Every time a celebrity puts something good looking on, the unwashed masses can’t help but follow their chosen idols and copy them. Perhaps it is the human instinct that makes us want to imitate those that we deem successful, but by shedding our originality we commit personality suicide the next time we go shopping for clothes. But alas, “c’est la vie:” that is the way things are. Here are five of the best, and five of the worst dressed celebrities in our fashion history.
First on our Best List is Madonna: the queen of pop. During the early eighties, she burst onto the scene with her hit singles Like A Virgin and True Blue. With the help of Music Television’s (MTV), she made beads and laces the “in” thing. Madonna, over the years, has remained a cultural icon even though she has aged considerably; she has remained a popular and sharp dresser who has somehow managed to reinvent her self multiple times.
Second on our Best List is Michael Jordan: basketball player superstar. Although he has been known to advertise underwear, it is ultimately his choice of footwear that has generated major income for Nike. It’s hard to even imagine the shoes without seeing Jordan jumping from the free throw line, with arms and legs outstretched, in a triumphant display of athleticism.
The third person on our Best List did service to the “rebel without a cause” look for years—even after his death. He is, of course, the often-imitated James Dean, sporting his biker garb with all the class one expects from a movie star of his caliber. Dean made looking like a teenage punk cool and rebellious, scaring the crap out of parents and winning the hearts of millions of teens in the mid 1950’s. Sadly, the best die young and through his death, he immortalized the blue jeans and leather jacket look that has been a staple of young hoodlums—even today.
Fourth on our Best List is not so much a real person, but a character ingrained into today’s gangster look, that he might as well be real. He is Tony Montana, played by the virtuoso actor, Al Pacino. It’s hard to walk the streets these days and not see wannabe gang-bangers flaunting jewelry in the style of the brash and bold cocaine dealer (Montana). Unfortunately, his look isn’t the only thing that is imitated, his habits and choice of profession are often sought after as well.
Last, but certainly not least on our Best List are The Beatles. Although their look was anything but original during the height of the hippy sixties and early seventies, they embodied the very spirit of their era. With their music and iconic hairstyles, they set the tone for the rest of the century, thusly changing how pop music would be viewed.
Now for the fun part: lambasting and tearing apart those we have deemed unworthy of our fondest memories. Those individuals that set trends that we now look back at with one question: “What the heck was I thinking?”
First on our List of Horrors is M.C. Hammer. With his ridiculous parachute pants (also known as Hammer Pants) mixed with equally horrific dance moves, he only served to make hip-hop an embarrassment for the late 1980’s. People who bought into this fad should be singled out and ridiculed without mercy. They should be forced to do the Hammer dance in public spaces.
Second worst on this shameful list is the rapper simply known as “Nelly.” Hey, Nelly! One question: What was the point of that stupid bandage on your face? Did you perpetually cut yourself shaving day after day for years on end? And, in the same spot no less, over and over again?
The third person on our list is a major contributor to the “slutification” of our nation’s young women. Britney Spears is and will always be, the epitome of the bimbo. First coming out with her hit pop song, Hit Me Baby One More Time, with her incredibly skimpy schoolgirl clothing, she made wearing practically nothing an accepted norm. Which prompted, in part, for young pre-pubescent girls to do the same.
Fourth, is Avril Lavigne. Although she is not on the same level as Spears (in terms of her not being a bimbo), her music is still somewhat lacking in quality. The whole trend she started with the punktie- thing was just simply bad taste—not to mention that fact that punk and formal attire seldom work together.
Fifth and last on our list is Marilyn Manson. Although he would probably be proud to be listed as one of the worst dressed, his style of fashion is aimed to shock and disgust as many people as possible.
Unfortunately, we have to cope with the thousands of Goth kids who hang out, painting their fingernails with permanent markers and wearing eye shadow, looking depressed all day because they want attention.
There you have it people, the best and worst fashion trends and their creators.