Stuff White People Like is a blog devoted to all things, well, that white people like. Though it's name may seem controversial, this website isn't about racism or white supremacy or anything like that. It's just about stuff that a certain sect of society may like, and this sect is the white middle-class. Again, this may seem a bit one-dimensional, but I think there's more to this blog than that. The idea that white is not a culture has been discussed in our lectures and I think that this blog attempts to address this. It's trying to give a culture to an otherwise (perceived) culture-less race. So check it out, with an open mind and the idea that any other race can talk exclusively about their culture without punishment, but because of the history of the white race we feel guilt in excluding anyone. I even feel uncomfortable writing this in case I'm coming off as racist...
So feel no guilt and enjoy the hummus...apparently white people like hummus...
http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/
Tickle me Emo...
Though the term Emo actually refers to music from the mid 1980's to 90's, it has been appropriated by a subculture made up mostly of teens. Though Emo, which is short for emotional, is on it's way out in most circles, you can still find patches of young teens who identify themselves as Emo. Calling yourself Emo used to be about music, but today's Emo kid culture actually revolves around fashion. There is a musical element to it, such as listening to bands like Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance or Paramore, but it seems to be more about your hair.
Wikipedia tells us that "Today emo is more commonly tied to fashion than to music, and the term "emo" is sometimes stereotyped with tight jeans on males and females alike, long fringe (bangs) brushed to one side of the face or over one or both eyes, dyed black, straight hair, tight t-shirts (sometimes short sleeved) which often bear the names of emo bands (or other designer shirts), studded belts, belt buckles, canvas sneakers or skate shoes or other black shoes (often old and beaten up) and thick, black horn-rimmed glasses. This fashion has at times been characterized as a fad."
So as this one goes out, what mark will the Emo kids have left on us? How to look good while being sad?
The kind of girl who wears a headband around her forehead...
A trend that came from Hollywood and has mainly been tried by Boho girls, the skinny headband around the forehead is in. It has been called many things, usually some variation of either "fashion-forward" or "stupid and ugly." Though it's still somewhat of a risk to try it, especially if you don't have the right hair, I've seen signs of it moving into the more mainstream girls wardrobe. I mean, if all the girls on this cycle of America's Next Top Model are wearing them in the opening credits, then they must be cool right? I've seen friends wearing them for a night out or a girl or two wearing them in class.But the scariest part is their growing influence on me. A year ago, when they were still a very new trend, on any given day you could have asked me about them. And do you know what I would have said? A lot of different things, but all basically meaning, "stupid and ugly."
Now it seems that I secretly want to be the kind of girl who can pull off a headband around my forehead. I can see myself walking around, with some sort of Boho outfit that compliments my braided headband and when people ask if it's new, I'll say, "No I wear this all the time." Which isn't true, because all day I'll be worrying if it looks silly, or if my hair is properly puffy enough above the headband and it'll be so stressful that I'll never wear it again. But I'll be able to identify as Bohemian Chic for that day...
Chick Lit
Chick Lit is a fairly new (only about 10 years old) genre of literature that is aimed at single, middle-class professional women. This same women is usually our heroine and the plot will usually include a love interest, an obsession with shopping and a career change. Sex is discussed frankly, along with self-esteem issues. Many times the heroine's life has fallen apart or become dull and through the course of the novel, she is healed. They are written in a light-hearted style that keeps readers entertained and interested in the plot.
Though some would say Chick Lit novels are becoming as formulaic as a romance novel, there are definitely some out there that are worth the read. Helen Fielding's novel Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination, is part chick lit and part spy novel, with Olivia following someone she believes to be a terrorist all over the world and trying to expose him.
This style of novel has become some popular (many novels have been on the bestseller list) that is has spawned sub-genres. Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez writes Chica Lit and there's also Christian Chick Lit, Matron Chick Lit, Teen Chick Lit and Indian Chick Lit.
As these novels continue to grow in popularity, we are seeing the birth of a new genre in literature. Though these novels may not always deal with serious themes, they may be turning a whole new generation of women on to reading and that's never a bad thing.
So if you're stuck on an airplane or heading for the beach, pick up some Chick Lit. I would recommend starting with the basics - Bridget Jones Diary.
Blogging is so fin, I'd rather go bust a Moby...
Translation: Blogging is so bad/undesirable, I'd rather go dance...
To give you a taste of this post, I thought I'd throw some Hipster slang into the title. An alternative subculture, the Hipster derives it's name from the word hip or hep, and hip is what it's all about. The Hipster Handbook gives us an excellent definition "Hipster - One who possesses tastes, social attitudes, and opinions deemed cool by the cool. (Note: it is no longer recommended that one use the term "cool"; a Hipster would instead say "deck.") The Hipster walks among the masses in daily life but is not a part of them and shuns or reduces to kitsch anything held dear by the mainstream. A Hipster ideally possesses no more than 2% body fat."
You know you've seen them. They are (according to themselves) impossibly cool, so cool that they no longer use that word. The girls are almost exclusively dressed in American Apparel and that guys own the same jeans that I do! I've noticed the Hipster is far more prevalent in Ottawa, than in my home-base Vancouver, but this could be attributed to the fact that my main environment is now a university campus.
The thing that defines this subculture is the interest of all things "deck." Unlike many other identities, this group doesn't have a unifying political or social cause. They base their identities on what they like, not who they are or what they believe. Which, when you think about it, seems to ring true for most Canadians. It's all about being cool, just don't confuse them with scenesters...
Formerly PageSixSIxSix
Internet fixture and celebrity blogger, Perez Hilton, spends his days writing all the juicy gossip about celebs. He seems to get information earlier than most tabloids and constantly tries to "out" those celebrities he feels are in the closet. While his information seems to be earlier than most and his doodling over the stars' pictures is amusing, when did he become famous? He has a TV show, a radio show, a blog, has just released a song, appears in numerous magazines, newspapers and music videos and is evening winning awards such as the Terra Hispanic of the Year. But his influence is also a bit frightening. When Perez recommends a song or an artist, chances are that in a few weeks that artist will be all over the radio and one of the top downloaded songs on iTunes. It's said that Mika and Katy Perry owe their initial success to Perez Hilton. When he says a Celeb is now "over," it seems they fall from fame. Now he's even influencing politics and famously bashed McCain and endorsed Obama. Perez has become a part of the media, but uses his stance as a blogger as an excuse for bias. Whether hes dangerous or not, his site can still become addicting!
The Great Facebook Addiction
You know it had to be done. Today's popular culture cannot be discussed without Facebook. Though it was only launched in 2004, Mark Zuckerbergs creation has exploded. With 110 million users worldwide, it's obvious that we're all addicted. Whether we're "creeping" someones profile, looking at pictures or joining groups, it seems we can't get enough. It has expanded, with applications that some people love but most find annoying, (Seriously, I do NOT want to play zombie tag with you, so stop asking.) There's the Facebook Marketplace, where you can sell or buy online. And I personally know someone who found their current roommate through the roommate search application. That still doesn't answer the question of why we're so addicted, checking Facebook at least once a day...
My answer is that we're all nosy. We all like to know what going on with our Facebook "friends" - most of whom are actually slight acquaintances.
It also goes in the routine of procrastinating. Check email, check facebook, check whatever blogs I'm into at the moment, start homework after 50 minutes.
Whatever it is that attracts us to faceb - oh, gotta go, somebody just wrote on my wall...
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