What Goes Around, Comes Back Around (Blog 4)

Style, we all have it, but do we know what it truly is? Simply, style illustrates the thing or things that you surround yourself with to express who you are as a person. For the most part, style is influenced by your surroundings, the times, and your financial standing. But in reality, it reflects the person you are deep inside and what you deem valuable and worth spending money on.  Looking back into time, we can easily see how styles and fashions evolved over the course of time. Most of the influence on styles came from the condition of the world  at the present time and how people felt about critical situations. Comparing today to 50 years ago, we can easily say that things are clearly different. But are things REALLY that different? For example, I took a look at some of the photos Andy Warhol created and realized that the more things change the more they really stay the same. A lot of the clothing articles and styles people wore back then have wedged their way back into our society and are now popular fashion trends. These trends are around but they are not as old fashioned as they once were. Today, we keep our style as a generation while mixing the old school American style.  Back then the style was more simplistic; it also contrasted with the environment as to rebel against society. The style of their clothing expressed their thoughts, while the background showed the state of society. They also embraced a lot of shadiness and secrecy with wearing shades and adapting to street culture. Today the style of college students is more free and all about self-expression. I see everything from gothic to punk and hip-hop to preppy styles. The styles are very free and vary day to day; there are however a lot of students and steadily stick with one style to express themselves and their thoughts consistently. Regardless of the time period, people subtly tell you about culture through their dress.
(Word Count: 337)

What Goes Around, Comes Back Around

Style, we all have it, but do we know what it truly is? Simply, style is the thing or things that you surround yourself with to express who you are as a person. Sometimes style is influenced by your surroundings, the times, and your financial standing. But overall, all in all, it reflects the person you are deep inside. Looking back into time, we can easily see how styles and fashions evolved over the course of time. A lot of the influence came from the way the world was and how people felt about critical situations. Comparing now to 50 years ago, we can easily say that things are clearly different. But are things REALLY that different? I took a look at some of the photos Andy Warhol created and realized that the more things change the more they really stay the same. A lot of the clothing articles and styles people wore back then have wedged their way back into our society and are now popular fashion trends. These trends are around but they are not as old fashioned as they once were. Today, we keep our style as a generation while mixing the old school American style. Comparing students of today and in the 60’s was quite funny to me. Back then the style was more simplistic; it also contrasted with the environment as to rebel against society. The style of their clothing expressed their thoughts, while the background showed the state of society. They also embraced a lot of shadiness and secrecy with wearing shades and adapting to street culture. Today the style of college students is more free and all about self-expression. I see everything from gothic to punk and hip-hop to preppy styles. The styles are very free and vary day to day; there are however a lot of students and steadily stick with one style to express themselves and their thoughts consistently. Regardless of the time period people subtly tell you about culture through their dress.
(Word Count: 332)

Am I "Fresh" Enough?

Clothes, the articles we dress ourselves in to cover our bodies or the garments we use to express who we are? As I walk through the mall this question suddenly hits me. It amazes me how much time and money we spend on clothing and beauty products. Are clothes and products really this essential to life as we know it? Style and fashion tends to be an important part of life to many of us. There is a style of clothing for nearly every person. I have my own desired way of dressing that a lot of people might not like. The clothes that I choose to wear match my personality and values. I prefer the urban/ hip-hop style of clothing and also a splash of business attire. I feel that no one should be pressured into where a certain type of clothing they wear. There is however a proper way to express yourself through how you dress. Every time I walk into a mall or clothing store, there is always a certain thing that catches my eye. I do not believe in buying things because everyone else thinks it’s nice. When I see something I like, it automatically catches my eye and I know it’s for me. This is that special connection that me and my clothes have; they express who I am!

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Who I am and where I'm from.

My name is Gerald Collins, Jr. I inherited my name from my father Gerald Collins, Sr. I was born on January 1, 1991. I was born and raised in Washington, DC and Temple Hills, MD. I have one sister, Kay, who attends Widener University in Chester, PA. I am of African, Hispanic, and Native American heritage. I am lucky to have so many ethnicities in family. It taught me how to virtually get along with anyone. Growing up in the city I fell in love with dancing and artwork quickly. This two elements stick with me to this day as I am hoping to major in Graphic Design. I also am a member of the hip-hop dance team Major Definition at UMBC.

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