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AUGUST 13, 2003 at 11:31 AM
Posted by GRAE
Source: This Is London via The Leaky Cauldron
Alas - we've lost the art of growing old gracefully - at least those of us who have passed the 30 year mark, are male, and still think Harry Potter makes for a great read. According to the fashion experts at Esquire magazine, we're (cue dramatic music) kid-ults
.
Men over 30 should never show their underwear above their waistband, stay in bed past 11am unless they are sick, or go on holiday with the lads.
Nor should they eat or drink things with extreme or max in their titles, wear a watch costing less than £100 or be unable to keep a plant or pet alive for a month, says the latest style guide for thirtysomethings.
Esquire editor Simon Tiffin said: "We were inspired by the sight on planes, trains and buses of too many grown men reading Harry Potter. They are kid-ults. We've lost the art of growing old gracefully."
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Student
Points: 222
soccerwizard18 says:
i cant believe that article the harry potter books are a great mystery books and if you read it in depth it is harder so all those people whoare reading the harry potter books
keep readnig them and say your dumb to this article!!!
AUGH!
Posted Aug 13, 2003 at 11:35 AM EST
Squib
Points: 155
Disarming Charm says:
Yet again stuffy unimaginative people making comments about something they know nothing about. I'd be willing to bet they have never read any of the books or seen any of the movies, so it is their loss. Maybe if they opened their mind and actually read them they would realize the books are for all and not a just random childrens books.
Seems like the hip thing to pick on us "older" Harry fans, leave it to Esquire to jump on the bandwagon.
Posted Aug 13, 2003 at 11:41 AM EST
Metamorphmagus
Points: 37946
tonks black says:
that article is wrong. So what if they want to be a kid at heart forever? that is no reason to critizise them! And if they want to wear their trousers up like "Steve Urkel"(sp?) used to do on his show, they can, but if they want to wear their trousers down the way most famous rappers wear them. by all means let them. And they should be able to eat whatever food they want, its a free world. I could go on forever because i am against stereotyping, but I will cut this post short.
Posted Aug 13, 2003 at 11:55 AM EST
Witch
Points: 687
amdorn says:
Questions:
What type of degree would one need in order to be able to determine the "right" way to grow old?
Does this article mean that on someone's thirtieth birthday they should stop sleeping in, stop reading what they want, and start buying watches worth more than 100 pounds?
Isn't the definition of someone who refuses to grow more complicated than a check list of do's and don't's?
Posted Aug 13, 2003 at 12:11 PM EST
Order of Merlin, 4th Class
Points: 1227
Prongs150 says:
I'd like to see the list just for a laugh. Nobody has to act a certain way. Let people be themselves. That's what the world's all about.
Posted Aug 13, 2003 at 12:21 PM EST
Professor
Points: 1065
Lerah99 says:
And all this time I was under the impression that 30 year old men were capable of dressing themselves, choosing their own reading material, and basicly living their lives as they see fit. Thank you Esquire for pointing out the error of my assumptions. We certainly must put a stop to anyone over 30 enjoying their life. They are simply too old.
:o)
(please note: the above is dripping with sarcasm)
Posted Aug 13, 2003 at 12:57 PM EST
Student
Points: 231
Libby Potter says:
Personally I do not want to see anyones underwear if it was white and is now stained please wear bright colors if the need arises and you MUST show off undies. Little hearts on the waistband is a must wear out in public above the waistline gentlemen! :D
I dont read Esquire and probably never will since it has nothing I'm interested in and its anti-Harry Potter.
Posted Aug 13, 2003 at 1:20 PM EST
Witch
Points: 917
Slytherin_Punk says:
I didn't get this article but you guys made alot of sense.
Posted Aug 13, 2003 at 1:49 PM EST
Professor
Points: 1155
MissMaryPotter says:
Um concidering at the recent Harry Potter Conference (Nimbus-2003) 95% of the attendees were female, I think this article, like so many HP related topics, missed the actual target audience by a slight gender difference.
Posted Aug 13, 2003 at 2:10 PM EST
Head Girl
Points: 468
Charlie'sMum says:
I'm beginning to think that journalists will attach Harry Potter to anything, no matter how irrevelant, just because HP is "IN" and therefore will lend more credence to the article.
I have to agree that there are certain things that people might out grow as they reach a more 'mature' age, but reading Harry Potter isn't one of them. My Dad, who's 63 years old loved watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer, that doesn't make him a 'kid-ult'. That makes him fun. Grow up, not old.
Posted Aug 13, 2003 at 2:10 PM EST
Head Girl
Points: 463
Madam Hooch says:
I cannot believe the people who wrote that! Where's the tolerance here? Aren't people allowed to like whatever they want, at any age now? As far as I know, there are people who like rap, classical music, being teenagers, kids or adults, so why couldn't men over 30 read HP and like it? I get so angry when I hear that kind of stuff!
Posted Aug 13, 2003 at 2:39 PM EST
Professor
Points: 1022
Peitouche says:
Typical journalism to sell magazines, nothing more. They could pick on any book or TV show or other bit of pop culture. *shrug* It's just a little sad, really, that they think this stuff sells; even sadder if it does.
