A trend is by definition; a direction by which something is changing or developing at a specific rate in time. But a trend as we know and define it, is something that’s cool which everybody does or has. Silly Bandz and Rainbow Loom. The Salt and Ice Challenge and the Cinnamon challenge. All trends that kids have done or have had at some point or another.

Choking on kitchen supplies, burning off your skin to a point near unfixable, and filling up boxes with useless pieces of plastic. These are all things people do to keep with the trends.
but the real question is, is it really worth it? And how can we stop harmful things like the Salt and Ice Challenge from hurting anyone else?

During the year 2010, and partially into the year 2011, Silly Bandz lived and died. David Croak, the C.E.O of Silly Bandz, became a millionaire over night.With companies raking in $100’s of millions in annual sales, it was no match for the measly $10,00 coming in just a year before. Silly Bandz were such a high demand, that they had to hire over 350 new workers just for the month of October, and these workers worked 14-17 hours, 7 days a week.

These 24 packs of cheap shaped rubber bands were sold for $5-$7, and were endorsed by major stars like Hannah Montana, Justin Bieber, and Mary-Kate Olsen. And with kids snapping them up like fresh baked cookies, store workers had to come in extra early each morning to restock the busy shelves of Toys R us. They even recorded selling tens of thousands of packs of silly bands each day. But this wasn’t enough for consumers, and the Silly Bandz industries had time to produce rings, necklaces, and lunchboxes (packed with 72 bandz) sending the trend out with a bang. Now things like Rainbow Loom and Friendship Bracelet kits take the place of these cheap useless pieces of plastic.

I for one was a glorious member of the Silly Bandz faze, idolizing anyone with even a trace of Silly Bandz on their bodies. I remember attending an Opera Party during the summer of 2011 and meeting a girl. She was not someone I would associate with on any other day, as she had on a frumpy outfit of khaki shorts and a baggy t shirts as opposed to my preppy pleated shirt and clean fitting tee, but nonetheless I was drawn to her by the unmistakable magnetism of Silly Bandz. Her arms and legs were covered, so that not a single square inch or her skin was showin. Of course I just thought she was the coolest thing ever, but never saw her again. Now I look back on myself trying to obtain that many just so I could be like her, and laugh at myself.

My other famous memory of Silly Bandz is rather tragic, so I will spare you the details, but I went to park with a fresh pack of 24, and left with a measly 3 after being hounded and fought over by people I didn’t know.I realize now how stupid I was to waste so much precious time and money on trying to obtain as many of these silly things as I could, when I could have been spending my time doing much more productive things.

After harmless trends like Silly Bandz, coming the looming threats of dangerous fads. The Cinnamon Challenge has raked in more harm than fun, and yet it still draws kids to it like moths to a flame, Videos all over Youtube boast people completing these deemed “impossible” feats. This means swallowing a tablespoon of Cinnamon without any water, and promptly choking on a cloud of brown dust as the Cinnamon got lodged in their windpipe. But what these videos don’t show is what happens behind the scenes. "Choking is the main concern, choking can aspirate the powder into your upper airways and small passages of your lungs. It can cause an inflammatory reaction. The stunt can also be deadly as a result of lack of oxygen to the brain in cases of choking and aspiration of the powder." Says Dr. Robert Glatter, an emergency medicine physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. And girl at the age of 12, Courtney Miller from Dayton, Pennsylvania, was hospitalized from choking, and has visited the hospital more than 5 times since attempting the challenge in March of 2012.

Another popular challenge is the Salt and Ice Challenge. This is where kids pour salt onto their arm, and try to see how long they can hold ice on their arms. “This creates a thermal reaction which causes the melting point of the ice cube to drop down to -17°C ( a feeling similar to frostbite) and in some extreme cases can impair the movement of a limb or the specific body part affected” Says Tom Tallman of Cleveland. This challenge is seen by many as a test of strength and willpower. But in reality it’s burning the skin, and causing permanent damage that will last a lifetime.

Though Silly Bandz were just pointless pieces of plastic, everyone had to have them. The need to connect with people on a high social level, and the urge for a cheap device that could do that was so intense because it made them cooler ( at least in their own eyes ) It was the same concept for various challenges. The once popular social media impressed challenges proved you were tough and could do something deemed “impossible”. And though Silly bandz were a pointless waste of time, people had to have them. though the Challenges were dangerous, people had to do them. And this will keep continuing to happen. This is why trends are so ridiculous.

But is everything people do to keep with these “trends” really worth it? During the years 2011-2012 85% more people called poison control and were sent to the hospital due to The Cinnamon and Salt and Ice Challenge related reasons. And over 50% of the RAUC 8th grade owned Silly Bandz at one time or another. Now that we know trends do more harm than fun, heres just one more unanswered question.
Why do people still do them?