Everybody wants to feel important. We all do. Each and every one of us; but that does not mean that we always want to do something meaningful or constructive in order to attain that feeling. That's what makes a trend so versatile and widespread.
The trend is the perfect outlet for those of us who want to make an impact without actually really having to do anything arduous or unnecessarily involved. The issue with trends nowadays, however is what usually starts off as something small and insignificant quickly becomes something rather ominous and almost omnipresent contingent upon what that trend is.
I know what you're thinking: "Well isn't that what a trend is? Aren't trends supposed to start small and then catch on quickly? Isn't that the point?"
Yes. Yes it is; but just because a trend is treated as such and spreads quickly as such, that doesn't necessarily make it a positive thing.
Now I'm not here to pick on Gangnam Style or those hilarious Harlem Shake videos that we've all seen on YouTube. I'm not even here to pick on Miss Caramel Kitten's twerk videos.
*minimizes browser window*
There are a few "trends" that I am here to expound upon, however.
No doubt most of you reading this post have a Twitter account. Creator Jack Dorsey's baby was quite innovative upon its release back in July 2006 and it continues to this day to be very involved in the lives of we who use social mediums. I'd even venture to say that Twitter had garnered success, exposure, attention and revenue that may even rival if not outright trump that of Facebook. One of the coolest innovations to this particular social networking tool is the use of Twitter Trends. Per its congruence with the overall theme of this posting, the Twitter Trend performed as one would presume it would. This being true, it still captivated and attracted an unfathomable number of followers once tweeters caught on to how it primarily operates.
Twitter Trends are words or phrases that are placed within the tweet itself that serve their purpose better once the tweet is sent rather than while the tweet is being typed. Once sent, the trend is cast forth across Twitter's networking interface in its entirety; connecting all tweets containing the particular word or phrase under it when one clicks on the trend. This makes it a trending topic. From that point, a user can view any and all tweets containing the trending topic. The exception here is users who have their Twitter accounts protected, of course.
Pretty nifty, right?
The Twitter Trend is isolated in a user's tweet using a hash tag (#). The user will start the trend by typing the hash tag first and then following up with the word, words or phrase that will be used as a trending topic. Just a few examples follow for those of us who are not quite as astute:
#CheeseFries
#WinterWonderland
#IMissHerSoMuch
#Lasagna
#MyStripperNameWouldBe
#WeLoveHowYouReadThisWholeTrendingTopic
So on and so forth. You will note that there is no punctuation or separation between the words. This keeps the trending topic intact. Had there been any separation in the words, only the portion attached to the hash tag would be considered a trending topic, of course. You will also note that whole sentences can be used as trending topics.
Trending topics were initially used for teen fan bases who are drawn to their favorite musicians or actors. Trending the person's name would place all content relative to that topic in a search worthy query once a user clicks on it. Trending topics have also been used for marketing, promotion and advertisement, political movements, fashion, food and just about anything else that one can imagine.
That imagination, man. Very dangerous thing there. As it would seem, with every new, positive innovation that surfaces, once can all but guarantee that there are some presumably looking for a way to use said innovation for malicious, unsavory means.
This is most certainly true for the Twitter Trend. Once the entertaining firestorm really caught on among the tweeting masses(those that I like to refer to as the Twitterverse), things got controversial; so controversial that Twitter was forced to take notice once it became a storm of a much denser, more pungent element. I cannot provide an accurate count of just how many trends have been censored by Twitter; but two that definitely have stood out early on are trends that were geared towards the perpetuation of ethnic stereotypes. Users who purported the trend #ThatsAfrican to elaborate on things that people from that region do (or really just anyone considered an African American at all) found that their widely popular yet highly offensive hash tag hook up was no longer available. It couldn't be used in a typed tweet either as one hoping to post the tweet with the aforementioned trend embedded would find that the tweet would fail to send. The same fate swiftly befell the once popular #ThingsDarkiesSay trend. These are just two of what may likely be two thousand malicious trends out there in the Twitterverse.
My main beef with the trend is more of a trifecta of sorts.
