A game I used to play became popular, and if someone my age played it, they would be teased or bullied by others their age. I had found through a friend and their younger brother, about a year or two before it became popular.
Another of my hobbies, one having to do with a genre of writing/reading, is a pretty big community, but at the same time, not something that is regularly talked about, like a "secret society." If it became popular, well.... lets just say that people would not talk about it in public, no matter what. It is something that would be kept from the younger children. If others new that this thing was one of my hobbies, I would be mortified, and probably teased/bullied.
I stopped playing the game, but someone found out, and I heard them talking about me behind my back.
Honestly the few hobbies I have are pretty popular and not really out of the ordinary. But it does bother me sometimes when I discover a really good song or album and it quickly becomes popular and everyone is posting about it. Music is very important to me and it honestly, as cliche as it sounds, it makes me who I am. I listen to moslty popular songs but apart of my music I keep private because when it becomes popular everyone listens to it and it gets so overplayed and I get sick of hearing the song that I once loved.
In the sixth grade, I stumbled upon the world of vocal music, and immediately fell in love with it. I would hide away in my room after school and sing my heart out, thinking that the closed door somehow blocked the sound from travelling out of my oasis. During the school day, I didn't dare to mention my hobby, for fear that people would judge me and say that I wasn't talented or good enough. I kept it to myself, and used it as a plug to escape my life. On my thirteenth birthday, my best friend came over to surprise me on my special day. Not knowing she was there, I was up in my room singing when she entered. I was so embarrassed when I saw her, but she erupted with happiness, asking why I had never told her that I could sing. Realizing that the right people would support me in the things that I love, I am not ashamed anymore.
One of the children who participate in hobbyhorse riding said that "some friends happened to spot her practicing in the woods near her school, and teased her for playing a child’s game." It is so common for kids and teenagers to hide away their identity to escape the disapproving glances and comments from those who don't understand. However, you have to let all of your worries go, and simply do what you love. The genuine people in your life will stick by you and support you, knowing that it makes you happy, which in turn makes them happy as well. It's a chain reaction.
I think this "hobbyhorse" pastime is great. I will support anything new that brings someone happy. New hobbies are defiantly something I try a find. The hobbyhorse thing may not be for me but I feel that having a hobby is important. I also feel that people should not be afraid to try new things or start something. Creating anything original is not an easy task. But once you've found your thing go for and have a good time with it.
The idea of Hobbyhorse riding might seem incredibly weird, but there are tons of hobbies many would consider being strange that are enjoyed by large numbers of people. Hobbyhorse riding may be a bit eccentric for me, but I have no doubt that love and enjoy it. I believe that the introduction of the hobby to the mainstream will positively impact their community and that welcoming new people will benefit them greatly.
Unfortunately many feel threatened when their hobbies or something else are adopted by others especially when they are adolescents. This is often because kids particularly when they are High school like me are struggling with finding their own identities. Sorry if this sounds pretentious, but many of us discover things or hobbies and easily adopt them as part of our identity. When the things we like become more popular we don’t feel special anymore. Of course, this is irrational and not true of most teenagers, but that is the typical insecure nature of adolescents who tell themselves that they aren't like others their age.
It can also feel like popularity ruins things because it does. For example, I thought “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas was very refreshing and unique, but when you hear a song every time you turn on the radio it gets a little stale. However, the desire to be mainstream can have a much worse effect on artists. I would vastly prefer something getting a little tiresome and become mainstream naturally then change in order to reach a larger audience.
The hobbyhorse craze is something strange, but in the end doesn't affect anyone negatively- plus it seems to be a positive experience for the girls. I don't think it'll catch on in america though, since there's more harsh judgments for people who still use things considered childish when they're older than four in America.
I think that the teasing went down for them in Finland, since it eventually became a national sport type of thing - but I don't think the teasing will ever really go away
Personally I'd be excited if something small that I loved suddenly blew up in popularity, it would mean that there are more people enjoying it and maybe more people making more stuff for it
I don't really have anything in my own life that compares. Or if I do, then I didn't even notice a difference when the game or show blew up in popularity
I don't think hobbyhorse is going to catch on here. Although we have a big horseback riding community here, I think many of the riders find themselves to be too mature to participate in a "child's game". People will definitely be teased no matter how popular this craze gets. Many people create a standard of maturity and if they see teens playing what they see as a game for kids, they will tell them exactly what they think of the hobby.
