Evolution of Style Article

Evolution of Style Article

We all love the latest trends but did you know that some of the fashions we wear now actually were worn by our parents and grandparents as early as the 1940’s to as late as the 90’s. Here at Crush we love a good fashion revival so why not revisit the trends of the past!

40’s

You didn’t have much choice in the style stakes in the 40’s as WWII had a huge effect on women’s lives. Nylon and wool were needed by the military so women had to make do and mend by creating a new material- ‘Rayon, a synthetic fibre. Doesn’t sound very glamorous does it? However some women managed to keep trendy even during air raids with the store Harvey Nichols offering gas protection suits made from silk in a variety of colours. I suppose you never know who you might meet! After the war, however, women soon made up for lost fashion time with many changing their outfit 3-4 times a day- morning outfit, sports outfit, afternoon and pyjamas. Well, I guess a girl’s got to have options!

The Film-

The Style Icon-

The Look-

50’s

So before in the 40’s, women were helping out for the war effort now they were back to being good old housewives! That doesn’t mean they couldn’t rock the trends however.  The look varied from rock’n’roll for the particularly daring to billowing skirts with petticoats underneath for the sweet and innocent. There was a look for everyone to rock! So now you’ve got the look- what’s next? Well check with your friends of course! You could wear the same style but make sure you are rocking it in different colours to your mates- matchy-matchy was not allowed! But wear this new look of yours, well you could also go down to the poetry recitals which were the equivalent of today’s hottest parties (yeah I didn’t believe it either!) or cycling. Oh the joys before TV were invented, huh?

The Film- Westerns!

The Style Icon- Take your pick from Doris Day to Audrey Hepburn

The Look- Rock’n’Roll to housewife chic

60s

Guess what in the sixties- you had the power in dictating the latest fashion! With the WWII baby boom, the youth now held the sphere of influence.  And your trend item of choice? - The mini skirt of course! They don’t call it the swinging sixties for nothing with hemlines 7-8 inches above the knee. With the rising sexual freedom women had, they could now choose whatever they wanted to wear- totally different from the 50’s housewives.  However mini-skirts weren’t the only look of choice. The hippy look was truly in force with unisex bell-bottomed jeans and embellished t-shirts. Although today, I don’t think matching your boyfriend would be a good look!

The Film-

The Style Icon- Twiggy of course!

The Look- Paper dresses in bold graphic prints- yeah I don’t think they would catch on today!

70’s

Technology was on the rise with the first VHS video recorder going on sale in 1978. No blu-ray DVD’s in the seventies- it was all about the video. Women could now see their favourite film stars looks at home. Women were also becoming more experimental in their style choices, dressing in disco clothing designed to highlight your body under the disco lights. Full on Lycra not your style? The hippy look was still in force, even stronger than in the sixties, with many women living in communes and experimenting in drugs. Luckily today you don’t have to take drugs in order to achieve the 70’s look.

80s

Exaggeration was big in the 80’s with Dynasty style shoulder pads and permed hair reaching the moon.  Big was the only way to do things for 80’s girls and many took influence from their favourite stars including Madonna and Blondie.  Even your dad could be a style icon with many girls wearing white men’s shirts with pink satin ties! Not a look that would be in now!  However many men got in on the action with the ‘New Romantic’ look being in with men wearing YOUR makeup and YOUR jewellery! So girls, in case that look comes back, invest in some extra secure makeup cases!

The Film- The Breakfast Club

The Style Icon- Madonna

The Look- Ra-Ra skirts with plenty of neon

90s

Think 90’s? Think Clueless with Cher and co’s tartan skirts and feather boas being the look for almost every 90’s girl. However if preppy chic isn’t your thing then you can go on the opposite side of the scale with grunge getups. To be grunge, all you had to do was basically not wash your hair for weeks on end and wear oversized tartan shirts which again weren’t washed for weeks and you are the perfect grunge girl! Listening to bands such as Nirvana and hanging in your room for hours on end was typical teenage behaviour. Not much different from today then?

The Film- Titanic

The Style Icon- Gwen Stefani

The Look- From low key grunge to double denim disasters !

Death by Fashion Article

Which girl doesn’t love fashion? Here at ‘Crush’ we love a good trend. However some trends are causing some serious risks to our health and we think fashion shouldn’t mean suffering for the trends. So to help you, we have collected a roundup of the most dangerous trends affecting YOU! So what are you waiting for?

Seriously Scary Skinny Jeans

How many girls don’t own a pair of pair of skinny jeans? From Kate Moss to Sienna Miller, skinny jeans have become the MVP (most valuable player) in our wardrobes.  But recent research has shown that they don’t love our health back.  Skinny jeans can cause a condition called ‘meralgia paresthetica'’ or in other words, causing tingling and numbness in the upper leg. This may not sound so bad at first, but it can lead to more severe problems in later life such as permanent nerve damage if you wear them all the time like many women our age do.

 Also think twice about wearing your favourite too tight skinnies with those gorgeous new heels you’ve just bought. Wearing them with skinny jeans can worsen the problem as studies have shown that they tilt the pelvis which increases the pressure which increases the harm done.

