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       This is kind of a late entry but better late then never right??  A few classes back we talked about how we respond to the ads we see.  One of the ads was a picture of a super skinny model and we gave our opinions of how the ad made us feel or what the company was trying to portray.  I think that we put too much thought into how we are "supposed" to look.  People are always trying to create their own sense of style but they use other people as templates.  Doesn't that defeat the purpose?  I personally have never really cared too much about what I see on TV.  I just always bought what I was comfortable in.  Although, I have to admit that I did go out to Juicy in the Galleria and buy a ridiculously expensive purse because I had seen some of my friends with them.  I like it a lot though so I guess it wasn't totally because of my friends, but mostly it was. :) I guess I'm not like most girls though.  I was always so busy with sports that between volleyball spandex, basketball shorts, and my track uniform, I didn't have time to worry about fashion.  I remember changing in the locker room after athletics, majority of the girls would take time to blow dry and straighten their hair which was followed by makeup and all the frilly things girls do.  I always took a shower, threw my hair up and went to class.  Guess I'm not the right person to be talking about fashion but the people who aren't into it are the blank slates that retailers want to reach.  I'm not swayed by all the hype though.  Some of the ads are actually kind of ridiculous.  Not just the fashion ads but other ads don't really even make sense if you think about them.  My husband and I used to joke about how the people in the herpes commercials are always skipping through a field.  Not saying that they can't or shouldn't be happy, but the people marketing it are overdoing it a bit.  The media has an amazing effect on how we as Americans live our lives.  This is supposed to be the land of the free but is it really?  Are we free or are we prisoners to vanity?  We should strive to be individuals, not saying that a little influence is terrible, but when it comes to the point when we're losing our identity and gaining a false one we should take a step back.   I think your perspective on fashion changes with your situation as well.  I have a 3 year old and if any of you have kids you know that at that age their hands are usually always dirty, or they're going to get dirty.  If my daughter runs up to hug me, I don't want to be worried about her wiping her hands or mouth on a $200 pair of jeans or a $75 shirt.  But I guess when you're younger your priorities are different.  I guess what I'm trying to say is that we should be who we want to be not what we're told to be.  Life is too short to worry about people judging you based on how much you spend on clothes or anything else for that matter.  Be blessed and have a nice day!!