There are some articles I wrote when I worked as a freelance writer. I wrote them around 2011 and 2013.

1. Choosing the Right Fashion Journalism College


Being fashion journalists is fun. They are usually smart and stylish. But is that all he requirement for applying fashion journalist position? Actually, the fashion journalists to-be have their own place, fashion Journalism College. In the college, they will learn lots of things dealing with fashion and writing. There are still few colleges offer the fashion journalism course. But don’t worry, usually there are course for fashion journalism at fashion or art schools. 
	As students, be critical in choosing fashion school. You are suggested to look for degree programs. There, you will be focused on fashion communication for long term and specialized instruction in the related field. Art schools often offer design or styling programs and some other schools have journalism class and mass communication. There are also classes in fashion merchandising, marketing and trend forecasting to enrich the students’ knowledge.   
School-sponsored internship opportunities are available. It is because many schools want to emphasize in professional experience and development. The internship is usually available in degree program. Courses in English Literature and composition or economics and statistics may help the would-be fashion journalists. The courses are to prepare students in liberal arts and general education background.
This is a glance of fashion journalism program. Good news for you, there is degree program in fashion marketing or communication for practical basics of business and history of fashion. You may check the Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Fashion Marketing or Communication Offered at fashion schools or community colleges. It takes 1-2 years to study. The course you will attend such as merchandising and textiles, mass communication courses, and online or distance course may be applied for some associate’s degree.
Another option is Bachelor of Science or Arts in Fashion Communication. This is a four-year study to complete liberal arts and general education courses. Regarding the length of study, it goes without saying that the study offers more numerous fields of journalism-related courses like writing for media, magazine publishing, photography and new media. You may also meet advertising and trend forecasting courses in the programs.      
Now, prepare yourself to choose the best fashion journalism college. Your choice can define your future. 


2. No Art, No Fashion 

When we discuss about fashion, we often struck on another subject that is aesthetic. Fashion is made not only to cover human’s body, but also to beautify someone’s appearance. Through decades, people and especially designers have defined what to wear according to themes and seasons. Here what we are talking: the relation between art and fashion. Yeah, many designers declare that they are also artists.  
To get to the point, theoretical approach is required to define what art actually is. According to Mann’s Aesthetics: Explorations in Philosophy, art is born because of human need of beauty. It is because human as social creature tend to synchronize their existence to one another. As a result, they compete or try to be as ideal as possible to interact. The need to be ideal for society or at least community is combined with creativity of man as distinguished from the world of nature, as Canaday wrote. Gratefully, social creature is blessed with thought, sense, will and work. By using their mind, people make breakthrough and innovation that always keep on moving.
Human has history, as Confucius’s quotes, “Study the past, if you would divine the future.” So art is a result from human’s interaction and understanding of the past time. The idea is an abstract thing and can bring chaos. So by thinking, human make the chaotic things to order, or Ordo ab Chao. Men create things and add aesthetic touch to make life more colorful. The art often speaks louder in covering signs, codes, symbols, and icons. Art is also reflection of vision, culture, and philosophy. It is what makes people have various perspectives. 
Art is expressed in many ways like paintings, sculptures, music, and literature. Then art is applied in technological needs. Art is combined with technology then they bring new eras for people. 
Remember, art is a reflection of culture and philosophy. So is fashion. Certain fashion trends highlight ideas, age, and way of life. Fashion is made to make ideal statement of a person or community. The art of cutting, knitting, designing, and showing is all applied in fashion world.  

3. Simplicity is Fun

The TechCrunch conference recently held has made mesmerizing impression to gadget addicts. In the even, at least three concise applications were introduced. Trello, GoInstant, and Vocre got special attention from the audience at the conference’s presentation.
	The three new apps are especially made for those who need express connection to share and get information via internet. Joel Spolsky’s Trello provides accessible tools to manage your lists. It is very helpful for the high-mobility people, when everything have to be done fast and efficient.  Trello allows you and your team to discuss about your projects and presentation. Next, GoInstant make you easier to share one browsing session only with single URL. However, this app is still on the way to launch. So, be patient. And the last but not least is a translation app for iPhone. The app is like one in those sci-fi movies or works. You speak into the app, and then the speech is converted into text to be translated. It is very fantastic for two people who speak different languages to avoid misunderstanding or at least lessen it.  
Well, after reading that brief review, it is obvious that most of internet users expect simpler way so their communication can run right. When your communication is good, then it is such a great fun. Moreover, the minimize apps require relatively small data memory. It is very helpful for people in less developed area since they do not need to wait too long for the big sized web address.
Those nice applications should also be accessed through standard smartphones for more convenience in communication. But with rapid development of technology these days, the dream seemingly can become true. Additional tools can also be attached to the apps for more detailed information.

