Nymphet Alumni

In this week’s episode, we’re joined by Willa Bennett: certified media superstar, lifelong magazine obsessive, and current editor-in-chief of both Cosmopolitan and Seventeen. We discuss the delightfully radical legacy of Cosmopolitan, Willa’s heroic full-circle return to Seventeen, how her menswear background shapes her unique point of view, and the tension between editorial authority and audience-led relatability. We also get into her star-studded Blind Date video series, the literary destiny behind her Willa Cather namesake, her advice for aspiring young professionals, and more. Links: Willa Bennett on InstagramCosmopolitan Winter 2026 cover stories: “Meet The Hunger Games’ New Girls on Fire”Highsnobiety Winter 2022 cover story: Billie Eilish by Willa BennettCosmopolitan Spring 2025 cover story: Brenda Song and Macaulay Culkin Nymphet Alumni Ep. 130: Magazine Girl“Is It Just Us? Or Are the Single Cat Ladies Happier?” by Annabel Iwegbue, photographed by Rona Liana Ahdout in CosmopolitanBlind Date | Cosmopolitan on YouTubeIs It Just Us? Or Is Everyone Into PDA Again? by Alexandra Whittaker, photographed by Rona Liana Ahdout in CosmopolitanOlivia Rodrigo Makes a Vision Board | Manifesting With | Cosmopolitan on YouTubeThe Beauty Closet by Cosmo on Substack“Introducing Cosmopolitan’s 2026 Z-Stars” in CosmopolitanChase Rutherford and Charles Hsu tour the Cosmo offices on Instagram This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nymphetalumni.com/subscribe

This week, we’re picking up the thread of New Sincerity— the cultural disposition that championed earnest emotion over irony and cynicism— and declaring its second wave, signaled by mumblecore documentarians, grassroots anti-algorithm micro-platforms, and transcendent, truth-seeking young rockers. Beginning with Austin’s New Sincerity underground scene in the early 1980s, we move through Daniel Johnston’s McDonald’s tape recordings, David Foster Wallace’s anti-irony manifesto, the tender emo of the early 2000s, and the hyperpop/electroclash interregnum before arriving at the present-day convergence of Geese, Chanel Beads, laptop twee, Perfectly Imperfect, Zohran’s New York, and so on. We also discuss the uncanny historical parallels between Conor Oberst and Cameron Winter, the anti-fashion uniform of dirty jackets and unbrushed hair, and the civic reasons why Ridgewood is possibly the epicenter of this aesthetic climate.Links: “John Wilson on Anxiety, Ridgewood, and Rent” in InterviewThe History of Concrete viral Letterboxd review discoursePerfectly Imperfect on Instagram / PI.FYIsilknode on Instagram / silk.cxfriends& on Substack, laptop_twee playlist by friends& on Spotifyerrands.show on Instagram“‘Errands’ Should Be the Most Boring Show on the Internet” by Alex Vadukul in The New York TimesZohran Mamdani on Errands / Zohran Mamdani on Perfectly Imperfect“People Are Discovering NYC Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s Rap Past” by Andre Gee in Rolling Stone15-year-old Zohran Mamdani defending his mother Mira Nair on film message boards“The Zeitgeist of 1985, Pt. 1” by Michael Corcoran on Substack“The New Sincerity” by Michael Corcoran in Spin (1986)“E. Unibus Pluram: Television and U.S. Fiction” by David Foster Wallace in The Review of Contemporary Fiction“Mr. Sincerity Tries a New Trick” by Kelefa Sanneh in The New York Times“Is Cameron Winter Serious?” by Lindsay Zoladz in The New York Times“Toward a Working Theory of the Nu-Hipster” by Eli Schoop in Constantly Hating on Substack“How to Live Without Irony” by Christy Wampole in The New York Times“Sincerity, Not Irony, Is Our Age’s Ethos” by Jonathan D. Fitzgerald in The AtlanticMilady Rave: New York, June 2023, Remilia x UG scene conspiracy on RedditPerfectly Imperfect SXSW Showcase 1.0, Perfectly Imperfect SXSW Showcase 2.0“The Rise of Laptop Twee” by welcome.jpeg on Substack“Things Are So Bad, People Are Longing for Cringey Millennial Culture” by Casey Michael Henry in The New York TimesNymphet Alumni Ep. 22: Mass Bushwick“Curating Ridgewood” by Max Moorhead in The Brooklyn Rail“The big rock that helped defined the Ridgewood/Brooklyn border” in QNS“Burning Bushwick” by Denis Chavez in For The Record (NYC Department of Records and Information Services)Nymphet Alumni Ep. 96: Continental Luxury“Geese Never Thought They’d End Up Here” (Cover Story) by Simon Vozick-Levinson in Rolling Stone“Geese Invite Us To Their Secret Rehearsal Space, Talk New Music, Touring, & More” by Rolling Stone on YouTube “The Real-Life Wardrobe of Geese’s Max Bassin, Who Only Wears One Brand of Jeans” by Christopher Fenimore in GQ“I Like That Cameron Winter Dresses Bad” by Sophie Kemp in GQSpecial thanks to Riya Mahesh (Quiet Light), Vivi Hayes, Kat Brouillette (Locket), and Max Ludlow ~ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nymphetalumni.com/subscribe

