By Sonia Dasgupta

It’s a rainy Wednesday around noon and steam billows from a silver hot dog stand on Main Street. As Bennie Dollard cooks up a cheese steak for one of his regular customers, Sam Wyatt, they talk about his week.

“How’s your leg?” Bennie says.

“It’s ok, not as bad as Monday,” Wyatt says.

“My mom always says when it rains, the little aches you have come out,” Bennie says.

Wyatt, an employee of the university’s honors program, discovered Bennie’s stand in mid-July and now comes once or twice per week. He says he knows what a good cheese steak should taste like because he is from the suburbs of Philadelphia and he says Bennie’s are great.

“It’s the smell, the grill,” he says. “There’s a flavor that comes from charring meat that doesn’t come from anywhere else.”

The stand located right in front of the National 5 & 10 not only has the simple hot dog, but also an array of sandwiches from kielbasa and sausage to various Caribbean-influenced offerings. Bennie also sells breakfast sandwiches and his best seller is “The Hustler” — philly steak, two eggs, sautéed onions, hash browns and cheese.

Cuisine Fantasy began almost three years ago, when Bennie resigned from his 15-year executive chef position at Vanguard, a Pennsylvania investment company, and decided to start working for himself. He bought the stand from the previous owner, Diane Smith, who had worked there for 14 years. He named his cart Cuisine Fantasy, he says, because he is always thinking of new combinations of meat, cheese and vegetables in bread.

“ I have a million sandwich ideas in my head,” he says.

The Nigerian cheese steak — a mix of Philly cheese steak and chicken–is one of his favorite creations.

Bennie says when he first started selling steak, people would read the sign on the back of his cart and laugh.

“They didn’t think I could do it right,” Bennie says. “ ‘It’s not a Philly’ they’d say.”

Most people from Delaware know the best cheese steaks can be found in Philadelphia, so a cheese steak from a cart in Delaware pales in comparison. Now, the Caribbean jerk chicken and the Montego Bay Caribbean Beef are considered customer favorites.

Bennie says he sells about 40 or more sandwiches per day.

“I was the hot dog man, and now they don’t know what to call me,” he says. “I guess the guy in the cheese steak cart, or just Bennie.”

Bennie is a native of Delaware. He grew up in Wilmington and went to Mount Pleasant High School. He majored in the fine arts at Bowie State University in Maryland.

“At the time I was really undecided, but I knew I had a passion for food,” Bennie says.

After college he got a few random jobs and then landed the job with Vanguard. Although Bennie says he was unhappy, he used his time at Vanguard to propose a business plan. Bennie says it was a great decision to stop working for other people and to start his own business. He says at Vanguard he just managed the staff, made menus and did not cook, which was his true passion.

Now he spends 13 to 14 hours per day working, most of the time crammed into a 2.5-foot by 3-foot space and he said he loves it. On Thursdays and Saturdays he is also a vendor at a car auction.

Bennie says the biggest thing that bothers him is the stigma carried by food carts. He says people think they are dirty and gross. His daily wardrobe is casual, a black T-shirt with Cuisine Fantasy written across the chest, a maroon apron, and khakis. Perhaps his most distinctive accoutrement is the hairnet he wears (“for health reasons,” he says) over this tight dreadlocks.

“I changed the whole concept,” Bennie says. “I constantly wear gloves and there are not too many carts that do that.”

Matt Martinez, an employee of the National 5 & 10, is a regular customer.

“If he had chairs, he would be the best place ever,” Martinez says. He is a fan of “The Big Country,” turkey bacon, sausage, three eggs, sautéed peppers and onions and cheese, for breakfast.

Dan Oristian is another one of Bennie’s regular customers. This graduate student finds himself at Bennie’s cart twice per week and it is not just for the great service and low price.

“I always have a good conversation with him,” Oristian says. “When you’ve had a rough day, he always has nice things to say.”

Bennie can be found cooking up cheap cuisine every weekday from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. He said he hopes to extend his hours in the spring by offering a late night service from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Bennie says he doesn’t have much spare time but he spends time with his fiancée and is looking forward to a great future. Bennie says he sometimes does think about children and starting a family.

“Do what you’re happy with because if you don’t you’ll be miserable,” he says.

He says having a business proposal early is good and being focused on what you want is great.

“Everything I make, I prepare like it’s my last,” he says.

A line continues to grow as Bennie puts together a customized breakfast bagel for another customer. As he slowly prepares the eggs scrambled with two slices of bacon, he and the customer discuss the weather.

“This is so random,” she says. “It’s sunny one day and rains the next.”

“Yeah, strange,” Bennie replies. “Hope you don’t get too wet.”

They exchange a few dollars for a sandwich and Bennie moves on to the next person in line. “How can I help you?”

By Ashley Duran

Imagine being named after a “refined, exotic, oriental and floral” fragrance called …Raffinée.

That’s right. It was my dad’s idea. Thankfully my mom was opposed to the name and was a Dynasty fan in 1985, while she was pregnant. My middle name, Desireé, which sounds suspiciously similar to Rafineé, was already decided. The character of Lady Ashley Mitchell, played by Ali MacGraw, caught my mom’s attention.

“What about Ashley?” she asked my dad. “Ashley Desireé.”

At the time my mom didn’t realize that I would later be ridiculed because she decided to give me names with initials spelling out “A.D.D.” or attention deficit disorder. She also swears the name Ashley wasn’t popular around the time I was born.

Obviously everyone else’s parents had the same thoughts. According to the Social Security Administration, there were 46,982 Ashley’s born in the United States in 1985, making it the second most popular girls’ name.

Ashley is a unisex surname of English origin, meaning ash tree field or meadow. An unconfirmed story, explaining how the name came about can be found on wikipedia.org, blurtit.com and other online blogs. According to the websites, “The name comes from an ancient Anglo-Saxon legend wherein a lovely young woman was kidnapped by an ogre and imprisoned in an ash tree. Over the years, the tree took on the form of the woman. Her name long since forgotten, she is now only remembered as ‘Ashley.’ ” This mythical tree is said to be located in Devonshire, UK.

Ashley Neal, an English male and student at The University of Arts in Philadelphia, says that in England the name is a somewhat common name for guys.

One of the first references to a male Ashley in the media was in Gone with the Wind, a 1939 film adapted from Margaret Mitchell’s 1936 Pulitzer Prize winning novel. The movie introduced several names and Ashley, from the character of George Ashley Wilkes, was one of them.

