Nymphet Alumni

Full episode available on Patreon <3 In this episode, inspired by the widespread panic surrounding the Death of the Club, we assess the contemporary state of nightlife and the sartorial, musical, and social considerations of the Going Out experience. Drawing from our own fieldwork as well as numerous studies, we discuss bottle girls, pickup artists, natural wine bars, section mindfulness, the infamous events of the TikTok Rizz Party, and much more. TikTok Rizz Party (original) TTRP Lana edit TTRP Sylvia Plath edit The Man Who Has Everything: Mark Fisher on Drake’s Nothing Was The Same Venkatesh Rao — The Gervais Principle Millennials vs Gen Z in the club on Reels (lol) Sizing Up The Nightlife: A Study on Status Distinction Why Gen Z Gave Up on Clubbing — The Telegraph Gen Z and Nightlife Safety — Hunger Magazine Gen Z Tell Us What They Think of Millennials’ Party Habits — VICE Boiler Room and Charli XCX Presents: PARTYGIRL

In this episode, the hosts are joined by our favorite fashion theorist and Rick Owens collector, Rian Phin, to analyze the recent rise of post-apocalyptic desert drip, inspired by the release of Dune 2. We discuss the different factions of Rick Owens wearers, the influence of Middle Eastern fashion, climate absurdism, exoskeletons, and hero worship in uncertain times. With the insight of our honored guest, we speculate on the battle for fashion futurism and the legacy of the Rick Owens house. Links: Image board Interview with Dune costume designer Jacqueline West — Vogue Luca Maxim worldbuilding wiki Luca Maxim on TikTok Coperni Futurism — Vogue Rian Phin on Youtube Rian Phin on Twitter Rian Phin on Instagram Rian Phin on TikTok

In this episode, we reflect on what we call the Loner Girl aesthetic, an eccentric style epitomized by the vulnerable yet spunky YA protagonistas of decades past, best accessorized with a messenger bag, sneaker flats, and a starry-eyed disposition. We reinvigorate the teen traumacore literary canon, including the works of John Green and Ellen Hopkins, and discuss its associated social phenomena, mental health themes, and expression through personal style. We also take stock of Manic Pixie Dream Girl discourse and discuss early-career Marc Jacobs, "Banal Eccentricity" at Prada, the forgotten appeal of eggplant purple, and our own personal thirteenth reasons ... Links: Image board Thirteen Reasons Why book cover styling Related aesthetics on CARI: Hipness Purgatory, Corporate Grunge When Miuccia Prada Invented Ugly Chic – NSS Mag (Prada S/S 1996) Marc Jacobs Fall 2005 RTW Your Fave is Problematic: John Green The Teen Whisperer (John Green 2014 New Yorker profile) Why John Green Likes Writing for Teenagers (2019 NYT interview) John Green and his Manic Pixie Dream Girls – LA Review of Books Mori-kei – Japanese Fashion Wiki Find exclusive episodes here <3

Full Episode Available on Patreon <3 In this exclusive episode, we discuss a litany of misguided rebrand attempts, interrogating the dogwhistles of Gen Z bizarro cash-grab styling. Inspired by the ignominy of Camila Cabello's new "era," we unpack the major influences behind alternative rebrands, from Myspace celebrities to the visual identity of PC music. We investigate the authenticity crisis, the definition of hyperpop, being niche gay famous, the digital camera and camcorder renaissance, and more! Links: Image board Camila Cabello for PAPER Magazine (came out after we recorded LOL) Call Me Back by James Charles Charlotte Rutherford Photography Trisha Paytas shot by Alyssa Kazew Ayesha Erotica Twitter Rant The Media's Succession Obsession Tara Yummy's 1 Million Subs Party

In this episode, we conduct a meeting of the minds with brilliant wordsmith and beauty industry critic Jessica Defino. Together with Jessica, we embark on an impossible journey of cosmetic ethical dilemmas, unpacking the undulating discourses of makeup and skincare. Tune in as we ask questions that keep us up at night: are Sephora Tweens canaries in the coal mine of disintegrating self-esteem? Can the age of the multi-hyphenate sustain the explosion of celebrity beauty brands? Is self-actualization possible in a minefield of appearance optimization? Why is there such a thing as baby skincare? Read Jessica’s Work: Jessica’s Website The Unpublishable – Substack Ask Ugly – The Guardian Links: Sephora Tweens ISAMAYA 2016 Makeup Nostalgia Tarte Brand Trip Controversy A Guide to Every Celebrity Beauty Brand

