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We live in age where being fashionable is an important part of being cool. Trendy shoes, clothes and accessories no longer simply express our taste, but complement on us as people and the pat of the cultural groups we belong in. There are many sub cultures in Bulgaria and especially among the younger generation. There are the ravers, skaters, the skinheads, the girly-girls, and many others. The one I decided to focus on in my first entry would be the Chalga (or manele as they call it in Romanian) listeners. Many people view chalga, not just as a type of music and a way to relax and relief yourself from all the stress during the week, but as a lifestyle. What do you see when you turn on your TV to the folk channels such as Planeta, Fen, Balkanika and the numerous others . I’m sure that you have no problem recalling the beautiful, young, sexy, almost identical women, with their hair extensions, unnaturally long manicures, huge breast implants and “barely there”, covering almost nothing clothes. Whether you like listening to chalga or not, this music is probably the most popular in Bulgaria and it dictates the lives of hundreds of people within our generation. Girls and young women, die to look like what we in Bulgaria call “folk divas”. Just take a walk around Blago and you’ll see so many youngsters trying to imitate their chalga icons, not being able to distinguish between being on stage and living an ordinary life. For many, whatever a chalga star puts on becomes a “must buy” on the agenda. When a new fashion trend emerges in Bulgaria, it is often the chalga singers that wear it, promote it and give thumbs up to the fans to follow their lead. Think back a couple of years ago, when it first became fashionable to wear you pants tucked in your winter boots. It seemed a bit absurd at first but guess what? The chalga singers were the ones that adopted this trend first and didn’t miss a chance to display this fashion in each of their music videos at the time. The same happened when fringes became popular or last fall when the obsession of purple and grey began. Unfortunately it is not just fashion that chalga stars influence, because the lyrics and the behaviour in the chalga videos suggests that it is O.K to sell sex. It is true that sex sells but is it O.K to sell sex, publicly?
Don’t get me wrong. I listen to chalga too, and love going to Nai club when I feel like it. I have to admit that although some “folk divas” look vulgar, some look amazing. And as far as fashion is concerned, chalga does and will continue to influence the choice of women and it is only up to them to draw the line between style and lifestyle.
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