But don’t worry girls, help is at hand! Jeggings (leggings in the style of jeans for those not in on the fashion knowhow) are in  this season and even better they don’t cause nerve damage in the legs because of the loose legging style which I think is a total win-win situation! Also try other styles of jeans such as the boyfriend jean sported by celebs such as Kate Bosworth which are much looser than skinnies and totally in trend.  So next time you pick your favourite skinnies out of instinct, think again because they could cause some major health worries

Horrid High Heels

Everyone knows that high heels probably aren’t the best thing to wear if you are a touch on the uncoordinated side but they are also causing huge harm inside your body not just some scrapes on the outside. Wearing high heels can cause the calf muscle to shorten which basically means that you are more likely to suffer from strain injuries which, trust us, do seriously hurt!

Heels can also cause your feet to look like walking fashion disasters, causing bunions and calluses because heels throw the weight on the balls of the feet. Just take one look at Posh’s bunions and you will instantly be put off wearing heels, like we were! Finally heels can cause something which sounds hilarious but totally isn’t- ‘Pump Bump’ or in medical terms, Hagland’s Deformity. This is a painful bump on the back of the heel thanks to where the bone rubs against the shoe. Glamourous, huh?

However there is still time to stop these bad boys taking over your health. Swap heels for flats for day to day living because five hours of wearing even the smallest heel can do some serious damage.  But if you can’t give up those gorgeous Topshop heels, then pack a pair of normal ballet pumps in your bag so when you sit down and relax, your feet can as well.  And if you absolutely can’t give up your heels, then pick out block heels not a thin stiletto which will minimise the damage but still keep you looking good!

Back-Breakingly Bad Bags

Bags are big this season but be careful not to put everything you own in one of these gorgeous humongous bags. Carrying a bag that contains more than 10% of your body weight can cause some serious damage, causing improper balance.  

Also, how you carry your bag can cause dangerous consequences. Wearing it on the shoulder, as we all love to do, interferes with the natural movement of the body making the shoulder immoveable. This can make the spine curve towards the shoulder which trust is a total fashion don’t! And don’t even think about using your mobile while carrying one of these killers because it can only intensify the problem, causing too much weight to hang on one side.

But don’t worry, you can still make a change and stop the long-term effects.  Only carry what is necessary because really when will you need five bottles of perfumes and three makeup kits in an emergency?  Also pick bags with a wide adjustable bag because it will help distribute the weight across you body which will help minimize the damage caused. Also looking for a new bag? Pick a backpack which are so in trend right now but will also help your health because it distributes the weight evenly on both shoulders.

Painful Piercings

Whether you have just your ears or your whole body pierced, piercings can cause a whole lot of damage. We all love a bit of bling but be careful where you get your earrings from as nickel can cause allergic reactions which can cause skin to become very itchy and very red which we think kinda distracts from the prettiness of the earrings.

Just had your ears pierced?  Keep that earring in no matter how tempted you are to change it because changing it can cause the hole to seize up and become infected which can mean only one thing- horrible yellowy pus sprouting from your ears-eww! Also piercings can cause uncontrollable bleeding if you catch them on clothing or move them too much which is not a good look going to A&E because your ears won’t stop bleeding.

Now we’re not saying don’t get piercings because we love them as much as you do. However make sure you look after them. People who pierce your ears are experts, or at least they should be if you get them from a certified place, so listen to their advice on how to look after your piercings. Also leave your earrings in until they have healed, this usually takes six weeks, so be patient because we would rather wait for the piercing to heal than to have a yucky piercing.

The Anti Social Network Article

We’ve all been bullied in real life but now the internet can attack you as well? Crush investigates the rising epidemic of cyberbullying that is affecting all of us.

‘I felt alone and isolated and I couldn’t turn to anyone. It was the worst experience of my life seeing these messages about me online.’

This student isn’t alone as 28% of 11-16 year olds have reported being a victim of cyber-bullying and many cases are still left unreported. In its most basic form cyber-bullying is posting information aimed at someone in particular that is offensive or embarrassing that could hurt someone and make them feel vulnerable. Again like anything else online, it can get a lot more complicated because of course there are no ‘cyber-police’ to give a guide line of what is harmful, which means many victims don’t get help because they don’t actually know if it is serious enough.

What’s the Problem?

Cyber-bullying is growing and can affect anyone or anything, including, shockingly, the dead. They may not have liked you when you were alive; but now they are making up rumours while you are in the afterlife. Just when you thought you could catch a break! Even celebrities are being affected like Kirsten Stewart, we were all felt a bit of rage when she betrayed the gorgeous vampire/lovesick teenager Robert Pattinson but some people online took it too far sending her death threats. I mean we all love R-Patz- but I wouldn’t kill over him!

It can be anything from a little catty comment on a Facebook status to a full blown blog being opened up just to humiliate you. ’They started up numerous blogs just to make fun of me and everyone could write rumours they heard about me’ said the victim who’s online-bullying started at 15 years old and is still ongoing.  It can also take any form either on the internet or through text messages which unfortunately make it even more difficult to find out whom is spreading that weird rumour about you.

“It was only a Laugh!”

