The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Monday, March 11, 2013 - 7A

The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Monday, March 11, 2013 - 7A

The challenges
of personal
fashion

Death problem on'Dead'
Premature killing
of show's characters
takes its toll
By ALEC STERN
Daily Arts Writer

After
frownin
and giv
utes of
bought
hideous
print, b
there yo
have it.
Ther
someth
absolut
the sale
cess. At
it's not
I can't
up tomo
row, scr
at it in t
fashion
undenia
exchang
money
decided
was wil
moment
wear it.
That
Make it
you cho
defining
is large
I'm not
girl eve
put it o
she? Do
boots to
ing to m
comeba
grunge(

r trying it on four times, site sex, namely men, who have
ng at myself in the mirror no idea who the hell Proenza
ing it upwards of 22 min- Schouler is. The entire purpose
uninterrupted thought, I of this website is to show current
a denim blazer. It sounds and upcoming trends, give style
sin tips and discuss the pros and
ut cons of various fashion shows.
ou As a fine art, high fashion
takes the beauty and expression
e's of painting and sculpting, turn-
ing so ing it into a tangible masterpiece;
e in a design can take anywhere
pro- from a couple months to a couple
nd OK, years to perfect, and design-
like ANNA ers take immense pride in their
wake SADOVSKAYA work, as shownbythe bi-annual
or- fashion week shows. Couture I
eam understand, surprisingly: It's not
error and return the ready-to-wear, it's art. It's about
faux pas. But there's an creating something to evoke
able finality to the whole emotion just as any work of art
ge. I chose to spend does.
on an item of clothing - I The biggest disconnect hap-
II needed it, wanted it, pens when people take that art
ling to pay for it. In that and adopt it into their everyday
t, I made a promise to wardrobe. 'Oh, is this a geo-
metrically inclined cardigan?
's the thing with fashion: I'm goingto wear this tomorrow.
your own, wear what Yeah.' But even then, it's not a
ose, but that's how you're big deal, right? Fashion, like I
g yourselfto a world that mentioned before, is in the eye
ly appearance-obsessed. of the beholder. What you want
a denim blazer kind of to wear, you wear. So why do I
ry day. But as soon as I spend 22 minutes deciding on a
n, I become her. Who is blazer?
:es she also wear combat It's like this: I wear something,
the beach? Is she try- and for the rest of the day, I'm
take a casual-work-attire going to be either consciously or
ck? Is she trying to be subconsciously worrying about
chic? whether or not I look good. And
it, surprisingly, has little to do
with self-esteem, and much more
Co buy the to do with the fact that I, and
every other person, assess others
irn blazer or based ontheir looks.
Don't even pretend you don't.
t to buy the Some might be nicerthan others,
simply noting that someone's out-
im blazer... fit either meshes or clashes with
their style, while others full-on
decide whether to extend friend-
ship based on denim choice. It's
real problem isI don't like everyone woke up one day
y of these answers and collectively decided our fash-
I wear clothes I feel look ion choices were ideal, and every-
m not making a statement one else was either overdressed,
'm simply trying not to underdressed or, God forbid, bet-
the trap of sweatpants ter clothed than us.
kfast, lunch and dinner. I'm not one to speak. I wear
te people eat, sleep and denim blazers and maroon leg-
fashion - everyoutfit is gings, and I think the last time
ious decision to further I wore jeans was my senior year
yle and worldly impres- of high school. But I speak any-
a like, 'OK, these maroon way. I've talked about people's
ould look acceptable with shoe choices, their love of
ite sweater,' and I'm off to chambray and how ugly neon
s. orange is. I guess everyone's
ng a casual late-night a designer and fashion critic
g of the Internet, I wrapped into one.

