Monday, April 11, 2005

Lads taking piss with their friends

I couldn't stop giggling when I read this marketing report on a British brand of bottled milkshake called FRijj:

What set FRijj aside from the competition was its thickness. Lads continued to comment, "it looks like it will fill you up, not just wash through you". The vanguard of lads had discovered FRijj's thickness, and consequently adopted it as a product capable of satisfying their hunger. ... Whilst being 'thick' may not seem particularly appealing to most people, to our teenage boys it was an important value. One that works on a number of levels, but basically characterises their strong friendships. It signals the ability to self-deprecate, to laugh at yourself as well as your mates. "God, I'm so thick!" was an admission you would only make around those you feel really comfortable with. Being thick is a definition of the close bonding between lads.

It stood for a way of getting on with each other, of being 'tight'. These lads are always part of a larger group of mates who get together and hang about in mobs. Their time together is fuelled by banter. Conversation generally takes the form of 'piss-taking' or winding each other up. It is almost a sign of affection, a sign they know each other well enough to dole it out and take it back.

That is just so hot.

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