Up until the 1960s, the now popular feminine name was more commonly given to boys.

“I love my name, it’s different,” Neal says. “In 22 years I’ve never met another male Ashley.” He says that most of his mail comes addressed to Miss or Ms. Ashley Neal. A simple outing to a bar or the bank can be a hassle for him.

“At places like the bank where they see my name and not a picture they think I’m trying to mess with someone’s account,” he says.

Neal estimates that 40 percent of the time he has to show two forms of ID because people tend not to believe that his name is Ashley.

“Somewhere around eighth grade a substitute teacher sent me to the office because she was dead set that I was lying about my name,” he says.

Neal explains that throughout middle and high school he was put on the girl’s team in gym class. He says that for good reason, he never made an effort to change it.

Although the name Ashley originated in the UK, Ashley Popham at Bath University in England says that she has only met one other person with the name and that it’s not popular at all where she lives.

Popham can often be found posting messages on discussion boards on Facebook, in groups such as “A is for Ashley.” She says that it’s interesting to interact with other Ashley’s. The groups were her way of first finding out how popular the name was in the United States.

“Anyone who is fed up with sharing their name so much in the States should move to the UK,” a discussion board quotes Popham as saying.

Ashley Malecha, a student at Bremen University in Germany, agrees.

“It’s totally unheard of in other parts of the world,” she says in an email. “Guys in Europe always think my name is sexy and exotic.”

According to the Social Security Administration, Ashley’s popularity grew rapidly as a feminine first name in the United States in the 1980s.

The rising fame of the name for girls seems to have occurred simultaneously with the introduction of the female character, Ashley Abbott, on the soap opera The Young and The Restless in 1982. The name that was at the No. 17 spot in the United States jumped to No. 4 in 1983.

Ashley Cranidge, student of the University of Ottawa in Ontario, was one of many to be named after the infamous soap opera star. She started the trend of posting a comment if you were named after Ashley Abbott, on the discussion board in “A is for Ashley.” There are currently 11 others who have also posted their anecdotes.

“My mom watched it when she was preggers,” a discussion board quotes Cranidge as saying. “Now I know that my name comes from some slutty TV character married a hundred times.”

I just couldn’t miss out on the opportunity to contribute my soap opera story to the discussion board. No one else had written about Dynasty, only The Young and the Restless. So, I had to do it. I joined the group and played along. After each post I made, someone almost immediately responded. It was weird to see how many postings a day were made by the same people.

One thing is for sure, mentioning the name Ashley can be a great conversation starter. That’s how I learned about sophomore Ashley Benanti’s nickname – Ashtray.

“My friends always call me that and think its funny,” says Benanti, who doesn’t smoke. “But it’s really annoying.”

The name that has been overpopulating the United States is now in danger of getting kicked out of the top 10 baby name list. The trend for girls given the birth name of Ashley peaked at No. 1 in the years 1991 and 1992 and then fell to No. 2 in 1993, continually dropping until reaching its current spot at No. 10.

According to Dale Trusheim, associate director of institutional research and planning at The University of Delaware, there are 167 female students currently registered with the first name of Ashley.

There are also more than 500 global groups like, “All of the Ashley’s!!!! cuz the name Ashley is amazing!!!” and “How many Ashley’s can there be?” on Facebook dedicated to people with the name. This doesn’t even begin to account for people with alternate spellings.

There are at least 22 feminine variations of the name including: Ashlee, Ashleigh, Ashlley, Ashlei, Ashlie, Ashly, Ashli, Ashlye, Asheley, Ashiley and Ashlea. The second and third most popular spellings seem to be Ashlee and Ashleigh.

After looking through the countless groups and wall postings on Facebook, I realized that the pet peeve many Ashley’s seem to share is the word “actually.”

“I always think that someone is calling my name when they say ‘actually,’” says sophomore Ashley Benson, of The University of Delaware. “I’ve turned around too many times to that word thinking that someone wanted me.”

This confusion occurs because actually sounds very similar to Ashley. The two words can easily be confused. There is even a Facebook group called, “My name is ASHLEY not ACTUALLY… but if you say ‘actually’ I’ll look anyways.”

Ashley Prida, student of Herzing College in Wisconsin, said in an email, “I freakin’ hate it when people say actually. Especially when you’re in class and you’re not paying attention but as soon as you hear that word, you look up and say ‘Yeah?’”

Another problem Ashley’s are faced with is the calling of roll in class. When professors only call first names and there are more than one Ashley in a classroom, you’re going to hear questions like, “Which Ashley?” or “Ashley who?” This is when last names come into play and when Ashley Duran would become Ashley D.

I can still remember my 10th grade biology class. There were three Ashley’s so I agreed to go by my middle name. Since I wasn’t used to the name, I would tend not to respond until someone nudged me with their elbow. My usual response was, “Oh Desireé, you’re talking to me. Sorry.”

My parents just had to name me Ashley, didn’t they? Sometimes I think that being named after a perfume might have actually worked out better. I mean really, I’ve never met another Raffinée.

By Jena Levy

Sophomore Sarah Lipman has a very special Thanksgiving tradition that resulted of an incident that was not so special.

Her parents grew up with two different religious backgrounds. Her mother is Catholic and her father is Jewish, and the two families do not get along.

When she was 7 years old, her uncle, her mother’s brother, did not invite their family to Thanksgiving dinner. Her father thought it was his fault they weren’t invited so to cheer him up, her mother made his favorite meal: lobster and crab cakes, Lipman says.

For some families, Thanksgiving does not mean turkey. They’ve substituted the traditional bird for different foods as the centerpiece of the table. They are not protesting this tradition, just creating their own. And tradition is what creates the sentimental value of this holiday. Since every family is special and distinctive, a Thanksgiving dinner must reflect each family.

When Lipman’s brother was asked to draw a picture of his Thanksgiving dinner for his kindergarten teacher seven years ago, he drew the clambake.

“He drew my whole family, all five of us, with five lobsters on the table. The teacher didn’t believe him and said that wasn’t a Thanksgiving dinner,” she says. “But that’s our Thanksgiving dinner.”

Sophomore Carly Bergstein has a family Thanksgiving with all the traditional trimmings, except turkey, she says. Due to the picky eating habits oh her family, her mother makes chicken cutlets because she thinks no one will eat turkey.

“I don’t even know if I like turkey,” Bergstein says.

