California Stereotypes

Before I moved in to California last year, I had lots of labels on Californians. All movies which are filmed in California deliver the image of luxurious lifestyle, beaches, surfers and parties. The term California Dream was born in 1848 when gold nuggets are discovered in the Sacramento Valley. And whoever moves in to California became a rich man. Ever since, California has been called as the Golden State. For the same reason, people around me have been stereotyping California as a state of humanistic lifestyle.

I've written a poem about California Dream on my other blog. It describes how people from out of town visit California with their expectations. The girl in this poem certainly has a knowledge on how Californians dress up, as she came to LAX in her short jeans. And the fact that she has known about Beverly Hills and the Hollywood sign, tells us that people from out of town have been talking about California all around.

Oh... Did I forget California's most famous nickname?
It's the OC (Orange County). This is because California bears lots and lots of oranges and avocados. I have no idea why it's called Orange County instead of Avocado County. I'm disappointed. I really do prefer Avocados. :(

Back on track, the most appropriate example is Katy Perry's California Gurls. The lyrics match perfectly with the stereotypes mentioned before:

"You could travel the world, 

But nothin' comes close, 

To the golden co-oast.

Once you party with u-us, 

You'll be fallin' in love!" - California Gurls 

There are so much more songs describing how California is like. Check them out in the link below!

I personally like California by Phantom Planet. It somehow sounds so California.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_songs_about_California

Moreover, other common stereotypical words are: surfers, flip-flops, shirtless, jeeps, long hair, weed, drugs, downtowns and gays. I believe that these stereotypes are true. However, not everybody in California agree with these descriptions. Remember that the Orange County is more than just SF and LA. There are also Palo Alto, Sacramento, Napa Valley, Silicon Valley and other cities that deny these stereotypes.

To end, watch this super interesting video made by Mikey O'Brien regarding California stereotypes.

Cheerio!

Alice