Upcoming Trends, Slang, Pop Culture, Etc

[methodwriter85]

Really? Because I have. I realize I hang out with a slightly younger crowd, and live in a beach neighborhood, but I wouldn't have thought you'd miss them entirely.

 

     I live near a college town, which is the perpetual land of 20-year olds, and I'm at Firefly Music Festival every year, which is also the land of perpetual 20-year olds (who come from all over, not just Delaware), and I've seen this look a lot.

 

     I do think the hat he's wearing in the picture is more 2007-2009, but other than that I'd say he's largely reflective of a lot of trends I've seen going around this decade. Especially the striped tank top, rolled up tight jean shorts, and the tattoos. It's not a frat boy look, but more of that "I'm hip and cool and different although a lot of other people dress this way" look. He'd probably have a fixed gear bicycle somewhere.

 

      I get the point about the O.C., although it's kind of shame. You missed a lot of great music. The O.C. had one of the greatest music soundtracks, and luckily, it came out right when t.v. shows started negotiating for DVD music rights, so the soundtrack hasn't been gutted like the previous teen greats, Dawson's Creek and Beverly Hills 90210 (Private Tim's generation!) were.

[PrivateTim]

Really? Because I have. I realize I hang out with a slightly younger crowd, and live in a beach neighborhood, but I wouldn't have thought you'd miss them entirely.

 

And your friends would laugh someone out of someplace for the simple crime of wearing something pretty unoffensive? You must hang out with a lot of assholes.

 

Can't say I knew much about "The OC." TV was, and is, something to be endured rather than enjoyed, so it is entirely possible I checked out on conversations related to the show without noticing them. But other than seeing ads for it, I can't remember anyone really talking about it. As Tim alluded to, when the OC isn't some foreign land, but instead just down the street, some of the glamour is lost.

 

Oh hun, there is nothing inoffesive about rolled up denim shorts, a tank top when you aren't built and ugly European sandals.

 

We only laugh behind their backs of course so they don't know we are assholes, but the affected lifestyle and dress of the "hipsters" is what we laugh at more than the actual clothes, but when you see the complete package it does become an object of derision, especially if they are drinking PBR and pretending it is a decent beer. The very pretentiousness of dinking a non-pretentious beer so you can be cool because you are so non-pretentious is a tough loop to get your mind stuck in.

 

In the beach town I live in men's sandals never have back straps unless you are going surfing someplace to requires a walk down the cliffs, then you bust out the Reefs you use in Baja.

[methodwriter85]

There's a thread in the Lounge about the current beard craze.

 

 The whole thing is funny to me, because I grew up during the Metrosexual Era, so seeing once-preppy frat guys and such wearing beards and stubble is pretty funny. I do think it can be hot on the right guy, and in the right moderation.

 

Who of our CAP characters can you see rocking the beard thing when it starts to come in during the late 2000's/early 2010's? I'd say Will, Matt, and Zach. If we see them again, Jeff, Ryan, and Tony would probably rock beards. Definitely "Scott Slater", if he's not wearing one already. John would try, but can't grow anything better than a patchy beard. Wade and JJ, absolutely not. JP, maybe. Stefan, probably not because the maintenance to die the beard to blond would be too much. I think Marcel and Lou would stick to the metrosexual thing. Not sure about Cody.

 

The beard thing can pretty fucking hot on the right guy and in the right moderation. Exhibit A: Colin O'Donogue as Captain Hook:

 

 

I think beards are best on guys with long faces and thin-upper lips.

Edited February 8, 2015 by methodwriter85

[PrivateTim]

Only Tony, because only douche bags do that trendy beard thing.

[methodwriter85]

Only Tony, because only douche bags do that trendy beard thing.

 

 

So how long have you been wearing yours? ;-)

 

Kidding. I've always pictured you as a well-kept, well-groomed preppy dude, who looks like he stepped out of some J. Crew catalog and was president of his fraternity back in the 90's. Right down to blond hair with a perfect side part.

 

I do think a minimum, Will would do the scruffy look. That seems very him. I don't think it would be sculpted crazy like some guys are doing, but I do see him rocking stubble like 70 percent of young guys I'm seeing right now. Not really because it's trendy, but because again, it'd be very him and I think as the result of it being trendy and acceptable he wouldn't be pressured to be clean-shaven, the way he would have been back in the early/mid-'00s at the height of the Metrosexual Craze.

