1989

       

www.harpersbazaar.com

             As for my music obsession, I can’t express the excitement that happened in my room at approximately 11:00 last night. From the title of this blog entry, you probably know what I’m referring to. If you don’t, Taylor Swift’s album dropped last night. It has been highly anticipated by fans-- or rather referred to as Swifties-- since the release of her previous album titled “Red.” 

Me, being the fan I am, waited up last night for the drop. It was exactly what I expected it to be, except for the fact that there’s not country aspect to it. Personally, I think that works in her favor. Musically speaking, I feel like an artist needs to have a guided lane. They shouldn’t fluctuate the genre they want to be in. That goes hand in hand with sales too. This morning when I checked Itunes, 1989 was already #1 and had singles all over the charts. If that doesn’t tell you how many people have been waiting for this moment, I don’t know what will.

My personal favorite would have to be Blank Space. It’s about a reckless relationship that lasts too long showing the scars left after everything falls apart. My favorite line would have to be, “Oh my god? Who is she? I get drunk on jealousy. But you’ll come back each time you leave, cause darling I’m a nightmare dressed like a daydream.” The entire song is captured in those few words. Also, I can tell that she want’s to capture an entire new audience with these songs. Before, she was aimed more toward the younger generation but now I see a shift to adulthood.

As for this album as a whole, I loved it. Each song has a different but similar beat to it. I definitely will be waiting up within the next couple weeks waiting for tour tickets to go on sale. 

                                 Kailey’s Take

This time I decided to get my cousin’s take on the album. She is around my age but has a completely different taste in music than me.

“Normally, I’m not a huge T-Swift fan. But this new album is amazing. I took a listen to Blank Space and fell in love the first time I listened to it.”

Football! Football! Football!

 

www.sportsinthemitten.com

           Walking into my house after work on Saturday, I noticed my family surrounding the couch; my dad sitting in “his” chair, my sister on the floor, and my brother sprawled out on three cushions toppling over my mom. I slowed down, realizing the rare occurrence of my entire family--minus my older sister-- sitting in one room together. I glanced over at the television. The Michigan vs. Michigan State game caught my eye. Of course. Football was the only thing they could all agree on. The rivalry between the two teams? I didn’t care much for it, and neither did the rest of my family. We just loved the game itself.  

           I sat next to my dad and watched the game for a couple minutes. Michigan was losing it’s touch, actually, they never really had it to begin with. Michigan State has an amazing football program but so does Michigan. Both teams have amazing players too.

            You’ve got Tony Lippett as Michigan State's wide receiver. Plus Jack Allen as the center( for those who don’t know what that means, it’s the person that hikes the ball to the QB). For Michigan, you’ve got Gardner as the QB and Miller as the center. Together, both teams put up a good fight throughout the game, but State obviously drew the better straw.  

                                      

                                          Brittany’s Take

            I asked my older sister, who wasn’t present for the game, to give her perspective on football. I’ll tell you right now that she’s never been a sporty person.

“No. No football. I hate football.”

                     

Dress Codes

driftingthrough.com

         Dress code is a huge topic for high school girls. We are told that we can't wear shirts that are too tight, shirts that have thin straps, or even anything that shows our shoulders. We can’t wear shorts that are too short, pants that are too tight, or anything with holes in it. Personally, I think that girls should be able to wear whatever they want as long as all the proper parts are covered. 

In this Huffington Post article, a movement called #Iammorethanadistraction confronts the male dominance of entitlement through girls clothing. The author states “They are objectifying them and encouraging them to self-objectify in the same way that popular media or purity cultures do.” So what if I want to wear leggings and a tee shirt? So what if I want to wear a shirt that makes me feel confident? Isn’t that what it’s all about anyway? It’s being confident in what you’re wearing that affects the person rather than what everyone else thinks.  
           Similarly, in these articles by Spectrum, Hlntv, Slate, and SFGate, the male view is talked about. Apparently, having my shoulders be seen by a boy is a distraction from his learning. Or, if my shorts are too short they get distracted. That’s like saying that girls only dress for a male’s opinion and not for their own. In the Slate article, the mom states, “That schools are passing on this very message to her and other female students—and simultaneously communicating to boys that their learning environment is being compromised by the sight of girls' limbs or cleavage.” Along with this is another campaign #YesAllWomen that demonstrates the importance that yes, all women should wear what they want to wear.  
           One girl from The Guardian wrote, “I am so tired of people who abuse their power to make women feel violated and ashamed because she has an ass, or has breasts, or has long legs." My perspective on the situation is that school authority figures are stating that a males education is more important than a females. Females are the ones who get in trouble for what they’re wearing. Females are the ones staring all of these campaigns to protect their education from selfish figures that think education depends on clothing choices. Females are the ones whose education is being jeopardized by all of this. 
          Dress code doesn’t have anything to do with the person wearing the clothes. Do men seriously get sexually frustrated by my shoulders showing? Or maybe my stomach showing a little bit? But yet, when a boy has their pants sagging lower than the depth of Lake superior, it’s just what all guys do. Dress code defines how confident a person is in their own skin. If you’re more confident, you might show off a little more skin. If you’re more conservative, you might cover up a bit more. That’s just how it works. If school authority doesn’t think that we’re affected by dress code then they have a lot of thinking to do. It’s affecting us more than they think it should.  
         If you want to read more articles about this topic, check out Ms Magazine, The Nation, and WYNC. 

