This is such a great topic and of course such an insightful discussion! This stuff definitely occupies a good part of my brain so it was wonderful to hear your thoughts!
Such a great discussion. I think it’s a bit ironic that having an aesthetic champions individuality, and yet what is deemed “aesthetic” usually comes from a narrow pool of acceptable aesthetics. The search for an individual aesthetic often seems to lead people to find groups of others who express or aspire to a similar aesthetic
The idea of not repeating an outfit etc. reminds me of seeing stuff about the "trend" of "capsule wardrobes" where folks use a limited number of pieces to create numerous outfits, and every time I just think, "So, like a normal person?" I've spent a lot of my life wearing clothes until they're physically worn out, so the Fast Fashion practices are still foreign to me 😹 Love these cultural analysis videos!
Another great, thought-provoking video! It reminded me of the Working Girl-era discussion (in news magazine shows, 60 Minutes etc.) about the effort to promote women into management roles exposing class sensibilities through grooming and dress that was out of step with their new colleagues, and making it difficult for these women to do well in those roles. Thus arose a cottage industry of image consultants paid for by the company to help these new women managers dress and look the part. Actually everything about this is Working Girl. Also reminded of a similar flurry of articles, this time from maybe the late 90s/early aughts tech boom -- where Casual Friday and casual everyday attire was similarly confounding and disempowering for men who weren't from upper-middle-class backgrounds. Previously, men could always wear a decent suit, that the nice lady in the Nordstrom men's department would help them put together, and be fine -- sure, there were gradations in quality that were apparent, but not necessarily meaningful. But what does a casual wardrobe mean for people who didn't go to Choate or hang out at the country club growing up? How well should these clothes fit, how 'worn' can anything look, how do you put outfits together? Back then, the safe choice would be to have a bunch of new Polo shirts, or whatever version Brooks Brothers was selling. But you just can't compete with standards set by people who wear what they can because they can, because they were born on top and always will be. Think the well-worn henley tee from your university days rowing crew. You can't buy it (and no, the Abercrombie & Fitch versions were definitely not it). Whatever authentic well-worn casual clothes are in *your* closet will certainly not do. It turns out a lot of men found there were many, many more invisible-to-them class markers in 'casual' clothes than in work attire from the suit era. And finally, I believe the way tech bros now signify their wealth and status is through their excellent skincare (and plastic surgery!).
Loving these essay style videos! I love hearing your insight on various topics, please keep doing these as I (and I am sure more of us) find these informative.
This is one of the best videos I've watched in a long time! The first time I ever remember feeling conscious about outfit repeating is when I started using Facebook photo albums in college and that continued in my early days of RUclips when I bought an abundance of shirts and would change my top between videos when bulk filming. It's funny because over the past year I've been making a conscious effort to outfit repeat and make sure I'm getting a lot of uses out of the clothes I own. Learning about the influence of the internet on society is probably my favorite topic so this deep dive spoke to me on so many levels! I can't wait for your next installment!
This whole topic is so fascinating to me. I am a knitwear designer (handknits, not for a clothing brand), so many of these topics are at the forefront of my mind when designing: how to slow down fashion, how to create pieces that are cherished and treated well, while being environmentally conscious. I've been low income most of my life so stepping into a very niche part of the fashion industry with knitwear design has been eye-opening. The pressure, even in a "slower" subsection of the industry, to create with high-end materials is very much there as well. I try to create pieces that can be knitted economically with store brand yarns or using leftovers from "stash", but the industry itself pushes towards my financial success being based on using designer yarns and fibres that are NOT accessible to knitters who are not middle-class+ (for example, a single skein of yarn can cost $30+, with generally 4-8 skeins needed for most projects, not to mention extended size garments, which is a whole other topic/space of problems). So many thoughts! Thank you for another well-researched and insight video, you've got my brain in overdrive for sure!
I love when you do these dives into topics! I tend to hold onto clothes until they fall apart. Growing up blue-collar poor, my mom made most of my clothes. So when I got a job, truly so I could get a pair of Levi cords, each piece of clothing became super important. Wear it out. Pick carefully. Plus vintage accessories - my weakness. Yard sales, thrift/charity shops, relatives. Accessories are how I change stuff up and if I have an aesthetic - vintage weird is probably it :)
Thank you so much for making this video. It would make my skin crawl lately when I would hear the word aesthetic used without a modifier so I appreciate you enlightening me on this transition in use. I’m trying to be less annoyed and embrace this change!
I love this. Why are you the actual best? *gets comfy for another dynamic, interesting lesson from Prof. Mara* I for sure catch myself still having the same kind of relationship with clothing that I had back when I was broke af on food stamps in college -- I'll keep a piece of clothing for YEARS, even if it was cheap as hell, and I don't really shop for clothes very often, even though I am financially able to do so now.
this video was sooo well done and super clarifying! i have this problem of not being able to articulate the things i feel and think and you did this just perfectly thank you so much! i have to subscribe now
Really loved this video. I think your point about the rise of social media in turn causing people to become their own “brand” is spot on. Also, I’ve been thinking a lot recently about how trends like fast fashion or even things like huge book hauls on booktube seem to be in direct contradiction to most young people’s concern about climate change and the environment. Trendy to say climate change is number one crisis but not trendy enough to actually make personal sacrifices for? Just not sure! Interested to see more from you- thank you for the well thought out video.
