At last, I’m officially cool – because I wear ear plugs – The Telegraph

It has taken me years of searching, of chasing after that elusive, shimmering, elusive “coolness” but, I can now say, I am officially in possession of the prized possession: “coolness”. My search was gruelling, and often pointless, with countless dead-ends and dashed hopes along the way, yet ultimately my journey led me to the obvious – the thing that is so obvious, I can barely believe I overlooked it: wearing earplugs.

I never thought, in a million years, I would ever wear earplugs, much less embrace them, or even see them as the holy grail of cool – but here we are. It began as a necessary evil, as the inevitable end of many a sweaty and loud dancefloor night; earplugs were there, shoved in my pockets and rolled in my purse – waiting. Yet they were viewed with the same disdain you would give a broken-down shoe, something to endure, a symbol of defeat. Until that was. Because at some point, they began appearing in the pages of my favourite fashion magazines. Styled shots showed them in a totally different light – and they looked cool, damn cool, paired with killer clothes and killer tunes (probably ones I wouldn’t have liked with the aid of hearing protection.)

The evolution of earplugs is a slow one – even now many brands are focused purely on utility; their “coolness” is largely limited to size, shape and colours – not unlike the evolution of trainers from running shoe to everyday apparel.

What earplugs represent for our generation is perhaps best described by their new name: “ear candy” – an ironic choice of wording for something so instrumental in protecting one’s hearing. The earcandy that is out there is something to be cherished. Their rise, at least in my mind, is one of the most significant of the past five years, as is the fact that it was born in an otherwise bleak situation: the ever-increasing decibel levels of city living. Our need for quieter and safer ways to deal with sound levels at home, at work, on public transport and at concerts is leading to the embrace of noise-canceling earphones and noise-canceling technologies. The impact is inescapable; even I am embracing “ear candy” on the daily.

So, to the new and truly cool amongst us: earplug wearers, ear candy users, listen up – or rather, not too hard – you’re a part of something exciting and something cool. In these difficult times, of loud buses and noisy offices and deafening concert experiences, remember that in your embrace of noise-reducing protection you have chosen not just to safeguard your health, but to choose coolness as well – you, sir/madam, are in the now.