Nymphet Alumni

In this edition of Study Break, we discuss the less-than-triumphant return of Euphoria and Sam Levinson’s pivot to everythingsplotation Western, Michael Jackson’s new hagiography and the grotesque legacy that transcends it, and recent fashioncore highlights from the literalism of the Met Gala to the nostalgia of The Devil Wears Prada 2. We also discuss the Substack truth nuke that rocked the indie music scene, Olivia Rodrigo’s coquette comeback, The Drama’s fresh take on the tribulations of female adolescence, and more.

Links:
Suga Free the Pimp on Instagram
Pimp: The Story of My Life by Iceberg Slim
“Why Is Everything So Ugly?” in Issue 44 of n+1
“Fashion Is Not Art (And That’s OK)” by Valerie Steele in Someone Else
“See Every Look from the Met Gala 2026 Red Carpet” in Vogue
Hudson Williams MUA Aika Flores Pinterest board leak
Hudson Williams heading home at 7am following the Met Gala after party
“Abnormals, Freaks, and Michael Jackson: Foucault, Baldwin, and the Truth of the Grotesque” by Brad Elliott Stone
“Freaks and the American Ideal of Manhood (Here Be Dragons)” by James Baldwin, originally published in Playboy, January 1985
Rabelais and His World by Mikhail Bakhtin
Michael Jackson describes his first sexual encounter with Tatum O’Neal (2003)
Telephone Stories: The Trials of Michael Jackson on Spotify
On Michael Jackson by Margo Jefferson
“Meryl Streep and Anna Wintour on Power, Fashion, and Acting the Part” (April 2026 cover story) by Chloe Malle in Vogue
Synopsis: Innocence by Kaija Saariaho from the Metropolitan Opera
Olivia Rodrigo – drop dead (Official Music Video)
Olivia Rodrigo – begged (Live) on Saturday Night Live
“Fake Fans” by Eliza McLamb in words from eliza on Substack
Nancy Pelosi Endorses Jack Schlossberg For Congress
Acquired Style x Swan Beauty Viral Bachelorette Party



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In this episode, we coin a new term for one of the most interesting creative impulses of our generation: #SWAG Dadaism. Like the original Dadaists responding to the whiplash of industrialization and WWI, a certain subset of young creatives are responding to the vertigo of global instability and breathless technological futurism through fashion assemblage, IP maximalism, and a fearless embrace of all things chopped and random. We conduct a historical survey from Clement Greenberg’s theory of kitsch and the avant-garde to the early days of meme culture to explore page fashion parodists of the past decade. We also get into Justin Bieber and Timothée Chalamet’s parallel #SWAG rebrands, the collapse of the secondhand market and its unexpected creative upside, and how #SWAG exists as the antithesis of refinement culture.
Links:
Image board
Dada Manifesto by Tristan Tzara (1918)
“Avant-Garde and Kitsch” by Clement Greenberg from The Partisan Review (1939)
“The First Meme of 2026 Is About Not Explaining Yourself. And Buttons.” by Madison Malone Kircher for The New York Times
Chase Rutherford on Instagram (referenced posts one, two, three)
Chase Rutherford interview for Perfectly Imperfect
@okniceok on Instagram
@kalebphobic on TikTok re: digicore sampling
Canal Street Research Association and Shanzhai Lyric on Instagram
“Bags, Bootlegs and Art: A Quirky Communion on Canal Street” by Siddhartha Mitter in The New York Times
Ava Nirui / @avanope interview in Office magazine (2017)
“Meet Ava Nirui, The Creative Force Behind Marc Jacobs’ Heaven Line” by Eni Subair in Vogue (2020)
“Go To The Thrift Store That’s Where The Heat Is” on Know Your Meme
@harmonytividad “filet minion” post on Instagram
Middle school boy bar crawl on TikTok
Tung Tung Tung Sahur boxers outfit on TikTok
@twylatoktok on TikTok (referenced posts one, two, three)
@turtlewithhat_ / Izzy and Emma pink leggings outfits


