The Five Rights

Feather frenzy

Witty Knits by Codi founder and designer featured with her new line of feather earrings. Found online at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Witty-Knits-by-Codi/178693905478961?ref=ts&sk=wall

By Haedyn Scgalski

5 Rights | Managing Editor

If someone were to say feathers to me when I was five years old, I would have thought of bird feathers. If someone were to say feathers to me when I was 10 years old, I would have thought of the feathers that you use with crafts. Now, at 17, almost 18 years old, if someone said feathers to me, I would immediately think of the feathers that more and more girls are putting in their hair or the feathers that are attached to the dream catchers that people have in their cars.

Are feathers just a passing trend, like Crocs, coloring a strip of your hair a random color or throwing up a peace sign and making duck lips for pictures?

I think they are. I, myself, have even fallen into this feather frenzy. I have a pink, yellow, green, orange, purple and blue one. What is it that made me want these? Personally, I like the look and could care less what the other girls I go to school with are doing, but, for the preteen kids, who maybe haven’t figured out who they are and their style, are these feathers just to be cool and to fit in?

I got my feathers about two weeks ago. I had many color options and pretty much fell in love. I was originally only going to get three of them, about an hour after, I text the girl who did mine and ask if I could come back and get more, and so I did. I got another three. My parents were a little surprised, but were totally fine with my decision. After all, they aren’t permanent.

Individual people can assemble the hair extensions, but hair salons can also do it.

“I think it is a great cost effective way to add change to any look. It’s low maintenance and easy to take care of,” stylist and co-owner of Honey Blush Salon, Danielle Jones said.

Dream catchers, I feel like, are something that have gone in and gone out. I wouldn’t necessarily call it a trend because I think it just depends on the person’s personality. I have a friend who has one in her car, it fits her personality and it seems like something she would have. But, on the other hand, I definitely have some friends that it would be strange for them to have.

“Dream catchers are definitely getting more popular. In the last decade or so, I have noticed a lot more around,” Sadie Allman, 16, Columbus, Ind. said. “In the past couple of years, the whole Native American culture has become super popular, bringing back things like moccasins, amber-colored suede and of course, feathers and dream catchers.”

On Tuesday, I met someone who had made feathers for her earrings. Honestly, it was one of the coolest things I have seen. They were super long and looked awesome. I would wear something like that for sure.

“The fad itself inspired me to create the earrings,” Codi Perry, 19. Chicago, Ill. said. “I added them to my collection of artsy trends because of my self owned business, ‘Witty Knits by: Codi’.”

In the recent story in the Indianapolis Star, it said, “Feathers’ popularity isn’t the only thing increasing. So is their price.” With that being said, they are obviously becoming more prominent. I paid $30 for three feathers, then for everyone after that it was $5. That’s a total of $45 spent on feathers.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my feathers and have become quite obsessed with them, but that $45 dollars could have definitely bought me lunch for multiple weeks, bought me a couple of pairs of shoes or even just been put into savings. When I think about that though, I am still happy I got them and wouldn’t do it over.

There are some trends though that are not okay for kids to do just to fit in. Consumer Reports Health, Dr. Orly Avitzur said, “Biting and cutting and sucking blood, circle lenses/decorative contact lenses, ADHD prescription drug abuse, tobacco escalation products, Tanorexia/tanning salons, tattoos, piercings, tech use at night, texting while driving and noise exposure,” are the “10 troublesome teen trends.”

Dr. Avitzur also said in her article, “Previously rational children transform into moody, unreasonable creatures whose need to shock is only surpassed by their efforts to fit in.”

Which is extremely sad, because I used to try to fit in with the kids I thought were who I wanted to be like, until one day, I realized I had morals and they really aren’t cool.

As this year continues, will this look stay popular? I know it will for me. I actually want feathers in my hair for my senior pictures this year! Or for some, will the want for feathers die down and become something that just brushed across the United States and become a fad? Will younger kids realize that they don’t have to fit and get sucked into the horrible times of peer pressure? I guess we’ll find out.