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Jesuit football coach Brandon Hickman doesn’t expect standout offensive tackle J.J. Gustafson to be in the lineup when the Rangers open the season with a game in Ireland on Aug. 31. Gustafson, who has committed to Texas A&M, is recovering from spring knee surgery. Rivals.com ranks Gustafson (6-6, 270) as the nation’s 34th-best offensive tackle in the Class of 2013.

“He’s going to probably be ready by the second or third game,” Hickman said.

Hickman expects junior Donald Blair to … [visit site to read more]

High School Sports Blog

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For my last article here on CF (where did the semester go?), I wanted to once again focus on a topic that I have personal interest in: body image. While it is important to try and maintain positive body image on the beach, I feel this message needs to be carried over into other aspects of life.

Since all of us here on College Fashion are fashion-conscious individuals, this message is particularly important for us. Let’s face it: while fashion is a fun and wonderful hobby, it can sometimes make us feel a little self-conscious about our looks. To help you stay positive despite the pressure to look perfect, here are some tips to improve your body image while maintaining your love of style:

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1. Remember that the body type of a model is an impossible ideal for most of us.

This is something we have all heard a million times, but it’s also easily forgotten: Most models can thank genetics for their bodies, meaning they naturally look the way they do. (Not to mention that many models start as young as 13 years old, before their bodies have fully developed!) Therefore, it’s a total waste of time to chase the “model” body type.

Also, regardless of what type of modeling a model does (runway, commercial, plus size), there still remain strict expectations over height and proportion that most of us cannot naturally fulfill. Don’t ever beat yourself up if clothes don’t look the same on you as they do on the model. A dress will always look and fit very differently on someone who is 5’10 than it does on someone who is 4’11, regardless of body shape. This leads me to my next point…

2. Don’t dress as someone you’re not.

Sure, a form-fitting, low-cut dress might be something you can wear, but is it really you? By that token, trends will be trends, but if you feel uncomfortable with how they highlight your body shape or you feel just plain uncomfortable wearing them, why bother?

My point is, dress to bring out the best in you, and wear what makes you feel good – don’t just blindly follow the trends. As long as you genuinely love what you are wearing and feel it really expresses who you are, not who you want to be or think you should be, then there can be no wrong fashion choices.

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3. Keep your supposed “flaws” in perspective.

Let’s face it: no matter what anyone says, there are always going to be parts of your body that frustrate you from time to time. Even if you have what many believe is an “amazing body” that you normally love, you’re still not going to be 100% happy with it, 100% of the time. But it shouldn’t really matter if you don’t love all parts of your body all the time, as long as it doesn’t become a fixation.

I mean, I’m not a huge fan of my thighs most days, but does it honestly matter? No. They may not be perfect, but at the end of the day, I’m generally fine with the way they are, even if they’re far from “toned up” and “beach ready.” I try and remember that they are just one small piece of a puzzle that makes up who I am, just like your perceived “flaws” are just a small part of who you are.

4. Take joy in what you love to wear!

Instead of focusing on fitting yourself into clothes you feel uncomfortable wearing, revel and rejoice in what you love to wear! You could dwell on the fact that you feel uncomfortable in tight-fitting tops… or you could get excited about wearing fun skirts and shorts that you feel confident in.

Make an effort to focus on what you do love about you and celebrate it! It might not make you love the parts you’re not crazy about, but it can help contribute to an overall better self-image.

What do you think?

Do you think fashion influences the way you look at your body? If so, how? Do you think fashion can actually help promote good body image instead of just poor body image? How does fashion make you feel good about yourself? Leave a comment and let me know!

College Fashion

You may not know this – but your nonverbal communication plays a big role in how persuasive you are.

That’s right.

Your body gestures, movements, tone of voice, touch, distance from the person, eye contact, and physical appearance can make you more or less persuasive.

Here are 9 nonverbal ways to dramatically increase your persuasive power:

1. Touching
There have been countless studies on the power of touch – and its effectiveness on persuasion. Jacob Hornick (1992) studied waiters and waitresses who touched and didn’t touch diners during their meals. Touching not only increased tips significantly, it also caused customers to evaluate the restaurant more favorably. Interestingly, attractive waitresses who touched female customers received the highest tips of all. Other studies have shown that customers in bars drank significantly more alcohol when touched by cocktail waitresses (Kaufman and Mahoney, 1999). Burgoon, Walther, and Baesler (1992) found that touch carries favorable interpretations of immediacy, affection, similarity, and relaxation.

2. Smiling
There have been dozens of studies showing the persuasive power of smiling; for example: waitresses earn more tips (Gueguen & Fischer-Lokou, 2004), job interviewers create positive impressions (Washburn & Hakel, 1973) and more likely to get the job (Forbes & Jackson, 1980), and even students accused of cheating are treated with greater leniency when smiling (LaFrance & Hecht, 1995). Smiling doesn’t always work in every situation, but it can definitely help you seem more positive and upbeat which often aids in persuasiveness.

3. Mirroring
A lot of people in sales like to use “mirroring” to improve their persuasiveness. The assumption behind “mirroring” is that people like others who are just like them – so if I smile, the sales person should smile; if I laugh, the sales person should laugh, etc.

4. Lean Forward
People who learn forward tend to be more persuasive than those who don’t – and people who use open body positions (e.g. arms and legs positioned away from body) rather than in closed body positions are also more persuasive (McGinley, LeFevre, & McGinley, 1975).

5. Eye Contact
As you know, eye contact can help you reveal your interest in something or somebody. Well, it is also a good way to make yourself more persuasive. In a university research study, they found that beggars who were able to establish eye contact with strangers (and made legitimate requests) were more likely to get money from that person (Robinson, Seiter, & Acharya, 1992). Interestingly, lack of eye contact has also shown to be successful when making illegitimate requests since it makes the person seem more humble or embarrassed (Kleinke, 1980).

6. Distance
Your geographical location to someone can increase your persuasive power. In a study by Baron and Bell (1976), diners in a cafeteria were approached by an experimenter and asked to volunteer for a survey for a period of 30 minutes to 2 hours and 30 minutes. The experimenter made requests of diners either 12 to 18 inches away or 3 to 4 feet away. Results showed that diners volunteered for longer surveys when approached by closer distances.

7. Dress for Success
Research shows that what we wear can greatly impact our credibility and status (Burgoon, Buller & Woodall, 1966). This includes our grooming, hair length, cosmetics, etc (Atkins & Kent 1988).

8. Talk Faster
Miller, Maruyama, Beaber, and Valone (1976) found that speeches delivered at fast speeds were more persuasive than those at slow or moderate speeds (perhaps because persuaders who speak faster appear more competent and knowledgeable). Faster speeches also have less scrutiny (Smith and Shaffer, 1995).

9. Use Hand Movements
Using hand movements encourages attention and retention in your persuasion attempt. Woodall and Folger (1981) found that people recalled 34% of a verbal message when accompanied by hand gestures, compared to only 11%. And Saigh (1981) found that the more teachers gesture, the more their students learn.

Hopefully, some of these strategies work for you the next time you ask for a paper extension from your professor.

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