 

He'd probably also have a tattoo, but as Mark said, not somewhere easily visible. Probably somewhere on his pec.

 

I'm actually surprised you even admitted that beards ARE trendy now. I thought you'd say, "I don't know about your neck of the woods in Delaware, but over here in California there is no beard craze." Then I'd say, "Well, that thread was started by a guy from San Diego", and you'd go, "Hun, San Diego doesn't count." Or something.

 

Also, aren't most guys in their 20's total douchebags in one way or another? It's why I'm looking forward to 30-something...guys hopefully get less douchey at that age.

 

Don't they?

Edited February 10, 2015 by methodwriter85

[TetRefine]

Also, aren't most guys in their 20's total douchebags in one way or another? It's why I'm looking forward to 30-something...guys hopefully get less douchey at that age.

 

Don't they?

 

We aren't douchey. So many people mistake the "we wanna live while we're young and don't wanna settle down" attitude for douchiness and immaturity. 

[PrivateTim]

 

 

 

I think beards are best on guys with long faces and thin-upper lips.

 

Dude, it ain't even a beard. Here is how beards look.

 

 

 

[methodwriter85]

When a guy looks like Colin O'Donogue, I don't really give a fuck if his facial hair can be classified as a beard or stubble. Lol.

 

God, Irish men with dark hair and bright blue eyes...never fail to be hot.

Edited February 13, 2015 by methodwriter85

[methodwriter85]

I don't personally get it, but I can totally see JJ getting into the whole Benedict Cumberbatch thing:

 

A Brief Guide to Benedict Cumberbatch Hysteria

 

JJ likes his guys (and probably women) to seem posh and refined. I can totally see JJ getting into it.

 

It's still pretty funny that such a weird-looking guy is a sex symbol, but then eh...whatever floats your boat, Cumberbitches. There's actually a teenage boy who got all these Chinese Followers on social media just for looking like him.

 

I also think JJ will be an early adopter of skinny jeans sometime around 2005-2006 (They seemed to go mainstream around 2007-2008.)  He's not going to go near the hipster look, though.That's probably going to be for Marie.

Edited March 1, 2015 by methodwriter85

[methodwriter85]

No I don't think it'll hit 2M people again, at least any time soon. I bet it'll even out at around 1.65-1.7M in 20 years or so. I think thats a good estimate, and I think the people moving in will be wealthier and far less trashy then what populates a lot of the city right now. 

 

 

Philadelphia magazine just wrote an article about what they're calling Philly's New Boom:

 

Philadelphia New Boom

 

It really is exciting to see all the changes that are happening. I'll be interested in seeing whether or not they can FINALLY make the Gallery at Market East more than just a 1980's food court and a handful of discount stores.

 

I also think it's pretty cool they want to add Times Square-like advertising to certain parts of town. Pretty cool.

 

Finally...Kensington as a neighborhood everyone wants to move to. Man, that'll be interesting if that actually happens, because I still hear Kensington and think, "Crack epidemic."

Edited March 4, 2015 by methodwriter85

[TetRefine]

Philadelphia magazine just wrote an article about what they're calling Philly's New Boom:

 

Philadelphia New Boom

 

It really is exciting to see all the changes that are happening. I'll be interested in seeing whether or not they can FINALLY make the Gallery at Market East more than just a 1980's food court and a handful of discount stores.

 

I also think it's pretty cool they want to add Times Square-like advertising to certain parts of town. Pretty cool.

 

Finally...Kensington as a neighborhood everyone wants to move to. Man, that'll be interesting if that actually happens, because I still hear Kensington and think, "Crack epidemic."

 

Yeah I saw that article the other day. It really is amazing how fast this city has changed since I came down around 2010. Everywhere you look there is new luxury apartment construction, office building construction, and restaurants opening everywhere, especially in University City. 

 

The Gallery is a total dump and it's almost depressing to walk through there. I've only been there once or twice and it just has a cheap and ghetto feel to it. All the stores are discount crap retail and the people who frequent that place are just trashy for the most part. It'll be interesting to see what they can do to it when it reopens in 9 months.

 

And as for Kensington, your view is very outdated (but not uncommon). Kensington is to Philadelphia what Harlem was to New York circa 1970s-80s. Its true that back in the day Kensington was a drug-plagued and crime ridden neighborhood, but as the city has gentrified it has benefited from it's proximity to Fishtown and Northern Liberties, two of the fastest gentrifying neighborhoods in the city. It also has good subway access since the El runs right up and down Kensington Ave. I was actually up in Kensington a couple months ago and had to walk back to the El late at night, and while it wasn't the prettiest neighborhood in the world I certainly didn't feel unsafe. 

