From Poodle skirts, to bell bottom jeans, to big hair, to the grunge look, to white converse, trends have always had a big influence on what we wear, eat, how we do our makeup, how we style our hair, and even the way we talk. Following and keeping up with trends has a huge impact on many people and their everyday decisions. But why are people concerned about following trends and how do they even start?

In the popular movie, Mean Girls, Cady Heron pulls a prank on one of the main “mean girls,” Regina George, and cuts holes in her shirt. Cady expects Regina to be angry but instead, Regina wears the holes with confidence. Being as popular as Regina is, the next day, almost the entire girl population comes to school with two holes cut in their shirt identical to the ones Regina had. Although this is a dramatic example, the situation in Mean Girls parallels how trends in today’s society and at Air Academy start. Someone with significant influence in their community does and continues to do something different and unique, but slightly fashionable. At first, people may think the trend is ridiculous, but eventually, people catch on and soon enough we are all cutting holes in our shirts like Regina George! For example, socks and sandals used to be a huge faux pas in fashion, but now large amounts of Air Academy kids sport their crazy socks and comfy sandals through the halls daily.

Don’t be mistaken, fashion isn’t the only area that goes through trends. Another major field of trends is food. People go on diets, juice fasts, visit certain restaurants, and become vegan or vegetarian simply because they are popular. Certain foods like kale, quinoa, and avocado become all the craze among health freaks. It seems that people just eat what the media tells them to eat.

We can all remember the days where silly bands, sketchers, and justice clothes were cool, but what trends do the students at Air Academy follow today? After surveying many students, here’s what was found:

Clothing

Colorado may not be as fashionable as other places across the country, but at Air Academy, we still have the brands and stores we love. Students wear name brands like Patagonia, Lululemon, and Vineyard Vines. They also like flannels, skinny jeans, and American Eagle.

Shoes

One word, white. Whether they are Vans, Converse, or Nikes, white shoes have become very popular at Air Academy. Many of the students walking down the halls, especially girls, can be seen sporting white sneakers. White shoes are cute and can be worn with anything, the only downfall of this trend is that white gets dirty very easily.

Another shoe trend is sandals like Birkenstocks, Chacos, Tevas, and any other strappy sandals. Chukka boots are also becoming popular among boys.

Food

A food trend that has become very popular at Air Academy is Dutch Bros. Dutch Bros is a fun coffee chain with locations in downtown and in Cheyenne Mountain. On any given day, you will most likely see at least one person in the hallways or classroom sipping on their “Dutch” or showing off their new Dutch Bros stickers on their Nalgene bottle.

As easy as it is to follow trends, never be afraid to do your own thing. After all, you could be the next biggest trend setter!