Designer Sweatpants.

It has come that time that I finally review a trend that I absolutely love. This trend is not something that I necessarily think looks amazing or is the cutest outfit choice ever...it's not even close. I am simply a lazy gal who likes to look good...while being lazy.

I'm talking about designer sweatpants.

Wherefore Pink?, originally uploaded by Boris Badenov.

The Uggs, the Victoria Secret PINK sweat pants. The whole look screams, "I can be cute and lazy too!" And that, my friends, is my goal in life.**

I feel that this look appeals to both men and women alike: Guys see the girl sporting their cute yet comfy threads and think, "Gee, that girl is really laid back and not a potential psycho girlfriend." Girls, on the other hand, are constantly checking out other girls' outfits and this is no exception. Hello, it's cute!

sweats_049, originally uploaded by Footie Fan.

Also, notice how versatile these sweatpants can be. They're not your average sweatpants that require some sort of stained wife beater and 10-year-old sweatshirt that says "Hard Rock Cafe." Instead, you can wear regular shirts and jackets with them, as well as a number of different shoes!

Overall, I give this trend a whopping 4 out of 5 stars. It would be a 5 out of 5, except the fact that these cute sweat pants usually cost anywhere from $30-50, which just ain't right for sweatpants.

★★★★

**Extremely inaccurate, but works in the context.

Uggs with Mini-Skirts.

In the wintertime, you will not see me in anything other than Uggs or some form of knock-off. I almost will refuse to wear anything else, unless I am going to the gym. Now, my thought process during this time of year is something like: "Hmmm, I know it's going to be freezing today. What will keep my toesies the warmest?" And I slip into my fuzzy boots and jeans and head out.

HOWEVER.

I do not understand the mini-skirt and Ugg combination!

coffee bean boots, originally uploaded by Malingering.

Why girls think that exposing 12 to 16 inches of skin and bundling up everywhere else will somehow be anything but dumb is beyond me. I know some people might sport this look during the warmer days, but I kid you not America, I have seen this very look sported on days of 30 degrees or colder on my own college campus.

Camo-Uggs at the Getty Villa, originally uploaded by Boris Badenov.

Let's be real. Look at the elderly woman checking out this girl's outfit. This is why older generations hate us, guys!! And another thing! Why would you want to wear Uggs at anytime OTHER than the winter?! My feet sweat if it's any warmer than 40 degrees and I'm wearing those bad boys!

So the point is, this look is just plain odd. It's like wearing an oxymoron. Not to mention, this trend is WAY OLD! Just check out this article posted back in 2006!

I rate this trend 1 out of 5 stars, because maybe...just MAYBE if they were some other boot, it would be cute.

★

Vintage [Anything].

Mushrooms, originally uploaded by drew-o-rama.

I consider myself mostly a "girly-girl." I love pretty dresses, I have floral sheets, and my room is pink & white. I feel like I have a magnet in me that draws me to the shabby-chic section of any store, however...

There comes a time when "vintage-chic" turns into "wow-how-have-I-not-thrown-that-away-yet" chic.

No Concept
Originally uploaded by !Ms. Allison Wonderland

Don't get me wrong. I definitely like the "old-school" feel when it comes to certain pieces of furniture or artwork. However, many new-age hipsters and scenesters prefer to feel as if they live in a time capsule that hasn't been opened in 50 years. {Pictured right: Girl in hipster glasses (see below) with her new favorite thrift-store purchase.)

Smithy
Originally uploaded by drew-o-rama

These people like to buy the scariest, oldest, dust-ridden plates and pictures to line their shelves and walls, as if they were paying tribute to what our grandparents called the "golden years." I don't want to hate on this too much, but if I walk into your apartment and I can't distinguish whether a 22-year-old or an 88-year-old live there, we have a problem.

I rate this trend 3 out of 5 stars, because even though some of the things people buy are heinous to no end, they usually cost about 5 pennies.

★★★

If you still really like this style, check out some nicer places to find not-so-hideous stuff.

Temporary Item: Jose Antonio Vargas Story

Jose Antonio Vargas Interview

He may be the only journalist to have analyzed to such extent the use of technology in the latest election, because his stories all focus on the relationship between politics and the Internet. Jose Antonio Vargas is a reporter for the Washington Post, and may be one of the first journalists to cover the up-and-coming topic of Internet communications and our government.

Lately, Vargas has put out many pieces regarding the Obama administration and the new and innovative ways our president is connecting with U.S. citizens. “[Everything] is going to operate through Whitehouse.gov,” Vargas explained on Thursday, January 29 to CSPAN-3’s “Distance Learning” program. “One of the things they are trying to do is to create a level of engagement…and to have a discussion [among citizens] about certain issues and topics.”

According to Vargas, had Obama not utilized the Internet in the way he did during his campaign, he may not have been elected. Vargas explained that through websites such as MoveOn.org gave supporters a feeling of inclusion in the government process, unlike the traditional approach to campaigns where candidates attack one another constantly. “[Their approach was not to be used] to attack one another, but to be more issue oriented,” Vargas said.

One of the biggest changes to come with this new presidency is the transparency level on Whitehouse.gov. George Mason University student Lauren Jost was impressed by the amount of interaction and up-to-date news the new website provides. “My favorite part of the website is the ‘Weekly Address’ that President Obama gives every Saturday morning to update us on the latest issues,” Jost explained. “It’s a great feeling knowing that our president wants us to be aware and up to date with the happenings in our world.”

