Finding the Perfect Internship

Some days it seems like college life will last forever and living in an apartment with your roommates, going to class everyday, is how our lives will be forever, but that is so wrong. As a junior in the CARS department, I am constantly asking myself, what do I want to do after college. The CARS major offers so much and in so many different areas of the Consumer, Apparel, and Retail Industries that it can sometimes be overwhelming as to the number of options that a degree in our major has to to offer.
One of the biggest things you are probably thinking about if you are a junior or senior, is INTERNSHIPS. Yes, I know the word we hear ALL the time and that we are always bombarded with. I have been looking at internships all over the U.S. and am very excited to be an intern in the summer of 2008, but what I don't necessarily find thrilling is the process of searching and searching and searching.
Taking the Pre-Internship class (CRS 331) is really preparing my peers and myself for the business world and the correct way to have business interaction and communication off of the college campus. I have not narrowed my search down for internships in just Greensboro or North Carolina, but it would be nice to be around here, too.
I am excited and nervous to take this next big step in my college career and really learn what I want to do in this industry through an internship that will offer me a lot of great information, learning experiences, and an insight into what I may want to do in the future.

If you are looking for some websites to find internships, here are a few that are really great and reccommended by the UNCG Career Services Center:

www.internships-usa.com
www.internshipprograms.com
www.campuscareercenter.com/students/intern.asp
www.vault.com/top-internships

-Amanda

Yahoo Avatars!

When we received the assignment to create a Yahoo Avatar, I remembered that I created my own avatar awhile ago, but had completely forgot about it because I don't really use yahoo that much on a regular daily basis. Upon signing into yahoo and seeing my avatar, I remembered how much fun it was to create an online cartoon of myself and not with just a creative screen name or cute icon, but a very amazing caricature of how I perceive myself.
I began to tweak my avatar just a little bit to fit my current life (i.e., a lecture hall background, casual college clothes, etc.) and found that there was so much to choose from. I thought there was a great variety of clothing, backgrounds, and accessories, but one thing I'd like to see would be a pulldown list of collegiate apparel and acessories, as well as more detailed facial features. These could really pull a lot of people in and college students would love to add another site to their list of daily favorites (But don't get any ideas, facebook will not be stopped for now as the number 1 site for college students to waste away their time :) ).

-Amanda

Yahoo! Avatars

I've had a Yahoo email account for a few years now and I have never come across the avatars! I thought creating an avatar was so much fun. There are so many different choices of clothing and accessories, but I felt like there could have been more choices in the appearance category. There were only about eight choices for different faces and you were able to choose your eye color. I think there should be a separate category for each feature of the face - one for eyes, one for lips, one for nose, etc. Everyone is so different and unique that I think the features are too general to accurately resemble a specific person.
Another good idea might be to make the appearance category more interactive. There should be a feature where you can click and drag certain parts of your face or body to make them bigger or smaller and longer or shorter because everyone is a different shape and size.
Overall I enjoyed creating an avatar on Yahoo. However, as I mentioned before, I've had a Yahoo account for a few years and have never heard of avatars. Honestly I didn't even know what an avatar was. Maybe there should be more advertisement of avatars so members are more aware of what they're able to do with them!

Levi's

In class the other day we were discussing different brands of jeans and their appeal to a younger market. Levi's in particular are considered old and dated. Recently, the brand has been trying to change its brand identity and appeal to younger consumers. I've seen some of their new TV commercials and have to say they're very edgy and provocative, but I really like them. One in particular is the commercial where a couple is in the bedroom and they keep ripping off their clothes, but more clothes are underneath. Each outfit is from a different decade, but one thing remains constant - they are always wearing Levi jeans. This is suggesting that the brand has withstood time and is a classic, yet fashionable, jean. Some may find the ad to be too provocative, but I think that it draws in a younger audience, which is good for the brand. I hate to say it, but sex sells, and I think these new commercials will help the Levi brand gain a new customer base and sell more of their jeans.

If you want to watch it, check out the link below. Let me know what you think!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=eemEosoyo6s&mode=related&search=

Have they gone too far?

As a Consumer, Apparel, & Retail Studies student, we are often drawn to entertainment awards shows to check out the latest fashion on the red carpet. Well, this last Sunday, the Emmy's aired on Fox and I was very happy about many of the fashion choices. The simple lines and beautiful rich colors were fabulous, but that isn't what all the news has been about after the controversial show censored some celebs. Fox, being a conservative channel with a known-conservative CEO, is being critisized mainly for the censorship during Sally Field's speech for Best-Actress in a Drama Series. People have been going back and forth since the Emmy's premiered live on Fox Sunday night, as to whether the censor came from her taking God's name in vain with a very passionate "God D**n, " or was it her anti-war statement that we shouldn't even be in a war right now?
I am a firm believer in the fact that we as Americans have the right to voice our opinions on politics in the country that we are free citizens in, and I think its horrible that they censored her!
If you haven't seen the speech yet, here are the YouTube links. The first link is the uncensored version and the second link is censored:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImoMGyJjWIk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aS2AbZWpfJU

Please let me know what you think!!!!

Fashion is Not a Luxury, It's a Right

I wanted to ask everybody what they think about Sarah Jessica Parker's new line, Bitten, she recently created for Steve and Barry's. Everything in the the line is $19.98 or less. Some may be asking why someone like Sarah Jessica Parker, a fashion icon in Hollywood, would create such an inexpensive line for a retailer like Steve and Barry's. Most people probably haven't even heard of Steve and Barry's before. However, I think the line is a great success. As SJP says in her manifesto: "It is every woman's inalienable right to have a pulled-together stylish, confident wardrobe with money left over to live". I've been to the store to see the line and I must say that I really liked to clothes, and the prices were shocking! With trends coming and going as they do today, getting a cute tank top for $7.99 is a great deal. On the other hand, you're able to buy a great little zip-up hoodie for $14.99 that will last you throughout the seasons. Although the partnership may seem strange at first, I think it is beneficial to both SJP and Steve and Barry's. They have "found a hole" in the market for low-priced, good quality clothing that is also fashionable.

Vera Wang at Kohl's

So I went to Kohl's today to check out Vera Wang's Simply Vera line and I have to say I wasn't that impressed. Yes, the clothes, accessories, and home decor were nice, but I guess I was expecting more. As for the clothes, pickings were slim. The color palette was limited to black, greys, and purples. There were cute dresses, jackets, and other separates, but everything just seemed out of place to me. The prices were way above the prices of the other merchandise sold in the store. I mean, the clothes are probably worth what's on the price tag, but the fact that they are being sold in Kohl's de-values them a bit. I think that if you spend that kind of money on something by a prestigious designer, it should make you feel good. However, I couldn't see myself buying a $128 black trench and bragging that it's Vera Wang from Kohl's... that just doesn't sound right to me. Aside from the clothes, the Simply Vera line had bags, winter accessories, sleepwear, bath towels, and bedding, which still didn't impress me. Her bedding was placed right next to Daisey Fuentes', which again, I have to say, seems out of place to me. Funny enough, I liked Daisey's bedding better. I guess what I'm trying to say is Vera Wang does not belong at Kohl's, not now, not ever.