10 Signs You’re From Arizona

These signs you’re from Arizona are unreal. Arizona is a land of extremes and contradictions. Driving down the 95 towards the bridge into Needles, CA you can witness the unique and intimidating beauty of the desert with the Colorado carving through the harsh Earth. Travel down the I-40 during the right time of year and you’ll see mountains blanked by tall trees and snow as you head towards Flagstaff, AZ. Across the state the desert landscape is interrupted by some of the most beautiful lakes and natural wonders available to man. Just as Arizona itself seems to leave the casual visitor stunned and somewhat confused, so can the local culture. There isn’t just one type of Arizonian. In fact, the variety of people who call Arizona home is both a testament to its mythos of freedom and its generally relaxed atmosphere. A common characteristic of Arizonians is that they’re a casual bunch who enjoy a good time and don’t take themselves too seriously. So, in that spirit I want to describe ten characteristics of Arizonians, some of which I’ve been guilty of myself.

Cami Tops:

Forget t-shirts! Cami tops are the official staple of any Arizonian woman who isn’t trying to pass herself off as a tourist or a snow bird. Many sport these nearly year around and typically favor darker varieties like black although white camis are also a favorite. Other girls sport a collection of different colors. Gotta have some variety in there.

Flip Flops:

You would think that in a place where venomous spiders, scorpions, and snakes are the norm we would choose a different footwear. While some gravitate towards sneakers and boots, the standard bearer has been and will remain the flip flop. Blame it on those lovely blue lakes and rivers, I guess.

Ranch on Pizza:

My family is multi-state, so I’ve gotten to travel as a kid for the mandatory holidays and summer vacations at different relatives’ homes. Yet nowhere else have I witnessed the travesty which is ranch dressing on pizza. While I largely attributed this to my hometown I was again confronted with the awful truth when a travel article describing great restaurants for ranch featured several Italian restaurants. This is one of those unmistakable signs you’re from Arizona.

Dangerous Tanning:

It isn’t strange to see the shelves of the beauty and personal care empty of a certain product. A sane human being would assume I was talking about the 100 SPF proof sunscreen, but in fact it’s tanning oil. Yes, in a place that’s sunny almost year around the locals use tanning oil. Desperate girls in fact will resort to baby oil or cooking oils for the ‘perfect’ tan. I seriously caution against this.

Shorts in Winter:

Because who wants to invest in jeans that you’ll only wear from November 20^th to February 15^th?

Pajama bottoms:

Before it was trendy, and Katy Perry was throwing Orlando Bloom a surprise pajama party, pajama bottoms in public were the thing I only associated with Arizonians.

Bras that double as wallets:

In Arizona it’s totally okay for your bras support both your girls and your Benjamins.

Cowboy Hats:

Arizonians still love the glory of the Wild West days and men gladly adopt the Cowboy hat as well as country music and pickup trucks. Unlike the other two, cowboy hats were adopted from Mexico. But shhh… Let’s keep that between us.

Keychain Bottle Openers:

Because the ability to open a beer is tantamount to being able to open your car or your front door.

Heavily Penciled Brows:

A makeup convention that I typically only see in Arizona. While some of it is a cultural appropriation of Chino culture its also partly due to the fact that bodily grooming is taken seriously here due to climate reasons and/or the fact that no one in Arizona is over the early 2000s trends (we move slow on these things).