[Ankesh]

Thanks TW.

Re: hiphop - you may want to read up on the Wu Tang Clan. How they became one of the early trimtabs to bring hiphop to the mainstream and become successful themselves.

You could say that if there was no Wu Tang Clan - someone else would have taken their place to take hiphop mainstream. But who knows if you would have been right or wrong?

(On a related note: the boy band rage of the mid to late 1990s was completely manufactured by a small group of people.)

Re: dress sizes. As far as I know (and I may be wrong here): Fashion magazines were the trimtabs that drove the thin trend.

But recently - Dove is doing very well in using non-models in their ads. They are getting very good results. And I see the trend changing.

We will always witness the Rolex* effect - but should start seeing more healthier and average looking models too.

* Rolex effect = Rolex positions itself as a watch very rich people should buy. But the people who end up buying Rolexes are those folks who want to show others that they are rich.

In hindsight - you can see where all the cultural changes originate from. And if you are really passionate about the cause - and want to - you can try to bring the change yourself. (You could do what Dove did.)

Or you could just say it is what it will be. And do what you've always been doing.

But I stand with my point: cultures change. And there are people who *start* this change of culture. And you could be one of those change catalysts and pioneers if you really wanted to be.