Cool is an aura, exuded by those who wield it. It is not only an aesthetic that can be captured, but a state of being, inherent to the thing that is cool. Lots of big words that Wikipedia sums up best as “an aesthetic of attitude, behavior, comportment, appearance, and style that is generally admired.” Wikipedia also makes clear that cool is entirely subjective in addition to being fluid. Cool is avant-garde. Cool is nonchalant and composed. Cool is interesting, and noticeable. Cool, for many, is a vibe that should be sought after. Cool though, is not a title that you can necessarily earn or hold on to. Times change, and you’re washed, if you try too hard, you’re not cool. You can’t call yourself cool, because that isn’t. Maybe you’ll never be cool, or at least not as cool as that one guy in vintage jeans, Chelsea boots, a Tommy Hilfiger oxford-collared shirt, sipping a black coffee. Not as cool as the girl in jorts, sambas, sunglasses, and a trendy top. And even as much as you try to emulate their look, you’ll never exude that aura. Because how! There’s no way to define or know, and hey, maybe you’re cool to another person with the same thoughts, also looking at you. Maybe you don’t care at all, making you the most cool. But the point is, this is really a rather silly topic to write about as it’s so fleeting and ethereal, non-material, yet it exists…

Cool, for me, bandwagoning others, is creating a sense of comfort or relaxation. One may find many TikToks that highlight fashion, architecture, and design, often luxuries that enrich our lives, and that we love to bathe in. I, for example, found the inspiration to write this article about a cool chair that I found. What I love about the idea of coolness is that many things are reactions to previously cool trends, and many exist simultaneously. The myriad of subcultures, past and present give people options to explore what they want, and take a keen interest in the things they think are cool, this mish-mash contributing to the diversity of community. Attached are some things I find cool…

There’s also controversy behind cool. Not only within some trends that may be inflammatory or spark up disputes (see Mods and Rockers of 1960’s England) in addition to sparking conflict by the generation of people who may not be cool, or rather, out of touch. Cool can oftentimes create insecurities within individuals, who don’t necessarily fit the mold. Not only that, but the history of cool too has been mixed with an analysis that it is African Americans, who seemingly dictate what cool is. Cool has often been urban, and jazzy, (jive?)  essences of Black culture in America. The music, fashion, language, and many other cultural traits have been tossed around, especially in the “mixing pot” that is the United States. Rock, many agreeing an at first Black form of music, was quickly appropriated by Elvis and others, somehow making it more appropriate to broader audiences. Today, I notice rap and hip-hop are widely listened to, many by white listeners, who oftentimes know all the lyrics to a song, or the genre being their most listened. This is obviously not to say that if you are white you shouldn’t listen to rap, but rather it is interesting to think about. Similarly, language, and the slang that has been adopted, spread especially quickly by the internet are traditionally words and phrases that appear in African American Vernacular English (AAVE). Many do find the glaring issues in these trends though, the adoption and appropriation of black culture without respect or regard for their history. 

Cool has also been spreading a lot more quickly. A recent trip to middle-of-nowhere southern Utah, in addition to interactions with old peers from rural Utah (Coalville and Oakley shout-out) made me realize this. I notice many share the same tastes as those from where trends are triggered and popularized, cultural hubs like New York or Los Angeles. Language too has also made it down there where it may not have maybe even 20-30 years ago. I guarantee that as long as someone has a TikTok account a person can wander up and strike up a conversation using the word rizz and the other party will understand when that historically wasn’t the case (kids in Southern Utah in the ’90s certainly weren’t throwing around “fab!”). Before the internet was widely popularized, trends likely took much longer to diffuse, often only being spread through radio, TV, or movies, so things didn’t move as quickly, and dialogue may have been controlled by the random media executive or screenwriter. No longer are middle-of-nowhere towns a “few years behind”, but they’re right up to pace with the rest of the world. Interesting too though is that now instead of the aforementioned traditional cultural hearths of this country, trends and “cool” ideas can spread from what used to be less relevant areas. Individuals from these places can also have their trends get adopted in reverse order, instead, diffusing it outward. Yes a pretty basic argument, globalization and all that, but it must be noted. On the one hand, it is awesome to be able to relate to and communicate with individuals from all over, on the other, maybe it does rid some places of cultural nuance and differences, although I’d argue that they still exist. Cool can still be found in Rap and Country, but now a kid in New York might listen to a country singer, and one in middle-of-nowhere Utah has a taste for rap. 

All this to say, cool is cool. This whole concept is really interesting and a funny facet of human behavior and interaction. Just like we look at dogs playing and say “how cute” maybe aliens watching us think the same about our trends, clothes, or actions. Maybe they’re terrified at what we do to each other as well, but that’s an article for another day.