I think its cool to see your hobby exposed to people that don't know it. Regarding activities that I enjoy, I love seeing people fall in love with it for the first time. All hobbies and fans have their own communities and its beautiful to see the communities grow. Its like a family.
I was a fan of the band Twenty One Pilots before they had any radio hits. I told all of my friends to check them out, and of course they ended up joining the craze I felt for Twenty One Pilots. I began to dislike some "fans" when they only listened to the album that the hits were coming from. It made me feel like they weren't being real fans and were just listening to be cool. I was especially irked when the people I got to love the band, began saying that they had found them all by themselves. I take pride in always being the person to find new interests for others and people dismissing the work I did makes me feel like I didn't even contribute to someone finding what they love.
Most of my hobbies are pretty common. I play sports at school and I spend time with my friends and family. If any special hobby that I did became something popular such as the "hobbyhorse craze", I would be happy that others would be able to experience it.
The article states that the hobbyhorse group was almost a "secret society" which allowed the group to have their own special thing. However, I'm glad that they were able to share it with others. They reached a larger audience which were able to have fun as well, even though it broke their secret. Whatever people choose to do, their main focus should be on having a good time which is what hobbyhorse brought to people.
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Hobbyhorse may catch on here but I don’t believe that to be likely. It is a child's toy but it may be a shocker to see these kids toys make a come back. If my ‘secret society’ was discovered and shown to the world, it would be interesting. Something so little that not many people take interest in, but you do, blow up and become a global phenomenon would be sight to revel in. I found little bands when they weren’t so big and then someone well known points them out and they become well known and mainstream, they’re not as good. They start to cater to ‘popular’ music and has no individuality.
I agree with the idea that the 'hobbyhorse craze' won't catch on. I think that a little known band getting big and changing their style 'for the worse' is.. well, I just don't think it's true. Just because you don't like their new music doesn't mean it's objectively bad
A lot of my hobbies are pretty normal, but something I do that is not necessarily normal, is obsessing about music. I listen to music for a majority of my day. It controls my mood, my focus, and many other aspects of my life. And when I find a new song or artist that "bangs", I like to show it to my friend RJ, who shares my music taste. We do this often, sharing music with each other. But every once in a while a song goes viral, and almost everyone in the country starts listening to it. Most of the time this is song by Adam Levine, or some DJ. But every once in a while, a rap song will be the #1 song. This drives me and RJ crazy because it's another good song ruined by becoming mainstream. For example, the song Sicko Mode, is objectively, not that bad. But because I have heard it so may times from different people playing it. Another example of this is the artist YNW Melly. Me and RJ have been listening to his music since 2018. But now that he is caught up in a legal battle, everyone has been listening to his music and over saturating it. It makes me angry because I have such a passion for music and I hate to see songs go down the drain because of mainstream media.
When reading the article for the first time, I was shocked, I even laughed a little bit. The idea of hobbyhorse just seemed so absurd. At first I thought it was strange but then I started tp develop a newfound admiration for all of those who participate in something so odd
Everyone knows that it takes a lot of guts to take the path less traveled and that you will receive backlash for standing out. The fact that these participants continue to do what they love despite all the rude comments made is very inspiring, hopefully more people can be like Alisa Aarniomaki and do what they love regardless of what others may think.
I think that in any environment introducing something new can lead to controversy as well as positive reactions, some places like Finland may be more accepting but other like place America or more specifically, American high schools would not be as accepting.
From a young age, children in America are forced to conform to society's standards and any differences are frowned upon. In my climate, something as crazy as hobbyhorse would be highly frowned upon and would lead to relentless bullying. But I don’t think that this promise of ridicule will stop anybody from doing what they truly want to and Alisa Aaniomarki is very brave for her actions.
I have multiple hobbies that aren’t so “popular” and some that have gotten around the world as other people’s hobbies. While generations that keep coming through, things change throughout those years. I have played soccer since I was about 3 or 4 years old and over the past few years I have seen soccer get even more popular than when I started. My uncle played soccer when he was little but, he said “ soccer has grown so much from when I was little.” However soccer isn’t my only hobby.
