Listening to music with AirPods appears to be common practice among the students at the University of Miami. Whether you’re in the library, at the Wellness Center or simply roaming across Fate Bridge, it’s nearly impossible to catch one student without the white gadgets in their ears.

An Apple Insider report expected AirPod sales to hit $60 million in 2019, exceeding $10 billion in revenue. The product’s dynamite success has also skyrocketed into somewhat of a cultural epidemic and a social signifier. The trendy device has been touted as both a display of wealth and an ostracizer. At about $159 a pair, AirPods are frequently associated with upper-class music-lovers who blast noise in their ears to shut out their surroundings. I’ve personally observed that their genres of choice tend to be hip-hop, rap and pop hits. This is most likely thanks to the elite earbuds’  widely stereotyped “cool” factor.

While I do own a pair of AirPods myself, I do not fit that model of an ‘average’ AirPod-wearer strolling around campus. Why? Because I love classical music.

No, it’s not solely because I’m a classical pianist and listen to that type of music “because I should” as most people presume. It’s because I truly enjoy indulging myself into not only the musical pieces I’m studying, but the entire history of Western music.

My exclusive taste in music – and the medium with which I choose to delve into it – has become a defining characteristic of who I am. You can find me walking, running or getting stuff done in the Weeks Music Library with AirPods in my ears, classical music on and volume up high.

I’ve never cared that my curated Spotify playlists wouldn’t suit your typical, tech-savvy listener. I proudly immerse myself into Western art culture with nothing but my beloved AirPods. It’s a quirk that I wholeheartedly love and own. 

As for the Distraction team? Managing Editor and AirPod advocate Gabby Rosenbloom vibes to “Beetlejuice” and Broadway musicals, while Culture Editor Shianne Salazar (a non-AirPods person) ranks soul, R&B and indie rock as her top genres. It doesn’t matter whether you pump up the unconventional jams with or without upscale buds; there is no one-size-fits-all in music consumption.

Somesay “we are what we listen to,” but for me it’s more essential that we take pride in what we listen to, whether that be classical, musical theatre or indie rock. Brandish what’s playing in your ears like it’s your personality – no matter how eccentric or underappreciated it may be. 

words_gianna milan photo_the next web