I absolutely love this commentary. Very well-done. Your comments and the clips about the people going through their closets and saying "I'm into fashion!" but not being able to to say anything about their pieces or put together their own looks.....so telling!!
Great video and great points. One thing I find interesting is how there is also an aesthetic (usually one that goes along with a specific income bracket and specific kinds of privilege) focused on minimalism, capsule wardrobes, and ethical fashion. While I am happy to see people talking about how the fashion industry can be more ethical, and supporting businesses that focus on paying a living wage and not relying on labor from essentially enslaved or indentured people, the philosophy of performing your aesthetic is still there and a lot of privilege goes unaddressed. As I get older, my goal with fashion is increasingly “how can I be as comfortable as possible while doing the least harm possible”. Fair trade sweatpants here I come, 😂
what a wonderfully informative and well-thought-out video -- i really appreciate the amount of time and research you put into this, everything you spoke about was so fascinating!
I love these deep dive videos! Your views and hypothesis are so refreshing and make me see things I may have noticed before. Please keep it up. You’re brilliant
Really like listening to this type of video - well thought out and expressed. On a somewhat similar type of topic, what do you think of "be the star of your own life" that quite a few youtubers are advocating?
It's kind of a double edged sword... like, I appreciate that it encourages people to think of themselves as the primary mover or agent of their own lives; however, seems like it also minimizes the realities of outside forces on how much choice or agency someone really has
hi mara! i‘m only 5 minutes into this video (which i missed, when it first came out!) and already feel the need to tell you how much i love your deep dives into random subjects. 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻 alright, back to the video. as you were. 📚🐾🐾
Really enjoyed this. Ngl I wasn’t expecting that I would watch the whole thing, as I am not a fashion follower per say, but wow. Really interesting commentary on the state of the world atm
Today I managed to pull of a 'dark academia' look albeit thrifted and with a romantic slant without any tweed but love the premise. I feel the word aesthetic is another word flung around without people grasping the actual meaning along with 'diet', vain , vanity (no the two aren't related) and literally oh and 'ironic'. One of the reasons (as this is a booktube channel I mention it) I like Anne Rice's literature (not sure on your opinions about her fiction) is that she moves within a philosophical framework often if not examining these questions then laying the foundations for them. At their core her work is philosophical. My point? The philosophy of aesthetics is often misunderstood and intertwined with moral philosophy. And that is aesthetics and not an aesthetic.
This new style of video you have going on are rapidly becoming my favorite viewing content. You are inspiring me to dig in to nonfiction again and starting really interesting discussion topics with my husband. I deeply appreciate the connections you make in these!
LOVE these thoughtful and thought provoking essay style videos of yours, Mara. This one in particular with reference to sizing discrimination. Couldn’t pull it up but saw a funny tiktok recently about memories of being a plus size middle schooler having access only to “office casual” wear as their clothing choices (Lane Bryant in the 90’s). MORE MORE MORE! Will watch them all. 🙌
I really enjoyed this topic and video, Mara. I'm definitely interested in, as I believe you hinted at, a future video essay on classism. You touched on classism a couple times here, which just made me think about the topic in general. For example, you pointed out how some people put the blame of fast fashion on the lower class and those that don't have a lot of money. Which is bull of course. My mind then jumped to, in the US at least, some folks will weirdly shame and blame lower income people/households for using food stamps. Where I grew up, I distinctly remember people around me having this mentality, as well as having this strange belief that anyone who uses government aid like food stamps, that they're cheaters and lazy. Broadly speaking, it definitely looks like throughout societies evolution, lower class and lower income folks continue to have this negative stigma around them. It's... it's a lot.
Fascinating. I’m looking forward to the other videos you mentioned. I was floored by your reference to the book tying the rise of individuality to Christianity. First, I think, because I don’t view the Catholic Church or Martin Luther or John Wesley, for instance, as being in any way interested in individuals making any decision other than to follow whatever form of dogma is being preached at them. Second, for whatever reason, I think of the rise of the individual as being tied more directly to the French Revolution. Which, when thinking about fashion as, perhaps, a leading indicator, might be more than a coincidence. Obviously, this is not a hill I’m willing to die on but you did give me cause to think.
@@N_Garamond You could be right. I was thinking of the conformist aspects of organized religion but in terms of a direct, personal relationship with faith, that makes sense.