First:
I like many of you am tired of seeing every single word become a trend or the overt saturation and usage of that campy Trend/Abbreviation meshing that we use so much. My biggest agitator? I thought you'd never ask:
#OOMF
This little annoyance is the shorthand version of the popular #OneOfMyFollowers Twitter Trend. This trend caught on when the whole concept of "Sub-Tweeting" gained heavy rotation among the Twitter community. In short, a "Sub-Tweeter" can send out a subliminal tweet regarding a user that happens to be following them using the aforementioned trend and that user's entire timeline will see it. I can't accurately express just how loathsome this is for me. Many a subliminal conversing have taken place using this trend be it in the form of wayward flirting or the issuing of verbal threats back and forth. This will call for an elaboration on all of the Internet gangsters out there; so I believe that would be better suited for another time.
Second:
The Twitter Trend like most other new innovations, creations, fads and so forth will have its fair share of biters and copy cats.
Hi Facebook. Yes. I'm talking mainly about you.
To be fair though, Facebook can't claim the entire brunt of the blame here. Many of the hash tag laden posts that we have seen therein are from avid Twitter users that either have not taken into consideration that this is something that was established in Twitter or those who have connected their Twitter accounts to their Facebook Accounts. Even Tumblr has joined in on the party along with other social mediums when it comes to the hash tag operation. It honestly has become a norm of sorts for social networks. What the hash tag has offered as far as the overall purpose of the Twitter Trend is something that other social networks have adopted and augmented in one form or another.
Third:
Staying along the lines of congruence with my angst for overt saturation, I have certain friends of mine who have even gone to the extent of using the hash tag in regular conversing; be it via text or instant messaging platforms. That was actually the sole indicator for me that this has gotten severely out of hand; and I'm not the only one that thinks so...
http://youtu.be/57dzaMaouXA
Just go ahead and copy the above link and paste it into your web browser. All will become clear at that point.
Not all trends are all encompassing like the hash tag trend, though. Some are actually more representative of the plight of a gender; as sexist as that may sound. Remember when this trend started?
This is the immensely obscure Duck Face Trend. I don't think this trend needs much of an explanation at all. It involves females taking photographs where their lips are poked out in a manner that resembles that of a duck's lips. I'm not sure if this is supposed to display cuteness, goofiness or some other trait in the girl that takes the photograph. I just think that it is rather weird and ridiculous to be honest.
I did a little in depth digging(translation: I hopped on Google) and found out a few things about it.
It apparently is also called the "Myspace Face." I suppose this trend goes back further than my recognition will acknowledge. This trend is also about as old as the mid 2000's; originating in 2005 to be exact. The term "Myspace Face" was added to Urban Dictionary(I know. Really lucrative source of factual knowledge, eh?) on March 13th of the following year per it's description of "pouty eyes and pursed lips" for our female contributors to this trend. It was later dubbed the "Duck Face" per a definition added to the website on September 13th of the same year. The author of this definition simply defined it as a two lipped pout.
I have seen some of my female friends on pretty much all of my social networks participating in this trend including my Twitter followers, Facebook and Instagram friends. I'm not sure exactly what is meant to be garnered from this trend, though. I mean, it isn't necessarily cute per se; and to those who aren't necessarily photogenic(far be it for me to discern those individuals, of course), it just makes the photograph that much more disheartening to have to look at. Still in all, this trend doesn't bother me even 1/4 as much as the hash tag trend does.
#IHateThatTrendMore
#IWillMakeThatKnown
#ImpressiveYouUsedAHashTagForAWholeSentence
#PleaseStopUsingHashTagsInEverySingleThing
Okay, enough of that.
There are much more pressing, embarrassing, rehashed, ever present, consistently scrutinized, utterly deplorable trends that I myself nor most others have really been able to wrap our heads around sensibly, to be honest:
The skinny jeans trend is so very confusing to me; and it hasn't necessarily gotten easier to understand over time as most other confusing things have in my life and times.
I'm a man of utility and progression. I like to have things in place that can aid me in future situations. Simple adjustments here and there, ya know.
When I have to remove my wallet to get out some cash, It shouldn't be an epic struggle for me to do so.
When it's time to go home from the movies or dinner, I shouldn't have to spend an extra three minutes in the parking lot trying to get my car keys out of my pockets.
When I see a short, thick woman with enticing curves, I shouldn't have to..........never mind....
