Week Ten BOC - The Metrosexual

In the 1990s when the world was in a fashion downfall, the term metrosexual was created. The new term referred to a straight male who took the time to care about what he looked like and how he presented himself to the world. At this time it was thought that only gay males would do this, that they took the time to care about what they looked liked. However, as time has continued and men have began to realize that women do actually care about what they look like more and more straight men have also begun to care. People talk about David Beckham being ‘the’ metrosexual of our time, and look at who he is married to, the most fabulous woman in the world. Victoria ‘Posh’ Adams, of Spice Girls fame, would never have been with one of these grungy 90s men. I think as people began to realize this was when the shift began. Today most men take care of themselves, they get manicures and pedicures, they go to salons for hair cuts, they buy designer clothes, the age of the metrosexual has given way to the age of stylish men. We are harrowing back to the 60s when all men acted this way, where we lost our way no one knows, but thank goodness we are back.

Week Six BOC - Designer Denim

The premium denim market has seen tremendous growth in recent years and I’m one of those people who understand and embrace the trend. Once you find the perfect brand and perfect fit, there’s no going back to buying jeans from Target. People are attracted to designer jeans for numerous reasons – celebrities wear them, they have a sense of luxury, and they often have a precise fit and numerous details. "If you’re buying high-end jeans, you’re paying for the fit, fabric, and finish. Every little detail affects the overall price. The most obvious factor is the pure fabric cost. For jeans that sell for, say, $39, [the designer] is spending around $2.50 to $3 per yard in fabric, whereas premium fabrics go for $8 to $12 a yard. Right there, you’re tripling your costs.” (NY Mag)

The premium denim trend targets a niche market of consumers who see value in their expensive purchase, even if it is just jeans. “Denim glory is built, literally, on the backsides of the rich and famous. Most denim has a distinctive back pocket stitching that separates each design from ordinary wranglers and, of course, each other.” (Designer Jeans) Brands like J Brand can be immediately recognized based on the way that the jeans stitched, even though they do not have a gaudy logo like True Religion – rather, they are characterized by a single green stitch.

I’ve purchased most of my best jeans based on seeing it on a celebrity or friend. “Granted many of us are weary of seeing magazine after magazine packed with functionless celebrity fashion tips, but when it comes to jeans we can’t get enough. One shot of Beckinsdale in Union or Beckham in Rock and Republic, and we know what’s going to look good on ourselves.”Designer Jeans)

It seems like something so basic but buying jeans is a highly involved process of failure and success until you find that one you’re going to wear to death. People are so attracted to premium denim because it is made in the USA, meaning it involved heavier production and American-made products are sought, because of its fit, and also because of its prestige. My current favorite is the Saffado fit from Diesel, I find that with my discount at work they are 'affordable', and I feel the need to have them in every wash because I love the way they fit my body. (

Week Three BOC - Beech-Nut Apple Juice

"The sale of the appleless apple juice product earned the Beech-Nut Corporation approximately $60 million over a ten-year period." (Socyberty)

Beech-Nut which started out as a meatpacking company had expanded and began producing other products, one in particular being apple juice. The scandal arose when Beech-Nut decided to change producers of their product in order to lower cost. They found that if they sold something that looked and tasted similar to apple juice, that in fact had no actual apple product in it, then many people wouldn’t know the difference and they could make a larger profit. However this became an issue when the company still marketed the product as apple juice and thus the issue of false advertising.

This had been going on for about 10 years until an investigator became curious and decided to look into the brand. His research lead him to find that Beech-Nut was in fact cutting corners in the creation of their product and marketing it falsely to consumers and so he sued the company and it’s executives. The trial took two years but found both the CEOs of Beech-Nut and the chemical company providing the artificial flavoring in jail and the companies both paying fines.

During the investigation period Beech-Nut still chose to sell their product in other countries at a discount in order to earn some money. When consumers found out about this their idea of the company became even more tarnished. In a few short years a well respected company was completely diminished in the eyes of the consumers and it will take a long time to heal this wound.

Week Two BOC - My Voice

I am THE fashion enthusiast. I watch every runway show and salivate at the opportunity to produce them. With my business background I hope to run and operate my own fashion show production and PR company Haute Productions. I relish in the opportunity of being offered new challenges and creating exceptionally unique answers to those challenges. I offer design houses a new way of looking at the traditional runway show by turning the show into an all encompassing event including lighting, video, music, and food in order to make their show memorable in the minds of some of the greatest magazine editors in the world, but without compromising the design houses’ unique brand identity. Each year I also hope to partner closely with IMG to produce and help ensure that all the shows at the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York as well as the others around the world are scheduled, planned, and completed successfully to the designer’s wishes as well as the company’s expectations.

Week One BOC - Slip, Slap, Slop

Slip-Slop-Slap is the iconic and internationally recognized sun protection campaign prominent in Australia during the 1980s. (Wikipedia) The campaign originally consisted of a television commercial in the form of a PSA that featured ‘Sid Seagull’ singing a jingle that urged Australians to Slip on a shirt, slop on some sunscreen, and slap on a hat. The campaign, which was launched by Cancer Council Victoria in 1980, was created in the effort to help curb the growth of skin cancer and inform citizens how using proper sun protection could aid in the process. Since this campaign was introduced along with advertisements and a jingle, the incidence of the two most common forms of skin cancer in Australia has decreased. However, the incidence of melanoma - the most lethal form of skin cancer - has increased. (Wikipedia)

It is interesting that a public service campaign has helped reduce the risk of skin cancer in such a large country that has an overwhelming number of sunny days. The simple effectiveness of the ad and the cute character no doubt adds to its effectiveness. Since the creation of this campaign (it has been revamped a number of times to make the commercial more modern but still features the slip, slop, slap slogan) some other similar campaigns have been launched hoping to continue the success of slip, slop, slap. One of the other most prevalent ones is sponsored by the New South Wales Government (also in Australia) and is titled ‘The Dark Side of Tanning’ which features small 30 seconds ads that discuss the risk of tanning and how tanning can cause skin cancer (they seem to focus on melanoma). The ads are a lot more graphic than their cheery slip, slop, slap counterpart; they show how tanning can cause a single cell to turn cancerous and the how it can spread throughout the body. It would seem that ‘The Dark Side of Tanning’ campaign would hope to follow in the footsteps of slip, slop, slap and continue to help lower cancer rates, especially the occurrence of the much more fatal melanoma. The experience of more than 25 years of skin cancer prevention in Australia shows broad-based multifaceted public education programs can have an impact on improving a population’s sun protective behaviors and reducing sunburn, a short-term marker of skin cancer risk. (Wikipedia) Hopefully through further action the rate of skin cancers can be reduced throughout the world.