Lead, Follow, Or Get The Hell Out Of The Way

New Blog: Lead, Follow or Get the hell out of the way.

Followers. So many of them, especially when it comes to fashion. But where did it all begin for fashion and who started it? Someone did. Could it have been the person who created the Dress for women? Did you know that person was a man? Yes thats right, a man created the original that inspired the dresses that women wear today? Of course the original dress was the only style at first during its time in existence. That dress looks nothing like today's dresses. Why? Someone decided to change the status. Someone felt their opinion mattered more than everyone else's, and that's what has been coined as fashion and style. But all fashion is, is an  opinion. Style is an alteration or variation of fashion. In order for the next designer to design a different dress, the original designers blueprint needed to be altered to what their desires are. It just so happened that others agreed. And so they followed. It was something new and interesting. It was intriguing. It was different. It wasn't the same ol' thing. This was good, to start. Then everyone became so obsessed over the new thing and just being that everyone was doing it. To make matters worst, society created the image believing that since its something new, then its the cool thing to do and if you don't then your a nothing and a nobody. You get no respect. Then guess what else followed? The idea makers decided to capitalize on this epic control and take it to the next level by hiring well known individuals to endorse their idea, product or style as a way of convincing society that "This is the NEW COOL thing to do". Problem though is that not everyone can afford it but everyone wants it. Everybody craves the status. So much to the point where some of us that don't have it and can't afford it, will fake like we have it, had it, are doing it or have done it when we have no experience in it at all. Take sex for instance. Yes more and more children  are having sex at a younger and younger age. However, there are a lot of these young children who will talk the talk as if they are going to have this big weekend outing or getaway, lots of drinking and sex, either with someone they know or a total stranger or both. Some pretend that this is a regular routine for them. For some it is. Point is, there are doers and there are fakers. Which one are you? Those that are fakers, I like to call them "Pretenders". They "pretend" to know "what's good", they "pretend" to have experience, they "pretend" to do it on a regular.

They "pretend" to be established, they "pretend" to have "SWAG", they pretend to be "all that", and someone you should envy or hate on. They want to feel important so they pretend to be so in the hopes that you believe whatever they say and follow them. To them, that somehow validates their status, so their ego can grow. Problem is, only they know the truth, which is that you follow a false god. Eventually they think so highly of themselves that they become judgemental and feel if you don't do or wear what they wear then your ugly and ain't shit. If they wouldn't do it then its automatically not cool, its ugly, or stupid. Most people are too scared to be individuals out of fear of not being accepted. One things for certain, if you see enough people doing it then everyone else thinks its ok. The most shameful part is... People have their individual tastes but are in such a desperate need of approval and desire to be the popular one, that they will change their clothes, style and anything about themselves that they feel they need to in order to be accepted... Accepted by the people who are not your real friends but determine whether your worthy of the title ''COOL/POPULAR''. I call those types of people ''Judges''. And we enable them to judge us every day, but yet we don't like being judged. A judge themself most certainly does not like being judged. In their eyes, they run this. You will say you hate hotdogs and join a hate rally against hotdogs and swear your all about hamburgers just to meet the judge's approval, when you and your family know you're a born hotdog/hamburger lover. In fact, you might even stop eating hotdogs all together. Is this farse behavior Really necessary? Is it really that serious that you have to alter yourself just to fit in? Ok, I get what you're saying. Hey, ''Sometimes you just gotta get in where you fit in''. Believe me, I know. I get it. But you don't. You just think you do. That doesn't mean you join the group that would.

Require you to have to give up your natural self to be a part of them. Those are the groups that always fall. Yeah They may look like the best and could have reached the top of the social ladder in every category their "Clique" could compete in, but eventually... at some point... they all fall. Don't sell your soul to the devil. Another example is this continuous and ever spreading desire for the infamous "MAC sauce". Seriously people, is it that good to you or are you going with the program because that's what everyone else is doing? If P Diddy and Lil Wayne protested against it, whether its for some legitimate reason or not (like health concerns) would you still get it? Or the whole wearing your ballcap with the bill straight instead bending it. A very talented and much respected rapper Fabolous is the one who started it and apparently it was a New York thing. When I was in the military, I had this discussion with a fellow service member and he tells me that he has always worn his hats like that? Really? So when everyone else was folding their hat bills, you were the one child who wore it straight? Bet you got laugh at a lot. I continued to tell him by my observation he just followed everyone else. If it was to go out of style would you still do it? He said yes again and added that its his style, like he created it. Seriously? Please, spare me your ignorant shenanigans. I had to at least attempt to give him the benefit of the doubt for one reason. When I was little, my parents dressed me in the cheapest clothes they could buy. I was constantly laughed at and made fun of because I didn't wear what everyone else did. I wasn't wearing what was in style... As if I had a choice. Guess what, those very same clothes that were out of style and a cheap price when I was young, are now the latest style and expensive. So I guess I too could say I started a new trend and was in style when no one else was because I was the first one rockin what.

Would later be one of the honest and business casual styles today... Even for prepsters. And no they weren't plaid bottoms, hooker (or as I call them, fuck me boots), or sweater vests. However, if that's what you're thinking, your on the right track. Although I understand how it's possible to wear something when it's out of style and when you switch up it later becomes the one thing that's trending, I will say about my fellow service member wearing his hat a certain way since he was young, a little harder to believe? Lastly is this issue with "boys" (because that's just they are to me when they commit such a stupid fashion crimes) wearing your pants down below your derrière. We've heard and probably repeated the comments like "You know that style came from prison and why", or "how you gonna run from the cops if you can't keep your pants up". This is getting so serious that "Hot-Lanta" had to make it law to stop the fellas from sagging their pants. Even PG County Maryland now has a "Stop Sagging" or "Pull up your pants" campaign asking for people to donate there slightly used belts to help end the pants sagging syndrome these "boys" seem to be suffering from. Wow, its a shame that its that serious that we have to start a campaign as if we are helping the homeless. More and more people are speaking out on it. But it's not catching with the followers, only the leaders. But I bet you they'll listen if Lil Wayne started doing it. Hmmm. To the "boys" (and the women who are attracted to it or just put up with it) its called "SWAG". I got news for you people that buy into this and repeat it. It's not called "SWAG", it's called nonsense. Besides, "SWAG" is for "boys", and "CLASS" is for Men. Do you remember the movie "Love Don't Cost A Thing"? If you haven't seen it yet, then you really should. Either way, isn't it funny how the boy who was the geek, the outcast, refused to follow anybody, and just did his own thing and was made fun of for all of those reasons, was the same boy that ended up popular and had those very same people that made fun of him, following him doing whatever he did... Especially when he was doing something original.

All of a sudden he was the leader, so anything he did was automatically "cool" and instantly the "trending" thing to do. Hell the term "Trending" is trending now. Even the tough guys and jocks were little puppies following him around and would never dare cross him or they would've been slain and lost any level of status they had. When your status is on the line, you'll be fearful of anyone who can take it. People it is time we stop following and start leading. But you first have to learn before you can lead so that when you do lead, you lead for the right reasons. It's not about who you lead it's about what you lead them towards. If your gonna follow then that's fine, just make sure it's a worthy cause.

Eating out for lunch,  why does everything that's bad for me feel so good, I challenge you to be different, be bold, be unique, be inspiring, be role model... Be a leader and not a follower. Do something worth while in your life. Just lead follow or get the hell out of the way.

The Truth B Told,

              B