Thanksgivings without turkey can also be the result of lifestyle choices. With vegetarians more popular today, Tofurky, a turkey supplement, is their chosen meal on Thanksgiving.

Tofurky, billed as “American’s Leading Turkey Alternative,” was created by Turtle Island Foods and was first marketed to the U.S. in 1995. As of January 1, 2006, they had sold 882,310 Tofurky’s, according to their Web site. Tofurky is popular for its similarity in taste and texture to real turkey.

“It’s delicious,” says senior and Tofurky enthusiast Danielle Shadduck. “It’s moist and flavorful. There is a gravy that goes with it and it makes a great Thanksgiving dinner.”

New ways of cooking your turkey have also become popular traditions. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, deep-frying, grilling and smoking a turkey have become the new and trendy ways to cook your Thanksgiving turkey, with deep-frying being the most popular.

A poll commissioned by LouAna Peanut Oil and Cajun Injector Marinade shows that of 1,000 adults surveyed, 49% of adults have eaten fried turkey, and 28% plan to eat fried turkey this holiday season.

The top two reasons why people choose to deep-fry their turkeys are because it drastically cuts the time it takes to cook a turkey. It takes approximately 45 minutes to deep-fry a 12-pound turkey, compared to the three hours it takes to oven-roast a turkey. And second, people who eat deep-fried turkey brag of its juicier and richer flavor.

Senior Chloe Gallo’s family started deep-frying their turkey three years ago when her father got a new gadget that he was excited to use, she says.

“I was skeptical at first because I’m not very big on fried foods, but it tasted so much juicier and we didn’t have to wait forever for dinner,” she says.

Senior Katie Harber said she never had a better Thanksgiving than the year her grandfather deep-fried their turkey.

“First, he injected it with Cajun spices and then plopped it in the deep-fryer. We all started laughing because we thought it was going to be a disaster, but it was so good,” she says. “He hasn’t deep-fried it since, but my sister and I still always beg him to do it. He always says ‘Maybe next year.’ ”

In addition, people will bring the traditional foods of their ethnicities to the Thanksgiving table. Food writer Joan Nathan says that Italian Thanksgivings will include lasagnas and a bread stuffing that has crumbled-up sweet Italian sausage. A Lebanese Thanksgiving would include hummus, stuffed squash, stuffed grape leaves, an okra-and-lamb dish served over rice, and always turkey.

Elissa Sinatra, a senior at McGill University, combines the Italian traditions of her family with American Thanksgiving every year. They used to serve both traditional Italian food, such as lasagna, bread stuffed mushrooms and tiramisu, along with the Turkey dinner on Thanksgiving, she says, but it became too much to eat.

“Now we eat American Thanksgiving on Thursday, and an Italian feast on Friday. We call it ‘Saucey Friday’ because all we spend all day making my Grandma’s special homemade tomato sauce,” says Sinatra.

Senior Sonia Dasgupta, who is of Indian descent, combines American Thanksgiving with the Indian foods her family loves for Thanksgiving. They have chicken makhni, which is chicken in a creamy tomato sauce that has Indian spices; saag paneer, which is spinach and cheese, naan or puri which are two types of bread; and biriyani, which is similar to Indian fried rice, she says.

The Thanksgiving feast seems to be changing as rapidly as we devour the joyous feast on Thanksgiving Day. One thing has always stayed the same with the celebration of this holiday though, and that’s tradition.

Lipman’s mother can relate. “My mom still makes cranberry sauce and stuffing though,” she says. “She needs some resemblance of the Thanksgiving dinner she had when she was growing up.”

For Lipman, that will be lobster and crab cakes.

By Michael LoRé

As I entered my apartment at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, it hit me like a sack of bricks.

The smell of eggplant, garlic bread and tomato sauce stung my nostrils as I started to salivate like a dog staring at a bone.

As my roommates gathered around the table to indulge in the homemade eggplant parmigiana, I made my way toward the refrigerator to take out my dinner. I opened the package, doused the wet, white block in barbeque sauce and slabbed the $1.99 hunk of tofu on my George Foreman grill.

Beginning the day before, I attempted to go vegan for the week. Going vegan was going to be a big lifestyle change for me, since I am 100% carnivore.

I love my meats. I love being at the top of the food chain and I don’t feel bad for the little pigs, cows and chickens that are lower on the pyramid.

Yeah, so what if they are poor innocent animals that are raised up to be slaughtered? They’re delicious.

After my dinner stopped sizzling, it was time to suck it up, be a man and eat the damn thing. My mother always told me that my taste buds changed as I grew up but I still do not think they were mature enough for tofu.

Before putting barbeque sauce on it, I sampled a raw piece without flavoring or seasoning.

“This tastes like fresh mozzarella minus the taste, plus extra water,” I gagged as the sliver of soybean extract slid down my throat as quickly as a boy on a waterslide.

For some crazy reason, some of my friends wanted to try my barbeque tofu concoction because they thought I was being a baby and making a big deal out of nothing.

My roommates tried it and the non-taste of tofu didn’t faze them as much as it did me. After eating all of the barbeque tofu I made, my friend Emily and I drove to Acme because I was still starving.

Browsing through the vegan and vegetarian aisles, I came across foods I did not know existed. Being the English major that I am, my eyes became fixated on the names of these foods. Most misspelled intentionally, I might add.

Chik ‘n nuggets. Meatless burgers. Macaroni with soy Cheeze.

Moving further down the aisle, I found something appealing.

“Look. Smart Dogs. Rich in soy. $2.99,” I said. “I’ll just get these. They shouldn’t be too bad.”

After boiling them and again dousing them in sauce, this time ketchup, I closed my eyes and took a bite.

Boy was I wrong. Smart dogs, more like gross dogs. They tasted, well, lacked just as much taste, as the tofu cubes I ate earlier in the night. I bet they’ll sit in the back of the freezer until Christmas break.

No matter what form that tofu crap was in that night, it still tasted disgusting. It must have been the slimy texture that got in my head.

Besides eating tofu during my meatless days, I was an avid eater of salads, fruit and pasta — all things accepted by vegans.

After doing some research online the weekend before I started living meatless, I found out what being a real vegan really meant.

According to www.vegan.org, “A vegan is someone who, for various reasons, chooses to avoid using or consuming animal products. While vegetarians choose not to use flesh foods, vegans also avoid dairy and eggs, as well as fur, leather, wool, down and cosmetics or chemical products tested on animals.”

