Androgyny and Aestheticism

In 2010, our youth embodies an androgyny because adolescents are exposed to such a diverse and integrated society that we have become causal as a culture. In the 1960s, not too long ago, women were striving for equality. Women had big, feminine hair, thin eyebrows, and a kind, quiet smile while men were also formal with comb-overs and Ralph Lauren Polos. Segregation was a prominent stand point and it showed through fashion in the sense that people knew they needed to make an economic statement. The way you dressed said a lot about where you rank economically. Today, is actually very hard to distinguish between men and women’s fashion- especially in college. There are few things left that have not been done to shock the world and that is why the youth of today, dress similar and have similar demeanors. Since the sixties, fashion has seen everything from dark tanning to show you vacation a lot to raggedy North Face backpacks to show you are so rich you do not even care. Who can possibly keep up with the fashion and its meaning? Today, fashion among youth is so all over the place that it is hard to deduce anything from one’s fashion choices and that is why fashion has come full circle to androgynous casualty. It is acceptable and actually expected that boys and girls wear casual pants and a t-shirt with maybe a logo or two. Androgyny is the style of our time and it is due to the casualness of everything else in this time. There is no more fighting for integration. We are all connected as one, huge casual social network of youth. There are more lines of communication than one could keep track of. There is Facebook, MySpace, email, calls, texts, faxing, and paging. You name it, we have it. Dating is so casual now that people do it online. Sex is talked about and all over daytime television. We are united as a culture and it shows within the cavalier styles of our everyday life and appearance.
word count: 343

Androgyny and Aestheticism

In 2010, we live in an androgynous universe. We are so equal and integrated that we have become causal as a culture. In the 1960s, not too long ago, women were striving for equality. From looking at the UMBC yearbook of that time, women had big, feminine hair, thin eyebrows, and a kind, quiet smile. College students were proper and would have shocked the world if they had come to class in their pajamas or even women in pants for that matter. Andy Warhol’s factory was controversial, unique, and groundbreaking for both art and culture at that time. No one had ever come across "pop art" or an openly gay man.  Many things were taboo at that time, even women wearing pants on a daily basis was simply unheard of. Today, is actually very hard to distinguish between men's and women’s fashion- especially in college. There are few things left that have not been done to shock the world and that is why the youth of today, dress similar and have a similar demeanor. Clothes are not such a huge deal anymore and people do not feel that they need to dress a certain way or be a certain person. It is very acceptable and actually expected that boys and girls wear casual pants and a t-shirt with maybe a logo or two. Androgyny is the style of our time and it is due to the casualness of everything else in this time. There are more lines of communication than one could keep track of. There is Facebook, MySpace, email, calls, texts, faxing, and paging. You name it, we have it. Dating is so casual now that people do it online. Sex is talked about and all over daytime television. We are united as a culture and it shows within the androgynous styles of our everyday life and appearance.

Word Count: 309

Deception or Sincerity?

There are few things that make me pretty angry but everyday when I get on Facebook the etiquette astounds me.  People have hundreds of pictures of themselves doing God knows what. I recently encountered an old friend who I have been continuously speaking to through Facebook although we have not seen each other in quite some time. We talk almost everyday. You know, the usual stuff like “beautiful picture!” or “ha ha what a great link, how was your day?” Anyway, when we met in person, she was extremely shy and did not have much to say at all. I was shocked. She had always been rude and off putting but for the past few years on Facebook she seemed outright happy , pleasant, and grown-up.
For some people this is the opposite. They tend to whine a lot on Facebook. It seems that many people use their statuses to tell the world about their woes and worries about every hour. Is Facebook making our generation a whiny, needy, mask-wearing club? We are not always who we appear to be on Facebook and that is clear. Is Facebook a negative or a positive thing because of this? The international web sensation allows us to connect immediately with whoever, wherever. Now you can use this resource to make people jealous or you could be reaching out to friends miles away. Like anything, Facebook is not an easy thing to judge. It is all about how you use it.

Word Count: 247

A little bit about me.....

Identity is something in which everyone struggles. As humans, we are constantly discontent. This is my second college and I am nineteen years old. I have been attending UMBC for three semesters now and frankly, I am frustrated with how large it is. (I spent the first eighteen years of my life in Louisville, Kentucky.) I moved here to be with extended family after a very messy breakup. My favorite band is florence and the machine. I am also probably the biggest movie buff you will ever meet and my taste in movies is always evolving. The only thing that is constant is change. Frankly, this upsets me but I guess it is true of all of us. Being discontent comes with change and with that I believe that it is the journey that is important and not always the destination while creating your identity. 


Word Count: 145