February 13, 2013

Varsity Jackets 
By Charmaine Sanchez
Varsity Jackets have become a very popular trend for the last months and is getting trendier as we can all notice. I haven’t worn one yet but everyone else does. Most department stores, RTW houses and some boutiques are bountiful when it comes to their stocks of these VJs since they’re selling like the earth’s last tanks of air.
Now, the funny thing about this trend is; people are just so obsessed with it especially elementary and high school students. “Naunsa man intawun na siya ui. Pirteng inita sulod sa simbahan ga jacket-jacket pajud.” “Wa na siya’y laing masul-ob? Madugay iyang nawung mura napud nag jacket!”- I can’t help but laugh every time I’m eavesdropping over a group of backbiters who can’t help but notice people’s unhealthy craze over these fad jackets.
I do not have anything against people who fancy this kind of fashion statement. But I would like to let them know that they have become more of a favorite topic during teenage gossip sessions instead of being considered fashionable. Sadly, most of them don’t even notice that.
If we take a look at this on another point of view; this jacket trend somehow shows how our youth today behave. What seems “in” to one person spreads like a disease and dominates the rest of everyone else’s interest.   As we can all see, it is very common for teenagers to jump into new adventures with the fear of getting left behind if they don’t try new things that everyone else are involved in.
Young people of today get involved in vices without thinking about the consequences as long as they don’t get behind with what’s “in”. Peer pressure is usually the main root of this.
For example: If you’re in a circle of friends where all of them smoke, it wouldn’t be impossible if you end up smoking sooner or later. But we don’t usually notice that this is wrong as long as we are going with everybody else’s flow.
 I am using this unhealthy obsession over varsity jackets as a point for realization that we don’t necessarily have to be a part of everyone’s trend because too much of it can be foolish.
 We, young people, tend to follow everybody’s parade without giving ourselves time to think if the steps we’d be taking can lead us somewhere good. I’ve been a victim of these kinds of parades. We all make mistakes as we grow up, the kind of mistakes that everybody does. However, it’ll be up to us if we make these mistakes as the hill we could die on or we can pin them on our foreheads as reminders of what we should and shouldn’t do; what we should try and what we should keep a safe distance from.
  So march to the beat of your own drum and be yourself even if your circles include a variety of people. Always think twice in getting contaminated with other people’s common denominators especially when it obviously leads to no good.
So the next time you put on your VJs, I hope you would be wearing it for yourself and not just to blend in. The next time you decide in trying something new, I hope you’re doing it for yourself and not because everybody else does it too.

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