NOCTILUCA October 2017

CULTURE Appleton, Wisconsin October 2017 Volume XXIII Issue 1 Page 10 Ordering knockoff homecoming dresses online: good deal or literal steal? The ups and downs

a different size. “This isn’t really a huge deal,” Piette said. Groenwold agrees that although size issues can happen, online shopping for dresses still works well. “I would still buy a dress online again. I bought one online last year as well, and it fit perfectly,” Groenwold said. However, Groenwold advises caution before paying the money for the dress “I will definitely stick to websites with lots of customer reviews.” Groenwold said Piette comments on the value of online buys likelihood to give you a more unique dress. “There’s nothing worse than going to the dance and finding out that five

different girls have the same dress as you.” However, some dress shops, like Roxanne’s Run- way in Green Bay, offer a system to check if other students from their school have bought the same dress. “I think it’s kind of nice to do that,” Murray said. Whichever way you choose to buy your dress, remember to find some- thing you really like and feel comfortable in. It is important to follow the measurement charts and stick to reputable websites. If you love to follow the latest trends, don’t forget to look for dresses in red and royal blue, the two hot- test colors of the season. If you are willing to break the bank and splurge on a Sher- ri Hill, the most requested style of this year is Sherri Hill 50560.

of online home- coming shopping

By Lila Metko

Homecoming is the most enjoyable time of the year for many. Until they find the perfect dress... and check its price tag. Some designer brand homecoming dress- es can cost up to $1,000. That’s without the shoes, the hair and the makeup. Many homecoming goers have found a simple way to save a lot on their home- coming bill: order the dress online. Sites like anagown. com and rosegal.com sell homecoming dresses for as low as $80. Compared to dresses at $1,000, it may seem too good to be true, and sometimes it is. “Chances are they won’t get the dress” said Roxanne Murray of Roxanne’s Run- way dress shop in Green Bay. Roxanne’s Runway has been in business for over 20 years, but since the internet age, dress sales have not decreased. “Word has gotten around,” Murray said. “The knockoffs are really bad, they don’t even look close side by side.” Olivia Groenwold, an Appleton North Junior, had issues with ordering her

Homecoming dresses on display. Photo by Mickayla George.

homecoming dress online this year. “I bought a homecom- ing dress online this year. I followed the measurement chart that the website pro- vided, but when the dress came, it was way too big. Some of the fabric in the back of the dress was see- through, so it would be hard to get the dress tailored,” Groenwold said. Although there may be some not so good surprises when homecoming dresses arrive in the mail, in some cases online ordering can work perfectly. “Buying a dress online can be convenient,” Senior Hannah Piette said. “When

shopping online, your per- fect dress is just a click away.” Piette also com- mented on the way looking for dresses on the internet is better for finding a dress specific to your unique style. “Buying online offers a much bigger variety of sizes, colors, and brands for the customer to choose from,” Piette said. According to Piette find- ing the right size of dress with online ordering is hit or miss. Last year, Piette found on dress online for a dance that fit perfectly, but this year the dress came in a size that didn’t fit her. However, Piette was able to return to dress and order

A mannequin with a choker and black dress. Photo by Mickayla George. Meet BTS: The Korean boy band taking the world by storm BTS is gain- ing popularity amongst American competitors with the popular American duo The Chainsmokers. So, who is BTS? And what makes them so special? Throughout the

old. Jung Hoseok or “J-hope” is twenty-three years old, while Park Jimin and Kim Taehyung, or “V,” are both twenty-one years old. Finally, BTS’s youngest member is Jeon Jungkook at age twenty. BTS is praised for their extremely complex dance routines that are unique to each one of their songs. Their dance practice videos online have racked up millions of views on YouTube because of the routines’ incredible syn- chronization and difficulty. BTS has also shown that they are in no way confined to one specific genre of K-Pop, as they achieved great success while exploring hip-hop and EDM. Though their songs are in Korean, and most people

have to look up the English translation of their lyrics in order to tell what they’re sing- ing about, BTS has made it clear that they are not afraid to sing about sensitive topics or explore controversy through- out their music videos. For example, BTS released an age 19+ version of their mu- sic video for their hit song “I NEED U” that explored the themes of depression, sub- stance abuse, and alcoholism. Overall, BTS’s creative lyrics, cinematic music videos, and impressive dance routines are just a few of the things that make BTS so special. There is so much more about BTS to discover, so I urge you to check them out if you’re in- terested.

By Madeline Waters

world, BTS is known as Bang- tan Sonyeondan, which translates

There’s a good chance you’ve heard of the Korean phenomenon BTS. Lately, BTS has been setting records only to break them a few months later. As of May 21, 2017, BTS became the first ever K-Pop group to win a Billboard Mu- sic Award, beating out Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, and Shawn Mendes. BTS’s newest single, “DNA,” recently became the eleventh most viewed online video in

BTS at Golden Disk Awards . Photo used with permission by Wikimedia Commons.

the first twenty-four hours. Racking up twenty-one mil- lion views in one day, “DNA” topped Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood” and Miley Cyrus’s “Wrecking Ball.” BTS’s un- believable talent and increas- ing popularity even attracted popular American artists. For BTS’s upcoming album “Love Yourself: Her,” three of the band’s members collaborated

literally to “Bulletproof Boy Scouts.” They are also re- ferred to as “Beyond The Scene,” which is their official English name. The band is made up of seven members. Kim Namjoon, also known by his stage name “Rap Mon- ster,” is twenty-three years old. Kim Seokjin, or “Jin,” and Min Yoongi, or “Suga” are both twenty-four years