Immediately after suggesting to Britt that she follow me into the alley up 16th St to get away from the hordes of pedestrians crowding Walnut, it occurred to me how that might sound. A bearded white guy in his late '30s inviting young women into alleyways. What could possibly go wrong? But Britt was with a friend and unphased by it, and barely seemed to notice the potential impropriety until I made a joke about it. I try hard to minimize my creep factor when out on the streets with my camera, but some residue of creep no doubt remains.
Britt's musical preferences run to '90s punk and post-punk. This comment precipitated a geeky conversation about whether or not '90s music could, in fact, be classified as post-punk, or if post-punk referred specifically to a variety of genre-defying bands that arose out of the first wave of British punk in the late 1970s. Think, PIL, Gang of Four, and Joy Division. If you're wondering who played what role in that conversation, you may be able to guess that the obnoxious would-be punk historian was me. She took the more inclusive position, suggesting that the '90s had its own brand of post-punk. In any case, let this conversation serve as even more of a warning that the '90s are big right now, and they are only getting bigger. So break out your Pixies albums and throw on some Doc Martens. My formative years are cool again.
This is how to wear a romper! She looks stylish but not trying too hard. It scares me that the 90's are being revisited as "cool". Weren't we just living them a short time ago?
ReplyDeleteYeah, a guy street photographer certainly has to think about the "creep factor" when usually women don't. I think as long as you are aware that some women may be uneasy and if they do, respect their feelings and back off, then you're fine.