It’s one of the most recognized names in fast fashion. Zara. You can’t walk down the busy shopping areas in Manhattan without seeing the name proudly being flaunted on the paper bag by a fashion enthusiast or anyone who wants to give their look an upgrade. If you see someone with a Zara shopping bag gripped by their tight fingers, you know they’ve just bought something trendy. The problem I have with trends is that many people follow them at once and they have a short closet life. The problem I have with trending styles from Zara is that many people will own it or have seen it in the store. You might think you look ever so stylish in that new Zara topcoat (you probably do) without realizing many people might know where you got your topcoat from. The loss of uniqueness is irritating to me. Zara has a great reputation of making people look fashion forward, and bad reputation of making people look the identical. Where’s the astonishment that makes people stop you on the street to ask where you got your clothes from? True fashion is on the street but, not when everyone gets them from the same place.

I had my design professor tell me that he hates wearing the same thing as everyone else. I concur. He would buy nice in-season shirts from Banana Republic and leave them in his closet for three years and then wear them out. After three years of not seeing a popular item, it’s evident that those shirts would be seen as unique and trendsetting. I don’t have the self discipline to stash away any new peice of clothing I buy. I need to wear it immediately. At the very least, a special occasion. I do however, have the savviness to find passed-season clothing from online sellers (eBay, Poshmark, Mercari) in pristine condition, years later. That’s exactly what I did when I bought this white puff sleeve blouse with Swiss dots from the Mercari app. I bought it new with tags the listing said it was from Zara’s 2018 collection. Once I wore this top outside, everyone wanted to know where I got it from. My online thrifting for this one top, turned into a treasure hunt for more vintage Zara tops. Here are a few more I found.

Wearing clothes from old collections can give your wardrobe a fresh update. You can elevate your style with pieces that are old or wearing what is current. Your style is personal to you. It’s important to create looks that fit you, not the window mannequin. 

Social networking sites such as Facebook and Instagram are notorious for photo sharing and using hashtags. When it comes to getting likes for photos by using hashtags, Instagram holds the torch. The photo sharing app has even earned its own verb. “Instagramable”. Meaning that a photo is worth posting on Instagram to get plenty of likes. Society has become so reliant on getting likes on their pictures for the sake of instant gratification that they are willing to pay for it. Not just by purchasing followers.

Unlike most art exhibits, The Egg House didn’t have any valuable substance. It was a venue that was literally designed for guests to take pictures for social media. The entry fee was $20. It will cost you $20 to take tacky photos in front of plastic props to get more notifications on your phone. It’s ironic that millennials in particular will spend money to go out for the sake of being able to spend more time looking at their screens.

Photographer Adeos Yeboah told me he does not find any benefit in taking photos at meaningless exhibits that claim to be art. “I feel like that’s kind of sad. It’s not something that I would personally do but you can’t control what people want. It’s their phone.”

Going to a cheesy “art” exhibit to take pictures for social media isn’t a crime. Charging an exorbitant amount for entry to these exhibits should be thought out more carefully before you buy tickets. Some of these exhibits can inspire people to get creative with their photo taking and editing skills. Before dropping your hard earned cash on these pop ups, make sure you are getting an experience worthwhile and not another cliche photoop to mark yourself “here” in a social media post.

An inside look at NYC’s colorful haven.

Color Factory is a pop up exhibit in downtown NYC that takes visitors through rooms with different activities that are designed around color themes. Visitors get an experienc that is interactive and educational. Each room let’s you explore colors through sight, taste, sound, and touch. Keep scrolling through this photo gallery to explore more of my Color Factory experience.

The “WTF” moment when you realize your paying more for pink frills.

A gender based pricing known as “Pink Tax”, is a surcharge toward women for the same hygiene products used by men. While floral scents and packaging colored in different shades of pink distinguish women’s hygiene products from men’s, the price tag is also a major difference. Razors, body wash, hair shampoo, and specialty sized clothing will cost women a significantly higher percentage than men. It isn’t exactly clear when Pink Tax started but chances are women have probably been charged since birth. Throughout my research I found that even identical children’s toys with similar functions are priced higher for girls than boys. This discriminatory tax is only excluded in 12 states. 

In a study of gender based pricing done by the New York City Department Of Consumer Affairs in 2015, the agency found that women pay seven percent more for similar products than men. According to the DCA, about 800 products of male and female versions were compared from two dozen New York City retailers online and in store. The study of comparing products included: children’s toys, adult personal care products, home health care products, and clothing. The DCA specifically found that girl’s toys cost seven percent more than boy’s toys, 13 percent more for personal care products, and eight percent more for clothing. 

A clear example of gender based pricing in a study done by Jezebel, which was a comparison of a children’s self-riding car being sold by the company Fisher Price. This article was surprisingly accurate. Fisher Price sold their Power Wheels Jeep Wrangler self-riding car at $206.54 for the blue Hot Wheels version for boys and the pink Barbie version for girls at $214.88. Both of the toy cars have the same functionalities. The cosmetic difference is where the consumer gets an increase in price. According to Jezebel, product marketing director at the consumer data firm Index Jenn Steele says “If you’re finding consistently that pink sippy cups are more expensive than the exact same sippy cup in blue, then the marketplace could be putting pressure on sellers to drop the prices of the blue ones more.”

Business Entertainment/ Entrepreneur/Educator, Ebonie Jackson find told me that she, like many other women, deal with Pink Tax. Jackson told me that she does notice a change a difference in taxes for things like shaving cream, razors, shampoo, and lotion. Jackson said, “The ones that are geared toward women are a lot more expensive than the ones that are geared toward men, even though they complete the same function.” Jackson told me that feminine products are essential items and are not luxury items. I’m sure plenty of women like Jackson, would agree that they shouldn’t be paying more for items that are essential.

Deal News did a comparison of men and hygiene products. In the study a woman’s razor from Walmart cost $4.49 while a man’s razor cost $4.27. Their study also showed that women’s body wash from Olay cost $0.33 per ounce while men’s body wash from Old Spice cost $0.23 per once purchased from Target. 

Jackson is also the mother of two teenagers. I wanted to know if they were ever instances where she had to refrain from buying pink packaged items when it comes to her daughter. “I have two teenagers at home. One’s a boy and one’s a girl. We all use the same stuff.” Jackson told me that her daughter wants the pretty pink stuff and the packaging but it doesn’t make sense financially.

I spoke with Brianna Daquin, a recent graduate from Stoney Brook University who says she’s always stealing her boyfriend’s razors, literally. Daquin says that she purchases her Gillette razors from Amazon to save money a broke college grad’s budget. She shares her Amazon account with her boyfriend and noticed that the cost of his razors were lowers than hers yet, they were purchased from the same company. “I feel like I use more razors than he does. Just because men can skip shaving sometimes it isn’t fair that they get to pay less than we do,” said Daquin. I wanted to know if Daquin has an alternative to paying higher prices for women’s hygiene products. She said “From now on I’m buying all my razors and body washes in the men’s section. I don’t care about smelling like a man. It actually smells better to me” she said laughing.

Pink Tax certainly feels like punishment. The crime? Being born of female gender. All women should have the freedom to live unapologetically as females. As far as the pink packaging on women’s essential items; the the Pink Tax needs to be removed without a doubt but, the packaging should still remain pink as fluff.