Edited March 5, 2015 by TetRefine

[methodwriter85]

Dude, it ain't even a beard. Here is how beards look.

 

 

 

 

There's this MLB prospect for the Blue Jays, Daniel Norris, who likes to rock a lumbersexual beard during the off-season:

 

 

 

 

Pretty impressive beard for a 21-year old. It even got a Twitter account.

 

 

I usually tend to prefer guys with just stubble as opposed to a full-on bushy beard, but this guy rocks the hell out of it.

Edited March 7, 2015 by methodwriter85

[methodwriter85]

I'm watching the t.v. film adaption of Seeds of Yesterday. All of the Dollanger family incest makes me think of the Hayes family.

 

I wonder if there are any actual incest babies from the Hayes? (Well, JJ is the resident incest baby right now, but I figure there had to be some from the Hayes famly.)

Edited April 13, 2015 by methodwriter85

[methodwriter85]

The stuff about the mini-Lizzie McGuire reunion made me remember that in 2003 to 2005-ish there's gonna to be a glut of Hilary Duff. I still remember this girl going off about this huge Hilary Duff "Got Milk?" ad that hung in our cafeteria back then.

 

I found her really annoying back then and I preferred Lindsay Lohan and Amanda Bynes...man, I bet on the WRONG horse there. LOL. I did always think Hilary had a major case of bitchface, but she seems to have turned out alright. I just found it creepy how much make-up they put on her and how much they were trying to push her as a sex symbol, similar to Bella Thorne now.

 

I think most straight teenaged guys I knew back in 2003 wanted to marry Hilary Duff, LOL.  

Edited April 29, 2015 by methodwriter85

[methodwriter85]

So, it's now 2003 in CAP-land.

 

I'd love to see references to:

 

- Freedom fries...it wasn't that widespread here, but I remember one short-lived restaurant in Slower Lower Delaware (which is much more conservative than Northern Delaware) sold freedom fries.

 

- Queer Eye for the Straight Guy...I think the show did a lot for integrating gay men into mainstream American society. It was a "gay show" that jocky young guys could admit to watching. It's kind of funny when you think the meterosexual look the show espoused is COMPLETELY out-of-style now, and scruffy beards and plaid are sexy again.

 

- The O.C. I wanted to be Adam Brody so badly. One of the best-looking high school nerds I've ever seen. LOL. Anyway, "Welcome to the O.C., bitch!" Immortal line.

 

- The Dixie Chicks Piss Off Dubya Fans, I.E. Almost their entire American fanbase. I kind of wonder what the mid/late 2000's country music landscape would have looked like if the Dixie Chicks had remained popular with that fanbase and had not been turned into outcasts. I feel like it's kind of a shame that blue grass is REALLY popular right now and they're kinda nowhere in sight.

 

- The New York City Blackout...apparently, it turned into a big drunk fun night because bars couldn't keep their liquor cool.

 

In any event, in my opinion, 2003 is when things really stopped feeling and looking like the late 90's.

Edited May 8, 2015 by methodwriter85

[methodwriter85]

So we're now in 2003...check out this Top 100 Billboard Countdown for 2003:

 

 

2003 was a REALLY hip-hop/R&B-heavy year.

 

Luckily there was a lot of great indie rock/pop coming out that same year.

 

However, I'm looking forward to using "Get Busy" by Sean and "Get Low" by Lil' Jon.

 

Crunk n b was pretty fun.

Edited May 16, 2015 by methodwriter85

[methodwriter85]

This is way ahead in the future, but Mark, did you read the New York Times article about the Amazon workplace? I wrote a blog about it, and I really wanted your thoughts on it, as a guy who left corporate America big money to be a professor instead.

 

My feeling reading the article was that it was a lot like The Wolf of Wall Street, but minus the drugs and the depravity. Like a clean-cut version of business-obsessed sociopaths.

 

Anyway, the recent explosion of Amazon has been interesting. It's always been there, but it hasn't really become so pervasive until recent years. I kind of wish they were in Philly- they could use those jobs! All we are getting around this area are the warehouse jobs.

