The Format Era

Do you know who that is?

You know, they wrote that catchy song...

...it was featured in a Chevy Sonic commercial during Superbowl XLVI...

]

...leading to explosive popularity.

They're a band named 

...and they've been around for a few years. 

The few years before that, this guy...

...Nate Ruess, the lead singer of Fun,

...use to look more like this:

...and he was the lead singer of another band.

 The most amazingly *perfect* high school indie-POP band of all time. 

Which lived a charming life. 

All was going well;  A whale of a time.  And then...

This post is an overdue ode.  The Format was a formative part of my youth and a cornerstone in my high school experience.  Lyrics became anthems and kitschy tunes became dance parties.  

The Format got me through my totally awk high school times.  

***WARNING : The most embarrassing high school photos I could find ahead

 

THESE TIMES.  So awkward, so embarrassing.  Referred to (dearly) as "The Format Era".

Looking back on my obsession, I feel no shame.  Only appreciation for what is, was, and will always be.......

The first song that every Format fan needs to know is self-explanatory.

"The First Single"

I've been waiting all this time to be, something I can't define
So let's cause a scene, clap our hands and stomp our feet or something,
yeah something I've just got to get myself over me

This isn't my favorite song by far.  This one might be:

"Dead End"

Hold on, there's a hole in my heart 
everyone can see right through me 

Everyone loves a good sock puppet to lighten up the mood.  This continued to be a common theme in Format videos...

"Dog Problems"

'Cause words like girls get bored and run 
c'est la vie
I say "I've got so many better things" 
I've got nothing

Melodramatic perfection.  But no matter how many songs your write for us silly girls, expressing your frustrations and pain, you'll still walk away, shaking your head, saying...

"She Doesn't Get It"

All the girls pose the same for pictures
All the boys got the same girls' hair
I am bored 'cause I feel much older
Look at me, as if I've got a reason to stare

Hm, sounds like to me that you have...

 "A Mess to be Made"

 What a mess that I make of my days 
Then there's you, you're a mess to be made


You know, a total ticking...

"Time Bomb"

Tick tock, you're not a clock
You're a time bomb baby
You set the watch
You're just in time
to wreck my life


And just when you feel like you're heading down a slippery slope of negativity, you have the following gem, and you realize that maybe life isn't so bad after all...

"Snails"

Snails see the benefits,
The beauty in every inch...

These songs are all great in their perfectly dramatic glory.

But as I glide through my senior year of college, I find myself listening still listening to The Format, and one song in particular.  I find comfort in the folksy melody and jumbled lyrics of leaving something behind in anticipation for an ambiguous, yet promising, future...

"Give it Up"

"So give it up, throw your hats in the air

And change just as they land 

Sayin, 'We'll get outta here'

But something tells me that you're too scared to go"

I use to listen to this song on repeat during my senior year of high school.

In high school.. I was definitely not too scared to go.  That's different now.  Life is bigger now.  Moving... changing "just as they land"... that's a bigger deal now.

How will I ever manage?

:)

An Update to My Previous Rant on Consumerism

The last time you were here, you probably witnessed my rant about the evils of "fast fashion" and my pledge to go clothing purchase-free for 6 months.  That was almost a month ago (forgive me, I am in 3 writing-intensive classes this semester, which leaves little motivation for blogging) so I thought it was about time to check-in and update you on how this little project is going.

For those of you that know me pretty well, I bet you're expecting me to tell you that it hasn't gone so well,  that I've bought ALL the clothes...

Well, WRONG-O.  It's actually been going quite swimmingly.  Since my initial reading of Overdressed, my interest peaked in the subject of American consumerism and sustainability (both from a human labor and environmental standpoint).  In fact, I've extended the challenge to not only include clothes but to include all "unnecessary" purchases... at my discretion of course.  Hey-- my game, my rules.  The point is, this is a practice in "conscious consumerism".  Sort of like a diet, it's not a quick-fix, but a learning platform to practice new habits for a healthier life.

So how have I been doing?

Well, in the past month, this is what I've bought:

-Groceries
-Postal stamps
-Nail polish remover
-Undies from VS (This one is questionable, but I had a giftcard, which I consider a sunk cost, and there was a spectacular sale going on- 7 for $24!)

So I didn't go 100% puritan and buy absolutely nothing frivolous, but I was able to receive daily emails from a few of my favorite retailers and practice self control.  I really can't believe I missed Target's boot sale.

Target Style FB page: "A great pair of boots can add polish to almost any Fall look."

Me: "Uh, I know. And I'm really missing my brown riding boots that fell apart after trekking through London that one rainy day." 

