Most alternative people weren’t born with the innate gift of ‘being alt.’ Every one goes through a series of life & consumer experiences which lead them to their current personal brand.
Eventually, we all make the choice to ‘let the world know who we are’ based on the clothes that we wear. There is a natural progression where we go from ‘wearing the clothes that our parents bought for us’ to ‘the clothes that our parents buy but we choose.’
While the Jonas Brothers aren’t a good example of authentic alts, we can use them as a tool to monitor fashion and trend implementation/integration into an ‘alternative-ish’ personal brand with a core value of ’standing out’ by looking ‘edgy, yet mainstream.’
////HIPSTER RUNOFF PRESENTS/////
////PERSONAL BRAND TRANSITION://
////FROM CONSUMER TWEEN////////
////TO PERCEIVED-ALT–//////////
////FORGING UR IDENTIY//////////
////ACCORDING 2 OTHERS//////////
Letting people know that you are ‘different’ starts out with small things, kinda like wristbands, occasional headbands, and stuff that’s a little bit post-Abercrombie.
There might be an awkward phase where you aren’t 100% sure on what you are wearing means about you.
Being different sometimes means having a ‘zany personality’, and utilizing faded jeans and HardyBoys-ExpressMen Graphic Tees with metaphorical airbrush designs.
You can’t have a zany personal brand forever. Not even Jim Carrey/Will Ferrell could do that.
Then winter roles around and u wear clothes that make you yearn for more than being just ‘a kid in a wristband.’ You are looking to stand out & show people that you paid good money for the unique, classy clothes that you purchased.
You like how u feel when u ‘dress up’ and you like the attention. It makes you feel more authentic than ‘just another crombie/thrifter/UrbanOutfittedBro/bro in a colourful t-shirt.’
Eventually you can find ‘a personal look’ that works on a day-to-day basis that you are happy with. You have time to do things like straightening your hair.
There might be some events that you have to ‘dress down for’ but you can utilize your fashion knowledge to find an acceptable solution, like man-pris.
In the end, you’ll find that life is a constant search for the perfect object/accessory to tie around your neck.
Once again, while the Jonas Brothers are 0% authentic, they are a great example of tweens who ‘had a desire to establish their personal brand by utilizing progressively non-progressive consumer fashion trends.’ While the jBros will be trapped in the ‘14 year old at a mall in suburbia’ fashion phase for the rest of their lives’, it’s important for you to be in touch with who you were as you transitioned into who you are today.
You may have found an effective way to spend little money to buy unique clothes, or maybe you spend lots of money to buy clothes that help you identify with humanity. However, we need to stay in touch with our ‘impressionable inner-tween’ and His desire to ‘fit in’&’stand out.’
But srsly, if u were gonna meet the President, what would u wear?




IAmCarles.com















33 Comments
G8 P0st.
Reply
This is sadly relevant to life in New Jersey. Except there is no chance of anyone being an authentic alt, ever.
Reply
//////////Reply by ben
//////////Posted October 25th, 2009 at 1:45 am
@Anonymous, in a very significant way, everyone in New Jersey is living an alternative lifestyle
Reply
best personal brand/tween related post of june/july/august/september
Reply
that video is sad ,good thing im canadian
Reply
That’s not the “shocker.” That’s some lame surf-bro sign or something. But definitely not the “shocker”….
Reply
3xjonas are basically too short and broad to be anything other than tragic when dressed out all fashiony
Reply
boring post. You lowered my authenticity by reading this post in public and everyone viewing me as a entrylevelmainstreamalt.
Reply
who is the most authentic alt celeb child then
Reply
//////////Reply by gwen
//////////Posted March 4th, 2009 at 10:12 am
@Anonymous,
COCO MOORE —-> THURSTON MOORE AND KIM GORDON’S DAUGHTER
Reply
lawl
Reply
Man-pris photo:
Cover the upper half of the photo (from the top of the photo to the boy’s chests).
Now they could be females. Your guess is as good as mine.
except it looks like Mr. Man-Pris might have some junk.
Reply
a roaring success!!
Reply
at least blink 182 made poop jokes… poop jokes…. poop jokes… poop jokes….poop jokes.
Reply
post more fggts!
Reply
stp pstng abut deez fggts and pst mre BOOBS
Reply
whatever happened to commenter mave?
Reply
d00d, I never noticed, but these d00ds can’t sing for shit
Reply
glad these guys arent in aussie-ville… look like a bunch of faggets doing blue steal in every photo, dressed to impres -> whom? their boyfriends… I bet they get into heaps of brawls with each other over who has the better boyfriend/style.. only to find out at the end that no decision has been made and !!!! they messed up their look in the process
Reply
utz it all dez mtverz BS!!!
MO Bloghaus
LS problaus
Reply
haha! that was the most entertaining thing I read all day.
Reply
is this post about justice?
is this blog about justice??
remember when banksy snuck that hitler dummy into ‘big thunder mountain’?
Reply
uhh does this make the hansen brothers Alt too?
h8 the jonases 4eae
Reply
clrs you know everything don’t you
Reply
is that post already semi-journalistic?
Reply
are you authentic if you dress like Justice for halloween??
Reply
edhardymustdieedhardymustdieedhardymustdieedhardymustdieedhardymustdieedhardymustdieedhardymustdieedhardymustdieedhardymustdieedhardymustdieedhardymustdieedhardymustdieedhardymustdieedhardymustdieedhardymustdieedhardymustdieedhardymustdieedhardymustdieedhardymustdieedhardymustdieedhardymustdieedhardymustdieedhardymustdieedhardymustdieedhardymustdieedhardymustdieedhardymustdieedhardymustdieedhardymustdie
Reply
plz d8 me carlez…chilliz frdai@7:43pm?
Reply
this post made me feel more meaningfully connected to you Carles, because I too wonder how the mainstream tween stars of 2k8.5 will grow their personal brand into a more authentically alt one their even more mainstream fans can aspire to.
<3 never give up yer dreams of being alt in 2k12<3
Reply
cop shit from my la boutiques. dont make me fuckking puke
Reply
this is damn accurate.
Reply
the bro in the picture with the hair straightening iron all the way to the left is sporting a notorious AZN hair-do. Is this the JoBros trying to give subtle, yet obvious props to the AZN hair-doers of hollywood? Is this american? or is this AZN?
Reply
un gran applauso. que comico.
Reply
lovelove love love i LOVE this song
Reply
Why is everyone postin’ anon in this entry?
Reply
One Trackback
[...] glad he’s taking what he feels is a positive next step in the evolution of his writing and his personal brand. I’m sad to see U&M go by the wayside, but I am supremely confident that his [...]