I used to believe that the way to become cool was through fashion: listening to a particular type of music, wearing a particular clothing brand.
In fact, I had it completely backwards: the music type and the clothing brand were popular because the cool kids were into it. The music type and the clothing brand were not cool in themselves; they were not artifacts bestowing coolness upon you.
It only takes a few of the coolest kids to get tired of listening to Slipknot or wearing slim jeans, and in a few weeks Slipknot and slim jeans aren't cool anymore. Ugly and non-NT teens are condemned to always be imitators and laggards, never understanding the true source of fashion.
I would never have imagined that one day, for instance, Patagonia vests would be cool in middle-class high schools. When I was younger, Patagonia or the North Face would have got you laughed out of the room. But because 2018 Chads like Patagonia, now everyone must like Patagonia.
In fact, I had it completely backwards: the music type and the clothing brand were popular because the cool kids were into it. The music type and the clothing brand were not cool in themselves; they were not artifacts bestowing coolness upon you.
It only takes a few of the coolest kids to get tired of listening to Slipknot or wearing slim jeans, and in a few weeks Slipknot and slim jeans aren't cool anymore. Ugly and non-NT teens are condemned to always be imitators and laggards, never understanding the true source of fashion.
I would never have imagined that one day, for instance, Patagonia vests would be cool in middle-class high schools. When I was younger, Patagonia or the North Face would have got you laughed out of the room. But because 2018 Chads like Patagonia, now everyone must like Patagonia.
