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Monthly Archives: October 2023
Passion in Fashion- Athleisure
When it comes to feeling comfy but cute at the same time, athleisure clothes are your kryptonite. Especially in college, it can be hard to constantly take the time to wear a cute outfit; sometimes it makes more sense for more durable outfits when it comes to a busy school day. With that being said, you can still dress up and make these comfy clothes stylish and adhesive to each other. Elevating an outfit while still managing to look presentable and well-dressed takes a couple of simple steps. Many people at this campus take the athleisure clothing route, this can help you gain some inspiration of how people wear this and make it into a cute outfit!
Although it might be tempting to go for the name brands of sporty clothes, but you can find even better quality clothes for cheaper; more bang for your buck! It is important to start with staple pieces in your closet that have lots of versatility and are good quality pieces so they last long in your wardrobe. This can include a couple of good pairs of shorts, sweatpants, and other comfy bottoms that you feel good in. As for tops, I always enjoy basic and big sweatshirts that are easy to throw on without obstructing an outfit. You can have fun with colors here. Many brands make sweatshirts with nice graphics that can spice up your wardrobe if you don’t want plain colors (This can also be where second-hand shopping can come into play!)
Since it is starting to get into the colder months here at State College, a go-to coat is always needed. A personal favorite for me is just a black puffer. You can never go wrong! Since coats are more on the pricy side, a more reserved pattern and style will allow you to pair them with more outfits and will help you keep warm on your walks to class. For fall, it’s always nice to have a couple of flannels or lighter jackets to help you layer for the day’s unpredictable weather.
When putting together an outfit, it’s important to remember that comfort can come before style. Taking into account your goals and schedule for a specific day can help you curate the type of outfit you want to wear. Fashion isn’t always wearing the most extravagant thing. Knowing what you are comfortable with and how to execute this is also important if you want to elevate your style.
Passion in Fashion- Personal Style
Style is great and all but what makes it so unique and complex is you! When everyone starts to get creative and personalistic with what they where is what lets the true colors of style shine. It might be really easy to just copy someone’s outfit you saw online or buy what the mannequin is wearing, but sometimes it is good to push yourself to wear clothes that speak to who you are. Personal style is a way where you can allow yourself to get creative with the outfits you make. It can be a fun way to find out more about yourself.
Getting inspiration from different places can help you enhance your style. Whether this be social media or people you see on the street. It is so interesting, especially in bigger cities, to see the diverse styles people have. Whenever I visit New York City I leave feeling so encouraged to build my style more. Not only is creating your style fun for yourself, but it is fun for the people you see around you as well. We need more color and light-hearted fun in the world, and expressing yourself through what you wear is a perfect way to achieve this!
Now that you have the inspiration, it is time to start getting pieces that reflect your personal style. How do you do this? Find new stores that you’ve never shopped at and find clothes that will brighten up your closet! Adding these fun elements that make you feel comfortable in your wardrobe can immediately enhance your personal style. Now was that so hard? After these simple steps, your personal style will start to take form. Fashion is supposed to be fun, and when everyone is wearing the same thing this limits the fun.
Once you start to show off your style, this can lead to you inspiring other. Sometimes it can be hard for people to take the jump and start wearing clothes that other people might not be wearing as much. Especially at this age, and a school as big as Penn State some people might not be ready to start expressing who they are on the outside. But, leading by example by doing it yourself can help inspire others around you.
Clothes are supposed to be expressive and enjoyable, so let us take the step of reverting back to this. We all have a personal style, we just need to find it!
RCL- TED Talk and Evolving Ideas Brainstorm
TED Talk:
I chose this TED Talk because it holds a very dear place in my heart; it is one of my best friend’s mother speaking about the tragedy of her son’s death due to hazing in a fraternity at Ohio University. The Wiant’s are such an amazing family and after going through such a tragic loss of their brother, Collin, they have become even more compassionate and strong. In this TED Talk, Kathleen Wiant talks about her personal experience of the tragedy and then speaks about how hazing is a slow process that acts as a snowball effect. Her delivery is strong and engaging and she uses good descriptive language that echoes her point that hazing is more than what you think.