Yeah, it's pretty widely accepted that Christianity (and honestly, it as a part of an overall philosophical shift coming out of previous periods) represented a shift in how cultures thought about an individual. Prior to this period, even the idea of an individual having a personal soul, spirit, individual essence, or whatever you want to call it, wasn't really a "thing" in the way we think about it today. For instance, a lot of earlier religions thought of what we would call a soul as being a third party spirit animating a person's body. This was an ongoing trend from the Roman empire onwards, amplifying with the Great Schism, then more so with the Protestant Reformation, and even more so from the Enlightenment on thru to today
This is something I noticed last year and was confused why people were just using the word on its own. What I keep thinking about with the increased use of the word is how we just didn't really use it much before in regards to one's style, interests, and vibe. I'm mostly thinking about this in terms of various looks and styles that I've seen as I grew up. You'd just say, for example, punk, hipster LOOK, skater STYLE, grunge/grunge-y OUTFIT, etc. Or like in this video you say, "Rococo aesthetic" whereas before the rise in use of the word we'd likely say, "Rococo inspired," "(based on (the)) Rococo style," or just "that is very Rococo," maybe even "Rococo-esque." (I'm sure you get my point, lol.) But now people say/feel the need to say "aesthetic" after said type/design/descriptor. Though, I do think now it has become more than just visuals and grown to include other lifestyle choices and implications. I actually saw the word "aesthetic" used a lot on tumblr when I was in high school (I graduated hs in 2013 for context) but it still for the most part stuck to fashion, hair, and accessories. Sometimes a book or movie or particular character would be included in these kind of collages, but they were usually there as a signifier of said book/movie/character being of that style. That's along the lines of aesthetics nowadays but to me a very tame and less popularized version. Like now, with a book or movie being included with fashion of an aesthetic, themes, characteristics of its characters, maybe even the writing or directorial/cinematographic style also inform on the aesthetic and have meaning. these thoughts are kind of in a different area than where you went in your video, but that's what I tend to think about when I see videos and posts pertaining to or using the term "aesthetic" nowadays.
I remember one of the questions I had in a college music class was to describe the aesthetic of a certain musical period. I literally had to look up that word cause I NEVER heard of it. The last few years, I’ve heard it sooo frequently!
Now I'm really curious to research the correlation between creating an "aesthetic" and creating a "brand", especially on social media, because as you were discussing, those words were interchangeable in my head. Also, would be interested in a video about parasocial relationships! I've always liked when this and similar topics come up in your live chats. Really liking these more exploratory, but still book adjacent, videos!
There are more influencers with a million subscribers on IG than there are people in Finland 😳 Mind blown. Great video and interesting topic, have been wondering about the rise of aesthetic too but never really took a deeper look into it. The fashion parts reminded me of a saying I heard in my youth (🇫🇮) "vaatteet on mun aatteet" = clothes are my isms, meaning how (youth) fashion is used to tell about something else too, like are you a hippie, metalhead, punk etc.
STANNING the toss to Bernadette Banner viral video--love her too 🥰 and her fast fashion deep dives are deliberate and intentional and thoughtful catnip!!
omg yes! I honestly thought I already knew how bad fast fashion was and then I watched the True Cost and it hit me on a completely different level. Also I'd say those who make their own clothing have a different appreciation of the quality of materials and time that goes into it. And quality doesn't always mean expensive.
I appreciate the research that has gone into this! I've been thinking about some of this a lot lately. Might have to check out some of the books you read!
me again. that was excellent! the arch from societal status determining fashion to today‘s need (greed?) to express one‘s individuality through fashion was seemless and taut (no fashion puns intended!). your tangent into fast fashion rang especially true to me: as a round woman finding anything that is fashionable, fits well and affordable is really rare and if it happens, a € 25 top from a high street plus-sized fashion chain store can end up getting boutique treatment because i know it‘ll be very hard to find anything comparable in my size again. i also fully agree that it is not low/er income people who determine the need and rise of fast fashion. if there is no/very little disposable income it is difficult to replace even a € 10 t-shirt without having to forgo something else, possibly much more important (bus ticket, lunch money etc.). in short: hopefully there are already video ideas surrounding fast fashion, fashion for fat people, fat phobia in fashion/books/on screen etc. etc. percolating in that hyper-active brain of yours! 🧠 👗🧐 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 from tiny-town austria! monica 📚🐾🐾
In Poland, for instance, we have been using - just like in the example you've shown,- the phrase "an aesthetic wallpaper/painting/room/design/furnishing " etc and I've been hearing it since around 1980s, so not very recent. Same goes when you hear a Pole (some of them) speaking English and she/he will say that somebody is "cultural", we basically translate our 'kulturalny' which means a person well-behaved, mannered and for sure knows that DaVinci was not on the NBA team :)) So, I'm not surprised that google shows more usage of this word also beyond America, I'm sure it has slightly different grammatical and structural usage in other greek/latin - influenced/derived languages and since the last year the whole world has been trying to make life "normal" online, that spike does not surprise me.
Great video. Thinking of the individual as coming forward in society based on dressing was so interesting. So the more unique an individual dresses the less cohesive and/or more repressive the group may be? I'll be pondering that for a while. A break down of U.S. east coast versus west coast dress differences would be interesting.
That is fascinating!! I live under a rock, but somehow even I absorbed the craze for aesthetic 😂 I'm sorry that fashion has been difficult for you to practice due to things outside of your control; I hope things improve for you, in that regard.
A wonderful discussion, and I'm so excited to see the others! (Unexpected side effect - this is also making me feel better about the fact that I don't have as distinct of a clothing aesthetic as I feel like I "should" or that most people do - just fighting capitalism I guess! 😂 not that I'm not influenced by trends and social media, because I definitely am, but I didn't realize until now that I was actually feeling kind of down on myself and my style for not having a more coherent ~aesthetic)
Ethically produced/sustainable affordable fashion is so hard to find when you're plus size. More and more I've been trying to invest in pieces like that...I can usually find good basics, but nothing...cute. It's so bad that I'm teaching myself fashion design so that I can some day release my own line of size-inclusive, sustainable and ethical clothing that hopefully won't break the bank.
