And the acid soaked colours of 1970′s America;

Japan never stood a chance, but was and still is full of surprises,

Keeping it real with ‘hello kitty’.

But riches don’t run everywhere; rags and cloth are sported

By the third world countries who know no schools and I’m sure couldn’t care less.

Australia went from suits to loose to 21st century fashion,

European to Australian now the whole worlds involved.

But amongst it all there is a balance;

Where suits can speak freely to an Ed Hardy shirt

and thongs are often seen romancing with the high heels.

There’s this new way of thinking, dressing, and I say ‘a new way’

But mean a thousand different ways all backwards thinking towards a progressive society.

History and communication has come too far for one style to dominate the majority,

No new school, old school,

Now it’s just clothes.

Looking like a popular retail store bought junkie
Wearing clothes to fit in
in a mould to be accepted
within your judgemental lifestyles

Rebelling against uniformity of tradition

Never will I be categorised

Receiving a stamp of approval
by what I wear and things that I do

Rules telling me how to live
Roles imposed by social structures

Restricting creative expression
Regulations forming a subculture’s anxiety

Beginnings of a revolutionary upheaval….

Having been the chief football writer for The Age since 1999 and having won the AFL Players Association’s football writer of the year, the AFL Media Association’s most outstanding football writer and most outstanding feature writer, she has known no shortage of success. By breaking the mould and doing it with style, ease and journalistic prowess she has made headways for other women to break into male oriented sectors of society, both inside and outside journalism and AFL. Wilson’s writing is masterful, analytical and shows an in depth knowledge of the game. Critics will flaw her for never having played the game (a criticism saved for women in football), one rarely heard about the likes of Bruce McAvaney or Sandy Roberts. Growing up in an AFL family however, Wilson wouldn’t have had to play the game. She is ultra-capable with respect to understanding and engaging with AFL politics, which represents a large part of today’s game. Her father, Ian Wilson, was Richmond Football Club President between 1974 and 1985, so understanding the intricacies and dynamics of the game are second nature to her. Bright as a party strobe and sharp as a carving knife, Wilson appears as a panellist on Footy Classified and 3AWs pre match AFL discussion. Her commentary is enlightening and her confidence is supreme.

According to Rebecca Barr the former Sports Editor at WIN Television Townsville and current News Editor, “considering what Caroline Wilson has achieved in terms of respect as well as awards, there’s no doubt she has shown that women can do just as good a job as a man in a field that’s predominantly male oriented. I believe this is a trend that’s occurring not only in sports journalism but in many other occupations and in society in general. I believe, in the early stages of her career, it may have assisted Caroline to have a family history of involvement in AFL however her success stems from hard work, talent and making sure she knows her stuff!”

Barr goes on to say that sports journalism is still predominantly a male arena and that she doesn’t believe that perception will ever completely disappear. “If a male journalist makes an error it’s because he didn’t do his research… if a female journalist makes the same error it’s because she’s a woman!” declares Barr. “Having been a female working in this field I found that I had to prove I was serious about sport, loved sport, knew about sport and that I could also write about sport before I was truly accepted or taken seriously. I don’t believe a male would have had to endure the same initiation. Having said that, once I was considered one of ‘them’ it was like I’d been welcomed into ‘the family’. My favourite work of Caroline’s is to see her courageously letting fly with her opinions on the numerous footy panel shows she has been involved in, ” states Barr.

Whilst trying to promote Wilson for her courageous advances in the feminist arena it seems fickle and speculative to comment on appearance, which in the male arena does not make a difference. (Sorry Rex Hunt- I’m not looking at anyone in particular). That being said, the cameras do not favour the appearance of Wilson, in the same way as they do with her peers Samantha Lane or Christie Malthouse. However astonishingly, Wilson seems to have that extra ingredient which allows her to protrude this barrier. Also unlike her peers Wilson often sees it her role to actually put the boys back in their place. This is endearing of Wilson, in the same way it is of your mother, or mine. In many ways, this gives her an edge over the boys who at times seem to be quite intimidated by her prowess. Sam Newman favoured fondling a mannequin rather than actually confronting or conversing with his foe in a media spectacle which was aired on The Footy Show.

Some of Wilsons most infamous works including the reporting of the sordid Wayne Carey Affair, The Ricky Nixon scandal and breaking of news on The West Coast Eagles drug scandal combined with Ben Cousins related drama. Wilson always gives enough opinion to keep an article interesting whilst balancing facts with differing viewpoints. The results are invariably well researched, highly knowledgeable yarns which give outsiders, an insider standpoint. These allow readers to gain much coveted insights into the game she knows and loves.

