Within the business world, this squeamishness has long been the problem that has no name; marketing executives and consultants I spoke with were well aware of the issue but didn’t have the vocabulary to talk about it. Avery had to borrow from anthropology to find the term ‘gender contamination,’ which traces back to the kind of ancient cultural taboos that banished menstruating women to special huts for fear they’d pollute everyone else.
Pop Culture
Articles on trends, cultural moments, and strange corners of America.
“Who’s Sarah Palin?” Following the potential presidential candidate to the only spot in America where people don’t recognize her.
Of all the places where Sarah Palin—former governor of Alaska, former Republican vice-presidential nominee, possible presidential hopeful—might find a natural constituency, New York City’s Liberty Island is not one. “I’ve heard of Michael Palin,” he says.
Meet the Mormon brothers who make adorable ads about disgusting things (WaPo Mag)
Perhaps it takes people highly attuned to the fault lines of culture to know how far they can push things.
Shop Before the Drop: Splurging, pre–fiscal cliff
Natalie Decleve is a personal stylist with an hourly rate starting at $250. “I was with a client of mine at Barneys recently,” she says. The client, a finance guy, was refreshing his wardrobe to the tune of $19,000. The doings in Washington were his justification for the spree.
Glenn Beck, Denim Snob: Inside the Design Process for His New Jeans Line
When Glenn Beck launched his own line of jeans earlier this week, the conservative radio host talked on air about how “American” they were and released an ad thick with patriotic images. But Beck’s ideology and mania for brand extension alone do not explain the new venture. It turns out he’s just really into denim.