In my early teens, I tried so hard to fit in one "fashion aesthetic" but I failed. I realized I can't because I am more than that. I can wear various fashion aesthetics that are polar opposites from each other depending on my mood, and it's fine. We are multidimensional beings. We are not flat characters in a movie.
Very glad you figured that out for yourself. Me personally, I have never understood the need to fit myself to an aesthetic in my life. When I was young, clothing was merely a chore and an unfortunate necessity. I slap whatever was laying about on so I don't get arrested or expelled from class for indecent exposure and go on my day. I've always known who I was and that was best expressed with the words from my mouth. I pretty much talked my way into fitting in everywhere.
Ultimately we are all looking for connection and validation. We need to strengthen communities and not individual egos, we need to protect our public spaces and create more avenues to interact.
This is it! If we live in a world that's well connected globally but has a strong communities that allow people to express their individuality while remaining feeling of belonging we'd enter a semi-paradise state.
@@loonaeon4944 I strongly disagree with this sentiment. I'd say it's actually the other way around: you can fully develop and bloom your individuality when you're safe and you belonging to your community. The opposite of belonging is lonesomeness - the image of a lonesome cowboy disappearing into the sunset because he has no anchor he has no place in any community, that kind of things. It doesn't make him any more individual than people who are living their life surrounded by supporting people, and I'd say the latter is better environment to develop and express own individuality freely.
@@jazy3091 I feel the same, I don't know my own neighborhood and I only talk with people from my work which is far, and my friends I never casually cross paths,I only see them in the gym or when we plane a meeting. And it's wird I am from Buenos Aires City , What gives hope is the new '' Superblocks'' wich allow people to meet better they neighborhood, '' Adam Something'' channel explains better.
This video couldn't have been posted at a better time, honestly. I've been thinking lately of how we're undergoing an age where it's really, REALLY, hard for someone to find and mould his own identity; capitalism on one side, social media on the other.. one's need to always fit in a community, in a clique, in an aesthetic, to be liked and validated by the other... I couldn't agree more with everything you've said tbh, it's spot on 😫
agreed, but do you need to fit into an aesthetic to be liked? I find that people with more mixed up identities and aesthetics are more interesting. They form their own self without sinking into a stereotype. Someone who fits into an aesthetic is predictable, and doesn't seem to form their own identity but forms the identity of whichever aesthetic they want to fit into and be validated by. And that validation doesn't seem healthy to me either
I love how you said that we are progressively moving towards one homogenized culture, as this can be applied to beauty standards as well. The beauty standards that we see nowadays become a mix, almost seems like a collage, of the prominent features of numerous races. This act of mixing facial and body features from various races produce a 'marketable face', which is why we constantly see similarities in the body and faces of a lot of 'influencers' and celebrities.
Yes!! I find it absolutely crazy that nowadays body features are becoming a product like others, specially with hyaluronic acid injections that can completely change one's face for a limited time. Sudenly we have a bunch of people on the internet with sharp jawlines, salient cheekbones and tick lips (the "instagram face" as described by Jia Tolentino in the New Yorker), and people start to think that maybe "just" hitting the gym, having that or that aesthetic, working in that field, liking that song (and so on) is not enough, they also have to have a certain face. Homogenization taken to a whole new level!!
I've found it really helpful to get off social media platforms like instagram. Users are constantly being fed this beauty standard nonsense, which of course, is constantly changing so that advertisers can make you think the ideal is always just out of reach. The implied message is "keep buying our products and maybe one day you'll catch up." Three months away from these platforms clears the mind and you begin to be able to fully think for yourself.
This.. It is the global culture. The reason tribal aesthetics and culture are so rich is because they are exclusionary. If we have an inclusive culture it will be formless and constantly changing.
I ran with a bunch of punks in my youth, it wasnt about what we wore at all, but the story behind a jacket or pair of boots/shoes and how old they were, or how many people had owned them - i remember some weight behind that. I remember proudly wearing the 1973 Brooks Bros. leather jacket of my dads as a teen. His brother bled out after being riddled with shotgun pellets on the porch in it, and my dad wore it until giving it to me right before he killed himself. It was a gnarled rag of a jacket by the time I got it, with tons of leather stitching, and one entire sleeve being newer and less wrinkled than the other. But I loved that god damned jacket lol. I remember it having some horrendous paint on the back where my uncle tried making a logo for his band, and everyone alwas asked "wtf is that?!". And I loved it. Everyone that had owned the jacket, including the company, were all long gone, and all from here in Detroit. It told a story, you know? I stll wear it, and I'm 37 now lol. I'm an artist and love sewing, so I've fixed it up a bit, but can't wait to pass it down as well one day. I've always liked the idea of clothign and jewelry having meaning and being about relationships, community, history, that sort of thing.
Interesting story. I heard other perspectives similar to this explaining how using things makes them more valuable. Those creases, stains, and patches tell a story. When you think of it that they those things stop to annoy you. They stop to be something negative. They become a diary of sorts. Like "hey i remember how I got that stain on my shoe" and what follows is recounting of the event that caused the stain. Found it similar so i thought that i should share.
I like wearing grandma's earrings for this reason (nowadays she doesn't wear jewelry that much so she gave it all to me). I don't really have old clothing from her, but I do wear a dress from time to time that my mom has worn in her youth.
I felt the same way as you did with Minimalism. I was a broke college kid working full time to pay way my through (gotta love US Higher Education). Minimalism gave me a sense of belonging and helped me feel as if I didn't need physical objects to make me happy. At the time it did help me a lot, but over time I realized I never felt special. I had very little originality. Once I graduated I took a hard look at my closet full of the same t shirts and realized I wanted an identity that was mine. I wanted originality. I felt weird because I had spent the last two years fighting consumerism and capitalists structures trying to sell me stuff. But at the same time I realized minimalism was just a byproduct of capitalism that would devoid me of originality. You can never be perfect in capitalism, but you can try your best to be happy and stay true to yourself. If that means buying a shirt you like so be it. Great video!
@@tigana no. I guess I still buy less, but the reason I started wasn’t because I felt overwhelmed by what I already had or felt this pressure from keeping up with trends. My problem was I felt bad because I worked very hard and still could not afford anything. I then decided that minimalism would help me b/c I could flip consumerism on its head and decide I don’t need anything. Items don’t bring me happiness. And it did help me at the time. But as I graduated and started to actually have money I did feel a desire to be more authentic. It might be the marketing, but I never felt special with what I had. I still carry principles. Like I’m intentional with my purchases. But at the end of the day I think minimalism can often times lead to extremes and the community could do better at explaining extreme minimalism vs being yourself and practicing to your personal comfortably. Like Alice said, it has become an aesthetic that you almost follow just like influencer based fashion and it can become overwhelming if you don’t balance minimalism and your self expression.
Minimalism isn't a religion, lol. You can practice it to whatever degree you want to. There isn't even a common definition of what minimalism even is. It's more of a state of mind than anything else, and it doesn't conflict with forming an identity at all in my mind.
I went through a phase starting at 19 of minimalism in all facets of life. It intersected with an interest in digital nomads, long term travel, and having no permanent home. It's like I felt so disconnected from community and roots that I wanted my new family to be one united around coming from nowhere, being blank slates, tied to no thing. I would read about how to pack all my possessions into a bag less than 20 liters so that I could pick up and leave at any moment. The appeal of this lifestyle certainly comes from the freedom and spontaneity that it gives you but I also recognize street having some of these experiences that constant movement and trying to dissolve my past is isolating and disempowering. A twig cracks but the bundle stays strong.
I had the same feelings in my early 20's. Leaving university and not wanting to move back home with my parents I would watch youtube videos and almost idolize the creators of "Van Life", "Travel Vlog", "Minimalist" content. For me it was a way of escapism / running away from my problems, and an inability to identify my "self". I think to an extent its natural for young people to want to explore new places, ideas, etc to find who they are outside of the cultural norms they grew up in, thus these financially viable travel options and lifestyle trends are endearing. I'm mainly curious whether these trends are signs of larger societal issues like growing unaffordability, globalization, etc. Or whether they are just part of the coming of age story for young adults?
You are always with you wherever you go. Whatever issues one is having in the current version of their life will remain unless they take time to work on those issues. Same with money management- there are people with all different types of incomes living paycheck to paycheck.
@@ariesmry agreed. The Psychology of Money was a fantastic and relatively easy read, and in the book the author discussed how no matter how high your income is, you can still be broke if you lack awareness and intentionality
I've gone through a lot of phases of trying to belong. I tried skin whitening because in my country it seemed like only the light-skinned people are appreciated. I became an emo because of the ostracism I received. I gradually became eccentric in my choices of clothing, then became classic as I tried to fit into the working world. Now I try to just be simple. But I still love to go out in boots, I think my personality just loves boots.
That makes me sad to hear. It seems like if we just keep on finding new pointless attitudes or styles to attach ourselves to, then we haven't really found out anything about ourselves. I guess people are just full of deceitful desires and have no real self to find. thank you.
i'm from mexico so excuse my english. Here we seen an extrange fenomenon related to the "aestethic" in one side there is a form of search for autenticity in the praise of the mexican traditions and rituals of our ancient civilizations by the rich classes (that are almost completly white for the heritage of colonialism) that seems to have a great pride for it in the social media enviroment, but is obviously for everyone that they despide and humilate almost every one with a brown skin color, and in the other side there is the poor people that came from the remains of this civilizations, that looks like the real heirs of this cultures, tryng to hide everything that could conect them with his ancestors because they are embarrased, embarrased of seem inferior to the richest classes, and they seek an aesthetic almost copied of the ones we see in the US and Europe, is a twisted reality that permeates in our society, and looks like the only survivors of this cultures will work for turism of this richest classes that look this traditions like gimmicks of theirs aesthetics.
That's such an interesting comment, I'm not from a country which was colonialised but I often talk to Latin American friends about it and it seems like there is always this underlying tension of suppressed history where nobody can really be the way they want to because of different kinds of social pressures. What do you think is a solution for the future?
Pinches whitexicans arruinan todo. A lot of this has to do with the creation of the myth of the mestizo as the attempt to create a unified mexican culture from the perspective of the dominant class obviously, the latter being the white, rich and westernized stratas of society. On the one side there is this people with actual power that can flaunt about their "heritage" and all because they are the descendants of the civilized, rational, progressive and intelligent europeans, and on the other us the savages, the powerless that must do away with their backwardness and assimilate the values of the great western world if they ever want to be worth something. Or so the myth goes
Jajaja también soy mexa y la neta tienes razón, ahí ves a los morritos morenos queriendo verse aesthetic indie y esas madres o copiando formas europeas que ven en redes sociales mientras que los whitexicans se las dan de muy mexas y orgullo y la madre
that happens in brazil as well, it seems that if you want to be rich and successful you must be less of a brazilian and more of an european or american
I'm always saying I'm going to cosplay a girl with lots of natural sunlight in their apartment, who waters plants with a hand painted ceramic watering can, and wears a scarf delicately tied round their slightly undone hair while donning a top from a sunstainable brand and thrifted trousers. But then I just end up wearing the same $5 mad rag t-shirt and amazon Pjs. Disconnecting your taste from your outward appearance goes a long way. I used to have this anxiety about not being seen as the person I am because of how I dressed or social media aesthetic. It's strange but now I just do my best to stop seeking validation in that way. My natural creativity comes through more authentically when I m not trying to curate it for the peanut gallery.
on the topic of minimalism, i don’t think minimalism erased culture. it isn’t just a bunch of neutral grey tones, and only owning IKEA furniture. minimalism can be different things to different people, and for someone who wants to own cultural items it might just mean not owning 100 cultural dresses as someone’s daily wear and instead owning 50. the categories and numbers are arbitrary. what it’s mainly about is not blindly consuming and being able to own “less”-whatever that means to the individual. there’s nothing about only having to have western/american fashion or ideals as part of what you own/represent about yourself. and even the examples i have are just one perspective, there’s no rules necessarily, and no one’s culture has to be erased for them to call themselves a minimalist or have values that align with the movement.
True. You can totally see this with Japanese people: simplicity is part of their lives and it's well ingrained with their culture. They're not erasing their culture because of a simple minimalist life, it's the Western failing to integrate minimalism without erasing individuality and culture from that. You can see this for example looking for design styles inspiration like "Zen" style (basically simple minimalism with nature, and Japanese concepts around the imperfection of things being beautiful on its own) and "Minimalism" (simple, kinda boring, no personality whatsoever).
While I don't disagree with the perspective you've put forth, the problem is - if you were to ask a number of random people to define what minimalism is; How many of them would give a definition similar to yours? And how many would define it as "boring clothes and IKEA furniture"? Minimalism might have its roots in at least anti-consumerist circles (I assume, because I haven't read on history of it), but, in my opinion, it no longer has much to do with it. It has become an aesthetic that signifies some sort of ascetic detachment from worldly distractions -or, at the very least - a trend to follow. It's being sold to us either directly: look up, for example, "Men's fashion tips" on IG - it's unicolor turtlenecks galore; or indirectly as a lifestyle via various blogs and lifestyle influencers. It's advertised as an aesthetic of the powerful, as a lifestyle that will solve various anxieties that you might feel and as an uniform of the "Millionaire grindset". And all of that seems just an IKEA table away from being your reality. In other words: Something that originated as a countermovement to consumerist society (or capitalism, if you will) has become embraced by consumerism (or capitalism, if you will) in order to repackage it and sell it to people in order to turn profits. Don't get me wrong: I don't care to be a gatekeeper for minimalism. I just think that it's important to make a distinction between anti-consumerist and (imo insidiously) pro-consumerist minimalism when discussing topics of aesthetic, culture and "sense of belonging" under capitalism.
@@bedlingtoncandycrush1008 Ask and find out. It would really depend on the area you pick to ask people since there are channels on UA-cam that show 100 ways to wear 50 items, and living with the one type of shirt/pants.
It's weird because I always thought about "starter packs" as hilarious jokes, clichés about certain kind of people that are meant to laugh at, memes of sort and nothing else. To think that some people look a those things and go and buy them is really scary. Another thing is how ridiculous things go "in" or "out" of fashion according to retailers. I went to the store recently and found a pair of brand new Lacoste Espadre Plimsolls for 35 bucks CAD. Lacoste to me always been a deluxe brand so I was really surprised. Apparently it was a "end of season" product, even tho it's a timeless design and it probably cost this much to make it (the lowest price I could get otherwise was 70 bucks and original 130). It's just crazy. I can make so much money by going to a thrift store and now you find things like Apple TVs or tech that you can buy and sell easily. It's super easy to also repair cellphones or laptops and make money this way while keeping electronic waste a tiny itsy bit lower. I don't understand our world.
Same. I always looked at those memes as something to laugh at because they are so true. It’s about people with no identity and personality of their own. You see them, you talk to them for two minutes, and you have them figured out. I am totally incredulous at the idea that anyone would seriously look at those memes as an unironic checklist. I never understood this obession with “current trend” and trying to look a specific way or having an “aesthetic”. I buy clothes that I personally like and feel comfortable in. My justification has always been “it looks good, it’s good quality or it’s cheap”. Never ever have I bought something and thought “oh yeah this would convey to the 600 other people who I saw wearing this clothing that I am one of them”.
Alice seem to be quite stuck in culture and tradition but I honestly reject the very idea of keeping any particular culture or tradition, it stem from emotional reasoning. People continue with their shitty diets because "it has always been that way" but this is an emotional response which are often in direct conflict with reality.
@@barkasz6066 I don't think (although I might be wrong) that most people actually see a "starter pack" meme and go buy the listed items. It's the other way around: A lot of people (subconsciously or not) follow some trends. Our taste and influences are biased by our experiences and social circles. Therefore, a lot of people from the same social/economical/cultural background would buy the same stuff or follow the same trend. Individually, nobody is consciously trying to be a copycat. People want to fit in just enough to be included, in the group, be loved, protected, validated, it's a survival instinct, but they also want to feel unique and different. Special. As a way to signal your value to a potential partner, and (sometimes) reproduce, for instance. They just don't realise that their choices and taste are the results of many things that aren't conscious. Just positive and negative emotions/hormonal reactions, linked to thousands of external stimuli over the course of their lifetime. And since we're all different, but in the end, more of the same... Trends start and end. And people, without realising it, fit in a starter pack category, while they think they are unique. Just a lack of self awareness, I guess. But to be fair, we all fit in some groups, and can be stereotyped. It does not mean we aren't more than our tastes and identity groups. Because we actually are.
as an asian american i struggle to find a balance between my traditional cultures and assimilating to american values. i think it's really interesting how immigrant children like me have to go through that journey where their (probably) strict parents are both a barrier and a gate to finding oneself. (i just had a revelation while watching this, not sure if it's REALLY on-topic)
I think the way you point out how asian american children often have complex and conflicting feedback from their asian parents on their way to developing their identity is incredible. I feel like I've danced around the same idea in my head but never put together the thought into words as well as you just did. I think part of the confusion is that our parents are also caught in the vortex of cultural identity confusion. On one hand they want to live their best life in a new country which often demands assimilation, but on the other hand they hold dear to their hearts the values and traditions of the community they grew up in. Love the comment Anisa!
@@spensiir What you two said are really meaningful and I resonate with it. I am chinese australian and here too exists a 'mainstream culture' that demands assimilation. My parents sometimes discourage me from speaking too much chinese at home, but at the same time wishes me to not forget chinese. It's difficult journey to reconciliate the two parts of my identity and not lose either one to the other, like walking the tightrope between cultural isolation (in only living amongst the asian community, which is great haha) and complete assimilation into an euro-centric culture founded on colonization. Now I think it's less of a tightrope, but rather a buffet situation. Instead of wanting a 'collective' identity, like the video mentioned, I want to identify more as an individual that could incorporate aspects of those cultures I like without compromises. Hope you guys have a good rest of your week :))
As Latino, I understand. I realized recently that who I am is really different from the expectations my culture asked of me or even more important the culture around me.
