Archive for the ‘Crowds’ Category
More Wisdom on Crowds:
Has Hipsterism Gone Mainstream?
October 29, 2009
Adbusters and Time Out New York have unleashed verbose diatribes in which they gleefully dissect and marvel at the seemingly materialistic motivations behind the hipster social movement. Described as “The Dead End of Western Civilization,” hipsters are the fashion-conscious young people, the faux-artists, and the indie-culture-mavens that we love to hate.
But what precisely are the elements of a hipster and on what basis do we define the hipster aesthetic? Is hipsterism based mostly on clothes; is it all about skinny jeans and vintage flannel? Is it based on particular mannerisms or tastes in music? Is it based on where one frequents or resides—underground clubs and dive bars or grungy, pre-gentrified urban neighborhoods? Pop culture aficionados will say they can easily detect and point out a hipster when they see one, yet ask them to describe a hipster and often the conversation will devolve into an exercise in generalizations. Read More »
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Spotlight on Dining DNA:
The Search for the Elusive Protagonista
October 23, 2009
There is a kind of woman who, when seen at a restaurant or lounge, seems to give off a glow. You might try to pinpoint what makes this woman so effervescent. What gives her that ethereal aura, that mysterious halo? Is it her confidence? Is it her strong sense of self? Is it her liberated spirit?
Then you realize: It’s the ambient light reflecting off her glossy pair of Manolo Blahniks.
There are some women who are comfortable with eventually settling down and retiring their social lives, but don’t ask this woman why she doesn’t follow the herd. She’s a protagonista, and her desire for new friends and new experiences is as alive and kicking as ever.
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Some More Wisdom on Crowds:
The Euro Couture Crowd
October 16, 2009
Dior. Dolce and Gabbana. Lanvin. Just saying the euphonic names of these labels out loud feels indulgent. If you’re going to wear something from one of these design powerhouses, you better be ready to turn heads. What these labels lack in subtlety they more than make up for in shock value.
There’s a particular crowd that’s drawn to the ethereal glow of these clothing lines. They’re the people who like their blazers sharp, their heels high, and their service V.I.P. The Dolce and Gabbana crowd usually accessorizes with martinis and cosmos. The bars, lounges, and clubs they inhabit are like the clothes they wear—either trendy and fashion forward or classic and elegant. Read More »
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Some Wisdom on Crowds
September 28, 2009
It’s not unusual for someone to say that a bar is “full of hipsters,” to note that a friend is “part of that whole Dolce and Gabbana crowd,” or to describe someone as a “techie.” These kinds of statements are ways of describing different crowds, and crowd descriptors are convenient ways to broadly and concisely characterize large groups. Essentially, they’re stereotypes, but they’re generally less offensive because they’re based mostly on the ways people choose to present themselves, rather than on gender, race, class, or age. While the term “techie,” for example, may carry certain connotations, it’s based on something external – an interest in technology – and doesn’t technically target any one demographic.
What’s peculiar about conversations regarding crowds is that they tend to exclude self-reference. Simply put, crowds are eternally viewed as the other rather than the self. It’s common to say “The bar was full of hipsters;” it’s less common to say “I’m a hipster because I was at that bar.” Why are crowds so easy to identify, yet it’s so difficult to associate ourselves with them?
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