Community Vertigo

Charli xcx, “BRAT” (Google)

Find us:

Watch ⁠this episode⁠ on YouTube

Timestamps:

Intro 00:00

Indie sleaze 01:03

Album cover & toxic stan culture 09:41

Vibes & themes 17:09

Marketing 21:51

360 music video 25:29

Charli & the mainstream 28:19

Kamala 30:21

Brat summer to brat autumn 33:47

Qs 40:46

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityvertigo.substack.com

2016 Instagram: Kylie Jenner Lip Kits, James Charles Eyebrows, Instagram Stories, & More

Community Vertigo — Mon, 15 Jul 2024 23:30:00 GMT

This week, we dive into the extensive transformation that Instagram underwent in the year 2016. Starting off with the infamous makeup trends that defined the era, we discuss Kylie Jenner Lip Kits and James Charles’ bold eyebrows. We ponder the “Instagram Baddie” and how influencers shaped 2016’s “Girlboss Feminism." Listen along as we dissect how the birth of the algorithm and Instagram Stories contributed to the platform’s commercialization, and advertisements being found at every swipe and scroll. Is social media still social?

Links:

Ashley Reed, “The Rise and Rise of Instagram in 2016” (Medium)

Mike Isaac, “Instagram Takes a Page From Snapchat, and Takes Aim at It, Too” (New York Times)

Taylor Loren, “Instagram Year in Review: Top Trends from 2016” (Later.com)

Find us:

Watch ⁠this episode⁠ on YouTube

Timestamps:

Intro 00:00

2016 Makeup 01:31

2016 Fashion 08:19

Instagram Stories 11:58

The Algorithm & Commercialization 14:55

App-Hopping Influencers 22:25

2016 Election & White Girlboss Feminism 23:14

Blogging 25:17

What did we post? 25:28

Instagram Themes & Old Trends 28:06

Outro 31:01

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityvertigo.substack.com

Concert Fashion: Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Chappell Roan, Cowboy Hats, Battle Jackets, & More

Community Vertigo — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 23:00:00 GMT

If you’ve ever dressed as a musician to see them in concert, dutifully sewn metal band patches onto a "battle jacket," or decorated a cowboy hat to wear to a show, you’ll feel personally seen by this episode. This week, we discuss modern trends in concert fashion and how the threads we choose to brandish can display our fandom. Through the lens of pop and metal culture, we converse about early displays of fan merchandise and debate which fan base may have originated the cowboy hat decorating trend. Most importantly, we ask the age-old question: Are you a poser for wearing a band t-shirt to a gig? We shall see…

Links:

Carrie Brownstein, “Concert Outfits: A Brief History” (NPR)

Lauren Alex O’Hagan, “'My Musical Armor': Exploring Metalhead Identity through the Battle Jacket” (Taylor & Francis Online)

Madeleine Schulz, “Did the arena tour kill festival fashion?” (Vogue Business)

Find us:

⁠⁠Instagram⁠

Timestamps:

Intro 00:00

Did the arena tour kill festival fashion? 00:17

Fan-Artist-Fan Connection 01:48

Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour 02:44

Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts Tour 05:17

Carrie Brownstein’s “Concert Outfits: A Brief History” 06:02

Early Concert Fashion and Fan Merchandise During Beatlemania 08:52

Madonna Lookalike Contest 11:13

Chappell Roan’s Concert Themes 12:15

Battle Jackets in Metal Culture 13:13

Cowboy Hats 16:23

Band T-Shirts 21:42

Are you a poser for wearing a band t-shirt to a gig? 23:39

Rave Culture 26:14

What artist do you own the most merch for? 27:17

Outro 28:35

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityvertigo.substack.com

Wellness Eras in Pop Music: Lorde, Ariana Grande, Kacey Musgraves, & More

Community Vertigo — Mon, 22 Apr 2024 20:30:00 GMT

BLINK THREE TIMES WHEN YOU FEEL IT KICKING IN…

This week, we come to the consensus that the pop girlies are entering their ‘wellness eras.’ Gone are the hedonistic exploits and glamor of their prime; and welcome the newly-reformed, stripped-back songstress, complete with a bare face, neutral clothing, and an aura of calmness that looks too good to be true. Looking towards Kacey Musgraves’ Deeper Well, Ariana Grande’s eternal sunshine, Dua Lipa’s forthcoming Radical Optimism, and more, we trace the roots of ‘pop wellness’ to country and folk, give Lorde’s Solar Power the flowers it deserves, and discuss how girlboss-era feminism may be responsible for the inevitable shift from pop stardom to granola girl-chic.