I wrote an essay on 2014 tumblr and online aesthetics for my fashion cultures and history class and so much of what you said resonates with me and what I read !! It’s so interesting to see how without larger structures like religion having so much control in the west, we define ourselves through our material possessions. Eg I own the book normal people, I feel like that says something about me. Those tiktok videos of people showing books, perfumes and lipsticks they own in one video and people commenting “this is so me” it’s so strange how we align ourselves with things
my boss asked everyone to choose one thing in the show-and-tell session of the team building, it took me less than one second to realize that i, in fact, did not think "this is so me" of things that were not made by me, because in the product all i saw was industries, trends and consumerism, and my art was poorly done and flawed, but human. It was weirdly revigorating to realise that i am my mind and "soul", not my things. (sorry, not a native eng. speaker) (Also, i'm still a "maximalist" but most of my stuff is poorly done art and things that made me laugh in a thrift shop now)
Part of me wonders if the appeal of consumer capitalist lifestyles in Euro-American countries (and heck, around the world even) is a byproduct of older forms of identity being displaced, especially among newer generations. Neoliberalism is increasingly trying to convince us that we're living in a post-historical world, and perhaps the branded lifestyles so inextricably tied to its ideological baggage is the arm of its identity-forming enterprise. Find solace and fulfillment not in the old forms of identity: nationalism, religion, family, et cetera, but rather in the material objects and their adjacent "lifestyles" which define the epoch of capital.
Social circles and each of their aesthetics, morals, political views, what they buy... this is modern religion, the social media stars of each circle are the gurus/gods. It's terrifying to me, I always have been sceptical of putting anything or -one on a pedestal, including the "old forms of identity"
Very well said. Basically, we changed the bonding principles of our immediate social circles: nation, religion, family are being overshadowed by things such as aesthetics, personality types, lifestyles, identity politics (which is different from old patriotism), and even sexual orientation. Is that a bad thing though? The need for belonging to a group and having a social identity is natural for a human being. We're a social species, after all. I don't think this is ever going away. I'd even say it's preferable to the old way, since our history has been tarnished by wars over nationalism and religion. There are problems with these new principles too, but hardly anybody is going to fight over different aesthetics or lifestyles. One form of identity will replace the other as the zeitgeist changes from epoch to epoch.
in sociology, this is called a social identifier. when one is part of a community, there is something you wear or do that signals your part in that society. this remains no matter what culture/ group you are a part of. these are things we do when applying to jobs (looking professional/like you belong in that work place) or a band t shirt, even artists and wierdos - and if you look like your applying to a job while in a wierdo sphere, you become untrustworthy. we do have to change our social indicators to be able to function in the different arenas of society and only the most rich or famous dont. there are huge differences between aesthetics and identity, and there will always be people who confuse the two. this has just fostered in me an uneasiness as people who have tattoos are no longer on the edges of society - signaling their otherness - they are the norm. same with colored hair etc etc. when those of us who truly are others, queer/disabled/non neuro typical are no longer able to identify the people who which we can make community, it becomes a problem of capitalists hyper commodification of ALL things. its quite sick.
That's something that I have been thinkin a lot when it comes to dyed hair or tattoos. I recently dyed my hair dark red and will get my arms tattooed in the next months. I know there is going to be some kind of backlash but it's nothing compared to the reactions my sister got when she first showed up with green hair in school (15 years back). On the one hand, it's nice to know that people that simply enjoy a more "alternative" aesthetic aren't shunned from mainstream people anymore but on the other hand, as you put it, it takes a lot from people that commited to these aesthetic choices for some kind of signifier. It feels like aesthetic either means nothing at all anymore, or everything all the time.
That just sounds like gatekeeping to me. Sorry you’re mad that more people are safe & able to authentically express themselves nowadays. How sickening.
I personally find it troubling that there is an overemphasis on how clothes signify internal aspects of ourselves, and that it’s our clothing that needs to make us feel “special” and “original”, rather than our skill sets and viewpoints. It’s interesting to me that in order to incorporate different lifestyles, there is a need to get a uniform. Edward Bernays is giddy from his grave. And on the last point - this concept of neurdivergence is based on the way people process stimuli, being queer is based on who you are attracted to. You can’t just look at someone and know these things about people. So the way people connect is through specific spaces carved out for those needs, and that’s easier than ever with the internet.
@@clared5812 ayo, he simply meant that these were all things people used to identify people within a safe community. If you mainstream the queer style then homophobes start using it too. You see how that's a little annoying right?
@@nithi9638 no, I don’t see that at all. Queer expression was rejected by mainstream society and people were forced to choose between being seen as normal or being outcasted for how they authentically express themselves. Now they have been accepted into mainstream society and are free to authentically express themselves without that fear, no matter who they are. Change doesn’t happen all at once, it happens in pieces. You can’t fight to be accepted into mainstream society and then also be mad when you get accepted into mainstream society. This doesn’t erase homophobia entirely, but it’s a huge step in the right direction. Now, self-expression is no longer judged the same way for being “gay”. It just is, and people are free to express themselves authentically the way they are. I genuinely don’t understand how anyone can be annoyed at that, unless they like feeling like an outsider. In which case, there are ways to feel like an outcast that don’t involve reinforcing homophobic tropes that if you look a certain way, it makes you gay, and if you don’t, it means you can’t be.
Much of what you’re saying echoes Fredric Jameson’s “pastiche” - Like recycling of styles (and indeed cultures) and also things being a strange imitation of an imitation to the point where we don’t know it’s origins anymore. Really enjoy your channel Alice, keep em coming! 😄
it also reminds me of something i learnt in my childhood sociology class called ‘constructivism’ where the point of childhood is to simply imitate badly what adults are doing until that imitation become what the next generation of adults *actually does* (ex: the ways kids play house or organize ‘a playground bank’ is kinda off but that difference is what moves the generational identity forward)
Yep we keep recycling or rehashing things things from the past so we aren't progressing. Reminds me of Mark Fisher's ideas about the slow cancellation of the future and hauntology.
@@COLORMIND.mp4 Yeah it's an interesting concept that I've seen a few different people talk about. If I remember right it's a term often used to describe how things from the past influence us. It refers to the return or persistence of elements from the social or cultural past.
I have a hot take: The issue at the core of it all is the weak sense of self. We're all trying to exist in the eyes of the other, chasing recognition more than competence itself. Then, when we've wasted too much time to gain an actual competence, we keep defining ourselves as a collection of group identities. And then we notice people on twitter and social media receive praise for moral outrage over group identities, and find ourselves a desparate, last means of feeling better about ourselves in moral indignation. And here we have come to the state of the modern public debate.
Well said. It's easy to blame social media and mass consumerism for preying on people struggling with identity issues. After all, these platforms are designed to do EXACTLY that ; subtly goad their audiences into doubting themselves so their sense of self becomes dependent on what they consume. And while they certainly are a contributing factor in exacerbating these problems, it's ultimately up to the individual to recognize that they have the power to put an end to this vicious cycle and realize that true self comes not from what you buy or how many likes/retweets you have, but what you do. Do the actions that build yourself in the way you want. Eventually, your mind starts to believe it, strengthening your identity, your character, and somewhere down the road, you realize this pursuit of validation is nothing sort of manipulative madness. :)
@SparrowEgg but consumerism is intrinsically related to capitalism, just like the formation of one's identity through the act of consuming commodities. Big companies want you to work your ass off for a minimum wage just to buy some cool new iphone that will make you feel part of certain group, and these same companies feed the consumerist trend, because they are the ones that most profit from it. And the culture that we have is the culture instilled by the ruling ideology, if we live in a westernized capitalist world, it's clear that the people in charge of the maintenance of this system will mold our culture to perpetrate this specific system. The only way for we (the worker class) to have the harness of our cultural development and guide it in way that benefits us more than the capitalists, is through a revolution
@@abonne3154 But at the same time, we are just one individual, working against entire systems and ecosystems designed to profit (in one or the other ) off of our base psychological and human desires. And capitalism is partially to blame for that, right? If there is no limit on : 1. How much a person can make 2. What can be monetised 3. How it is monetised then, we'll all continue to fall prey to these systems. It's very easy to chalk up identity crises to an individual focussed blame game, but one often forgets that the people who can make it out with the help of their "own" willpower are the ones who are benefitting off of the system. Obviously, there are exceptions and a few can do so. Good for them. But it completely negates the fact that there is a broken system . You wouldn't tell a war-wounded soldier to just "get better at healing" when her limbs get destroyed. The cause of the problem isn't the soldier. It's the war that she's fighting. Systemic problems need systemic solutions, not individual ones.
The need for community and belonging is one of the strongest urges of human nature, and since most sources satisfying those needs have been emptied of relevance or destroyed entirely, our instinct is to cling to whatever we can to find some common ground. On the other hand, clothing and worn items have been a way to communicate since the beginning of recorded history, so I wouldn't completely discount their importance in building an identity.
Love this video. The ‘that girl’ trend is just about maximising womens’ productivity to be better parts of the capitalist system. It is an incredibly insidious and clever marketing system designed to produce a productive workforce! Social reproduction of labour
What is wrong with encouraging a productive workforce? Is it not in everyone's best interest that the lights stay on and food is on the shelves? You can talk of people being more than an economic commodity but that kind of talk can only happen when basic life needs are met.
why do not you asked to your parents how their grand parents used to live. How many suits, t shirt or pants do they had, highly likely that they have just a few and they re use it over various years, you may say it's because they did not want it! But how likely is this tatement true? Do not people want comfy clothes or warmer clothes in winter, or the shinny suit for your job? Everyone wanted it, but just a few could afford it. Capitalism is what has allow you to have enough cash that you are able to renew your closet every year after year. Capitalism is what has benefit everyone, rich and poor. And is the only economic system which has reduced from 1.9 billion to 650 millions the number of people in extremely poverty over the last 30 years. Please do not confuses the terms
The founder of BuzzFeed writing Anti-Capitalist Essays is the same as Winston Churchill preaching the idea of democracy. We know where that story went.
Actually there's a channel which sheds light on the matter, Jonas Ceika : capitalism, cultural disintegration, and Buzzfeed. There gives a personal very interesting explaination about it , as far as I can remember he was an accelerationist.
ahh I love your playlists! I should’ve known someone with such great taste also watches Alice :) Also really love that idea, would make for a very interesting video
Je te recommends la lecture du livre (ou juste de le premier chapitre sur le "Capitalisme artiste") "L'esthetisation du monde" pour Gilles Lipovetsky et Jean Serroy. Ils développent l'idée que le capitalisme a adopter la logique du artiste pour structurer, en part ou complètement, le modele de fonctionnement des enterprises capitalistes. Basiquement, à partir du concept du "Capitalisme Artiste", ils essayent d'expliquer que depuis le Second Guerre Mondial, le capitalisme a inauguré l'ère hypermoderne, marqué pour une inflation esthétique, donc, pour ils, nous vivons dans un monde super-esthetizée. En pratiquant mon français mdr... Salut du Brasil!
I just went to the Dior show, and it made me realize that I used to enjoy wearing delicate clothing, but when I moved to a more dangerous city, I felt like my clothing had to be an amour, and I had to be ready to run and defend myself. So clothing can reflect your values and life style - ect, big army boots could represent your fear of social unrest.
@@seabreeze4559 a lot of people talk about it but at the end of the day everything women does should not be politicized. many women are simply wearing andro clothing because it is far more practical than skirts and whatnot. especially if you are working class. also some women simply like the style. some women do it to reject "femininity"- as a political statement. and many lesbian women do it to signal to other lesbians that they are available ( i do not mean this derogatorily). It is true that most women live in constant fear of being attacked but most of us (especially those of us that have already been attacked) are well aware of the fact that what we wear has very little ability to protect us against predatory men.
I couldn't agree more with what you've said !! Each video of yours I get more surprised with your ability to talk about a thousand different topics, and turning them into constructive and critical pieces of content! I get so inspired everytime I watch your channel (probably have already watched all of your videos at least twice hehehe). I'm only 17, but already see you as such an inspiration. Thank you so much for sharing your incredible thoughs !
@@AliceCappelle could you react to this? I want to know your opinion on this. Also, you don't know what capitalism is. ua-cam.com/video/ksAqr4lLA_Y/v-deo.html
@@johnmanole4779 lmfao "you don't know what capitalism is here's this 2 hour video proving why you're wrong" if you need to link to a two hour video to argue a point, i don't think you truly understand what you're trying to say. if you really did, you'd be able to summarize the point in a sentence or two
@@AliceCappelle you didn't show an example of non-whites appropriating white culture because it's been pushed as the new norm, specifically north west european and WASP well it's a WASP aesthetic being pushed as global citizen so really white supremacist values exported
Loved the general discussion in this video (and well done for recording in public!) One thing that I would say is that people like Matt D'Avella, Tim Ferriss, and Mark Zuckerberg are all minimalists with a very similar aesthetic, but this isn't an aesthetic which goes hand-in -hand with minimalism. Creators like Siberia Inside and Minimal Russian Girl also focus on minimalism in their videos, but their style is fun and colourful. I think that although minimalists often adopt a "tech-bro"-like aesthetic (like Matt D'Avella and Co.), this isn't a feature of minimalism itself. I own around 20 items of clothing and all are bursting with colour and patterns and different textures - if I want to own less then I'm definitely not wasting closet space on something dull that doesn't bring me joy! Either way, thank you for making such great content, looking forward to the next video :)
Also Leena Normes! Whenever I see a capsule wardrobe made of all beige and gray I remember her video on how capsules don`t have to be boring (funily enough her aesthetic looks a lot like my own)
Yeah the importance of the tech bro aesthetic to minimalism is yet another consequence of capitalism; the chic and modern muted blacks, whites, and greys of their fitted clothing all serve to declare "I'm a minimalist, not a poor person. I could afford an extravagant lifestyle if I wanted!". Minimalism without a display of wealth is akin to humiliation in a capitalist society
@@matematicarka Yes, love Leena Norms! I always smile when I see her in her rainbow-striped coat on Instagram, it's so refreshing to see someone wear something again and again online.
@@danielmulholland5869 Couldn't agree more. The chic, muted-tones-look is just a mainstream minimalistic aesthetic - it isn't what minimalism is. Minimalism isn't an aesthetic, nor is it specific to any one aesthetic. But the "tech bro" look is all about being perceived in a certain way by others, like literally any other trend - I don't think it has anything really to do with minimalism other than the mainstream association.
Sure, but there is also another fact people like to ignore : Mark Zuckerberg's t-shirt are Balenciaga plain grey t-shirt that cost a whopping 400 US dollars each. Minimalism is not what people think it is : most minimalists own a few things alright... but they're extremely expensive Apple devices, plain and insanely expensive clothes, shoes, desk, rug and so on. Minimalism is supposed to mean not spending a lot of money, at least that's what I thought.
A comic artist that I really like, Taiyo Matsumoto, draws those Kanken bags in his stories a lot. I came to like those bags as a byproduct of finding great meaning in his stories (read Ping Pong, Les chats du louvre, and La rêve de mon père) Ive found that I like people who have those bags despite never having one myself
We’re pinned between two competing ideas. On the one hand, moulding one’s identity to fleeting corporatised trends is obviously lame and shallow; on the other hand, embracing one’s traditional culture is (seen as) conservative, embarrassing, even bigoted. It could even be said that embracing one’s own culture too vigorously is a form of Cosplay now we have had decades of globalisation. I believe this is a function of the Internet. In a world where most social and cultural/artistic interactions are geographically bounded, distinct cultures will develop rapidly. Subcultures obviously develop rapidly online too, but they are eroded just as quickly. Thus we are destined to dissatisfaction at the ephemerality and co-option of our attempts at culture, as long as they are mediated predominately by the Internet.
Wow, what you mentioned about cultural appropriation being a by-product of certain practices, styles, and pieces of clothing being detached from the cultures they came from blew my mind! We are moving towards a homogenized culture that is slowly stripping us of our individuality. This video really made me think!
We get to the point when representant of Japan on recent miss universe contest was dressed in Kimono made by Isreali projectant, and he made a LOT of mistakes (like choosing the way of folding kimono that's only used for dead ppl, or writing Japan on her chest while Japan is very anti-tattoo) that probably could be easily fixed if he did a proper research
It really reminds me of highschool. Even back then, I didn't really understand why people would assume what your personality was just because of the clothes you dressed in. Not saying it's an entirely good thing I'm this way. Since I don't have a connection with material things like that, my connection with people also suffers. Nobody can pinpoint a box to put me in, they do not fully include me within any group. I wasn't invited to parties in highschool, I'm not invited to things now. I'm actually trying to form some kind of style, just so I can "find my tribe."
I'm happy someone else has this problem. I am almost 30 and have never felt the desire to subscribe to an aesthetic, but I do have a distinct style that is mine. While watching this video it just occurred to me that might be one reason I suffer to make friends.
How fitting, I decided that I'd start removing all labels from my clothes a couple weeks ago. Something about being a walking advertisement/being judged by the brands I wear really bothers me. Excited to see what you make me question in 2022 Alice! Cheers from a somewhat conservative from the US
this is something i’ve thought about too. a former teacher of mine once told me the story of how her friend only bought brandless clothes for her children so her kids wouldn’t be walking ads.
