Written by Lexi Baysinger. Media by James Menk.
Justin Timberlake is moving to “Take back the Night” from Miley Cyrus and her crew with his new album The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2. He has inspired many people since his days with *Nsync, especially GC student Crystal Belwood. Her love of Justin Timberlake influenced her to create the GC tradition, Justified Fridays. What started off as simple enjoyment became a weekly celebration of all things Justin.
According to HuffingtonPost.com, Justin Timberlake hasn’t released an album for seven years. All of a sudden, he has two albums released within months of each other. Since his absence from the world of music, Timberlake’s name was really heard. As Crystal commented in an email, “Sure, some of his songs aren’t the most appropriate, but you never see him in jail, on drugs, or doing any of the many other activities that other celebrities do.” And she seems to be correct. The few times that I have seen Timberlake on the Internet in the past few years have been photosets of him on Tumblr.com, and those are mostly just poking fun of the faces Timberlake makes. Of all the celebrities to follow, Crystal picked a pretty good one–at least after he got rid of the frosted tips. As Crystal mentioned, “He’s always doing functions for kids and contests to meet the fans who love him.” And Crystal was almost one of those fans; one summer she made it to the #4 spot out of 600 people in a contest to see who was Timberlake’s biggest fan.
Her commitment to Justin led her to create Justified Fridays. Crystal explained that she started because listening to Timberlake’s music was an experience that “brought a smile to my face.” She wanted to experience that joy every week and from then on, Crystal devoted her Fridays to everything Justin. This meant listening to his music throughout the day, watching any movie that he was in, and posting pictures of him on every social media site she was on. It became a GC hit and, by the end of Crystal’s sophomore year, people were wishing her “Happy Justified Friday.”
So how can you “justify” your Fridays? Find something, or someone, you love and dedicate that day to them. Do you really like pancakes? Share your love of them with the world! Make your “Justified Friday” Pancake Friday! You could even take up the torch and continue the tradition of the Justin Timberlake theme. On Fridays, turn into the biggest fangirl or fanboy that you can imagine. When people see you showing your love for something, it will inspire them to show their love for something else. Keeping this tradition going will bring people to try new things, whether it is music, a TV show, or food. And doing this would definitely be a great conversation starter if you showed up to class on Friday decked out in your best Sherlock or Dr. Who clothes. Make it a fun experience for you. Let Fridays be joyful and spread that joy with your friends.
