Overheard

Yesterday I went to have breakfast with friends at a cafe. They were, as ever, running late. I had been sat at a communal table, where I was right next to a young couple who were alternating between chatting and playing on their phones. I didn't spend time listening-in to their conversation - I'm opposed to conscious eavesdropping - but my ears did pick up on the guy's response to a comment from his girlfriend that I didn't hear:

Him: You don't even know what a grommet is! (Extended silence.) It's like, a surfie dude with long hair.

I had to repress laughter at his patronising her and then, when it came time to divulge the knowledge, clearly having no real idea himself.

We were sat right next to each other, and while I was sorely temped to speak up, I stayed silent and carried on reading the paper.


P.S. I would like to acknowledge that I have not (yet) commented on the Roxy thing. I will. I am. I promise! I just needed some time to think through why this is so different to all the other myriad times I have written about this issue (such as this recent example of surf companies sexualising women). Because, it isn't really different to those, but something about it has resonated with people. And the presence of this video in mainstream media in the USA and Australia (and beyond) deserves to be thought through. So I will get to it.