This is a very interesting topic! I do wonder though, in past societies, when the world was less connected, there would be fashions and trends in certain societies. Because the world was "smaller" (i.e. less connected), you would still compare yourself to another person in your family/neighborhood/village and try to find that identity. Yes, our clothing today is more global, but I don't really see how that's too different from before, when it comes to identity. And on the point of minimalism, there is minimalism, the practice, and minimalism, the aesthetic. They sometimes intersect but sometimes not. For example, my sister's house has some of the aesthetic (a lot of empty space, light wood furniture, white everything), but she definitely does not practice minimalism. It does say something about your identity to dress in simple clothing, without logos and neutral colors which could signal to other people of your values. Thank you for making the video Alice! It's great to talk about this subject :)
Amazing video!! I wanna also add to the point that the name of the shampoo Ushuaia is actually a Yamana word, the Yamanas were natives to the coasts of Tierra del Fuego in Argentina, where I live. And also we don't have any palm trees or tropical landscapes lol, it's more mountain-y and snow-y here in Ushuaia
All the "styles" of small communities within different cultures that you mentioned at 5:50 were strongly unified as well if you look at them form inside of these communities pov. I'm form Eastern Europe and I'm strongly invested in my traditional, indigenous cultures, and it's very diverse when looked at from national perspective - each region had its own distinctive "style", but at the same time they were very unified when you look at individuals wearing lets say a headscarf within one community. It's simply your immediate community sets and defines what is considered "best look" and you, as a part of the community, you aim to achieve that look the best you can. So, the global interest in the "ethnic" (I really hate this word bc it's so western, or even anglophone centric) is just a fantasy of a world where styles are diverse while in reality people who were living in these communities had their personal styles very standardised to the point that you could live your whole live wearing basically same looking dress that also looked exactly same as your neighbour next door and the other neighbour form that house at the end of the village.
Yeah, this is one of the contradictions. Modernity celebrates individuality - and also the coherent ethnic identity that can only arise from a *lack* of individuality within a community.
I think about this topic a lot. This is one of the smartest and most succinct breakdowns of it I've seen, bravo. 💕 I cherry-pick the consumer items I most enjoy, from everywhere. Not sure what this makes me. Volatile? 🤣💙
Thank you for this. I've always contemplated the idea of creating ones identity through consumerism and what we choose to wear & have in our house. The fear of 'succumbing' to a illusionary sense of identity kept me from buying things that I would find to be interesting adornments - which is why I always feel like I am inbetween this state of being a modest, humble monk with no desire for material posessions on one side, and a creative, excentric queer art person with displays of individuality on the other side. Like you, I'm not sure if there's an answer or a solution to this conundrum. But maybe the least or at the same time best thing we can do is to recognize that these things, while pleasant and interesting for everyday life, are illusory and do not make up who we are at the core of our being - which isn't even individual, but I'm veering off on a spiritual wave here. It's probably good to not take these things too seriously, because you recognize them as what they are.
you always make such great videos but this one was so good. I’ve been thinking a lot about this after I went thrifting recently with some friends and they refused to buy some beautiful things they liked because it didn’t match their supposed aesthetic. Or how another friend who used to dress minimalist (unintentionally) is now taking the current trends and wearing them as a way of showing his growth, and his expanded personality. But to me, this idea of a solid aesthetic has always been confusing, and I have always been unsettled by people finding “liberation” in these almost pre-made categories. This video really dug into what I’ve been thinking about lately, so I’m happy I’m not alone lol. I hope those philosophers were right and this phenomenon allows for something new and unforeseen to grow and not just lead to collapse and desensitization. As always amazing work ❤️
This channel has quickly become my comfort channel, watching these videos makes me feel like I'm in ancient Greece sitting in a garden with a philosopher as they question the many things that make our lives what they are. Thank you Alice for your efforts to make such a great content. I can't wait to see what you do next✨
This made me think about autism and aesthetics. As an autistic person myself, we tend to be like Pisces in that our personalities are a collection of all the people we've met. So when it comes to expressing ourselves through clothes, it can be so difficult to know what to wear. It's a bit mind-blowing to see (presumably neurotypical) people constantly rebranding and changing their aesthetics and seemingly not feeling lost?? It's admirable that people are constantly coming up with new things to wear, but like you said, it's really them fitting into a different group now. Thank you for always making me think. Oh and BTW, your background is the antithesis of minimalism and I love it so much!! /gen
I always love your videos, Alice. I love how you take these abstract, esoteric ideas and distill them down into really accessible applications. Thanks for all the work you put in on your channel!
Love your channel! Thanks for the thought-provoking video. Your backpack story reminds me of the Mary Jane shoes I bought from urban outfitters to fit in at school in 2013
i havent finished watching the video but i feel the need to comment this about the kanken. the ultimate irony of kankens for me is that it was popularilzed by the "art hoe" aesthetic (at least in the us) which this art hoe aesthetic was basterized from the actual beginning of art hoe which was a movement that was about artists of color and having spaces for poc to insert ourselves in the yt narratives of the art world. i remember seeing a bunch of discussions about musuems and people making cool art either remixing yt artists or sharing art from their persepectives. but that all got watered down to the "art hoe" aesthetic that is remembed mostly today for being about kankens, doc martens, and copic markers. these things that make it easy for (wealthy and yt) people to buy themselves into a community without actually Building A Community
geniune question, do you think it’s bad for a white girl to want to have the aesthetic, due to being an an artist herself and thinking the general style is pretty?
@@jewel52525 i don't think its bad for a yt girl to like the aesthetic but aesthetic was never the point of art hoe. it was never meant to be a style, it was an ideology for poc and was turned into a style due to appropriation and commodification. u can like different things but i think its important to ask if 1) the space is for you and 2) if youre aware of what it is that you like or if youre turning it into an aesthetic
@@ddahlia3607 i see, that makes a lot of sense. thank you for the reply! this gives me something new to think about as well, since recently i’ve been experimenting with what my taste in fashion is, and trying to stay away from the “just choose an aesthetic” mentality and have been trying to choose things that I like just because i like them, trying not to be just one thing if that makes sense.
oh I've never heard of this, thanks for commenting this bc it's sad that a cool thing like that was reduced to an "aesthetic" and most people don't even hear the story behind it
I love how you walk us through the un-simplistic view of our circular narrative of camptlisim and individualism and start the video with you "trying something new" for a new years resolution. Tied it together nicely. I am learning so much from you and love your videos, thank you! I have being really enjoying your content
I appreciate your own effort to counteract cultural homogenization by reclaiming your Ch'ti heritage with this incredible t-shirt. Local languages in France need to be empowered, saved from erasure, and used in an effort to overthrow the gov.. AHEM, reclaim space in schools and universities and such (but that's besides the point) Joking aside, I really enjoyed the video - I believe seeing how global capitalism fosters corporate instrumentalization of desire is crucial to sustain a healthy alter-globalist political discourse Looking forwards to the next one !
@lvideon Actually everyone is speaking french in France because the government forced it, kids were not allowed to speak their languages in school, otherwise they were beaten. Thus resulting in also being ashamed to speak it. And the populations moving to the city ended making it worse.
I'm kinda sorry to intrude but this little comment section is really interesting to me because I hadn't ever realized there WERE other languages spoken in France. Much less indigenous languages that were stifled. Do any of you know any resources to find out more about this?
@@batty_babette i actually learn it in linguistic class, and in french history class we talk a little bit about it also, so i don't have any ressources to propose to you sorry.
@@batty_babette I know some videos in french, but I found this one in english and I think it's a nice intro to the topic : ua-cam.com/video/tq7QsB_v8dc/v-deo.html The video is relatively recent, and mentions current debates around "should we teach regional languages in schools" or "is it constitutional / consistent with republican values". This last point is especially salient nowadays, since republican values have become the rallying cry among conservative politicians (chief among them universalism, which we can find traces of in the video when one of the interviewed linguists claims that the learning of local languages is a threat to the french language and thus shouldn't be taught in the 'schools of the republic').
Loved the video as always Alice! Last year I actually wrote an essay about this with specific reference to the acceleration of the trend cycle as a consequence of this kind of ego formation - I talked about how microtrends like the 'Coconut Girl' aesthetic and individual items like the House of Sunny Hockney Dress encourage hyper consumption. The way we form these product-related identities is so intentionally fragile that they are easily discarded when the next big trend comes along and we become ready to consume even more.
I'm 60; identity was never an issue for people of my generation, that is, it wasn't important to create or to have a special identity. We never even used the word identity. Yes, there were a few subcultures and their styles in clothing, but for most people creating an individual style to dress up was not of interest. I think this whole identity craze is a product of marketing fashion, interior design, food etc. Let go of the idea of having to have a specific identity and you will be fine! By the way, I have always been a minimalist. It is not a style; it is an inclination of not caring much about things. I feel it is something inborn in my case. My goal is not to have a very clean house or a perfectly organized closet (I have neither), but I just have a natural disinterest toward stuff. I have objects that I like and some of them are fairly important, but I have also always needed an empty wall in my house. I also don't like it how the city wants to fill all grey concrete walls (under bridges and such) to painted areas with (legal) graffiti or commissioned art work of some kind. I lost one empty concrete wall under a bridge where I used to walk to work. The light there was very beautiful, but now you won't notice it, because the wall is filled with colorful painting by some (commissioned) street"artist". I miss the beauty of natural afternoon light on that wall, but this horror vacui -disease killed it. Well, just a natural minimalist missing empty walls...sigh!
this was so fun. when you started the video talking about your fjallraven kanken i was not expecting to end up listening to you talk about deleuze and guattari. applying dense philosohpy to our realtionship with fashion and consumerism but not taking it too serouly or being overly moralising. good video :)
this is the first video i’m watching from your channel and i love with the way you formulate your perspective :) it’s inspiring & im subscribing for sure these are truly fascinating topics to discuss in regards to the human condition. something you said really got me thinking: “minimalism isn’t about reclaiming agency… it complies/accelerates with cultural disintegration instead of challenging it.” i’ve never looked at it that way!!!
Another brilliant essay! Have only recently learnt about 'that girl' and have been fascinated by not just using the wellness practices but having to do them in a particular 'aesthetic' way. As someone with a chronic illness, I am having to use a lot of the practices these people are using and have accidentally slipped into buying the things, dressing a certain way which is within this aesthetic.
I find it interesting to hear this perspective! Throughout my entire life, I've strived to be an individual. It always repulsed me to do anything that someone else has already done. Since high school, I've made my own clothes. I repurpose thrift clothes and trash into wearable art. At first, I wanted to be a fashion designer, but I realized then I would be perpetuating my core philosophy that people need the right to express themselves, and I didn't want to tell them how to do it. As a white person living on native land, I've never identified with any culture. Maybe subconsciously it was partially white guilt that made me not want to identify with any mainstream fashion trend... I've never belonged to a clique, and always have had a colorful assortment of misfit friends. I did struggle with my aesthetic while trying to learn how to be an adult in my 20s, when I went to college, tried to find a job, got married, etc... and that was very soul crushing. Now I'm divorced and live nomadically and work for myself and I'm back to making my own clothes! I love how you brought up how capitalism tries to target the weak ego- they really will try to enslave us any way they can... my own spiritual path has led me to revealing my "authentic self" to me- and clothes don't even apply to that self. I don't think about clothes now- I let my clothes choose me... Yes, it's been lonely at times living a life as an individual, but I'm finally learning how strong individuals are necessary in order to truly support a community. So I think that unless you are trying to honor your ancestral roots... self-expression is a good way to go. I hear your point about how the fashion industry tries to divide us by creating these unobtainable aesthetics that continue to compartmentalize what kind of person you are (when you are really NOTHING like that person). I agree that the accelerating destruction and reconstruction through the self could help people to detach from an aesthetic quicker. This video helped me to realize how many more unnecessary borders and boundaries this mentality creates. So let's honor out uniqueness while working together.
The content about minimalism really struck me. I followed those minimalist influencers for a while, until I realised I was actually missing 'beauty' and the freedom to make my home (my nest) into my version of what comfort and beauty looks like. Of course beauty is subjective, but there's likely all kinds of psychology about it's necessity in life, that I am not educated enough on to speak of it here. Great video though, I thoroughly enjoyed this analysis!
This pointed out very interesting topics. I want to give my point of view. I think that this is very connected to fast fashion's philosophy: it is an industry that amplifies meanings and values, everyone can use those products to build their identity on it, with the same shirt we can make different uses. Fast fashion stores give us a product that is built in half, while the other part of meaning we give it to us. Fast fashion sums up criticism of the cultural industry (Adorno and Horkeimer’s idea of mass production), which was very critical of this because they were a production of meanings and values to which individuals passively submit, as they cannot add anything to what is proposed on the market. Therefore I believe these Internet trends are only half-constructed, so that everyone has the illusion of thinking they have a significant and original role to play in the reworking. Yet the other half of meaning (which theoretically should be a space left free by industries) is still occupied by homologation. It is so difficult to separate all these influences coming at us from above but also from below. What do you think about it?
i've been thinking so much about this type of topic since i moved from mexico to japan and realized how well preserved japanese culture is in contrast with mexico which i feel has undergone a gigantinc americanization/ cultural colonization kinda thing through my life time
Did you feel like exploring your own traditional culture more and maybe try to be an advocate for it? I remember back in highschool there were some teachers who were clearly really into that and brought along students who felt the same way.
The cool thing is, our societies are free enough now that you can be an individual advocate for your culture. That's much more empowering than leaving it to chance.
Why does that matter though, if people want to adapt other cultures let them, who are you to dictate what culture people experience isn't that up to themselves to make that choice? A lot of Japanese hate their own culture, especially the work culture. Just because something is tradition or have existed for a long time doesn't mean it is good or that it cannot be critiqued against. This is a natural process of any logical species, we question our own behaviour and beliefs constantly and thus cultures change and traditions die out and are replaced with new ones. I guess you also think we should keep Sharia law in the Middle East right, it has been there for hundreds of years.
Liked and Subscribed. Thank you for the content. Gave me some nice insights into identity and community, that I can translate to my experiences of alcoholism/sobriety, and in particular the connection that is shared among people who have a common purpose. I think of all the sub-communities I belong to, the strongest identification I have is with others in the 'recovery community' and I like that it's not heavily influenced by capitalism and the resulting social trends, but is focused on a common goal and peer support to achieve/maintain it. Just thinking out loud, but thanks for providing the space to do so. Appreciated.
as a guy (18) who grew up disconnected from this aesthetic culture and usually looked down on it, I've recently felt an uncomfortable need to engage with it but this video gave me some comfort.
What you said about minimalism blew my mind. I always had this feeling about it but couldn't quite put my finger on it so when I heard your analysis, I was like 'That's it!'. If you haven't done so yet I'd love to see a video on the difference between cultural appropriation and a respectful way of cultural adoption/integration.
I've been thinking about it a lot in past few months. I had a conversation with my workmate how we both have observed the disappearing culture of the city we live in, rapidly being replaced by some artificial commercial culture. I have gone through numerous phases in my life trying to fit in or purposefully 'not fit in' to highlight that I'm different but ultimately still trying to find a group where I can belong (I've definitely used this as a coping mechanism to deal with social anxiety and rejection). Most recently I've been mostly on 'minimalistic side of things' trying not to pay so much attention to what I wear to convey any message about my identity but I've also noticed how this can somehow negatively impact my creativity and overall joy in self expression. I'm not talking about going on a crazy fast fashion spree or trying to say I belong to particular subculture but to simply be a little inventive with my presentation. I think this gradual loss of cultural practices in Europe may date back to Roman imperialism but definitely back to spread of Christianity across the continent. So much of the original customs, wisdom and etc have been lost in the process. Currently I think the biggest factor is cultural dominance od the US, which heavily influences the entire world dictating what's 'cool' and what's not. Much of its cultural influence is closely tight to consumption of various tech products, fashion etc. The amount of media (films, shows, music etc) heavily featuring American values and way of living infiltrates pretty much every country on the planet leading to eradication of local practices and philosophies. I can remember being a child in the 90s and early 2000's in Eastern Europe, we did get loads of influence from America and so called West but it wasn't anywhere near current level and I felt like we put more emphasis to sticking to our tradition. But I've observed how across the years, celebrating various feasts in traditional way, wearing folk costumes, learning traditional dances, music etc have become less and less desirable if not completely irrelevant especially for younger generation. I feel like much of tradition has no place in current world as it's no longer serves its purpose, social interactions are being constantly redefined, we no longer want or can live in the same way our parents and ancestors lived. It's a bit disheartening honestly because my country has very rich culture and history that is slowly becoming extinct at hands of living 'westernized' lifestyle and exploring plus often exploiting more 'exotic' influences. We have access to music, dances, costumes that are either influenced by pop culture or come from different cultures deemed as more interesting because foreign. I see it as both positive and negative. Being exposed to other cultures definitely can help broaden one's horizons, open your mind etc but it also may lead to erasure of your own culture, opens door to maladaptation of practices, misinterpretation of philosophies, cultural appropriation, comodification of certain aspects in pursue of desirable aesthetics etc and living 'more interesting' life. I'm not completely opposed to it, I believe in sharing your tradition and being open to learning others also I think culture is not static and needs to adapt and evolve with time. I'm glad to live in a world where I'm exposed to new things and people who are willing to teach me their ways. However, I feel like we're losing the sense of simple belonging to more local community and what it actually means to be ourselves in the name of globalisation and all that comes with it. The ability or necessity to relocate wherever you can or anywhere you need (be it poor economy, political instability etc) also leads to deatachment from your own culture/roots (whether it's voluntary or not) and complicated identity issues (as a child of economical migrants I really feel this internal conflict). Personally I'm determined to put more emphasis on going back to basics and learning more about own heritage and try to keep the traditions alive. I also want to understand the history of the world better and have better grasp of other cultures. Ultimately, I feel like striving to belong to a subculture purely based on aesthetic or owning certain things no longer serves me and doesn't help me to find me my place in this world or understand who I am.
Some Swedish language curious: The Å en Kånken is an A with a little O on top, which means that it's a combination of the two sounds. Im not a star in French, but I would say that Å is more like a french O, like the one in "mon". Kånken is created from the slang verb "kånka", which means "to carry". Thanks for another great video, as always!
it was hard for me to put this into words, but i felt this in college. if i didn’t fit a certain aesthetic one day but fit it the next, i got treated differently. we say we’ve come so far but we really haven’t.
