Trends. Fads. People wanting to do what everyone else is doing because it's the "it" thing. Whether it's dressing a certain way, decorating one's home in a popular style, or buying a particular product everyone and his brother seems to own, trends can spread like wildfire quickly. But I see trends as overrated. I equate them with the so-called herd mentality, where people are driven to shadow their peers in their choices -- just so they can fit in. I'm not like most people, which is why I don't subscribe to the herd mentality. I'm big on uniqueness and doing whatever you -- not the rest of society -- think is cool, however socially unacceptable it may be. Most people probably don't place me on their "coolest people I know" list. Why? Because I'm not materialistic, I don't drink, and I'm a huge psychology and history geek. Probably not most people's idea of fun. Regardless, I take pride in bucking trends r...

Have you ever stopped and questioned how some of the things we do and wear got in style? Here are a few fashion fads that might have made our ancestors squirm: Ripped jeans Tattoos Nose and naval rings Short shorts Dying our hair non-traditional colors (pink, purple, etc.) I suppose many people might cite the 1970s as a time when many of these fads came into being.  Nonetheless, the world as we know it is becoming more and more liberal. People feel at ease wearing less, if not more outlandish, clothing these days. What's more, what would have been considered taboo when our parents were growing up -- like men wearing tattoos or earrings on both ears -- is now regarded as trendy.  How do you suppose scantily-clad women in 2015 would have been perceived in the 1980s or early 1990s? Back then, they might have been mistaken for prostitutes. Then there are young men wearing jeans so loose and baggy that their underpants come into view. Who wants to be seeing t...

Remember back in the day when glasses with thick black frames were considered trendy only if you were a senior citizen? Things sure have changed. Nowadays, you see everyone wearing them, from professors and rappers to politicians and news anchors. I own a pair myself, which I purchased about five years ago. I've also noticed that many of these very individuals sport what's traditionally considered "preppy" clothes, including argyle sweaters and cardigans. Has geek become the new chic? Why is the librarian look suddenly in fashion? I've always told my wife, who has dressed in preppy clothes and worn black-framed glasses since we first started dating in 2005, that I find the librarian look on women to be very attractive. It makes a woman look smarter and thus twice as sexy, at least in my book. I embraced the preppy look well before this looking-nerdy-is-cool craze took hold. I feel it's the right look for me because I'm a writer and bookworm, an...