Since the tragic events of Sept. 11, there has been a plethora of American pride-inspired clothing, accessories, etc. It is not uncommon to see celebrities on talk shows or at movie premieres sporting "I Love New York" vintage T-shirts or red-white-and-blue ensembles. Has the spread of patriotic fashion in the entertainment industry become the new fad and fashion craze? Or is it simply the celebrities showing their American pride?
"No, I don't think that it's a fad. It's more of an increased nationalism due to the events of Sept. 11. A fad is like peacock-feather earrings, something that patriotism is obviously not. Even those "I Love New York" shirts are just a sign of how much we've all come together." — Natalie Bonanno (junior-international politics)
"I think that it's more of a fad. The celebrities have got to show their support somehow. But for some cases, they are just trying to jump on another bandwagon." — Brian Hood (junior-mechanical engineering)
"I think that they are wearing those things just because they are obligated to. It is more of a trend for them than patriotism." — Vinay Annigeri (sophomore-marketing and international business)
"Patriotism is patriotism, some people don't even understand what it is. I think that it has certainly become a fashion statement. It's not a bad thing, of course. But people are wearing those clothes because they are following the trend." — Vidhi Desai (freshman- division of undergraduate studies)
"That is just their way of showing their patriotism. I can see how it could be a fad, but for our sake, I hope that it is just patriotism." — Stacey Moon (junior-economics)
"It's probably just a fad. Because everyone's doing it, they do it also." — Lisa Derby (freshman-biology)
"I think it's like a bandwagon, because a lot of the celebrities don't even live near NYC nor have been directly affected by the events. But I can see that it's their way of boosting morale for the nation, but more on a general basis, it's a fad." — Todd Giardiello (sophomore-division of undergraduate studies)
"I think that it's a mixture of both. In a couple of years, those same celebrities are not going to be wearing flag-inspired clothing. But it doesn't mean that they're not patriotic." — Haink Tu (freshman-mechanical engineering)
"I think it is kind of both. As public icons, it is almost an obligation to promote patriotism, through action and even the way of dress. But it could be seen as a money-making opportunity geared for audience popularity as well." — Colleen Sigrist (freshman-psychology)
"I think it's both. The trend will eventually die down, but this fad is also their way of showing their feelings as well. It's just among the things that they can do to help." — Tim Black (senior-informational systems and technology)
"It has become a fad of people following others. I don't know how long it will last, because for some it's more permanent than others, like painting your car red, white and blue." — Summer Daughenbaugh (junior-graphic design)
