Voice in Vogue: Shop till you drop – your Internet connection, that is

By SOFIA LYNCH
Features Editor
and TAYLOR MABELITINI
Contributor

In this day and age, there are very few things that you can’t do online. As scary as this sounds – and as much as it feels like our society is fulfilling the prophecies of science fiction writers ahead of their time – the convenience is undeniable, and there is no turning back now.

One of the biggest conveniences that technology has blessed us with is online shopping. Although the common, stereotype-driven notion that shopping enthralls women and agonizes men has stayed true through the test of time, online shopping is now undermining that long-standing cliche.

According to a new report by Business Insider Intelligence , when it comes to e-commerce, men drive nearly as much spending online as women.

So what is it about online shopping that turns men into trend-changing super-shoppers?  The Voice canvassed Washtenaw Community College students to see if they could shed some light.

“It’s just easier,” Hunter Muirhead, a 19-year-old liberal arts major from South Lyon said, “I don’t have to drive out or waste gas. And you can usually get discounts.”

When asked of his preference between in-store and online shopping, WCC liberal arts major, 19-year-old Joe Chapman from Westland said, “I do it more in person, but I should do it online. I don’t like leaving.”

Luckily for the new wave of eager male shoppers, the fashion market was just as eager to evolve to meet this demographic’s rising needs.

Not only can you shop for your outfits online nowadays, but you can also apply online to get personalized outfits sent to your door. Subscription fashion services, like Bombfell, exemplify all the reasons that men like to avoid shopping malls by providing a one-stop answer to all their fashion woes.

Sam Marouf, 17, Ann Arbor, WTMC

Where did you get your jacket? Online, I don’t remember where.
Rest of outfit – H&M

Do you have a fashion philosophy? I think casual, but now I’m trying to move into more … business casual, I guess, sophisticated.

Do you have any trends or style tips you follow? I randomly look through commercials and magazines, and I see some pretty good-looking guys, and I’m like, ‘I want to look like him.’

When you shop do you go in with things in mind? When I look at a guy, like I said before, I go in, and I try to find something that looks like what he was wearing.

How would you describe your style? Other than sexy? Casual, modern and … sexy! I don’t know; I’d have to include that.

Joe Jauw, 23, Ypsilanti, math and science

Boots – Tractor Supply and Company
Jacket – Matchstick

Do you have a fashion philosophy? You know … I wear the same pants every day, saw these boots – they’re not the most fashionable boots, but they’re warm. So I feel like comfort as well as looking good is important. And if you can find it cheap, and it looks good, buy it.

Do you have a favorite store? Amazon.com. I go on online-shopping binges these days. It’s easier, and it’s cheaper. This jacket, 50 bucks, Amazon.com from Matchstick.

Do you have any trends or style tips you follow? Reddit thread on men’s fashion

Do you have anybody you look up to? F—ing Jared Leto

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