Going to such a big school ourselves with many frats and sororities, it is sadly inevitable that this hazing happens here too. She does a good job using pathos to connect with the audience, because so many of us know people who have been affected by a situation similar to this. I encourage all of you to watch this talk so we can all become more knowledgable on the background and buildup of hazing. This can help combat the issue before it becomes too late. If you would like to learn more about Collin’s story and the Wiant’s, they have a website: collinwiantfoundation.org.
Unit Two Ideas:
Some topics that I am thinking of doing for the Unit Two projects of evolving ideas are the safety precaution in sports, the evolution and incorporation of architecture styles from past-present, or the changes in TV and movie entertainment.
The sports safety through the years would be a good topic because of how far we’ve come with medical treatments and diagnosis’s that help us become more aware of how dangerous activities can be. I can first start out with the minimal precautions taken and talk about the equipment used in the early stages. Then, throughout the decades, talk about the factors that went into the current equipment and rules that have been added.
For the architecture idea, I can first introduce the early stages of building styles and techniques that the Greeks and Romans used. From there, you can see how these have been implemented in many countries and cities. I can also talk about the different eras of building styles and how this might have reflected the state of our world and economy at the time.
For changes in TV and movies I can first start out with the minimal amount of engagement of sounds and visuals were used; it was much more simplistic. From there, I can talk about the rapid amount of eccentric visuals and fast-paced media have become more prevalent. This might have created an uptick in people’s attention spans.
Elevator Pitch Speech Analysis
After listening to my speech, I was able to reflect on my performance. The strengths that I found in my speech were the delivery and certain rhetorical lenses that I analyzed. I thought my delivery was clear and to the point, as well as sincere and passionate about the topic at hand. For the rhetorical lenses, I thought I took clear examples from the artifact that supported my analysis and backed up my reasoning. Some weaknesses that I had were some of the content and the articulation of my words. There were times during the speech when my delivery was a little wordy and could’ve been refined.
I chose Allison’s speech about Moms Demand Action to analyze. This speech was very well done and the delivery made the piece extremely engaging. her use of slides was very nicely executed and kept me engaged while still being able to follow along with the images that she was focusing on. Her use of language in the speech was strong and used descriptive words that spiced up the speech. As for the information in the speech itself, Allison had accurate data and a good analysis of the rhetorical situations within the artifact. When describing each of the rhetorical situations, she made sure to make a clear indication of what effects it had and how the lens was tied into the piece.
After watching Allison’s speech, I was able to take some of her methods in delivery and word choices that can help me in the future. Her tone of voice was strong and direct and also used facial expressions that helped connect to the audience while delivering her speech.
Passion in Fashion- Model in a Motel
An odd spot for a model? Yes, but this is where my roommate resided for a shoot this evening. The theme of the shoot was called “Calls From Home”. Through the Valley Magazine here at Penn State, my roommate Loralei had the chance to show her model skills. All week I got to hear of what went into one page of a magazine. The hair, the makeup, the place, the lighting, the camera, you name it. This can all seem very exhausting, but the hard work does pay off. The model industry everywhere has many stereotypes, but that’s when you only know the surface.
Today, models and the whole industry have evolved out of the “stereotypical model”. Yes, some of the industry remains unchanged which needs to change. There has been an influx of diversity and personalities all over the spectrum, this creates a healthy environment that encourages fashion to be more inclusive. This allows for fashion brands to become more creative as well. Instead of a boring catwalk with models showing no emotion, more brands have been switching it up with creative shifts in their runway shoes. Take Moschino for example, their unique and colorful line of clothes is shown off through eccentric walks and personalities. This is refreshing to see after the cookie-cutter runway show.
Over the years, the style and look of a model has changed so much. In the early 1900s, we saw many modest and “clean-cut” models, in the late 1900s the idea of “supermodel” was becoming apparent and many big-name models started to take charge. From the 2000s to the present, there have been many changes in the fashion industry. This empire takes many quick turns and shapes that it is hard to keep track of what is “in or out”(just watch Devil Wears Prada and you’ll know exactly what I mean).