Wow. Sounds like a dramatic lifestyle change.

On Monday, when I decided to start this self-torture, I had to tell all of my friends what I was doing and why.

Sarah Lipman gave me some positive advice on tofu after class.

“It’s just like eating white cubes,” she said.

What does that mean?

Walking to Trabant with Emily later that day, I told her I would not be able to eat Taco Bell, pizza or even a delicious chicken cheese steak. Luckily for me, she is very sensitive to the feelings of others, especially mine.

“I’m getting Chick-fil-A today just to piss you off,” she said.

Thanks Em.

She ended up getting a chicken sandwich while I ate a salad and fruit.

Wednesday night rolled around and I was walking down Main Street looking for a place to eat. “Boy, DP Dough looks so good now,” I thought. Screw it. I’ve lasted at this longer than I thought I would.

Three of the longest days of my life were ended when I devoured a Target Zone, filled with breaded chicken, ranch dressing, mozzarella and American cheese in about five minutes. It was the best $5.50 I’ve ever spent.

As soon as I came back to my apartment, my roommates asked me what I ate for dinner. I stood silent with a stupid grin on my face and they both knew it was over. They started getting on my case about only lasting three days. I didn’t pay any attention because I was still picking my Target Zone out of my teeth.

I thought, “Good run. You impressed yourself. Don’t listen to them. I’d like to see them try and go longer.”

So ended my three days of not eating eggs, chicken, steak, cheese and every other type of food I eat on a daily basis. To be honest, I never appreciated the juicy flavor of meat until I went vegan for those three days. Not eating meat for that time was one of the dumbest and hardest things I have ever done, and that is saying something.

If you’re thinking to yourself, “Three days? That’s nothing!” Then I’d like to see you try it.

Just like after reading one of Aesop’s fables, I learned a valuable lesson — never underestimate the power of meat.

Even though it was only three days without biting down on a juicy T-bone, I will never do that again. I guarantee it.

I am going to get a BK Stacker. See you at the drive thru.

By Miju Kim

“Beepbeepbeep. Emergency. Emergency. Do not use elevators. Do not use elevators. Use stairs to evacuate. Beepbeepbeep. Emergency Emergency…”

The annoying fire alarm rang again, forcing my eyes open.

I was awfully exhausted to get myself out of bed but I could not take the piercing alarm sound anymore. It was about to drive me crazy.

Rubbing the cobwebs out of my eyes, I looked at a clock on the wall. God…it was 4:30 a.m. Must be some stupid moron smoking a cigarette or pot in the room that made the alarm go off.

BUT, rules are the rules. I had to follow the campus orders. What if it was a real fire? I got dressed and evacuate my room.

Going down from the thirteenth floor of the Christiana East Towers, I saw five shopping carts dumped in the stairwell. They all are from the supermarket, Superfresh. Many other residents and I had a hard time going down since they were blocking our way. Later, it turned out that it was not a real fire.

While waiting for the elevator next day, I saw students dumping shopping carts in the trashroom. Two girls acted so naturally that it seemed it wasn’t their first try at all.

A few days later, while walking to my room, I saw a dumped shopping cart in the hallway. My room is right next to the fire exit doors so it was usually targeted as a suitable spot to discard.

Jissell Martinez, Resident Assistant of the Christiana East Towers says she finds three to six carts every night on her duty.

According to her, RAs are responsible to report things that should not be in the building, like shopping carts, but they are not responsible to remove them.

“There’s usually a lot,” Martinez says. “I feel bad when I see them blocking the fire exit. That’s the place where people usually leave it. What if fire hazard happens?”

She had used shopping carts to move things before, but she never took it from the store.

“I just magically see them appear in the building,” Martinez says. “I don’t really see a solution because the fact that carts are very helpful when I have really large groceries. It’s very useful when you’re moving things in and out, too.”

With growing curiosity, I searched for the price of a shopping cart on eBay. I had to blink my eyes twice just make sure I was seeing the right numbers — $60!

Why are students doing this? Don’t they feel any responsibility to return properties back to the business owner? Hasn’t the Superfresh manager discussed this issue with the custodial manager of the Christiana Commons?

Dena R. Kniess, complex coordinator of Christiana Towers, sent an email on November 9 to the Towers residents showing concerns over the increase in deserted shopping carts in the dorm.

“There have been a lot of shopping carts in the hallways and in the trashrooms,” she wrote. “Most of the time, the shopping carts are found blocking the fire exit doors, which is a safety issue.”

Kniess ended the email with a warning that excessive housekeeping charges will result for the floors that this occurs on, if it continues.

That explains why I was charged $20 for facility housekeeping last semester!

The Manager of the Superfresh on New London Road declined to give any comments on this issue, saying he does not want his store in the paper.

“We take carts back to the store,” he said. “I don’t want to discuss this issue. It’s our business. OK?”

But how can his crews get shopping carts that are still in the Christiana Towers?

They cannot access unless they are Towers residents. They might get in through people entering the building with PDI, an access card offered to Tower residents, but that’s not enough.

Judith David, Custodial Manager of Facilities-Custodial & Pest Control, on an email response, confirmed they do remove shopping carts.

“When we find shopping carts in the Towers, we remove them and place them behind the Christiana Commons so that the stores may retrieve them at their leisure,” David says.

She declined to answer another question whether she has heard concerns of stopping students taking carts from the Superfresh.

Junior Eunhye Choi, who was once a Christiana East Towers resident and now lives in an apartment near the Superfresh, says she notices a sharp decrease in the number of shopping carts these days.

“I understand it is heavy to carry groceries without a cart,” Choi says. “But when you get into the entrance door of the Superfresh, you can clearly see ‘Do not take carts out of parking lot’ sign on the door.”

Will the students change the behavior?

Keiko Kuwabara, a junior living in the Christiana East Towers, says she has a shopping cart in her room. She says it was literally “there” when she moved from the West Tower.

“I’m positive that a lot of students living in the Towers have shopping carts in their room,” she says. It already includes four for her floormates, of course, not including hers, Kuwabara says.

“The first time I was afraid that I might get caught,” she says. “But I realized I couldn’t carry six bags of groceries of my own. It’s too heavy for me. What else I can do?”