I'm not bitter.  I'm not bitter.  I'm not bitter.  But I do really want some boots.

Fortunately, knowledge is power.  And luckily, I was able to align a couple of my big research projects this semester with the topic of conscious consumption, so I've been doing a lot of preliminary reading and research for those classes.  Ah... Overlapping personal interest with education... it's a beautiful thing.  I think that this constant stream of information on the topic of living more simply has encouraged me to hold myself more accountable to this personal endeavor I'm on.

Some of the books I've read in the past few weeks include:

 

And now I feel like I know a little bit too much.  Maybe ignorance is bliss.  Will I ever be able to enjoy walking into Forever 21 and buying 10 shirts again?  Probably not.  It might be a phase, or it might be a paradigm shift in my outlook towards consumerism.  You know.. buy what you need.  Don't buy what you don't need.  It really does make sense.

Overdressed

Finally, I'm able to incorporate a (somewhat) relevant music video into a blog post.  Listen at your own leisure.

Shopaholic is what they call 'em 

My addiction, my prescription

Gimme shoes and gimme bags

I'm fully aware that this song is ridiculous.  But it has a valid point.  Rihanna is a bad girl, because she shops too much.

First time in my life that I have anything in common with Rihanna.  I, too, have a slight addiction to shopping.  And what better way to cope with a personal struggle than to air it out on your blog?

This... is just a snapshot of my wardrobe:

And that's AFTER I combed through extensively to donate random things that I don't use anymore.

If you've talked to me in the past week, you probably know that I have been reading this book:

Overdressed, by Elizabeth Cline.

The whole premise of the book is to look at our consumption of clothing, while giving special attention to the rising "fast fashion" industry.  Companies like Forever 21, H&M, Zara, and even my beloved Target are being called out for promoting an unsustainable way of dressing.  Meaning that people are treating garments as a disposable product, useful for (on average) 2 years or less.  This is fueled by ever-changing and expiring trends and the much lower retail price of clothing over the recent years.


Here are some takeaways from Overdressed:

"Americans buy an average of sixty-four items of clothing a year, a little more than one piece of clothing per week"

"H&M produced 500 million pieces of clothing a year in 2004"

"Individual spending on clothing is now just under $1,100 a year."

"It's very wasteful.  If consumers weren't so focused on quantity over quality and trends over innovative design, the price of domestic production might not seem so exorbitant." 

"We oscillate through countless colors, prints, and silhouettes each year."

"Fashion is obsolescence.  Fashion is change."

"Our fashion choices do have social outcomes and meanings."

"We're completely in the dark about what fashion has cost the environment and American jobs"

"Apparel manufacturing was named one of the fastest-dying industries in America of the past decade"

"Clothes are an essential part of the economy and easily he second largest consumer sector, behind food"

"The demand for cheaper and cheaper garments has all but wiped out the American garment industry"

"Americans are so convinced that cheap fashion deals are fair that we often view designers who make a well-made product that isn't cheap with suspicion."

"It's been very difficult to deal with the change in mentality on the consumer level of what they expect for what price."

Overdressed, for me, was a completely shocking read.  Since clothes are cheaper than they've ever been before, there are SO MANY OF THEM constantly being produced and sold.  There are so many clothes on this planet that charities don't even know what to do with all of them.  Recycling is an option, but a lot of cheaper, man-made textiles are hard to reconfigure.  But we love our Forever 21!  And we love our deals!

And for this reason, American wardrobes are bigger than ever.  In the early 1900s, women owned maybe 5 dresses.  I have 29.

Which leads me back to my closet.  I decided to do some soul searching, rooted in cold hard facts.  And the numbers don't lie.

I own...
107 shirts/sweaters
21 skirts
29 dresses
17 pairs of jeans
18 pairs of (non-jean) pants
10 pairs of shorts
27 jackets/blazers/sweatshirts
5 coats

234 items of clothing.  That's not including workout clothes, pajamas, underwear, shoes, or accessories.

...And 64 of these items were purchased in the last 365 days.  (Ironically, I am spot-on with the average American's record of buying 64 new items a year.)


So where do I go from here?  It's great and dandy to talk about having too many clothes, but what am I going to do about it?  Obviously, a real change is going to start from a true mental shift.  I mean, I love shopping... I get lost in the wonder of aesthetic appeal, and on top of that I like a good bargain.  This is what leads to my ultimate struggle of quantity vs. quality.  I do like nice things, and I think I'm starting to realize that I would prefer to have relatively less "nice" things than relatively more "crappy" (for the lack of a better term) things.