From what we can see in today’s fashion, models and the idea of “models” are changing. Getting to have a first-hand look into the hustle and bustle of what goes into being a model from my roommate helped me come to this conclusion. You can go so many directions with how you want a brand to be represented and what story you want it to tell. Sometimes all a brand needs is a run-of-the-mill fashion show. Sometimes switching it up and coming up with fun ways to incorporate the line of clothes allows for the brand to reach more people and gain traction. But, when it comes down to it just remember- Walk the runway, don’t let the runway walk you.
Rhetorical Analysis Essay Draft/ Speech Outline
Essay Draft
There are always two sides to a story; these artifacts help explain this. The commonplace, “performative activism” has become increasingly popular through social media including Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Whether we like it or not, we all have partaken in performative activism. If you still think you haven’t played a part in this: have you ever seen a post of a serious social issue, think about it for a couple of seconds, like the post, and then move on with your day? If you answered yes, you aren’t alone. Social media being so accessible and sadly, our main way of receiving news, makes it challenging to avoid this snowball effect of activism.
The first artifact shows you a look firsthand into a serious situation and pans out to the multiple thumbs up that are portrayed as “helping” the situation in the middle. The second artifact further proves this point and uses visual rhetoric, exigence, and the commonplace of “performative activism” to entice the reader into thinking more about the topic at hand. Artifact 1 takes a more serious and realistic approach to this movement while Artifact 2 displays a cartoon-like image that shows a common area where performative activism is present. While the two ads show different ideas of the same commonplace, they still hit all the points by using these rhetorical lenses. The heavy-hitting rhetorical situations such as dramatism, visual rhetoric, and strategic use of commonplaces make both artifacts take a productive approach to addressing a growing issue. As defined in Philosophy & Rhetoric, performative activism is shallow or self-serving support for social justice causes (Thimsen, Freya). If you think about it, the only purpose of social media is to share or even show off things that you do. This plays into the “self-serving” aspect of this kind of activism.
When diving deep into Artifact 1, the scene is set as serious and demanding. As a viewer of this artifact, you find yourself getting frustrated at the border of everyone’s thumbs up of people who aren’t genuinely helping the child in need. This is a quality example of the logos that are used. This artifact connects with the audience through the idea that no one besides the woman in the middle is genuinely helping the situation. The thumbs-up creates rage within the audience that leads to self-reflection of whether they have ever partaken in activism that didn’t achieve the goal at hand.
The black-and-white filter of the photo invites a sense of devastation and grimness within the situation. The setting and focus of the photo helps strengthen the dramatism situation. This picture is not to be taken lightly which helps get the point across. Taking photos that come from real-life crises enhances the weight that this ad has on us. Knowing that these are pictures of real people in struggling situations makes the viewer take a step back and reevaluate themselves and how they respond to social justice issues. Taking apart the elements in the photo also helps analyze the message displayed in the artifact. When looking at the facial expressions of the boy, we see distress, exhaustion, and helplessness. When contrasting this to the thumbs up, it can be described as phony and disrespectful to the boy in need. The simplicity of the photo lets the audience only focus on the main points of the ad. This helps people resonate with what they know the photo is addressing.
The phrase used in this artifact, “liking isn’t helping”, is a prime example of exigence. After seeing the seriousness of the photo and the lack of effective help with the thumbs up, the phrase reiterates what the audience should already be thinking– liking isn’t helping. After reading this, it helps push the idea of combating performative activism even more than the ad has already done. This is a powerful way to end the artifact for a change in how people deal with social justice issues.
With artifact 2, the approach is more of a cartoon-like graphic. The visual rhetoric displayed in this piece is seen through the bright, primary colors that can appeal to a wide variety of people. The body language of the people in the photo is seen as bored and uninterested in the protest they are currently at. Some people are on their phones, reading a book, or having a conversation with one another. The obvious distaste of these people plays into the purpose of this artifact that some people only protest to “look good”. The poster in front with the red font (which can further help to indicate that the wording is important) says “This is all I have to do right?”. The poster exposes how the people at the protest are currently feeling and that there is a conspicuous lack of passion.
