You are where you live … and we’re pro-wrestling fans
It’s probably not the most popular belief, but we in Rock County are a pretty homogenous bunch.
We might enjoy noticing our unique qualities, but we mostly look alike and act alike.
That’s not a generalization that I formed, either — it’s a statistical judgment that professional demographers came up with.
There are marketing firms that research demographics and trends to find target audiences for products. I looked into what national advertisers think of us in Rock County.
According to one study, we fall mostly into a few groups: rural white, blue-collar farm families; farm owners and tenants; low-income, older rural couples; and families in isolated areas.
Those group titles don’t say much on their own, but this is how the marketing gurus generalize us:
oWe generally earn between $18,000 and $39,000 a year.
oWe cross-country ski, refinish furniture, belong to a veteran’s club, own a dog or cat, own a tractor, go hunting, add a bathroom to our homes and enter sweepstakes.
oWe watch Jeopardy!, CNN, Court TV, auto racing and pro wrestling.
oWe read Prevention, Outdoor Life, Country Living and True Story.
As much as I would like to contradict these findings, it’s probably close to the mark. We’re a predictable group, whose different sub-sects actually have very few differences.
We can take some pride in the fact that we are a true minority in the country, being similar to just about 5 percent of the population.
I’m off the market, so bring on the muu muus
I think I’ve grown into my new look: it says, "I’m comfortable eating hot dish with my husband even though I could use a salad."
We celebrated our one-year anniversary last weekend and talked about how lovely our year together has been. We even had the customary bite of our wedding cake topper that had been frozen for a year. (It tasted surprisingly fresh.)
The day after our anniversary, I got to thinking how my life hasn’t really changed much since marriage.
Everything’s pretty much the same except the fact that I’m now truly off the market.
Even before we married, we were steadily committed, so it’s not like I dated up to the moment I walked down the aisle. But being totally "off the market" has a slightly different feel, like it’s all right to leave the house without mascara and wear ill-fitting clothes, because no one will notice me anyway. I’ll just go grocery shopping after dark from now on.
Some may think my statements sound defeated or hopeless, but it’s great. Even though the experts warn us against letting ourselves go, I can’t say I’m fighting it as much as I should.
Maybe that’s what true love’s meaning really is, though: it isn’t about finding a soul mate or perfect partner. It’s a little bit about dim lighting and good hotdishes and seeing a house dress as a step up from sweatpants.