This week, Sam is joined by Ezra Marcus, New York magazine writer and trusted male correspondent from the entrepreneurial underworld, for a discussion about the shadow economy, the crisis of masculinity, and his latest article on the lit world of Chrome Hearts resale. They chat Chrome Hearts millionaires, OnlyFans empires, middle school day traders, Gen Z’s search for moral order, NeeDoh playground economics, the lost spirit of rap music, and more!Links:“The Chrome Hearts Hustle” by Ezra Marcus in The Cut“The Porn Addicts Who Tried to Rescue the Camgirls” by Ezra Marcus in The Cut“How Everything Became Gambling” by Max Read in The New York Times Magazine“Andrew Tate’s Empire of Abuse: by Heidi Blake in The New YorkerPimp: Story of My Life by Iceberg Slim 764Yung Lean on Subway Takes“The New TikTok Aesthetic is ‘Ball Hog’” by Samuel Hine in The CutChrome Hearts Tags by Lil Uzi VertRogue GarmsKids day trading on the school bus via TikTok6th graders networking on LinkedIn via TikTok This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nymphetalumni.com/subscribe

In this edition of Study Break, we discuss the abhorrent kayfabe of Drake’s new “goth GF” courtship, the steamy, naturalistic Ryan McGinley portfolio that kicked off New York’s inaugural men’s style issue, and the incoming wave of dark technocrat dramas— Aaron Sorkin’s The Social Reckoning, Luca Guadagnino’s Artificial, Nathan Fielder’s You Can See Everything— and the risks of filmmakers drawing the map over the territory. We also get into Taylor Swift’s perplexingly jolly ode to getting picked and how the viral Western Mass lesbian bar discourse echoes three centuries of New England Puritan covenant culture.Links: 20 WOMEN VS DRAKE | 20 V 1Lin Lamar aka Pinkchyu on Instagram“Perky Goth” on TVTropes.com“We Can Tell You Have Low Social Power” by Breanna on Labyrinth of Art via Substack“Sombr’s ‘Sex’ Belt Was His Idea” by Eileen Cartter in GQ2hollis - Sex (Music Video) “Reggie Watts Is a Prominent Ketamine Advocate. Was It His Ex’s ‘Undoing’?” by Cheyenne Roundtree in Rolling StoneNymphet Alumni Ep. 86: Deadheads and Dark Hippie-ism“The Boys in the Baths” by Ryan McGinley for New York’s Men’s Style issue“The Chrome Hearts Hustle” by Ezra Marcus for The Cut“The Robert Pattinson and Skyler Gisondo Interview” by Slushy Noobz on YouTubeThe Social Reckoning dir. Aaron Sorkin (Trailer)Artificial dir. Luca Guadanigno (Trailer)You Can See Everything dir. Nathan Fielder, Lance Oppenheim (Trailer)Lost Weekend by Phoebe BridgersAI-generated steel coil safety song“I’m a Swiftie and even I think these new songs are terrible” by Poppie Platt in The Telegraph300SkullsAndCounting & Jenny Sparks - The Ballad of St. Nick’s Park (Music Video)Chiddy Bang - Opposite Of Adults (Music Video)“Greenfield lesbian bar Last Ditch faces mask-rule backlash” by Annalisa Quinn in The Boston Globe This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nymphetalumni.com/subscribe