I agree! I’m thankful to have at least more options for core basics, but it’s harder to find “special” pieces. Trying to learn to sew to make some for myself
Oh I struggle so much with aesthetic being used as an adjective just to mean "looks nice to me" or "looks intentional" 😭 Also funny how that hypocritical dandy was just a forerunner of the late 2010s male minimalist youtuber 😬 As an aside - have you listened to the podcast Maintenance Phase? I love both presenters, Aubrey Gordon and Mike Hobbes, and they describe themselves as "methodology queens". As a fellow analytical person, I think you may enjoy their deep dives too.
The "word police" part of me cringes when someone says "Omg that's so ✨aesthetic✨" and I'm like "WHAT KIND OF AESTHETIC??? Or do you just mean aesthetically pleasing?? FINISH THE THOUGHT"
RIP luggage with your best pieces--that sucks so much. 😭 I treat comfy, expressive clothes like gold, too. Because someone MADE it, which I couldn't do. That is VALUE and valuing the labor.
One book that is just coming out that I'm excited to read for its framing and information on fashion is Consumed: The need for collective change; colonialism, climate change & consumerism by Aja Barber.
i remember standing in forever 21 a couple years ago and seeing pieces that ripped off looks that my fashion-forward friends had been thrifting for years. it was such a weird moment-why are you buying tweed and little silk slips from forever 21 when the look originated with thrifting?? just so weird how these looks that started from a place of EXISTING because of thrifting are now being made by these enormous corporations
Interesting. Another word I am noticing more and more is "vibe." Noun, verb... On another note, my Overdrive public library app has neither the Ford nor Siedentop books. Sigh. PS. My bookclub and i loved Ring Shout. Thanks! Mary (Not Kurt)
Sorry sorry I'm still digging into the substance of the video and loving it but WAIT MINA USED A PHOTO OF THE NO ANGELS IN A MONTAGE?! lol random! (they are the first winners of the German reality TV show Popstars back in 2000 and were micro-celebrities ONLY IN GERMANY in the early 00s)
Good eye! I think they were popular everywhere where you could watch MTV Germany though :) What a throwback....Rivers of Joy and No Angel are still excellent bops IMO, but I'm old lol
@@RememberedReads I thought that might be what it referred to...but it still doesn't enlighten me!! ...*a goog search later* And if you're citing the NYT article that includes the quote "exudes non-cheugyness" I am done with you. 😆😂😝
This is such a great topic and of course such an insightful discussion! This stuff definitely occupies a good part of my brain so it was wonderful to hear your thoughts!
I’m glad you enjoyed! As someone with such a distinctive aesthetic, I’d love to hear your thoughts on such matters at some point 🥰
Such a great discussion. I think it’s a bit ironic that having an aesthetic champions individuality, and yet what is deemed “aesthetic” usually comes from a narrow pool of acceptable aesthetics. The search for an individual aesthetic often seems to lead people to find groups of others who express or aspire to a similar aesthetic
100%- there's only so much originality or uniqueness you can actually have
This was SO well done and expanded on and clarified lots I've been thinking about myself recently, really glad the home page recommended you to me!
Yay, welcome & so glad you enjoyed it!
The idea of not repeating an outfit etc. reminds me of seeing stuff about the "trend" of "capsule wardrobes" where folks use a limited number of pieces to create numerous outfits, and every time I just think, "So, like a normal person?" I've spent a lot of my life wearing clothes until they're physically worn out, so the Fast Fashion practices are still foreign to me 😹
Love these cultural analysis videos!
Right? Mom used to say in her day it was out of vogue to wear the same outfit twice in a month, like bro I can't sustain that lol
I'm really excited for a "post-aesthetic" aesthetic to come out
(Great video essay by the way)
I really hope you continue creating these social research video projects. They 100% speak to my academic brain.
Another great, thought-provoking video!
It reminded me of the Working Girl-era discussion (in news magazine shows, 60 Minutes etc.) about the effort to promote women into management roles exposing class sensibilities through grooming and dress that was out of step with their new colleagues, and making it difficult for these women to do well in those roles. Thus arose a cottage industry of image consultants paid for by the company to help these new women managers dress and look the part. Actually everything about this is Working Girl.
Also reminded of a similar flurry of articles, this time from maybe the late 90s/early aughts tech boom -- where Casual Friday and casual everyday attire was similarly confounding and disempowering for men who weren't from upper-middle-class backgrounds. Previously, men could always wear a decent suit, that the nice lady in the Nordstrom men's department would help them put together, and be fine -- sure, there were gradations in quality that were apparent, but not necessarily meaningful. But what does a casual wardrobe mean for people who didn't go to Choate or hang out at the country club growing up? How well should these clothes fit, how 'worn' can anything look, how do you put outfits together? Back then, the safe choice would be to have a bunch of new Polo shirts, or whatever version Brooks Brothers was selling. But you just can't compete with standards set by people who wear what they can because they can, because they were born on top and always will be. Think the well-worn henley tee from your university days rowing crew. You can't buy it (and no, the Abercrombie & Fitch versions were definitely not it). Whatever authentic well-worn casual clothes are in *your* closet will certainly not do. It turns out a lot of men found there were many, many more invisible-to-them class markers in 'casual' clothes than in work attire from the suit era.
And finally, I believe the way tech bros now signify their wealth and status is through their excellent skincare (and plastic surgery!).
