I am not cool.

I remember when Wendy's became cool. I was a sophomore in high school. And all of a sudden there was a buzz about Wendy's and its late night and dollar menu. Who had even had Wendy's in the last 10 years? Not this kid. But then a good friend of mine started going there, and one by one, his friends did too. Before you knew it (junior year) Wendy's was the place to be. It's where everyone started the night, and in most cases, ended it too (Racine was a lame place to be under 21).
Now, do I sound like I would be the number one choice for conducting a coolhunt? Obviously not. But I tried. Seeing as how my life is due next Thursday (i.e. every single class has something big due) I have been few places other than my desk. So the only public place I had time to be is the library. As I read my packet to get a better feel for what I was supposed to be doing, I considered things that caught on slowly and then blew up.
Example one: everybody's favorite fashion statement- the Lycra pant with the Ugg boots. The butt (literally and figuratively) of every coastie joke known to man. I'm no fashion guru. In fact, I often beg people to sign me up for What Not To Wear. And I KNOW I don't look much better in my baggy sweatpants, Wisco sweatshirt and dirty sneakers. But come on. I digress- back to my point. This fashion statement is very popular among the women on this campus. This is a look that I saw on a few people my freshmen year. As the years have gone on, it has caught on like wildfire and among some groups, it is the cats pajamas. So maybe there is a woman somewhere in, let's say New York, who thought this was a comfortable style. She's the innovator. Her friends who agreed and put on their Lycra pants to come to Wisconsin are the hub and from there, Wisconsinites bought Lycra pants of their very own.
Example two: Here's to the gentlemen in this class. I garuntee that every girl you know loathes you on a Friday night. You all take a shower, brush your teeth and throw a sport coat over your ratty t-shirt and you're hot. Lucky. But there is your other fashion item that caught on slowly and worked it way through to Wisconsin. Some male decided to flip it from a suit and sneakers (my prom date was incredibly trendy) to jeans and a suit coat. Who knows, guys. Maybe that brave male soul who decided to sport a pair of Ugg boots of his very own is an innovator and by this time next year, you will all be out looking for your very own.
As I sit in the library looking for trend setters (again this is Wisconsin, there aren't any), I heard someone say "Have you heard? The Union is the new College Library." We'll see how that pans out. Maybe Memorial Union IS in fact cooler than the other side of the pillow.
Disclaimer: I have no problem with people who wear Ugg boots. So don't be offended if you do.