4. There’s Still Racism Everywhere

Racism is such a sensitive issue in our life. Recently, there was an application named “Jew or Not a Jew” in France and it irritated an anti-racism group in the country. As a result, Apple as the releaser pulled the app from Apple’s app store. The content may be considered as trivial stuff: a database of celebrities and their religious affiliations. However, there is no business of us to have a hand in such confidential thing.   
	How come Apple released that kind of application? The management should have filtered which applications are worth to launch before they are actually in the market and spread out. When the serious conflict like that in the France happens, law must fairly speak. There should be thoughtful investigation in the subject. It is possible that the issue is actually used by some elites to maintain their domination or establish revolutionary movement that may lead to riot.    
	Actually, racism is almost everywhere. An example is about the picture of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) which was regarded as despising act towards him and also Moslem in the world. Another depiction is ‘symbol twist’ in the name of certain organization, say, like the Freemasonry, Illuminati, Rosicrucian, and the like. They really exist but public seems to make them scapegoat for every bad events on earth. The speculation may be right, but it can also be incorrect or just a whistle blower. 
	There is seemingly a new reign of Nazi in this ‘new world’. It may be not so apparent, but on the low. Nazism, an organization of Hitler who had ultimate hatred toward the Jews o death, is officially gone. But who knows, there are several followers succeed the Hitler’s spirit. The theory can be too exaggerating, but who precisely knows?  

5. Virtual Messages cannot be more Meaningful Anyway

A friend of mine once said, “Before Twitter, there’s Facebook. Before Facebook there’s Friendster. And before Friendster there’s friendship.” It is like another utterance for “Friends in Twitter, Facebook, and Friendster are just fictional.” Do you agree? Before making a decision, I would like to review a bit about an article. 
	The title was Social Media & Peer Pressure: What Does It Take To Change Your Mind? [STUDY]. It was about a research of how persuasive social media is in the business of making our choice. The result is that the participant tended to like the option which has higher votes. When their original option was outweighed by the other, they kept on their view. The research is concluded nicely by the researcher Bernardo Huberman as follows.
	"Rather than overwhelming consumers with strident messages about an alternative product or service, in social media, gentle reporting of a few people having chosen that product or service can be more persuasive.”
	However, such smooth approach can be deceiving. It is because everyone’s taste is different. Who knows if the others’ choices do not match with our actual need and intention perhaps?  
	Let’s take an example of a women bag catalogue. In the picture you are charmed by that mahogany leather bag, looks so shiny, smooth as the spring, and then you order it. But when you finally receive it, it is a total disappointing – the color is not that mahogany, and it’s got poorly sewed material.   
	There are also countless crimes because of we easily believe with someone we already know, especially through the social media. It does not mean that we always have to avoid meeting strangers or making new acquaintance. But it rather makes us more aware. 
	So, before Twitter, Facebook, and Friendster, was (is) there friendship? You decide. When the friend list in your Twitter, Facebook, and/or Friendster is full of total strangers, then it is appropriate.   


6. “Sex is Everywhere, Except in Sexuality”

That is a quote from Jean Baudrillard, a postmodern writer.  People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) plan for launching porn site where they thought it can be a way to protect animal rights. So, they have considered man’s activity of having sex is like those animals do. There are theories categorized human as part of animal kingdom. But, it should not be that extreme.
The business is about exposing sensuality along with sexuality. Animal education through sexual video is just appropriate for adults and not for public in large, including children. It is just not their time to watch it, although someday they will do so. 
Back to the topic about sexuality, porn sites create various of sexuality simulacrums. It goes without saying that the image of human’s body in porn video is often showed as ideal as possible, even it exceeds the reality. That kind of ideals body depiction may be found in the reality, but in the digital world, everything is mostly manipulated.
Porn site offers several ways to feel sensuality and sexuality. They include voyeurism, role playing, cyber-fetishism, and teledildonic.
The porn site released by PETA may be just a mask to legalize porn actions, spread it to even the very youth. Even the porn video is unreal, but it can be seen and heard so it emerges psychical effects such as stimulation, motivation, fantasy, and pleasure. 
According to Freud and Lacan, pleasure is derived from a sexual object which cannot be separated from the image along with the object itself. Laura Muley wrote that image or body representation in media is potential as stimulation source of sexuality. 
Therefore, the porn sites must be restricted whatever its intentions are.


By: Rizky Amalia Ulfa