                                                   Steven’s Take

I decided to ask my brother what he thought about dress code for girls. Below is what he said.

“ I think that girl’s should be able to dress however they want as long as they aren’t showing too much. Having a girl sit in front of me with her shoulders out isn’t a distraction. For a males dress code, I think that it’s fine except for the fact that we can’t wear tank tops. My pants sagging should be allowed when it’s not very noticeable.”

Top 10 Shows You HAVE to Watch (On Air and Off)

1. Scorpion 
   
   

        It follows the life of super genius’ working together with the government. Plus if you ever watched American Idol, you'll see a familiar face a.k.a. Katherine McPhee.

nerdgeist.com

2. X Factor UK
   
   

        It’s literally the same thing as the American version but with British accents. For all you girls out there, Stereo Kicks is probably going to be the next One Direction so I definitely recommend voting for them. 

www.virtualclassmedia.com

3. Believe
   
   

        I mean, who wouldn’t want to control things with their mind and run away from the police for a living?

www.comingsoon.net

4. Growing Up Fisher
   
   

        When your dad is blind and your parents are divorced, you really get to know each other on a very personal level. 

www.huffingtonpost.com

5. Gossip Girl
   
   

        Word on the street is.. S is finally pregnant. xoxo gossip girl

 

www.businessinsider.com

6. The Voice
   
   

        Two words. Adam Levine. Two more words. Pharrell Williams. Plus, iconic legend Gwen Stefani and country artist Blake Shelton. Mostly Adam Levine though.

www.tvguide.com

7. Pretty Little Liars
   
   

        I know. I know. Cliche teenage girl obsession with mystery television. -A

 

www.thesassonline.com

8. Extant
   
   

        If you want to have an alien baby inside of you and have a robot son, this is definitely the show for you. 

www.usatoday.com

9. That one show where the preppy school kids get kidnapped by someone who is one of the student’s father who is apparently an ex- CIA member but in reality he was just doing the entire thing to get closer to his daughter but ends up cutting off his own thumb and getting one kid deathly sick but then someone ends up saving the school but they stopped the show after one season. Yeah, that one.

 
pop-break.com

    10. Boy Meets World

                       This is a classic. No matter what age you are or where you come from, I guarantee you’ve seen either this show or the new Disney version (Girl Meets World). Plus, who doesn't love Mr. Feeney?

www.zap2it.com

    

      As you can tell, I love watching shows that mess with my brain and have back stories to every situation. The more involved I get in a show, the more I love them. 

 

Kaitlyn's Take

         I decided to get a younger generations take on these shows, so I asked my younger sister what she thought. Below is what she said. 

       "  I've never seen Scorpion, X Factor UK, Growing Up Fisher, and Gossip Girl. 

Believe confuses me. There's too many things going on at a time. The Voice is perfect. I like listening to the people sing. 

Pretty Little Liars is bad for kids my age. It has bad language and fighting. It's also drama filled. 

Extant is too complicated. It messed with my brain. 

I like Crisis because of the mystery but it also confuses me. 

Boy Meets World is the perfect show. I'm thirteen and watching the new version and the old version at the same time makes them better. It's really personal and reminds me of things that actually happen in school."   

Ebolafied- Cautious Steps to Avoid Ebola

www.thehealthsite.com

  


Ebola. We’ve heard a lot about it in the past couple days and nothing about it has been good. Since the first official case in the United States has been confirmed, many people are freaking out-- myself included. I wouldn’t classify myself as a germaphobe, but I will say that I stayed up extremely late researching the symptoms and basically everything I needed to know about it before I went to school the next day. I mean, you do have a 90% death rate if you get this virus so I was definitely a little on edge about it. In the video posted below, I’ve come up with five handy dandy steps to avoiding Ebola and all of its symptoms. Enjoy!

                                            
Here is Akon at his concert.

 For this entry, I decided to not get another person's perspective on it. I feel like we all have the same general thoughts on Ebola, and those won't really change until we get more information on the virus.

            

Shoes on Shoes

“Mom, can I borrow fifty dollars for a pair of shoes? C’mon Kylie Jenner has the same pair.” Tell me you have never tricked one of your parents into buying you some really expensive item online, only for you to not pay them back. I have--probably way more than I should--but that’s how a teenage girl’s brain works. We find the hottest pair of shoes or the cutest shirt, and instantly want them.

        Online shopping is a fad in today’s society. It’s easy, quick, and portable. In fact, 79% of teenage females say that they've shopped online at one point in time(according to Practical Ecommerce). I could order any item of clothing in the blink of an eye. Okay, maybe not that easy, but I could do it in a couple minutes. Personally, I think it's about the sales. Stores tend to offer a variety of sales online, whereas in the store they might offer one or two. 
It's all one big time consumption game. Think about it. I could spend fifteen minutes tops finding a black party dress online for 20% off, or I could spend three hours going to multiple stores finding a dress that doesn't even fit properly and is full price. 
All in all, I think that online shopping is a good thing. It saves us time and is affordable. 


Bob's Take
For this take, I decided to get my father's perspective on online shopping. Below is what he said.

" Online shopping is a good thing when you know what you're looking for. Otherwise, it's pointless. Dealing with all the returns and exchanges if something isn't up to par-- it's not a fun thing. "