The War Between Forever 21 and Urban Outfitters

There will forever be an ongoing war between which is more hipster: Forever 21 or Urban Outfitters. I’m just in this war for the cute sweaters but alas it’s an ongoing fight. Competing styles, prices, and more forever bond these two stores as sworn enemies. However, I will continue to view both sites, as I am as I type this, and that will never change. I am though noticing a few things about each site that due differ.

Urban Outfitters and Forever 21 have an ongoing message and purpose being sent from their clothes: I AM MORE HIPSTER THAN YOU AND YOU SHOULD BUY ME! Awesome. I love seeing hipster kids who don’t shower and don’t brush their hair walking the streets of Lexington. (Thank god for sorority girls who only wear polo). Secondly their models, as usual, are stick thin and look like they can’t breathe. Now this is a message that teen and young girls see every day. That in order to be a model you have to see collar bones, have a huge thigh gap, and that you aren’t skinny if you can’t see ribs….Ew. This is not a message I want my future daughter to see or hold true. This is why I think it’s a brilliant idea that their clothes are now being shot toward older ages like 20 +. Not saying that once you hit 20 you are no longer self-conscious but at 20 there are a few things better than when you were 15. First you have more money. Second you have an idea of what style you like and need. And thirdly you should have a little higher of self-conscious so seeing those ads should rip your heart apart.

Both sites remind me of each other for a few reasons. The first being their models all look the same and the layout at which they display their clothing is identical. The layout is usually one page, 5 models across, 20 models down, and each wearing some sort of obnoxious fur with high camo boots. They all have this ghastly look on their faces that somehow we in turn understand it as “smizing” or smiling with your eyes. These sites differ though because forever 21 has a much brighter, colorful feel to it which attracts happy-“popular” girls, to their site. While on the other hand Urban outfitters has a more earthy, hippy feel to it, which attracts college girls and older. Both sites are my favorite however and I will continue to love them