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The Anti-Starbucks: How Aesop Built a $2.5B Brand Through Radical Inconsistency
case study—no. 001
Jan 7
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Mia Chae Reddy, Ph.D.
103
23
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Beauty semiosis®: Heritage brands, symbolic codes, and the work of cultural integrity
“To name is to possess.” — Roland Barthes
Jan 1
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Mia Chae Reddy, Ph.D.
9
5
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Beauty ethnoscapes®: Cultural continuity, creative work, and the future of brand building
To be whole is to be part; true voyage is return. — Ursula K. Le Guin
Nov 21, 2025
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Mia Chae Reddy, Ph.D.
16
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save for later: the survival playlist—Negro spirituals for the modern condition
(a.k.a the Friday list no. 4)
Nov 7, 2025
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Mia Chae Reddy, Ph.D.
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Building Worlds: The quiet work behind creating a meaningful brand identity
creative director series : no. 1
Oct 24, 2025
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Mia Chae Reddy, Ph.D.
2
1
Most Popular
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Hi, I’m Mia—a Black & Korean adoptee.
Jan 1, 2025
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Mia Chae Reddy, Ph.D.
39
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Where do the mixed girls without minjok go?
Apr 22, 2025
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Mia Chae Reddy, Ph.D.
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But where are all the Black women talking about their nanis? pt. 1
Feb 2, 2025
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Mia Chae Reddy, Ph.D.
21
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Beauty ethnoscapes®: Cultural continuity, creative work, and the future of brand building
Nov 21, 2025
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Mia Chae Reddy, Ph.D.
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Recent posts
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(Re)learning how to be a little selfish
on a quiet home, half-birthdays, searching for beauty, and finding my creative spark again
Oct 17, 2025
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Mia Chae Reddy, Ph.D.
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F**ck the Monotony of Mid-life
Empty-nesting, a month-long writing retreat & getting paid to write.
Aug 11, 2025
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Mia Chae Reddy, Ph.D.
8
2
If You’ve Ever Cried in a Dressing Room, This Story Is for You
A story about beauty, fear, and the moment I stopped apologizing for the body I live in.
Jul 24, 2025
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Mia Chae Reddy, Ph.D.
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save for later: valle de guadalupe
72-hours of Baja’s wood-fired seafood, biodynamic wines, and forward design that holds you
Jul 11, 2025
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Mia Chae Reddy, Ph.D.
6
9
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Corporate gaslighting.
I built a beauty brand from scratch and still can’t get hired.
Jul 11, 2025
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Mia Chae Reddy, Ph.D.
7
3
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I did an exercise in short form writing. This is what I wrote.
A vignette about summertime madness with my white friends. Hint: it involved slathering ourselves with oil.
Jun 25, 2025
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Mia Chae Reddy, Ph.D.
6
2
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I ate the whole month of May
Love, apparently, means questionable boundaries, themed pool parties, and no less than 14 trips to Costco.
Jun 10, 2025
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Mia Chae Reddy, Ph.D.
6
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we’re all opting out—but we’re not opting for the same future
the quiet war between tradwives and soft girls—and why so many of us don’t see ourselves in either
May 16, 2025
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Mia Chae Reddy, Ph.D.
13
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