Sloane Ranger
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The term Sloane Ranger (often pluralised to just Sloanes or Sloanies) originally referred to the lifestyle of young upper- and upper-middle-class men and women living in West London. The term is a word play combining "Sloane Square", the fashionable and wealthy area of London most associated in the public imagination with Sloanes, and the TV character "The Lone Ranger". The term "Sloane Ranger" was attached in the public imagination most particularly to women, the archetypal Sloane being Lady Diana Spencer, however the term is now also applied to men. Male Sloanes have also been referred to as "Hooray Henries" (though strictly speaking this term applies only to a louder, more-noticeable subset of Sloane Ranger males).<ref>"ON THE TRAIL OF LONDON'S SLOANE RANGERS", The New York Times, 25 March1984.</ref>
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[edit] The Official Sloane Ranger Handbook
The term was popularised by British author Peter York in his 1982 book The Official Sloane Ranger Handbook (co-authored with Ann Barr); and its companion book, The Official Sloane Ranger Diary. The books were published by Harpers & Queen, for whom York was Style Editor, the British society magazine that "was responsible for identifying the cult phenomena of "Sloane Rangers" and "foodies"". <ref> "Harpers & Queen Timeline", The National Magazine Company, 2006</ref>
The exemplary female Sloane Ranger (FSR) as described by the book was Lady Diana Spencer before her marriage to Charles, Prince of Wales. However, most SRs came from slightly less exalted backgrounds (usually well-to-do-from the-country-types). According to the book, the Male Sloanes (MSR) had no personified exemplar as such, rather a series of exemplary patterns to cling to. Typical of SRs were patriotism; traditionalism; a belief in the various values of upper-/ upper-middle class culture; confidence in themselves and their place in the world; a fondness for / engagement with the countryside, in particular country sports; philistinism / anti-intellectualism. With regard to the two latter traits, "typical" ought to be emphasised. Not all Sloanes liked country sports (indeed, Diana didn't), and not all Sloanes were philistines / anti-intellectuals. The reason why a proud philistinism was emphasised is possibly two-fold: SRs with their SR confidence were unembarrassed to admit disliking ballet, opera, modern art and James Joyce; most public intellectuals of the 70s/80s were left wing, and to align oneself with the cultural values of a left-wing intelligentsia was anathema to (typically) staunchly Tory Sloanes. The typical male Sloane was satirised by the Harry Enfield character, Tim Nice-but-Dim.
Traditional values of the English upper- and upper-middle classes asserted themselves in the careers chosen, or the careers that were expected to be chosen, by young Sloanes. No shame attached itself to girls who failed academically and took on secretarial jobs (indeed, expensive secretarial courses in London, Oxford, and Cambridge were popular amongst Sloanes in the 1980s), since it was expected that even bright FSRs would only hold down a job until they met a suitable husband. MSRs looked to the traditional careers of the British Army (not the Royal Navy or RAF, since both had become perceived as slightly infra dig (i.e. 'beneath one's dignity') as a result of a looser emphasis on social standing; the Royal Family might join the Navy, but they could get away with it, being, well, royal); farming (as in, "I own half of Gloucestershire"); the law; and the City. It might be noted that Sloanes who became lawyers, or even Sloanes who worked in the City, could hardly be considered academically challenged, and so contrary to popular belief having a double-barrelled name didn't necessarily render one brain-dead. By the 70s / 80s Sloanes had also started to fill the ranks of estate agents, chartered surveyors, wine merchants, art dealers, etc.
[edit] Sloane Territory
Although Sloanes are more widely spread than often believed they are mainly restricted to expensive tracts of West London, most famously Sloane Square, the Kings Road, the Fulham Road, Kensington High Street, and other areas of Kensington, Chelsea and Fulham, and more recently the north-London suburbs of St John's Wood, Primrose Hill, Hampstead and Highgate. The pubs and nightclubs in these areas are popular with Sloanes, in particular The White Horse pub, known as the "Sloaney Pony", in Fulham, and the Admiral Codrington, knows as "The Cod", in Chelsea. Sloanes have also traditionally favoured certain holiday destinations, in particular European ski resorts such as Val d'Isere and Meribel and the Caribbean.