This week, Biz is joined by Madeline Porsella and Mabel Capability Taylor of Mandylion Press to get to the bottom of what really happened in the 19th century… From Victorians’ obsession with clothing to why the bohemian weirdo authoresses of the 1800s were actually a bit basic. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nymphetalumni.com/subscribe

In this episode, we examine the aesthetic of the Dictator’s Wife, a 20th century archetype of conspicuous luxury, scary elegance, and icy detachment. We catalog the aesthetic’s signatures, from exotic furs and bulletproof coiffs to monochrome coordination and maximalist millinery. We consider how rigidly controlled femininity functions as armor and propaganda and survey the historical canon: Imelda Marcos’s infamous wardrobe, Elena Ceaușescu’s ugly-chic vanity crashouts, Asma al-Assad’s Vogue-approved Euro minimalism, and more. We also relate these issues to America’s current political climate, including the “edifice complex” ravaging our nation’s capitol, Melania's beleaguered glam squad, and the gilded tyranny of Mar-a-Lago glamour. Links: Image boardCardi B dictator’s wife memeCardi B by Szilveszter Makó for Vogue ArabiaRama Duwaji by Szilveszter Makó for The Cut“Fashion Twitter is mad Daniel Roseberry Dressed a MAGA heiress.” by Louis Pisano on SubstackLouis Pisano’s “Couture & Corruption” series on TikTokLady Macbeth monologue from Act 1, Scene 5 of Macbeth“Shoes, furs and hypocrisy: Why we love to hate despots' wives” by Rebecca Seales in BBC NewsBond villain nationality masterlist“Womanliness as a Masquerade” by Joan Riviere “Women Behind the Throne” by Camille Paglia MAGA women research by Style Analytics on TikTokThe Kingmaker (2019) dir. Lauren GreenfieldGeneration Wealth by Lauren GreenfieldImelda (2003) dir. Ramona S. Diaz“5 Shopping Sprees So Wild, They Made History” by Maureen O’Connor in New YorkEva Peron Rainbow Tour of Europe cover story for TimeSanta Evita by Tomás Eloy Martínez“Behind Mugabe’s fall: Gucci Grace versus the Crocodile” by Norimitsu Onishi in The Sydney Morning Herald“The Vanity Cult of Elena Ceausescu – Hated Wife of Romania’s Dictator” by Matthew Gaskill in Vintage News“Ceausescu sale: Everything must go” (auction report) by Kate Connolly in The Guardian“The Party that Toppled a Dynasty and Changed the Middle East Forever” by Jeff Zhou in Young Diplomats Society“Asma al-Assad: A Rose in the Desert” by Joan Juliet Buck in Vogue“Syrian first lady Adma Al-Assad’s outfits” by Aya Lowe in Monocle“How China Fell in Love with Syria’s First Lady” in Worldcrunch“Armour of Couture” by Szilveszter Makó in Vogue Hong KongGucci Spring/Summer 2026 “La Famiglia” portrait campaign by Catherine OpieMelania Trump’s “I Really Don’t Care. Do U?” Zara jacket This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nymphetalumni.com/subscribe

