Silly Memes

Indolent societies, like we are now blessed with, seem to skip merrily down the path to silly memes ... like powdered wigs or cod pieces. Modern society keeps inventing new looks or mores faster than the beautiful people can keep up with them. Here are some that have caught my eye of late:

- The stubble face: Men who are not clean shaven or bearded ... but in-between. Must be uncomfortable sleeping with ... and often resulting in an ingrown whisker. Ooh and ouch!

- Mr. Clean look: A shiny chrome dome ... must be a bear to maintain ... how does one shave the back of one's head? This look is often paired with the stubble face. Kinda pretentious, no?

- Cell-phone mania: How many times have you bumped into some inattentive person talking on their IPhone while striding down the street or a supermarket aisle? It seems that such behavior is supposed to indicate how very important and connected someone is ... even though they may just be talking to their dog walker.

- Over-puffed lips: Probably started with Hot Lips Houlihan on "MASH". Women (including Loretta Swit now) often have these collagen-enhanced smackers that are bumpy and misshapen ... anything but "hot" IMHO.

- Eating contests: It all started with Coney Island hot dogs on the Fourth of July... now blossoming into mile-high hamburgers, square-yard pizzas and unlimited buffalo chicken wings. Even the American Pickers challenged Mike to eat 8 dozen raw oysters for glutton's sake!

- "Look-at-me" behavior: Celebrities (Lady Gaga, Leo DiCaprio, Madonna, etc.) frantically trying to elbow their way into the news cycle with outrageous quotes or antics ... mostly obscenities or mindless lefty pap.

- Bubble butts: Kim Kardashian has made it fashionable to have a caboose looking like two huge balloons filled with cold cream. So glitterati plastic surgeons are cashing in on this neo-Hottentot look.