Feature: Are we influenced by Hollister models? Written by Peggy Kapinga

Hollister – the well-known clothing store launched by Abercrombie and Fitch, specializes in casual clothing for young adults. What makes them unique is their dedication to designing and producing the highest quality SoCal* inspired clothing; they continue to create such clothing and remain to be ranked in top choice for teens.

Hollister Models work on the shop floor and their role is to meet and greet with the stores customers, they are responsible for keeping their assigned rooms presentable and assisting customers when needed as well as wearing and promoting the branded clothing.

In my opinion many young adults are attracted to Hollister because of their overwhelming desire to feel attractive and beautiful. Young models with rock hard abs and slim bodies send these kinds of messages to teens by promoting an ‘ideal look’. The customers within the shops are surrounded by advertisements which convey ideas of beauty, desire and seductiveness – emphasising the look endorsed by in store models.

Young adults tend to compare themselves to the models, they often feel they need change themselves to fit the ‘ideal’ of being slim and conventionally beautiful to be accepted, leaving the customer to become sensitive about their body, dissatisfied and attempting to equal the image encouraged by Hollister. 

I interview a Hollister model, questioning him about his role and opinion on the brand:

What is your role as a Hollister Model?

“Stand around and model the clothes”

How were you able to become a Hollister Model?

“I personally got recruited, that’s how most of us get the job”

As a Hollister Model what are the requirements? 

“Hmmm it’s such a misconception that you have to be good looking you have to fit the Hollister clothing, for males it would be tall, athletic build and defined bone structure”

Having become a Hollister Model has it changed the way you see yourself and would you say you are more careful about what you eat and see yourself?

“Yes 100% I feel like I need to improve myself all the time as I’m constantly being scrutinized by managers and I feel like I have a reputation to live up to.”

What do you enjoy about being a Hollister Model?

“I used to enjoy it because of old colleagues but they have left so now I hate it, at the end of the day Hollister “Models” are mere corporate tools”

Would you say Hollister Models have influenced a lot of young adults?

“Hmm I think everything influences you in a good and bad way, but I feel that people who shop at Hollister feel more confident as they are given an almost temporary identity.

Many people may think Hollister influence’s young adults positively, perhaps by inspiring future models and encouraging people to eat healthy and keep fit. However others may disagree and argue that they are bad influence; judging you based on aesthetics rather than your qualities as an employee – an opinion I personally lean further towards.
Words by 

Feature: London Fashion Weekend, written by Shanique Sampson

If you’ve been living under a rock and didn’t know about London Fashion Weekend, then let me inform you; it’s the magical event that falls directly after London Fashion Week (which this year was from the 17^th-22^nd February 2012). Thousands of keen shoppers rushed through the doors scrambling through over 100 designers’ new season collections, bagging bargains of up to 70% off from names such as Jaeger, Twenty8Twelve and many more.

I also attended October 2011’s LFW and was absolutely blown away, part of me even doubted that this one would be able to top it...but WOW was I wrong! They’ve definitely entered the New Year with a bang, the sun was shining and so were the shoppers! The new fashion clothing trends, hairstyles, makeup, and guests were all astounding!

You’d have to be crazy if you didn’t take the opportunity to browse through the vintage boutique, styled by the wonderful Wayne Hemingway - with a huge range of London’s very best vintage sellers’ collections to feast your eyes on and top entertainment acts and DJs to get you in the shopping mood.

Somerset House is vast and if I hadn’t been there before, I wouldn’t have known where to start! I arrived a couple hours before the catwalk show which gave me time to look around some of the fabulous new collections, where I then purchased my exclusively designed Holly Fulton show bag - jam packed with luxury goodies including: Elizabeth Arden 8 hour hand cream, TONI&GUY label.m products, a Juicy Couture perfume necklace, a Chambord champagne stopper, Broadway Nails impress nails, Kusmi tea, Kleenex cleansing wipe, Lavazza coffee, Veet easy wax, Lipcote lipstick sealer, Galaxy chocolate and a Virgins holiday voucher- all for just £8!