In this edition of Study Break, we discuss the coiffed Californian camp of Ryan Murphy’s The Shards, KATSEYE’s continued reign as the queens of sensory overload brainrot pop, and a new cast of nominatively absurd figures including Igby Rigney, Stella Lefty, Chanty Beluga, and Nimrod Workman. We also ponder Ella Langley as the new poster girl of American alt-lite, and we consider the uncomfortable indignity of life after fleeting virality as illustrated by Jools Lebron and the Love Island USA cast. Perhaps most importantly, we pause to mourn the loss of American Founding Mother and universal aphorist Dolly Parton :( Links: Dolly Parton and her parents sing “In the Pines” (1976)“Evening Shade” by Dolly PartonDolly Parton last health update vide on InstagramTikTok #searchfordolly audition videos (exhibit A, exhibit B)“How ‘The Shards’ Blew Up at HBO — and Ended Up in Ryan Murphy’s Hands” by Benjamin Svetkey in The Hollywood ReporterKaia Gerber and Homer Gere shot by Steven Meisel for Vogue September 2026 Cover Story Kaia Gerber prompts BBL accusations in Alaïa F/W 2026Kaia Gerber says she had an exorcism performed on her with a didgeridooNymphet Alumni Ep. 6: The Milf-ification of Billie Eilish (Emergency Roundtable)First look of Billie Eilish as Esther Greenwood on the set of The Bell Jar dir. Sarah PolleyHarry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone Official Teaser from HBO Max“Happee Birthdae Harry” merch in the Harry Potter Japan StorePoppi x RushTok x Love Island USA (exhibit A, exhibit B)Jools Lebron original GoFundMe video and her Jeffree Star readKATSEYE (캣츠아이) – “Hootie Frutti” (Official Music Video)KATSEYE choreographer Grant Gilmore on TikTokGUI GUI on InstagramElla Langley –“Be Her” (Official Music Video)Ella Langley’s Shiner beer collab party trickElla Langley feat. “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees“The Untold Story of Sierra Ferrell: Train-Hopping to Stardom” on YouTubeStella Lefty – “Boston” Review in Pitchfork (“Stick Season” obsession evidence)Coal miner, union activist, and singer Nimrod Workman performs the traditional Appalachian folk song “Oh Death”A woman named “Chanty Beluga” introduces herself at a pool partyEvan Lazarus in defense of Chanty BelugaBodacious Humphrey WilliamsCristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez’s wedding shot by Juergen Teller for Vogue This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nymphetalumni.com/subscribe

Hi Nymphies — as summer comes to an end, we’re unlocking an all-time fan favorite: the Loner Girl episode. We hope the Loner Girl, with her layered knits and rich inner world, is a source of back-to-school inspiration as we head into fall. 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 boardThirteen Reasons Why book cover stylingRelated aesthetics on CARI: Hipness Purgatory, Corporate GrungeWhen Miuccia Prada Invented Ugly Chic – NSS Mag (Prada S/S 1996)Marc Jacobs Fall 2005 RTWYour Fave is Problematic: John GreenThe 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 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nymphetalumni.com/subscribe

This week, Alexi is joined by music critic and columnist Ella Dorn to unpack her viral essay declaring Giallobrutalism as the defining visual language of mid-2020s pop, informed by the stylish delirium of Italian giallo cinema and a pervasive unease about surveillance and stardom. We discuss the aesthetic’s formal signatures—cool temperatures, split diopters, painterly tableaux, and more— as well as the rise of early-onset popstar histrionics, the existential glamour of centripetal girls in centrifugal settings, and the decade’s watershed fashion moments so far, from Miu Miu micro-minis to Sandy Liang mega-bows. We also challenge the default Y2K reading of modern pop aesthetics, arguing for a closer look at their 20th-century antecedents, and reflect on our shared past as stans of doomed K-pop girl groups. Links:“‘Giallobrutalism,’ or why everything looks like that” by Ella Dorn on Fairyland!Ella Dorn on TwitterFairyland! on InstagramK-Pop Music Video Analysis w/ Alexi One on Top of the Other (1969) dir. Lucio FulciA Lizard in a Woman’s Skin (1971) dir. Lucio Fulci“Music, Fashion, Film is Charli xcx at her subversive best” by Ella Dorn in The New StatesmanBalenciaga F/W 2024Film Noir and the Spaces of Modernity by Edward Dimendberg“The realities of being a pop star” by Charli xcx on charli’s substackEp. 162: Crayola CasualEp. 102: Just Dance w/ Lexee SmithNicole Kidman wearing Miu Miu S/S 2022 for Vanity Fair’s 2022 Hollywood Issue coverSandy Liang S/S 2024Our Aesthetic Categories: Zany, Cute, Interesting by Sianne Ngai“In Defense of the Leopard Print Midi Skirt” in Paper magazine (the original @leopardmidiskirt Instagram account is GONE omg)New Giallobrutalist canon entries we discuss: YENA (최예나) – “캐치 캐치 (Catch Catch)”, aespa 에스파 – “Switchblade (Feat. Ty Dolla $ign)”, Gracie Abrams – “Look at My Life”, ifeye (이프아이) – “r u ok?” , aespa エスパ – “KISS N TELL”Bang Jae Yeob LOONA/ODD EYE CIRCLE – “Sweet Crazy Love” (Official Music Video)LOONA/Kim Lip – “Eclipse” (Official Music Video)The iconic abandoned Brutalist building from every K-pop MVGhosts of My Life: Writings on Depression, Hauntology and Lost Futures by Mark FisherFederico Fellini: Painting in Film, Painting on Film by Hava Aldoubyno na - “honk!” (Official Music Video)no na - “superstitious” (Official Music Video)Elliot Shields on Instagram (creative consultant on Aespa’s “Kiss N Tell”) Magic by Jolin Tsai 蔡依林但是又何奈 by Louise Tsuei 崔苔菁 Rocket Girls 101 (火箭少女101) K-pop plagiarism overviewKiiiKiii on Instagram This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nymphetalumni.com/subscribe