I'm so glad you made a video on this, the feeling of needing to "brand" everything I do and what I wear and how my room looks was what made me get off of Tiktok, and now it's extended to most social media
Few years ago my dad told me to "Don't be an insecure artist who only follow trends, showy, and only shallow surface level, because what you are is purely on your works". In context he dislike me trying on an old women's dress to wear on High School Reunion(I am born male so you can guess the actual intent of that wording). And weirdly, it kinda gets to me, that gender construct is very object and product based. If you identify as female but not buying women products, what's the point? If you identify as male but not wearing pants, or still do feminine makeup, why bother? And we can say, oh it shouldn't matter, because what matters is from within, then what's the parameter? Are we going to reinforce that all men must be physical and emotion numb, all women are meek and sensitive? Maybe we should just abolish gender all together, but wouldn't that be insensitive towards individuals who have transitioned to what they perceive as true self, and then we suddenly like, self is unimportant actually? Idk
Yeah I was born female but I’m transgender and I try pretty hard to look like a guy and it’s so easy to get caught up in self definition by the clothes you wear because honestly to most people they do define your gender which is a key part of most peoples sense of self so you feel the need to buy all these things to present more like the gender you are and then you take a step back and look at it all and it’s just so much shit, and for what?
We should abolish gender, but there are levels of care that need to be taken with regards to people who have already transitioned, honestly there's already a lot that has changed between the older and younger generations, a big one is with transmasc and nonbinary people. With younger transmascs a lot reject the idea that they have to present masculine and wear traditionally masculine clothes in order to be valid in their identities and that influences older generations of Trans people who internalized the very rigid ideas of gender and expression that they unfortunately had to grow up in and adapt to in order to survive. With nonbinary people it's the shifting away from needing to present androgynous. I've also seen a similar effect begin to spread with younger transfems albeit a lot slower and on a much more individual level, I'd say it's because of the patriarchy and how it compounds with transphobia to be more violent towards transfems. Still I do hope that in time we'll get there as well
Men and women are just sex specifications like roosters and hens. Gender is bullshit and may I say, also an "aesthetics" created by partriarchy. Abolishing genders doesnt mean abolishing sexes of people, it just means abolishing gender roles and the baggage (especially on women) within it.
You mentioning how we're moving towards a more homogenized culture made me think about the metaverse and how ppl are REALLY trying to push us onto an online world. I wonder what ur thoughts are on the topic, any guesses how where it will go?
Thanks! I'm 25 and couldn't be more stressed out on what to do with my life, then suddenly your channel pops out om my phone. Thanks for the chat, it helps me ponderate better my life choices and what is the relationship of ourselves with late capitalism
Exactly, by forgetting and replacing our culture we are disconnecting ourselves from our community, which doesn't make us more "individual" just more isolated and therefore lonely.
I work in investment crowdfunding, a founder of a project to make crowdfunding easier with software. Community connection is the thing that our industry works on. Thank you for making this!
This concept is quite novel to me. I've literally never cared about the clothes I wear. It's a mishmash or random brands, most of which I get from my family at christmas lol
Same, I think that's why it doesn't bother me at all. I also think the culture and environment we grew up in plays a huge part. My parents always taught me that we're defined by our behaviour and actions towards others and ourselves, so that's how I perceive and judge myself. It doesn't mean I don't seek out a personal style, but that style isn't important at all to how I feel about my values. I can be a headbanging metalhead one day or a shirt wearing businessman the next. Won't change how I treat other people and how I value myself
Same, I've never cared and it's never affected me. Goes to show that leftists are just weak willed people with zero self control who would rather use state violence to force everyone else to change than bother changing themselves.
This was fantastic! Thank you for this video! It pulled together a framework to understand some of the cultural movements/social contagions/widespread psychosocial ailments/personal choices of my friends that have baffled me. This was a real A-HA! moment! ❤
I'm a minimalist & still retain my culture and religious way of dressing. The clothes that we wear in our culture are part of us and they are important, plus I love wearing them, so I dont feel compelled to declutter them away for "western clothes".
I don't know why, but when YT recommended your video to me, for some reason I was avoided to click because some part of me was saying: "this girl probably will make a generic and empty criticism about capitalism or some kind of rebelliousness for no reason". But, and thank you God, I coudn't be more wrong. It was somehow relieving that I was wrong. Actually, I enjoyed your video a lot, the ease with which you approached the subject, your tone of voice, the way you communicate your ideas and, ironically, your aesthetics! 😂 It was one of the best videos I've seen in a long time. You're a very pleasant pearson. It was nice to meet you. I'm subscribed now and started to follow you! I wish you all the best! Greetings from Brazil!
Yeah, those are the main reasons I don't particulary enjoy going to a shopping mall. I like having my own t-shirts printed with cool pics I found on the internet.
the past 2 years my dream has been to create my own fashion line, but just for me. like i custom order or hand make all my tees and accessories, if feels like good to see my own personal collection grow in that way!
I loved this video! I will say that criticizing minimalism depends on which definition of minimalism you use - in the documentary you mentioned, they actually discuss minimalism as a form of materialism, in a way. Some practices of minimalism encourage mindful consumerism and expressing yourself with physical objects (decoration, clothing, etc) with intention. Minimalism isn't just white shirt no chairs, it's more about knowing what you need and desire and allowing yourself to consume what you need and desire as opposed to what society and capitalism tells you to need and desire, so owning cultural garments and taking good care of them to extend their life is compatible with minimalism.
In my teens, music gave me a sense of belonging. I got into metal, and later on punk. My fashion style came from my music taste. We often wore d.i.y. stuff, we often costomized clothes that we got in triftshops, so it was never really expensive. Altho, it was never about the clothes, there was no uniform, everybody looked unique. What I learned from it is it dosn't matter how you look like, you will find that groupe of people who will accept you, and be friends with you. Don't try to fit in with everybody, just wear what you like
Yeah but I guess it depends on the subculture. Mods, skins, hip hop heads and all tend to have a "uniform". Even some punks try to create rules nowadays.
As always, really enjoyable video! I love how you manage to go through such touchy topics in such a respectful way, I think it really does make your essays stand out
it also shows on videogames, anime, movies and "geek" culture! remakes, reboots, repetitive plots, its like we are stuck in a weird time loop, and its shown even more in the cyberpunk and 80s retro aesthetics and the stuff that mark fisher said about a lost future. great video btw, keep the good work.
I think the key is to be conscious of this adoption of trends and stereotypes into our personality and concept of self. Also, at the same time question this new or adopted personality traits, that way we can achieve at least some sort of originality and also don’t fall in negative cult or herd stupid behaviors. Question oneself first, then the others. (Kind of what you commented in the end about Deleuze and Guattari)
Great video! 👏🏻 I used to be a very convinced minimalist until a friend from Egypt said that I only was a minimalist because I had the luxury to afford this lifestyle. In other cultures minimalism seems ridiculous because some people would be happy if they could afford "dispensable" things.
Of course people that struggle every day to survive won't have the time and resources to care for the environment, animal rights, human rights... But if we who have so many privileges we also have the responsibility to do our best to make this world a better place.
I watched a video about pattern-making.. wish i could remember the channel. the video essayist said something along the lines of "we use 2D patterns to create 3D clothing items and there is no discernible difference between clothing patterns. the discernible difference are finishing touches: logo, fabric choice, embellishment, stitching, etc." he showed what 3D clothing patterns could create, and it really had me thinking "are we really striving for individuality amongst the same pieces as each other with a laughably limited ability to express ourselves beyond the ornamentation on the same clothing items." some days i remember little edie bouvier beale and her creative outfits and wish i had the hutzpah to dress as she does.
Great video, something I often think of as well as I notice my aesthetic tastes are very linked to what I identify with or want to identify with, and how often it seems to fall in line with what other people of my demographic want as well. In the middle of the video I was going to disagree with the idea that minimalism erases culture, that it's an absence of style instead of a style in it's own right, because I think minimalism very much embodies the mindset in the current time, but then you continued and said the same thing hahah. I also often think about how as the world becomes more connected, internet having made that increasingly fast of course. It created a lot of new 'cultures' so I am not sure if we can say it decreased variety of expression and amount of small communities, they simply no longer are geographically bound. Though I think the thousands of years of history of us has shaped us to think of them very similarily to as if they were confined to a geographical location, to a tribe of us vs them, people we need to protect vs people we need to fight against. It can be seen from how these communities fight online, as if it was a terrain they could huddle certain people together and push certain people out of, creating bubbles. But people from these vastly different communities actually live alongside each other, if not online then at least geographically, and I think that creates the opportunity for learning how to integrate what is different, more than the previously geographically homogenous societies had. It certainly will be both destructive and transformative, hopefully more the latter than the former.
this is a really insightful reflection! i also agree on the fact that minimalism didn’t necessarily erase culture, in fact i think i minimalism created a new culture of its own. and also don’t think minimalism is recent at all, i think it’s probably just a reiteration of something that’s always existed.
I´ve recently found your channel and started watching your videos. I find them so interesting. Thank you for creating this content. Greetings from Mexico
Very good video, nice work on noticing the connection between neglect of religion and tradition and the rise of people connecting over things such as fashion or style as a substitute. Very interesting and informative
It’s such a wild realization that people are replacing the community they’ve found in religion to community within things like aesthetic groups. I never thought that was a big reason religion is increasingly being left behind.
It’s not the reason why religion is left behind. 💀 You mixed up cause and reason. People find community in aesthetics because they don’t find it in religion anymore.
In 1950 a sociological analysis was published called "The Lonely Crowd," the researchers found that as society became more prosperous people started defining their level of success based on the comparison between their material wealth versus the material wealth of others especially their neighbors, friends, family etc. Materialism is the Philosophy of many modern people and sadly it only leads to an empty existence, but I guess some people would be happy to be "The Last Man." (As Nietzsche said)
Very interesting video. I personally liked that you explained everything you said through a psychological, historical and sociological point of view and didn't focus only in one of them.
> the boring Western culture But the _actual_ Western culture is rich and fun, the problem is the collective cringe at the traditions that we have developed over the years due to both capitalist promotion of the new, fresh and young and the progressive rejection of traditions as source of many inequality problems. One of the examples I vividly remember from my own back yars is from 2012, when Poland has had its own European Football Championships song contest and a folk band comprised of several grandmas actually won. The absolute state of cringe that about half of the people felt relegated the song to the quick jingles in the matches' breaks. The official song mandated by the organisers? Oceana's Endless Summer, a song completely unrelated to the host countries, sung by a German vocalist singing _soul_, one of the genres that started the whole craze now called World Music.
Quality content as usual. I love how your contents are so factual and it gives me no doubt that you actually put so much efforts into your contents. They’re super eye opening and I feel like I’m educating myself through this channel , all the book recommendations, people discussing in the comment sections and things. Merci beaucoup Alice ❤️
@@bbiancaec lol more of a joke comment towards who tends to promote minimalism but my guess would be you need to have a lot of stuff to be hit with the realization that…you dont need all that stuff.
@@COLORMIND.mp4 Hi. I am not rich but i do want to become a minimalist because i have a lot of unused things. The thing about being poor or not having more than enough to survive is it makes you hold on to things more just in case you’ll need it in the future so you won’t need to worry about having the money to buy it when you can just keep it in advance. I get very overwhelmed with the stuff i own but i also can’t free my anxious self. I’m working on it though. But you’re kinda right too because i wouldn’t have to worry about having less stuff if i have a lot of money to spare if ever i need something. The point is you don’t have to be only rich to have a lot of stuff and be overwhelmed by it to the point that you want to become a minimalist because it can be applied to a lot of poor people too . Hand me downs are a very huge thing for people like us and no matter if we already have a lot or we don’t need it, there will alway be room for more and we might need it in the future. I just don’t have the financial stability to afford buying something the moment that i really really need something and having a peace of mind, to become a minimalist. I still want to become a minimalist though because i don’t want to be overwhelmed anymore that’s why i’m working on it.
@@ran2123 Hi ran! loved this comment and deff agree with you! Minimalism in its definitional form is a great thing to aspire to, i incorporate into my life where I can as well! Similar to Stocism, i believe its just one of those good principles that are easier to explore when you have the societal freedom to do so. When i was growing up, we didnt have a lot of stuff but we werent minimalist similar to how we knew our lives were fundamentally out of our control but we werent stoics. but when i started making 70k out of school, i wanted to be both; more as a way to express my own agency than a sudden philosophical shift. So i guess thats where the joke comes from, if that makes sense. cheers!
Aesthetics and fashion have long functioned as a kind of language-system to communicate a person or group identity, but in the past they would be supplementary to the larger social structures they were a part of. The aesthetic seemed secondary to the culture or religion it was associated with. Now, the aesthetic seems to be taking precedent, even more than the actual lifestyle it's associated with (e.g. academia aesthetic vs academia lifestyle). Love this topic! Great vid, as always!
Great video thanks for sharing. When it comes to identity it’s about recognising that it’s all a social construct. There’s nothing stopping you from being someone different from the person you were 5 minutes ago - be the person you want to be. There’s no limitations. I decided to refine my identity recently to become more minimalist by wearing the same outfit everyday (not literally the same clothes - I do have multiple outfits of the same!)
Alice's video essays are extremely thought-provoking, in a similar way to John Berger's classic "Ways of Seeing". But like all Critical Theory, they are also frustrating, because they propose no viable alternative to the dominant form, narrative or concept they deconstruct. Ultimately, once the counter-movements and reactions against capitalism (such as minimalism, small house) are themselves declared problematic or inadequate, my instinctive response is: so, do you have a better idea?
i've been trying to articulate exactly this for months!! fantastic video. i think that people often use taste in media as an accessory as well: music and films are devalued, and detached from individual worth as entertainment, and turned into accessories which are quickly abandoned. it's a sad period for creatives, who can often be adopted into an "aesthetic" which disintegrates in popularity very, very quickly.
I keep thinking about this one Bill Wurtz line that goes something like "I've built a small house and I wonder if I'm small enough to live in it" (from Might Quit). Clearly he has an extremely specific aesthetic in terms of music, visuals, and lyrics - one which feels zeitgeisty but might be becoming dated. Not sure where I'm going with this, but I'm kind of fixated on this thing of bricking yourself up in a corner creatively and not being allowed to escape.
Great video again, Alice. As another commenter has put it, the reason why we come up with all these aesthetics in the first place is because ultimately, we want to be accepted and validated by our peers. I feel like this particular topic doesn't have anything to do with capitalism, rather it's about how we (the younger generations) are collectively struggling to find something to latch onto that gives us a sense of group identity. Jreg has a strong message about this in his video: ua-cam.com/video/J7BN55kvfnw/v-deo.html I personally don't think we are coming up with so many aesthetics because capitalism is beginning to collapse. These aesthetics are not created by massive corporations, they're mostly created by girls on TikTok. Meaning it's not a product of capitalism, it's a product of trying to form a sense of group identity. We are doing this in a desperate attempt to create something that makes us feel like a community. I feel like many people my age want to feel like they're a part of something bigger (which they don't, at least not right now). I think it's sort of a social system that is failing rather than an economic one, maybe due to technology and how, ironically, isolated we've become from others even though we have the tools to talk to people from all across the world. That's my take on the situation, let me know what you think
I agree. Tribalism- one of the oldest human behaviors that ever existed. Pretty normal that advertisers would use the appeal to tribalism to sell products lol
In my early teens, I tried so hard to fit in one "fashion aesthetic" but I failed. I realized I can't because I am more than that. I can wear various fashion aesthetics that are polar opposites from each other depending on my mood, and it's fine.
We are multidimensional beings. We are not flat characters in a movie.
I feel the same way ❤️
Exactly! Those are media tropes, not actual humans
for realllll
Same
Very glad you figured that out for yourself. Me personally, I have never understood the need to fit myself to an aesthetic in my life. When I was young, clothing was merely a chore and an unfortunate necessity. I slap whatever was laying about on so I don't get arrested or expelled from class for indecent exposure and go on my day. I've always known who I was and that was best expressed with the words from my mouth. I pretty much talked my way into fitting in everywhere.
Ultimately we are all looking for connection and validation. We need to strengthen communities and not individual egos, we need to protect our public spaces and create more avenues to interact.
This is it! If we live in a world that's well connected globally but has a strong communities that allow people to express their individuality while remaining feeling of belonging we'd enter a semi-paradise state.
@@jazy3091 Belonging and individuality are irreconcilable opposites
@@loonaeon4944 I strongly disagree with this sentiment. I'd say it's actually the other way around: you can fully develop and bloom your individuality when you're safe and you belonging to your community. The opposite of belonging is lonesomeness - the image of a lonesome cowboy disappearing into the sunset because he has no anchor he has no place in any community, that kind of things. It doesn't make him any more individual than people who are living their life surrounded by supporting people, and I'd say the latter is better environment to develop and express own individuality freely.
@@jazy3091 I feel the same, I don't know my own neighborhood and I only talk with people from my work which is far, and my friends I never casually cross paths,I only see them in the gym or when we plane a meeting. And it's wird I am from Buenos Aires City , What gives hope is the new '' Superblocks'' wich allow people to meet better they neighborhood, '' Adam Something'' channel explains better.
Yess
This video couldn't have been posted at a better time, honestly. I've been thinking lately of how we're undergoing an age where it's really, REALLY, hard for someone to find and mould his own identity; capitalism on one side, social media on the other.. one's need to always fit in a community, in a clique, in an aesthetic, to be liked and validated by the other... I couldn't agree more with everything you've said tbh, it's spot on 😫
agreed, but do you need to fit into an aesthetic to be liked? I find that people with more mixed up identities and aesthetics are more interesting. They form their own self without sinking into a stereotype. Someone who fits into an aesthetic is predictable, and doesn't seem to form their own identity but forms the identity of whichever aesthetic they want to fit into and be validated by. And that validation doesn't seem healthy to me either
The problem is y’all think there’s a problem with being apart of a community
@v and that's why I said I've been thinking about it lately ; I'VE NOTICED THE PATTERN IN MYSELF
@@naturallyeccentric05 those are your words, not mine
@v also it's the yassified version 🙄
I love how you said that we are progressively moving towards one homogenized culture, as this can be applied to beauty standards as well. The beauty standards that we see nowadays become a mix, almost seems like a collage, of the prominent features of numerous races. This act of mixing facial and body features from various races produce a 'marketable face', which is why we constantly see similarities in the body and faces of a lot of 'influencers' and celebrities.
agreed!