Wilson continues to deliver quality content and commentary for the AFL, and will hopefully continue in this vein long into the future. She may never have played football, but unlike disgraced AFL player agent Ricky Nixon, Wilson rarely, if ever drops the ball. (Please, no pun intended.) She’s unreservedly feisty, talented, successful and paves the way for other women in a male dominated arena. What’s not to get turned on about? The affect Wilson has on me is one of love struck, star struck awe. Her very existence brings with it an uplifting notion that if the affectionately dubbed “Caro” can do it, maybe one day… someone like me could something like that too.

Have any of you ever had the ‘ultimate fail’ job interview? For me, it seems the string of nervous or awkward interviews occur so frequently, that when one goes well, it completely takes me by surprise. Though more often than not, an hour into a newly appointed position, I realise why the meeting went so well. Fair to say I haven’t had held down many good jobs. An outbound cold calling centre comes to mind. There wasn’t much of an interview. Basically, I was roped in off the street mid-banana-bite and thrown into a computer chair and headset before I was able to ask myself if I had even applied for the job in the first place. To the employer, I was suitable because I possessed a voice box. One that didn’t vocalise personal opinion or ask too many questions about the running of the company (let alone the professionalism of those drinking vodka and Ribena at their work desk.) I could read a script repetitively. And that’s all that counted.

Rationally, I wasn’t going to hang around in that place long enough to start asking questions anyway. Still, this is a depressing situation. So why is it that a lot of us succumb to such menial employment? We are after all, smart individuals-more than capable of fulfilling tasks. Unfortunately however, when we come across a potentially rewarding and suitable job advertised, we are left feeling insecure and inexperienced. And it’s in these moments of discovery that I simultaneously feel like swearing and screaming for joy. Let me expand.

When I come across a ‘perfect job’ advertised, my thought processes go a little along the lines of:

“Wow, this is beautiful. Perfect for me. Argh, wait, my resume. No! Why did I have to spend my time and energy in those crumby jobs?! I could have been pursuing the exact thing that would have mentally and physically prepared me for this position! Damn you rent! Damn you life! Okay. I’ve got this though, this is it, it’s gotta be fate. But how are they supposed to know that the job’s perfect for me? My resume looks I’ve picked my employment out of a lucky dip. It is literally built on a crappy mixed bag of random short-term jobs! Well, okay, I’ll re-write the resume. Make it look fancy. I’ve got a University degree underway in a similar field. That’s bound to help. It’s all I’ve really got. Maybe I’ll use a 28 size font for that piece of information, make the document appear fuller. Fat with relevant experience…”

And so a self-destroying mechanism ensues- ‘”No I don’t have that one year of Microsoft Excel experience!”, “Am I really that flexible and friendly?! I mean, I did get pretty angry this morning after realising I would have to succumb to toast instead of my usual muesli on account of there being no milk.” So, what happens when we don’t pass all the criteria necessary for application? Do we still send through a cover letter and resume that is based loosely around passion and interest? Is that enough to secure a position? Usually it’s not. Which leads me to my next thought.

Are the ‘dream-job’ positions filled only by pro-active, academic and energy-producing athletes? I’ve tried my hand at pursuing a regimented routine similar to that of a career Olympian. But, as much as the extra-curricular activities, volunteer roles and daily checklists are enjoyable, they are hard to keep up with. The reality of rent, study and stress often overrides such action.

Competition and expectations are steep within industry positions, steeper than they used to be that’s for sure. I remember being able to pick up my local newspaper and see my father’s pen marks circled around potential jobs. A number would be below the company name and all it took for him to secure a face-to-face meeting was a friendly phone manner and introduction.

Now, however, I find myself online at ridiculous hours of the morning, scanning desperately through employment ads. If i do perchance stumble across a potential position, the ad often has had something like 1000 page views. I think to myself, the poor bugger at the other end of the computer, opening up all those same sounding replies, written hopefully by tired job seekers. I don’t often apply in these cases.

It’s become a tough game that’s for sure, one that I am hardly prepared for. Still, we’ve all got to try. You never know when you might just get a call back. Literally you don’t-I got shortlisted for an interview 7 months after applying for a ‘cashier role’ online. As it turns out the place was a fast-food pizza joint that wanted me to dress up weekly in wigs and crazy socks. I politely declined the offer; but only after grabbing some of their company’s discount vouchers. Is that classified as a ‘professional’ attitude?