California Hippies

           

The youth in California are relaxed and carefree. They don't care what people think about them. The kids of California make a statement through their style how unique, carefree, and spontaneous they are. Style there is not a passive pastime, it's a lifestyle. They use their style to set them apart from other people and to show the world how they live and what they believe in. For these kids, everyday is a new journey with a new expression.

             The California style refers to a mood of calmness and serenity. You just take one look at these people and think "cool." The typical youth style in California is band shirts and jeans or cords with Vans shoes. Most kids also incorporate jewelry into their style. Rings and hemp bracelets/necklaces are very common as well as unique stone necklaces. The message that the youth is trying to convey is the idea that they are unique, free spirits who don't care about how the rest of the world sees them. They just stay true to what they like and to their beliefs.
            To me, it’s obvious that their beliefs come out through their clothing and style. This is because I just spent four days in Santa Monica, CA. Most of the kids there thought I was native to California. I thought this was strange until I noticed that I fit in with them and their lifestyle. Typically, I wear band shirts and jeans or shorts and some type of Vans shoes, and I of course was dressed like that in California. Generally, I am also a carefree person who loves being a free-spirit and being open-minded. Because of all of this, they assumed I was from there because my style and beliefs were very similar to theirs.
            This just shows how style is connected to personal beliefs as well as cultural beliefs. Kids there are open-minded and free because this is how their culture in California is and they express it through their style. Kids there aren’t flashy but you will remember them.

WORD COUNT: 340

Radical Youth

Style is a concept that is forever changing. One day something that is accepted could be completely different from the next day. This is our culture. Our culture and style change like the strike of lightening. They are interrelated, and depend on one another. When one changes, the other one usually follows.

When I looked at the 1968 Skipjack, I thought wow this is what women used to look like? The women were dressed in skirts and blouses with short boy-like haircuts. The men were also dressed professionally, wearing suites and dress shoes. I thought that maybe the women used to dress this way for college because they wanted to fit in with the men, seeing as mostly men attended college, so the women wouldn’t stand out. The people in Warhol’s pictures were dressed sort of the same way, but with more of an indie style.

            Styles have changed drastically since then. Now, college students don’t dress up at all to go to class. Students wear whatever they want, when they want to wear it. When that issue of the Skipjack was relevant, students used to have to dress up to attend college. If you didn’t you were seen as abnormal or uncool because you didn’t fit in or look professional.

            Today’s youth culture doesn’t seem to care about adhering to societies accepted cultural norms. Just look at today’s college students. Students wear what they want, there is no right or wrong thing to wear to class. The same can be said when going out to events. People wear what they want to wear. Today, there are so many different sub-cultures that have different accepted styles in them. For example: the goth style, which has an accepted style of wearing all or mostly all black every day and including jewelry such as chains or dog collars. To me, this is different from how it used to be because kids today care less about rules. It’s seen as “cool” to break away from the norms of society and dress a different way or act a different way that isn’t culturally ideal.

WORD COUNT: 350

Stimulating Imagery

        Books are an escape. They allow the reader to exist outside of themselves and live another life. Reading calms the mind and relaxes the body. It provides the means to get away from the present and enter an alternate reality that is someone's story.
        For me, reading has always given me the opportunity to get out of my head and experience another person's journey. It has literally saved me. Without reading, my mind would be a much more disorganized place because when I read, I am able to relax while being stimulated by words. This whole concept may sound strange but reading books really allows me to take a break from reality and recharge my batteries. It restores my mind.
        I not only use reading as an escape, I also truly believe it helps to develop the mind. Reading books strengthens a person's mental capacity for knowledge. If you are used to reading on your own time, reading for your classes becomes less difficult. The more you read, the easier it becomes. I like reading literature because I feel well-balanced in other topics. It strengthens your overall knowledge of other subjects as well as expands your vocabulary. Reading is a great addiction.

Word Count: 202

City Dynamics

         In movies and television shows, cities are always portrayed as dirty, dangerous, and unwelcoming. Most of the time, the focus is on the crime and pollution that living in a city offers. This is true; there are these dangers in cities. However, these things can really shape a person and teach them what living really is.
          Living in Baltimore city is loud. As a child going to sleep with  large amounts of noise was normal. So, now as I try to sleep in my dorm room I lay there waiting for the usual car alarms, police sirens, loud engines, and music to sound out in the night. Just as the city is loud, so is its people. This is probably where my outgoing quality comes from. The people that live in cities are unique in the sense that there are so many different cultures and ethnicities no one is the same. Every day is a new lesson on a new culture.
          Baltimore City has given me a whole new outlook on life. Because of the vast differences of the people living around me I was able to learn more about life and how everyone has a story. I began to realize that my troubles could be resolved by learning other people's stories and finding similarities.These lessons cannot be taught in a classroom.

http://www.baltimorecity.gov/