This week, we address the critical levels of silliness we've detected in today's culture, from the debut of Drake's adorable alter ego Anita Max Wynn to the rise of cute-forward hypewear. We theorize as to why silly ass white boys are suddenly doing dances in crews, rediscover the influence of mid-2000s ringtone rap, and canonize a new generation of digital Merry Pranksters, including Joeyy, the Laundry Day boys, Sexyy Red, and others. Links: Image board The birth of Anita Max Wynn EvanDaGreat, Maxevasi0n, Laundry Day JerseyyJoe, Hugo Hilaire, That's My Dawg Zack Bia and Yeat getting silly White guys dancing to afrobeats Chief Keef style on TikTok: one, two, three, four, five, six "Narcofashion" Polo trend in Mexico Playboi Carti Is in His Hello Kitty Era on “EvilJ0rdan” – Hypebeast Anonymous Club by Shayne Oliver Resort 2024 – Vogue Runway Creature World BustaMove Store Kerwin Frost x McDonalds Merch TisaKorean silly merch also McDonalds Sprite song and Soulja Boy tribute? Dirty Decade: Rap Music and the U.S. South 1997–2007 – Matt Miller in Southern Spaces 'Laffy Taffy': So Light, So Sugary, So Downloadable – New York Times, 2006 Rondell Conway snap rap cover story for Vibe magazine, June 2006 Hurrikane on TikTok, Y2K Dallas style in Brazil, Dallas boogie style (2009) 9 ways Soulja Boy revolutionized today's hip hop culture – Revolt Nettspend on Know Your Meme Timothee Chalamet's digital footprint Glorb – The Bottom 2 (Official Music Video) (SpongeBob AI rap?)

Full Episode Available on Patreon <3 In search of the zeitgeist, we make our way out west to discover the spirit of Los Angeles and its enigmatic hold on our collective imagination. We analyze its patchwork urbanism, its thrilling eroticism, and its enduring associations with novelty, maximalism, and existential dread. From midcentury novelists to Y2K socialites to nouveau riche influencers of the 2010s, we draw upon a wealth of references to make sense of the city's cultural milieu and distinctive sartorial character. BONUS: Ky Newman of Emergency Intercom joins us as an expert witness to discuss the reality of the LA content creator lifestyle, the future of influencing, and the city's fashion landscape. Links: [Subscribe on Patreon for full LA Bibliography Masterlist!!!] Image board Emergency Intercom Ky Newman on YouTube Ky Newman on Instagram

In this episode, we open up the yellow Kanken of history and unpack one of the most influential archetypes of the 2010s: the art hoe. We rediscover the work of the Art Hoe Collective, revisit the Tumblr art historical canon from Matisse's cutouts to Van Gogh's sunflowers, and trace the aesthetic's propagation through musicians like Mac Demarco and Tyler the Creator. We also discuss the forms in which art hoeism lives on today, from TikTok's indie teens to zillennial art world professionals. Links: Image board Art Hoe Collective in the Dazed 100 #Arthoe: the teens who kickstarted a feminist art movement – The Guardian Amandla Stenberg: Don't Cash Crop on my Cornrows Rex Orange County - Loving is Easy [Official Video] Claud - Wish You Were Gay [Official Video]

This week, we investigate the recent destigmatization of theater kid energy and its resurgence in mass culture, from musical-movie adaptations to the irresistible charms of improv-trained comedians. We discuss the peak of the NBC fandom, the timelessness of "difficult" leading ladies, star factories such as SNL and NYU Tisch, the ineffability of theatrical sexuality, the rise of craft and tryhardism, and more. Links: Image board Renee Rapp on Call Her Daddy SNL 1975 (upcoming SNL movie) Ariana Grande - yes, and? (Official Music Video) Audio-Visual Cocktail Party by Steven Phillips-Horst for Spike Magazine (on late night shows) Paloma Diamond is Winning Awards Season – Vulture Power Bottoms: The NYU classmates behind the year’s most delightfully dumb comedy – Vulture NYU brainstorming sesh for Bottoms Tina Fey clip that came out after we recorded this episode?! Find exclusive episodes here <3

Full Episode Available on Patreon <3 In this emergency roundtable, we drop everything to take a walk through the streets of Paris with John Galliano, discussing the viral Margiela show that brought on a fashioncore love surge the likes of which the world has seldom seen before. We talk about the broken down babydoll effect, the emerging field of cosmetic forensics, our love for steampunk, the body shop, fashion hunchbacks, merkinis, early career Adele, despair, theatricality, and more. We celebrate the termination of the "Year of the Girl," and herald the arrival of the "Year of the Lady" ... and the Tramp. Links: Maison Margiela Spring 2024 Couture – Vogue Runway Maison Margiela Artisanal Collection 2024 – Full Show on YouTube Maison Margiela’s Couture Collection Will Go Down in Fashion History – Cathy Horyn for The Cut Osman Ahmed's Instagram Caption Interview with Luc Bruyère