The success secured under Obama’s online campaigning seems to have inspired all the branches of government to become more connected with U.S. citizens. Members of the House and Senate have started their own YouTube pages in hopes of informing the people about issues and topics of importance. However, Vargas believes that rather than simply informing the public, politicians should use these websites as platforms for discussion. “I’ve watched some of these congress members, senate members and house members’ YouTubes, and I think many of them think this is a broadcast TV model as opposed to sparking some actual dialogue,” he noted.

Although our president may be advancing as far as technology is concerned, many politicians seem to accustom to outdated ways of communication. Vargas explained “politicians are in the Britannica Encyclopedia [thought-process], while the rest of us are in Wikipedia.” Especially when it comes to the conservatives in our government, they have a lot of catching up to do. “McCain ran a no-frills campaign,” Vargas said. He went on to explain that by not utilizing such social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, the republican party may have lost crucial votes.

Whatever the current situation may be, it seems that things are only progressing in the online world of communication. Since the internet is rapidly climbing to the top of the news food-chain, it is imperative that our government utilize all that they can to keep us informed and stay away from the attack methods of campaigning. “On Google, everyone is equal,” Vargas explained, “and it is up to us to distinguish fact from rumor.”

Twilight.

So there's this book called "Twilight" that has everyone freaking out. It's about some kind of teen-vampire-romance novel that has enough fans to warrant five books in the series (so far). Apparently, this book is the new Harry Potter and if you don't read it then you can guarentee to be left out of 74%** of girl's (even women's) conversations for the next decade.

I, personally, have not read the books nor do I have any undying desire to read them. Something about vampires and magic and love don't really sit well with me. For example, I was never one to suggest watching "Lord of the Rings" or "Chronicles of Narnia." However, I will admit that after seeing "Narnia" I have never been so happy to have watched a movie in my life.

I think I'm scared to read these books because I know I will never want to read anything for school again.


However, my trusty roommate (and credible movie critic) informed me that (and I quote) "The movie was awful and nothing like the book and I've never been so dissapointed ever! I love Edward!" So one can see how I haven't had the uncontrollable "bite" (get it?) to see this movie or read the book.

Either way, I know I will be missing out on something...whether it is a great book and movie or doing actual homework.


I rate this trend 0 stars because I never have and never will see it or read it. So there.

✩/★★★★★

**Statistic completely made up, by me.

Wide-framed Glasses.

From Cisco Adler, to Jay-Z, there seems to be a new trend that no one is safe from.

Wide-framed glasses.



The urban-Brooklyn-chic style has grown popular due to generic and overpriced clothing stores such as Urban Outfitters and American Apparel, and these glasses seem to be the designated symbol of Hipsterdom.

While the tiny population of self-proclaimed "hipsters" find these 1980's styled frames to be attractive, the rest of the world seems to be walking around with question marks lingering over our heads:

What are some people thinking?

The worst part about these glasses is that Hollywood seems to be embracing this trend and flaunting it in the most unsuspecting of places...

The hip-hop scene.



Yes, it's true. Nothing screams "gangster" like glasses my dad wore in what he calls "the most embarrassing years of his life."


(Image courtesy of Danasdirt.com)

Many Americans fear that the economy is to blame for this sudden uprisal in ugly eye-wear. Are thrift stores to blame? Are these kids digging through their parents storage to save money on pricier glasses?

We may never know the answers...we can only hope the 80's inspired looks stays on the face, and away from the shoulder pads.




I rate this trend 2 out of 5 stars, because hey, recycling is always a positive.


★★

Pomegranates.

With the economy in the toilet and everyone closing their wallets to things they'd normally want to splurge on, there seems to be one thing people can't get enough of.

Pomegranate.




I don't know what it is about this fruit that suddenly awe-struck an entire nation, but we Americans can't get enough of pomegranate.

Completely curious and new to the fruit, I decided to venture to my neighborhood Giant store to pick up a few pomegranates. To my surprise, I had to pay $8 for two of these somewhat onion-y looking things! I had never tasted anything pomegranetized, so you can bet I was a little annoyed and praying that my next snack would be worth the possible "five-dollar-footlong" I was sacrificing for research.

First of all, figuring out how to actually get to the good stuff in the fruit is quite a challenge in itself. One of my roommates told me she watched a video on YouTube about how to cut the fruit, and although I do not recall the exact directions, she explained that it involved soaking it in lukewarm water, a dash of salt, and traditional Native American folk dance. I decided against the YouTube idea and found that cutting it clean in half worked pretty well. I was a little surprised to find what was waiting for me when I cut it open...



Did I accidentally buy a cow's brain? What exactly is going on here? Again, my trusty roommate explained to me that the seedy/brainy looking pods inside were actually the fruit. So I carefully spooned out the little buggers because apparently (i.e. this happened) if you roughhouse with them, they WILL spray you.

And then I ate them. And I enjoyed them. But I still was curious...why all the fuss? There are definitely fruit on my list that I would much rather eat, smell like, drink, and shampoo my hair with than pomegranate. Sure, the pom has a sexy antioxidant that fights cancer and crime, but what fruit doesn't these days? And sure, the pom has a unique texture and form...but excuse me, BANANAS ANYONE? Bananas have an easy-grip shape and smooth texture making for the perfect comfort food. With the pom, you still have seeds you either need to chew up and swallow (ew!) or spit out!

TOO MUCH EFFORT.

Don't get me wrong, I plan on eating a pomegranate for lunch tomorrow. I just don't plan on buying any of the following:


























Nice try, pomegranate. But I saw "The DaVinci Code" and you were no where in it!

All in all, I give this trend 3 out of 5 stars because while I do like the taste and its interesting shell, I can't believe they have pomegranate chandeliers.

★★★

To read more about the phenomenon that is pomegranate, click here.