If this story isn’t motivation to go get a wardrobe styling degree, then I don’t know what is. It’s summer so we know what that means: Jersey Shore is about to come back and fill a void in our gym, tanning, and laundry-deprived lives. And what better time for JWoww, 23, to come out with her very own clothing line: Filthy Couture. I wish I was kidding…

According to the Daily Mail, JWoww decided she wanted to start her own clothing line to cater to a certain group of people. That is clearly evident when you view the collection of risque pieces. “I don’t want to sell to the masses,” she said. “I want to sell to just people that like my stuff.” Isn’t that how most designers work? They design with a specific person in mind that will like their style and then put out their collection. Not everyone will like it, but that is something they know going into this business. And the name? Well it comes from JWoww and her cast mates referring to techno songs they like as “filthy beats.” Groundbreaking. The name of the collection makes me think that she’s masking a smelly line and pretending it’s fancy.

To add insult to injury, I attempted to watch Jersey Couture on Oxygen this weekend. That was a huge mistake. I couldn’t sit through a whole episode. The sisters seem pretty clueless when it comes to fashion and especially business. Then you have their mother who wanders around the store the whole time screaming – that’s just the volume at which she speaks. In fact, the son is the only sane one it would seem. And he was designing t-shirts that had nothing to do with the merchandise they sold in their store. As he picked up the phone to help a customer, the mother (and owner of the store) was talking so loudly – he couldn’t hear the customer. How unprofessional.

It’s stories like these that should motivate us to do a better job. As a wardrobe stylist you can actually use your creativity and love of fashion in an enjoyable career. With your experience in school and in internships you can actually be a respectable wardrobe stylist who works their way up over time.

Leave the craziness to reality television that is sometimes entertaining and research a degree today!

-Amanda Fornecker

Photo: MTV.com

I didn’t think a reality television show could get more entertaining than our beloved Jersey Shore and the craziness that is Snooki, but alas, there is a rival. And while it may not be the most original of ideas to bash the same state and its inhabitants over and over again, I still find myself mesmerized by Jerseylicious (the title alone speaks volumes). This Style Network show follows the hair stylists and makeup artists of a New Jersey salon. I don’t know if it’s the fact that I actually know the types of people portrayed on this show or if it’s actually hysterical, but just like a typical train wreck of a reality show, I can’t look away.

On last night’s episode of Jerseylicious, the Gatsby Salon was buzzing over the possibility of being featured in a New Jersey magazine. A “secret shopper” type of customer would be from the magazine and size up the salon for their professionalism and overall success as an upscale salon. Of course the customer that was the mystery writer turned out to be the one that was around for a crazy time in the salon. And Gatsby has been named a finalist.

What reality television show would be complete without drama? This episode’s drama included a fight that ensued between a hair stylist (Tracy) and an aspiring makeup artist (Olivia). It was Tracy’s birthday and she was having a safari-themed party at her apartment. She decided to invite the entire Gatsby staff – except for Olivia. To retaliate, Olivia decided to throw her own jungle-themed party at the same time as Tracy’s. You can only imagine the drama, which involved a screaming match in the parking lot and a lot of smack-talking.

The lines that came out of their mouths were pretty hysterical. Some of these included:

“She likes to copy everything of mine: my hair, my nails, and even my cell phone covers. She’s like a Chinatown knockoff.” – Tracy in reference to Olivia
“It was like the Civil War. I felt like the Mason-Dixon line!” – Anthony (the only male hair stylist on the show) in reference to his meddling between Tracy and Olivia

The worst character was Alexa, the head makeup artist. She refers to herself as a “Glam Fairy” who trains others to get their wings. It was like she was living in lala land, but was actually really mean to everyone. I think that it’s good for makeup artists and hair stylists to come up with a philosophy to live by in order to beautify others, but Alexa used bad puns and references constantly throughout the show. And she’s not a nice person either.

Oh, and I forgot to mention the stereotypes portrayed in the show. Of course we have the big hair, crazy nails, fake tans, and crazy outfits. And let’s not forget about the accents (although I have been made fun of a time or two for my New York accent). If you haven’t seen Jerseylicious yet, the picture you have in your mind is probably correct. Check it out yourself for a fun salon experience and some mindless entertainment!

-Amanda Fornecker

I finally watched Jessica Simpson’s The Price of Beauty and I must say that I actually enjoyed it. Jessica is trying to educate America on the different ways of life that exist throughout the world. And in the meantime she gets to travel to some fabulous destinations!

This week, Jessica traveled to one of the fashion capitals of the world – Paris. Here, she focused on models and the runway. Throughout the show there are various facts popping up on the screen that give you statistics and little bits of information that the audience has probably never realized before. One such fact included: fashion models are thinner than 98% of women. That is completely crazy. We always knew models were stereotypically thin and tall, but that is quite a statistic.

During the episode, Jessica spoke with a fashion model who faced the horrors of anorexia. She was so thin and sickly that it was sad to see. And the point of this was certainly to educate viewers on the realities of the dangers of the life of a fashion model. It’s intense and sometimes very dangerous.

It was great to see Jessica feeling rather comfortable (and at times vulnerable) in her own skin. It was interesting to have her walk the runway, yet be so nervous. You’d think that a pop singer superstar wouldn’t get the nerves Jessica faced when walking the runway. But we could see that she is just like a typical young woman who can easily be intimidated in an unfamiliar situation.

I think the main takeaway from the show is that beauty exists in many shapes, sizes, and colors. But true beauty is being able to be comfortable and happy with yourself. The true price of the elusive term “beauty” can have serious consequences when we let others define it for us. Skinny doesn’t have to be beautiful – and in the case of that French fashion model, it was certainly out of control.

I really enjoyed Jessica’s show. I think it shows us a side of other cultures that we might not normally see, even if we visited the country. I intend to continue watching, as Jessica seemed less ditzy (than how she has been portrayed in the past) and more endearing. In the coming weeks, I hope to see the many ways beauty is defined and what the true price of that may be.

-Amanda Fornecker

We can all go back to the days of MTV’s “The Newlyweds” and remember Jessica Simpson’s ridiculous comments and blonde moments. The show ended five years ago (can you believe that?) and now it’s time for Jessica to begin a new reality show – this time with VH1, called “The Price of Beauty.”

The show is slated to begin on March 15 and will document Jessica as she travels the world to see how other cultures view beauty. It’s definitely an interesting concept, especially in the wake of how some people find it necessary to change their entire body for others.

In the show, Jessica walks in a runway show in Paris and visits a woman preparing herself by fattening up in a cave in Uganda for her husband. These are different ideas of beauty. I guess the point here is that every person in every culture has their own definition of beauty.

Even beauty professionals have their own definitions. This can be seen in each individual person’s style. A hairstylist may be the best at cutting short hairstyles because they love this style and thinks it looks beautiful on a wide variety of people; a makeup artist might really love the smoky eye look as the perfect way to accentuate a client’s eyes; and a wardrobe stylist might have all the latest styles in their client’s closet to convey beauty.

No matter who you are, you have your own opinion of beauty. I wonder what Jessica’s will be. Maybe I’ll check out the show. Stay tuned…

-Amanda Fornecker