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You might not be able to generalize downtown Toronto. Remembering my own high school days in Toronto, kids from Lawrence Park CI and North Toronto CI dressed a lot differently than did kids from Central Tech and Castle Frank.
That's a good point Chevy - not to mention the fact that in 2015 the Greater Toronto urbanized area which isn't too far shy of the population of Quebec Province itself is almost 50 percent foreign born with many vis mins. I think its becoming increasingly difficult to just divide Canada by French Canadian and Anglo Canadian anymore and that will become even more so as time goes by. As I said, things change and so is Canada changing.
Yeah but how long ago were you in H.S? Things change.. Besides - you can't even generalize southern Ontario - dress is going to be different in Barrie than it would be in Dt Toronto...
I realize there are - and were, at the time I was in high school - differences in style between someone in DT Toronto and someone else in my hometown of Hamilton. I'm a pretty smart girl.
But Toronto is, and always has been, more culturally conservative than Montreal, and its style and vibe reflect that. Even with the huge influx of immigrants in the GTA in the last couple of decades, that remains true. Toronto is corporate. Montreal is urbane. Toronto is the earnest, status-conscious middle manager, while Montreal is the free-spirited, eccentric flower child. One's an ambitious young executive; the other's a hedonistic Bohemian.
I realize there are - and were, at the time I was in high school - differences in style between someone in DT Toronto and someone else in my hometown of Hamilton. I'm a pretty smart girl.
But Toronto is, and always has been, more culturally conservative than Montreal, and its style and vibe reflect that. Even with the huge influx of immigrants in the GTA in the last couple of decades, that remains true. Toronto is corporate. Montreal is urbane. Toronto is the earnest, status-conscious middle manager, while Montreal is the free-spirited, eccentric flower child. One's an ambitious young executive; the other's a hedonistic Bohemian.
In any event I think these generalizations like that one city is a status-conscious middle manager and the other is a free-spirited flower child, one is an ambitious young executive and the other is a hedonistic bohemian far far far too generalized, neat and tidy stereotypes that try to personify millions of people in either place into a nice little wrapped box with a one sentence descriptive whether it is accurate or not. Sorry NDG - I get the need for some to come to these generalized conclusions because it is just easier for humans to sort of compartmentalize things but the truth is far more blurred than that.. You will find elements in any of your stereotypes in both cities and many others in the diverse expression of humanity in Toronto and Montreal..
I have posted a lot of pics in the Toronto section of these forums including of the many different types of people that live in the city and you will see there are elements of middle manager, elements of hipster, elements of bohemian, elements of poverty and many other elements of humanity in those pages - I suggest you flip through them (goes from 5 - 13 - ignore comments just look at pics)... It may just flip neat and tidy characterizations on their head. The pics will certainly dispel any myth that Toronto is just middle manager and not urbane or bohemian.
Fusion. Of course I'm generalizing. I didn't suggest that I speak for the entire populations of either city. There are very stylish, well-dressed people in Toronto, and there are slobs in Montreal. I have no doubt of there being tightly - wound control freaks in Montreal, and I'd confidently bet there are Bohemians in Toronto.
My post was a BIG generalization in which I deliberately made use of major stereotypes, because it was only half serious. That's why I inserted the laughy face. You're taking this too seriously, I'm afraid.
If you're interested in reading the essay, though, I fixed the link in another post above.
Last edited by newdixiegirl; 07-03-2015 at 06:38 PM..
Fusion. Of course I'm generalizing. I didn't suggest that I speak for the entire populations of either city. There are very stylish, well-dressed people in Toronto, and there are slobs in Montreal. I have no doubt of there being tightly - wound control freaks in Montreal, any more than I doubt there are Bohemians in Toronto.
My post was a BIG generalization in which I deliberately made use of major stereotypes, because it was only half serious. That's why I inserted the laughy face. You're taking this too seriously, I'm afraid.
If you're interested in reading the essay, though, I fixed the link in another post above.
I'll read the essay and you look at the pics lol... - I put some REAL doozies in there where those people couldn't give a damn about what others think of their fashion sense.. Gosh NDG - just walk from Yonge and Bloor South to Queen and than west on Queen as far as you can go - real fashion doozies I tell ya.. Try it when you're here next time!
I'm seeing these words getting tossed around a lot - fashionable, stylish, best dressed, exceptionally well groomed, sexy. What I'm hearing is very high maintenance people with airs throwing money at their narcissism and/or indulging other high maintenance narcissistic people and trying to keep up with the high maintenance Smiths and Jonses.
Not the most redeeming of character traits in my opinion if that's so important to them or to the people making such observations about them. I sure hope that French Canadians living in Montreal aren't all really like that because if they are I'd say they have some problems.
Is it possible that the people making these observations about them are just looking at them from a wishful, exotic point of view and not really describing the real thing?
Not the same thing of course, considering different location, but all of the French Canadians I've met were those that lived or were visiting here on the west coast and they all looked and behaved pretty ordinary. None of them were putting on airs or dressing high maintenance so I'd never have been able to tell them apart from other ordinarily dressed people.
