12B Ahe Michigan Daily WeekId Magazine - Thursday, FAruary 26, 1998 0 W . CHILDHOOD Continued from Page 2B lege. "There are more drugs, drinking and 14-year-olds having sex." Alyssa Brody, an LSA sophomore, spent last summer working with 13- year-olds at a summer camp. She expressed concern about the change in attitude of young adults. "Young kids party now," Brody said. "My 13-year-old campers are already smoking pot." Dave Jackson, an LSA sophomore, said he thinks the '90s is riddled with skepticism. "There was a lot of posi- tive energy in the '80s," he said. "In the '90s, it's more like, 'Nothing's going to work, why even try?' My lit- tle brother is in high school. He does- n't see the point. It's easy to succumb to that." Carol Midgley, an associate research scientist in the School of Education, said life might not be as bad as some students think. "It almost seems as though in every decade there is a nostalgia," said Midgley, who said the '30s, '40s and '50s have all been seen in a different light. "Other people I know look back on the '60s as great, when everything was in ferment." Midgley studied early adolescents in Michigan in the '80s. Then, she said, researchers "found a decline in motivation and performance." Her current research shows thatealthough not all students are adequately chal- lenged, school environments have become more conducive to learning. Eric Burnstein, a student at Community High School, said the challenges students face today are not too different than before, and he doubted that the decade characterized by a notorious "War on Drugs" has a more prevalent drug scene. "There weren't drugs in the '70s?" Burnstein asked. Perceived changes in societal behavior may just be relative. "Diseases are more prevalent," Jackson said. "But it could be that awareness is more prevalent." And Brody said the same skepti- cism haunts both generations. "The '80s and '90s are similar because there's nothing true to believe in," Brody said. "The disillusionment is the same; there's just a different style." Whether the '80s were truly a sim- pler decade remains a question. And in two years, students can begin com- paring the '90s to the zeroes. A new century and millennium are approach- ing, bringing many more decades and the potential for more nostalgia. But it also brings the potential for change. As Ann Arbor resident Scott Gravelle said, "We're constantly evolving." Fashion reels from '80s faux pas By Diana Grossman For the Daily When we think of the '70s, strobe lights, disco balls and John Travolta in a white suit probably come to mind. Having been toddlers (if that) in the '70s, many of us tend to dismiss the entire decade as one giant eyesore belonging to our parents' generation. Unfortunately, the '80s are not as easy to escape. Fluorescent bows, rubber bracelets, and a look reminiscent of the Brat Pack plague our grade school pic- tures. Can that be our fault? But we were still young ... right? So here we are in the '90s, thinking we finally have this fashion thing down to a science. "1 often wonder if we will look back on the styles of today and laugh 10 or 20 years from now," said L SA senior Allison Teich. But no matter how we eventually regard fashions of the '90s, there is no doubt that they are a change from - and perhaps an escape from - those of the '80s. Fashion has changed drastically over the last 30 years. Nadja Gaeta of Ayla & Co., a women's apparel boutique on Main Street, said that "fashion has changed and evolved over the last three decades to suit the consumer's tastes and demands." "Designers can't dictate styles today as in the past decades" Gaeta said. "Rather, they must interpret new styles in ways that somehow relate to peoples' lives on a realistic level." Although bright green nail polish still plagues the University campus - along with an enormous number of North Face jackets whose colors resemble those found in a pack of Life Savers - there can be no denying that the general trend of the '90s has been toward more subdued, muted colors. Ed Davidson, owner of Bivouac, remembered how styles have changed throughout his days in retail. "The '80s were bigger, brighter, baggier and had more bold geometric patterns," Davidson said. "Now we are back to organic, muted colors and bell-bot- toms." Fashion, like all other art forms, has not remained untouched by the chang- ing society that encompasses it. Theories abound as to why fashion changes the way it does, why trends evolve and then die out so abruptly. Steven Francone, a Business senior, Photo Mustration by ADRIANA YUGOVICH/Dady '80s fashions like stonewashed jeans and high ponytails live on in our memories. Comic Opera Guild presents Feb. 26 - 28 & Mar. 1 matinee Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre Tickets: SKR Classical Records, 539 E. Liberty Mendelssohn Box Office (763-1085) SPECIAL RATES * S : Commuter Trnnsyortation Co.- - Metropolitan Airport Service: *0000000e 000000000 e @00000000 e @00eee e I said that the current trend toward earthi- er colors can be best explained by heightened environmental awareness. "People are just now beginning to appre- ciate the beauty of the Earth and imitate its colors," Francone said. Gaeta put forth another theory. She said she has witnessed a move toward more individual styles, which she attrib- uted to women's entry into the work- place. "As more women went to work, fash- ion followed suit to accommodate new lifestyles and needs," Gaeta said. But are today's fashion trends entirely a reaction to and rebellion against the '80s? Although there seems to be a gen- eral consensus regarding color trends, many followers of fashion believe that current styles are anything but new. Nicole Ozanich, retail manager of Rag- O-Rama, gave her point of view: "I really don't think fashion has changed," she said. "Those styles have been recycled in the '90s. They might be modified, but they are basically the same." Davidson agreed, and attributed style revival to a lack of fresh ideas in the fashion world. "People are wearing a lot of the same stuff. Fashion has come full circle in 20 years,' he said. Another influence on fashion trends is music, as it has become increasingly difficult to separate one from the other on any level. Beginning with its first video, "Video Killed the Radio Star. MTV has basically dictated styles to its public through videos, which often bear a striking resemblance to models' run- way shows. Obviously MTV is more than aware of the power it possesses, as it broadcasts such programs such as "House of Style." Does this mean that the '90s are not about individuality? Are we mere pup- pets of the media? Teich is more hopeful than that, seeing the decade as a time for style refinement. She described how shoppers have sifted through the styles of the past three decades and recycled only those that somehow proved them- selves worthy. The final result has been a refinement of fashion -the necessary and expected evolution of any art form. It is possible to look to couture fash- ions in magazines and runway shows as an example of newness and individuali- ty. The push toward androgyny certainly can be used as a rebuttal to those who believe fashion is only reliving its past. Flipping through magazines, it can be difficult to tell if an item was designed for a man or woman, never mind trying to assess the gender of the models in advertisements. But androgynous styles might not be making if off the runway. Although Ozanich does notice that both high school boys and girls tend to buy big, baggy clothing, she does not see any general move toward androgynous styles in her store. Davidson agreed, adding that unisex styles are "not in our store!" Whether wobbling down the street in platform shoes or skipping our way across town in Birkenstocks, few on campus live life trend-free. What the future holds for fashion remains a mys- tery. But there is no doubt that whether we end up walking around the streets in Star Trek suits or running down the- street in our skivvies, we will look back on the '90s - as we do at the '80s - as a time of fashion crisis. 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