To mog, or not to mog ... This week, we take a trip to the Mogwarts School of Profound Self-Improvement to check in on the next generation of looksmaxxers and their charismatic leader, Kareem Shami. We discuss key figures of the male beauty pantheon—male models Jordan Barrett, Chico Lachowski, and Sean O'Pry— and discover what they represent to young men today. We also dive into the dark history of looksmaxxing, from the Legend of Zyzz to the alleged crimes of orthotropic madman Dr. Mike Mew. Links: Image board Young Men Seek Answers to an Age-Old Question: How to Be Hot – New York Times Mogwarts Official Website Kareem Shami aka @syrianpsycho on TikTok Inside Jordan Barrett And Fernando Casablancas’s Celebration Of Love In Ibiza – Vogue Dr. Mike Mew Tribunal – The Guardian More Dr. Mew evidence – BBC Mikhaila Peterson interview with Dr. Mike Mew Weston A. Price research overview (see "Our Children" section) The Legend of Zyzz video essay "full looksmaxxing playist" on YouTube Find exclusive episodes here <3

In our first episode of the new year, we discuss the infiltration of Mormon culture into the online mainstream, from the highly engaging TikToks of Nara Smith to the reign of the Stanley Cup and the alchemical innovations that fill them. Why are there so many Mormon influencers? Since when do Mormons have kind of cool style? How is Lucky Blue Smith eating so much every day? We dive into snarky subreddits, genealogical archives, and obscure theological sources to bring you the answers; Sam also introduces her Class to Crass spectrum to make sense of Mormon content. Links: Image board Nara Smith on TikTok Taylor Frankie Paul on TikTok Why So Many of Your Favorite Beauty Personalities Are Mormon – Allure Influencer culture and LDS theology – The Christian Century Polygamy Chic Tumblr FLDS Hair Tutorial Polygamist Hair – Huffington Post Ex-Mormon Subreddit Identify pioneer principles, apply them in modern times – LDS Church News Pioneer Principles: Your Heritage – Latter-Day Soprano Mormon history in the pioneer age: the mob assassination of Joseph Smith, the Mormon Wars, Brigham Young's wagon train Mormonism and the color white – LDSLiving The Granite Mountain Records Vault in Salt Lake City Building Mormonism: History and Controversy in the Architecture of the Latter-day Saints – Art in America Mormonism, Empathy, and Aesthetics – Beholding the Body Toward a Mormon Aesthetic – Brigham Young University Rational Faiths: Keeping Mormonism Weird

Full Episode Available on Patreon <3 Welcome to the Nymphies! In this inaugural ceremony, we honor 2023's greatest achievements in fashion and culture with awards from us at the Nymphet Alumni Academy of Arts and Sciences, including categories such as Biggest Fashion Faux Pas, Most Camp, and Best "Core," and culminating in the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award. We offer exclusive access to our careful deliberation process, which features extended discussions of Chris Pine's street style, tooth gems, eco-terrorism, Keith Lee, and more.

This week, we investigate the emergence of TikTok Shop, exploring its bizarre interface and offerings as representative of a new era of e-commerce and consumer psychology. We discuss the redefinition of the “small business,” the vulgarity of commerce as content, and strategies of pathological guerilla marketing. We also take a stroll through the Shop ourselves to observe the “gyatt pajamas,” chamoy pickle kits, and pheromone oils that are sweeping the nation. TikTok’s official Shop press release TikTok Shop in the New York Times Chamoy pickle kit explainer Dr. Candice Lin on Zheng Xiangxiang FV Makeup foundation videos China Too Cool: Vernacular Innovations and Aesthetic Discontinuity of China – Yijing Zhou UX in China: More Is More, Super Apps, and Community - Yuan Qing Lim (Config 2022) Livestream Shopping Is Not Going to Take Over E-Commerce – Forbes Twitter as a Payment Processor – Financial Times Indonesia’s TikTok Shop Ban – Financial Times Teens Selling on TikTok Shop – NBC, Financial Times TikTok Shop’s Snail Mucin Dupe Problem – Wired

Ho ho ho!! We Three Queens arrive to you with our hearts full of cheer and our sleigh stocked with the greatest gift of all … knowledge!! In our very first Christmas special, we discuss the visual language of the holiday season, from the scourge of minimalist Christmas decor to the history of department store spectacles. Joined by ghosts of Christmas Past, including the original Coca-Cola-sanctioned Santa Claus, Thomas Kinkade, and Jack Skellington, we also make our predictions for theoretical Christmas aesthetics to come. Image board Kim Kardashian’s Minimalist Christmas Decor Minimalist Nativity Sets Thomas Kinkade’s Christmas Art Joan Didion on Thomas Kinkade A History of the Department Store – BBC History of Christmas Catalogs Santa’s New York Roots – NYPL Christmas Drawings for the Human Race (1890) – Thomas Nast Haddon Sundblom and the Coca-Cola Santas Why Hollywood films, Christmas music and jazz are so intertwined – Jazz FM Brenda Lee’s Comeback – New York Times Vogue’s Christmas Archive