By Amanda Vasilikos

A yellow beach towel is being held in front of virtual me as the beach begins to take shape on my computer screen.  The last few palm trees develop on the horizon against the evening sky, which has recently changed to a pinkish orange color.  No, I’m not dreaming.  I am in Virtual Laguna Beach.

Just a few months ago MTV Networks, along with Makena Technologies, created a 3D world for fans of the hit series “Laguna Beach.”  Virtual Laguna Beach is an online community in which viewers become 3D versions of themselves, or “avatars.” From there, fans live in an environment that is almost identical to Laguna Beach, Calif.

Through the free program, fans are able to shop, attend official events and even catch in-world appearances from Laguna Beach cast members.

Mariana Agathoklis, a spokeswoman for MTV, says users can view Season 3 episodes of Laguna Beach in one of the in-world theaters the night before they air on MTV.

While I stand by my belief that the lives of these sun-baked and spoiled teenagers aren’t that interesting, I admit I have been sucked in.

Why did I give in and sign up?  Well, it is free and I am a college student who loves to procrastinate.

Step One: pick a name.

Well, if I am going to be a member of Laguna Beach I need a completely original and posh-sounding name.

Paris. “I’m sorry that avatar name is taken.”

Coco. “I’m sorry that avatar name is taken.”

Brit. “I’m sorry that avatar name is taken.”

I settle for AV24 — surely no avatar has taken that.  The name is a blend of my initials and my birth date, something I am sure to remember.

After I have chosen my name I am told to pick a gender and a look.  There are eight model avatars that I am able to choose from.  Much like the young women on the show — all eight avatars look exactly the same.  The only difference between avatars is skin and hair color.  I decide to go for the better of the two brunettes – mine is sans cowboy hat.  That’s just not my style.

I finish by filling in my birthday, e-mail address and password.  I click, “Sign Me Up.”

Suddenly my screen enlarges and a red and blue “Laguna Beach” logo is flashing before my eyes.

So here I am on the beach — it looks compellingly similar to the real Laguna Beach.  I see other avatars with odd names such as “PeytonJustine” and “xXBabyGirlxX.”

I notice that my fellow female avatars are dressed in trendy ensembles.  I, on the other hand, look like a Laguna loser in a white tank top and jeans.  I decide my first mission is to go shopping.

Virtual Laguna Beach equips each avatar with currency called MTV bucks.  I walk over to Muse — an actual boutique in Laguna.

I pick out a denim mini skirt and a vintage flower camisole for a small fortune of $125.  I am finally looking Laguna ready.  Now all I need are some hot friends.

Where does one go in Laguna Beach to meet up with friends?  I decide I have three options: the beach, the pizzeria or the basketball court.

I opt for the beach — good choice — lots of hip-looking avatars here.

I try to go up and start conversation with them, but as soon as I do, green sunglasses pop over their faces. The shades, apparently one of the safety features of the program, are used when users do not want to communicate with others.

“Our members’ safety is of paramount concern for us,” Agathoklis says. “Users have the ability to turn off chat applications and block others from communicating with them.”

Reporting buttons are easily accessible for users to report inappropriate behavior, she says.

According to Belinda Banks, a spokeswoman for Makena Technologies, profile pages for the program do not include fields for the display of personally identifiable information such as a user’s real name, address, city, phone numbers, or school names. Each member’s geographical location is only identified by country and teen members aged 13 through 17 cannot display their age.

“Each world also takes proactive steps to educate members about behavior guidelines and safe ways of interacting online,” Banks says.

One of these steps includes the regular promotion of safety tips in newsletters, and in-world at high traffic locations.

I walk along the beach and I notice two avatars locking lips.  Little pink hearts surround the avatars as the two heads seemingly connect.

Agathoklis says kissing is as far as it goes.  Avatars cannot depict sex or sexually explicit situations.

“They can’t make obscene gestures either,” she says. “In fact, the characters have three fingers: a thumb and a forefinger, with their last three fingers melded together.”

I realize for the first time that she is right.  My hands resemble lobster claws, so there is no chance of avatars flicking people off in this world and that isn’t really the point.

Banks says people visit these worlds in their spare time to relax, have fun and meet new friends.

“Many also use virtual worlds as a way to spend time with their close circle of friends and family when they can’t be together offline,” she says.

Agathoklis could not provide internal numbers or projections about how many members have signed up so far for Virtual Laguna Beach.

“Suffice it to say that our ultimate goal is to create a new and unique experience for our audience,” she says.

As the popularity of these worlds grows, MTV is keeping with the trend by introducing two more virtual worlds to be released in 2007.  The first, tentatively called, “Music World,” is developed around MTV’s original forte: music.

“It’s built upon our music heritage and will engage the broader music community in an environment promoting the discovery and sharing of music,” Agathoklis says.

The second community will be designed for viewers of LOGO, members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.  Here fans can build their own world as they would like to see it and live it.

I learn after my first experience in Virtual Laguna Beach that I am more of a real-world kind of girl.  I prefer real shopping, although the fact that I earned MTV bucks for simply putting together a stylish outfit, well, that could grow on me.

By Kristin Vorce

The first time I noticed it, I thought my eyes were deceiving me. I squinted and drew my head to the mirror for a closer inspection. My jaw dropped — the verdict was undeniable.

I was 18 years old and I had a gray hair.

Two years later, however, I realize I’m not alone. Whether or not they cover it up, a number of college students have, as a friend of mine calls it, “a little sparkle.” Ms. Pressey, an instructor at a hair design school in Newark, estimates that for every 20 university students who walk into her salon, five have strands of gray hair.

TV journalist Anderson Cooper has written an essay, “Going Gray” on CNN’s Web site about the trials of graying at age 20.

“Going gray is like ejaculation,” he writes. “You know it can happen prematurely, but when it actually does, it’s a total shock.”

Alumna Lauren Butler, who graduated last year, says she started going gray around ninth grade.

“It didn’t bother me because it’s not like it made me look old or anything,” Butler says. “I thought it was pretty cool and I actually grew to kind of like it. It gave me some character.”

She says her mom went gray prematurely, so it made sense that she would as well. When Butler came to college and discovered more gray hairs, she decided to start coloring her hair.

Cathy Johnston, who has worked at Cat’s Eye Hair Salon for three years, says she has seen students sprouting gray hair.

“I’ve heard some students say they’ve been so stressed out that they go gray,” Johnston says. “Some people I guess take their studying a little more to heart than others.”

According to Adrian Dobs, an endocrinologist at Johns Hopkins University, the link between stress and graying is a myth. Instead, he blames heredity.

