I loved this unit's readings. Mostly because the age group we all are planning to teach (6th- 12th grade) all of those students are dealing with the struggles of fitting in and how their peers are going to perceive them. We've all gone through times like this where we want so desperately to fit into the "cool" group that we will change our total outward appearance in order to do so. Looking back, I didn't realize that this is what I was doing, but now it is so apparent. It makes me sad that kids think that they can't embrace their individuality because it won't be considered "cool", I wish there was some way to make students understand that just because the popular kids think it's cool doesn't automatically mean that you should follow suit.
First of all, teens rate their coolness on their appearance, meaning that they take a lot of time into thinking about what they wear on their body. The "Merchants of Cool" video expressed how the teen age group is the hardest to market to because it is hard as adults to know what they like and what they don't. I literally had no idea that they would send out people to look for hipsters and to see what the next fashion style will be. It was kind of funny actually, just the way they marketed it - having older people trying to live like they are young and find the newest "cool" fashion. I guess someone has to do it, right? Never thought of it before, but I guess it makes sense. This leads to the Abercrombie and Fitch scandal. Which just purely pisses me off - makes me so mad that a CEO would claim that they don't want ugly or fat people working for their company. What kind of business is that? I remember when I was in middle school and I thought that if you shopped at Abercrombie it was cool - I thought it made me feel older and much more stylish. Yeah, I think their clothes are cute and all, but just their reputation and not to mention the price of those clothes is just so not even worth it. Sorry, middle schoolers it's just not worth it. And I totally support that guy in giving all my Abercrombie clothes to the homeless!
Macklemore's "Wings" song and video hits the nail on the head by relating kids identifying themselves through materialistic things. A line that stuck out to me was "We are what we wear". It is true, middle schoolers really do believe that - unfortunately. Even though Macklemore isn't condoning this, he is simply bringing to light that this is the problem our teenagers face. I really thought the Spike Lee video with Michael Jordan was the cherry on top for this unit's readings because it proved that the shoes don't make a difference. And this carries a lot of weight because it comes from the greatest basketball player in the world, Michael Jordan himself. This would be a great video to show kids because it makes them realize that what you wear doesn't make you cooler or better at something than someone that doesn't have them. The short story "The Jacket" relates perfectly to "Wings" because it is the same concept of kids thinking that clothing defines them and their level of popularity. This kid, who I found a little ungrateful, was so mad at his mom for buying him such an ugly jacket that he blamed the jacket for his crappy years in school...doesn't really make all that much sense. But I guess speaking from a mind of a middle schooler it is.
As for my "street style" I am considered 'simply relaxed' meaning that fashion wise - I know what I like and what I don't like and I don't necessarily go for the WOW Factor with my clothing, but still look good. I would say that this quiz was pretty accurate with my style of clothing, I am really relaxed and like to be comfy. I am curious to know what the other results were!
No comments:
Post a Comment