Yes!! I find it absolutely crazy that nowadays body features are becoming a product like others, specially with hyaluronic acid injections that can completely change one's face for a limited time. Sudenly we have a bunch of people on the internet with sharp jawlines, salient cheekbones and tick lips (the "instagram face" as described by Jia Tolentino in the New Yorker), and people start to think that maybe "just" hitting the gym, having that or that aesthetic, working in that field, liking that song (and so on) is not enough, they also have to have a certain face. Homogenization taken to a whole new level!!
At the same time there's always multiple countermovements seeking to subvert what is deemed normal.
I've found it really helpful to get off social media platforms like instagram. Users are constantly being fed this beauty standard nonsense, which of course, is constantly changing so that advertisers can make you think the ideal is always just out of reach. The implied message is "keep buying our products and maybe one day you'll catch up." Three months away from these platforms clears the mind and you begin to be able to fully think for yourself.
This.. It is the global culture.
The reason tribal aesthetics and culture are so rich is because they are exclusionary. If we have an inclusive culture it will be formless and constantly changing.
I ran with a bunch of punks in my youth, it wasnt about what we wore at all, but the story behind a jacket or pair of boots/shoes and how old they were, or how many people had owned them - i remember some weight behind that. I remember proudly wearing the 1973 Brooks Bros. leather jacket of my dads as a teen. His brother bled out after being riddled with shotgun pellets on the porch in it, and my dad wore it until giving it to me right before he killed himself. It was a gnarled rag of a jacket by the time I got it, with tons of leather stitching, and one entire sleeve being newer and less wrinkled than the other. But I loved that god damned jacket lol. I remember it having some horrendous paint on the back where my uncle tried making a logo for his band, and everyone alwas asked "wtf is that?!". And I loved it. Everyone that had owned the jacket, including the company, were all long gone, and all from here in Detroit. It told a story, you know? I stll wear it, and I'm 37 now lol. I'm an artist and love sewing, so I've fixed it up a bit, but can't wait to pass it down as well one day. I've always liked the idea of clothign and jewelry having meaning and being about relationships, community, history, that sort of thing.
Interesting story.
I heard other perspectives similar to this explaining how using things makes them more valuable.
Those creases, stains, and patches tell a story. When you think of it that they those things stop to annoy you. They stop to be something negative.
They become a diary of sorts. Like "hey i remember how I got that stain on my shoe" and what follows is recounting of the event that caused the stain.
Found it similar so i thought that i should share.
Hope you die peacefully when you pass the jacket on
Awesome, what a touching story! Intend to do and start the same
I like wearing grandma's earrings for this reason (nowadays she doesn't wear jewelry that much so she gave it all to me). I don't really have old clothing from her, but I do wear a dress from time to time that my mom has worn in her youth.
you can't just drop that story and not show us that jacket
I felt the same way as you did with Minimalism. I was a broke college kid working full time to pay way my through (gotta love US Higher Education). Minimalism gave me a sense of belonging and helped me feel as if I didn't need physical objects to make me happy. At the time it did help me a lot, but over time I realized I never felt special. I had very little originality. Once I graduated I took a hard look at my closet full of the same t shirts and realized I wanted an identity that was mine. I wanted originality. I felt weird because I had spent the last two years fighting consumerism and capitalists structures trying to sell me stuff. But at the same time I realized minimalism was just a byproduct of capitalism that would devoid me of originality. You can never be perfect in capitalism, but you can try your best to be happy and stay true to yourself. If that means buying a shirt you like so be it. Great video!
this has been my exact experience as well, it's nice to know someone else has had the same thoughts!
What does minimalism mean to you? Have you felt like you have to wear the same t shirts and clothes to be a minimalist?
@@tigana no. I guess I still buy less, but the reason I started wasn’t because I felt overwhelmed by what I already had or felt this pressure from keeping up with trends. My problem was I felt bad because I worked very hard and still could not afford anything. I then decided that minimalism would help me b/c I could flip consumerism on its head and decide I don’t need anything. Items don’t bring me happiness. And it did help me at the time. But as I graduated and started to actually have money I did feel a desire to be more authentic. It might be the marketing, but I never felt special with what I had. I still carry principles. Like I’m intentional with my purchases. But at the end of the day I think minimalism can often times lead to extremes and the community could do better at explaining extreme minimalism vs being yourself and practicing to your personal comfortably. Like Alice said, it has become an aesthetic that you almost follow just like influencer based fashion and it can become overwhelming if you don’t balance minimalism and your self expression.
“You can never be perfect in capitalism”.. nah b you can never be perfect period.
Minimalism isn't a religion, lol. You can practice it to whatever degree you want to. There isn't even a common definition of what minimalism even is. It's more of a state of mind than anything else, and it doesn't conflict with forming an identity at all in my mind.
I went through a phase starting at 19 of minimalism in all facets of life. It intersected with an interest in digital nomads, long term travel, and having no permanent home. It's like I felt so disconnected from community and roots that I wanted my new family to be one united around coming from nowhere, being blank slates, tied to no thing. I would read about how to pack all my possessions into a bag less than 20 liters so that I could pick up and leave at any moment.
The appeal of this lifestyle certainly comes from the freedom and spontaneity that it gives you but I also recognize street having some of these experiences that constant movement and trying to dissolve my past is isolating and disempowering. A twig cracks but the bundle stays strong.
I had the same feelings in my early 20's. Leaving university and not wanting to move back home with my parents I would watch youtube videos and almost idolize the creators of "Van Life", "Travel Vlog", "Minimalist" content.
For me it was a way of escapism / running away from my problems, and an inability to identify my "self". I think to an extent its natural for young people to want to explore new places, ideas, etc to find who they are outside of the cultural norms they grew up in, thus these financially viable travel options and lifestyle trends are endearing.
I'm mainly curious whether these trends are signs of larger societal issues like growing unaffordability, globalization, etc. Or whether they are just part of the coming of age story for young adults?
You are always with you wherever you go.
Whatever issues one is having in the current version of their life will remain unless they take time to work on those issues. Same with money management- there are people with all different types of incomes living paycheck to paycheck.
@@ariesmry agreed. The Psychology of Money was a fantastic and relatively easy read, and in the book the author discussed how no matter how high your income is, you can still be broke if you lack awareness and intentionality
I've gone through a lot of phases of trying to belong. I tried skin whitening because in my country it seemed like only the light-skinned people are appreciated. I became an emo because of the ostracism I received. I gradually became eccentric in my choices of clothing, then became classic as I tried to fit into the working world. Now I try to just be simple. But I still love to go out in boots, I think my personality just loves boots.
i love that
That makes me sad to hear. It seems like if we just keep on finding new pointless attitudes or styles to attach ourselves to, then we haven't really found out anything about ourselves. I guess people are just full of deceitful desires and have no real self to find. thank you.
@@briandunfee4326 ^^
True emo essence never dies. I also love boots lol, they're so comfortable and versatile
Boots ftw
i'm from mexico so excuse my english. Here we seen an extrange fenomenon related to the "aestethic" in one side there is a form of search for autenticity in the praise of the mexican traditions and rituals of our ancient civilizations by the rich classes (that are almost completly white for the heritage of colonialism) that seems to have a great pride for it in the social media enviroment, but is obviously for everyone that they despide and humilate almost every one with a brown skin color, and in the other side there is the poor people that came from the remains of this civilizations, that looks like the real heirs of this cultures, tryng to hide everything that could conect them with his ancestors because they are embarrased, embarrased of seem inferior to the richest classes, and they seek an aesthetic almost copied of the ones we see in the US and Europe, is a twisted reality that permeates in our society, and looks like the only survivors of this cultures will work for turism of this richest classes that look this traditions like gimmicks of theirs aesthetics.
That's such an interesting comment, I'm not from a country which was colonialised but I often talk to Latin American friends about it and it seems like there is always this underlying tension of suppressed history where nobody can really be the way they want to because of different kinds of social pressures. What do you think is a solution for the future?
Pinches whitexicans arruinan todo.
A lot of this has to do with the creation of the myth of the mestizo as the attempt to create a unified mexican culture from the perspective of the dominant class obviously, the latter being the white, rich and westernized stratas of society. On the one side there is this people with actual power that can flaunt about their "heritage" and all because they are the descendants of the civilized, rational, progressive and intelligent europeans, and on the other us the savages, the powerless that must do away with their backwardness and assimilate the values of the great western world if they ever want to be worth something. Or so the myth goes
Jajaja también soy mexa y la neta tienes razón, ahí ves a los morritos morenos queriendo verse aesthetic indie y esas madres o copiando formas europeas que ven en redes sociales mientras que los whitexicans se las dan de muy mexas y orgullo y la madre
that happens in brazil as well, it seems that if you want to be rich and successful you must be less of a brazilian and more of an european or american
@@user-fc7yi4ud3m as i know, theres a great differences between black and white people on Brazil
I'm always saying I'm going to cosplay a girl with lots of natural sunlight in their apartment, who waters plants with a hand painted ceramic watering can, and wears a scarf delicately tied round their slightly undone hair while donning a top from a sunstainable brand and thrifted trousers. But then I just end up wearing the same $5 mad rag t-shirt and amazon Pjs. Disconnecting your taste from your outward appearance goes a long way. I used to have this anxiety about not being seen as the person I am because of how I dressed or social media aesthetic. It's strange but now I just do my best to stop seeking validation in that way. My natural creativity comes through more authentically when I
m not trying to curate it for the peanut gallery.
on the topic of minimalism, i don’t think minimalism erased culture. it isn’t just a bunch of neutral grey tones, and only owning IKEA furniture. minimalism can be different things to different people, and for someone who wants to own cultural items it might just mean not owning 100 cultural dresses as someone’s daily wear and instead owning 50.
the categories and numbers are arbitrary. what it’s mainly about is not blindly consuming and being able to own “less”-whatever that means to the individual. there’s nothing about only having to have western/american fashion or ideals as part of what you own/represent about yourself.
and even the examples i have are just one perspective, there’s no rules necessarily, and no one’s culture has to be erased for them to call themselves a minimalist or have values that align with the movement.
True. You can totally see this with Japanese people: simplicity is part of their lives and it's well ingrained with their culture. They're not erasing their culture because of a simple minimalist life, it's the Western failing to integrate minimalism without erasing individuality and culture from that. You can see this for example looking for design styles inspiration like "Zen" style (basically simple minimalism with nature, and Japanese concepts around the imperfection of things being beautiful on its own) and "Minimalism" (simple, kinda boring, no personality whatsoever).
While I don't disagree with the perspective you've put forth, the problem is - if you were to ask a number of random people to define what minimalism is; How many of them would give a definition similar to yours? And how many would define it as "boring clothes and IKEA furniture"?
Minimalism might have its roots in at least anti-consumerist circles (I assume, because I haven't read on history of it), but, in my opinion, it no longer has much to do with it. It has become an aesthetic that signifies some sort of ascetic detachment from worldly distractions -or, at the very least - a trend to follow.
It's being sold to us either directly: look up, for example, "Men's fashion tips" on IG - it's unicolor turtlenecks galore; or indirectly as a lifestyle via various blogs and lifestyle influencers. It's advertised as an aesthetic of the powerful, as a lifestyle that will solve various anxieties that you might feel and as an uniform of the "Millionaire grindset". And all of that seems just an IKEA table away from being your reality.
In other words: Something that originated as a countermovement to consumerist society (or capitalism, if you will) has become embraced by consumerism (or capitalism, if you will) in order to repackage it and sell it to people in order to turn profits.
Don't get me wrong: I don't care to be a gatekeeper for minimalism. I just think that it's important to make a distinction between anti-consumerist and (imo insidiously) pro-consumerist minimalism when discussing topics of aesthetic, culture and "sense of belonging" under capitalism.
@@bedlingtoncandycrush1008 Ask and find out. It would really depend on the area you pick to ask people since there are channels on UA-cam that show 100 ways to wear 50 items, and living with the one type of shirt/pants.
I totally agree
It's weird because I always thought about "starter packs" as hilarious jokes, clichés about certain kind of people that are meant to laugh at, memes of sort and nothing else. To think that some people look a those things and go and buy them is really scary. Another thing is how ridiculous things go "in" or "out" of fashion according to retailers. I went to the store recently and found a pair of brand new Lacoste Espadre Plimsolls for 35 bucks CAD. Lacoste to me always been a deluxe brand so I was really surprised. Apparently it was a "end of season" product, even tho it's a timeless design and it probably cost this much to make it (the lowest price I could get otherwise was 70 bucks and original 130). It's just crazy. I can make so much money by going to a thrift store and now you find things like Apple TVs or tech that you can buy and sell easily. It's super easy to also repair cellphones or laptops and make money this way while keeping electronic waste a tiny itsy bit lower. I don't understand our world.
See, that's how I saw the starter packs too, just a meme, never as a checklist that needed to be marked off. When did they become that?
Same. I always looked at those memes as something to laugh at because they are so true. It’s about people with no identity and personality of their own. You see them, you talk to them for two minutes, and you have them figured out. I am totally incredulous at the idea that anyone would seriously look at those memes as an unironic checklist. I never understood this obession with “current trend” and trying to look a specific way or having an “aesthetic”. I buy clothes that I personally like and feel comfortable in. My justification has always been “it looks good, it’s good quality or it’s cheap”. Never ever have I bought something and thought “oh yeah this would convey to the 600 other people who I saw wearing this clothing that I am one of them”.
Alice seem to be quite stuck in culture and tradition but I honestly reject the very idea of keeping any particular culture or tradition, it stem from emotional reasoning. People continue with their shitty diets because "it has always been that way" but this is an emotional response which are often in direct conflict with reality.
@@barkasz6066 I don't think (although I might be wrong) that most people actually see a "starter pack" meme and go buy the listed items.
It's the other way around:
A lot of people (subconsciously or not) follow some trends.
Our taste and influences are biased by our experiences and social circles.
Therefore, a lot of people from the same social/economical/cultural background would buy the same stuff or follow the same trend.
Individually, nobody is consciously trying to be a copycat.
People want to fit in just enough to be included, in the group, be loved, protected, validated, it's a survival instinct, but they also want to feel unique and different.
Special.
As a way to signal your value to a potential partner, and (sometimes) reproduce, for instance.
They just don't realise that their choices and taste are the results of many things that aren't conscious.
Just positive and negative emotions/hormonal reactions, linked to thousands of external stimuli over the course of their lifetime.
And since we're all different, but in the end, more of the same...
Trends start and end.
And people, without realising it, fit in a starter pack category, while they think they are unique.
Just a lack of self awareness, I guess.
But to be fair, we all fit in some groups, and can be stereotyped.
It does not mean we aren't more than our tastes and identity groups.
Because we actually are.
as an asian american i struggle to find a balance between my traditional cultures and assimilating to american values. i think it's really interesting how immigrant children like me have to go through that journey where their (probably) strict parents are both a barrier and a gate to finding oneself. (i just had a revelation while watching this, not sure if it's REALLY on-topic)
I think the way you point out how asian american children often have complex and conflicting feedback from their asian parents on their way to developing their identity is incredible. I feel like I've danced around the same idea in my head but never put together the thought into words as well as you just did. I think part of the confusion is that our parents are also caught in the vortex of cultural identity confusion. On one hand they want to live their best life in a new country which often demands assimilation, but on the other hand they hold dear to their hearts the values and traditions of the community they grew up in. Love the comment Anisa!
@@spensiir What you two said are really meaningful and I resonate with it. I am chinese australian and here too exists a 'mainstream culture' that demands assimilation. My parents sometimes discourage me from speaking too much chinese at home, but at the same time wishes me to not forget chinese. It's difficult journey to reconciliate the two parts of my identity and not lose either one to the other, like walking the tightrope between cultural isolation (in only living amongst the asian community, which is great haha) and complete assimilation into an euro-centric culture founded on colonization.
Now I think it's less of a tightrope, but rather a buffet situation. Instead of wanting a 'collective' identity, like the video mentioned, I want to identify more as an individual that could incorporate aspects of those cultures I like without compromises.
Hope you guys have a good rest of your week :))
As Latino, I understand. I realized recently that who I am is really different from the expectations my culture asked of me or even more important the culture around me.
Easy answer to that would be: assimilate to your country's cultural standards or move to one where you are more comfortable.
Assimilation is basically another word for cultural genocide.
I wrote an essay on 2014 tumblr and online aesthetics for my fashion cultures and history class and so much of what you said resonates with me and what I read !! It’s so interesting to see how without larger structures like religion having so much control in the west, we define ourselves through our material possessions. Eg I own the book normal people, I feel like that says something about me. Those tiktok videos of people showing books, perfumes and lipsticks they own in one video and people commenting “this is so me” it’s so strange how we align ourselves with things
my boss asked everyone to choose one thing in the show-and-tell session of the team building, it took me less than one second to realize that i, in fact, did not think "this is so me" of things that were not made by me, because in the product all i saw was industries, trends and consumerism, and my art was poorly done and flawed, but human. It was weirdly revigorating to realise that i am my mind and "soul", not my things. (sorry, not a native eng. speaker) (Also, i'm still a "maximalist" but most of my stuff is poorly done art and things that made me laugh in a thrift shop now)
Part of me wonders if the appeal of consumer capitalist lifestyles in Euro-American countries (and heck, around the world even) is a byproduct of older forms of identity being displaced, especially among newer generations. Neoliberalism is increasingly trying to convince us that we're living in a post-historical world, and perhaps the branded lifestyles so inextricably tied to its ideological baggage is the arm of its identity-forming enterprise. Find solace and fulfillment not in the old forms of identity: nationalism, religion, family, et cetera, but rather in the material objects and their adjacent "lifestyles" which define the epoch of capital.