The catwalk show was as promised, ‘a fashion experience like no other’, taking place in the London Fashion Week Show space that had welcomed the celebrity fashion pack and industry elite only hours before. The show was hosted by Zoe Hardman and I was astounded at Jasper Conran, Antipodium and Holly Fulton’s new collection. Above all, I was astonished as Zoe Hardman introduced the surprise guest, none other than our fashion royalty Hillary Alexander, kindly gracing us with her presence! 

Following the success of her Fifth season at LFW, Holly Fulton continued to make waves with her contemporary and luxurious, geometric, crystal and Perspex encrusted take on fashion. Her work - bold, hand-drawn graphic prints combined with signature embellishment in Perspex, created the impression of one giant collage of jewellery, adorned with statement necklaces and accessories. Fulton references her love of Pop Art, Art Deco, colour and surface within her collections to create a bold signature displaying commitment to a look which is fast becoming synonymous with her label.

PRIM ROSE, to name but a few, the first model appearing, wore a dress by Twenty8Twelve and a 60’s cardigan from Shikasuki Vintage. The second wore a 60’s Sweater from Shikasuki Vintage and Levi’s Curve ID Jeans with a headpiece by Piers Atkindon. The following wore a dress by Jaeger Boutique, 60’s cardigan from Shikasuki Vintage. Next was a 70’s shirt and 50’s cardigan from Shikasuki Vintage and a skirt by American Apparel. The next model strut her stuff as she wore a shirt vintage collection which was simply stunning and I saw clothing that even I would wear!

The ANTIPODIUM AW12 COLLECTION: GAME ON. Collection was fantastic…who would have thought that a pair of trackpants by American Apparel, a 60’s crop top from Shikasuki Vintage and heels would look so stylish? A look I believe we all could get used to.

Although the catwalk show only lasted 35 minutes, I could talk about it for hours. It was absolutely breath taking and I would consider anyone foolish not to inquire about getting tickets for the next Autumn/Winter seasons collection.

After a tremendous fashion show what’s better or more appropriate than to shop for clothing you’d just seen on the catwalk?! Some of the discounts were jaw dropping and admittedly I fell in love with a Dolce & Gabbana dress with an original price of £500, discounted to £350; and it didn’t stop there, 5 D&G fitted tops totalled at £75 and would have originally been £300! It was heaven for the big shoppers like me! The whole experience is life changing and I personally am itching to see what’s in store for the Autumn/Winter collection. 

Review: Adele '21', written by Cassandra Mawete

The British Grammy and Brit award winner Adele certainly isn’t “Rolling in the Deep” thanks to her many successes in taking home 47 awards for her soul trembling vocals since 2009. Released on the 19th January 2011, her album ‘21’ – so named because of her age at the time - captures her love for music influenced by the heavy beat and slow tempo of Motown and folk music. Compared to her last album 19, reciting her relationship turmoil’s in melancholy tones, her latest work is notably more upbeat with liberating songs giving women in heart breaking relationships hope; particularly with the Motown soul type song ‘Rolling in the deep’ giving the album edge and spark.

The album was exquisitely blended with various sounds and surprisingly, in ‘One and only’ her voice was shamelessly the centre of attention carried with an obvious jazz soul and gospel influence which I found touching, complimented by the inspirational lyrics which seem to speak out to you. This album can give women courage, however ‘Take it all’ could be considered a ‘downer’ giving the impression that Adele has ‘given up’ which I don’t believe fitted particularly well with the rest of the material. ‘21’ is different to the way she has previously produced her music, and also includes a Spanish influenced poetic lullaby with a sensual beat - ‘Love song’ including a guitar solo - very different from the songs Adele fans are used to hearing from her.

After the lasting impression of the best solo performance awarded song ‘Someone like you’, I’d definitely give this album 5stars. Her album shows the ugly truth of love which may relate to women more than men but is fantastic none the less. Contrasting Adele’s previous styles – ‘21’ is a liberating and healing album for women battling emotional difficulties.