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In this week’s episode, we’re joined by critical mastermind Caroline Cai (aka Clairolime) to unpack what we’re calling Catalan Chicslop, the downtempo, sophisticated, quietly freaky aesthetic championed by brands like Paloma Wool and Gimaguas. We discuss how this look evolved from avant-basic dopamine dressing, its influences from ‘90s minimalism to early 20th century experimental couture, Barcelona’s history as a modernist aura farm, post-Phoebe Philo feminist-lite brand mythos, and strategies to transcend the tyranny of chicness. We also analyze the aesthetic’s appeal to women across successive life stages, from 13-year-old Penelope Dissick to microinfluencer gallerinas to mysterious pregnant brunettes. Links:
@clairolime on Instagram
Image board
Relevant brands: Paloma Wool, Gimaguas, Susmie’s Collection, Belle Anna, Deiji Studios, Buci, Geel, DémodéMODÉ
“How Spain’s Indie Fashion Scene Nailed Global Growth” in Business of Fashion
“These Brands are Putting Spanish Style on the Map” by Zoe Suen in W
“Paloma Wool: From Cool to Basic and Back Again” by Yola Mzizi in The New York Times
Paintings by Ramon Casas (Ex. 1, Ex. 2, Ex. 3, Ex. 4)
Paloma Wool’s “San Sebastián 2025” campaign featuring Carlotta Baan
“Studio Visit: Paloma Wool” in Sleek magazine (2023)
“Where Are All the Women Designers?” by Emma Childs in Marie Claire
Chicslop runoff examples from Miaou, Frankie’s Bikinis, Guizio, Jaded London, Revolve house brands Lioness and Lovers and Friends, With Jean, UNIFHAIM - Relationships (Official Music Video)
Crumbs from Penelope Dissick’s deleted TikTok photo dump
Emma Chamberlain’s “i got rid of (almost) everything” closet video
“T-boy swag: Claiming space where trans people feel we don’t inherently belong” by Reanna Cruz in NPR
Note from Alexi: I’m sorry I mispronounced Phoebe Philo omg put your chic pewter pitchforks down!!


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In this edition of Study Break, the girls review the latest cultural dispatches, including the newest wave of attention-seeking fashion week stunts (from Fakemink at Balenciaga to Bryan Johnson lurking at Matières Fécales), the Buffalo Bill realness of Robert Pattinson and Zendaya’s Interview Magazine cover, Tyra Banks’s wacky legacy, Hillary Clinton’s bleach-and-tone, the rise of Wuthering Heights womanslop, and more!
Links:
Fakemink for Dazed
Brian Johnson for Fecal Matter in Paris
Robert Pattinson and Zendaya for Interview Magazine
Jim Carrey Clone Allegations
Alexis Stone Jim Carrey Prank
Punch the Monkey



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In this week’s episode, we discuss Romantasy, the Franken-genre that has conquered the publishing world and defined the libidinal landscapes of a generation of women. We decode the genre’s DNA from dimestore bodice-rippers to high fantasy epics, examine the sociological profile of its authors and audiences, and explore how it’s mutated in the digital age via AI visualizers and high-budget audio erotica. We also talk about Renaissance faires, fujoshi discourse, the mirror image of male vs. female gooning in popular culture, Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights as the BookTok movie of the century, and more. Links: Image board
Sam’s Romantasy Spotify Playlist
“Did a Best-Selling Romantasy Author Steal Another Writer’s Story?” by Katy Waldman in The New Yorker
“She Fell in Love With ChatGPT. Then She Ghosted It.” (r/MyBoyfriendIsAI profile) by Kashmir Hill in The New York Times
“Gender difference in brain activation to audio-visual sexual stimulation” by Chung et. al. in PubMed
“Sexual Scripts: Permanence and Change” by William Simon and John H. Gagnon in Archives of Sexual Behavior, Vol. 15, No. 2
“How the Renaissance Fair became America’s favorite fantasy” by Kelly Faircloth in National Geographic
r/AskAHistorian discussions about medievalism and high fantasy (one, two, three)
The Oxford Handbook of Victorian Medievalism ed. Joanne Parker and Corinna Wagner
Hard to Be a God (2013) dir. Aleksei German
Candlelight Ecstasy Romance Guidelines c. 1980
Love Story magazine ed. Daisy Bacon (1921–1947) (see covers here)
“The Uses of Reading Mass-Produced Romance Fiction” (Harlequin study) by Susan B. Neuman (1985)
History of the “sex and shopping” genre by Pascal Tréguer
“Girls Who Love Boys Who Love Boys” by E. Alex Jung in Vulture
Interview with Quinn founder and CEO Caroline Spiegel in Refinery29
“Aural Fixation: Celebrity Audio Erotica Is 2025’s Answer to the Centerfold” by Hannah Jackson in Vogue
“The Importance of Critical Thinking in a Zombiefied World” (Why romantasy is crucial to understanding Apple TV’s hit show Pluribus) by Maris Kreizman in The Atlantic
“Liking Books is Not a Personality” by Hannah McGregor in Electric Literature
@shauna_the_author 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