Wonderfully written! Yes, oh my goodness, yes!
Social circles and each of their aesthetics, morals, political views, what they buy... this is modern religion, the social media stars of each circle are the gurus/gods. It's terrifying to me, I always have been sceptical of putting anything or -one on a pedestal, including the "old forms of identity"
Can you not group European countries together? Not all of them share the same capitalist values???
Very well said. Basically, we changed the bonding principles of our immediate social circles: nation, religion, family are being overshadowed by things such as aesthetics, personality types, lifestyles, identity politics (which is different from old patriotism), and even sexual orientation. Is that a bad thing though? The need for belonging to a group and having a social identity is natural for a human being. We're a social species, after all. I don't think this is ever going away. I'd even say it's preferable to the old way, since our history has been tarnished by wars over nationalism and religion. There are problems with these new principles too, but hardly anybody is going to fight over different aesthetics or lifestyles. One form of identity will replace the other as the zeitgeist changes from epoch to epoch.
This is so well put
in sociology, this is called a social identifier. when one is part of a community, there is something you wear or do that signals your part in that society. this remains no matter what culture/ group you are a part of. these are things we do when applying to jobs (looking professional/like you belong in that work place) or a band t shirt, even artists and wierdos - and if you look like your applying to a job while in a wierdo sphere, you become untrustworthy. we do have to change our social indicators to be able to function in the different arenas of society and only the most rich or famous dont. there are huge differences between aesthetics and identity, and there will always be people who confuse the two. this has just fostered in me an uneasiness as people who have tattoos are no longer on the edges of society - signaling their otherness - they are the norm. same with colored hair etc etc. when those of us who truly are others, queer/disabled/non neuro typical are no longer able to identify the people who which we can make community, it becomes a problem of capitalists hyper commodification of ALL things. its quite sick.
That's something that I have been thinkin a lot when it comes to dyed hair or tattoos. I recently dyed my hair dark red and will get my arms tattooed in the next months. I know there is going to be some kind of backlash but it's nothing compared to the reactions my sister got when she first showed up with green hair in school (15 years back).
On the one hand, it's nice to know that people that simply enjoy a more "alternative" aesthetic aren't shunned from mainstream people anymore but on the other hand, as you put it, it takes a lot from people that commited to these aesthetic choices for some kind of signifier. It feels like aesthetic either means nothing at all anymore, or everything all the time.
That just sounds like gatekeeping to me. Sorry you’re mad that more people are safe & able to authentically express themselves nowadays. How sickening.
I personally find it troubling that there is an overemphasis on how clothes signify internal aspects of ourselves, and that it’s our clothing that needs to make us feel “special” and “original”, rather than our skill sets and viewpoints. It’s interesting to me that in order to incorporate different lifestyles, there is a need to get a uniform. Edward Bernays is giddy from his grave.
And on the last point - this concept of neurdivergence is based on the way people process stimuli, being queer is based on who you are attracted to. You can’t just look at someone and know these things about people. So the way people connect is through specific spaces carved out for those needs, and that’s easier than ever with the internet.
@@clared5812 ayo, he simply meant that these were all things people used to identify people within a safe community. If you mainstream the queer style then homophobes start using it too. You see how that's a little annoying right?
@@nithi9638 no, I don’t see that at all. Queer expression was rejected by mainstream society and people were forced to choose between being seen as normal or being outcasted for how they authentically express themselves. Now they have been accepted into mainstream society and are free to authentically express themselves without that fear, no matter who they are.
Change doesn’t happen all at once, it happens in pieces. You can’t fight to be accepted into mainstream society and then also be mad when you get accepted into mainstream society. This doesn’t erase homophobia entirely, but it’s a huge step in the right direction. Now, self-expression is no longer judged the same way for being “gay”. It just is, and people are free to express themselves authentically the way they are. I genuinely don’t understand how anyone can be annoyed at that, unless they like feeling like an outsider. In which case, there are ways to feel like an outcast that don’t involve reinforcing homophobic tropes that if you look a certain way, it makes you gay, and if you don’t, it means you can’t be.
Much of what you’re saying echoes Fredric Jameson’s “pastiche” - Like recycling of styles (and indeed cultures) and also things being a strange imitation of an imitation to the point where we don’t know it’s origins anymore. Really enjoy your channel Alice, keep em coming! 😄
it also reminds me of something i learnt in my childhood sociology class called ‘constructivism’ where the point of childhood is to simply imitate badly what adults are doing until that imitation become what the next generation of adults *actually does* (ex: the ways kids play house or organize ‘a playground bank’ is kinda off but that difference is what moves the generational identity forward)
Yep we keep recycling or rehashing things things from the past so we aren't progressing. Reminds me of Mark Fisher's ideas about the slow cancellation of the future and hauntology.
@@asiamatron ooo that sounds interesting, whats hauntology
@@COLORMIND.mp4 Yeah it's an interesting concept that I've seen a few different people talk about. If I remember right it's a term often used to describe how things from the past influence us. It refers to the return or persistence of elements from the social or cultural past.
@@asiamatron lol very haunting indeed
I have a hot take: The issue at the core of it all is the weak sense of self. We're all trying to exist in the eyes of the other, chasing recognition more than competence itself. Then, when we've wasted too much time to gain an actual competence, we keep defining ourselves as a collection of group identities. And then we notice people on twitter and social media receive praise for moral outrage over group identities, and find ourselves a desparate, last means of feeling better about ourselves in moral indignation. And here we have come to the state of the modern public debate.
@SparrowEgg good job
And when did this problem start?
Well said. It's easy to blame social media and mass consumerism for preying on people struggling with identity issues. After all, these platforms are designed to do EXACTLY that ; subtly goad their audiences into doubting themselves so their sense of self becomes dependent on what they consume. And while they certainly are a contributing factor in exacerbating these problems, it's ultimately up to the individual to recognize that they have the power to put an end to this vicious cycle and realize that true self comes not from what you buy or how many likes/retweets you have, but what you do.
Do the actions that build yourself in the way you want. Eventually, your mind starts to believe it, strengthening your identity, your character, and somewhere down the road, you realize this pursuit of validation is nothing sort of manipulative madness. :)
@SparrowEgg but consumerism is intrinsically related to capitalism, just like the formation of one's identity through the act of consuming commodities. Big companies want you to work your ass off for a minimum wage just to buy some cool new iphone that will make you feel part of certain group, and these same companies feed the consumerist trend, because they are the ones that most profit from it.
And the culture that we have is the culture instilled by the ruling ideology, if we live in a westernized capitalist world, it's clear that the people in charge of the maintenance of this system will mold our culture to perpetrate this specific system. The only way for we (the worker class) to have the harness of our cultural development and guide it in way that benefits us more than the capitalists, is through a revolution
@@abonne3154 But at the same time, we are just one individual, working against entire systems and ecosystems designed to profit (in one or the other ) off of our base psychological and human desires.
And capitalism is partially to blame for that, right?
If there is no limit on :
1. How much a person can make
2. What can be monetised
3. How it is monetised
then, we'll all continue to fall prey to these systems.
It's very easy to chalk up identity crises to an individual focussed blame game, but one often forgets that the people who can make it out with the help of their "own" willpower are the ones who are benefitting off of the system.
Obviously, there are exceptions and a few can do so. Good for them. But it completely negates the fact that there is a broken system .
You wouldn't tell a war-wounded soldier to just "get better at healing" when her limbs get destroyed.
The cause of the problem isn't the soldier.
It's the war that she's fighting.
Systemic problems need systemic solutions, not individual ones.
The need for community and belonging is one of the strongest urges of human nature, and since most sources satisfying those needs have been emptied of relevance or destroyed entirely, our instinct is to cling to whatever we can to find some common ground. On the other hand, clothing and worn items have been a way to communicate since the beginning of recorded history, so I wouldn't completely discount their importance in building an identity.
Love this video. The ‘that girl’ trend is just about maximising womens’ productivity to be better parts of the capitalist system. It is an incredibly insidious and clever marketing system designed to produce a productive workforce! Social reproduction of labour
Thats True!!
What is wrong with encouraging a productive workforce? Is it not in everyone's best interest that the lights stay on and food is on the shelves? You can talk of people being more than an economic commodity but that kind of talk can only happen when basic life needs are met.
insidious? how. Do you rather have a gun pointed to your head and told to work, as a more honest way? oops, thats marxism.
why do not you asked to your parents how their grand parents used to live. How many suits, t shirt or pants do they had, highly likely that they have just a few and they re use it over various years, you may say it's because they did not want it! But how likely is this tatement true? Do not people want comfy clothes or warmer clothes in winter, or the shinny suit for your job? Everyone wanted it, but just a few could afford it.
Capitalism is what has allow you to have enough cash that you are able to renew your closet every year after year. Capitalism is what has benefit everyone, rich and poor. And is the only economic system which has reduced from 1.9 billion to 650 millions the number of people in extremely poverty over the last 30 years.
Please do not confuses the terms
It's about time women and girls start paying their way in this world.
The founder of BuzzFeed writing Anti-Capitalist Essays is the same as Winston Churchill preaching the idea of democracy. We know where that story went.
you either die a hero or live long enough to make an LLC ⚰️⚰️
@@COLORMIND.mp4 perfect comment.
Damn bro you are my favorite yt commentator
Actually there's a channel which sheds light on the matter, Jonas Ceika : capitalism, cultural disintegration, and Buzzfeed. There gives a personal very interesting explaination about it , as far as I can remember he was an accelerationist.
Ironically enough he (Winston Churchill) didn't. Infact his quotes on democracy are famous among people who think democracy is a "bad idea".
are you planning on doing a full video on the fashion industry any time soon? i'd love to hear more of your thoughts on it
Same!
I adore your playlists! Thank you for the hours of joy, I hope you have a wonderful week.
omg i love ur playlists
ahh I love your playlists! I should’ve known someone with such great taste also watches Alice :) Also really love that idea, would make for a very interesting video
omg hi olivia i love your playlists!!
Je te recommends la lecture du livre (ou juste de le premier chapitre sur le "Capitalisme artiste") "L'esthetisation du monde" pour Gilles Lipovetsky et Jean Serroy. Ils développent l'idée que le capitalisme a adopter la logique du artiste pour structurer, en part ou complètement, le modele de fonctionnement des enterprises capitalistes. Basiquement, à partir du concept du "Capitalisme Artiste", ils essayent d'expliquer que depuis le Second Guerre Mondial, le capitalisme a inauguré l'ère hypermoderne, marqué pour une inflation esthétique, donc, pour ils, nous vivons dans un monde super-esthetizée.
En pratiquant mon français mdr... Salut du Brasil!
Juste pour te dire que ton français est incroyable!!!!!!
🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷
Sempre bom encontrar um brasileiro em vídeos estrangeiros! Também estou aprendendo francês, mas muitooo longe ainda de escrever um texto como esse.
kkkk eu li esse comentário sem traduzir pra testar meu francês
I just went to the Dior show, and it made me realize that I used to enjoy wearing delicate clothing, but when I moved to a more dangerous city, I felt like my clothing had to be an amour, and I had to be ready to run and defend myself. So clothing can reflect your values and life style - ect, big army boots could represent your fear of social unrest.
women are wearing andro clothes due to fear of attack and nobody talks about it
@@seabreeze4559 a lot of people talk about it but at the end of the day everything women does should not be politicized. many women are simply wearing andro clothing because it is far more practical than skirts and whatnot. especially if you are working class. also some women simply like the style. some women do it to reject "femininity"- as a political statement. and many lesbian women do it to signal to other lesbians that they are available ( i do not mean this derogatorily). It is true that most women live in constant fear of being attacked but most of us (especially those of us that have already been attacked) are well aware of the fact that what we wear has very little ability to protect us against predatory men.
Sounds like the Dior show really affected you. Almost changing how you dress overnight.
Leave the city, it's bad for you
@@TheFleckboyzpeople don’t get a choice most of the time
I couldn't agree more with what you've said !! Each video of yours I get more surprised with your ability to talk about a thousand different topics, and turning them into constructive and critical pieces of content! I get so inspired everytime I watch your channel (probably have already watched all of your videos at least twice hehehe). I'm only 17, but already see you as such an inspiration. Thank you so much for sharing your incredible thoughs !
💖💖
@@AliceCappelle could you react to this? I want to know your opinion on this. Also, you don't know what capitalism is.
ua-cam.com/video/ksAqr4lLA_Y/v-deo.html
@@johnmanole4779 there’s only one definition lol
@@johnmanole4779 lmfao "you don't know what capitalism is here's this 2 hour video proving why you're wrong"
if you need to link to a two hour video to argue a point, i don't think you truly understand what you're trying to say. if you really did, you'd be able to summarize the point in a sentence or two
@@AliceCappelle you didn't show an example of non-whites appropriating white culture because it's been pushed as the new norm, specifically north west european and WASP
well it's a WASP aesthetic being pushed as global citizen so really white supremacist values exported
Loved the general discussion in this video (and well done for recording in public!) One thing that I would say is that people like Matt D'Avella, Tim Ferriss, and Mark Zuckerberg are all minimalists with a very similar aesthetic, but this isn't an aesthetic which goes hand-in -hand with minimalism. Creators like Siberia Inside and Minimal Russian Girl also focus on minimalism in their videos, but their style is fun and colourful. I think that although minimalists often adopt a "tech-bro"-like aesthetic (like Matt D'Avella and Co.), this isn't a feature of minimalism itself. I own around 20 items of clothing and all are bursting with colour and patterns and different textures - if I want to own less then I'm definitely not wasting closet space on something dull that doesn't bring me joy!
Either way, thank you for making such great content, looking forward to the next video :)
Also Leena Normes! Whenever I see a capsule wardrobe made of all beige and gray I remember her video on how capsules don`t have to be boring (funily enough her aesthetic looks a lot like my own)
Yeah the importance of the tech bro aesthetic to minimalism is yet another consequence of capitalism; the chic and modern muted blacks, whites, and greys of their fitted clothing all serve to declare "I'm a minimalist, not a poor person. I could afford an extravagant lifestyle if I wanted!". Minimalism without a display of wealth is akin to humiliation in a capitalist society
@@matematicarka Yes, love Leena Norms! I always smile when I see her in her rainbow-striped coat on Instagram, it's so refreshing to see someone wear something again and again online.
@@danielmulholland5869 Couldn't agree more. The chic, muted-tones-look is just a mainstream minimalistic aesthetic - it isn't what minimalism is. Minimalism isn't an aesthetic, nor is it specific to any one aesthetic. But the "tech bro" look is all about being perceived in a certain way by others, like literally any other trend - I don't think it has anything really to do with minimalism other than the mainstream association.
Sure, but there is also another fact people like to ignore : Mark Zuckerberg's t-shirt are Balenciaga plain grey t-shirt that cost a whopping 400 US dollars each. Minimalism is not what people think it is : most minimalists own a few things alright... but they're extremely expensive Apple devices, plain and insanely expensive clothes, shoes, desk, rug and so on.
Minimalism is supposed to mean not spending a lot of money, at least that's what I thought.
A comic artist that I really like, Taiyo Matsumoto, draws those Kanken bags in his stories a lot. I came to like those bags as a byproduct of finding great meaning in his stories (read Ping Pong, Les chats du louvre, and La rêve de mon père) Ive found that I like people who have those bags despite never having one myself
We’re pinned between two competing ideas. On the one hand, moulding one’s identity to fleeting corporatised trends is obviously lame and shallow; on the other hand, embracing one’s traditional culture is (seen as) conservative, embarrassing, even bigoted. It could even be said that embracing one’s own culture too vigorously is a form of Cosplay now we have had decades of globalisation. I believe this is a function of the Internet. In a world where most social and cultural/artistic interactions are geographically bounded, distinct cultures will develop rapidly. Subcultures obviously develop rapidly online too, but they are eroded just as quickly. Thus we are destined to dissatisfaction at the ephemerality and co-option of our attempts at culture, as long as they are mediated predominately by the Internet.
I mean who wants to be outcast and thrown in jail? Better to fit in.
Wow, what you mentioned about cultural appropriation being a by-product of certain practices, styles, and pieces of clothing being detached from the cultures they came from blew my mind! We are moving towards a homogenized culture that is slowly stripping us of our individuality. This video really made me think!
We get to the point when representant of Japan on recent miss universe contest was dressed in Kimono made by Isreali projectant, and he made a LOT of mistakes (like choosing the way of folding kimono that's only used for dead ppl, or writing Japan on her chest while Japan is very anti-tattoo) that probably could be easily fixed if he did a proper research
Individuality is an illusion. You aren’t different or special.
well it's a WASP aesthetic being pushed as global citizen so really white supremacist
It really reminds me of highschool. Even back then, I didn't really understand why people would assume what your personality was just because of the clothes you dressed in. Not saying it's an entirely good thing I'm this way. Since I don't have a connection with material things like that, my connection with people also suffers. Nobody can pinpoint a box to put me in, they do not fully include me within any group. I wasn't invited to parties in highschool, I'm not invited to things now. I'm actually trying to form some kind of style, just so I can "find my tribe."
I'm happy someone else has this problem. I am almost 30 and have never felt the desire to subscribe to an aesthetic, but I do have a distinct style that is mine. While watching this video it just occurred to me that might be one reason I suffer to make friends.
