Cali Stereotypes?!

And now for another edition of "What My Friends Think" Yep, that's the official name for it now. This time I decided to ask my friends what stereotypes came to mind when they thought of LA. Before moving here, I might have agreed with some of these negative clichés but after living here for almost 6 months, (WOW, time flies!) I have to say that there is whole lot more to this city then meets the eye. I never ever thought I would be using that term to describe LA. Sure, those typical LA folks are here but there are also many other normal people here too. There are families with children and dogs, there are older retired couples and single working girls like my roommates and I. We all manage to co-exist together in this big city. I hope that since I live here now, those of you that have never been here and seen for yourself what this city is like, will finally come for a visit! Come one, come all! : )

• "Girls: bleach blonde, plastic surgery, big boobs, super tan, says "like" and "awesome" a lot, not necessarily the brightest and likes to party. Boys: hot, buff, tall and handsome but generally players, rich/spoiled, popped collars. I don't think the OC, The Hills or The Real Housewives are really helping any of these stereotypes!"
• "Been to Cali multiple times and do think there are a lot of really good looking people. I can't really comment on the personality and finances though. Generally have had positive experiences with people I have met from there."
• "I haven't been to LA (well, I guess to the airport, and to Disneyland when I was really little, but that doesn't count). But, some stereotypes I have are: looks are everything. Cosmetic surgery and botox and all that stuff are the norm. High fashion and skankiness. Celeb sightings. I think that's about it...nothing too exciting!"

• "This one is kind of hard for me to answer because I've never BEEN to LA. So what I know about that part of California is from The Hills and other people's experiences living in the City of Angels. Basically, it seems like lala land and that most everyone is fake and focused on the superficial... But I don't think that about you, so.... ?"

• "I have spent very little time in LA, so I can't comment too much on this. But it's also hard to NOT talk about it because New Yorkers and LA types tend to get compared/contrasted a lot - any discussions of "where are you from?" seem to eventually lead to the east coast vs. west coast debate. New Yorkers seem to have pretty strong opinions of Los Angelenos and for the most part, they aren't very nice! Basically, we're opposites. New Yorkers enjoy public transportation, grit and "realness," complaining about the weather (complaining about anything really), small apartments as long as they're in the right neighborhood, and tend to favor more modest, but sophisticated, dark clothing. We make up a large percentage of the financial and media industries. Californians drive everywhere, work in an entertainment-related field, enjoy being outside and the non-seasonal weather, big houses and expensive cars, and tend to wear more revealing, brightly-colored, casual gear. Total generalizations because if you have the money in NYC of course, nice cars and big houses are definitely desirable. It's just not on average peoples' radars."

• "There's LA and then there's California. Much like there's Florida, and then there's the South. I don't have many stereotypes of non-LA residents, but, I've noticed that San Franciscans tend to get a lot of respect from New Yorkers, because it's more diverse and metropolitan and full of young, super-smart people. There are also the beach communities, and more inland communities that are very different from the whole LA/Hollywood scene. Where you live within a state, just like anywhere else in the country, tends to indicate a lot about your priorities and values."

• "A friend of mine just moved to LA from NYC and I thought he summed it up quite well: New Yorkers see a number come up on their cellphone that they don't know, and ignore it right away. People in LA see a number come up on their cellphone that they don't know, and they answer it immediately - it could be their next big break! :)"