This season, "The Walking
Dead" has been able to accom-
plish more than AMC could've
ever imagined. The show's ratings
have gone from great to down-
right unbelievable, and the series
has now emerged as television's
No. 1 drama in the coveted 18-49
demographic. Content-wise, it
also seemed as if "Dead" was on
stable footing after a shaky, and
somewhat controversial, second
season. Despite a stellar first eight
episodes, the ratings juggernaut
had begun to lose its way. While
this concern isn't yet on the radar
of most critics, I'm worried that in
the wake of Lori's death, the show
is starting to show signs that it will
suffer an even shakier future than A young Raylan Givens.
its past.
The biggest issue I have with Rick was a noble and]
"The Walking Dead" is Lori's ily man who would di
absence - something I never find his wife and son
thought I would say. Over the first sons later and one Lor
two-and-a-half seasons, Lori was has become a mope
one of the most aggravating char- man who doesn't knov
acters on television. Not only did it for the group or hims
seem like she was actively tryingto At the end of seaso
be a bad mother ("Where's Carl?"), asserted that it wast
but the stunt she pulled with Rick racy anymore, but as
and Shane was unforgivable. Lori tion faded, so has my
urged Rick to kill Shane and elimi- character.
nate the threat he posed to the Revisiting Lori's
group. When Rick finally did the me thinking about
deed in the penultimate episode of "Walking Dead" de
season two, Lori acted as if he had past. It occurred to:
gone too far. I knew Lori would reason they were si
have to go, and I sincerely wanted fulfilling for viewer:
to see it happen; in retrospect, I the characters were
wish it hadn't. ing and such integral
As frustrating as Lori was, with- show. Along with I
out her there's no conflict within "The Walking Dead"
the group. Viewers were either to experience some
rooting for her and Rick to recon- ing effects of Dale's
cile their issues or hoping they stay deaths as well.
apart. Consequently, the scenes Dale's demise cam
with Rick and Lori in the first
half of season three were some
of the most tense and dramatic.
Without Andrea, Lori was
also the only woman in the
group with a sense of indepen- X F IN I
dence; she spoke her mind and
wasn't afraid to stand up for
what she thought was right.
Carol and Beth have no agency
whatsoever, and as tough as
Maggie is, she will never be as
important to the group as Lori
was. Whether you loved Lori or
you hated Lori, at least you felt Vo
something. Even Michonne, the
iconic character from the comics
who made a splash in the season
two finale, hasn't amounted to
anything but another dependent
and boring female character.
Lori's death has also changed
the nature of Rick's character.
At the beginning of season one,
face

AMC

likeable fam-
o anything to
. Three sea-
ri short, Rick
y and mean
w what's best
elf anymore.
n two, Rick
n't a democ-
S his convic-
'faith in the
death got
other major
aths in the
me that the
hocking and
s is because
so interest-
parts of the
Lori's death,
is beginning
of the last-
and Shane's
:e in "Judge,

Jury, Executioner," season two's
11th episode. Dale was the show's
moral center and his friendship
with Glenn, as well as his compli-
cated paternal relationship with
Andrea, were key aspects of the
group dynamic. And as unlikeable
as Shane became toward the end
of his run, which ended in "Better
Angels," his character was essen-
tial to the relationship between
Rick and Lori.
No matter what you believe
to be the strongest part of "The
Walking Dead," you cannot argue
that a complicated group dynamic
is not central to the show's plot.
Without Lori, Dale or Shane, there
is nothing holding the characters
together anymore. If "The Walk-
ing Dead" had substituted some
of these deaths with more minor
characters like Carol or an earlier
T-Dog exit, the immediate effects
would've been lessened. However,
it would've benefited the show in

the long run.
The series has already strayed
far enough from the original com-
ics that saving some of these char-
acters may have been the right
move. In fact, if the writers had
followed the comics more closely,
Lori should have still been around
for a little while longer.
After a short, blink-and-miss-
it six-episode first season, "'ihe
Walking Dead" quickly made its
way onto my short list of great TV
dramas. And after a somewhat
rocky second season, the third has
provided some of the series' best
material. In the first three epi-
sodes back however, "The Walk-
ing Dead" has begun to experience
some growing pains. In the wake
of gigantic ratings, it's clear that
this show will be around for a
long time. I just hope that some
questionable decisions on the
part of the show's writers won't
extinguish this flame too soon.

T
den
no
der

The
have an
because
good. I'
per se; I
fall into
for brea
But som
breathe
a consci
their st
sion. I'
pants w
this wh
the race
Duri
perusin
someho
Repelle
to those
ensemb

w ended up on The Man
r, a fashionblog dedicated
whose fashion sense and
le choices repel the oppo-

Sadovskaya is rocking that
denim blazer, To check it out,
e-mail asado@umich.edu.

OTE NOW
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