I'm seeing these words getting tossed around a lot - fashionable, stylish, best dressed, exceptionally well groomed, sexy. What I'm hearing is very high maintenance people with airs throwing money at their narcissism and/or indulging other high maintenance narcissistic people and trying to keep up with the high maintenance Smiths and Jonses.
Not the most redeeming of character traits in my opinion if that's so important to them or to the people making such observations about them. I sure hope that French Canadians living in Montreal aren't all really like that because if they are I'd say they have some problems.
Is it possible that the people making these observations about them are just looking at them from a wishful, exotic point of view and not really describing the real thing?
Not the same thing of course, considering different location, but all of the French Canadians I've met were those that lived or were visiting here on the west coast and they all looked and behaved pretty ordinary. None of them were putting on airs or dressing high maintenance so I'd never have been able to tell them apart from other ordinarily dressed people.
.
Let me ask you this: Do you see any difference, collectively, between people in Vancouver and people in Toronto? Or are they culturally identical?
Of course not ALL Montrealers/Quebecers are - I'm sorry, but I'm gonna use the word again - stylish. As AJ says, chunks of them aren't. But visit the city or live there for any length of time, and one can't help but notice an unquestionable difference. I'm not sure why that's so difficult to believe or accept.
And I definitely don't understand a need to disparage people who like to look a little stylish, and to dismiss them as "putting on airs." Talk about Puritanical. If caring for one's appearance automatically means one is "narcissistic," then huge numbers of women and men outside of NA are narcissists.
FWIW, there is a big difference between taking care of one's appearance and being "high maintenance." Lots of women, for example, who take care of themselves wear minimal or no makeup (I hate the stuff). Lots couldn't care less about fussing with their hair (I haven't owned a blowdryer for a decade). Many don't obsess over their nails (can't remember the last time I had a manicure, and I don't buy nailpolish).
It appears that your need to shoot from the hip has led you to miss the mark, once again.
Last edited by newdixiegirl; 07-05-2015 at 09:06 PM..
Let me ask you this: Do you see any difference, collectively, between people in Vancouver and people in Toronto? Or are they culturally identical?
Of course not ALL Montrealers/Quebecers are - I'm sorry, but I'm gonna use the word again - stylish. As AJ says, chunks of them aren't. But visit the city or live there for any length of time, and one can't help but notice an unquestionable difference. I'm not sure why that's so difficult to believe or accept.
And I definitely don't understand a need to disparage people who like to look a little stylish, and to dismiss them as "putting on airs." Talk about Puritanical. If caring for one's appearance automatically means one is "narcissistic," then huge numbers of women and men outside of NA are narcissists.
FWIW, there is a big difference between taking care of one's appearance and being "high maintenance." Lots of women, for example, who take care of themselves wear minimal or no makeup (I hate the stuff). Lots couldn't care less about fussing with their hair (I haven't owned a blowdryer for a decade). Many don't obsess over their nails (can't remember the last time I had a manicure, and I don't buy nailpolish).
It appears that your need to shoot from the hip has led you to miss the mark, once again.
NDG i'm amazed you speak as though you are an authority on women's fashion in Toronto when you haven't lived in the city in how long over two decades - I mean c'mon - seriously lol.. I'll digress to your opinion when you lived in both places decades ago but umm yeah it really is 2015 and you've been living in Nashville for what over 20 years or close to it - plus you've lived in Detroit as well so like really - like really...
Even when you talk about skincare and taking care of appearance.. When you were in Toronto you probably couldn't get botox, restylane, thermage, IPL laser therapy, oxygen facials etc etc Toronto is littered with these places all over the place and mostly women go to them (some men) because they want to improve their appearance.. Are you going to start counting the number of these places in Toronto vs Montreal.. Heck - my money's on T.O simply because they're all over the place here including oodles of plastic surgeons.
Let me ask you this: Do you see any difference, collectively, between people in Vancouver and people in Toronto? Or are they culturally identical?
Of course not ALL Montrealers/Quebecers are - I'm sorry, but I'm gonna use the word again - stylish. As AJ says, chunks of them aren't. But visit the city or live there for any length of time, and one can't help but notice an unquestionable difference. I'm not sure why that's so difficult to believe or accept.
And I definitely don't understand a need to disparage people who like to look a little stylish, and to dismiss them as "putting on airs." Talk about Puritanical. If caring for one's appearance automatically means one is "narcissistic," then huge numbers of women and men outside of NA are narcissists.
FWIW, there is a big difference between taking care of one's appearance and being "high maintenance." Lots of women, for example, who take care of themselves wear minimal or no makeup (I hate the stuff). Lots couldn't care less about fussing with their hair (I haven't owned a blowdryer for a decade). Many don't obsess over their nails (can't remember the last time I had a manicure, and I don't buy nailpolish).
.
I agree with you. When appropriate I'm a fashionista myself. My nails don't bear talking about at this time. Physical labour doesn't leave much time for nice nails.
PS: what can you do to a stripper? There's a line to that effect in the article.
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