Fashion trends, toy trends, and a unique trend of finding the silver lining in gray clouds tops today’s Pop Culture Potpourri blog.
FASHION FORWARD?
South Korea has always been known for its conservative laws, but now, news reports from the country have announced a major breakthrough in a rule that deals with fashion: Hot pants and miniskirts will soon be legal in South Korea!
According to several media outlets, the news is true. The country is in the final stages of revising an indecency law that prohibits people from wearing revealing outfits. Ruler-wielding police enforced the law during authoritarian governments in the 1970s. However, an official with the Korea Legislation Research Institute now says, “The law for excessive exposure does not match our current society.”
But, get this–prior to South Korea’s move to an open democracy–police would carry rulers to measure the distance between a woman’s knee and her hemline. What’s more, under authoritarian rule, police could also arrest or fine women for their fashion choices. South Korean police also took scissors to men whose hair they felt was too long and tossed people in jail for unauthorized dancing.
LONGING FOR LEGO
If your child is nuts about LEGO, you’d better get to the nearest toy store–immediately. The Danish toy maker just announced that it is having a hard time keeping up with demand for its popular plastic building blocks as toy stores stock up for the holiday season. In fact, a spokeswoman for the company said many of LEGO’s most popular products are sold out. While the manufacturer stressed that there’s no problem in the United States or Canada, Denmark’s leading financial newspaper said the statement could be “smoke and mirrors” and if your child has his or heart set on a specific LEGO set “don’t wait to purchase it.” The company blames the slow down in production to massive layoffs it made earlier this year.
EVERY CLOUD HAS A SILVER LINING
Did it rain on your wedding day? Some say that rain is a sign of good luck for newlyweds. Massachusetts couple Paul Tammaro and Arlene Wenz couldn’t agree more. They were ecstatic about the pouring rain on their wedding day last Saturday because it meant they won back the cost of their engagement and wedding rings in a jeweler’s promotion. According to a local paper, the owner of the jewelry store started the promotion as a way to drum up business. He came up with the idea to offer refunds for a couple’s rings if it rained more than half an inch in Boston on the afternoon of their wedding. Wenz married Tammaro during a thunderstorm and went on to tell the Boston Globe she “was probably the only bride that was glowing that it was raining so much.”