By Emma Brannam
Outrageous Fortune may be to blame, or its maybe tight jeans as a fashion item, but bogans are on the rise in New Zealand.
First-year linguistics students at the University of Auckland have spoken to several hundred Auckland people to get their thoughts on bogans.
Before Outrageous Fortune invaded our living rooms, being called a bogan wasn't exactly high praise. And while it's still not quite a compliment thanks to the West family, it's almost cool.
The word bogan is now so popular it's been the focus of a university study to find out what one looks like, where they live and whether being bogan is good or bad.
“People who are over 30, if they even know
the word and some of them don't, say it's a negative thing but people who are
under 30 are more likely to say it could be a good thing,” says Professor of
Linguistics, Miriam Meyerhoff.
The dictionary states that a bogan is ''an uncouth or stupidly conventional person, a nerd'', while another interpretation is ''a type of conspicuously unsophisticated person''.
A mullet hairdo and black singlet is de rigueur for the men. Women wear boots and miniskirts. The vehicle of choice is a Holden Commodore.
It's no surprise that the centre of bogandom is considered to be in West Auckland.
The university says the study was unashamedly unscientific – but they don't think our beloved bogans will take offence.
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