| |
|
Get up in the morning, and what do you wear? A cargo-pocket skirt,
striped hip-huggers, or a silhouette shaped like a mushroom cloud? Why do we
dress the way we do? We obviously don't go parading around wearing Alexander
McQueen or John Galliano, so where do we get our individual style?
According to the August issue of Seventeen, there are five different
types of style: the all-American girl, anti-fashion girl, glamour girl,
earthy girl, and trendy girl. Can we really put ourselves into one of these
categories? "I like to wear what is comfortable for me, and also what
most people are wearing," explains Christine Fong. "In magazines,
they tell you to wear flares or something, but I don't really like flares, so
I don't wear them." Alex Fong (unrelated to Christine) grins and
says, "I don't follow the fashion trends, I just like to wear an old
t-shirt and jeans that aren't too tight." Many people claim that they
don't follow what other people wear or what the magazines say. "I wear
what looks nice to me," says Laureen Hom, "some people say I dress
preppy or like a skater." So we DO place ourselves in categories.
Several groups that were named were jocks, who wear Adidas, Nike, and sports
clothing; the "popular group" which wears a preppy/trendy style
including flares; the Fobs wear clothes similar to the popular group, but
"sluttier" and from labels such as Bebe and Wet Seal; and then
there are the skaters who wear grunge and retro clothing. Oh yes, and the
people who were mentioned, wearing a little bit of everything.
Teen magazines often report about what the stars such as Jennifer
Aniston and Cameron Diaz are sporting. In turn, we choose to follow the
latest craze. For instance, there's a beauty page in Seventeen which features
a majority of what the stars are wearing such as ringlets for long hair, bobs
for short, smoky eyes, and flowers for decoration. We are also told to get
the stuff worn on the runways by models; for example, Kate Moss's shoes, but
who would really wear canvas karate shoes from Chinatown anyway?
What do adults think of the teen style? "Those guys who wear
huge baggy pants look ridiculous," scoffs Gerard Esponda (52).
"They look like they're about to trip over themselves. And what's the
point of wearing a hat backwards? You see them squinting all the time even
though they're wearing a hat." Matthew (20) comments, "I think the
girls wear too little sometimes, they wear tank tops when it's foggy outside.
Also, they don't need to wear big puffy jackets." "Prices are too
high, a simple t-shirt can cost $32!" laments Carol Ng (47).
Although we may be influenced by magazines, public figures, and
popularity, what we choose to wear boils down to our own satisfaction and
comfort. I suppose we could also say that our tastes in clothing are shaped
by society and those we admire, and that's why most of us like to read up on
fashion catalogs. Perhaps the styles in stores may follow the latest trends,
but if those trends aren't to our liking, then we don't buy it.
|
|