In this edition of Study Break, we discuss the questionable decisions behind the scenes of the Possession remake, the historical accuracy cottage industry reactivated by the release of The Odyssey, the latest in infidelity surveillance via Jay Guapo, and new releases from Adela, Tyla, and KATSEYE. We also highlight a recent cornucopia of Euroweird excellence from the Depardieu family’s blissful film festival outing to the fabulous brainrot opera debut of Beata Mona-Lisa, Greta Thunberg’s perplexingly buxom sister— plus we react to fashion announcements including Marine Serre’s bankruptcy and the upcoming John Galliano–themed Met Gala.Links: Margaret Qualley and Callum Turner on the set of the Possession remake in New JerseyJulie Depardieu and Philippe Katerine pose with their 2 sons Billy and Alfred at the Monte Carlo Television Festival (Alexi’s viral QRT)Billy Blanchard at Jean-Paul Gaultier F/W 2026 Couture via Lyas“EXCLUSIVE: Marine Serre Seeks Investor Amid Financial Restructuring” in WWDThe Met Announces the Spring 2027 Costume Institute Exhibition, John Galliano: Horizons“John Galliano Returns to Fashion Via a Creative Partnership with Zara” in Vogue“An Uncomplicated Man” (review of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey) by Emily Wilson in The London Review of BooksMillie Bobby Brown responds to bad wig accusations on BBC Radio 1@chthonicthorn on TikTok (Hellenistic practicioner?) “Greta Thunberg’s Sister Beata Mona-Lisa Does the Splits” by Billy Parker in InterviewBeata Mona-Lisa on InstagramPianist Yuja WangNymphet Alumni Ep. 114: Grisch“The Folk Singer Linda Perhacs Is Found and Is Safe, Authorities Confirm” in The New York TimesTyla - “THAT GIRL” (Official Music Video)Nymphet Alumni Ep. 147: Cherry Emoji Dark FeminineTyla in custom Phoebe Pendergast polka dot hair clip at Disney with Kai Cenat“Valley of the Marc Jacobs Dolls” by Carwyn McIntyre in ToBe“The Surreal, Sublime Worlds of Szilveszter Makó” by Lauren Jackson in The New York TimesAdam Green’s Aladdin - Full Movie (Official) on YouTubeKATSEYE (캣츠아이) - “Animal” (Official Music Video)KATSEYE EP 3 ‘WILD’ (Wild heart ver.) teaser images on InstagramADÉLA - “Ain’t In LA” (Official Music Video)Gabbriette in custom Matières Fécales bridalAndrea Mauri @babedrea33 on Instagram“Married elite NYC lawyer, 45, is caught red-handed with underling, 29, in passionate Central Park rendezvous” in The Daily Mail“How Leopold Aschenbrenner, the ‘golden child’ of the AI trade, was laid low” in The Financial Times This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nymphetalumni.com/subscribe