“Consciously affected stylishness”. . . Totally spot on, thank you.
Such an interesting topic. I love that you’re doing more video essay type content!
Yay, I'm glad you like it!
You blow my mind in every video, super interesting, well-researched topics. Came for the books, stayed for the ideas. Bravo!
i swear, it’s like each of these videos dictates the rabbit hole i’m going to fall down this month.
october? aesthetic rabbit hole
LOL glad to provide a new topic to obsessively think about! 😈
Loving these essay style videos! I love hearing your insight on various topics, please keep doing these as I (and I am sure more of us) find these informative.
This is one of the best videos I've watched in a long time! The first time I ever remember feeling conscious about outfit repeating is when I started using Facebook photo albums in college and that continued in my early days of RUclips when I bought an abundance of shirts and would change my top between videos when bulk filming. It's funny because over the past year I've been making a conscious effort to outfit repeat and make sure I'm getting a lot of uses out of the clothes I own. Learning about the influence of the internet on society is probably my favorite topic so this deep dive spoke to me on so many levels! I can't wait for your next installment!
‘Aesthetic’ is being thrown around a lot and I want to read about the philosophy of aesthetics now.
I'm loving these longer essay-type videos!
This whole topic is so fascinating to me. I am a knitwear designer (handknits, not for a clothing brand), so many of these topics are at the forefront of my mind when designing: how to slow down fashion, how to create pieces that are cherished and treated well, while being environmentally conscious. I've been low income most of my life so stepping into a very niche part of the fashion industry with knitwear design has been eye-opening. The pressure, even in a "slower" subsection of the industry, to create with high-end materials is very much there as well. I try to create pieces that can be knitted economically with store brand yarns or using leftovers from "stash", but the industry itself pushes towards my financial success being based on using designer yarns and fibres that are NOT accessible to knitters who are not middle-class+ (for example, a single skein of yarn can cost $30+, with generally 4-8 skeins needed for most projects, not to mention extended size garments, which is a whole other topic/space of problems). So many thoughts! Thank you for another well-researched and insight video, you've got my brain in overdrive for sure!
I love when you do these dives into topics! I tend to hold onto clothes until they fall apart. Growing up blue-collar poor, my mom made most of my clothes. So when I got a job, truly so I could get a pair of Levi cords, each piece of clothing became super important. Wear it out. Pick carefully. Plus vintage accessories - my weakness. Yard sales, thrift/charity shops, relatives. Accessories are how I change stuff up and if I have an aesthetic - vintage weird is probably it :)
Love that!
YESSSS on consciously affected style having to do with late-stage capitalism!
Tackling the Big Subjects!! This has been gnawing on my nerves for years, Mara!
Thank you so much for making this video. It would make my skin crawl lately when I would hear the word aesthetic used without a modifier so I appreciate you enlightening me on this transition in use. I’m trying to be less annoyed and embrace this change!
I love this. Why are you the actual best?
*gets comfy for another dynamic, interesting lesson from Prof. Mara*
I for sure catch myself still having the same kind of relationship with clothing that I had back when I was broke af on food stamps in college -- I'll keep a piece of clothing for YEARS, even if it was cheap as hell, and I don't really shop for clothes very often, even though I am financially able to do so now.
I’m interested in more videos like this!
🙂👍🏻👍🏻
this video was sooo well done and super clarifying! i have this problem of not being able to articulate the things i feel and think and you did this just perfectly
thank you so much! i have to subscribe now
This is fascinating. I’m loving your deep dives! And the history of fashion is a particular interest of mine, so thank you for this.
Really loved this video. I think your point about the rise of social media in turn causing people to become their own “brand” is spot on. Also, I’ve been thinking a lot recently about how trends like fast fashion or even things like huge book hauls on booktube seem to be in direct contradiction to most young people’s concern about climate change and the environment. Trendy to say climate change is number one crisis but not trendy enough to actually make personal sacrifices for? Just not sure! Interested to see more from you- thank you for the well thought out video.
I absolutely love this commentary. Very well-done. Your comments and the clips about the people going through their closets and saying "I'm into fashion!" but not being able to to say anything about their pieces or put together their own looks.....so telling!!
Great video and great points. One thing I find interesting is how there is also an aesthetic (usually one that goes along with a specific income bracket and specific kinds of privilege) focused on minimalism, capsule wardrobes, and ethical fashion. While I am happy to see people talking about how the fashion industry can be more ethical, and supporting businesses that focus on paying a living wage and not relying on labor from essentially enslaved or indentured people, the philosophy of performing your aesthetic is still there and a lot of privilege goes unaddressed. As I get older, my goal with fashion is increasingly “how can I be as comfortable as possible while doing the least harm possible”. Fair trade sweatpants here I come, 😂
Fair trade sweatpants are honestly all I want in this world 😭
These videos you've been doing are so fascinating! I love this kind of content alongside the bookish stuff!
what a wonderfully informative and well-thought-out video -- i really appreciate the amount of time and research you put into this, everything you spoke about was so fascinating!
I love these deep dive videos! Your views and hypothesis are so refreshing and make me see things I may have noticed before. Please keep it up. You’re brilliant
Really like listening to this type of video - well thought out and expressed. On a somewhat similar type of topic, what do you think of "be the star of your own life" that quite a few youtubers are advocating?