How fitting, I decided that I'd start removing all labels from my clothes a couple weeks ago. Something about being a walking advertisement/being judged by the brands I wear really bothers me. Excited to see what you make me question in 2022 Alice! Cheers from a somewhat conservative from the US
this is something i’ve thought about too. a former teacher of mine once told me the story of how her friend only bought brandless clothes for her children so her kids wouldn’t be walking ads.
This is a very interesting topic! I do wonder though, in past societies, when the world was less connected, there would be fashions and trends in certain societies. Because the world was "smaller" (i.e. less connected), you would still compare yourself to another person in your family/neighborhood/village and try to find that identity. Yes, our clothing today is more global, but I don't really see how that's too different from before, when it comes to identity.
And on the point of minimalism, there is minimalism, the practice, and minimalism, the aesthetic. They sometimes intersect but sometimes not. For example, my sister's house has some of the aesthetic (a lot of empty space, light wood furniture, white everything), but she definitely does not practice minimalism. It does say something about your identity to dress in simple clothing, without logos and neutral colors which could signal to other people of your values.
Thank you for making the video Alice! It's great to talk about this subject :)
Amazing video!! I wanna also add to the point that the name of the shampoo Ushuaia is actually a Yamana word, the Yamanas were natives to the coasts of Tierra del Fuego in Argentina, where I live. And also we don't have any palm trees or tropical landscapes lol, it's more mountain-y and snow-y here in Ushuaia
All the "styles" of small communities within different cultures that you mentioned at 5:50 were strongly unified as well if you look at them form inside of these communities pov. I'm form Eastern Europe and I'm strongly invested in my traditional, indigenous cultures, and it's very diverse when looked at from national perspective - each region had its own distinctive "style", but at the same time they were very unified when you look at individuals wearing lets say a headscarf within one community. It's simply your immediate community sets and defines what is considered "best look" and you, as a part of the community, you aim to achieve that look the best you can. So, the global interest in the "ethnic" (I really hate this word bc it's so western, or even anglophone centric) is just a fantasy of a world where styles are diverse while in reality people who were living in these communities had their personal styles very standardised to the point that you could live your whole live wearing basically same looking dress that also looked exactly same as your neighbour next door and the other neighbour form that house at the end of the village.
This is a really good point!
Yeah good point.
Yeah, this is one of the contradictions. Modernity celebrates individuality - and also the coherent ethnic identity that can only arise from a *lack* of individuality within a community.
I think about this topic a lot. This is one of the smartest and most succinct breakdowns of it I've seen, bravo. 💕
I cherry-pick the consumer items I most enjoy, from everywhere. Not sure what this makes me. Volatile? 🤣💙
I think it makes you free, independent, creative, and brave. Good for you!
Thank you for this. I've always contemplated the idea of creating ones identity through consumerism and what we choose to wear & have in our house. The fear of 'succumbing' to a illusionary sense of identity kept me from buying things that I would find to be interesting adornments - which is why I always feel like I am inbetween this state of being a modest, humble monk with no desire for material posessions on one side, and a creative, excentric queer art person with displays of individuality on the other side.
Like you, I'm not sure if there's an answer or a solution to this conundrum. But maybe the least or at the same time best thing we can do is to recognize that these things, while pleasant and interesting for everyday life, are illusory and do not make up who we are at the core of our being - which isn't even individual, but I'm veering off on a spiritual wave here.
It's probably good to not take these things too seriously, because you recognize them as what they are.
you always make such great videos but this one was so good. I’ve been thinking a lot about this after I went thrifting recently with some friends and they refused to buy some beautiful things they liked because it didn’t match their supposed aesthetic. Or how another friend who used to dress minimalist (unintentionally) is now taking the current trends and wearing them as a way of showing his growth, and his expanded personality. But to me, this idea of a solid aesthetic has always been confusing, and I have always been unsettled by people finding “liberation” in these almost pre-made categories. This video really dug into what I’ve been thinking about lately, so I’m happy I’m not alone lol. I hope those philosophers were right and this phenomenon allows for something new and unforeseen to grow and not just lead to collapse and desensitization. As always amazing work ❤️
It’s amazing how you are able to explore complex topics so succinctly
This channel has quickly become my comfort channel, watching these videos makes me feel like I'm in ancient Greece sitting in a garden with a philosopher as they question the many things that make our lives what they are. Thank you Alice for your efforts to make such a great content. I can't wait to see what you do next✨
This made me think about autism and aesthetics. As an autistic person myself, we tend to be like Pisces in that our personalities are a collection of all the people we've met. So when it comes to expressing ourselves through clothes, it can be so difficult to know what to wear. It's a bit mind-blowing to see (presumably neurotypical) people constantly rebranding and changing their aesthetics and seemingly not feeling lost?? It's admirable that people are constantly coming up with new things to wear, but like you said, it's really them fitting into a different group now. Thank you for always making me think. Oh and BTW, your background is the antithesis of minimalism and I love it so much!! /gen
You seem to have a problem with identity overall
I always love your videos, Alice. I love how you take these abstract, esoteric ideas and distill them down into really accessible applications. Thanks for all the work you put in on your channel!
Love your channel! Thanks for the thought-provoking video. Your backpack story reminds me of the Mary Jane shoes I bought from urban outfitters to fit in at school in 2013
i havent finished watching the video but i feel the need to comment this about the kanken. the ultimate irony of kankens for me is that it was popularilzed by the "art hoe" aesthetic (at least in the us) which this art hoe aesthetic was basterized from the actual beginning of art hoe which was a movement that was about artists of color and having spaces for poc to insert ourselves in the yt narratives of the art world. i remember seeing a bunch of discussions about musuems and people making cool art either remixing yt artists or sharing art from their persepectives. but that all got watered down to the "art hoe" aesthetic that is remembed mostly today for being about kankens, doc martens, and copic markers. these things that make it easy for (wealthy and yt) people to buy themselves into a community without actually Building A Community
this is exactly what i thought of when hearing the section about the kanken!
geniune question, do you think it’s bad for a white girl to want to have the aesthetic, due to being an an artist herself and thinking the general style is pretty?
@@jewel52525 i don't think its bad for a yt girl to like the aesthetic but aesthetic was never the point of art hoe. it was never meant to be a style, it was an ideology for poc and was turned into a style due to appropriation and commodification. u can like different things but i think its important to ask if 1) the space is for you and 2) if youre aware of what it is that you like or if youre turning it into an aesthetic
@@ddahlia3607 i see, that makes a lot of sense. thank you for the reply! this gives me something new to think about as well, since recently i’ve been experimenting with what my taste in fashion is, and trying to stay away from the “just choose an aesthetic” mentality and have been trying to choose things that I like just because i like them, trying not to be just one thing if that makes sense.
oh I've never heard of this, thanks for commenting this bc it's sad that a cool thing like that was reduced to an "aesthetic" and most people don't even hear the story behind it
I love how you walk us through the un-simplistic view of our circular narrative of camptlisim and individualism and start the video with you "trying something new" for a new years resolution. Tied it together nicely. I am learning so much from you and love your videos, thank you! I have being really enjoying your content
I appreciate your own effort to counteract cultural homogenization by reclaiming your Ch'ti heritage with this incredible t-shirt. Local languages in France need to be empowered, saved from erasure, and used in an effort to overthrow the gov.. AHEM, reclaim space in schools and universities and such (but that's besides the point)
Joking aside, I really enjoyed the video - I believe seeing how global capitalism fosters corporate instrumentalization of desire is crucial to sustain a healthy alter-globalist political discourse
Looking forwards to the next one !
🥰🥰
@lvideon Actually everyone is speaking french in France because the government forced it, kids were not allowed to speak their languages in school, otherwise they were beaten. Thus resulting in also being ashamed to speak it. And the populations moving to the city ended making it worse.
I'm kinda sorry to intrude but this little comment section is really interesting to me because I hadn't ever realized there WERE other languages spoken in France. Much less indigenous languages that were stifled. Do any of you know any resources to find out more about this?
@@batty_babette i actually learn it in linguistic class, and in french history class we talk a little bit about it also, so i don't have any ressources to propose to you sorry.
@@batty_babette I know some videos in french, but I found this one in english and I think it's a nice intro to the topic : ua-cam.com/video/tq7QsB_v8dc/v-deo.html
The video is relatively recent, and mentions current debates around "should we teach regional languages in schools" or "is it constitutional / consistent with republican values". This last point is especially salient nowadays, since republican values have become the rallying cry among conservative politicians (chief among them universalism, which we can find traces of in the video when one of the interviewed linguists claims that the learning of local languages is a threat to the french language and thus shouldn't be taught in the 'schools of the republic').
Loved the video as always Alice! Last year I actually wrote an essay about this with specific reference to the acceleration of the trend cycle as a consequence of this kind of ego formation - I talked about how microtrends like the 'Coconut Girl' aesthetic and individual items like the House of Sunny Hockney Dress encourage hyper consumption. The way we form these product-related identities is so intentionally fragile that they are easily discarded when the next big trend comes along and we become ready to consume even more.
3:07 Thanks for highlighting that Buzzfeed paper - I'd forgotten about it. It's so interesting, & Jonas' explanatory video on the same was phenomenal!
I'm 60; identity was never an issue for people of my generation, that is, it wasn't important to create or to have a special identity. We never even used the word identity. Yes, there were a few subcultures and their styles in clothing, but for most people creating an individual style to dress up was not of interest. I think this whole identity craze is a product of marketing fashion, interior design, food etc. Let go of the idea of having to have a specific identity and you will be fine!
By the way, I have always been a minimalist. It is not a style; it is an inclination of not caring much about things. I feel it is something inborn in my case. My goal is not to have a very clean house or a perfectly organized closet (I have neither), but I just have a natural disinterest toward stuff. I have objects that I like and some of them are fairly important, but I have also always needed an empty wall in my house. I also don't like it how the city wants to fill all grey concrete walls (under bridges and such) to painted areas with (legal) graffiti or commissioned art work of some kind. I lost one empty concrete wall under a bridge where I used to walk to work. The light there was very beautiful, but now you won't notice it, because the wall is filled with colorful painting by some (commissioned) street"artist". I miss the beauty of natural afternoon light on that wall, but this horror vacui -disease killed it. Well, just a natural minimalist missing empty walls...sigh!
@@xenonsan3110 US has always been more individualistic than Europe. I''m speaking from a European point of view.
this was so fun. when you started the video talking about your fjallraven kanken i was not expecting to end up listening to you talk about deleuze and guattari. applying dense philosohpy to our realtionship with fashion and consumerism but not taking it too serouly or being overly moralising. good video :)
this is the first video i’m watching from your channel and i love with the way you formulate your perspective :) it’s inspiring & im subscribing for sure
these are truly fascinating topics to discuss in regards to the human condition. something you said really got me thinking: “minimalism isn’t about reclaiming agency… it complies/accelerates with cultural disintegration instead of challenging it.” i’ve never looked at it that way!!!
Another brilliant essay! Have only recently learnt about 'that girl' and have been fascinated by not just using the wellness practices but having to do them in a particular 'aesthetic' way. As someone with a chronic illness, I am having to use a lot of the practices these people are using and have accidentally slipped into buying the things, dressing a certain way which is within this aesthetic.
I find it interesting to hear this perspective! Throughout my entire life, I've strived to be an individual. It always repulsed me to do anything that someone else has already done. Since high school, I've made my own clothes. I repurpose thrift clothes and trash into wearable art. At first, I wanted to be a fashion designer, but I realized then I would be perpetuating my core philosophy that people need the right to express themselves, and I didn't want to tell them how to do it. As a white person living on native land, I've never identified with any culture. Maybe subconsciously it was partially white guilt that made me not want to identify with any mainstream fashion trend... I've never belonged to a clique, and always have had a colorful assortment of misfit friends. I did struggle with my aesthetic while trying to learn how to be an adult in my 20s, when I went to college, tried to find a job, got married, etc... and that was very soul crushing. Now I'm divorced and live nomadically and work for myself and I'm back to making my own clothes! I love how you brought up how capitalism tries to target the weak ego- they really will try to enslave us any way they can... my own spiritual path has led me to revealing my "authentic self" to me- and clothes don't even apply to that self. I don't think about clothes now- I let my clothes choose me...
Yes, it's been lonely at times living a life as an individual, but I'm finally learning how strong individuals are necessary in order to truly support a community. So I think that unless you are trying to honor your ancestral roots... self-expression is a good way to go. I hear your point about how the fashion industry tries to divide us by creating these unobtainable aesthetics that continue to compartmentalize what kind of person you are (when you are really NOTHING like that person). I agree that the accelerating destruction and reconstruction through the self could help people to detach from an aesthetic quicker. This video helped me to realize how many more unnecessary borders and boundaries this mentality creates. So let's honor out uniqueness while working together.
The content about minimalism really struck me. I followed those minimalist influencers for a while, until I realised I was actually missing 'beauty' and the freedom to make my home (my nest) into my version of what comfort and beauty looks like. Of course beauty is subjective, but there's likely all kinds of psychology about it's necessity in life, that I am not educated enough on to speak of it here. Great video though, I thoroughly enjoyed this analysis!
This pointed out very interesting topics. I want to give my point of view.
I think that this is very connected to fast fashion's philosophy: it is an industry that amplifies meanings and values, everyone can use those products to build their identity on it, with the same shirt we can make different uses.
Fast fashion stores give us a product that is built in half, while the other part of meaning we give it to us. Fast fashion sums up criticism of the cultural industry (Adorno and Horkeimer’s idea of mass production), which was very critical of this because they were a production of meanings and values to which individuals passively submit, as they cannot add anything to what is proposed on the market.
Therefore I believe these Internet trends are only half-constructed, so that everyone has the illusion of thinking they have a significant and original role to play in the reworking. Yet the other half of meaning (which theoretically should be a space left free by industries) is still occupied by homologation.
It is so difficult to separate all these influences coming at us from above but also from below.
What do you think about it?
I just wanted to take the time to tell you that I love your channel and it's topics. Thanks so much. Feels good to find quality content on UA-cam.
i've been thinking so much about this type of topic since i moved from mexico to japan and realized how well preserved japanese culture is in contrast with mexico which i feel has undergone a gigantinc americanization/ cultural colonization kinda thing through my life time
I feel like northern Mexico is way more Americanized than other parts of Mexico (especially the south) probably due to the proximity to the US
Did you feel like exploring your own traditional culture more and maybe try to be an advocate for it? I remember back in highschool there were some teachers who were clearly really into that and brought along students who felt the same way.
The cool thing is, our societies are free enough now that you can be an individual advocate for your culture. That's much more empowering than leaving it to chance.
Why does that matter though, if people want to adapt other cultures let them, who are you to dictate what culture people experience isn't that up to themselves to make that choice? A lot of Japanese hate their own culture, especially the work culture. Just because something is tradition or have existed for a long time doesn't mean it is good or that it cannot be critiqued against. This is a natural process of any logical species, we question our own behaviour and beliefs constantly and thus cultures change and traditions die out and are replaced with new ones. I guess you also think we should keep Sharia law in the Middle East right, it has been there for hundreds of years.
Liked and Subscribed. Thank you for the content. Gave me some nice insights into identity and community, that I can translate to my experiences of alcoholism/sobriety, and in particular the connection that is shared among people who have a common purpose. I think of all the sub-communities I belong to, the strongest identification I have is with others in the 'recovery community' and I like that it's not heavily influenced by capitalism and the resulting social trends, but is focused on a common goal and peer support to achieve/maintain it. Just thinking out loud, but thanks for providing the space to do so. Appreciated.
as a guy (18) who grew up disconnected from this aesthetic culture and usually looked down on it, I've recently felt an uncomfortable need to engage with it but this video gave me some comfort.
I love the tone of your voice ! The way you speak is subtle and calming. Rare thing on UA-cam
What you said about minimalism blew my mind. I always had this feeling about it but couldn't quite put my finger on it so when I heard your analysis, I was like 'That's it!'.
If you haven't done so yet I'd love to see a video on the difference between cultural appropriation and a respectful way of cultural adoption/integration.
I've been thinking about it a lot in past few months. I had a conversation with my workmate how we both have observed the disappearing culture of the city we live in, rapidly being replaced by some artificial commercial culture. I have gone through numerous phases in my life trying to fit in or purposefully 'not fit in' to highlight that I'm different but ultimately still trying to find a group where I can belong (I've definitely used this as a coping mechanism to deal with social anxiety and rejection). Most recently I've been mostly on 'minimalistic side of things' trying not to pay so much attention to what I wear to convey any message about my identity but I've also noticed how this can somehow negatively impact my creativity and overall joy in self expression. I'm not talking about going on a crazy fast fashion spree or trying to say I belong to particular subculture but to simply be a little inventive with my presentation.
I think this gradual loss of cultural practices in Europe may date back to Roman imperialism but definitely back to spread of Christianity across the continent. So much of the original customs, wisdom and etc have been lost in the process. Currently I think the biggest factor is cultural dominance od the US, which heavily influences the entire world dictating what's 'cool' and what's not. Much of its cultural influence is closely tight to consumption of various tech products, fashion etc. The amount of media (films, shows, music etc) heavily featuring American values and way of living infiltrates pretty much every country on the planet leading to eradication of local practices and philosophies. I can remember being a child in the 90s and early 2000's in Eastern Europe, we did get loads of influence from America and so called West but it wasn't anywhere near current level and I felt like we put more emphasis to sticking to our tradition. But I've observed how across the years, celebrating various feasts in traditional way, wearing folk costumes, learning traditional dances, music etc have become less and less desirable if not completely irrelevant especially for younger generation. I feel like much of tradition has no place in current world as it's no longer serves its purpose, social interactions are being constantly redefined, we no longer want or can live in the same way our parents and ancestors lived. It's a bit disheartening honestly because my country has very rich culture and history that is slowly becoming extinct at hands of living 'westernized' lifestyle and exploring plus often exploiting more 'exotic' influences. We have access to music, dances, costumes that are either influenced by pop culture or come from different cultures deemed as more interesting because foreign. I see it as both positive and negative. Being exposed to other cultures definitely can help broaden one's horizons, open your mind etc but it also may lead to erasure of your own culture, opens door to maladaptation of practices, misinterpretation of philosophies, cultural appropriation, comodification of certain aspects in pursue of desirable aesthetics etc and living 'more interesting' life. I'm not completely opposed to it, I believe in sharing your tradition and being open to learning others also I think culture is not static and needs to adapt and evolve with time. I'm glad to live in a world where I'm exposed to new things and people who are willing to teach me their ways. However, I feel like we're losing the sense of simple belonging to more local community and what it actually means to be ourselves in the name of globalisation and all that comes with it. The ability or necessity to relocate wherever you can or anywhere you need (be it poor economy, political instability etc) also leads to deatachment from your own culture/roots (whether it's voluntary or not) and complicated identity issues (as a child of economical migrants I really feel this internal conflict). Personally I'm determined to put more emphasis on going back to basics and learning more about own heritage and try to keep the traditions alive. I also want to understand the history of the world better and have better grasp of other cultures. Ultimately, I feel like striving to belong to a subculture purely based on aesthetic or owning certain things no longer serves me and doesn't help me to find me my place in this world or understand who I am.