Public schools in general have a reputation for being Sloaney, though some are considered more Sloaney than others.
Many Sloanes aspire to attend the elite universities of Cambridge and Oxford. A number of other universities, however, have established reputations as havens for Sloanes who are unable to gain admission to Oxbridge, such as Durham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Exeter, UCL, St Andrews and York.
Due to stiff academic competition, globalisation and social mobility, universities are attracting more students internationally, which is leading to the diminishment of the "social club" role the more historic universities have played. Indeed, the Pitt Club at Cambridge is the historic centre of Sloane social life for the university and has been in long-term decline, with the main part of its building rented out to Pizza Express.
[edit] Sloanes today
More recent examples of the Sloane Ranger include 'It girls' in the mould of Lady Victoria Hervey and Tara Palmer-Tomkinson; former Castaway 2000 contestant and television presenter Ben Fogle.
Applied to a younger, school-age generation, including the young British royals like William and Harry,<ref>"Has Sloane Ranger fashion come back?", The Guardian, 13 February2006.</ref> the term can also be seen as a generic term for confident, somewhat brash, public-school children. Sloane fashion has remained relatively constant over the years: the trend amongst the men being for open-necked shirts and traditional brands like Barbour. The women generally favour messy hair, dangly ear-rings, and pashminas: tending to be affluent, they dress rather well, but not too neatly.
Although country pursuits have become less popular in general over the years, Sloanes vehemently opposed the hunting ban and support rural issues and the Countryside Alliance.
Careers in the City are still a popular choice of employment for Sloanes, but less so now than in the past as society has become more meritocratic and old boy networks have become less powerful.
This traditional Sloane identity has recently multiplied and fragmented. This has been bound up with the changing demographics of London in the mid to late 1990s with massive increases in wealth that considerably increased the Sloane population. Sloanes have sought out new areas of London and with that new negotiations of Sloane identity.
Notting Hill in particular has been transformed from a poor immigrant community to one of London's most desirable locations in a relatively short space of time. This has seen the influx of both "new" media money and "old" traditional money. Notting Hill has become increasingly "Sloaney" as the children of traditional Sloanes move out of Chelsea (and other West London haunts) to what was perceived to be a more artistic, bohemian, and trendy area. This new, younger generation of Sloanes are called "Boho" or "Notting Hill" Sloanes, another variation being the "Ethnosloane", and are represented both in the media industries such as journalism, TV, PR and advertising, as well as The City. Managing an art gallery of the right kind might also be an acceptable occupation. Primrose Hill, St. John's Wood, Hampstead and Highgate in North London too have developed into being acceptable Sloane residencies[citation needed].
The so-called "Notting Hill Set" of the Conservative Party typify these changes. They represent the more socially liberal and reforming branch within the Conservative Party, many of whom are based in Notting Hill. It includes the Party Leader, David Cameron, and his closest political ally, George Osborne, the Shadow Chancellor, as well as closely allied public-relations people and journalists.
[edit] Sloane names
- Henry, as in "Hooray Henry"
- Charles, often abbreviated to "Charlie"
- Rupert, as in "Ra Ra Rupert"
- William, usually abbreviated to "Wills" or "Will"
- Camilla, often abbreviated to "Millie" or "Mills"
- Joanna, (but never Joanne)
- Laura, Lara
- Victoria, especially when abbreviated into "Vicks", "Vicki", "Tory", "Torzy" or "Torica"
Male Sloanes often carry on the tradition from Public Schools of calling each other by their last names, or witty variations of them, that usually involve putting a "y" at the end of them.
[edit] Notes
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[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Sloaneys.co.uk - a light-hearted take on the Sloane phenomenon.
- "Enter the turbo Sloanes" by Giles Hattersley, "The Sunday Times", May 7, 2006
- Chelsea Society- A Sloaney Society
