Flannel Friday: trend or coincidence?

By LIZZY WAINER

Students have been sporting flannels on campus walk so much that is has become a trend. No matter where students look, it seems that flannels are everywhere, anytime or day, regardless of inconsistent weather.

This past Friday more students than usual were wearing flannels. My roommate, my close friends and I always wear flannel on Friday. It makes Friday more exciting because you know you and your friends are a part of something fun. Some wonder whether this has to do with the weather change. Others wonder if this is because wearing flannels on Fridays is becoming a trend.

Freshman Allison McCrumb said that she does not think everyone sees Flannel Friday as a full- blown trend yet. She said that she counts about 10 people on Fridays wearing flannel. “I see flannels mostly on Fridays,” McCrumb said. She never hears Flannel Friday being talked about on campus, but she knows people who purposefully wear flannels on Friday. “I would probably participate if it was a trend on campus,” McCrumb said.

However, Dr. John Marsh, a business professor at UMW, thinks flannels have been a trend for a long time already. Marsh has never heard of Flannel Fridays, but he has noticed a lot of students bringing flannels out whenever the autumn season starts. Since he first started at UMW, Marsh has not noticed more flannels on Fridays. He is unsure if students sport flannels more on Fridays than other day because he said that he has not really paid much attention. Ayel Morrissey, a sophomore majoring in political science, thinks Flannel Fridays are flattering.

“People are always making sure their other friends are wearing flannels on Friday,” Morrissey said. “Whether you are in cold or hot weather people wear it equally, but here at UMW it’s a cultural thing.” Morrissey believes Flannel Friday is a cultural phenomenon because college students can “easily throw on a flannel.”

Wearing flannels is also great because flannels are comfortable and socially acceptable for students to wear.

Students may be wearing flannels more often simply because it is colder out. Flannels are used regularly for cold weather because they are woven with fabrics that hold in heat, insulating the body with warmth more than some other materials. Flannels were originally made from wool but now they are made of cotton. You can find flannel blankets, jackets, sheets, sleepwear and shirts, of course.

Jessie Cottrill, an anthropology major, said she admitted to partaking in this trend. “I have noticed more flannels over the past two years,” Cottrill said. “On Fridays I see more flannel, but I mostly have seen more since the weather has cooled down.” She particularly likes Flannel Fridays because she thinks that it brings UMW students together in a fun way.

Maddie Smith, another junior majoring in biology, thinks that Flannel Fridays could be seen as “a way of life” for some people, but she does not agree with calling it a trend.

Michelle Munoz, an undeclared sophomore, stated that you are “either in or you're out” when it comes to knowing about Flannel Friday, confirming that this is actually a trend that students follow on campus.

Some know the trend of Flannel Friday and some do not. As the weather gets cooler, students expect that more people will be wearing flannel. As more people wear flannels on Friday and spread the news of Flannel Friday, the more this trend will come to be.