It's kind of a double edged sword... like, I appreciate that it encourages people to think of themselves as the primary mover or agent of their own lives; however, seems like it also minimizes the realities of outside forces on how much choice or agency someone really has
Ahh the “main character energy” catchphrase
hi mara!
i‘m only 5 minutes into this video (which i missed, when it first came out!) and already feel the need to tell you how much i love your deep dives into random subjects. 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻
alright, back to the video. as you were.
📚🐾🐾
This was so interesting to listen to! Great video 🌷
Really enjoyed this. Ngl I wasn’t expecting that I would watch the whole thing, as I am not a fashion follower per say, but wow. Really interesting commentary on the state of the world atm
Enjoyed this thought provoking piece.
This was such an interesting video. Thank you for sharing your research. I really enjoy these deep dives.
My pleasure!
I really enjoy these videos whenever you do them!
Today I managed to pull of a 'dark academia' look albeit thrifted and with a romantic slant without any tweed but love the premise. I feel the word aesthetic is another word flung around without people grasping the actual meaning along with 'diet', vain , vanity (no the two aren't related) and literally oh and 'ironic'. One of the reasons (as this is a booktube channel I mention it) I like Anne Rice's literature (not sure on your opinions about her fiction) is that she moves within a philosophical framework often if not examining these questions then laying the foundations for them. At their core her work is philosophical. My point? The philosophy of aesthetics is often misunderstood and intertwined with moral philosophy. And that is aesthetics and not an aesthetic.
Super interesting! Thanks for the topic!
really enjoying your video essays!
Glad you like them!
I am obsessed with this long form content!!
This new style of video you have going on are rapidly becoming my favorite viewing content. You are inspiring me to dig in to nonfiction again and starting really interesting discussion topics with my husband. I deeply appreciate the connections you make in these!
I’m so glad you enjoy them!
LOVE these thoughtful and thought provoking essay style videos of yours, Mara. This one in particular with reference to sizing discrimination. Couldn’t pull it up but saw a funny tiktok recently about memories of being a plus size middle schooler having access only to “office casual” wear as their clothing choices (Lane Bryant in the 90’s). MORE MORE MORE! Will watch them all. 🙌
Glad you like them!!
This was fascinating. Absolutely loved it. Thanks for keeping me company while I put away laundry and cleaned. 🥰🥰🥰
Always! 😇
I really enjoyed this topic and video, Mara. I'm definitely interested in, as I believe you hinted at, a future video essay on classism. You touched on classism a couple times here, which just made me think about the topic in general. For example, you pointed out how some people put the blame of fast fashion on the lower class and those that don't have a lot of money. Which is bull of course.
My mind then jumped to, in the US at least, some folks will weirdly shame and blame lower income people/households for using food stamps. Where I grew up, I distinctly remember people around me having this mentality, as well as having this strange belief that anyone who uses government aid like food stamps, that they're cheaters and lazy. Broadly speaking, it definitely looks like throughout societies evolution, lower class and lower income folks continue to have this negative stigma around them. It's... it's a lot.
I am loving these videos! so good.
My Virgo moon is obsessed with your Virgo moon deep dive analyses and you are the only person I trust to do this 😂
Virgo moons unite!
I am into this video. Glad you decided to broaden your content, you have an interesting and educated take on things and I’m here for it
Glad you are enjoying!
Yes yes more of this please!!
MARA!!!! I've been noticing this "aethetic" trend recently and I'm so glad you explored this!
Glad it's not just me whose seeing it!
as iconic John Maclean said - trends are for the anxious.
omg John MacLean is truly a legend
This was fascinating, I want all of the discussion videos!
Fascinating. I’m looking forward to the other videos you mentioned.
I was floored by your reference to the book tying the rise of individuality to Christianity. First, I think, because I don’t view the Catholic Church or Martin Luther or John Wesley, for instance, as being in any way interested in individuals making any decision other than to follow whatever form of dogma is being preached at them. Second, for whatever reason, I think of the rise of the individual as being tied more directly to the French Revolution. Which, when thinking about fashion as, perhaps, a leading indicator, might be more than a coincidence.
Obviously, this is not a hill I’m willing to die on but you did give me cause to think.
maybe because salvation is personal in Christianity? your individual soul and your individual ability to save it or not? just musing here..
@@N_Garamond You could be right. I was thinking of the conformist aspects of organized religion but in terms of a direct, personal relationship with faith, that makes sense.
