Student leads the way by being a committed follower

Some people, when they’re looking for music recommendations, turn to Pitchfork or other indie blogs. I simply open up iTunes and check out the top 100 songs.  If I don’t have one of the top 10, I get anxious and download whatever I’m missing immediately.  I’m a trendaholic.

Even growing up, I played soccer, did gymnastics, took ice skating lessons, joined the knitting club, and enrolled in ballet classes.  I surveyed a wide range of activities, not because I actually found a thrill in mastering the pilé, but because I simply followed the trends set by my fellow classmates.  After my  six-year losing streak playing on my AYSO Green Slime soccer team, I decided to turn my attention to knitting—the new middle school fad. My mom took me to go buy my first pair of knitting needles and rainbow yarn.  As I sat during lunch knitting away with the rest of the seventh grade, I felt honored to be participating in such an interesting hobby.  Although I soon abandoned the knitting club once its popularity started to wane (with only one-and-a-half scarves to my name), I felt the satisfaction of following the trend and learning something new.

Along with local trends, I chose to follow national-level trends as well. I collected Beanie Babies and even managed to get my hands on the sought-after Fourth of July bear with the shiny tag.  I traded Pokémon cards and organized them in a binder. I had American Girl dolls and Furbies galore. I shopped at Limited Too and treasured my rhinestone shirts and matching sweatsuits. Usually, this trend-obsessive behavior stops around adolescence. But today, I continue to be a shameless trend-follower.

At Georgetown, we’re surrounded by this hipster-inspired notion that everyone has to stand out and have a unique style,  whether in the music you listen to, the clothes you wear, or what you’re interested in.  But what’s wrong with listening to Katy Perry, buying into the latest Urban Outfitter look, or watching I Love New York on VH1? Everyone actually does, I just do it openly.

Often, the iTunes top 10 consists of pop artists such as Ke$ha, Miley Cyrus, and Britney Spears.   These ladies are frequently criticized for their lack of vocal talent and inane lyrics.  However, their songs are undeniably catchy. Sure, when someone throws a Strokes song my way, I can appreciate the lyrics and musical value, but I prefer the pop music that makes it to the top of the chart.  iTunes tells me what I should like, and it has a pretty high success rate. If a song’s trendy, it’s because a lot of people like it, and I shouldn’t  feel embarrassed about being one of them.

Another artist many view as meritless is Rebecca Black. I wouldn’t have noticed her lack of vocal ability or her inane lyrics if it hadn’t gotten so much criticism. I would have downloaded it, knowing it had reached #30 on iTunes, and enjoyed it. In fact, disliking “Friday” is one of the few trends I haven’t caught on to.

I also follow television trends, watching primarily the most-talked about shows and passing on many of the more “serious” series.  I have always watched reality television, even giving my eighth grade “what are you passionate about” speech on my love for reality shows.  Although The Bachelor was only on its fourth season and Flavor of Love hadn’t even premiered yet, reality television had managed to captivate the world, and, of course, me.  Nowadays, I still follow my favorite reality shows like Real World, Millionaire Matchmaker, and The Bachelor. I pray for another I Love New York series to premiere on VH1 in the near future.  While reality television is often described as trashy and fake, I completely buy into the entertainment factor.  Where else can you watch people with names like Pumkin and Buckwild spit at each other in the fight to win Flavor Flav’s love, or young adults partying with no shame in Las Vegas? Reality TV has an addictive quality that I embrace  and most people would agree with me, no matter how trashy some of my fellow students think it might be.

I own up to my trend-following no matter how embarrassing it may be, or how much it’s looked down upon at Georgetown.  Trends become trends because many people follow them, whether they admit it or not.  I consider VH1 to be a respectable TV channel and Britney Spears to be a talented artist because I enjoy them and always will.  There is nothing wrong with buying that loose Urban Outfitters tank top that everyone else already has—imitation is the highest form of flattery anyway. While it’s fine to have personal preferences, it’s okay to enjoy trendy music and trashy shows, too.  As Ke$ha would say, “I’m sick of being so serious, it’s makin’ my brain delirious.”