Sleep: Friend or Foe?

It’s everyone’s favorite time of year, and no I’m not talking about summer. I’m talking about finals! It’s that week long period that everyone dreads. While it only comes around twice a school year, it seems like a never-ending cycle. Night after night we slave ourselves over our schoolwork. Trying to cram every last bit of information in before the big test. Some take it to the extreme and choose to pull all nighters, but is it really worth it?

According to Dr. Chiara Cirelli, from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, we seem to undermine the negative effects an all nighter can have on our body. These effects range anywhere from unstable emotions, weight gain, depression, even it has even been linked to potential increases in drug abuse. While we may think these all nighters are benefiting us, they’re doing nothing but hurting us. The physical and emotional toll of an all nighter isn’t worth it. Not only do our brainwaves slow, but also our body begins to shut down on us completely making it hard and hard for us to focus.

If you know you have a lot of work ahead of you, try planning everything out. Set specific times for your different activities and study periods. If you manage to stick to your schedule, your all nighter won’t be necessary. Not only will you feel well rested on the big day, but also you will find that you know the information a lot better than you would have if you crammed last minute.

Next time you consider pulling an all nighter, do your body a favor and just go to sleep! The negative effects of an all nighter can far out weigh the positives. Trust me, I would know. 

Abercrombie kids: "Pushing" the Limits

Abercrombie and Fitch has always been notorious for taking their fashion wear to the extreme. Whether it’s from barely there jean shorts to their miniature tops to their risqué skirts. Recently, Abercrombie kids may have crossed the line when they came out with the summer 2011 swimwear. The collection featured the “Ashley” push up triangle.

Abercrombie kids usually reaches out to kids from age 7-14. At this age, girls don’t really have much to “push up”. Even if they did, they are far too young to be flaunting their assets. Abercrombie is sending out the wrong message to these adolescent girls. They are telling them it is okay to show off their skin and curves, but it is not! These young girls need to be taught to respect their bodies and not feel pressured to flaunt what they have.

By selling these suits, our society is already starting to degrade these girls, even at such a young age. Push up swimwear and bras are meant for women to enhance what they are and this usually draws attention from others. This sort of attention is not appropriate for these young girls. We need to encourage these girls to feel comfortable in their own skin.

Due to all the controversy over this itsy bitsy bikini, Abercrombie later removed the swimsuit from their website. They agreed the suit is appropriate for girls 12 and older, but I still think that is far too young. We the consumers have the power to control the success of products. We should stop supporting companies that are sending off the wrong message to these young girls.