An article in the current Newsweek tells us that cupcakes are the big new hip, postmodern signifier.
You know, like coffee in the 90s.
When my kids were little I baked hundreds and hundreds of cupcakes. Yes, we had those times when one of them said at bedtime "Mom, I forgot. I have to take 50 cupcakes to school/church/scouts (whatever) in the morning."
I was not creative. I kept plenty of Dunkin Hines chocolate cake mix, frosting and cupcake liners on hand. No sprinkles or gumdrops. Just hard core cupcakes. And lots of them.
Now Newsweek is saying that to be a "cupcakist" is to put your faith in the church of the cute, expensive and sweet. And many of these "followers" don't even sell cupcakes. They sell cupcake emblazoned paraphernalia like T shirts, stickers and earrings.
They're selling the idea of cupcakes. They're counting on the fact that we consumers like to overpay for the privilege of buying a status symbol.
Places that do sell cupcakes are selling "high concept" ones like mango with margarita custard, dressed up in special pleated paper cups after baking. Critics are calling this proliferation of expensive cupcake stores "bourgeois anachronism."
Come on folks. We're coming out of a major recession. Do they think we're actually going to fall for this?
Apparently we have.
And the next big lifestyle choice, according to Newsweek? Bacon.
Soon we'll all be "Baconists."
***