But "fast fashion" is addicting.  In fact, it has even been compared to fast food.  Cheap, addicting, and slimy. It fulfills a need, but not for long.

So... the exciting part!  I'm embarking on a journey! For the next 6 months, I'm just not buying anything.  Really.  The rules?  No purchasing anything apparel-wise for myself. I can buy gifts for other people (Can you believe that Christmas is in 4 months?!)  but I'm going to try and be more mindful in those purchases as well.  This isn't just me fighting for a social cause, this is a practice in discipline and personal finance.

After this challenge has expired, I hope to develop a deeper appreciation for the things that I already have.  Style isn't about trendy clothing, it is about presenting your best (and most fabulous) self.

In the end, clothes are clothes are clothes.  They really don't matter.


Luke 12:15
"...For one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

Hebrews 13:5
"Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have..."

Googling Some of My Biggest Questions

I'd like to start off my blog post about questions with, ironically, a question:  With the existence of Google, why would you *ever* have the excuse to have an unanswered question?  No more!  I've decided to take a stand against the un-answered-ness.  My wandering musings will be resolved!  So here's some random questions that have been bouncing around my head lately...
 

Q:  Why do people hate Call Me Maybe?  It's such a good song. 

A:  First, can we pause and reflect on the fact that this song has a Wikipedia page?  Amazing.  As far as hating the song goes, some insight is provided by ever-profound website, teen.com as they outline the stages of loving and hating Call Me Maybe.  Very insightful.

Q:  Why are sheer button-down shirts so trendy right now?  They're ugly...

A:  Wearing sheer clothing is always a bit of a risk; it guarantees you'll be the center of attention."  (More)    Meh, no thanks... I'll find another way.

Q:  Why isn't there a coffee cup that you can eat?

A:  There is. (Evidence)

Q:  Why do people always ask where you go to college?

A:  "Whenever someone asks me what college I went to, I instinctively do this trick where I actually fall asleep with my eyes open. It’s amazing!"  (via Thought Catalog)  Not exactly an answer, but I like it.  Very acceptable.

Q:  Why do hedgehogs cost $200?

A:  Hedgehogs are a fairly new kind of exotic pet - they have only been domesticated for 20 years or so. They also are fairly short-lived. Therefore, the population of domestic hedgehogs is very small compared to other pets that have been available much longer.

The gestation period of a hedgehog is about 35 days, and the mother devotes another 5-6 weeks to the babies before they are weaned. Although this means a female could have 4 litters per year, good breeders will only breed them twice per year in order to let them recuperate from the demands of pregnancy and motherhood. Litters are much smaller than those of rodents (4 babies on average), and females are retired from breeding at 2.5-3 years, which means that each female only has around 20-24 babies over the course of her life. The mortality rate of babies is about 30%, so the actual number of babies that are sold is less than that. Hedgehogs are also unreliable breeders. The chances of pregnancy and the number of babies in a litter tends to decrease during fall and winter.  (Source)


Q:  Why, oh why, did I not study abroad?

A:  I thought I'd miss out on something in Kirksville.  And I could write a blog post about this topic alone, but then I stumbled onto this post from a girl, who seems all-to-similar to me (right down to the trotting to southern France part).  And I realized all hope is not lost.

Q:  Why is Chobani so popular?  Everyone at Target eats Chobani.  All the time.

A:  From a business standpoint, Chobani offered a differentiated product in unique packaging, at a lower price point... and then let its consumer define the brand (according to Fast Company).  From a health/taste perspective, Chobani has a richer taste and higher protein content than other yogurts on the market. 

Q:  On a scale of 1-10, how legit is the website Penguins4Sale?

A:  Yes.

Falling back in love (an open letter to running)...

Dear running,

So I was a little bitter.  And maybe you didn't deserve that.

I realize that my snarky-ness these past few months has gotten us nowhere.  But ever since April 15th, things just haven't been the same.

You hurt me.  Like, really really hurt me.  We set off to travel 26 miles together, and by the end of all that, I had absolutely had enough of you.  Maybe we just weren't meant to be.

So I sort of took some time off.  I mean, we still sorta hung out... but it wasn't with the same ease that once floated over us.  When we did spend time together, it was definitely forced.  And I'll be honest, my motives here revolved around having a nice butt and jeans that fit not too tight.

You were a strain, a pain, something I had to do.

It wasn't you, it was me.

But lately I feel myself softening up, and I think I'm starting to understand what you're all about.  You're not just about lacing up special shoes and putting in a set number of miles... you're about connecting to human instinct and exploring new places (literally and figuratively).

