By Leigh Jacobson and JJ Friedman

Forget Formspring- all you need to do for some attention these days is get yourself an assorted pile of rubber fashion accessories.

The latest in silicone style is Silly Bandz, molded rubber bracelets in a plethora of shapes and sizes. The bracelets, made by the same company that produced Livestrong, have boomed in popularity over the past few months. An overwhelming variety of them can be found on the wrists of students here at Milken- in the shape of cartoon characters, farm animals, musical instruments, team logos, and many more, although their shapes are undistinguishable until they are taken off one’s wrist. Many people tend to remove them from each others’ wrists, compare, and eventually swap.

“There’s a really big Silly Band trading business,” says Daphne Dayan ’11. “People take their negotiations very seriously”.

Adds Amir Shemesh ’11: “It gets pretty shady”.

And while these elastic accessories seem to be mostly a “girl” thing, it is not uncommon to see a few brave guys embracing this new elastic trend: “When this year started I wasn’t so popular,” says Shemesh. “Now I’m the Queen Bee”.

However, for those guys who aren’t quite so ready to go Silly, there is the sportier alternative of Power Bands, another silicone bracelet that, according to www.powerbalance.com, utilizes magnets to “optimize the body’s natural energy flow”. A little thicker than Livestrong bracelets, these are identified by a translucent hologram magnet at the center of the band, and come in virtually any color. They are worn by students and faculty alike, including Coach Adam Deckel, Head of Strength and Conditioning:

“They definitely prevent injury- the one day I didn’t wear mine I rolled my ankle in basketball” he says. “They also offer balance and stability”.

A superstitious few feel that they are incapable of playing their sport without their Bands on; however, others don’t believe in the hype.

“Power Bands are not real,” Jon Neumann 11’says. “It’s a placebo effect— I tried playing with it and it didn’t even work.”

Whether you’re trading them, using them to improve your athletics, or simply attempting to ignore them altogether, it’s clear that both Silly Bandz and Power Bands have stretched their way into Milken— for good.