive. If you are one of the persons that check the tag
to see the price then chances are that you have a budget on how much you can spend and that
particular store might not be for you.
Furthermore, some people think that they have control of what the latest fashions are.
They can choose what they want to wear but do not control the latest fashion. Fashion is depicted
on what celebrities and the media think if the new look. The same way the media influences us
on what to wear so do shopping centers. How you ask? Certain stores around the mall have a
display cabinet in the very front entrance that has an idea of how you should be dressed to fit in
with the crowd. That is usually the more expensive stuff that is considered popular. The items
grab the attention of the customer which will lead them to trying it on. The shopping malls
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changing outfit rooms have dim lights so that when you try it on you might think that it looks
good on you and will end up buying it. The environment as a whole can make people shop their
more often.
For example, one of the ways that a fashion center makes people want to come back is
through aesthetics. If it looks nice then the amount of people coming in will be more significant
as appose to a run-down mall. The architect takes all the aspects to make it as comfortable as
possible for the visit of the consumers. In the middle of Northridge mall is located a fountain
just so that it can look attractive. First impressions can impact the sales of the consumers because
they know that they value their customers. For me first impressions are important because it can
determine the type of mall it will be. I really liked that they had a fountain because I know that
they require a lot of money to keep pumping clean water so I knew they cared about their
customers. This meant that they set standards on keeping the place nice and clean. Although
the fountain is unnecessary it makes the space look more elegant. In an article titled Go to The
Mall and Get It All: Adolescents Aesthetics Value In The Shopping Mall, it says that 30 percent
of 30 high school students found the fountain in their particular mall to be attractive because of
its unique vertical ribbons of water.
On the other hand, security guards are also a key component to the success of a shopping
center. They keep the people safe by roaming around the mall looking for suspicious activity that
interferes with the shopping experience of a shopping center. In a recent survey that my peers
and I conducted we concluded that a total of 23 out of 24 people felt safe shopping at the
Northridge Fashion Center. Ever noticed those signs that say Smile, you are on camera, well
those are intended to warn the poor off from stealing or vandalizing their property. I might have
counted at least 5 signs while visiting stores. If there is a conflict between people the securities
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will most likely soon arrive. My group and I had a conflict with the security because we were not
allowed to survey people. We were then escorted out of the building. We were not buying
anything and according to them we were disrupting the people from buying things. The security
guards at the Northridge Mall are stricter about the disturbance of customers. The security guards
at the Panorama Mall are more lenient and are stationed in their booth just sitting watching the
cameras.
Have you ever noticed how malls are becoming more diverse than ever before? I never
really paid attention to ethnicity at shopping centers and when we decided to go visit the mall I
started to see all the types of people that visit the mall on a day to day basis. My question now is
what if malls only target the white community? If the malls do not change and fit the needs of
other peoples demands then the mall would soon collapse. The Northridge Fashion Center has
blossomed with success over the years, but how? The culture in Northridge is very diverse and
very welcoming to most ethnic populations. In an article by Jonas, Iliana titled Shopping Malls
Cater to Shifting Ethic, Age Demographic Chung says that some old fashion malls are a bunch
of guys trying to build for a (white) world thats no longer growing. But there are those
individuals out there that are seeing the growth in different ways. They are picking it apart and
making some big money off of it. So the owners that become adapted to their new environment
will survive and those that do not change their ways of advertising to only the white population
will not be as successful. This means that the type of stores that are located in malls also vary on
the type of people centered throughout the community because it would not make any sense to
place stores specifically made for teenagers around an elder population. For example, if a mall
was placed around Hidden Hills where the majority is rich elder people then a Zumiez or Forever
21 would not be appropriate. The Northridge community is very diverse meaning that you see all
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types of people from Latin, Black, White, Asian and Middle Eastern. The mall has to try to
appeal to them the best that they can.