Posted Aug 13, 2003 at 2:45 PM EST
Lycanthropist for W.S.S.
Points: 3603
Alchemist 530 says:
Really pathetic- it's always something with these kinds of people. They need someone else to criticize, otherwise they will have no jobs writing articles about what is the 'right' thing to wear or the 'right' way to act. They should find something worthy to fight against, it's not like our world lacks good causes. This, however, is just plain stupid.
Posted Aug 13, 2003 at 3:21 PM EST
Student
Points: 251
Jupiter Lumos says:
LOL! Not only is this article stupid, but also…wait, no, it’s just stupid. Or at least the “fashion experts” are. Haven’t they ever heard the song, “Young At Heart”? If anything, reading Harry Potter when you’re over 30 will help you connect with your kids. Plus, I don’t know about you, but when I see an older gent reading HP, I think, “that guy is cool.” :-)
Posted Aug 13, 2003 at 3:41 PM EST
Points: 92
Siriusly~LuvHP says:
okay, that article is rubbish. I think I'll always be young at heart, people don't gotta act totally different just because they turned 30 one day, and decide, well I'm an adult, and I gotta go to bed at 10 now and buy myself a watch that costs $101. Jeez, some people really make me mad.
Posted Aug 13, 2003 at 3:49 PM EST
Student
Points: 231
HP fan says:
Preposterous! Who cares if a 30 year old guy read Harry Potter...what's wrong with that? I'd would just be glad that a 30 year old guy is actually reading a book! And it's only a plus if it's a HP book :D
Posted Aug 13, 2003 at 4:01 PM EST
Professor
Points: 1124
mattie says:
It's really sad if some people think that.... People should just be them self. And if that means going against the odds, then let it be like that that.
The people who wrote that is just like Book burners and the Dursleys.
Posted Aug 13, 2003 at 4:15 PM EST
Student
Points: 293
jjkhp says:
I agree with everyone. I do not think even though you are a adult you can still be a very big harry potter fan.
Posted Aug 13, 2003 at 4:53 PM EST
Chief Brain Washer
Points: 2881
Chogiiiirl says:
What a stereotyping article. I think it is great to "break the mold" and be yourself, instead of some silly notion of what an "adult" is supposed to be. I am also pretty sensitive to this article, because I'm nearing the big 3-0 mark myself, and I find HP to be some of the best written books I have ever read.
It sounds like someone was jealous that they feel so pressured to be in a "grown up" stereotype, and are lashing out at those of us who are able to grow up without ever growing old!
Posted Aug 13, 2003 at 5:10 PM EST
Witch
Points: 959
Alcestis1 says:
Good grief. I read all types of books. I'm certainly not about to let my age or my gender determine my choice in reading material. I'm over 30 and female so I don't fit into their demographics for the "study" they did, but I don't think over-30 year old males who read HP should be stereotyped in such a way. Yeesh.
Posted Aug 13, 2003 at 5:14 PM EST
Witch
Points: 661
Flitterbloom says:
I don't see anything wrong with men (or anyone for that matter) over the age of 30, reading Harry Potter. It's a great series of books and actually, though they may have been aimed at children before, the last 2, even 3 books, have shown a lot of mature subject. It's also very real, and I think that adults reading about realistic things that teenagers go through, might help the better understand the ways of todays youth..
Posted Aug 13, 2003 at 5:54 PM EST
Professor
Points: 1194
Godric11 says:
Harry Potter is for everyone...and if it takes me until I'm 30 for the last book to come out and be read...(althought that would be 15 yrs)... i will be caught reading it until my heart is content! sheesh on you who says otherwise!
Posted Aug 13, 2003 at 6:09 PM EST
Student
Points: 281
LiLSw33ti says:
Growing old gracefully? No one does it gracefully, we all do something stupid everyday. That's what makes it fun! What a weird (substituted the word) article!
Posted Aug 13, 2003 at 7:32 PM EST
Squib
Points: 181
stupefy128 says:
Who cares if 30 year old men read Harry Potter. My mom is 45 and she reads it. You don't have to be a kid to have an imagination. Heck my mom dreams about popsicle stick adventures.(inside joke)
Posted Aug 13, 2003 at 8:06 PM EST
Witch
Points: 750
siriusgurl says:
Oh shut up! What do you know people know my friends think I'm werid cause I spend my time watching disney movies and reading what they think is kids books yet there all too thick to do there homework without me and I have to explain what words mean when I speak to them! And for the underwear thing it's annoying seeing guys boxers at any age especially some people *cough* Pat *cough* that you can see an entire foot of their underwear cause they can't buy a belt! And my Dad reads Harry Potter too! And he's like 40....
Posted Aug 13, 2003 at 8:42 PM EST
Witch
Points: 742
TigerEyez says:
I don't see what's so wrong with being a kid-ult. I'm 15 and I still read my little sister's books. I also saw my friends grandmother wearing teenage fashions. I think that the Harry Potter books have become a more mature book. I also think that if you want to feel young there's nothing wrong with it.
Posted Aug 13, 2003 at 8:48 PM EST
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