Reading Karen von Hahn recently, I pondered her evolution from the writer of the Super Shopper column -- to the writer of Noticed. With this remark, taken from her analysis of the current incarnation of the hooded sweatshirt, I believe she has officially crossed over and is now a professional noticer:
"Nothing is just itself any more. Everything out there is a symphony of signifiers, a mille feuille of meaning, encapsulating -- just like the print hoodie -- many layers at the same moment in time." [Karen von Hahn, Globe & Mail, 10 Nov 07]
Although I enjoy her column, this journey represents a journey we all seem to be on. By way of evidence, let's look at what has happened to the Women's section of the daily newspaper.
It goes something like this...
If you want to write in the LifeStyle section now, you need to aspire to cultural observer status, and even better if you can bring some interpretive chops to the party.
As we all engage in a life mission to make meaning, with few formal rules to guide us, we need our experts more than ever.