Yeah, it's pretty widely accepted that Christianity (and honestly, it as a part of an overall philosophical shift coming out of previous periods) represented a shift in how cultures thought about an individual. Prior to this period, even the idea of an individual having a personal soul, spirit, individual essence, or whatever you want to call it, wasn't really a "thing" in the way we think about it today. For instance, a lot of earlier religions thought of what we would call a soul as being a third party spirit animating a person's body. This was an ongoing trend from the Roman empire onwards, amplifying with the Great Schism, then more so with the Protestant Reformation, and even more so from the Enlightenment on thru to today
This is something I noticed last year and was confused why people were just using the word on its own. What I keep thinking about with the increased use of the word is how we just didn't really use it much before in regards to one's style, interests, and vibe. I'm mostly thinking about this in terms of various looks and styles that I've seen as I grew up. You'd just say, for example, punk, hipster LOOK, skater STYLE, grunge/grunge-y OUTFIT, etc. Or like in this video you say, "Rococo aesthetic" whereas before the rise in use of the word we'd likely say, "Rococo inspired," "(based on (the)) Rococo style," or just "that is very Rococo," maybe even "Rococo-esque." (I'm sure you get my point, lol.) But now people say/feel the need to say "aesthetic" after said type/design/descriptor. Though, I do think now it has become more than just visuals and grown to include other lifestyle choices and implications. I actually saw the word "aesthetic" used a lot on tumblr when I was in high school (I graduated hs in 2013 for context) but it still for the most part stuck to fashion, hair, and accessories. Sometimes a book or movie or particular character would be included in these kind of collages, but they were usually there as a signifier of said book/movie/character being of that style. That's along the lines of aesthetics nowadays but to me a very tame and less popularized version. Like now, with a book or movie being included with fashion of an aesthetic, themes, characteristics of its characters, maybe even the writing or directorial/cinematographic style also inform on the aesthetic and have meaning.
these thoughts are kind of in a different area than where you went in your video, but that's what I tend to think about when I see videos and posts pertaining to or using the term "aesthetic" nowadays.
I remember one of the questions I had in a college music class was to describe the aesthetic of a certain musical period. I literally had to look up that word cause I NEVER heard of it. The last few years, I’ve heard it sooo frequently!
It really is everywhere!
This was fascinating!
You are a whole vibe. That’s all 💃🏾
Best video you ever made. Loved it so so much! I hope you make more videos like these!
Here for the Bob and Peppermint content!
(Also the video was very interesting)
Thank god for the pit stop 😹
Fantastic video!
Now I'm really curious to research the correlation between creating an "aesthetic" and creating a "brand", especially on social media, because as you were discussing, those words were interchangeable in my head.
Also, would be interested in a video about parasocial relationships! I've always liked when this and similar topics come up in your live chats. Really liking these more exploratory, but still book adjacent, videos!
There are more influencers with a million subscribers on IG than there are people in Finland 😳 Mind blown.
Great video and interesting topic, have been wondering about the rise of aesthetic too but never really took a deeper look into it. The fashion parts reminded me of a saying I heard in my youth (🇫🇮) "vaatteet on mun aatteet" = clothes are my isms, meaning how (youth) fashion is used to tell about something else too, like are you a hippie, metalhead, punk etc.
That is truly wild 😳
I would love to have more videos on this sort of topic!
STANNING the toss to Bernadette Banner viral video--love her too 🥰 and her fast fashion deep dives are deliberate and intentional and thoughtful catnip!!
omg yes! I honestly thought I already knew how bad fast fashion was and then I watched the True Cost and it hit me on a completely different level. Also I'd say those who make their own clothing have a different appreciation of the quality of materials and time that goes into it. And quality doesn't always mean expensive.
I appreciate the research that has gone into this! I've been thinking about some of this a lot lately. Might have to check out some of the books you read!
Enjoy!
Such a good video!
me again.
that was excellent! the arch from societal status determining fashion to today‘s need (greed?) to express one‘s individuality through fashion was seemless and taut (no fashion puns intended!).
your tangent into fast fashion rang especially true to me: as a round woman finding anything that is fashionable, fits well and affordable is really rare and if it happens, a € 25 top from a high street plus-sized fashion chain store can end up getting boutique treatment because i know it‘ll be very hard to find anything comparable in my size again.
i also fully agree that it is not low/er income people who determine the need and rise of fast fashion. if there is no/very little disposable income it is difficult to replace even a € 10 t-shirt without having to forgo something else, possibly much more important (bus ticket, lunch money etc.).
in short: hopefully there are already video ideas surrounding fast fashion, fashion for fat people, fat phobia in fashion/books/on screen etc. etc. percolating in that hyper-active brain of yours! 🧠 👗🧐
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 from tiny-town austria! monica 📚🐾🐾
In Poland, for instance, we have been using - just like in the example you've shown,- the phrase "an aesthetic wallpaper/painting/room/design/furnishing " etc and I've been hearing it since around 1980s, so not very recent. Same goes when you hear a Pole (some of them) speaking English and she/he will say that somebody is "cultural", we basically translate our 'kulturalny' which means a person well-behaved, mannered and for sure knows that DaVinci was not on the NBA team :))
So, I'm not surprised that google shows more usage of this word also beyond America, I'm sure it has slightly different grammatical and structural usage in other greek/latin - influenced/derived languages and since the last year the whole world has been trying to make life "normal" online, that spike does not surprise me.
Great video. Thinking of the individual as coming forward in society based on dressing was so interesting. So the more unique an individual dresses the less cohesive and/or more repressive the group may be? I'll be pondering that for a while. A break down of U.S. east coast versus west coast dress differences would be interesting.
That is fascinating!! I live under a rock, but somehow even I absorbed the craze for aesthetic 😂 I'm sorry that fashion has been difficult for you to practice due to things outside of your control; I hope things improve for you, in that regard.
I love these styles of video. Your mind, I’m in awe 🤩
Oh, I’m basic as hell 😂. Always have been
I am proudly basic so we are right there together 😹
I am so happy I am a tee shirt and basic blue jeans type of gal
Amazing video
Interesting! Make it a series!
