User:GregorThompson/sandbox

The Cady-George Phenomenon is a sociological explanation for why certain people consistently wear offensive accessories or sport ridiculous haircuts. It is an occurrence acutely prevalent in middle and upper-class personal interactions.

The Cady-George Phenomenon emerges in three stages:

a.) A person wears or dons something out of the ordinary, often in a unpredictable lapse of confidence. The item will typically be an accessory of some description (a fedora, a samurai-sword earring, a bangle ) but may present itself as a mullet hair-style, or otherwise.

b.) An interactor will be taken-a-back by the item and be forced to address it. Given that common social etiquette requires people avoid offending others, the address will most likely manifest in form of a complement (e.g. "That's a wonderful fedora you have on there Nigel."). This interaction and others like it will repeat throughout the period in which the item is worn. The frequency of these interactions is largely attributable to cultural factors.

c.) After receiving several complements throughout the day, certainly more than one would ordinarily receive, the person will opt to wear the item regularly or return to the same hairdresser.

Etymology:

The name is inspired by a scene in film Mean Girls where an event similar but not identical takes place. It is a port-manteaux of the protagonist Cady Heron and the antagonist Regina George's first and last names respectively.