Some cultural perspective.

Ray-ban wayfarers. Doc Martens. Plastic rhinestone bangles. Wheatgrass shots. Escalades.


Sounds as if that's a big mish-mash of random objects?


Think again.



For all five of these things - and many more time does not permit me to list - thinking of each of them conjures up a relation to a certain group, a certain style, a certain culture. Be it health-crazy (wheatgrass), indie (Docs),  or any other group, they all find popularity in specific circles. Every man-made culture (think goths, free spirits, jocks and surfers to name a few more) has these badges of honor, the things that become stereotypical of anyone who chooses to associate with them.


The interesting thing about this phenomenon is that most of these groups were formed in order to break away from the mainstream. Who wants to go along with something just because the majority of the population is a fan? A new style can be created, and in doing so, the mainstream is shunned. Pushed away. Frowned upon.


However, so many people now who claim to want "out of the mainstream" and exhibit this by latching on to this bevy of existing countercultures are simply finding another way to be mainstream. According to Dictonary.com, "mainstream" is defined as belonging to or characteristic of a principal, dominant, or widely accepted group, movement, style, etc.


Perhaps these thousands who flock to follow FashionToast or devote their lives to becoming an indie music expert aren't ditching the mainstream. In fact, they're flourishing in it - just a different aspect of it. Simply because they shun what most think to be the ultimate stereotype of their age, gender or anything else, does not mean they shun mainstream ideas altogether. What began as a badge of honor, the courage to join a different vein than the multitudes, still carries a sense of courage to do so. However, in no way does following the cues of the Hot Topic stylists make you unique in and of itself. 


I'm not attempting to put down any of the groups or things mentioned above, or even cast them in a negative light. I'm not even asserting that mainstream ideas are bad. My opinion of you won't change if you love Starbucks or only drink home-grown organic coffee beans. All I'm trying to say is that the anti-mainstream perspective has become so mainstream, that this idea is turned on its head. The "counter-culturalists" have found such support in their push against the mainstream that their values have ultimately created a new group altogether.


In the long run, whichever idea you choose to flourish in makes little difference. It's simply the motivating forces behind it, and the connotations of these different cultures, that may deserve a little tweaking now and again.