status symbols

there's this new kind of cool out there....

a new-age trendiness that has a very specific calling card:

the scarf

You know the one I mean, worn at all times, like a neck-brace or other medical device. Sometimes I become confused about scarf's purpose, and wonder if the wearer's head will become dislodged from their neck if it is unintentionally removed.

Nevertheless it is an accessory for every-season, (hot summer days included), every occasion and the stylish hallmark of the uber-trendy. In fact I OFTEN say (to Robin, who laughs, because she is the only one who gets my jokes), that if you want to know who the coolest person in the room is, they're the one with the scarf.

Now, I have no hate-on for scarves, I wear scarves myself. I love that they keep my neck warm, make my black winter coat a little less drab and if worn long and loosely-wrapped, even hide my post-baby flab... so my growing-suspicion about the Scarf's new-found status has nothing to do with the Scarf itself. I love me a good long strip of knitted yarn.

But the scarf has started to become a symbol for something else lately, if even in my own mind. I see the wearer and think... ahhh I know you. (Sometimes I even am you, embarrassingly).

scarf wearers:
do yoga - hot/power/ashtanga or whatever the yoga-du-jour is
shop at lululemon (duh)
listen to the musical equivalent of "chick-lit" on your IPOD (or at the very least indie adult-contemporary).
own every Apple product known to man
have an SLR (to document your coolness for generations to come)
blog to showcase your "art" and profound thoughts on life (ahem)
are a coffee/tea aficionado loving Starbucks and neighbourhood coffee houses alike
have an abode right out of the pages of Canadian House and Home (thanks to your design hobby)
where you live with your artfully disheveled soulmate
eco-conscious and committed to reducing your carbon footprint
endlessly optimistic
yet deeply introspective
possibly vegetarian
definitely organic

I could go on, but my scarf and I are in need of a $4 latte.