But what are the bullies’ motivations? The great thing about the internet for cyber-bullies is that you can stay anonymous which allows them to bully with full confidence that they won’t be found out.  In a survey done by saferinternet.org.uk, a leading charity which helps safeguard children but will help anyone who’s a victim of cyberbullying, found out that their motivations ranged from  ‘it was for revenge’ as 39% said or ‘they just did it for a laugh’, 26%, even though there is one person seriously not laughing. You. We all love Twitter, with 140 million of you using it,  but this shows that you have to be careful about what you post online about people so next time, think before you tweet!

Can we stop them? Yes we can!

So you think you are being cyber-bullied, now it is time to figure out how to give the bullies their just deserts. Well at the moment, that’s kinda difficult because there is no actual law to get them to do the time because they did the crime (don’t worry that’ll be enough of the clichés). However there are a number of existing laws that the police could use to get them convicted such as the harassment and malicious communications laws that have been used in the past to convict the most serious of cyber-bullies.

But you need help now, not wait a year to get them convicted where the bullying will just escalate. Luckily, there are some handy charities ready and available to you such as cybersmile.org, whose dedicated purpose is to help YOU and have been campaigning for a change in legislation to make cyber-bullying an offence. So although you may feel alone, trust us you are definitely not and don’t suffer in silence because problem shared is a problem solved (alright one more cliché doesn’t hurt!)

Breakout box

Cyber-bullies- Tweet that!

How to get them to stop for once and for all

·         DON’T FIGHT BACK

However tempting it is, don’t add fuel to the fire and give them more motivation to make fun of you.

·         COLLECT THEM

Store any abusive messages, however painful it is to keep them, because they are vital for the police to convict the bullies.

·         THINK BEFORE YOU CLICK

Many arguments online start with a misunderstanding, so make sure what you post can’t be taken out of context.

·         DON’T JOIN IN

Don’t get drawn into cyber bullying campaigns by posting and spreading the rumours because the police can charge you as well.

·         REPORT IT

Don’t be afraid of reporting any abusive messages to the website and you can post it anonymously so there is really no reason to be afraid.

Article Planning Sheet- The Style of Evolution

Article Planning Sheet- Style Evolution

Plan the language use of the primary code of your article in the box below.

Article target audience:

	Planning Comments
article genre (purpose, type)	The purpose will be to entertain my readers because I want to show them all these different styles and make them laugh as they may think it was ridiculous how their parents and grandparents dressed. I also want to inform them by advising them how to gain the styles I explore in the articles and also perhaps referencing films and music artists that they may like to watch and listen to. The article will be a Round up type as I am collecting different periods together to create my article and a human interest as I will chronologically organise my periods which is a convention of this type of article.
Narrative voice (1st, 2nd or 3rd person)	My article will be written in 3rd person as it will be quite informative and I cannot really write in 1st person because I haven’t lived in this decades so can’t offer my first hand opinion of it. I will be doing 2nd person in my breakout box as I want to create a personal relationship with my audience so they are more likely to listen to my advice on how to recreate the looks and creates a more friendly tone.
Register (informal/formal, colloquial, dialect, taboo words?)	The register will be informal because I am aiming for a young target audience and a formal register may intimidate my readers and therefore will not read my article. I may include some colloquial terms to appeal to the younger side of my audience and make the article and more personal as I am writing in their dialect but I have to take in mind the older side of my audience and my secondary audience so I will only include a few colloquial terms so they can still read the majority of my article and still get the same amount of information from it. I will not be including taboo words as it does not fit in with the genre particularly and also will not suit my secondary audience as it may offend them.
Stylistics (repetition, strong verbs, adjectives, alliteration, similes, metaphors, sentencing, rhythm)	I will be using a lot of adjectives throughout my article because the main point of my article is to describe these periods so I need to paint as realistic and vivid an image as possible because obviously my readers weren’t there so I need to make it seem like they were through my description.  I will also use alliteration in my sub headings as it reads more catchy and entertaining as it makes the article more fun to read and doesn’t bore my reader. I will be using similes to tie situations back in history with today to make it more relevant to my audience and they will gain a better understanding of what it was like. I will have short sentences because I want it to read at a fast pace and doesn’t weigh my reader down with lots of information in one sentence which may lead them to switch off.
Tone of address (hectoring, sarcastic, ‘matey’, ironic, etc)	The tone of address will be friendly particularly in the breakout box because I want to create a personal relationship with my readers like I am personally disclosing all these tips to recreate these styles like friends would.  I also want the tone to be humorous as I want to make my readers laugh as they are reading the article so they more likely to read on and absorb the information and tell their friends what they have learnt which is the aim of the article.
Structure and pace (discourse structure, logical paragraphing, connectives, conclusion)	The structure will be a paragraph for each decade ranging from the 40’s to 00’s so it is easily structured and the audience can read whichever decade they like without the reading the whole article if they chose to. The article will chronologically organised as that it more logical and makes more sense for the reader as it won’t confuse them as I jump from decade to decade. I will also have a breakout box for each decade so I can offer tips for each one and they can easily link to what decade’s fashions they want to achieve.