2008 Woodie Awards
Fashion debated at 'State of America' panel
By Jaime Wright
Rocket Staff Writer
Issue date: 2/24/06 Section: Entertainment
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Students gathered Tuesday in the Multi-purpose Room for "State of America: The New Pink," an open forum discussion about the effect of current trends on popular culture.
Panelist Robert Clay led the discussion, along with eight co-panelists.
Clay said the purpose of these discussions was to inform the general student population of uncommon topics, as well as bring an increased understanding about a number of issues. The panelists covered topics such as cosmetic surgery, metro-sexuality, bulimia and body image and the hip-hop community.
The topic of metro-sexuality opened the forum.
"The general idea is that young men are in touch with fashion and they are not afraid to look good," student Jennifer Sanftner said.
During the discussion, Clay pointed out hip-hop artist R. Kelly's song, 'Keep It on the Down Low.'
"Keeping it on the down low describes a situation in which a man engages in homosexuality in secret," student Jemaine Thomas said.
Women and body image were also covered in the discussion.
"I think that our cultural acceptance for women is very, very narrow," student Kristina Chiprean said.
MTV has featured several "True Life" episodes of men who used steroids to improve their appearance. The network has also featured people who went through plastic surgery.
"One bodybuilder took steroids until his biceps exploded. It popped, basically," panelist Rhonda Matthews said.
Matthews said the importance of body images has affected men as well.
"We know these images affect us," Sanftner said. "It lowers our self-esteem, even with computer-generated images. It affects our mood and anxiety levels."
Many of these problems can be seen in the form of action figures.
G. I. Joes in the 1990s had a much more rugged appearance than those made in the 1960s.
Finally, the panelists discussed the role of hip-hop in society.
"It is part of the marketplace," Matthews said. "They do make some profit. Most (rappers) are not smart. Part of the formula is to solely make money."
Rap artist 50-cent was referenced as an example during the discussion.
"If 50-cent decided to send out positive messages, then they would let him go,"
Matthews said. "He couldn't do it."
Matthews said he had mixed feelings about Kayne West.
"He is extremely bright," Matthews said. "He is mixed in with the same old, same old. You don't get to hear about his smart things. What will sell are the negative images. Media can make money off of anything they want to."
The next State of America discussion will take place April 18th.
