Popped Collarbones All the Rage
By Mason Phillips

I can't feel my chest, but at least I'm looking good doing it.

A new trend is sweeping college campuses across the nation. Gone are the days of flipped-up shirt collars and pastel-colored cargo shorts. Today's trendsetter is dislocating your clavicle. It's called "popping the collarbone," and it's all the rage. Students typically disjoint their collarbone with the aid of a baseball bat, doorknob or bedpost, although a few people are capable of popping their own collarbones with a quick twist of their shoulders.

A popped collarbone usually protrudes up to an inch from the upper chest and leaves the head lolling at an awkward angle. However, the final look depends on how the clavicle is dislocated, making the style customizable to suit different tastes.

"I like to hit up from the right at a real low angle to get more leverage," said Chris Stevens, a freshman at Arizona State University who hammers his collarbone with the blunt end of a pool cue while getting dressed each morning. "It gives me this awesome 'third shoulder' look," he said, his neck and chest covered in splotchy purple bruises.

The collarbone-popping craze has nearly replaced popped shirt collars among college-age males, but many say it's only a continuation of the same fad. "The popped collar trend had been around for a while and was starting to lose its edge," explained Jeffrey Arden, a professor of cultural anthropology at the University of Michigan. "In attempts to keep the style fresh, modifications arose. Some kids sported a collared shirt under another shirt or a sweater, with the inner collar sticking up. Then came the wearing of two popped-collar shirts simultaneously. This is simply the logical next step."

The style, which is thought to have originated at the University of Florida, is especially popular with white males and college fraternity members. Critics argue that popped collarbones are a mark of conformity, but supporters disagree. "This has nothing to do with conformity or anything like that," said Ryan Whitney, 20, a junior at Emory University. "Me and my frat bros just all happen to have the same tastes and be into it." Whitney added, "We've got a connection like that."

Retailers have paid attention. Abercrombie & Fitch has begun offering a free popped collarbone provided by a licensed chiropractor with the purchase of every long sleeve knit shirt, and Lacoste has plans for a new ad campaign featuring the slogan "Get popped."

The trend is not without its casualties, however. Three students at the University of California at Santa Cruz were hospitalized last month with compound fractures and extensive internal bleeding following a late-night competitive "pop-off" that turned ugly. In September, a University of Maryland sophomore suffered a punctured lung.

Still, the new look's popularity continues to grow with no end in sight. It has even proved popular with those who don't actually go to the lengths of sporting it.

"I don't know, I think it's kind of hot, really," said Katy Wilbanks, an Emory University freshman. "You can see the tendons and stuff moving under the skin and everything."