Yes cultures come and go, like they've done for thousands of years, good observation mate.
Some Swedish language curious: The Å en Kånken is an A with a little
O on top, which means that it's a combination of the two sounds. Im not a star in French, but I would say that Å is more like a french O, like the one in "mon". Kånken is created from the slang verb "kånka", which means "to carry". Thanks for another great video, as always!
it was hard for me to put this into words, but i felt this in college. if i didn’t fit a certain aesthetic one day but fit it the next, i got treated differently. we say we’ve come so far but we really haven’t.
A businessman said that we are going through a period of "humanisation of brands".
I'm so glad you made a video on this, the feeling of needing to "brand" everything I do and what I wear and how my room looks was what made me get off of Tiktok, and now it's extended to most social media
Few years ago my dad told me to "Don't be an insecure artist who only follow trends, showy, and only shallow surface level, because what you are is purely on your works". In context he dislike me trying on an old women's dress to wear on High School Reunion(I am born male so you can guess the actual intent of that wording). And weirdly, it kinda gets to me, that gender construct is very object and product based. If you identify as female but not buying women products, what's the point? If you identify as male but not wearing pants, or still do feminine makeup, why bother? And we can say, oh it shouldn't matter, because what matters is from within, then what's the parameter? Are we going to reinforce that all men must be physical and emotion numb, all women are meek and sensitive? Maybe we should just abolish gender all together, but wouldn't that be insensitive towards individuals who have transitioned to what they perceive as true self, and then we suddenly like, self is unimportant actually?
Idk
Yeah I was born female but I’m transgender and I try pretty hard to look like a guy and it’s so easy to get caught up in self definition by the clothes you wear because honestly to most people they do define your gender which is a key part of most peoples sense of self so you feel the need to buy all these things to present more like the gender you are and then you take a step back and look at it all and it’s just so much shit, and for what?
We should abolish gender, but there are levels of care that need to be taken with regards to people who have already transitioned, honestly there's already a lot that has changed between the older and younger generations, a big one is with transmasc and nonbinary people. With younger transmascs a lot reject the idea that they have to present masculine and wear traditionally masculine clothes in order to be valid in their identities and that influences older generations of Trans people who internalized the very rigid ideas of gender and expression that they unfortunately had to grow up in and adapt to in order to survive. With nonbinary people it's the shifting away from needing to present androgynous. I've also seen a similar effect begin to spread with younger transfems albeit a lot slower and on a much more individual level, I'd say it's because of the patriarchy and how it compounds with transphobia to be more violent towards transfems. Still I do hope that in time we'll get there as well
Men and women are just sex specifications like roosters and hens. Gender is bullshit and may I say, also an "aesthetics" created by partriarchy. Abolishing genders doesnt mean abolishing sexes of people, it just means abolishing gender roles and the baggage (especially on women) within it.
You are god damn right. That argument is one of the central ones of TERFs tho
such an insightful video! i just found your channel and i can’t wait to see what else u post
You mentioning how we're moving towards a more homogenized culture made me think about the metaverse and how ppl are REALLY trying to push us onto an online world. I wonder what ur thoughts are on the topic, any guesses how where it will go?
Thanks! I'm 25 and couldn't be more stressed out on what to do with my life, then suddenly your channel pops out om my phone. Thanks for the chat, it helps me ponderate better my life choices and what is the relationship of ourselves with late capitalism
Exactly, by forgetting and replacing our culture we are disconnecting ourselves from our community, which doesn't make us more "individual" just more isolated and therefore lonely.
I work in investment crowdfunding, a founder of a project to make crowdfunding easier with software. Community connection is the thing that our industry works on. Thank you for making this!
This concept is quite novel to me. I've literally never cared about the clothes I wear. It's a mishmash or random brands, most of which I get from my family at christmas lol
Same, I think that's why it doesn't bother me at all. I also think the culture and environment we grew up in plays a huge part. My parents always taught me that we're defined by our behaviour and actions towards others and ourselves, so that's how I perceive and judge myself. It doesn't mean I don't seek out a personal style, but that style isn't important at all to how I feel about my values. I can be a headbanging metalhead one day or a shirt wearing businessman the next. Won't change how I treat other people and how I value myself
Same, I've never cared and it's never affected me. Goes to show that leftists are just weak willed people with zero self control who would rather use state violence to force everyone else to change than bother changing themselves.
This was fantastic! Thank you for this video! It pulled together a framework to understand some of the cultural movements/social contagions/widespread psychosocial ailments/personal choices of my friends that have baffled me. This was a real A-HA! moment! ❤
P.s. We gotta dismantle capitalism! We just gotta!
I'm a minimalist & still retain my culture and religious way of dressing. The clothes that we wear in our culture are part of us and they are important, plus I love wearing them, so I dont feel compelled to declutter them away for "western clothes".
I don't know why, but when YT recommended your video to me, for some reason I was avoided to click because some part of me was saying: "this girl probably will make a generic and empty criticism about capitalism or some kind of rebelliousness for no reason". But, and thank you God, I coudn't be more wrong. It was somehow relieving that I was wrong. Actually, I enjoyed your video a lot, the ease with which you approached the subject, your tone of voice, the way you communicate your ideas and, ironically, your aesthetics! 😂 It was one of the best videos I've seen in a long time. You're a very pleasant pearson. It was nice to meet you. I'm subscribed now and started to follow you! I wish you all the best! Greetings from Brazil!
Yeah, those are the main reasons I don't particulary enjoy going to a shopping mall. I like having my own t-shirts printed with cool pics I found on the internet.
the past 2 years my dream has been to create my own fashion line, but just for me. like i custom order or hand make all my tees and accessories, if feels like good to see my own personal collection grow in that way!
I loved this video! I will say that criticizing minimalism depends on which definition of minimalism you use - in the documentary you mentioned, they actually discuss minimalism as a form of materialism, in a way. Some practices of minimalism encourage mindful consumerism and expressing yourself with physical objects (decoration, clothing, etc) with intention. Minimalism isn't just white shirt no chairs, it's more about knowing what you need and desire and allowing yourself to consume what you need and desire as opposed to what society and capitalism tells you to need and desire, so owning cultural garments and taking good care of them to extend their life is compatible with minimalism.
In my teens, music gave me a sense of belonging. I got into metal, and later on punk. My fashion style came from my music taste. We often wore d.i.y. stuff, we often costomized clothes that we got in triftshops, so it was never really expensive.
Altho, it was never about the clothes, there was no uniform, everybody looked unique. What I learned from it is it dosn't matter how you look like, you will find that groupe of people who will accept you, and be friends with you. Don't try to fit in with everybody, just wear what you like
Yeah but I guess it depends on the subculture. Mods, skins, hip hop heads and all tend to have a "uniform". Even some punks try to create rules nowadays.
@@jorjicostava6657 I know, but I never gave a fuck about those people.
As always, really enjoyable video! I love how you manage to go through such touchy topics in such a respectful way, I think it really does make your essays stand out
it also shows on videogames, anime, movies and "geek" culture! remakes, reboots, repetitive plots, its like we are stuck in a weird time loop, and its shown even more in the cyberpunk and 80s retro aesthetics and the stuff that mark fisher said about a lost future. great video btw, keep the good work.
I think the key is to be conscious of this adoption of trends and stereotypes into our personality and concept of self. Also, at the same time question this new or adopted personality traits, that way we can achieve at least some sort of originality and also don’t fall in negative cult or herd stupid behaviors. Question oneself first, then the others. (Kind of what you commented in the end about Deleuze and Guattari)
Great video! 👏🏻 I used to be a very convinced minimalist until a friend from Egypt said that I only was a minimalist because I had the luxury to afford this lifestyle. In other cultures minimalism seems ridiculous because some people would be happy if they could afford "dispensable" things.
Of course people that struggle every day to survive won't have the time and resources to care for the environment, animal rights, human rights... But if we who have so many privileges we also have the responsibility to do our best to make this world a better place.
I watched a video about pattern-making.. wish i could remember the channel. the video essayist said something along the lines of "we use 2D patterns to create 3D clothing items and there is no discernible difference between clothing patterns. the discernible difference are finishing touches: logo, fabric choice, embellishment, stitching, etc." he showed what 3D clothing patterns could create, and it really had me thinking "are we really striving for individuality amongst the same pieces as each other with a laughably limited ability to express ourselves beyond the ornamentation on the same clothing items." some days i remember little edie bouvier beale and her creative outfits and wish i had the hutzpah to dress as she does.
Great video, something I often think of as well as I notice my aesthetic tastes are very linked to what I identify with or want to identify with, and how often it seems to fall in line with what other people of my demographic want as well. In the middle of the video I was going to disagree with the idea that minimalism erases culture, that it's an absence of style instead of a style in it's own right, because I think minimalism very much embodies the mindset in the current time, but then you continued and said the same thing hahah.
I also often think about how as the world becomes more connected, internet having made that increasingly fast of course. It created a lot of new 'cultures' so I am not sure if we can say it decreased variety of expression and amount of small communities, they simply no longer are geographically bound. Though I think the thousands of years of history of us has shaped us to think of them very similarily to as if they were confined to a geographical location, to a tribe of us vs them, people we need to protect vs people we need to fight against. It can be seen from how these communities fight online, as if it was a terrain they could huddle certain people together and push certain people out of, creating bubbles. But people from these vastly different communities actually live alongside each other, if not online then at least geographically, and I think that creates the opportunity for learning how to integrate what is different, more than the previously geographically homogenous societies had. It certainly will be both destructive and transformative, hopefully more the latter than the former.
this is a really insightful reflection! i also agree on the fact that minimalism didn’t necessarily erase culture, in fact i think i minimalism created a new culture of its own. and also don’t think minimalism is recent at all, i think it’s probably just a reiteration of something that’s always existed.
I´ve recently found your channel and started watching your videos. I find them so interesting.
Thank you for creating this content. Greetings from Mexico
Guy Debord and his well known: Society of the Spectacle, would’ve fit well into this
Very good video, nice work on noticing the connection between neglect of religion and tradition and the rise of people connecting over things such as fashion or style as a substitute. Very interesting and informative
It’s such a wild realization that people are replacing the community they’ve found in religion to community within things like aesthetic groups. I never thought that was a big reason religion is increasingly being left behind.
It’s not the reason why religion is left behind. 💀 You mixed up cause and reason. People find community in aesthetics because they don’t find it in religion anymore.
In 1950 a sociological analysis was published called "The Lonely Crowd," the researchers found that as society became more prosperous people started defining their level of success based on the comparison between their material wealth versus the material wealth of others especially their neighbors, friends, family etc.
Materialism is the Philosophy of many modern people and sadly it only leads to an empty existence, but I guess some people would be happy to be "The Last Man." (As Nietzsche said)
Apple really pulled a "Virgin Window User vs Chad Mac User"😭
Glad to have you back, Alice👍🏽 and hopefully you enjoy your vacation.
Very interesting video. I personally liked that you explained everything you said through a psychological, historical and sociological point of view and didn't focus only in one of them.
> the boring Western culture
But the _actual_ Western culture is rich and fun, the problem is the collective cringe at the traditions that we have developed over the years due to both capitalist promotion of the new, fresh and young and the progressive rejection of traditions as source of many inequality problems.
One of the examples I vividly remember from my own back yars is from 2012, when Poland has had its own European Football Championships song contest and a folk band comprised of several grandmas actually won.
The absolute state of cringe that about half of the people felt relegated the song to the quick jingles in the matches' breaks. The official song mandated by the organisers? Oceana's Endless Summer, a song completely unrelated to the host countries, sung by a German vocalist singing _soul_, one of the genres that started the whole craze now called World Music.
Quality content as usual. I love how your contents are so factual and it gives me no doubt that you actually put so much efforts into your contents. They’re super eye opening and I feel like I’m educating myself through this channel , all the book recommendations, people discussing in the comment sections and things. Merci beaucoup Alice ❤️
The first step of being a Minimalist is to, of course, be rich.
Why?
@@bbiancaec lol more of a joke comment towards who tends to promote minimalism but my guess would be you need to have a lot of stuff to be hit with the realization that…you dont need all that stuff.
@@COLORMIND.mp4 Hi. I am not rich but i do want to become a minimalist because i have a lot of unused things. The thing about being poor or not having more than enough to survive is it makes you hold on to things more just in case you’ll need it in the future so you won’t need to worry about having the money to buy it when you can just keep it in advance. I get very overwhelmed with the stuff i own but i also can’t free my anxious self. I’m working on it though. But you’re kinda right too because i wouldn’t have to worry about having less stuff if i have a lot of money to spare if ever i need something. The point is you don’t have to be only rich to have a lot of stuff and be overwhelmed by it to the point that you want to become a minimalist because it can be applied to a lot of poor people too . Hand me downs are a very huge thing for people like us and no matter if we already have a lot or we don’t need it, there will alway be room for more and we might need it in the future. I just don’t have the financial stability to afford buying something the moment that i really really need something and having a peace of mind, to become a minimalist. I still want to become a minimalist though because i don’t want to be overwhelmed anymore that’s why i’m working on it.
@@ran2123 Hi ran! loved this comment and deff agree with you! Minimalism in its definitional form is a great thing to aspire to, i incorporate into my life where I can as well! Similar to Stocism, i believe its just one of those good principles that are easier to explore when you have the societal freedom to do so. When i was growing up, we didnt have a lot of stuff but we werent minimalist similar to how we knew our lives were fundamentally out of our control but we werent stoics. but when i started making 70k out of school, i wanted to be both; more as a way to express my own agency than a sudden philosophical shift. So i guess thats where the joke comes from, if that makes sense. cheers!
I mean...saving money on things (by not buying certain things) will make you rich tho
Aesthetics and fashion have long functioned as a kind of language-system to communicate a person or group identity, but in the past they would be supplementary to the larger social structures they were a part of. The aesthetic seemed secondary to the culture or religion it was associated with. Now, the aesthetic seems to be taking precedent, even more than the actual lifestyle it's associated with (e.g. academia aesthetic vs academia lifestyle).
Love this topic! Great vid, as always!
"But are we really progressing?" I got chills :'(
Chills multiplying.
Great video thanks for sharing. When it comes to identity it’s about recognising that it’s all a social construct. There’s nothing stopping you from being someone different from the person you were 5 minutes ago - be the person you want to be. There’s no limitations. I decided to refine my identity recently to become more minimalist by wearing the same outfit everyday (not literally the same clothes - I do have multiple outfits of the same!)
Alice's video essays are extremely thought-provoking, in a similar way to John Berger's classic "Ways of Seeing". But like all Critical Theory, they are also frustrating, because they propose no viable alternative to the dominant form, narrative or concept they deconstruct. Ultimately, once the counter-movements and reactions against capitalism (such as minimalism, small house) are themselves declared problematic or inadequate, my instinctive response is: so, do you have a better idea?
i've been trying to articulate exactly this for months!! fantastic video. i think that people often use taste in media as an accessory as well: music and films are devalued, and detached from individual worth as entertainment, and turned into accessories which are quickly abandoned. it's a sad period for creatives, who can often be adopted into an "aesthetic" which disintegrates in popularity very, very quickly.
I keep thinking about this one Bill Wurtz line that goes something like "I've built a small house and I wonder if I'm small enough to live in it" (from Might Quit). Clearly he has an extremely specific aesthetic in terms of music, visuals, and lyrics - one which feels zeitgeisty but might be becoming dated.
Not sure where I'm going with this, but I'm kind of fixated on this thing of bricking yourself up in a corner creatively and not being allowed to escape.
Great video again, Alice. As another commenter has put it, the reason why we come up with all these aesthetics in the first place is because ultimately, we want to be accepted and validated by our peers. I feel like this particular topic doesn't have anything to do with capitalism, rather it's about how we (the younger generations) are collectively struggling to find something to latch onto that gives us a sense of group identity.
Jreg has a strong message about this in his video: ua-cam.com/video/J7BN55kvfnw/v-deo.html
I personally don't think we are coming up with so many aesthetics because capitalism is beginning to collapse. These aesthetics are not created by massive corporations, they're mostly created by girls on TikTok. Meaning it's not a product of capitalism, it's a product of trying to form a sense of group identity. We are doing this in a desperate attempt to create something that makes us feel like a community. I feel like many people my age want to feel like they're a part of something bigger (which they don't, at least not right now). I think it's sort of a social system that is failing rather than an economic one, maybe due to technology and how, ironically, isolated we've become from others even though we have the tools to talk to people from all across the world. That's my take on the situation, let me know what you think
I agree. Tribalism- one of the oldest human behaviors that ever existed. Pretty normal that advertisers would use the appeal to tribalism to sell products lol