The Orange Glow.

I've noticed the campus has gotten a lot brighter lately...and by that I mean there have been more sightings of The Orange Glow. Don't know what I'm talking about?


Okay, so maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration. But you can't deny the amount of orangy-tans strolling across campus lately. Not just here, but everywhere you go...girls are going tanning because summer is coming up.

Now, I am all in favor for a healthy glow to your skin. It makes you look thinner, healthier, and vibrant. But when I fear I am going to get second-hand skin cancer from standing too close to you, you may have a bit of a tanning problem.

I really don't want to dedicate a post to the health risks involved with going to tanning booths, because I think every girl who's ever been tanning (myself included) has been yelled at, ridiculed, and scolded about how we're going to get skin cancer. Unfortunately, my mom just recently got basal cell melanoma and had to get surgery to have it taken care of. I have since sworn off the tanning bed, and instead get my tan from a tube...the way nature intended it!

But really, I do promote the use of self-tanners if you do want that look because not only are you preventing cancer, but you are preventing looking like a leather handbag by the time you are 30. My favorite self-tanners are:

• St. Tropez
• Jergen's Gradual Self Tanning Mousse
• Oil of Olay Touch of Sun in Medium
• Neutrogena Spray Bronzer
• Fake Bake

I do not give The Orange Glow look any stars, but if you practice safe sun care, I give you 5 out of 5 stars!

★★★★★

Rolling Backpacks.

Here at George Mason, we are given a 15 minute break in between classes. For many of us, that time is usually spent rushing to our next class...which is likely a mile hike across campus. Although I'm sure many of us wish we could leisurely stroll to class, the fact is that we need to haul it ASAP in order to make it on time.

That's why I am here today to vent to you about the number one thing that gets in my way when trying to get to my next class:

Rolling Backpacks.

Look, I am not here to hate on you about your choice of backpack. But really people...these things are a hazard! Our campus is a huge, huge place filled with LOTS of people. Lots of pushing and shoving goes down in our crowded hallways, and if you are one of the Rolling Backpack-ers, you sure as hell are making things dangerous for us just trying to survive.

I can't tell you the amount of times I have tripped or have seen people trip over these things. I rate these backpacks a measly 1 out of 5 stars, because unless you are physically unable to carry a backpack or bag, you should not be dragging your books behind you for others to fall onto.

★/✩✩✩✩

Revamped: The One-Piece Bathing Suit

Summer is just around the corner, and every girl I know has been hitting the gym to get that bikini body ready for the beach. It's this time of year that girls are checking out what new bathing suits Victoria's Secret has to offer, and then going to Target to find the cheaper version.

But there is one bathing suit that you will be seeing a lot more of this summer. And that is the one-piece bathing suit.

No, not like your grandma's one-piece. This one-piece brings sexy back...kind of.


The new one-piece features many new holes in places you would not expect. A hole around the belly button? Okay. Two on the sides? Sure. Both!? Wait a minute...

This James Bond-esque suit is not meant to be worn by the conservative beach goers. In fact, I wouldn't recommend this bathing suit to be worn at all unless it were at a James Bond themed party.

The reasoning is this: Who want's to have those tan lines?? If you lay out on the beach in that suit, you have made a commitment to your wardrobe that you will only be wearing this suit for the rest of summer, because those tan lines are going to be out of control.

I give these suits a 3/5 stars, because while some of them are very cute, they are not practical for the typical summer day.

★★★/✩✩

Gladiator Sandals.

It seems like every year, there is some ridiculous shoe trend that surfaces from the depths of radical fashion designer's minds. I remember when I was in third grade, the cool shoe to have was the platform tennis shoe.

I believe it was this exact pair that I owned and "rocked" in third grade, making all the boys want to date me and all the girls want to be me...or something like that.

I first noticed the newest shoe trend while skimming through Perez Hilton. Of course, who other than Mary-Kate Olsen was one of the first to start wearing...

The Gladiator Sandal.

I think my reaction was much like the rest of America's when this shoe made its debut: Why? Why? Why? I was scared, nervous, and mostly uncomfortable to see poor innocent legs caged in by strappy patent leather. They looked completely uncomfortable and not even attractive. I just didn't get it.

