THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2002
LIFESTYLE
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN 11
Please think before you drink. Watch for the Weekly Specials every Thursday in the Kansan and always on Kansan.com
Jeans going 'up'in popularity
Low-rise jeans have bared themselves all over the fashion scene these last few seasons. Almost every woman on campus is showing off her belly button — and from behind, her thong.
Low-rise jeans, for those who are not familiar with the lingo, fasten a few inches beneath the belly button and rest on the hip. They are famous for complementing many body types but notorious for showing off one's posterior.
COMMENTARY
However ladies, it is not our fault that underwear has become more like hangouter-wear, and this plumber look is the fad. I blame the makers of these jeans.
Don't get me wrong, I am an avid low-cut jean wearer, but I believe the "too much of a good thing" principle applies here.
Take Levi's jeans. First it was Super Low jeans, then the Two Low. But now Levi's offers the Too Super Low series.
I took the liberty of trying on a pair of these, as the manufacturer warns, "dangerously low" jeans and have had it up to here with the low-rise. You are going to need a very painful Brazilian bikini wax and no desire to actually sit down to sport these pants.
Sarah Behunek sbehunek@kansan.com
Cute? Maybe. Practical? Definitely not.
Not only are the jean makers and Britney Spears in on this low-rise conspiracy, so are the makers of our unmentionables. I noticed after perusing Victoria's Secret that even they are accommodating this craze. On the racks are low-rise thongs, and in the catalog, jeweled v-strings. V-strings feature the tiny triangle commonly seen peeking from the rear of college girls' pants at your favorite bar.
Jeweled panties or not, we cannot hold on to the low-rise forever. According to recent fashion magazines, midriff revealing jeans are actually on their way out. Well, up.
This month's Harper's Bazaar reports designer Nicolas Ghesquiere's most recent
fashion show has raised the pant waistline to ... the waistline.
Remember the girls' jeans in Dazed and Confused? They actually button at the belly button. You get the idea. Now Gucci, Jean Paul Galtier and Alexander McQueen are all celebrating the fad in their fall lines. Bazaar is not the only one promoting the rising trend. Vogue editors also devoted a page to pants that fasten above the hip in a recent issue.
This high-rise style is changing the focus on body dimensions. Ghesquière says, "We are always striving to develop a new silhouette." Jean and dress-pant waistlines are moving up to make legs look longer, rather than accentuate the torso.
Designers then add cropped, boxy tops to the mix for emphasis. High heels can be worn for those who demand the ultimate in lengthening.
Most of you probably are not going to start replacing your low-rises with the new waist line right away.
But take my word for it—extremely low-rise jeans are as high as they are going to get in popularity. It is time to move on and move up with pant fashion.
Non-Christians see strength in numbers
By Leslie Kimmel Jayplay writer
Some students study their Bibles. Samara Nazir, Overland Park sophomore, reaches for her Quran, five times a day.
"I define myself by my religion," Nazir said. "It's a way of life for me so I try to do it as much as I can."
Jared Soares/Kansan
Nazir practices Islam, one non-Christian religion represented on campus. Nazir and others make special arrangements to practice their religions and encounter people unfamiliar with their beliefs.
Nazir addressed the issue with the non-Muslim people in her life at the beginning of the school year.
Nazir said obstacles such as her prayer schedule made her religion more difficult to pursue, but Islam allowed for some flexibility around Western lifestyles.
"The one thing I love about the religion is that it is so understanding about obstacles," Nazir said. "Even though you are required to pray five times a day, you have
"I try to pray five times a day," Nazir said. "I pray in my room, and I discussed that with my roommate, asking if it would be okay."
Samara Nazir, Overland Park sophomore reading from the Qur'an in her dorm room, one of her nightly practices. Nazir practices Islam, one non-christian religion represented on campus.
the option to make it up later."
Having classes during holy days is another roadblock most non-Christian students encounter. Jay Lewis, executive director of the KU Hillel Foundation, explained that this was a problem for the Jewish students in early fall, during the high holidays. The KU Administration estimates eight percent, or between 1,500 and 1,800 KU students are Jewish.
"The high holidays — Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur — come so early in the
school year." Lewis said. "That's a day that students should spend all day in a synagogue. It's hard to just take days off."
Finding other students of similar religious beliefs could help overcome these challenges, Lewis said. Jewish students were encouraged to live in Naismith Hall because of the high number of Jewish students living there, and to get involved in Jewish organizations like Hillel.
Certain religions also have dietary laws they can't follow on campus. Lewis said many Jewish students had a hard time following the dietary laws of Judaism, which require maintaining kosher eating habits such as not mixing milk and meat in the same meal.
"That's the difference of a community to have people to connect with and support you, be it fellow students, staff or professionals in the community." Lewis said.
"There is a large number of students where keeping kosher is a priority, but for some it's not easy," Lewis said. "We do not have kosher restaurants, and the dorms are not kosher."
SEE STRENGTH ON PAGE 12