However, being in a crowd that you feel you do not belong to can be quite uncomfortable
for any person. At the Panorama Mall you will not see many white people. Like Chung said
either the shopping malls accommodate to the community or it will not work for the best of
them. Thats because Panorama Mall is targeting the Hispanic community. The majority of the
population is Hispanic so it makes sense that they try to appeal to them. This means that they
have to contain clothing to their attire preference. Jonas, Ilaina says in Shopping Malls Cater to
Shift Demographics Transforming malls has a lot to do with marketing, including using
bilingual staff, sending out direct mail in both English and Spanish, and hosting events like
Mexican Independence Day. It is important that employees be bilingual in Spanish and English
because that is the common language used around that area. In fact most stores are only hiring
bilingual people. Sierra, Jeremy states, When customeremployee interaction is high, both
cognitive (e.g., beliefs, symbolic meaning) and emotive factors are strong predictors of consumer
choice. Anticipated emotions inuence credit card use. This will increase the sales of the store
because if a person feels happy and welcomed in their language then they might buy something
because they might feel like their presence is wanted. From personal experience I have bought
something from a store because the employees were so nice to me. I felt guilt that if I had left
without buying anything then I would have wasted their time. Some of the malls are even trying
to adopt culture into malls to feel certain type of people welcome. For example, holidays. The
Topanga Mall tries to appeal to the Chinese community by putting up decorations during the
Chinese New Year that recently passed, while the Panorama Mall celebrates things like Cinco de
Mayo.
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Through social economics they will try to lure in a specific social class to shop at a
particular space. Not everyone is rich or poor so some malls may not be for them. Northridge
mall in particular is more towards middle class. There are not that many designer companies
located at the Northridge Mall but there are a few, while the Panorama Mall does not have any.
Comparing the social level of the Northridge Mall to Panorama Mall, the Northridge Mall is
located in a better community. Panorama Mall is located in a very low income community where
some people are just trying to get good deals on clothing. The majority of the people that you see
at there are Hispanics; in particular Mexicans. There are a couple of discount shoe and clothing
stores in the Panorama Mall. You get treated better when you go to higher end stores because
you are seen as higher class. If designer stores like Coach or Versace are built in the Panorama
Mall then most of the Hispanic community in the area would not be shopping there because it
would be too expensive. They used to have an Aeropostale store there but not that many people
were buying from them because it was either too expensive or it did not fit the clothing attire for
the people. It eventually ran out of business and had to move elsewhere. Its these little types of
details about ethnicity at the malls that we need to pay attention to next time we go shopping.
In conclusion, although malls can seem like places to socialize and have fun, there are
many aspects that set the mall as the luxurious places to visit. Both of the malls have
accommodated to fit the needs of the community. The Northridge Fashion Center accommodated
into pleasing their prime targets, teenage middle class, into making the right choice and choose
the Fashion Center over other Malls around the area while Panorama tries to bring in the
primarily the Hispanic community. The aesthetics, surveillance, and socioeconomics are vital to
the success of malls. The next time that we go to the mall we need to pay attention to all of the
detail that the designers, architects, researchers and owners do into constructing and placing the
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mall in their location. Now that you know more about the Northridge Fashion Center and
Panorama Mall, how does your local shopping center reflect your community?

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Work Cited

Gough, Jaime. Spaces of Social Exclusion. Routledge.2006. Web. 4 March 2014
Serra, Jeremy. Michael Hyman. Outlet Mall Shoppers Intentions to Purchase Apparel: A
Dual-Process Perspective. Department of Marketing, McCoy College of Business
Administration. 23 March 2011.Web 27 February 2014.
Stokrocki L. Mary.Go to the Mall and Get it all: Adolescents Aesthetics Values in the
Shopping Mall World Councilor for the International Society of Education through Art
[InSEA]. Web 27 February 2014
Coughlan, Anne. Soberman David. Strategic Segmentation Using Outlet Malls. Insead.
12 March 2004. Web. 26 February 2014
Why are Fashion Models so Thin Wise Geek Organization Web. 3 March 2014
Jonas, ILaina. Shopping Malls Cater to Shifting Demographics NY Times. 27.
November 2012. Web. March. 2 2014