No matter how weird it gets, fashion is freedom of expression.
Whether we are dressing for class or a Friday night, the clothes we wear are a reflection of our personality. Even simply grabbing the closest pair of Norts is conveying some level of personal taste. Not everyone may think we technically look good, but like everything else, we are entitled to our own opinions. People are free to have their own taste and wear whatever makes them happy.
From the clothes we wear to the way we do our hair to tattoos and piercings, fashion is different for everyone. Modern style icons have made it their mission to push the limits of fashion and trends. But is it ever possible to take things too far?
When I think of the word fashion, I think of tall brown boots, statement necklaces, men in pressed dress shirts and even Lady Gaga’s infamous meat dress.
Some people associate fashion with maxi dresses, half-shaved heads and in some awful instances, black high socks with Nike sandals. Other people take fashion as far as even altering their bodies. It seems today that fashion is no longer based solely on the clothes we buy.
The latest fashion trend that has managed to both top the obscurity of Nicki Minaj and completely blow my mind is the “bagel head.”
This trend from Japan recently caught the world’s attention when the National Geographic show “Taboo” featured the new craze.
To obtain the “bagel head” look, people go through a process that starts by injecting saline into their foreheads with an IV. When the skin on their forehead swells up with saline, an artist then uses his hands to sculpt the bulge into a perfectly smooth circle shape with a depression in the center. Voila, the bagel head.
If at this point you still have not Googled “bagel head” and been shocked by the results, it basically looks like a miniature, flesh colored bagel sitting on someone’s face. Are these people crazy? I thought the whole 2005 “grillz” thing that Nelly got people hyped up on was weird, but this is a whole new level of fashion statement.
To us, this is absolute madness. But to the people who sat through the procedure for a modification that will only last for about 16 hours before returning to normal, this look is fashionable. Attractive, even.
This shows just how original our own opinions are. Fashion has become whatever we want it to be. While magazines like Vogue pride themselves in telling us what looks good and what we better not be caught dead wearing, there will never be a right or wrong to fashion.
Our generation has become accustomed to standout fashion. From the likes of Ke$ha to Lady Gaga to Nicki Minaj, we have seen it all. At least, we thought we had until this yummy statement showed up.
While these self-proclaimed trendsetters initially paved the way for more personal expression by way of clothing, they were also pushing limits on the definition of fashion itself. Is a dress made completely out of meat really a fashion statement, Lady Gaga? Is the skimpy outfit with cut-outs and a rainbow wig in any way visually pleasing, Nicki? Do you honestly think that a bagel on your forehead looks good?
Diversity and personal expression is one thing, but when is too far just too far?
I’m not bashing the creativity and individuality of these successful trendsetters, but I do question their judgment.
The saline injections that create the bagel head have yet to be written off as dangerous to our health. So it’s not hurting anyone, it just looks strange to me. Similarly, barely-there outfits worn by celebrities like Gaga and Nicki are virtually harmless. While they are inappropriate for kids and some more conservative people, their freedom of individuality and expression cannot be contained just because it isn’t favorable to our own personal taste.
The world will always be bogeyed at some of the things people choose to wear and the ways they modify their bodies. Creativity has no limit and fashion will continue to outdo itself whether we approve of it or not.
However, we all have to draw our line somewhere. As much as I believe that people have the freedom to be who they want and do what they please with their lives, I will stick to the statement that bagels are for eating, not wearing.
