Trend [In]cite

First off here is the actual dictionary definition of trendy curtsy of Google.

trend·y/ˈtrendē/

Adjective:	Very fashionable or up to date in style or influence.
Noun:	A person who is very fashionable.
Synonyms:	fashionable - modish - smart - stylish

Now i have no idea why but for some strange reason i always associated trendy as just being another noun used to describe someones style and not actually as following trends to be considered stylish. Anyway i thought it is a good idea that we first know the actual intended meaning of trendy.

On the class list trend assessment which we did in class it showed that I follow seven of the forty-six trends; these trends are: Guess bags, cardigans, braids, yoga pants, Nike, Campus Crew, and cross jewellery.  This means that I follow 16% of current popular trends at Orchard Park Secondary school. Going through this whole process has really opened up my eyes to the fact that most people follow trends around them and not even realize it. If one person was to consider themselves trendy then they should have a least more than half the list, probably even more toward seventy five percent of it. The reason being is that if a person is trendy they should then be following most if not all current and popular trends that apply to their age group and gender.



From the Guess Fall 2011 Line. I so want this bag, it is so cute.





Sleek, easy, and pretty.

I believe that there are a lot of people out there that follow trends ‘accidentally′ since most people get presents from other people to certain stores that you may not even shop in but still use since it was a gift and you do not want to seem ungrateful. That being said I also think that some people will follow trends accidentally because they actually like that trend and would continue to like and wear it even after it is out of style. Some trends that I follow accidentally are Nike shoes, I bought them originally because I liked them and they fit me really well compared to some of the others I tried on and not because everyone else had them. Another trend that I wear accidentally is Guess bags; I own a wallet and bag my Guess which was given to me as my 15 birthday present. But I even if I did not get them as a present I would still buy them from Guess since I like the style of their bags and it is long lasting.

The trends I hold most importantly to me are well I guess most of them. The one I hold very tightly to me are braids: I like to wear braids in my hair because they look nice for any sort of occasion, whether that being a wedding, school, work, etc. They are easy to do and do not take much time, there are also different types of braids that you can do like the waterfall braid, and you can style if differently based on where you are going, like the one in the front for your bangs or the one that goes around your head like a Greek goddess. Cardigans to me are basically sweaters; I wear them to keep me warm but not to warm and they look nice on me. I could most definitely stop wearing cardigans if I had to since they do not matter to me the most out of all the others, I could just as easily get another sweater to wear or use another shirt over top what I wear. Guess bags I think I could let go of if I found something else that looked really nice and was of good quality, to me it is not so much the brand but whether it looks good or not. Yoga pants I love to wear and would still wear them even after they are out of style, the reason being that they are very comfortable and look good on me. I mostly wear yoga pants when I am doing something physical or need to put on something quick that will look good and also whenever I want to feel more comfortable like when I go to my aunt’s house for thanksgiving to make room for her famous stuffing. Nike I do not care too much about since for me it is about finding a shoe that does what it is suppose to.  I only own one campus crew sweater and that is because it is very comfortable and warm, it is perfect for a cold winter day or if I want to go for a walk at night when it is cold. If I was told to stop wearing it I could do so easily since I do not wear it for its style or name but because it is warm and comfy. Now the reason I wear a cross is because of my religion and not because it is cool, I have worn the same cross pretty much every day of my life for the past like six years or so. I would not give up wearing it because it has now become a part of who I am.

I do not know the origins of any of the trends that I follow, all I know is that they are very popular and I see them on many people at my school and public. I do believe though that braids came back in style once celebrities started wearing them in the front to keep back their bangs which started the whole braids trend. Most trends when you research them you have a hard time finding out where they originally came from since most are as old as time like the braid and the cross while some newer trends are easily traced back.

There was no one specific person that influenced me to wear the trends that I do today but one reason why I like Guess bags so much is I think because my sister has them and she influenced me to wear them in a way. I do consider my sister very stylish and when I was younger would always copy her but now that I am older I kind of want to establish my own sense of style and not follow my sisters. I believe that a lot of people follow trends that their older siblings wear or their friends wear and just do not admit it or even realize it.