Human genetics professor Pat Deleon says age of onset of grayness and the pattern of grayness are genetic tendencies, determined by many factors.

“It’s not as simple as a single gene determines grayness,” Deleon says. “But if your parents go gray at a certain age, you’re likely to go gray at that same age.”

The environment also plays into the equation, she says. Excessive exposure to environmental toxins could possibly induce premature grayness. Smokers are also four times more likely to become gray at an early age.

Dobs says grayness can also be due to some autoimmune diseases. For example, some people with an underactive thyroid gray prematurely.

Although popular legend says Marie Antoinette went “white” the night before her execution, according to an article on WebMD titled “The ABCs of Premature Graying,” this is a myth — hair cannot change color overnight. The author also notes that premature graying is not a sign that the entire body’s aging process has sped up.

Another common myth is that pulling out one strand of gray hair causes several more to sprout. According to Clairol’s Web site, if a person pulls out one gray hair, only one grows back.

Johnston says whether a student freaks out in response to gray hair depends on the individual.

“I’ve seen people who don’t care at all and I’ve seen people be like, ‘Oh my God. I can’t have gray hair,’ ” she says.

The custom of covering up grays is nothing new. Ancient Egyptians, who highly valued appearance, used henna to conceal gray hair from as early as 3400 B.C., according to researchers at Minnesota State University.

Today, Clairol advertises products that cover “even the most stubborn grays” and L’Oreal Paris reminds women why they should indulge on hair dye: “because you’re worth it.”

Jamie Brady, another hairstylist at Cat’s Eye, says it is more socially acceptable for men to have gray hair than it is for women.

“Men think it’s more distinguished,” Brady says. “Women just look old.”

Hollywood actors reinforce this double standard, she says. Female stars grab the dye at the first sign of gray, while males embrace their salt-and-pepper as an added element of sexy.

“Look at George Clooney and the dude from ‘Pretty Woman,’ Richard Gere,” Brady says. “I’m sorry, but I think he is handsome.”

American Idol winner Taylor Hicks also unabashedly sports gray hair at age 29. At Hicks’ audition, Simon Cowell said he would never make it to the next round. The American public, however, found the gray-haired goofball endearing. In January of 2006, one of Hicks’ fans created a blog called “Gray Charles.” The name is an allusion to Hicks’ performing style (which is similar to Ray Charles) and, of course, his prematurely gray hair.

Junior Megan Kiernan says she has a few strands of gray hair, but they do not bother her.

“I really have had it forever, like before middle school, so I figured it just grew in like that,” Kiernan says.

Although I admired Kiernan’s perspective, I was not ready to welcome the invading species of hair on my own head. I glared at the mirror, prepared for battle. Scrounging around on the Web, I found several unorthodox remedies. First was a Chinese herbal treatment from the Hsin Kuang Herbal Store and Clinic. Traditional Chinese doctors say they have finally found a cure for the “morbid condition” of premature graying. Even though a team of seven — yes, seven — doctors said taking the herbs restores color, I had my doubts.

I kept looking. I found another product that would supposedly darken grays: emu oil shampoo and conditioner.

Yes, the oil is from an emu, as in the large, ostrich-like bird. This disturbed me a bit, but I read on. “This shampoo is loaded with omega 3’s which penetrate deep into the hair follicle to deliver unprecedented nutrition,” the site stated. I had no clue what omega 3’s were, but they sounded like something impressive. Still, I knew if I ever lathered my hair with emu oil shampoo, I would picture a fat, brown-feathered bird squawking.

I decided to pass.

Next I saw hair mascara, a cheaper solution. Just swipe the mascara on a few gray strands. It’s a temporary fix, and potentially a goopy mess, but it could work.

Instead of running to the drugstore, however, I finally decided to let those grays rest peacefully on my head. After all, they are just a little sparkle.

By Sarah Lipman

Customers patiently wait in line outside to get their hands on the best wings and nachos in Newark. Waiters and hostesses hustle throughout the dimly lit saloon-style restaurant in step with the music playing overhead, tending to the heavy flow of customers. The bartender pours a regular another drink as she spends yet another night at Klondike Kate’s trying to make it on the restaurant’s brass “Wall of Foam.”

All of this seems routine, as if it has been going on forever. However, Kate’s was not always a restaurant and bar for community members and university students to relax in after a tough week of work and classes.

Klondike Kate’s is one of the oldest business locations on Main Street. It has been open for more than 242 years, revamping itself for many different forms of entertainment.

Owner Ken Godwin says Kate’s was first seen on Delaware maps in 1757 as Three Hearts Tavern and later again in 1860 as the Newark Hotel.

“This place has really seen it all and we like to try to keep the 1800s gold-rush feel,” Godwin says. “That’s where the name Klondike Kate’s came from. She was a woman who moved out west.”

He says historically, Kate was either a woman who owned a hotel or a prostitute who owned a brothel. When the Gold Rush hit in the early 1900s, she joined a dance and theater company performing for miners in the Yukon. The name, however, is not original to one woman.

“Anyone named Katherine and moved out west independently probably was called Klondike Kate at the time,” Godwin says. “You’ll get probably four or five different versions of the story.”

Around the turn of the century, Kate’s had already been an exchange store, with places for rent, coffee shops and also a furniture store.

From 1905 to 1915, Kate’s was used as a courtroom and jailhouse known as Squire Lovett’s Courthouse and Jail.

From the side of the building, there were steps leading downstairs to a narrow pathway, in which only one person could walk through at a time. On either side of the walls, there were dark, concrete cells with cold benches and no windows. These cells were covered by a heavy metal door which has to be locked and unlocked with a skeleton key. Across from one of the cells was a window, with a view of a brick wall.

“I never understood why the window was there,” Godwin says. “There was nothing to see other than a wall — that’s even worse than no window at all.”

These cells are still in place today. Lit up with a lantern because there is no electricity or plumbing in the cells, they look just as a dark and punishing as they had in the 1900s.

“The Newark Police actually took one of the doors to use in a historic exhibit about the police department,” Godwin says. “Other than that, they’re still down there — just not on the hinges.”

Sophomore Diane Cerqueira says she can’t imagine Kate’s as a courtroom and jail, but it makes for a really good story.

“It’s really cool to find out the history, but it makes me wonder if the jail is haunted,” Cerqueira says. “I’d be petrified to go downstairs.”

