Brit Chic

[lupestripe]

Whilst I was abroad I noticed many people wearing clothes adorning the British flag. Clearly the perception of Britain abroad is still quite favourable, despite our dalliances in unpopular wars.

I am sure part of the reason for this is that many fashion labels are based in London and thus are selling a brand. However the UK is clearly seen in high regard overseas otherwise these products wouldn't sell. Part of the answer I am sure lies with the English language, which is the most pervasive in the world and seen by many as glamorous.

So, and this is mainly for my non-British followers, what is the perception of the UK abroad, both positive and negative? And what do you think when you think of Britain? I would be interested to know your thoughts.

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPhone.

Comments

The public perception of Britain...

[doco.livejournal.com]

Wacky third-world country a bit off the Northern coast of France, there's many banks there and bad food. Anything outside the M25 motorway does not exist, and 99% of people don't even know about the M25 being there in the first place.

Thirty years past its heyday.

Their press is fixated on calling everyone a Nazi and hating anything European.

Did not win that match in 1966.

Sometimes, the BBC makes good drama or documentaries, but nobody notices they're actually coming from the BBC.

Re: The public perception of Britain...

[lupestripe.livejournal.com]

Quite an unfair summation really but I guess you have your reasons.

The tabloids here are awful but I hardly think Bild is much better. I hate the anti European views of many of my fellow countrymen but to say the press is fixated on calling everyone a Nazi is grossly unfair. Euroscepticism is not necessarily a bad thing but I agree that there is too much of a Little Englander attitude here. Also, check record books about that match in 1966.

Suggesting 99% of people in the UK are too ignorant to know about M25 is quite a slight and the main reason why we are past our heyday is the crippling effect the Second World War had, which practically bankrupted the country. I think our heyday ended in 1945 although achievements such as the NHS do post-date this.

I agree on your points about banks and perhaps bad food, but the UK probably has the greatest diversity of cuisines from around the world due to its multiculturalism. The perception of anything outside the M25 not existing is a London attitude but sadly one which is quite prevailent in the pernicious press of which you have spoken.

I think the BBC is universally fantastic and produces the finest programming in the world. It's the one thing that makes me proud to be British.

Thanks for sharing your views - I have expanded my previous posts because I wrote them on my phone and couldn't edit them. I also wanted to put forth my arguments in a more eloquent way than how I initially wrote them.

Re: The public perception of Britain...

[avon-deer.livejournal.com]

I on the other hand don't think it was an unfair summation. Exaggerated a great deal, yes; but not unfair. Both Doco and myself are irritated by the same pervasive (I can't think of any word to describe it other than the slightly made up) "crapness" of the way stuff works (or more often does NOT work) in the UK.

[lupestripe.livejournal.com]

I think there were elements of truth in the review, true, and you know the depth of my feeling regarding this country but I still think certain points were unfair. I guess I am caught in a cycle where I want to love my country but ethically I simply cannot.

Re: The public perception of Britain...

[doco.livejournal.com]

Oh, but I gave a rapport of the _general public's_ view of Britain as a whole, not my personal opinion. I thought I had made it clear enough in the subject.

My own opinion differs somewhat. X)

[lupestripe.livejournal.com]

Must have misunderstood. Is that really what the average German thinks?

[doco.livejournal.com]

More or less, yes. Although the top 25% of the population will likely think more of the Square Mile than anything else, and might even pop by to check the Guardian website now and then.

For the remainder of the populace, it's not generally a country that's given special thought of at all, mostly because people don't get the exposition in contrast to countries on the Continent.

Although our yellow press and the high-gloss magazines do love the Royals a lot....

[lupestripe.livejournal.com]

The Royals are good flag bearers for the country - they seem to be loved abroad. It's one of the reasons why I am pro-monarchy.

So people get more information about other European countries than the UK? Interesting.