The Etymology of Rust Belt Chic

June 4th, 2012

Yesterday I announced a project I’ve just launched called Rust Belt Chic: The Cleveland Anthology. I learned about the term from Richey Piiparinen’s writing for RustWire and elsewhere, and then I started seeing it popping up in national rags.

Richey and others have been  developing this idea of rust belt chic via ideas conceived by Jim Russell.  Here is Russell’s latest summary of the term. Rust Belt Chic is not about PBR drunk on the stoop of an abandoned house. Nor is about shiny, happy people. It’s  a complex term developed by sophisticated thinkers, and it is neither PR nor denigrating.  It can be used ironically (chic?) or straight (cool!). That’s what I love about it: it is not trying to simplify, collapse differences, negate problems.

New about the anthology and more writing about rust belt chic will move to rustbeltchic.com. Check us out there.