Copyright and All Rights Reserved,
Guess picture:

http://www.magxone.com/photo-shoots/sandrah-hellberg-guess-accessories-fall-winter-2011/attachment/guess-accessories-kate-upton-3/

Rachel McAdam's braid picture:

http://www.google.ca/imgres?q=braids&hl=en&gbv=2&biw=1600&bih=606&tbm=isch&tbnid=lqD2bPwVwdpcAM:&imgrefurl=http://wahasweden.blogspot.com/&docid=vx-Y9osHEcS8KM&imgurl=http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WN-KXUy-Xf0/Sq8O3xcj96I/AAAAAAAAAq8/P5zDHKsUQS4/s400/rachel-mcadams-braids-hg-de.jpg&w=325&h=325&ei=EMqcTqS4LfLOiALIsZngCQ&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=508&sig=115178709918332526819&page=1&tbnh=124&tbnw=127&start=0&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:11,s:0&tx=79&ty=87
Google definition: http://www.google.ca/#sclient=psy-ab&hl=en&source=hp&q=define:+trendy&pbx=1&oq=define:+trendy&aq=f&aqi=g1g-v3&aql=1&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=1019l5214l0l7286l14l13l0l0l0l0l294l3112l0.3.10l13l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=d71a31046d0e7ef3&biw=1600&bih=606

Advertising [In]cite

To start out i want to say that this is my Grade 11 Media Studies blog, here I will post my comments on new things that I shall learn in class. In my Media Studies class we learn the skills to be able to recognize media techniques and to be able to apply them effectively in today's world of media.

Before I took this class i thought i was relatively aware of advertising. Boy was i wrong! I learned a lot of new things in the first few weeks of class then i have ever learned in my whole life. To expand one of the new things we learned was the media 'language' used by marketers to get you to buy there products. This blew my mind and made me wonder why i never thought of it before, but most times the media just gives you something that does not require you to think about it very much. For example we all have seen ads that advertise that their products are the 'best' well that just means its EQUAL to the other products out there! This really blew my mind since i always assumed that if it said best it meant best not equal to, i can actually just see all the products i have that claimedwhen i bought them that they are the 'best' and to think they are just as good as the ones that are cheaper. If you want something that works better then you have to have to look for ads that claim that they are 'better' but you have to prove that they do. Just recently Reebok was charged for claiming their Easytone shoes tone 'better' then the any others out there, well now they are getting sued for their false claim.

 Here is the link to the story i read on it: http://cocoperez.com/2011-09-28-reebok-25-million-refund-federal-trade-commission-easytone-runtone-false-advertising

Another thing we learned which had me asking myself why did i not think of that before too, was advertising claims. First off i didn't even know there could be that many but again, i was wrong. The main claim is the weasel claims which are words that are used to advertise products. The biggest weasel word is 'help' which got me thinking "Hey, ads never ACTUALLY state that they get rid of acne or dandruff or anything like that." Wow this really opened my eyes wide and clear.

Here is an ad for head and shoulders shampoo for dandruff control, now i use one because i have a scalp condition and i obviously want to get it under control. When i look at the ad now after my teacher has explained the various ways in which marketers advertise to us i am able to piece it apart to better understand it. First it stakes that it "takes care" of dandruff not removes or gets rid of it, so i immediately know i am not gonna run out and buy it thinking its a miracle and is gonna get ride of dandruff. It also states that it "smells gorgeous" now i don't know about you but how can something smell gorgeous? Gorgeous is used to describe something visual not a shampoo, they could have used words like heavenly or wonderful, but do they? No. When i really think about it does it matter if your shampoo smells like a perfume should? After i take a shower i cant even detect the smell of the shampoo i used, neither could my sister or mom when i asked them. I want to buy i shampoo that is supposed to work for what it says it does not for its smell of roses and flowers. If you want to smell nice buy perfume or body spray, shampoo is to clean your hair not fragrance it. Now if we took this ad and put it in magazine, which gender do you think is more likely to take a second look at the ad while skimming the ad? If you guessed men you are correct! Why? Because it uses a women in a sexy nurse like outfit to advertise a shampoo which plays on men's hormones since it is referencing one of the most commonly used sexual fantasies. Does it not make you wonder why they would use a sexy nurse to advertise shampoo? This helps me to better understand the ads target audience which definitely involves men since most women when they see this just see shampoo and don't care too much for the women in it.

There are many other different other types of ad claims out there that more people should know. Next time you pass an ad really take a good look at it and question it, are they stating something obvious to all other products out there, are they best or better, it gives you more what, can they prove their claim? This course has already opened my eyes to advertising, now saying that it does not mean that that i will never buy anything advertised, and all advertising is fake, it means i will think about what they are selling me and if after that whether the product is worth me buying it. Knowing more can save you money.

All things mentioned in my blog are not to be taken as bashing or offencive, this is merely supposed to reveal what i have learned and how it can be applied. Thanks for reading and i will be posting again soon.

Copyright and all rights reserved: Head and shoulders ad http://www.jillgreenberg.com/Commissions/photos/advertising-one#/1