Bogota Fashion Trends for Men

When you think of fahsion trends in Bogota, think of a low-end preppy/hipster who uses vintage and normcore pieces. Here is a sample of the range in looks.

1. The Urban Reggaeton Singer
This style says "I'm not a cheesy reggaeton artist because I'm also hip and cool". These guys will wear Adidas, active wear, and T-shirts. Shoes, caps, and jackets are a priority.

2. The Refined Punk Hipster

They used to be punk, but now they are edgy hipsters. Not the same as American hipsters. Enough said.

3. The Preppy Executive

This look says, "I have a corporate job, but also want to look casual at expensive bars and clubs while dancing to Vallenato". You will also see this style at work or country clubs.

5. Skater Punk / Tattoo Boys

Usually consist of old t-shirts, torn clothes, vintage, and a lot of tattoos. Edgy hairstyles are important here too. 

                                      

Working for Shady Businesses in Colombia

A couple of years ago, Esther traveled to South America in order to learn Spanish and work in Colombia. Unfortunately, she was not aware of how difficult the process would be as it seemed like she (and other foreigners) had to jump from job to job before they could find one that was stable and legit. 

This is what she learned:

When working abroad, there are several dangers that Americans like Esther were not aware of that can take the shape of scams or illegitimate businesses. These type of businesses often take advantage of their employees and can even lead to dangerous situations that employees are unaware of.

Especially in Colombia, there have been cases where people are not paid or have had  their work stolen. Some businesses are fronts (shell companies) for other illegal companies like money laundering or prostitution, so be careful and look out for the warning signs!

Some warning signs include:

1. The company pays you in cash or from a personal account

2. The company does not pay on time

3. The company hires you too quickly

4. The company's job posting uses words like "urgent", "must be able to work under pressure", "no estrellitas"

5. The company puts you on a trial period

6. The company makes you work odd hours or is in constant contact with you when you are not at work

7. The company does not provide benefits

8. The company looks like it does multiple things like selling various products/services

If you get a job offer from a company like this, you need to back away. Any shady business can get you in a lot of trouble. I have heard horror stories of people getting ripped off for jobs that they took from the USA to teach English abroad. 

Also, there are especially bad issues with advertising or marketing agencies. Advertising agencies in Colombia are known for not paying freelancers for work they have done upfront or blatantly stealing other peoples ideas without pay. On the other hand, marketing agencies can be covers for event marketing companies who hire "models" to be escorts.

There are various resources to check if a company is legit that you should use, or just ask on Facebook lol!

Why Are Colombians So Basic?

With the use of Facebook and Instagram becoming more and more popular in Colombia, it seems like Colombians have no idea how to use it to post relevant and interesting content. They don't know about the American concept of "being basic", so they end up posting things that Americans would otherwise consider basic - like things that are considered "basic" in the USA such as Starbucks coffee and UGG boots.

Colombians tryna show off on Instagram... with fruit. ( -_-)

Not that this is a bad thing, it just means that there is a cultural gap between what makes American vs. Colombians look cool to their followers. For example, Colombians take pride in the little things in life while Americans are more grandiose about the things they post - everything is bigger and better than the last person.

Because of this, you find Colombians posting photos of the most irrelevant things that Americans would not care about such as:

1. A piece of chocolate or candy (why? do other people not have the exclusive privilege of buying $0.10 candy?)

Wow, candy... so impressive. Not!

2. Food from home and basic snacks like its the most delicious thing they have ever eating (fruit snacks are not exciting)

What is so special about chicken and french fries that it needs to be on IG?!?

3. Gifts from other people that suck (the gifts suck, so what is the point?)

What is this?!

4. Taking pictures of the one expensive thing they bought, like the rich.

It's just water, hun.