In the article it talks about “hobbyhorse craze.” This is “like a secret society,” said Vilhumen where girls “lower body pranced and galloped like a horse, while her upper body remained erect and motionless like a rider.” It’s like your free to do what you love without being judged by outsiders. If I had the chance to join the “hobbyhorse craze” I would in a heartbeat!!
I often hear people complaining when one of their more niche interests gains popularity, and I wish it wasn't that way. Don't get me wrong, I feel a surge of protectiveness and jealousy when I see others enjoying things that I keep close to my heart, but I always try to keep myself in check.
People usually get upset when their interests become more popular for two reasons: they adopted said thing into their personality and now feel like it became less meaningful and purposeful, or they are seeing people that used to make fun of them for said thing take interest in it and feel that it's hypocritical. I've seen it happen with everything, be it clothing, music, TV shows, etc. I completely understand this. It feels like something is being taken when our niche interests gain popularity, and there's the idea that the more people that like something, the "cheaper" or more shallow it becomes.
This is bad, though, and I think that it's something we should work on not acting on. Sure, it can be a little disappointing fo something that was special to you to become special to everyone, but if you take a step back and look at the situation, it's largely a good one. The more people that like something, the more it develops and brings people together. Take the hobbyhorse for example; once more people started doing it, there became more opportunities to participate in the activity, more techniques and ways of doing it, and it brought so many people together.
In my experience, most of the time people like something "before it was cool," it has to do with musicians. There are a variety of artists that started off small and then exploded, leaving millions saying that they listened to their songs "before everyone else."
As for hobbyhorse girls, it does seem a bit strange, but I'm not one to judge. As Barry mentions, it gives them a community to identify with and have fun with. This is a good thing regardless of what they are doing. It exploded in Finland, who knows where it will go next?
Whether it be music or hobbyhorsing, people should do what they enjoy. Even is it starts small, we can see in Barry's article that just about anything can take off. And if it does, you can say you liked it "before it was cool."
I think that it is a possibility that anything could catch on anywhere, it is just a matter of a few people getting together and starting it in a certain area. From there is will have the capability to grow. I believe that many people tend to keep certain hobbies to their self because of the fact that they could get made fun of or bullied for it, but you also never know what great ideas are being kept secret, and no one will every know. I do believe it is fascinating to watch other people doing things most consider strange and trying to wrap my brain around why they may be doing this action. Trying to understand people will always be a struggle for everyone, because of the personality everyone is given, making no one the same.
I have many hobbies that I enjoy that I wouldn't necessarily consider "popular". I keep some hobbies to myself so that I can have things in my life that aren't influenced by others. If my hobbies became majorly popular like the "hobbyhorse craze", I would definitely still do them. Even though my activity would be popularized, I would continue to accomplish my hobbies because they make me happy which the most important thing.
It's important to have something you enjoy doing especially if you get to do it with friends. The article states, "'It was like a secret society,' Ms. Vilhunen said." This activity allowed the friends to grow closer and do something that they all enjoyed. When the craze somewhat caught on, the activity was not longer a secret but they were able to see it grow into something others could enjoy. The craze allowed people to have a good time which at the end of the day is the most significant thing.
If I had a hobby that recently became a craze, I think that I would feel like I started it and maybe a little betrayed because it was originally my hobby. I think that it would be cool though, because so many people are interested in what I’m doing.
The article says, “When she was 12, some friends happened to spot her practicing in the woods near her school, and teased her for playing a child’s game.” Honestly, kids will be kids and you can’t really stop them from making fun of you, you just have to keep going on. I think that kids are often brutal, and I think that once a trend is popular, people stop picking on others for doing the trend. It still happens, because people say that someone is “basic” for joining the trend, but it doesn’t happen as much now that the trend is socially acceptable.
People are mean when they don’t know much about a subject, and then they learn more when it becomes popular. If something you liked is now popular, just embrace it, and maybe just say you liked it before, and then just leave it at that.