A commonplace that can also be tied along in this artifact, including performative activism, is peaceful protests. The ability to organize and participate in demonstrations, pickets, rallies, marches, and protests is a key aspect of democratic representation (Journal of Human Rights Practice, N. Jarman, M. Hamilton). Being able to exercise the right to protest peacefully is so crucial in the democratic country that we live in, but sadly these protests can end up being like what this ad is portraying. People might just show up to these protests to “keep a good image” or just to post on their social media and then leave without the needed passion that makes protests so effective. A time that this happened recently is when the Black Lives Matter movement was on the rise in 2020 and many celebrities and social media figures would attend protests and then show little to no effort in the movement itself.
The comparison of these two artifacts is the take on style within the ad. When you look at Artifact 1, you can see that it takes a more serious approach; contrasting that with Artifact 2, the styles differ and reach a multitude of different audiences. Both artifacts achieve the goal of getting their point across. What was the point? Making people reevaluate how they address and handle social justice issues through their responses and actions. Although showing support through liking a post or showing up to events is a good start, it is not enough. Stopping here will lead to no further progression in solving crisis issues. Both artifacts use the commonplace of performative activism to push for a greater change in the audience. Using constructive lenses aids in getting a response from the audience; whether that be an emotional, powerful, or positive response. These civic artifacts are only the beginning of solving an issue, they help ignite a fire in each individual to go do good in the world instead of leaving things how they are.
Speech Outline:
Intro: If this photo doesn’t make you take a step back and think about performative activism, then I don’t know what will. This civic artifact is the epitome of activism that is portrayed on social media. Liking a photo of a social issue is not enough and this is what this ad is showing.
SDGs: No poverty, zero hunger
Lenses:
- Visual Rhetoric: black-and-white filter, thumbs up, distress
- Dramatism: Setting of photo, real-life crisis situation, facial expression of boy
- Exigence: “Liking isn’t helping”, introducing a solution
Extra Notes: This plays into our everyday lives, we are the start of a new change, little deed play big role
Ending Questions: As long as we aren’t just showing a thumbs up and watching from the sidelines and actually participating in good around the world, we are helping. Do you find this true in your day-to-day life?
Thank you!
Passion in Fashion- Accessorizing
You are getting ready to go out for the day, you put on the perfect outfit but something isn’t quite right. If you’re feeling this way you might be forgetting an aspect people often overlook when it comes to getting dressed–accessorizing. This one simple thing can elevate an outfit so much more and create a more individualistic look. When thinking of accessories, you might think there is only so much you can do and that there are limited options; but this idea of accessorizing includes so much more than the mundane. It includes jewelry, belts, purses, scarves, makeup, hair accessories, and even statement jackets.
A common assumption that people create within accessories is that “it’s only for girls”, but this is not true! Anybody can elevate an outfit and it isn’t just catered to women. Take a simple out such as a pair of blue jeans and a white shirt, now add a unique belt, a statement watch, and any bag of your choosing (to elevate this even more, have the belt and purse colors match). With a couple of accessories, you just took an everyday outfit to something that makes your new look more original and catered to your style.
An accessory that I have been using more and becoming more intrigued with is belts. Belts help you tell a story within an outfit and can assist in splitting up the fluidity of your clothes to create a tiered outfit. My local vintage store has a colorful and eccentric array of belts that can be chosen from. Getting these belts from places like a local vintage store lets you pick out accessories that are distinctive and even more special. These pieces will be in your closet for a long time and can start to become a treasured piece in your wardrobe. For as long as I can remember, I adored my mom’s jewelry collection because of the stories she had behind each accessory and how they held such sentimental value to her. Taking the time to collect sentimental accessories will allow for the memories to last and create more than just a “random thing” in your closet that you have lying around.
So, after reading this take the time to find an accessory that speaks to you and will add a creative element to your next outfit. Accessories added to clothes are the cherry on top of any outfit. Knowing this, make your “sundae” with a mixture of new colors, accessories, and pieces of clothing that you love, good luck!