Cool enough for target

by benstewart on 04/24/2009

I’ve spent a lot of time the past five years traveling with guys who play instruments on stage. That means I’m used to being the “uncool” one. I have accepted this role. I am married to a hottie who loves me and so I have no one I need to impress by being cool. I buy normal clothes from normal stores and I have a normal haircut.

The other day I was in Target with my lovely wife. While she was looking at jewelry and purses I decided to step over to the wall of sunglasses to find a new pair (mine are getting pretty scratched). I figured Target would be just the right mix of uncool, suburban, normalcy with a hint of trendy mixed in. Remembering how cool I thought my dad’s aviators were when I was a kid, these were the first pair I gravitated towards.

shades-crop

Obviously, I bought them. Now I feel like a poser every time I put them on… like I think I am cooler than I am. This is the same fear I had when I first got my iPhone. I was afraid people would think that I was trying to show off, or that I thought I was better or cooler than they were because I had it. So, let this be my public admittance that I know that I am not cool, but I thought I was cool enough for Target sunglasses.

Have you ever wanted to buy or wear something but been afraid people would think you were cocky or trying too hard to be cool?

There are 4 comments in this article:

  1. 04/24/2009Scott says:

    you’re cool enough for the shades… but not the soul patch… sorry. :)

  2. 04/25/2009Stephan says:

    Haven’t been thinking about that for a long time. Completly forgotten. I used to do this kind of thinking, like that I felt uncomfortable with my skateboard when I was younger. I can’t say when but I just stopped caring about it.

    But there are some interesting aspects. “Being cool” is just a concept. To be precisely a rather stupid one. What’s cool and what isn’t just depends on the social context – in a classroom filled with 20 people you could have 20 different definitions of what’s cool. That means that everyone you could judge you as “just trying to be cool” and similar stuff can’t have a real sophisticated opinion. Shorter – every judgement in that direction can’t be one worth caring about.

    You could also think about what it says about you when you care about that kinda stuff ;o) – so it’s better to just have fun with your glasses and don’t care what anyone thinks about it :)

    greetings

  3. 04/27/2009benstewart says:

    @Scott – Thanks. :)

    @Stephen – Good words. I totally agree. I got over the whole iPhone thing pretty quickly so I’m sure I’ll get over the sunglasses soon and just not care about what others think.

    Besides, I try not to act “cool” or better than others so anyone who judges me that way is really doing so out of something inside of them rather than behavior that I am demonstrating. That means, essentially, that it’s their problem and not mine.

  4. 05/14/2009Geron says:

    Your one of the most unshowoffy people i know.

    we need to get together soon. tell the hottie i said hi