While spacing out in public relations class the other week, I found myself scanning the room to see if I could figure out where my classmates had gotten their outfits. I wasn’t doing this to be judgemental or rude, I was just curious to see how many things I could recognize. I find myself playing this game with myself often, and I think I have gotten to be pretty good at it.
The female bond is undeniably strong. For some reason, we have the ability to connect on a level most of us cannot find with most men. I started to think about all of the things that every girl just “knows”… not necessarily “girl code” (although I am a big supporter) but the little meaningless/useless knowledge that many of us share with one another. Similar to how many guys can recognize the mascot of a sports team, we can recognize the logo of a designer or a pair of fake Uggs from a mile away.
I found myself making a list of all the things I THINK “every girl knows” in the form of a test. Soon enough (by the end of my 3 hour class), I had learned nothing about PR, but I had created the ultimate “girl knowledge” quiz! HC Suffolk Presents- How in touch with your feminine side are you? I called my friend Ryan to come over after his class to be the first to take my quiz. Ryan loved it and so did my girlfriends who watched him attempt the test- so I decided to test some more guys I know.
The quiz was divided into a matching section and a Q+A section that covered everything from fashion, pop culture, movies, music, and “girl code.” I gathered my test subjects (cute guys) and put them to work.
If you want to view the entire quiz before reading the rest of the article click: HERE
Otherwise, here’s the re-cap!
Up until maybe college, bracelets served as the essential holiday gift. Sixteen year old boys would go to the Pandora store in groups of five around Christmas time to pick up a bracelet for their beloved girlfriend. I believe for this reason guys found it exceptionally easy to match the bracelets with the brand name. Tiffany’s and Pandora bracelets were by far the easiest for guys to name, probably because every single girl in high school “had to have” both of them at one point. The most commonly mixed up were David Yurman and Alex and Ani bracelets. Alex and Ani bracelets have only become popular in recent years, so these college boys may have been single for some time.
Next guys were asked to match the bag to the brand. Most common mix-ups were Chanel with Coach, and Long Champ with Rebecca Minkoff bags. Considering about 50% of the girls at Suffolk University own a Long Champ bag, you’d think maybe guys would know the name of them. Without the LV’s, Louis Vuitton also presented a challenge for many guys.
Of all fashion sections, shoes proved to the biggest challenge. The most commonly correct was Christian Louboutin (oh you fancy huh?) and the most common mixup by far was Jack Rogers and Jeffrey Campbell. A few guys even said that “Jack Rogers looks like he’d make a shoe like that”, referring to the famous Jeffrey Campbell “Lita” heel.
When it came to jeans, the easiest for guys to point out? True Religion. The most common mix up? Seven for All Mankind and American Eagle. Never thought about it before, but the squiggly line on the AE jeans does resemble some sort of 7… P.S don’t worry ladies- your parents money didn’t go to waste back in the middle school days, Abercrombie jeans were recognized by at least 50% of the survey’d guys.
While nearly every guy could recognize a trench coat with plaid accents as being Burberry, the Birkin bag (known to cost up to $250,000) was recognized as being “Prada,” “Coach,” “Chanel,” but never the correct answer; Hermes.
When can’t you wear white jeans? Guys had some creative ideas. The most common answer was “during your period,” but we also got “when drinking coffee” and ”in the winter”(close). Only a few knew that the official “fashion rule” is no white pants after Labor Day. You have to give them a little credit though, you’d probably think twice about wearing white jeans with your period, and maybe while drinking coffee too?
Who made velvet track suits cool in the early-mid 2000’s? “Juicy Couture” Connor McCarthy (’16) and Ralik John (’15) will tell you (Ralik was also the only participant who can tell you what an “ombre” hair dye is). Whose the celeb known for going crazy and shaving their head? Not Miley Cyrus (although her new hair style does reveal some clear mental issues), but former Juicy Couture track suit fanatic; Brittany Spears.
According to multiple test subjects, blue is the color known to be slimming (wrong: black) and girls with red hair usually avoid wearing the color green to avoid looking like Christmas (wrong: red). What color are girls not allowed to wear to a wedding? The answer is not black, although its not usually suggested, and contrary to Connor McCarthy (’16)’s belief, it’s not “red” either. The real rule: girls aren’t allowed to wear WHITE to a wedding, because otherwise it is said you “outshine” the bride. Maybe it was bad luck that Kim K had her bridesmaids wear white too- because her relationship to “that really bad basketball player”- Carlos De La Cruz (’15) only lasted only 72 days.
What was the price of Victoria’s Secret “Pink” underwear prior to a year ago? If you’re looking for an underwear-shopping buddy your best bets are sophomores Carlos De La Cruz and Ryan Finn who already know they’re going to spend $25 and get 5 pairs of underwear. American Eagle’s Aerie is another option girls commonly resort to Ryan will tell you. While his panty knowledge is above average, I wouldn’t take Ryan handbag shopping with you. If you’re asking for a Chanel he’s going to take you to the Coach section of Lord and Taylor (major disappointment). However, Carlos, who recieved a perfect score on our fashion matching section, would make a great companion.
Pattern worn on top known to make you look “fat?” Nearly every guy knew it was “horizontal stripes”… so maybe it’s not a myth? Most men have still not caught onto the secret of Spanx (thank you god). However, they know your Lululemon and Solow (thank you Will Schaffer and Conor Carman) yoga pants were made to accentuate; and it’s built into the cost.
Only sophomore Joe Cesaro can tell you the fashion capital of the world is Milan. Ask anyone else and they will tell you Paris is not only the city of love but the fashion capital as well. It wasn’t just the guys though! Many girls who took the quiz for fun answered incorrectly as well.
Most guys knew that Brad Pitt was married to Jennifer Anniston prior to becoming Mr. and Mrs. Smith’d up with Angelina Jolie. However, according to many, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes named their daughter Siri (not Suri), similar to the annoying feature on your Iphone 4S.
While none of the guys interviewed knew the name of every “Sex and the City” character (although some could name three), Samantha was surprisingly the most memorable, despite Carrie Bradshaw’s clear lead in the show.
“You’re either team Edward or team Cullen” stated Will Schaffer (’14) and Conor Carman (’14) matter-of-factly. Although they may not be up to date their vampires, Conor has no problem listing off the names of the Spice Girls. So if you want him to be your lover, you know he’ll have no problem getting with your friends!
If multiple girls find out they were all hooking up with the same guy and join forces against him they are pulling a “John Tucker Must Die,” every single test subject was able to tell us. Also, apparently Ryan Gosling is everyone’s crush because without having to think twice many guys knew he was the male lead in The Notebook. Andres Taberas (’15) would have casted Channing Tatum in the role; clearly a mix-up with his other favorite movie Magic Mike.
The name of Lizzie’s best guy friend on the Disney Channel show “Lizzie McGuire” was expected to be one of the more challenging questions on the quiz, still Ralik John, Andres Taberas and Connor McCarthy had no problem answering it “Gordo”.
P.S Ladies if you’re going to perform Elle Wood’s flawless technique to getting guys in the library, make sure campus cutie Connor McCarthy is watching: Bend and snap works every time!