The point is, if there is to be a fashion trend, shouldn't it appeal to the masses as something natural and comfortable? Does it have to look this excruciating? Does it have to look like it intentionally excludes another weight class? Shouldn't it be something all inclusive? I think so; but hey. That's just me.
This trend goes as far back as the 1950s. It was more of a sex symbol fad of sorts back then. Jeans were worn straight and slim by the likes of James Dean and Elvis. The women wore them better in my opinion, though. This is definitely true if you count Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe among some of the high profile celebrities joining in the fad. The rebellious nature of this fad carried well into the 1960s as well and was adopted as a staple in Rock and Roll fashion by the time the musical genre had come around to serve as an alternative to the Disco era. The 1980s saw spandex take a spin on the game alongside those over sized sweatshirts and colorized leg warmers. The 1990s brought back a scale down of sorts with a return of the slim fitting jeans to Rock in the form of mainstream Punk and Goth themes. The time between 2000 and 2003 could easily by dubbed "The Age Of Denim." It was literally everywhere; especially displaying its prevalence on the runways. 2004 and 2005 saw more of a defined mainstream dominance with celebrities the likes of Kate Moss and Angelina Jolie staking claim to this fashion trend.
Fast forward to nowadays and this trend is starting to look a lot less like its traditional predecessors and a lot more like something uncomfortably weird. Rappers are wearing skinny jeans along with thermal shirts, bike chains, tight jackets with zippers that will never come together as one and whatever other crazy ideas that one can throw into an outfit. While Kid Cudi can be seen as moderately mild and acceptable in his attire, What can we say for this well known artist?
This actually serves as a very adequate segue into the most loathsome of all trends ever cultivated. It is grotesque. It is distasteful. It is shameful. It is disrespectful; and it is probably more confusing than any of the other trends discussed thus far.
There are understandably some mixed signals when it comes to the origin of this trend; but it turns out that one of the most popular myths regarding this trend is just that: a myth.
The most common origin story heard about the sagging trend is that it started in prison. While that portion of information is factual, there has been very little evidence outside of a firsthand account from a prisoner or former prisoner here and there that associates sagging with homosexuality. The overall understanding for the most part about this myth is that a person sagging their pants in prison did so for the purpose of having their fellow inmates recognize that they were "available."
Further research reveals, however that if this were the case, our prison system would be a degree harder to manage across the board.
Though the trend originated in prison, it was focused around more realistic means than the aforementioned. Following the rise of inmate murders and suicides involving belts, inmates were provided loose fitting uniforms with no belts to fasten or bound them in response. Prison authorities feared that the inmates could use their belts as weapons to murder other inmates by strangulation or as nooses for suicidal means. Inmates actually had to do without shoestrings for a great deal of time for likely the same reason.
In light of said circumstances, inmates given over sized uniforms were left with no alternative but to have their pants hang below their waist. Over time it became a prevelant style that many of the inmates grew accustomed to; which is why a considerable number of freed prisoners continued to wear their clothing in said fashion.
The 1990s saw a significant spike in this trend thanks solely in part to major rappers sagging their pants on stage and in music videos. Almost over night, the style was adopted by Hip-Hop fans who were inclined to emulate their idols. Once the youth picked up on this trend, it was used in some instances as an engine of rebellion against traditional typecastings where the "good guys" were expected to wear their chosen attire neatly.
Probably more alarming of a theory than the inmate homesexuality claim is how it was consistently associated with crime. It was presumed that criminals used their loose fitting clothing to conceal weapons. Far be it for me to discern how easy or difficult it would be to hide weapons in loose clothing; especially if one concealing a firearm or any other sort of weapon would have to run at some point. Go figure.
There have been efforts to eliminate the trend outright in the form of protests, forums and of course law enforcement. The protests and forums saw little to no momentum in their ambition towards this trend's abolishment due in part to certain individuals claiming that the trend perpetuates their right to self-expression. As far as the authorities are concerned though, there were new laws adopted highlighting public indecency in an effort to stave off the rapid growth of such an infamous trend. There have even been a number of cases involving arrest and prison sentencing for sagging. In fact, a twenty year old was sentenced to three days in prison in April 2012 in Alabama. He was arrested for appearing in court wearing sagging pants.
Ouch.
