In a time where we find ourselves being drawn closer together by meaningless things such as reality television, text voting and facebook hugging. Sometimes I find myself wondering about the world around me and pondering on why many people act in a certain way. I am not suggesting that I am above all that, I get drawn in for the same reason but here I will try and explore the flashing lights that draw me in like a moth addicted to the pop culture flame.

This is a piece on indie girls or today’s mish mash of it. To me I view indie girls as either two forms and since this is meant to appeal to a large audience I will put them in two clear camps. The two Kates separate those who interest in the culture is fleeting and grounded and the other is the one that embraces it so fully that it makes you wonder if they are trying to be a modern day Madonna because as with all types of music indie will not be a major force as it is right now. Just as we saw the death of garage music indie will have an ebb in its life whilst the masses will move on to hardcore polka or whatever else is dreamed up by the record companies. The two kates are also separated by their dedication to the lifestyle that they seem portrayed in the media. It’s strange to think that Camden (I guess the current indie hotbed) is populated with the same gossipy that still hang out in the central London super clubs. Yet as with all forms of media, various things get heaped in with the celebrity gloss that overpowers the original sentiment which made that place special. The two kates and their brethren leave many feeling cold, in my experience because the whole genre opens itself up to be an all inclusive, welcoming, self-deprecating family. Instead it is filled with false platitude and a peculiar sense of perpetual self doubt. How servere is that is an indicator of which Kate you are.

The First Kate is Kate Nash. Recently topped both the album and singles chart. Her songs are made with simplicity and honesty that is refreshing to modern listeners. Her accent is akin to what many would say is the stereotypical indie girl. A semi-posh accent which is deeply masked by some heavy London borough specific twang. Imagine Brian Sewell doing South London. That is whom the majority of the Kate Nash type girls are, nice middle class girls that may have had private education that are embarrassed by it and change it accordingly. I am not passing judgment I do it all the time, the key is to monitor how many phrases that are specific to it. Do ya know what I mean? If you hear that thrown in too many times that is when you should be aware of a façade. These girls tend to be real women, with curves and legs. Women that you genuinely want to have sex with because you know that deep down she is what you want. Now with her being an indie girl this can be a subjective thing. As someone who has watched Hip-hop slowly tell girls that bigger is better and achieving strange body shapes is the norm, I am glad to see that there is some sort of ideal of looking good and respectful. This I would assume is the only requirement, no need for particular slutty clothes to get attention. Things can be covered up and shown at the same time. This is why as a group, indie girls are all inclusive. Growing up on spice girls has created a sense of unity that means that self righteous clap trap like Mika’s Big Girls and Chico’s Curvy Bottle Baby are more marketed at old larger women, say in their 30’s. They may still have to deal with more pressure to be sexy and thin due to media pressure but at least as a group they are pretty inclusive. In fact possibly more so than the Goths, celebrated outsiders they may be.

The Kate Nash’s of the indie world enjoy the music, the lifestyle and the fashion but not in way that is particularly fanatic. I hesitate to use the word cherry pick but since Indie is now much more than just dreary guys playing guitars, that is what they seem to be doing. The indie culture as a whole is strange since in it’s current guise it celebrates irony in the same manner as those cheese nights in clubs across the land. Today’s indie girl is just as likely to know the words to Whigfield’s Saturday night as The Kooks. Add the incredible consumption of bands that pass through each year, the genre as a whole is just rife with different things to pick up on. These girls seem to be comfortable in the sense that they can decide what they want without being a leech to their own kate. Kate Nash’s style might be thrift-shop chic which can be easily replicated. The ability to be individual yet all inclusive makes this kate the choice of the majority. However the majority isn’t going to be what the public looks at. In the same sense that we are all interested by the extremes of the world the media focuses on the other kate.

The Kate Moss’s of the indie world are those who believe that they have to married to the culture. Like sheep they bounce around believing such nonsense as the London look and follow her every style step as if it was the key moment in life. I, believe that it is just the media obsession with her that in turns fuels these kates. Kate moss was not relevant to my age, her relationship with Pete Docherty made her slightly relevant but that is all. It is a shame because my generation has Agnes Dean, someone more in touch with us but is overshadowed by Kate. The girls that tend to follow here every move are like those football fans that berate you for not being a fan because you do not attend every single game. There comes a point where you can not be a greater fan than someone else and that is often when you actually say that you like them. However as is the case with such rapid media consumption the next best thing is quickly referred to last years news because they are not able to deliver. These girls put themselves through hell to be skinny, gaunt and full of fake bravado that you wonder is the are actors. Savvy enough to know how to pose in public with maintain the air of nonchalance that most men find attractive. They create this impression of invulnerability and aloofness only to go and blow the drummer in some band that released a single and got played on radio one. These kate’s tend to be a mixture of either the higher upper class or the lower class, although you can never tell because grubbiness is the order of the day. Herion chic doesn’t just extend to them, it envelopes them in this greasy film of false platitudes and bitchyness. There isn’t a great sense of loyalty here unlike in the other group. The fact that their style is constantly raided by fashionistas, who are basically overworked late 20 women with no real sense of imagination and a copy of grazia, cements their somewhat perplexing idea that they are trailblazers.

Not matter how infuriating I find both Kate’s I love them both. The modern indie has a wide a variety of options and ideals to consume and make their own. I can talk to them about my R Kelly fascination without felling guilty, I can profess my love for french literature whilst having an argument that hollyoaks needs to have more late night specials. The can show me how to do the whigfield dance without coming across as some 40 year old woman in a small country pub trying to reclaim her youth. The idea that they can be smart and silly yet not have the fear of coming across like a wag makes them seem less intimidating than initial impressions. The juxtaposition of spending all that time taking care of their appearance to throw it all away because you bet them that they couldn’t sing viva forever by the spice girls is what I wish for at this time of my life. I want the follys of youth intermingled with smatterings of adulthood. I look at them not as mountains that I need to climb but forests with complexities than I wish to explore. For all their similarities, emotionally they are as diverse a group that you can ever find. There are plenty of things that you can fall in love with their appreciation of the arts, comedy, minor politics and ability to hold a conversation all adds to their devil may care attitude. This is not without it’s drawbacks emotionally charged, overly self conscious and perpetually young women are not necessarily long term relationship material. However in the interim where I am supposed to learn life it all its form they have the ability to be an amazing partner. The problem lies with the fact that the more dysfunctional kate is being pushed into the limelight. A woman who is either loved or hated with actually giving many interviews, she isn’t Johnny Borrell someone we can clearly see is a fool. Her image is cultivated in the weekly tabloids such as heat, then clebrated in the broadsheets as a sort of modern day woman of the french court who in turn is ogled by the tabloids. All of which amuses me because I don’t know any man that will turn to me and say that they would want to be with kate moss. If I was looking to enjoy a short period of time or a longer one I know which kate I would chose, even if I had to put up with that accent.