Nymphet Alumni

In this episode, we link up in Hell's Kitchen and transform into experimental theater critics in order to provide an unbridled review and aesthetic analysis following our patronage of the new Broadway revival of Cabaret, a musical with a captivating history and a surprising relevance to many of our favorite themes and subjects. We talk about the century-long meme of Berlin debauchery, Sally Bowles as a feminine archetype in her many iterations, Eddie Redmayne's viral Emcee performance (and its chilling implications), and the wildly imaginative costume design work of Tom Scutt, from sleazy boudoir ensembles to fascistic menswear.LinksGo see Cabaret on Broadway!Cabaret – "Wilkommen" performance at the 77th Annual Tony AwardsCabaret (1972) starring Liza MinelliGoodbye to Berlin by Christopher IsherwoodMarch Vogue profile on the 2024 revival, feat. interviews with Eddie Redmayne and Gayle RankinHow a Broadway Theater was Remade Into a Queer Cabaret (interactive NYT article)Playbill interview with set and costume designer Tom Scutt, featuring costume sketches!Cabaret (2024) review in the LA TimesCabaret (2024) review in the New York TimesPrevious iconic Sally Bowles moments: Liza Minelli's "Mein Herr" and Jane Horrocks' "Cabaret"Biz's essay "2016, 2017"Find exclusive episodes here <3 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 week's episode, we don our polarized hippie glasses and go back in time to investigate the cultural legacy of the Grateful Dead and all that they represent: psychedelia, Pied Piper figures and their cult-like followings, cross-country motor travel, bootleg merchandising, musical improvisation, and more. We analyze the parallels between the infamous Summer of Love and the summer now upon us, with a special focus on the darksided undercurrents lurking through both.Links:Finding Authenticity in a T-Shirt – The New Yorker (on Online Ceramics) Owsley Stanley's website — The Bear StoryOwsley Stanley: The King of LSD – Rolling StoneThe Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe, 1968 (full PDF!)Grateful Dead 2015 Chacos collabThe End of Merch – GQWill the Grateful Dead Live Forever ... Through Merch? – BillboardA Guide to Grateful Dead IconographyHow Fashion Became Obsessed with the Grateful Dead – WSJ Why, in 2018, is Fashion Obsessed with the Grateful Dead Aesthetic? – FashionistaThe Disembodied Body of Marilyn Monroe – Wendy LesserFind exclusive episodes here <3 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, 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 boardInterview with Dune costume designer Jacqueline West — VogueLuca Maxim worldbuilding wikiLuca Maxim on TikTokCoperni Futurism — VogueRian Phin on YoutubeRian Phin on TwitterRian Phin on InstagramRian Phin on 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 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 WebsiteThe Unpublishable – SubstackAsk Ugly – The GuardianLinks:Sephora TweensISAMAYA 2016 Makeup Nostalgia Tarte Brand Trip Controversy  A Guide to Every Celebrity Beauty Brand 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 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 boardThe birth of Anita Max WynnEvanDaGreat, Maxevasi0n, Laundry DayJerseyyJoe, Hugo Hilaire, That's My DawgZack Bia and Yeat getting sillyWhite guys dancing to afrobeatsChief Keef style on TikTok: one, two, three, four, five, six"Narcofashion" Polo trend in MexicoPlayboi Carti Is in His Hello Kitty Era on “EvilJ0rdan” – HypebeastAnonymous Club by Shayne Oliver Resort 2024 – Vogue RunwayCreature WorldBustaMove StoreKerwin Frost x McDonalds MerchTisaKorean 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, 2006Rondell Conway snap rap cover story for Vibe magazine, June 2006Hurrikane on TikTok, Y2K Dallas style in Brazil, Dallas boogie style (2009) 9 ways Soulja Boy revolutionized today's hip hop culture – RevoltNettspend on Know Your MemeTimothee Chalamet's digital footprintGlorb – The Bottom 2 (Official Music Video) (SpongeBob AI rap?) 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 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 boardArt Hoe Collective in the Dazed 100#Arthoe: the teens who kickstarted a feminist art movement – The GuardianAmandla Stenberg: Don't Cash Crop on my CornrowsRex Orange County - Loving is Easy [Official Video]Claud - Wish You Were Gay [Official Video] 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 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 boardRenee Rapp on Call Her DaddySNL 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 – VulturePower Bottoms: The NYU classmates behind the year’s most delightfully dumb comedy – VultureNYU brainstorming sesh for BottomsTina Fey clip that came out after we recorded this episode?! Find exclusive episodes here <3 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

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 boardYoung Men Seek Answers to an Age-Old Question: How to Be Hot – New York TimesMogwarts Official WebsiteKareem Shami aka @syrianpsycho on TikTokInside Jordan Barrett And Fernando Casablancas’s Celebration Of Love In Ibiza – VogueDr. Mike Mew Tribunal – The GuardianMore Dr. Mew evidence – BBCMikhaila Peterson interview with Dr. Mike MewWeston A. Price research overview (see "Our Children" section)The Legend of Zyzz video essay"full looksmaxxing playist" on YouTube 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 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 boardNara Smith on TikTokTaylor Frankie Paul on TikTokWhy So Many of Your Favorite Beauty Personalities Are Mormon – AllureInfluencer culture and LDS theology – The Christian CenturyPolygamy Chic TumblrFLDS Hair TutorialPolygamist Hair – Huffington PostEx-Mormon SubredditIdentify pioneer principles, apply them in modern times – LDS Church NewsPioneer Principles: Your Heritage – Latter-Day SopranoMormon history in the pioneer age: the mob assassination of Joseph Smith, the Mormon Wars, Brigham Young's wagon trainMormonism and the color white – LDSLivingThe Granite Mountain Records Vault in Salt Lake CityBuilding Mormonism: History and Controversy in the Architecture of the Latter-day Saints – Art in AmericaMormonism, Empathy, and Aesthetics – Beholding the BodyToward a Mormon Aesthetic – Brigham Young UniversityRational Faiths: Keeping Mormonism Weird 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 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 releaseTikTok Shop in the New York TimesChamoy pickle kit explainerDr. Candice Lin on Zheng XiangxiangFV Makeup foundation videosChina Too Cool: Vernacular Innovations and Aesthetic Discontinuity of China – Yijing ZhouUX in China: More Is More, Super Apps, and Community - Yuan Qing Lim (Config 2022)Livestream Shopping Is Not Going to Take Over E-Commerce – ForbesTwitter as a Payment Processor – Financial TimesIndonesia’s TikTok Shop Ban – Financial TimesTeens Selling on TikTok Shop – NBC, Financial TimesTikTok Shop’s Snail Mucin Dupe Problem – Wired  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