Edited August 24, 2015 by methodwriter85

[methodwriter85]

I saw this and found it to be pretty funny:

 

 

Although to be honest, I thought the same thing about skinny jeans on men when they first started to be trendy circa 2008, and they're still in full-force. The lumbersexual look could be with us for a long, long time. The look is basically very related to hipsters, I think, and hipsters don't seem to be going anywhere.

 

I think the only CAP character I can see rocking the lumbersexual look would probably be Cole, Matt's straight best friend from college.

 

But in any event, I feel like I've seen a million variations of a same general look this decade:

 

1.) Some kind of beard- from scruffy to a huge, bushy one...bonus points if there's a mustache sculpted with wax.

 

2.) Buzzcut on the sides, with hair long and slicked back on the top. OR, buzzcut on the sides, with the hair parted to the side...sometimes even the part is buzzed in.

 

3.) Tattoos, preferably like a sleeve or like some kind of chest necklace.

 

4.) V-neck shirt worn under a tight, fitted flannel shirt.

 

5) Boots, shown off by the wearer cuffing their jeans.

 

I hate to sound like such an old geezer but I long for the simple days of guys wearing plain white tank tops with cargo shorts, or cute pastel polo shirts and color-cordinated flip-flops.

Edited September 17, 2015 by methodwriter85

[TetRefine]

The lumber-sexual look in gay world is another attempt at exerting masculinity and "manliness" so as not to look "too gay". Its the same concept behind why gay men obsessively go to the gym and use the term "straight acting". Yet no amount of muscle or beard or chest hair can make you "straight acting" when your voice is that of a 12 year old girl and your taking a dick up your behind. It's a vain attempt and isn't fooling anyone.

 

I hope it dies out quickly. 

[Krista]

Lumber-sexual isn't just a gay trend though it is a direct contrast to the ever popular Metro-Sexual or men that are too clean cut and "perfectly sculpted." It isn't a way for gay men to "hide behind their beards" in hopes of not having to confront their obvious homosexuality.

Edited September 17, 2015 by Krista

[methodwriter85]

All the cute young preppy college guys are wearing Vineyard Vines now. It's hitting hard, at least in the Mid-Atlantic. I wonder if it's hitting the South, too?

 

 

I just think it's hilarious that even though I'm 5 years out of college, I still see guys wearing the same basic shit whenever I walk around campus- loafers, chino shorts in various colors, and either some preppy logo shirt or button-down.

 

There are a lot more buzzcuts, facial hair, tats, and colored tank tops now, though. But the same preppy frat boy look never really seems to change- only the logo on the shirt. I remember for awhile Lacoste had a MAJOR comeback when I was 20-ish.

Edited September 21, 2015 by methodwriter85

[impunity]

It's in Atlanta. At least, a store is. I haven't actually seen anyone wearing it.

[methodwriter85]

So,here  in the mid-2010's, here are some new terms I've heard...

 

Budget- The new way to say Poor Man's (blank).  Poor Man's Ryan Gosling becomes Budget Ryan Gosling. Or Scott Eastwood in Taylor Swift's becomes Budget Chris Evans. Etc etc.

 

Fuckboy- The new version of douchebag. (This one I had to google.)

 

Hyped- It's being used as another way to say excited. That actually is getting thrown around a lot by current teenagers.

 

It's always cool to see how language kind of evolves and changes.

[methodwriter85]

Mark, it's late 2003 now. We should be seeing trucker hats and Uggs now:

 

 

 

The important thing to remember about the trucker hats is that they weren't usually worn backwards, like baseball caps. You might see it tipped to the side, but for the most part, they were worn facing forward.

 

I can see JJ being willing to wear male Uggs. I didn't see guys wearing them until 2005, but as Private Tim likes to point out, I'm from the DL, not the OC.

Edited January 23, 2016 by methodwriter85

[methodwriter85]

I'm posting this picture I found on Reddit, because I laughed at how this former emo kid is basically cringing at how he dressed at 16, without realizing that he's still following a very prevalent trend in his 20's:

 

 

Emo boys should be showing up at this point, but we really hit the peak emo thing circa 2005-2006, which contrasted against the Retro 80's preppie look that other guys were doing.

 

I like to picture Stefan and JJ reacting in horror when they see one of these creatures.

 

As for the current stuff...I'm kind of getting sick of the scraggly beard and buzzcut look right now, but what can you do? I find myself longing for the days of sideswept surfer boy Zac Efron hair that I was never, ever able to do.