Opinion: Once in a Life Time

I find it quite sad that in today’s world if you were to ask a group of teenagers if they were virgins the sad possibility is that the majority would say no; either out of honesty or embarrassment at the idea that being a virgin is simply not cool. Both boys and girls feel pressured by today’s society to engage in sexual activities however, your virginity is something which should be treasured. As women it is one of the only things we can ever say is truly our own so why are we so quick to give it away? Is it the pressure of explicit sex scenes on TV and wanting to recreate them, or the fact that as our hormones whizz round our body’s, sex is all we are compelled to think about? I would also like to question the price at which we give our virginity away as bragging about loosing your virginity is not as glamorous and popularity enhancing as it seems. As a girl if you lose it too early you are branded with terms such as whore, slag or other hurtful terms where boys are often glorified and seen as popular amongst their friends. The idea of valuing your virginity, however, applies to boys as well; you shouldn't simply ‘bang any chick’ that gives you attention but should make sure that she’s the right girl for you. Not only will it heighten pleasure but you won’t end up regretting it in future. If you’re going to do it then do it safely and make it special. Over summer 2012 many would have thought about sex on the beach and one night stands but is it really worth it? We’re all growing up and the idea that sex should be careless and insignificant is ‘overrated’ because at the end of the day you should respect yourself so much more than that. We all have the ability to say ‘no’ and waiting, in my opinion, makes it so much more worthwhile.
Words by Krystal Atkinson

Feature: Feeling Beautiful

Natural, dolled-up or in between, what do you prefer? All girls want to be comfortable in their day to day lives. Some prefer to be au natural and are most comfortable with minimal make up whilst others put huge amounts of effort into their appearance in order to feel confident and comfortable with themselves.Personally, I love make-up! Make up is something that gives me confidence throughout the day and I literally can’t leave my house without it; here’s some easy tips for a casual college look…

• Mascara (Maybelline Colossal Volume Express) and liquid eyeliner make my eyes stand out
• Foundation evens out your skin tone (I use MAC Studio Fix, which is only £19)
• Nude lip gloss, and eyebrow pencil along with concealer give my eyebrows definition.

It’s not much, but it should be enough for a casual day whether in college, going shopping, or out with friends. There is nothing wrong with wanting to look good and representing your own unique style. Remember: Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, so just be you! What are your opinions on make up? Is it an essential or do you think we should go without?

Email your views to fourmagazine_laswap@hotmail.com and we’ll try to mention them!
Words by Rosemonde Agbotro

Opinion: GET OVER IT!

For those of you who are not aware, February of this year played host to LGBT month (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender), a time which aimed to bring about equality and erode discrimination targeting those who fall under the LGBT category. The cause is supported by a majority of pupils and teachers here at LaSwap who display their backing by wearing the trademark ‘some people are gay, get over it!’ T-shirts. Unfortunately however, not everyone is on the same page and displays a positive attitude towards the global equal rights revolution for homosexuals or people suffering gender issues. Regrettably, the struggle continues for LGBT’s to gain equal rights; Unable to obtain domestic violence protection orders against a partner or former partner or even to visit their partners in the hospital due to not being considered “family”...if this type of discrimination were to affect any other minority group surely there’d be an uproar? Thinking back, the time in which black or other coloured people were forced to sit at the back of a bus or stand for a white passenger was clearly racist and now is looked back on in disgust, women not being able to vote only 80 years ago was undoubtedly sexist and now disapproved of by the majority. 

 

Despite this LGBT’s weren’t even able to give blood until very, very recently - a policy that quite obviously was discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation and in other words - homophobic, was accepted until last year. In the year 2012, of the 21^st century LGBT’s are still struggling to get the same rights as others, so where will they go from here? Currently there are initiatives and petitions flying about as LGBT’s try to attract attention for their equal rights campaign, advocating their ideas at the huge parade down Oxford Street for ‘Gay Pride’ day. Despite LGBT’s still being unable to acquire the equality everyone deserves, I believe the open-mindedness of our generation and future ones will eventually give them equal opportunities and the freedom to be who they want to be! If you support the campaign for equal rights for LGBTs please step out and say ‘NO’ to the bullying and hate crimes homosexuals and bisexuals are facing today, and if you’re not in favour… with the direction we seem to be heading in, you may just have to ‘Get over it!’.

What are your views on this issue? 

E-mail the LASWAP magazine at fourmagazine_laswap@hotmail.com with your opinions and reasons for them and we’ll try to give you a mention.  
Words by Jadene Squires