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Hmm, my guess would be that Americans look way more stressed out than Europeans.
It's gotta be a dead giveaway.
I've met ppl from all over the world ( Poland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Korea & Egypt) & I can always spot ppl who aren't from here. They look relaxed, & way less stressed. They smile more & they seem to be genuinely happier than the Americans.
People only notice the American tourists they notice. If you get what I am saying.
In other words, of course you notice the obese man and his wife and their three children in loud shirts and sweatpants and white sneakers. You do not notice the majority of other Americans who are normal body size, dressed sensibly, not with a tour group, etc.
This skews your impression of what a 'typical American' looks like. Combine that with spiteful stereotypes and, voila, you have a city-data thread.
Awe why you gotta ruin this thread with an intelligent post like that!?
Shoulda made up a random ass sterotype like the rest of us.
It is an interesting phenomenon that some of the harshest critics and stereotypers of Americans are Americans themselves who claim that -they- are never mistaken for one of their own.
On this thread? probably, given most Americans on this thread have a higher interest in the world than the average American, in which their view of the world comes from 30 second news clips.
Not only Americans are the harshest critics, many (all?) nationalities make fun of their own. I do not think I have ran across anyone that has not poked fun at their own, eiither in a humor or serious way.
And yes, many on this thread probably do not fit the stereotype because again, they have a bit of a higher standard and the not-so-in-your-face attitude towards others about being American, plus many have lived overseas for quite sometime (I lived out of the US for five years), and some do not even possess the clothes to make them fit the stereotype (like I do not even own a polo or "marshmellow" shoes), let alone the attitude.
A lot of people abroad mistake loud Canadian tourists for Americans!
That is why you see numerous Canadians always wearing little Canadian flags on their backpacks and handbags, the worse thing to happen to them would be to be mistaken for an American.
There is an "American look" overseas. Of course there are Americans who make effort not to stand out, but I always wonder if those Americans tourists who just scream "USA" do it on purpose?! They don't need to advertise it with "OHIO" or "Ole Miss" on their clothes.
Men:
- state college clothing/ local baseball or football team clothing
- baseball cap
- visors
- polo shirts and deck shoes/ penny loafers and khakis (though rich South Americans and Koreans dress like this too)
- a little swagger in movement
- colors often not coordinated in dressing
Women:
- state college clothing (younger women)
- visors, big sunglasses (older women)
- sparkly stuff on clothes (Southern women), clothing with random symbols (stars for instance). American women like to wear stripes and animal prints
- lots of makeup and yet the clothes are athletic and conservative, often also not color-coordinated
PS. Americans stand out in Canada too. I lived in Vancouver with a Canadian ex and you can often spot the obvious American cruise ship tourists. Canadians dress a little different too.
This. And while there can be a difference in the way Canadians dress, many Canadians also dress this way when travelling for some reason. And then proceed to get frustrated when foreigners mistake them for Americans.
This. And while there can be a difference in the way Canadians dress, many Canadians also dress this way when travelling for some reason. And then proceed to get frustrated when foreigners mistake them for Americans.
Yeah I have noticed a lot of American women wear those college sweaters.
Many posting here wouldn't notice the ones hiking in the countryside and staying in villages because they don't go there themselves. Of course Americans, like other adventurous tourists, like to get off the beaten track. People fixate on the tour group phenomenon, but there are many people striking out on their own, and enjoying nature and a more low-key travel style. The high end American tourists, the ones who can afford to rent a car and stay in 5-star hotels do wear fancy clothes. There are all manner of American tourists. They're diverse. Focussing on the stereotypical doesn't help gain insight into the answer to the OP's question.
I agree with you but I was only focusing on American tourists who actually STAND OUT. Those stereotypes are true in my experience for many (not all !!) American tourists. I was not talking about the very rich and dicreet couple no one notices.
I live in Paris so I see American tourists all the time and I went to Greece last summer and they were all over the place.
Now I only talked about the negative aspects of American tourists but I have to say that even though they are loud they are often very polite and respectuous.
Another point that may seem obvious to some is that it depends on the country. In places that see a lot of tourists in general (France, Italy, Mexico, Spain), the people are going to be a lot more savvy in distinguish between an American, a Brit, and a German. In these countries I'm pinned as American immediately. Whereas in less-traveled areas (Ukraine, Eastern Turkey, Uruguay) the people have been slower to jump to assumptions about my national origin.
I have a good story relating to this. Once at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, a shop keeper was yelling out "Hello, Guten Tag, Buenos Dias, Bonjour" at random to everyone who would walk by, basically to cast a wide net in hope of catching someone's ear. My Francophile friend, who is also American, was not aware of this and only heard "Bonjour." My friend was on cloud-nine all day thinking that he had been mistaken for a sophisticated Frenchmen. I didn't have the heart to tell him that he was not, just as a tourist, as potential sale
Last edited by Dawn.Davenport; 12-26-2013 at 01:23 PM..
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