Take, for example, my current favorite sweater. It is aggressively ugly, complete with enough rhinestones to be seen from space. My sister hilariously dubbed it “The Sweater Trap.” It’s a social paradox: If someone says it’s nice, I want to correct them because it’s clearly hideous, but I don’t want to insult their taste. If they were to say it’s ugly (which, let’s be honest, no one is quite that bold), I’d just agree. My sister says the viewer is damned if they do and damned if they don’t. But I see it differently: the sweater is funny. By wearing it, I’m in on the joke. I’m making fun of myself before anyone else can.
Take, for example, my current favorite sweater. It is aggressively ugly, complete with enough rhinestones to be seen from space. My sister hilariously dubbed it “The Sweater Trap.” It’s a social paradox: If someone says it’s nice, I want to correct them because it’s clearly hideous, but I don’t want to insult their taste. If they were to say it’s ugly (which, let’s be honest, no one is quite that bold), I’d just agree. My sister says the viewer is damned if they do and damned if they don’t. But I see it differently: the sweater is funny. By wearing it, I’m in on the joke. I’m making fun of myself before anyone else can.