Brand X

[vovat]

First of all, happy birthday to Andy Partridge, formerly of XTC. I believe he's 55 today.

And now, I think it's time for a list of things I have some trouble understanding.

1. Fashion. Not the "hey, this outfit looks good" kind of fashion, but the kind where people are obsessed with brand names. I guess that, as a straight male, I'm not really supposed to get it, but, like, what's the point of buying a Coach bag? Does having the letter C all over it really make it better quality? And what's with the faded-looking T-shirts with store names on them? Also, why do we drive on a parkway and...no, wait, that's something else.

2. Cheerleading. I mean, it's not that I can't see the appeal of scantily clad women jumping around (straight male, remember?), but people take it WAY too seriously. I mean, cheerleading competitions? Sure, it takes talent, but it's a show, not a sport. Not to mention that I associate cheerleading with bitchy emaciated girls.

3. Sports. I've mentioned this before, and I have to say that, although I don't like them, I have an idea as to how people can get caught up in the excitement. I have no idea how people can talk so much about the results of sporting events, but in all fairness, they probably don't see how I can talk so much about Super Mario Bros. and Oz books. I guess that, while my chosen means of escaping from reality involves the realm of the fantastic, theirs involves guys running around and throwing things.

4. Enforced gender differences at fast food restaurants. Okay, I don't know that this is common, but I overhead the worker at the McDonald's drive-thru asking whether someone wanted a "boy or girl" Happy Meal. Why not just ask which product they prefer, instead of trying to reinforce the stereotypes?

Comments

[suegypt.livejournal.com]

Teehee, cheerleading as a competition, oy vey! I've got one for ya, what's the deal with "competitive eating" being considered a sport, so much so that people are trying to get it into the Olympics...

It disgusts me whenever July 4th rolls around and they have hotdog eating contests, etc. They have celebrities now, known ONLY for stuffing their faces and not puking. This while a good 20% (at least) of the children in this country are classifiable as food-insecure.

And, yeah, why do the girl Happy Meal toys suck?

[vovat.livejournal.com]

Well, hey, I'm pretty sure poker is in the Olympics, and that's not a sport either, although it is a competitive game. As for competitive eating, I'd say sitting there and stuffing your face is kind of the opposite of an athletic competition. Now, some of the physical challenges from Double Dare involving food might count as sports. {g}

And, yeah, why do the girl Happy Meal toys suck?

I think the Wizard of Oz dolls were considered the girl's toy, even though I know some guys who got them. So I guess that doesn't always apply, but it often does.