Godwin says after the courtroom, Kate’s became Newark’s roller-skating rink in the 1920s. Due to fires, the woodwork and floors are not from the original rink.

“The lights hanging are from the original Wilmington Train Station and a lot of the stuff hanging on the walls like the mirrors and light fixtures are all originals brought in from antique stores from Philadelphia and New York City,” he says.

Godwin says in 1929, Kate’s was converted to a car business owned by a man named Joe Brown.

“Up until it was converted to a restaurant, in 1979, it was a used-car place,” Godwin says. “There were two antique gas-pumps outside that you can see in a lot of pictures.”

He says a lot of people take Kate’s for granted and did not know that in 1993, the restaurant was almost lost to a huge fire. The building was within minutes of being lost because the roof, which holds the structure together, was completely burned.

“We were actually on ‘Pet Rescue,’ on national television during the fire,” Godwin says. “There was a cat stuck up on the third floor by the window and they rescued it.”

Klondike Kate’s was closed for five months after the fire, he says. The old owner decided to take the time they were closed to remodel the building. All the woodwork was replaced and brought in all the antiques that are seen today.

“It took a while for us to be up and running again,” Godwin says. “The upstairs used to be very small, dingy apartments. We turned it into a banquet hall and brought in antique furniture. Unfortunately, it was trashed after a month so we had to get rid of the furniture.”

He says regulars of Kate’s look forward to being put up on the Wall of Foam, which holds brass plaques of names of regulars.

“People we recognize and request to be put up on the wall can get on the Wall of Foam,” Godwin says. “That in itself is a whole other story. We’ve had ex-boyfriends and girlfriends come in and try to remove someone off the wall. We’ve had to restrain them, or sometimes they actually succeeded.”

There are even Facebook groups about Klondike Kate’s and its prestigious Wall. Groups like, “My life won’t be complete until I’m on the wall of foam at Klondike Kate’s Restaurant and Saloon” give a list of rules and reasons of how to know if you’re a Kate’s addict.

One of the more important rules says, “You know and love the motto, ‘You don’t get on the Wall of Foam by staying at home!’”

Regular Heather Clark says she put that rule to the test and went to Kate’s every weekend, without fail, to get her name engraved on a little brass plaque to be put up on the Wall of Foam.

“My friend’s and I would just go and run up our bar tab,” Clark says. “We made a pact we’d all make it up on the wall before the end of the year and we did it…hundreds of dollars later, but we did it.”

Freshman Michael Geddish admires Clark’s dedication. He says he cannot wait until he’s able to get himself on the Wall of Foam and he’s able to drink at Kate’s.

I’m definitely making it up on the Wall of Foam, it’s such an honor!” he says with a laugh. “I’ll go every night if I have to.”

Godwin says Kate’s has a lot of little known histories that he hopes one day to become part of and has some plans in mind for the future of Klondike Kate’s.

“We’re thinking about opening up the jail cells for dining,” he says. “People have asked us, and it would take a lot of work, but who knows — maybe someday people will be dining in our basement jails.”

By Adam Asher

It’s late on Saturday afternoon and I’m cuddled up with my girlfriend as we watch a movie. We’ve fallen into our favorite positions, her head on my shoulder and my arm around her, her legs over mine, and a bowl of popcorn in her lap. I could not possibly be more comfortable.

Suddenly, panic strikes. I’ve got an itch in my nose! Not on my nose, in it.

We haven’t been dating for that long so I don’t know if I’m allowed to pick my nose in front of her. That’s a big step. I know I can burp, I definitely can’t fart, so I suppose picking my nose lies somewhere in between.

She turns her head for a second.

I go for it.

Phew! That was satisfying.

As I discretely rub my finger on my jeans, I begin to wonder what’s so gross about picking your nose anyway. It seems like a perfectly natural response. Something is annoying (a dried up booger), so I take care of it (by jabbing it with my index finger). And it’s not like I’m the only one who does it.

Driving on the highway, it’s not uncommon to look over and notice someone in the car next to you, knuckle-deep in his nose as if he’ll win a prize for finding something. You might see a similar action being performed in the library, in class, or even at a restaurant. The truth is, almost everyone has gone for that hard-to-reach booger at some point, and it’s not a habit that dies after early childhood.

“So many people do so many gross things at home without washing their hands,” says sophomore Phil Stanley, a proud public picker, “I’m not really worried about people who pick their nose.”

Junior Lauren Jarema says she is strictly a private picker. Unlike Phil, when she sees a nose picker, it’s the only thing on her mind.

“I’m pretty grossed out and I make a mental note to myself not to let them touch my food.”

Gary Laverty, associate professor of biological sciences, says besides causing some irritation, nose picking probably is not causing anyone any harm.

According to Laverty, small hair-like structures in your nose, called cilia, trap bacteria and microorganisms from the air to prevent them from getting into sensitive tissue in your lungs. At the same time, cells in the nose secrete mucus to help trap the same incoming bacteria. In dry conditions, the mucus can lose moisture and get stuck in the nose, hence producing what are commonly referred to as “boogers,” “snot,” or maybe even “phlegm.”

“I think most people do it,” says Jarema. “That’s like asking how many people pick their wedgies. If you’re alone and something’s bothering you up there, it’s only natural to want to ease the discomfort.”

Her suspicions are correct. In a study done by the Journal of Psychiatry in 1995, 91 percent of the people polled stated that they had picked their nose in the past and were still actively practicing this habit. Only approximately 8 percent said they have never tried it.

Liars.

Believe it or not, scientists have actually assigned a name to the habit. Rhinotillexomania is the official title for an obsession with nose picking.

According to Dr. Lee Baer, a psychologist with the Massachusetts general hospital, the disease is related to Tourettes. Although Baer has never dealt with any problem pickers directly, he has patients with torettes who exhibit some of the characteristics.

“It only comes up in inappropriate situations,” he says “when someone is under stress or feels uncomfortable, they might pick, and once they start they can’t stop.”

There are no truly socially acceptable situations in which to pick, although it seems that people let constrictions slide every once in a while.

Freshman Bari Grossman says she used to be strongly against picking, but a new nose piercing has changed her outlook on things, offering a loophole in the taboo. Now that she is used to getting her hands dirty to adjust the stud in her right nostril, she says she is over the “gross factor,” and people don’t mind when she adjusts her piercing in public, but she still thinks it is an act that should kept at home.

