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The Globe forces me to say something good about the Improper Bostonian
By adamg on Thu, 11/02/2006 - 10:33pm
It's not just that the Globe dedicated FIFTEEN reporters, photographers and editors to its list of the 25 most allegedly stylish people in Boston. Or that it was spread over six pages (with four pages of non-stylish reviews weirdly stuck in the middle). Or that they somehow decided that city Councilor Michael Ross is more dapper than city Councilor John Tobin. No, what really got me about the whole thing was the intro (print only):
Consider this list firm proof that you are living in a new Boston. Publications in this city have forever pelted readers with lists such as "The 18 Best Places to Eat Crepes Suzette al Fresco" or "The City's Sexiest Podiatrists," but this is a list you've never seen.
Oh, where to begin?
A new Boston? The new Boston is "minority majority;" at least 51% of the residents of the city of Boston are not white. Of the 25 people on this list, 17 are white, three are black, three are Asian and two are Hispanic.
But, and this is the part that kills me: You have all these reporters and editors at a Pulitzer-winning newspaper collaborating on this thing and none of them thinks to do any fact checking? You know, two minutes with Google would have helped you avoid the embarrassment of having to retract your claim of being the first to ever think up such a brilliant concept. See, a year ago, Boston Magazine printed its own Fab 40 list of "the most stylish, sexy and dynamic Bostonians" (the cover). That's the same month the Improper Bostonian came out with its own list of Boston's 10 most stylish people. Gad, beaten by the Improper Bostonian!
At mAss Backwards, Bruce snarks several of the entries.
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Comments
Not only was the Globe not
Not only was the Globe not the first to think up this concept, but they resorted to (with a few exceptions) naming sports figures, musicians, and retail workers as "most stylish." I'm sure that finding Globe advertisers and local celebrities took a -lot- of investigative reporting. Hours, even.
A new Boston?
I could've sworn we were living in an old Boston, but maybe that's because I walk to work through the Common where the open-air drug deals and seediness of late really take you back. So nice that 80s nostalgia isn't limitied to fashions and music, but I'm sure Boston's most stylish 25 already knew that.
Maybe the retro-look folks hanging around the corner of Tremont and Boylston are actually trendsetters waiting for the Globe's cameras to come?
You sure those aren't Emerson students?
.
I recently took a group of
I recently took a group of those students onto the Common for an exercise in descriptive writing. They were all new to the city, only a few days into college, and I thought it would be interesting for them. And was it: On the path next to the rotunda, we watched two men exchange what was literally (and obviously) a big bag full of cash for what was equally obviously a big bag full of smaller plastic bags.
The scene was very well described, though.
(Also, I'm not claiming that people hanging around are criminals. There's been a marked increase in the number of people hanging around all day, and in the amount of visible crime on the Common, but I can't speak to any explicit connection between the two trends.)
Working in my post now
I saw my wife clicking through the pics last night. Bigtime WTF? moment. Will have my critique up soon.
Kilt!
Bruce, your post should definitely mention the noticable absence of kilts.
Ooh, we could do a "most stylish bloggers" feature!
http://1smootshort.blogspot.com
Yep, pretty homogeneous
The people are also all considerably thinner than the average American. Granted they at least don't all look like runway models (ew), but they could have included some larger stylish people and some people who are well above and well below average height. It takes more talent to look stylish when you're not in the size range of the mannequin.
Even the styles fall within a pretty narrow range. The styles are all pretty mainstream. While they aren't gag-me-boring-cookie-cutter, they're all very gender-normative, not too funky, nothing that might raise any eyebrows.
http://1smootshort.blogspot.com
Depends on the neighborhood
not too funky, nothing that might raise any eyebrows.
I dunno - somebody walking down our street in a garter would raise an eyebrow or two. Then again, somebody walking down our street in a tie would raise an eyebrow or two as well.
Wow I'm glad I'm not the
Wow I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks this list is full of shit.
When we read the list my brother an I could hardly breath we were laughing so hard.
I thought the short woman who owned the boutique was a good fit. I think I recall seeing her on Chronicle once.
The best was that thing that looked like Johnny Depp in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I mean really, what the hell was that.
Oh and I guess all you have to do as a man in Boston to be stylish is buy really expensive siuts?