The Lifestyle Puzzle: Who We Are in the 21st Century

by Henrik Vejlgaard. 2010. 235 pages. Prometheus. Paperback. $19.

Americans are more diverse and individualistic than ever before, observes to social scientist Henrik Vejlgaard in The Lifestyle Puzzle. He cites the increasing fluidity of U.S. society: Few Americans today grow up in “traditional” two-parent households; fewer still keep the same jobs or remain in the same towns; and religious and political affiliations have grown highly interchangeable. Even age means less than it once did—senior citizens frequently adopt the clothing styles and hobbies of younger adults.

Yet certain patterns are discernible, he adds. Nonverbal symbols that carry universal meanings are ubiquitous: sports jerseys, corporate logos, national flags, etc. And the landscape teems with modern-day tribes whose members share clothing styles, recreational pursuits, and language: cowboys, hip-hoppers, and Goths, to name a few.

Tribes and cultural symbols are present in societies throughout the world, Vejlgaard notes. Many observers fear that globalization homogenizes cultures, but Vejlgaard concludes that the diversity of America’s cultural tribes suggests that people still find ways to be culturally unique and individually expressive.
The Lifestyle Puzzle is an analysis of contemporary culture and the forces likely to drive its evolution. Anthropologists and cultural critics will find it an especially valuable resource.