Friday, July 4, 2008

millennials wanna be on top

Chances are if your mother, neighbor, cousin, cousin's drunk social worker, creepy guy down the hall, or any other random stranger tells you that you should be a model, you really have no qualifications for that position. Maybe even less than zero qualifications. Models are not normal people and more often than not come from far away, moderately impoverished countries. Models are not really DISCOVERED on television competition shows or myspace or facebook or any other marketing tool that wants you to funnel your money and time into this generations pipe dream of micro-fame. In true American style, we import our fashion models for what could be termed as one of the most consumable industries. We love our Dutch, and Slavic models so much that there is a push to change the classification of their work visas so that more of these doe-eyed 15 year olds can live in cramped apartments and hope for a lucrative cosmetics campaign. Even our own citizens hope that minimal effort will result their tiny star being launched into orbit shortly before they burn out or implode on themselves.
CNN gives Gramps a good run-down of exactly what micro-fame is and how it relates to the increasingly delusional millennial belief that everyone can be a star, you just have to convince others of your importance instead of actually cultivating marketable skills. So, these individuals lope along with their Warhol screen print tote bags purchased from Urban Outfitters, unaware that they are a walking mind fuck for anyone who can read something outside of image tags and friend requests. Maybe they listened a little too hard when their boomer generation parents told them that they can be whatever they set their mind to and that no one can hold them back from their true dreams of pop notoriety. How will our already crippled economy fare with the upcoming working class, dreaming that they can 'just do it' and that no one understands their true vision to be a multi-bajilionaire athlete, designer, musician, model, whatever? Epic fail for all involved is the most likely outcome. That is unless your life goal is to exploit the micro-fame delusions of American youth, perhaps with a tv show called 'I love Money', that's a better cash cow.

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