A wonderful discussion, and I'm so excited to see the others!
(Unexpected side effect - this is also making me feel better about the fact that I don't have as distinct of a clothing aesthetic as I feel like I "should" or that most people do - just fighting capitalism I guess! 😂 not that I'm not influenced by trends and social media, because I definitely am, but I didn't realize until now that I was actually feeling kind of down on myself and my style for not having a more coherent ~aesthetic)
This was a really common usage of the word in 2014 Tumblr, I was using it constantly back then
I feel like that was a huge miss on my part! Probably cuz I was never very into Tumblr, but you are 💯 right
Ethically produced/sustainable affordable fashion is so hard to find when you're plus size. More and more I've been trying to invest in pieces like that...I can usually find good basics, but nothing...cute. It's so bad that I'm teaching myself fashion design so that I can some day release my own line of size-inclusive, sustainable and ethical clothing that hopefully won't break the bank.
I agree! I’m thankful to have at least more options for core basics, but it’s harder to find “special” pieces. Trying to learn to sew to make some for myself
I watched that Vogue video "September edition"? Maybe, can't recall. But was mind boggling how seriously they treated clothes. 🙄
Oh I struggle so much with aesthetic being used as an adjective just to mean "looks nice to me" or "looks intentional" 😭
Also funny how that hypocritical dandy was just a forerunner of the late 2010s male minimalist youtuber 😬
As an aside - have you listened to the podcast Maintenance Phase? I love both presenters, Aubrey Gordon and Mike Hobbes, and they describe themselves as "methodology queens". As a fellow analytical person, I think you may enjoy their deep dives too.
I absolutely LOVE that podcast! Jess Owens turned me onto it and I love it
@@bookslikewhoa Aubrey laugh-yelling MICHAEL!!!! keeps me alive some days I swear
A video after my own heart. 💖
Thank you for the rec of DRESS CODES- really enjoyed!!
@@bookslikewhoa
This video is my new brain aesthetic
The "word police" part of me cringes when someone says "Omg that's so ✨aesthetic✨" and I'm like "WHAT KIND OF AESTHETIC??? Or do you just mean aesthetically pleasing?? FINISH THE THOUGHT"
Haha I relate!!
Oh boy I love this video. I can't stand this whole aesthetic thing
OMG that Gucci nail polish was tragic. Actually mind boggling and also heading to Holo Taco to get that color cuz its amazing
I know Cristine is biased but… 😱😱
RIP luggage with your best pieces--that sucks so much. 😭 I treat comfy, expressive clothes like gold, too. Because someone MADE it, which I couldn't do. That is VALUE and valuing the labor.
One book that is just coming out that I'm excited to read for its framing and information on fashion is Consumed: The need for collective change; colonialism, climate change & consumerism by Aja Barber.
YES that’s on my radar!
i remember standing in forever 21 a couple years ago and seeing pieces that ripped off looks that my fashion-forward friends had been thrifting for years. it was such a weird moment-why are you buying tweed and little silk slips from forever 21 when the look originated with thrifting?? just so weird how these looks that started from a place of EXISTING because of thrifting are now being made by these enormous corporations
I've never managed to make my clothes reflect me. I try, but don't have a personal style 😭
Interesting. Another word I am noticing more and more is "vibe." Noun, verb... On another note, my Overdrive public library app has neither the Ford nor Siedentop books. Sigh. PS. My bookclub and i loved Ring Shout. Thanks! Mary (Not Kurt)
I agree! Vibe is such a useful word that I find myself using frequently, so that’s a trend I’m on board with 😹
maybe you'll talk about it later, but tumblr was the main place i learned about "aesthetics" as we talk about them today
Ooo, that was totally a miss on my part! Great point
Sorry sorry I'm still digging into the substance of the video and loving it but WAIT MINA USED A PHOTO OF THE NO ANGELS IN A MONTAGE?! lol random! (they are the first winners of the German reality TV show Popstars back in 2000 and were micro-celebrities ONLY IN GERMANY in the early 00s)
Good eye! I think they were popular everywhere where you could watch MTV Germany though :) What a throwback....Rivers of Joy and No Angel are still excellent bops IMO, but I'm old lol
@@jasperauer I still listen to Daylight (In Your Eyes) sometimes haha. (I have a 2000-2001 Germany music playlist)
@@AlexaDonne You just unlocked a huge, dust-covered nostalgia compartment in my brain, so I have to thank you
LOL I have no idea what's going on here... but loving the energy 😹
What is 'choogy' ?? Have not heard of and probably spelling wrong...
Heh, I wondered too, and googling turned up an article called "If you don't know what 'cheugy' means, you're probably cheugy." 🤣
@@RememberedReads I thought that might be what it referred to...but it still doesn't enlighten me!! ...*a goog search later* And if you're citing the NYT article that includes the quote "exudes non-cheugyness" I am done with you. 😆😂😝
a million likes for that peppermint fashion clip 😂😂
An iconic moment 😹
Only a minute in but aesthetic doesn't even sound like a real word anymore sksksks
Postmodernism and Consumer Culture by Mike Featherstone. That’s it. That’s the comment.
Great video content! High level of narcissism + late-stage capitalism and society telling you that personal branding is a thing.
I just can’t stomach todays concept of ‘personal branding’ 🤢