I like to have some things unique to myself that people can associate me with. However, it's also enjoyable to find a group of people who share your interests. My friends and I had a period of time in which we were all completely consumed by the need to binge watch 90210 and then text each other about it (before it was, devastatingly, taken off of Netflix). If everyone at school started watching it we would have been irritated; even though it was widely available, it still felt sacred to us. In some instances, it's exciting to feel like you're a part of a collective experience with the rest of the world (playing a popular game, listening to a new pop album), and sharing the interest is fun. Once something you're privately heavily invested in becomes mainstream, though, it can be infuriating. You feel like that artist or podcast speaks only to you, and it's disillusioning to learn that, apparently, everyone else on Earth is the same.
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Now I don't think i can say much about hobbyhorse because I know next to nothing about them. However, I can say that I'm happy these girls have made them gain popularity. It gives them more chances to meet potential friends and have more memories to look back on. I'm not sure what will become of this craze but If i've learned anything in my time being alive, is that they just need to let it happen and let the people who are into to the craze enjoy themselves without the feeling that they are being judged or hated on cause believe me, it's way easier to bash on something popular then join in on something popular in my opinion.
The hobbyhorse craze can be an expressive outlet for the young girls in Finland. Although it is popular in Finland, I do not think that it would be popular in the state of South Carolina and it is also not appealing in my mind. Since horses are readily available in my current location, riding stuffed horses would seem redundant and unnecessary. The mentions of teasing are most likely still relevant since the pastime has just recently surfaced, although it may not be pointed directly towards the hobbyhorse girls. If the girls of the hobbyhorse community enjoy their pastime, then it should not be shunned but this is certainly not for everyone in America, specifically me.
In my personal opinion, I think that the hobbyhorse craze provides a creative outlet for young girls. It promotes the use of imagination, which seems to be dying out with the upcoming generations of youth. It also encourages kids to stay active and go outdoors rather than crowd around technology. On the contrary, I think that after a certain age, this hobby becomes less of a "cute" form of entertainment and begins to adapt a negative reaction from the public. Our judgemental society would not take well to this form of "play" and for this reason, hobby horsing would not catch on where I live. There have been similar instances to this craze that have swept through the limelight at various points including Silly Bands and Minecraft. There will always be activities and material items that draw upon the attention of masses for a while and die down when something else rushes up to take their place. People will always have their own opinion about the actions of others but it is up to the individual to stick with what inevitably makes them happy.
I think that the craze is different and gives girls the opportunity to be active and have fun with something they have an interest in. Personally, I don’t believe that hobbyhorse would catch on where I live, most people are judgy and tease even now with anything slightly different from the normal. Even in Finland, I don’t think that it has been fully accepted yet. Comparing to cheerleading, it has not been recognized as a sport when teams go to compete nationwide. People still tease them by saying it’s not a sport when they put dedication in it. To each their own, so if hobbyhorse enthusiasts enjoy what they do, then they should continue for them and others who may be interested to learn more.
Hobbyhorsing appears to be a positive outlet for young girls to express themselves and their imagination, but I cannot imagine it ever becoming popular in the United States. Perhaps it could catch on in a small town or community where there would be very few people who participate, even that, though, seems unlikely. The closest comparison I could make from my own experience is growing up watching creators on YouTube who were considered “lame” because of their small following, but began to be widely accepted among my peers once their channels gained popularity. Once the YouTubers I had been watching for years had amassed millions of subscribers, they no longer seemed unconventional or weird because everyone could then see the creator’s place on a predetermined, popularity scale.
Before reading the article, I never thought a sport such as hobbyhorsing would become popular. I am happy that these girls have found something that they can bond over and enjoy, but personally, I don't find this sport appealing to my interests. For these girls, it has become an outlet to express their true selves and allowed them indulge in a sport they genuinely enjoy. However, I don't think it will become as widespread in America as it did in Finland. For other countries, it is something that has become a serious competitvie sport, but for others it is is just seen as a hobby. Due to its growing popularity, it is becoming less ridiculed and more accepted by the general public. Most people don't care whether or not hobbyhorsing exists. Naturally, there will be those who will criticise the sport, but there are others who discovering it and realizing that they may enjoy it as well. For instance, the Star Wars franchise has been around for decades and has been mocked & laughed by many. But the proud fans ignore the critisicm and express their love for it through cosplay, conventions, and other mediums.