culture porn 12/2
*longread: check out our first guest essay at end*
i'm pleased to intro nicholas powell as our first guest essayist, opening a thought-provoking convo about the cultural meaning and implications of YELLOWSTONE’s success. scroll down to read the whole piece!
our weekly playlist
screenshot me:
the wonder (netflix)
florence pugh dazzles in this eerie tale inspired by the "fasting girls." for me, the film is best described as THE CRUCIBLE meets THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN. the framing device (which you just have to watch to understand) didn't do much for me, but otherwise i loved it. mysterious content with pretty landscapes, psychological intrigue and cracking fires is very much to my liking.
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the playlist (netflix)
while this based-on-truth series on daniel ek's groundbreaking founding of SPOTIFY lacks the heat, bite, and schadenfreude of other recent tech tell-alls (THE DROPOUT, WE CRASHED, and SUPER PUMPED), the fact that the streamer is still crushing the music business makes it entirely worth watching.
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wednesday (netflix)
being the burton fan that i am, i had to give the newest manifestation of addams family IP a spin. christina ricci is my ultimate wednesday, but jenna ortega does a wonderful take on the teen. my favorite moments in the show are when wednesday goes fully macabre, not holding back with references to death - which ironically end up being the most escapist and fun part of the show. it's interesting to evaluate the magical high school setting amidst the IRL issues of teenagers in 2022. seeing anxieties play out in otherworldly ways offers a creative take on relatable topics. however, even though wednesday is my favorite addams member, the single character spinoff sacrifices the richness of the other addams family members we know and love. it's not my favorite addams content, but I still love the genre.
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cultish: the language of fanaticism (harper wave)
sarah just gifted me amanda montell's fascinating analysis on how insider-y language creates a sense of belonging - great for the semiotic nerd on your holiday list. i always remind people that the word CULT is the stem of CULTURE, and that the term itself is neutral – it's only through media sensationalism that we've come to think of it as pejorative. i'd love to see culture reassess this critical idea in more positive frameworks.
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falling for christmas (netflix)
thx to a hot tip from marisa busse i loved seeing lindsay on screen again in this so tropey it's delightful take on the holiday genre. easy watching with a millennial screen queen -- perfect for holiday food coma relaxing.
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hard fork (the new york times)
just in time for TWITTER's implosion and the crypto catastrophe, i love listening to tech journalists kevin roose and casey newton sharing their insider takes on the hairiest issues in silicon valley, in this new pod.
insights & inspo
why are people weird about only children?
as an only child (and the mother of an only), i can sing the praises of having been raised without siblings. by necessity, i was forced to find creative ways to spend my time (collecting keys and dewey-decimaling my library were two fave past times), which helped me develop a keen sense of self. i also credit my singular status for forging strong relationships with decision-makers and authority figures, having negotiated with my parents for every critical (and trivial) matter in life. even my childhood shyness challenged me to stand up and speak out for myself – and now i'm speaking up for onlies!
more here
platform uggs are having a moment
i remember when uggs first came into fashion. i never got rid of mine. they are functionally ideal for cold feet in winter. but alas -- everything old is new again and uggs (well, this style of them) are apparently driving people crazy trying to find them. i found this article comical to read, especially in the WSJ. do you like or loathe?
more insights here
#LOokforward🌅 with linda ong
soaking in NYC this week, i hit the GUGGENHEIM’s alex katz retrospective, which is whetting my appetite for ART BASEL MIAMI’s opening. with the recent crypto and tech crashes, investors are seeking refuge in the fine art market, still frothy ever since pandemic lockdowns resulted in a rise in personal savings across the board.
activism – and its suppression – is a sore subject of the 2022 WORLD CUP, with teams, players, and journalists pledging to signal defiance – and then often getting shut down. sports, social issues, and politics have always had a tricky relationship. despite the caliber of play, qatar's oppressive hand may be the winner this year.
for linda’s full debrief, head here
THE BLEACHING OF THE BLUE COLLAR
guest essay by nicholas powell with additional contributions by aaron brodersen
Rugged individualism. It’s as American as apple pie. Individualism is obvious in American culture, the whole concept of “The American Dream” is built on the idea of forging a perfect life for yourself with nothing but hard work. Achieving greatness because you alone chose to. What about the “rugged” part? Something within the collective American psyche has always possessed a fondness for being rugged. But, more specifically, there’s a fondness for looking rugged. This has always been the case, think John Wayne dressed up as a Cowboy, or Tupac dressed in overalls and Timberland boots. Think about your everyday life, when you see someone dirty, presumably, from a day of hard work. You admire their assumed effort without ever knowing if they did in fact work hard. Working hard is one thing, looking like you work hard is another. The aesthetic is just as important as the actual doing. And today, a rugged aesthetic is more popular than ever.
In Hollywood, Westerns are seeing a return to glory. Taylor Sheridan has single-handedly reasserted the Western genre back into the center of the mainstream. Merchandise for his show, “Yellowstone,” can be seen sold at Target, alongside merchandise from Marvel, DC, and Star Wars. And there's no shortage for peers and imitators of Sheridan’s work.
In fashion, select workwear brands aren’t just finding their way to the mainstream, workwear has become a popular aesthetic choice. Carhartt, Dickies, and Wrangler–brands commonly associated with blue collar workers and cowboys–can be found at retailers like Nordstrom. These same brands can also be found at Bass Pro Shops. How many clothing brands can say the same?
But in the age of recognizing and respecting authenticity, one has to wonder: in this current wave of blue collar popularity, are we disrespecting the progenitors of the aesthetic? What do the customers who made these brands think? Or have we diluted the very meaning of blue collar? Maybe blue collar is no longer blue collar at all. Maybe it’s been co-opted and commodified, pre-packaged to be sold back to us, that way we can look like we get our hands dirty without actually having to. Buying a look of authenticity that an American of another age would have to earn.
On the flip side, during the pandemic, rural housing markets saw a major boom. Locations such as Boise, ID saw historic housing surges. Surges that are unsustainable, but nonetheless, Boise was a modern day boomtown. But moving to Boise in 2020 isn’t the same as moving there in 1920 (there’s a North Face store downtown now). The blue-collar popularity also coincides with a rise in organized labor movements. Is the relationship causal… or correlational? Maybe all these trends signal something deeper. An intrinsic part of being an American says “I won’t allow hard times to break me.” Perhaps, in the face of all these obstacles, Americans truly are rugged individuals. And if not, perhaps adopting the look is the small way one can fight their own personal battle of surviving in America.