I've been observing an uptick in what I'll call "fashion trends"—for lack of a better term—in the area where I live. I'm wondering if this is universal, or just somewhat of a localized phenomenon.

When I say uptick, it's not like these trends haven't been around. Like a lot of things, what is old is new, and looks or ways of doing things tend to come back around. In bringing this up, I'm merely noticing more of it, and I'm wondering why, and if it means anything.

Colored Hair

Colored hair has been around for quite sometime. Women in particular have been dying their hair all kinds of different colors. Generally, though, these are colors that hair can naturally be, or augmented in some way. What I'm talking about are colors that, as far as I know, hair doesn't naturally come in, such as blue, pink and green.

Most of the time, all the hair is this new color. However, I've also seen where the hair is only colored on the ends. In some cases, it could be that the person just let the hair grow out without continuing to dye it. I am aware of situations, though, where just the bottom two inches were dyed, leaving the rest to its natural color.

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Why are people doing this, especially girls? My guess is, they think it's fun, or they're bored with natural colors. But I also wonder how many times they're trying to standout—not necessarily attract attention to themselves, but more as a way to say, "Hey! I exist."

Of the observations I'm making here, I find it the most innocuous and more or less playful. I know there are some celebrities out there, particularly singers, who like to wear colorful wigs or dye their hair, so there could be some style setting taking place. I'm also aware that things like this have been going on for a long time in places like Japan, which is known for far more outlandish styles than colored hair.

Tattoos

Again, tattoos are nothing new. I'm just saying I'm seeing an uptick in it, and it's not all "counter-culture" driven, as it may have been in the past. Like many other things, I believe getting a tattoo has become more mainstream, and women seem to be catching up to men in that regard, or perhaps getting a little more bold with size and placement.

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Just today, I was at a drive-thru and the young woman who helped me had some phrase tattoed on her forearm. I don't have any idea how old she was, but my guess is, she was in her late teens to early twenties.

Is getting a tattoo, especially among women, a thing? I mean, a bigger thing than it use to be. Is there a reason for it? Is it done on a dare? Is it peer pressure? Is it there to remind them of something? Unlike the colored hair, I can't say it's always to standout, since some can remain hidden pretty well. Of course, they can get pretty colorful and be very much like, "Look at me." Or if not that, "This is an expression of how I feel" or"This is who I am."

Since I've never had a tattoo or dyed my hair, I'm only guessing at reasons. I'm purposely staying away from negative connotations, because I think just like other things, these kinds of styles are simply becoming more acceptable and for whatever reasons, desirable. I'm wondering what might be driving it.

In the case of tattoos, I know it's virtually impossible to watch any athletic event, especially basketball, without at least one of the players sporting some kind of tattoo. In many cases, they have more than one.

Now, I realize there are some cultures where tattoos are traditional, an expression of lineage, etc. Where I live, such would not be the dominant reason for getting tattoos.

Ripped Jeans

While I can't say I'm a fan of any of these styles, the one I'm finding the hardest to comprehend are the ripped jeans. Again, I know this isn't anything new. However, it used to be people would wear out their jeans first, and just keep wearing them because they're super comfortable.

However, for years now, this "distressed" look is how jeans can be bought, and often at a premium above a pair of whole jeans.

I don't get it.

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Especially when the jeans look like this. I actually saw a young woman wearing jeans similar to this as I was coming out of the mall. It's hard not to stare. I managed to pull my eyes away, mainly because I was kind of embarrassed because the holes actually went up a little farther than depicted in this picture.

At this point, I'm thinking, these really should be some kind of jean shorts. It can't possible be keeping the legs warm, and in some cases, I think it could actually impede walking.

Is there a point here, or is this just another fun thing to do? Of all of the calling attention to oneself, this is the one I understand the least. To me it's saying, "I paid way too much for a pair of ratty jeans!" but I'm sure that isn't what the mainly young women are hoping to portray. I just don't know what it is.

Assigning Stigmas

As I mentioned earlier, my purpose really isn't to say any of this is good or bad, though I know just by bringing it up, asking questions and offering my personal opinions, it's going to look like I am. I'm not sure what to say about that other than to say, while I wouldn't do it, I might do other things that people find equally disturbing or strange. I more or less adhere to live and let live, as long as I'm allowed to do the same, and neither of us are infringing on the ability of others to follow suit or somehow hurting their well-being.

My concern in any of this, regardless of sex, age or culture, that these things are not actually outward expressions of what people might find lacking in themselves. Not exciting enough, not pretty enough, not a certain body type or personality. As I said above, I think some of this is done because it's perceived as fun, and in the case of youth, well, we've all done things when we were young that we wouldn't do as adults.

As far as dying hair goes, that's not so permanent. Neither are wearing jeans that are predominantly open air. Tattoos, well, that's another thing. Some might age well. Many do not. And they're painful to get and even more painful to remove, if such a thing is possible. So, you're in it for the long haul, and I'm wondering just how much people realize what and for how long they're committing to with the tattoo.

Okay. Your turn. Have you noticed an uptick in any of these things, particularly among young women? Has this been going on for a while now, and my area is just finally catching up, or is it yet to reach where you live? Is there something else that's been becoming more commonplace?

Have at it. I'm interested in seeing what you've noticed, and in particular, if you have dyed your hair, gotten tattoos or bought and worn 'distressed' jeans straight from the factory, I'd love to know why you did it, for how long, and if you're no longer doing it, why not.

All images source—Pexels

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I think people are saying, "Look at me!" (21.88%) 7 / 32 I think the styles listed above are are on the increase. (12.5%) 4 / 32 I think people see others doing it, like their friends, so they do it, too. (9.38%) 3 / 32 I don't see anything wrong with any of it. (9.38%) 3 / 32 I don't see anything wrong, but I'm not inclined to do it myself. (9.38%) 3 / 32 I think people are trying to change how they and others perceive them. (9.38%) 3 / 32 Those styles are about the same where I am. (6.25%) 2 / 32 I don't think colored hair, tattoos or distressed jeans mean anything. They're just supposed to be fun. (6.25%) 2 / 32 I've never colored my hair, had a tattoo, or worn distressed jeans. (6.25%) 2 / 32 I wear distressed jeans. (6.25%) 2 / 32 I can't stop anyone, but I wish they wouldn't do it, especially (fill in the blank). (3.12%) 1 / 32