Trends can be crazy sometimes coming from someone who experienced trends secondhand, by going to a school that had many trends.  Usually, when a new trend pops up, everybody gets invested in it whether they participate or watch it happen. Although trends can be fun, they can be stupid, dangerous, and sometimes illegal.

For example, last year in 2022 there was a trend called the “Devious Lick Challenge,” where people started by stealing small things like soap dispensers from school bathrooms to stealing car doors. Just the door, which at that point, takes the whole car. Even though it started small, it kept growing as people tried to out-steal each other and then posted about it on social media. It got to a point where schools had to suspend students because they kept stealing things for everyday use, like soap dispensers. I wouldn’t want to go to the bathroom to find out you can’t wash your hands with soap or that an entire door off a stall is missing.

At McAuliffe last year, the school offered cash and gift cards for people who caught others trying to steal stuff and a bonus if you had a photo or video proof. The stealing started in schools and ended outside in public places, which shows that trends can escalate quickly. Most people don’t want to admit that they follow these trends mainly because others are doing them too. This is a great example of why you should not follow certain directions and especially not illegal ones.