In this week's episode, we discuss the legacy of Losercore, an aesthetic of the late 90s and early 2000s that celebrated the awkwardness of young adulthood and the sartorial idiosyncrasies of social outcasts, from orthodontia and ill-fitting gym uniforms to wire-frame glasses and dishwater-blond hair. We analyze the socioeconomic conditions that led to this period of loser glorification, identify key players (Todd Solondz, Paul Dano), cinematic touchstones (Napoleon Dynamite, Little Miss Sunshine), and generational anthems ("Teenage Dirtbag," "Buddy Holly"), and reflect on how the Internet has transformed today's young losers into threats to themselves and others.
Links:
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"The Birth—and Maybe Death—of Yuppiedom" by Walter Shapiro for Time
"Loser: The Hero of the 1990s" by Grunge Included on Substack
The Trap by Adam Curtis
The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman
@yungkombucha420 on TikTok
"Americans Need to Party More" by Ellen Cushing for The Atlantic
"The Anti-Social Century" by Derek Thompson for The Atlantic
Loser Generated Content: From Participation to Exploitation by Soren Mork Petersen
Billie Eilish on having no friends
Celebrity with no friends blind item ("not Jessica Chastain")
Emma Chamberlain closet video
Bed rot talking stage TikTok /
"Love in the Time of Bed Rotting" by Isabel Unhinged on Substack
"The Story Behind The Song: Beck and the crowning of the ‘Loser’ generation" – Far Out
Teenage Dirtbag – Wheatus (Offical Music Video)
Buddy Holly – Weezer (Official Music Video)
Losercore TikTok boys: Slushy Noobz, Thomathy, Ben Awad, William Conrad
Marc Jacobs, Circa 2003: Long Hair, Neck Brace & Sweaty (PHOTO)
Prada Spring/Summer 1996
Marc Jacobs Spring 1999
Marc Jacobs Fall 1999
Vetements Fall 2019 Menswear
Balenciaga Pre-Fall 2021
"Gucci's Beautiful Losers Hit New York" – Business of Fashion
"The Book of Gucci According to Alessandro Michele" – 032c
"Student Teaches Teacher" aka Jeff Bliss aka Friggin Packet Yo (Original YouTube Video)
"Who's Afraid of Hasan Piker?" – Slate
"Still Life (Betamale)" by Jon Rafman
Party in their Blood – Cloudy Heart (Official Music Video)
Bully (formerly @bully.incel.simp.hero)
Duane Hanson – Saatchi Gallery
Dadsgiving by Chris Maggio
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