And I understand the whole struggle from your point of view... You, you want to be easy to love, but not so easy that you're taken advantage of.  You want to be pursued and worked towards.  If you gave yourself away so easily, you'd lose your prestige.  Yet you want everyone to love you.  I'm sure that must be tough.

But, on the other hand, you can be such a pill.  After we ran the marathon, I was so upset with you.  It took my body a full month to recover, and my heart three times that amount.

You put me through so much.  But you also gave me so much.

So here I am, wanting you back in my life.  I'm falling back in love with you, and I can't wait to embark on a new journey together.  You and I, we can do anything.  And come October 21st, we'll get to celebrate something beautiful.  Thanks so much for not giving up on me.

Much love,

Sarah

Modern Day Classiness

I'm really sad that nobody has ever asks me who my style icon is.  (And I'm not sure why that should come up in normal conversation, but I have an answer prepared in case if it ever does.)  For those of you still wondering, my all-time style icon is Grace Kelly.

I always liked her, but didn't realize how much I liked her until I was able to visit the Princess Grace museum in Monaco a couple of months ago.

The museum was fascinating, archiving Grace's sense of style.  But this woman was stylish in a way outside of what clothes can portray.  Grace Kelly had remarkable class, displayed by her poise and confidence as a woman.  

Grace was born into privilege, had a beautiful acting career, and then married a prince.  A PRINCE.  Not a bad gig, right?  She could have been a total snob if she wanted to.  But her outward beauty was only out-shined by her kind heart. 

My mom recently told me that I have an old soul.  At first, I immediately dismissed the idea of my soul being saggy and wrinkly.  But, mom knows best, and after some consideration, I have to agree.  I do have an old soul.  I have a soul that yearns for "the good ol' days" where women had "class" and men had "gumption".  These concepts were so prevalent that those living at the time didn't realize what gems they truly had. 

Being classy is beautiful.  And there's nothing else that I'd want to be.  I've found that self-respect and a sense of class will get you through any bad day, any bad situation, or any bad feeling.  

What's considered "classy" today may differ slightly than it did 50 years ago.  But I'm a firm believer in pursuing modern day classiness.  

I spent the duration of my 7 mile run (I decided yesterday that I'm training for another marathon. We'll talk about that later.) trying to figure out a definition of "class".  An hour later... still nothing too substantial definition-wise.  

I think better in bullet points.  So here is some of what I came up with. 

Modern day classiness is...

1. Embracing a positive attitude rooted in reality. 
2. Listening genuinely.
3. Welcoming the world around you with consideration and thoughtfulness. 
4. Loving and respecting yourself. 
5. Avoiding negative talk (complaining, gossip, etc)
6. Being happy for and supportive of other people.
7. Learning and questioning as much as you can.
8. Actively seeking out opportunities for personal growth.  
9. Being brave; but not so brave that you think you don't need God, family, or friends. 
10. Possessing Faith, Trust, Fortitude, and Wisdom (love those Cardinal Key virtues)

It's not just about wearing high heels and pearls.  (Although that doesn't completely hurt...)

Stay fabulous, stay classy. 

The End of a [Blonde] Era

Well, it was fun while it lasted.

And it was a really fun 4 months.  Just to name the highlights...

I got into Cardinal Key:

I turned 21:

I went to London for spring break:

I had several good times with a Huge Group of Girls:

I ran a marathon (I wore a hat, but there's blonde hair under there):

I went to Las Vegas:

I went to France:

And I started an internship with Target in Minneapolis:

...And I did this all with my blonde hair.  But it has come time to part ways.  Like I said, it was a good 4 months.  But it's time to get back to my roots (haha literally).  (Plus, brunettes look great with a good tan, and I've been hitting the lake a lot recently).

So a little background on the blonde... Being of Native American, Irish, and Welsh descent, there was about zero percent chance that my genes would line up to give me naturally blonde hair.

However, growing up in the 90's and 2000's, my two childhood idols were Britney Spears and Elle Woods. Both blondes.  And I wanted to be blonde too.

So a couple of days before my 21st birthday, I decided I was going to make it happen.  I was going to "go blonde".  I remember doing a 12 mile training run in the morning before my hair appointment, and the time literally flew by because I kept thinking about my awesome new blonde hair.  Like, my dream was like, totally coming true!

And yeah, it was fun while it lasted.  I'll always remember these last 4 months as the "blonde era" of my life. 

That being said, I LOVE being a brunette.  And it's good to be back :)

'Murica!  And brunette hair!