“We are a society that values cleanliness,” she says “that’s what tissues are for.”

According to students abroad, this is a quality that is not only unique to American society. Junior Kim Clanet, who is currently studying in Paris, France, says she has gotten some strange looks while picking in public. Junior Maayan Vodovis says it is also taboo in Israel, where she is currently studying.

However there are certainly other options than just the comfort of your own home. Grossman suggests going to the bathroom if you need to pick. However, as portrayed in an episode of Seinfeld, some people feel more comfortable picking while traveling.

“Not as many people can see you in your car,” he says. “It’s like a refuge for nose picking.”

Vodovis says this is very common in Israel.

“When men here stop at red lights, they go straight for their nose,” she said.

Dr. Baer says we may actually be genetically predisposed to compulsive picking, but for those who aren’t how much nose picking is too much picking?

Columbia University’s health services offers medical based question and answer service to its students called “Ask Alice.” In 1996 a student had the same question, and Alice had an answer.

“Avid nose-pickers, such as yourself, may see more pimples in and around the nose due to increased oil deposits from the fingers. For a very small minority of the nostril-inclined, the consequences of their behavior have been nothing to sneeze at. Alice knows of one vigorous young nose-picker who broke a blood vessel that required cauterization (a burning process that deadens tissue) to halt the bleeding that resulted.”

In talking with students about their habits, which everyone admitted to indulging in occasionally, I couldn’t help but notice a significant difference in the male attitude towards the act.

“It’s always generally accepted that guys can do gross things and not be as harshly judged for those actions,” says Jarema.

Stanley plays right into her stereotype, describing his practice of flicking boogers in his living room. “Guys are more apt to not care, “he says. “But I’ve seen many a girl do it too, so they don’t get off that easy.”

Speaking of girls, back to my dilemma. To pick or not to pick? Will she giggle and roll her eyes or run away in fear?

Jarema has a clear stance on the subject and offered some advice. “I’d fart before I’d pick my nose,” she says.

Wise words.

By Chloe Gallo

In the 1980s, females wore spandex with their leg warmers and sneakers. Today they wear leggings and with their UGG boots. Although 25 years has passed, the only difference in females’ choice of pants is that in the 1980s they labeled them spandex and today we say “leggings.” Whether you call them spandex, leggings, stirrups, footless tights, or even stretch pants, they all are the same thing: tight pants that contour every inch of your leg.

Spandex pants are back in style but with variation. The once fluorescent, Lycra of the 1980s used by people who wanted to keep fit, has shifted gears to in terms of color, material, and purpose.

“I don’t think the leggings I wear from Abercrombie are even close to the tacky ones my mom wore,” says senior Victoria Kloss.

The birth of this fashion came about in the mid 1950s when it was worn by lean dancers and other athletic women at this time. The trend then resurfaced in the beloved 1980s for the same exercise purposes creating what was called the Spandex Revolution.

“It was all spandex,” says 45 year old, former exercise instructor Heidi Lee Faller. “Jazzercise was big and leotards and spandex were little — in size terms, that is.”

Jazzercise as the 1980s knew it, however, has died. Unlike its previous appearances in history, the spandex/leggings of today do not serve the exercise function. Now people wear them causally.

At this year’s Olympus fall Fashion Week, top designers such as BCBG, Mark Jacobs and Ralph Lauren broadcasted this mushroomed silhouette with their collections. Leggings were paired with tunic tops, jackets and cardigans, under dresses, and under skirts.

“The spandex look today is somewhat more sophisticated than it was back in 80s,” says Faller.

By combining them with classy items such as simple, flat shoes and a knit dress, leggings are becoming office-acceptable.

They come in a variety of colors, patterns, and lengths making them conducive to many outfit options. In popular female clothing stores such as Forever 21 and American Eagle Outfitters, a customer can see and buy leggings in almost any solid color, or ones that are striped, ones with prints on them (skulls are extremely popular), ones with lace on the bottom, and so on.

Senior fashion merchandising major Daniela Maurizi explains that in terms of fabric, leggings today are mostly a blend of 90% cotton and 10% Lycra. Although tight and binding, this combination makes them soft and comfortable.

“The length of leggings, where they hit on one’s leg, usually differs depending on the look someone is trying to achieve.” Maurizi says.

Leggings that go down to the ankles are usually worn with long tops in the fall and winter time. Ones that come up right above the knee are usually seen with skirts and dresses in the warmer months.

“They make clothes a lot more functional,” says Kloss. “For example, my old mini skirt that got way too short, I can now wear. All I have to do is put leggings on underneath and I am good to go.”

They are also cheaper than the “skinny jeans” that are in style. A customer can achieve the same skinny-pants-look for $29.50 by buying Abercrombie & Fitch’s Classic Katarina leggings as opposed to buying designer jeans such as the Citizens of Humanity’s Ava Stretch Skinny Jean for $146.

Not everyone has jumped on the fashion bandwagon with leggings. Maurizi, a fashion literate, refuses to wear them. She explains that due to their “binding” nature, they are not a trend that all people can pull off.

“My body, along with many other people’s body types, is not made for wearing spandex,” she says. “Leggings are not like baggy sweat pants — one size does not fit all.”

Aside from personal choice, some girls today are not wearing leggings because they are not allowed to. The skintight spandex material is being brought up as dress code violations especially in schools of which younger girls attend.

Spandex pants are currently all over runways, on college campuses, and are even trying to make their way into middle schools. How long are leggings here to stay? Senior fashion merchandising and design major, Jaclyn Jones claims that despite its hype, this style is fading out.

Jones obtained an Associates degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. She explains that once a trend hits mainstream in the fashion cycle, the trend in fashion time is becoming ancient history.

The fashion cycle she describes is how a trend comes in and out of style. Innovators start the cycle by wearing clothes that are seen almost as tacky.

“I saw girls wearing this trend as far back as two years ago when no one could find them in stores,” she says. “Those people were the trendsetters.”

Then, the trend is labeled as a fashion item once it is adopted by early adaptors and is seen on the fashion runways and/or is worn by high fashionistas. Next the trend is everywhere — in fashion magazines, newspapers, the internet, movies, and on TV. Finally, in the mainstream phase, the trend becomes saturated in the market, usually at very low prices. At this time, most people get the opportunity to flaunt the trend, but then it loses its appeal.

“Although they’re on their way out, leggings always find a way to somehow come back.” she says.