Subscribe to our Patreon for the full episode <3 This week, we snap into our intellectual spring-lock suits and analyze the phenomenon of creepycore internet media, discussing digital horrors that have us shaking in our boots. Tune in to hear how FNAF falls into the tradition of Victorian storytelling, what creepypastas tell us about the participation gap, how iceberg-style consumption has changed the media landscape, and more! Links: “The Troubles of the Automaton” by Clementine Black The Participation Gap Creepypasta Wiki The Laws of Lorecore by Shumar Basar Kid’s Stuff in Contemporary Horror The Uncanny Valley by Marisho Mori Perpetual Mismatch Theory Configural Processing Theory Uncanny Valley Makeup Trend Serbian Dancing Lady Trend Opposite Features Makeup TikTok

In this episode, we expand on the edgy, high-octane aesthetic of the Harley Davidson Harlot. From the checkerboard-and-flames motif of the 2010s to the 2020 revival of Diesel under Glenn Martens to Kylie Jenner's new clothing venture Khy, we chronicle fashion's obsession with all things moto-inspired ... and evaluate the dystopian implications of this petrochemical path. On this journey, we encounter Che Guevera and Julia Fox, uniform fetishism, the BP oil spill, Global South cyberpunk, and much more. Links: Image board Khy by Kylie Jenner Betsy Johnson's Khy callout posts Motorbike culture in the Global South: Vietnam, Brazil, Kenya The Importance of the African Motorcycle in Art Kim Kardashian in Chrome Hearts How Glenn Martens Saved Diesel from its Midlife Crisis Diesel's Daily African print campaign (2001) An Incomplete History of the Akira Bike Slide Apple's Mother Nature report starring Octavia Spencer Azealia Banks' Yeezy Modular Survival Kit Prix Workshop Find exclusive episodes here <3

In the second installment of this two-part episode special, we set about the path of high cotton heaven, tracing the waves of country influence upon the modern. We discuss Bella Hadid’s rough-handed cow-beau, Gram Parsons' trustafarian tragedy, the poetics of agricultural science, Lucchesse’s Sufjan Stevens moment, and more! Plus: we expand our red-dirt horizons with the help of two world-renowned country music experts, Kevin Fontenot and Caroline Gnagy, wrapping up the episode with a special dispatch from the Texas Overture HQ. Listen to our playlist here <3 Extended interview with Kevin and Caroline is available on our Patreon <3 Image Board Links: Texas Overture Caroline Gnagy’s Website Goin’ Hillbilly Nuts: Fashion Culture and Visual Style in Country Music by Caroline Gnagy (are.na link) Louisiana Women by Kevin Fontenot Accordions, Fiddles, Two Step & Swing: A Cajun Music Reader by Kevin Fontenot Don’t Get Above Your Raisin’ by Bill C. Malone How the West Was Worn by Holly George Warren The Mind of the South by WJ Cash The Battle for the Heart of the Great American Nudie Suit | GQ FFA Tik Tok Poor Little Rich Boy - Chicago Reader Jody Rosen on the Rise of Bro Country

Subscribe to our Patreon to hear the full episode <3 Howdy, listeners! In the first installment of this two-part episode special, we three Southern belles brace ourselves for the incoming wave of country music revival. From Tyler Childers to Jelly Roll, and Lana Del Rey to Morgan Wallen, we track the aesthetic inclinations of Southern living in the post-bro country era. We talk Tik Tok cowboys, buttered biscuits, nudie suits, cosmic cowgirls, Nashville bridal showers, and more! Links: Image Board Lana Del Rey Waffle House Shenanigans Cosmic Cowboy History Linedance to S&M Chreesh Cowboy Dance Nudie Cohn

In this week's episode, we ring in the upcoming Thanksgiving season and its assorted fashion implications, from the domestic humiliation of living room glam to the mercantile hysteria of Black Friday shopping. Does the donning of brown leather subliminally evoke the turkey and/or football? How does Thanksgiving day become a social minefield of gendered and generational tensions? We also reflect on the visual monoculture of Thanksgiving Americana— Charlie Brown, Norman Rockwell, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade— and the genealogy of the boot known as the "Pilgrim Stepper." Links: Image board The Pilgrim Stepper meme Iconic Macy's Thansgiving Parade moments Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade wiki Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving proclamation Eli Roth's Thanksgiving trailer (2023) Eli Roth's fake Thanksgiving trailer (2017) Pilgrim style on the runway – Vogue Find exclusive episodes here <3