It is a new way to make a statement on what you like, how to wear it, how to make it, get inspired and inspire others. Pinterest, a site created in 2010, according to appsappeal.com, is making a mark on fashion. Haven’t heard of it? Basically, Pinterest is a virtual pin board of photos and ideas and works a little like Facebook. You have a homepage where you create “boards” on which you “pin” whatever interests you and then share your ideas with your friends.
Lauren Erlacher, UVU’s MBA coordinator said that Pinterest is a source of inspiration.
“It makes me want to live beautifully… It inspires me to be more creative, to reuse and re-wear and to be bolder with my colors,” Erlacher said.
Popular boards include style and fashion, home décor and gardening ideas, styles for kids, do-it-yourself projects and food and recipe creations.
Tessa Perry, a sophomore, said that she likes the fashion boards the most.
“It is getting me ready for fall! It gives me good ideas for what I want to wear and helps me find things in my closet and put them together,” Perry said.
If you see something you like, you can either “pin” it from another Pinterest page, link it from a blog or web page, or if you know your ideas are fabulous you can upload your own photos to share with the pinning world.
According to the Mission Statement on Pinterest.com, “Our goal is to connect everyone in the world through the ‘things’ they find interesting.”
To friends Susan Woodward and Davee Lavery, both freshmen, Pinterest seems like a fun idea, but they would use it more to “pin” pretty things and not to particularly model their fashion after. “It would be more like a dream board,” Woodward said.
However for Erlacher, Pinterest has played a role, not just to dream about, but in actual events. She used it to find and gather ideas for her wedding pictures which she used. She also uses Pinterest to save and collect her favorite things and ideas that she doesn’t have time to blog about yet.
Whitney Sevy, a sophomore, and savvy Pinterest user has implemented ideas to make art, along with DIY projects like making headbands out of shirts. “I use [Pinterest] to get a lot of new, creative ideas.”
According to compete.com, the majority of Pinterest users are female, but several men around UVU thought it sounded like a great way to bounce ideas around and to see what their friends like.
To obtain an account, one must first request an invite, or receive an invite from an already Pinterest user. Once the invite is received, according to several Pinterest users at UVU, it is very user friendly and perhaps a little addicting.
So, if Pinterest is something that inspires you, in the words of the creators of Pinterest, “Happy Pinning!”
By Jamie Millis
Staff Writer