The Red Carpet

Celebrities also use their popularity to begin trends. With paparazzi taking pictures of them on the streets, to on the red carpet, it's no wonder people look to celebrities for fashion. Also, with shows such as Entertainment Tonight and Best Week Ever on VH1, society is always up to date on the latest trends of the stars. With a media filled world in America, style is easy to pick up on if you are willing to try new styles before everyone else. This is what makes fashion hip. If a person sees a style and begins wearing it, they are setting a trend. Unfortunately, when too many people pick up on this look, many times the style dies because it is too common. Just as Leland describes in his book Hip: The History, hip "resists the cycle" (243) and "disintegrates by its own hand" (70).

Jennifer Aniston is known for her beautiful, sleek hair. When she was on the show F.R.I.E.N.D.S., people saw her shag and began copying the look. That was back in the 90s, but is a good example of how people pick up their fashion from what they see on television or movies. When walking down the street, you can still see this shag on many women. It's popularity has stuck since the 90s because it is easy to style and always looks great. While some styles do not stay for long, Aniston's shag has showed increased popularity in all ages of women. Still today, people look at Aniston as a trend setter in hair styles for the average woman. She always has looks ready for any occasion. From the shag, to the bob, to her long locks, women all over the world have envied her beautiful, yet sexy hairstyles.

Halle Berry is also known for her various hairstyles. While she has had long hair, she has also had a shoulder-length bob, and even a short "boy-cut." To many, short hair is was not seen as sexy, like long locks were seen; although Halle Berry proved people wrong in 2002 when she sported a very short "boy-cut" hairstyle in the movie "Die Another Day." This short style brought out her facial features and showed that women could be sexy with any hairstyle. With her face and hair all over the big screen and in movies, this style quickly picked up to women as a new way to extend their femininity by taking over a man's traditional style. This crossover from a man's look to a women's has not been seen much in hair fashion. Men and women have not shared many hairstyles in the past, and now that this crossover, makes it hip.
It's hip to be different, sexy, and rebellious at the same time. Many women today wear their hair short as well, and strut down the street feeling sexy. Halle Berry began a trend with short hair and has made women feel comfortable, beautiful, and sexy all at the same time.

Natalie Portman took her hair style to a new level when she shaved her head. With people questioning short hair, Portman stepped out to show that women can be sexy with any hair, even none! This action taken by Portman was a bold statement, and put her in many magazines and escalated her a hip icon. It makes a person wonder if this look will catch on and average women will begin shaving their heads as a fashion trend because of its presence in the media.

Works Cited

"Halle Berry Photo/Picture." http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&um=1&hl=en&q=halle+berry 4/26/07
"Halle Berry Long Hair."
http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/j/ap/pw80603281026.widec.jpg 4/26/07
"Jennifer Aniston as Friends." http://theage.com.au/ffximage/2004/11/29/rachel_narrowweb__200x286,1.jpg 4/25/07
Leland, John. Hip: The History. New York, NY: Harper Collins, 2005. (70, 243)
"Natalie Portman." http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&um=1&hl=en&q=Natalie+portman+bald 4/26/07