But then, like most things, I began to warm up to the idea of gladiator sandals...or at least the tamed down version:

I actually bought a super-cheap, super watered-down version of the gladiator sandal at Target not too long ago. I still don't think that the Gladiators that climb up to your knees are attractive, but it's good to see fresh ideas coming into the fashion world...even if you do need to alter it every now and then to fit your own style.

I give Gladiator sandals 3/5 stars, because I still think there are much cuter sandals out there.

★★★/✩✩

Guidos.

Every straight girl has their own taste in guys. Some like athletes, others like computer geeks. Some of us like those bad boys who we know are just so bad for us.

And then there are the girls who find these guys attractive:

GUIDOS.

I can't help but think back to one of my favorite shows ever -- True Life -- and the episode where the young couples are getting married. There was a guy who resembled the chaps pictured above, and I think that was the first time I was introduced to the concept of the guido. Jet black hair, stereotypical Staten Island accent, gold chains, spiked hair...basically, the Gotti Brothers.Believe it or not America, some girls actually find this breed of human "hot." Speaking only for myself here, I do not think it is acceptable to date someone who uses more hair and face products than I do or goes tanning more than I do.

Besides, what's with the lip gloss?

That Guy.

As a professional college student, I've learned a thing or two in my day about taking pictures at parties. There are unspoken rules which we all must obide by, and here, in no particular order, are the most important.

1. If you are a girl posing with fellow females, be sure to get as close together as possible and make the kissy face.
2. If you are a bro posing with fellow bros, hold up your beer if you have one...and if not, throw up the horns.
3. If you happen to be in the background while one of the aforementioned photos are taking place, do all you can to avoid being...

THAT GUY.

"That guy" is the creeper in the background of many party pictures. The most severe cases of That Guy occurs when said dude happens to glance at the photographer at the exact moment of snapshot, causing a creepy, staring look on his face when really he probably just was cruising by. But have no fear, because there are multiple ways to avoid being That Guy and being made fun of forever.

The first way to avoid having an unwarranted stalker reputation is to not look. Use those peripherals, guys! Think you see a group of people posing out of the corner of your eye? Don't look until you see the flash! This one is the easiest way to avoid becoming That Guy.

The second way to lighten the situation is to make a face. I know, it sounds ridiculous, but at least you can act like you were trying to be funny.

Personally, I like "that guys." I think my favorite photos are the ones with some poor, innocent bystander creepin' in the background. It always gets a good laugh, and frankly, we've all been "that guy" once in our lives.

★★★★★

Pop Music.

We all have music on our iPods that we don't want anyone to see. For me, it might be every Britney Spears song ever recorded. Or perhaps it's Lindsay Lohan's latest song, "Bossy." Regardless, I know all of you have a secret song that you jam out to in your cars when you think no one's looking. This song might be something that you discovered while "accidentally" listening to HOT 99.5 the other day, or perhaps one of the girls in your Bio lab was singing it incessantly to the point where you had NO CHOICE but to go home and download it! There's no shame in that. My point here is this...

At some point in everyone's life, you will fall victim to liking some form of pop music.

Believe it or not, a lot of people find this fact embarrassing. This is because when many people think of pop music, they envision this:

(Image courtesy of themusicstories.com)

I would be embarrassed too, if this were the real definition of pop music. But it's not. Pop music stands for "popular music," therefore any song or band that is "mainstream" or popular to the point where they are on the radio, on MTV, or selling out huge venues for concerts -- they could be considered "pop."

Pop music is no longer synonymous with bubblegum dance music. It's artists like John Mayer, Kanye West, Coldplay, Keith Urban and John Legend. These artists that produce music in genres like alternative, country, and hip hop are now also being categorized as pop.
(Image courtesy of Breakpoint.es)

So while many of you out there actually tend to listen to music that is by no means considered mainstream, a lot of us out here are guilty of listening to pop music. And does that make us conformed consumers of a money-hungry society? Maybe. But if giving up secretly listening to my NOW 5 CD means I can be cool, than I'd rather not be.