(Due to misinterpretation of this specific post, I have taken the liberty of revising it so that it makes coherent sense and that it portrays more positive ideals.)
It's cute, it's trendy, it's all the rage.
I'm talking about fashion trends, of course.
Amoung the mainstream gaints of the fashion industry (teen fashion that is) are the stores Hollister, Abercrombie & Fitch, American Eagle, and Aeropostale. They're big and popular and are stores for teens to be teens, right? Of course, with the exception of the few guys and gals floundering about in the "trend trap", but other than that, kids go there just to be themselves. Now, I may not be a regular shopper at these particular clothing distributors, I do own a few of their jeans and hoodies. And, yes, they are high quality. Who ever said looking good was cheap?
But am I really getting my money's worth?
It's high quality but is it good looking, too?
Yes, they have some pretty cute shirts and hoodies but, to me (and I know I'm not the only one out there who thinks this), their clothing looks pretty much the same. Now, I like to sport around the considerable "artsy"-look and so I prefer clothes of the "unique" sense, so I shop at stores like Kohl's, Hot Topic, and Tropical Trends for my shirts and jackets. Sure they're cheap but I continue to visit these stores frequently. But I only go to Abercrombie or American Eagle when I need new jeans. They're jeans are very nice, but I feel a lot of the time that these stores in particular aren't the best place to find the funky shirts that I like. And to prove this to myself I went on their main sites to surfed around a bit to make sure that I wasn't missing any details. Being a girl, I looked at the girls clothing these stores had to offer and from what I saw a few cute things and browers full of basically the same material.
In my mind, they need to mix it up a bit and be a little more creative with their outifts rather than making their customers an army of walking billboards. Of these stores, I'd have to say Hollister is the worst about that factor, so I avoid this store all together. Abercrombie & Fitch aren't as bad, but are still guilty, so I just buy their jeans. Aeropostale is okay. And I'd have to say that American Eagle uses the "billboard" method the least. So if you're looking for high quality shirts that are "unique" I would suggest American Eagle. But for now I'll continue shopping for my cheapy ten-dollar-tees at my favorite stores.
Hollister: http://www.hollisterco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?storeId=10251&catalogId=10201&categoryId=12552&langId=-1&cm_ven=site&cm_cat=homepage&cm_pla=shop_tab&cm_ite=bettys
Abercrombie & Fitch: http://www.abercrombie.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10901&categoryId=12203
Aeropostale: http://www.aeropostale.com/home/index.jsp
American Eagle: http://www.ae.com/web/browse/hp_womens.jsp?catId=womens
Monday, February 18, 2008
My Opinion on...(a re-write)
Posted by Ego Brain at 7:18 PM
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6 comments:
Fake tans are one of my biggest fears.
I think a lot of those clothes aren't even well-made. If you ever see them at the thrift store, they've gotten the shit beaten out of them.
good call
Alright well your opinion is yours and thats okay.however yu hit a big nerve of mine so LET ME SAY IT thats condescending bullshit(and a tad fucking misogynist too but that would be way to hard to explain).I wear hollister jeans every day no fail. most of my hoodies and jackets are from hollister or abercrombie. almost every thing i own is from american eagle, abercrombie or hollister probably around 80%. I dye my hair constantly, i have hair extensions put in, i wear eyelash extensions occasionally and as much makeup as i feel like. none of this makes me a lesser person.
the first thing i wanna get at is this expert "The people who wear these clothes, generally, look like your generic Barbie doll. Seeing groups of these kinds of people around the main schools frighten me because they all look the same. Where's the creativity? Where's the individuality?"
now im a natural blonde (and sometimes bleach) w/ breasts that wears the clothes your slamming maybe if you saw me you'd assume I'm a generic barbie doll. If you saw me and made the assumption that im frightening, lacking in individuality and creativity you would be the one at loss. I've been through a lot, i have a lot to offer I'm a smart person , I'm open minded, politically aware and very compassionate. you would miss out on all of that simply because you view me as "wearing the swastika of conformity" with out even having a conversation with me. its just another form of discrimination and profiling that needs to be done away with. I'm not the only one that chooses to wear these clothes and also has a personality. maybe you just need to get to know more people who wear hollister to see that they are actually INDIVIDUALS!
Some people choose to wear hollister just like some choose to wear thrift store clothes. now think about this everyone has a mind and a right to choose. do not assume because i choose to buy abercrombie that im just trying to fit in. you don't know me and you already know that JUST BY LOOKING AT ME thats ridiculous. i don't care what you think about my clothes i bought them and i wear them not you. so if you want others to respect your individuality and expression in clothing you should at least pretend for the sake of argument that you respect other peoples personal decisions in clothing. or else that would make your stance a bit contradictory and hypocritical don't ya think?
I've spent seventeen years and 7 months having people assume that you cant be a pretty (yeah i have self esteem I'm not ashamed) girl wearing hollister and have a brain I've spent my school years proving to myself and others that my learning disabilities don't mean im dumb. so when i hear this kind of rant, yeah i take it personally. i have to fight to prove myself the same as yu.
your absolutely right i have so much to live for. I wear what makes me happy and im still different even thought i love to blow a hundred some bucks at abercrombie and fitch and i talked my mom into a A&E credit card.
outward appearances and clothing don't make yu better or worse than anyone. all differences should be respected the same. wouldn't that make the world more tolerable even with hollister in buisness.
To jbootes-
Slow down.
I had no intentions of being this offensive. If you're going to attack me for my own opinion that's fine. I never said that wearing this made you a lesser person. I had no intention of coming across as saying that, either.
You're right I probably need to revise this, it is condescending now that I re-read it. Really, it makes me feel like an ass, this you will probably agree. (It was late and I needed to write something.)
Now, the fact you're telling me how I judge people bothers me off. But all I have to say is, I don't care if you're wearing those clothing brands, it's, as cheesy as it may sound, the heart that matters. I realize the point you're making, they're just normal kids. Yes, I agree. I have plenty of friends who wear these brand names, I don't care, they're still my friends. I just don't like the clothing design, was the point of this post. And my addressing the problem as "lack of creativity" was not directed at the consumer, but, in fact, the designer. (Seriously, the shirts all look the same but different colours!)
As shallow as this post may seem and as shallow a person I may be, please accept my apology.
-Kaitlyn :D
Jesus Christ. That's not what she meant. Try looking at it from other peoples' point of view.
If she's a misogynist, then so am I; and that, by the very definition, would mean that we hate ourselves. Perhaps you meant misanthropic. I hold nothing against people who wear a certain brand of clothing. But you have to be aware that how you dress is the first clue that people have about you. And some people hold stereotypes. QED.
I know that other people have their own lives, opinions, and ways of looking at things. That doesn't make them bad.
I can be a condescending, hypocritical bitch just as thoroughly as anyone else. Does that make me a "bad" person? No.
It just makes me a bitch.
alright I reacted strongly to some pharses she used and didn't really take her over all message because I got all worked up taking quotes outta context...its really hard to get the mind set of what ppl are saying over the internet w.o verbal cues...so I think maybe it would be more effective to spin it in a more positive way...i would love to read a post on where to get original and well made clothes that use ethical marketing and treat their employees better...ive read the employee handbook for hollister and its attrocious...maybe yu should revise to sound less condeseneding and add the alternative I metioned... I'd be really excited to read it if yu did! if yu no of any such places let me know...when I reread it I got the message way more clearly the internet is a complicated medium
To jbootes-
Alright, now that I'm fully awake, I have finally taken the opportunity to rewrite this post. I hope my point comes across a little more clearly this time. Again sorry I got you so worked up.
-Kaitlyn :D
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