If this trend serves as an example of anything, it shows how a fashion trend such as sagging can face considerable objection to the point where it can even be deemed an illegal practice severe enough to gain one jail time; which has an inkling of irony since this trend's origins are began awhile ago in the same place where some will eventually find themselves again for the sake of it's purporting.
The trends we adopt indirectly define us. What directly defines us is how we respond to them. Be it an article of clothing worn a certain way. An act displayed in response to what our culture exposes us to or something that is widespread across social networks at a frenzied pace, trends will impact each of us in different ways.
The best we can do for ourselves and each other, however is knowing when to ride the wave and when to buck the trend. As sure as trends will captivate and inspire, there are some that must be used to cultivate the drive essential to change said trends.
Besides, who's cooler than the person willing to stand alone?
Third:
Staying along the lines of congruence with my angst for overt saturation, I have certain friends of mine who have even gone to the extent of using the hash tag in regular conversing; be it via text or instant messaging platforms. That was actually the sole indicator for me that this has gotten severely out of hand; and I'm not the only one that thinks so...
http://youtu.be/57dzaMaouXA
Just go ahead and copy the above link and paste it into your web browser. All will become clear at that point.
Not all trends are all encompassing like the hash tag trend, though. Some are actually more representative of the plight of a gender; as sexist as that may sound. Remember when this trend started?
This is the immensely obscure Duck Face Trend. I don't think this trend needs much of an explanation at all. It involves females taking photographs where their lips are poked out in a manner that resembles that of a duck's lips. I'm not sure if this is supposed to display cuteness, goofiness or some other trait in the girl that takes the photograph. I just think that it is rather weird and ridiculous to be honest.
I did a little in depth digging(translation: I hopped on Google) and found out a few things about it.
It apparently is also called the "Myspace Face." I suppose this trend goes back further than my recognition will acknowledge. This trend is also about as old as the mid 2000's; originating in 2005 to be exact. The term "Myspace Face" was added to Urban Dictionary(I know. Really lucrative source of factual knowledge, eh?) on March 13th of the following year per it's description of "pouty eyes and pursed lips" for our female contributors to this trend. It was later dubbed the "Duck Face" per a definition added to the website on September 13th of the same year. The author of this definition simply defined it as a two lipped pout.
I have seen some of my female friends on pretty much all of my social networks participating in this trend including my Twitter followers, Facebook and Instagram friends. I'm not sure exactly what is meant to be garnered from this trend, though. I mean, it isn't necessarily cute per se; and to those who aren't necessarily photogenic(far be it for me to discern those individuals, of course), it just makes the photograph that much more disheartening to have to look at. Still in all, this trend doesn't bother me even 1/4 as much as the hash tag trend does.
#IHateThatTrendMore
#IWillMakeThatKnown
#ImpressiveYouUsedAHashTagForAWholeSentence
#PleaseStopUsingHashTagsInEverySingleThing
Okay, enough of that.
There are much more pressing, embarrassing, rehashed, ever present, consistently scrutinized, utterly deplorable trends that I myself nor most others have really been able to wrap our heads around sensibly, to be honest:
The skinny jeans trend is so very confusing to me; and it hasn't necessarily gotten easier to understand over time as most other confusing things have in my life and times.
I'm a man of utility and progression. I like to have things in place that can aid me in future situations. Simple adjustments here and there, ya know.
When I have to remove my wallet to get out some cash, It shouldn't be an epic struggle for me to do so.
When it's time to go home from the movies or dinner, I shouldn't have to spend an extra three minutes in the parking lot trying to get my car keys out of my pockets.
When I see a short, thick woman with enticing curves, I shouldn't have to..........never mind....
The point is, if there is to be a fashion trend, shouldn't it appeal to the masses as something natural and comfortable? Does it have to look this excruciating? Does it have to look like it intentionally excludes another weight class? Shouldn't it be something all inclusive? I think so; but hey. That's just me.
This trend goes as far back as the 1950s. It was more of a sex symbol fad of sorts back then. Jeans were worn straight and slim by the likes of James Dean and Elvis. The women wore them better in my opinion, though. This is definitely true if you count Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe among some of the high profile celebrities joining in the fad. The rebellious nature of this fad carried well into the 1960s as well and was adopted as a staple in Rock and Roll fashion by the time the musical genre had come around to serve as an alternative to the Disco era. The 1980s saw spandex take a spin on the game alongside those over sized sweatshirts and colorized leg warmers. The 1990s brought back a scale down of sorts with a return of the slim fitting jeans to Rock in the form of mainstream Punk and Goth themes. The time between 2000 and 2003 could easily by dubbed "The Age Of Denim." It was literally everywhere; especially displaying its prevalence on the runways. 2004 and 2005 saw more of a defined mainstream dominance with celebrities the likes of Kate Moss and Angelina Jolie staking claim to this fashion trend.
Fast forward to nowadays and this trend is starting to look a lot less like its traditional predecessors and a lot more like something uncomfortably weird. Rappers are wearing skinny jeans along with thermal shirts, bike chains, tight jackets with zippers that will never come together as one and whatever other crazy ideas that one can throw into an outfit. While Kid Cudi can be seen as moderately mild and acceptable in his attire, What can we say for this well known artist?
This actually serves as a very adequate segue into the most loathsome of all trends ever cultivated. It is grotesque. It is distasteful. It is shameful. It is disrespectful; and it is probably more confusing than any of the other trends discussed thus far.
There are understandably some mixed signals when it comes to the origin of this trend; but it turns out that one of the most popular myths regarding this trend is just that: a myth.
The most common origin story heard about the sagging trend is that it started in prison. While that portion of information is factual, there has been very little evidence outside of a firsthand account from a prisoner or former prisoner here and there that associates sagging with homosexuality. The overall understanding for the most part about this myth is that a person sagging their pants in prison did so for the purpose of having their fellow inmates recognize that they were "available."
Further research reveals, however that if this were the case, our prison system would be a degree harder to manage across the board.
Though the trend originated in prison, it was focused around more realistic means than the aforementioned. Following the rise of inmate murders and suicides involving belts, inmates were provided loose fitting uniforms with no belts to fasten or bound them in response. Prison authorities feared that the inmates could use their belts as weapons to murder other inmates by strangulation or as nooses for suicidal means. Inmates actually had to do without shoestrings for a great deal of time for likely the same reason.
In light of said circumstances, inmates given over sized uniforms were left with no alternative but to have their pants hang below their waist. Over time it became a prevelant style that many of the inmates grew accustomed to; which is why a considerable number of freed prisoners continued to wear their clothing in said fashion.
The 1990s saw a significant spike in this trend thanks solely in part to major rappers sagging their pants on stage and in music videos. Almost over night, the style was adopted by Hip-Hop fans who were inclined to emulate their idols. Once the youth picked up on this trend, it was used in some instances as an engine of rebellion against traditional typecastings where the "good guys" were expected to wear their chosen attire neatly.
Probably more alarming of a theory than the inmate homesexuality claim is how it was consistently associated with crime. It was presumed that criminals used their loose fitting clothing to conceal weapons. Far be it for me to discern how easy or difficult it would be to hide weapons in loose clothing; especially if one concealing a firearm or any other sort of weapon would have to run at some point. Go figure.
There have been efforts to eliminate the trend outright in the form of protests, forums and of course law enforcement. The protests and forums saw little to no momentum in their ambition towards this trend's abolishment due in part to certain individuals claiming that the trend perpetuates their right to self-expression. As far as the authorities are concerned though, there were new laws adopted highlighting public indecency in an effort to stave off the rapid growth of such an infamous trend. There have even been a number of cases involving arrest and prison sentencing for sagging. In fact, a twenty year old was sentenced to three days in prison in April 2012 in Alabama. He was arrested for appearing in court wearing sagging pants.
Ouch.
If this trend serves as an example of anything, it shows how a fashion trend such as sagging can face considerable objection to the point where it can even be deemed an illegal practice severe enough to gain one jail time; which has an inkling of irony since this trend's origins are began awhile ago in the same place where some will eventually find themselves again for the sake of it's purporting.
The trends we adopt indirectly define us. What directly defines us is how we respond to them. Be it an article of clothing worn a certain way. An act displayed in response to what our culture exposes us to or something that is widespread across social networks at a frenzied pace, trends will impact each of us in different ways.
The best we can do for ourselves and each other, however is knowing when to ride the wave and when to buck the trend. As sure as trends will captivate and inspire, there are some that must be used to cultivate the drive essential to change said trends.
Besides, who's cooler than the person willing to stand alone?
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