Links:

Christine A. Kelly, “Singing Out Between Tradition and Rebellion: Folk Music, Folk Womanhood, and American Feminism in an Era of Social Change, 1954-1985” (Fordham University)

Chris Richards, “Kacey Musgraves made a wellness lifestyle album that isn’t Goop-core” (Washington Post)

Chris Willman, Lorde’s ‘Solar Power’ Finds a Once-Dark Star Tripping the Daylight Fantastic: Album Review” (Variety)

Nina Raemont, “A Year Later: In Defense of Lorde's ‘Solar Power’” (Substack)

Albums Referenced:

Ariana Grande, eternal sunshine (Google)

Dua Lipa, Radical Optimism (Google)

Kacey Musgraves, Deeper Well (Google)

Lorde, Solar Power (Google)

Miley Cyrus, Endless Summer Vacation (Google)

Outro Audio: @billzremix on YouTube

Find us:

Watch ⁠this episode⁠ on YouTube

Timestamps:

Intro 00:00

What’s a Wellness Album? 00:18

Hedonism vs. Wellness 03:19

Lorde’s Solar Power 04:13

Ariana Grande’s eternal sunshine 09:25

Retreat From the Mainstream 11:36

Pop Star Goes Country 12:27

Singer-Songwriters & Folk Music 14:20

Kacey Musgraves’ Deeper Well 20:32

Dua Lipa’s Radical Optimism 25:00

Miley Cyrus’ Endless Summer Vacation 29:25

Wellness Album Favorites 30:06

Outro 31:07

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityvertigo.substack.com

Will Artificial Intelligence Kill Art?

Community Vertigo — Mon, 15 Apr 2024 20:30:00 GMT

Tierney has called this emergency meeting to address the pervasiveness of AI. We discuss the ways that AI is affecting kids’ development, our perceptions of ourselves, aesthetically, and the potential removal of our autonomy. With the prevalence of AI-generated music, images, and artificial conversations online, we’re forced to ask: Is there an ‘end-goal’ for this technology? Or, are STEM bros just jealous of creative people?

Links:

Kids don’t know how to read??

Teachers Reddit Threads:

Why don’t they know how to use computers?

Mika Koivisto and Simone Grassini, “Best humans still outperform artificial intelligence in a creative divergent thinking task” (National Library of Medicine)

Kish Lal, “The Uncanny New Generation of Filters Uses Machine Learning GAN Technology to Regenerate Every Pixel on a Face” (Dazed)

Aisha Malik, “TikTok is experimenting with a feature that uses AI to create songs based on prompts” (Tech Crunch)

Ava Sasani, “As AI tools get smarter, they’re growing more covertly racist, experts find” (The Guardian)

Find us:

Timestamps:

Intro 00:00

Children and Technology 00:46

AI Face Filters on TikTok 03:45

AI Bandwagoning 07:19

Racism in AI 11:00

The Creative Economy vs. AI 13:19

AI Music 17:27

Deepfakes 21:12

Overconsumption 27:51

Corporate Social Media 28:52

Outro 30:19

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityvertigo.substack.com

Rockstar Girlfriend Part 2

Community Vertigo — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 21:30:00 GMT

In part two of our Rockstar Girlfriend series, we branch off from “I’m with the Band” and discuss the groupies that followed: the hair metal girlies of the 80s, the it-girls of the 2000s, the MySpace scene queens, & more. We question where & why the downfall of groupie-dom occurred, and how the modern-day iterations of the so-called “Rockstar Girlfriend” aesthetic may or may not suffice.

Links:

Alexa Chung, “It” (Google)

Alexa Chung, “Muse Collection Interview | ALEXACHUNG” (YouTube)

Pamela Des Barres, “I’m with the Band” (Google)

Pamela Des Barres, “Let’s Spend the Night Together” (Google)

Pubali Dasgupta, “The troubling life of Lori Maddox, the 'baby groupie' of the stars” (Far Out)

Thea De Gallier, “‘I wouldn’t want this for anybody’s daughter’: will #MeToo kill off the rock'n'roll groupie?” (The Guardian)

Find us:

Timestamps:

Intro 00:00

Baby Groupies 00:16

‘80s & ‘90s Groupie Culture 07:10

The Girlfriend is the Rockstar 10:27

The House Bunny Interlude 18:09

Rockstar Girlfriend Aesthetic 18:49

Scene Queens of MySpace 25:17

Muse vs. Groupie 29:28

K-pop Fansites 36:27

Devon Lee Carlson 40:45

Outro 43:39

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityvertigo.substack.com

Rockstar Girlfriend Part 1: I'm with the Band

Community Vertigo — Mon, 12 Feb 2024 21:30:00 GMT

This week, we tackle a trope that is very near & dear to our hearts (for better or for worse): the “Rockstar Girlfriend.” In the first of our two-part episode, we discuss the history of groupie-dom, led by Paulina’s insistence that the group consult *the* sacred text, Pamela Des Barres’ “I’m with the Band.” We reminisce on fangirls’ roots in Beatlemania and the heyday of LA groupie culture, debate our fixations on tortured artists, and dissect how misogyny and controversy led to the groupie’s demise.

Links:

Alexa Chung, “It” (Google)

Joli Jensen, “Fandom as Pathology: The Consequences of Characterization” (PDF)

Mayrav Estrin, “Why Have We Fetishized the Tortured Artist? My Thoughts Post Sam Levinson's ‘The Idol’” (Cinephile Princess)

Pamela Des Barres, “I’m with the Band” (Google)

Sadie King, “Where Did All the Groupies Go? The Rise and Fall of the Good-Time Girls of Rock” (Strand)

Find us:

Timestamps:

Intro 00:00

When Did We Hear About “Rockstar Girlfriends” & “Groupies”? 00:42

What’s a Groupie? 03:29

The Emergence of Groupies 07:31

Misogynistic Backlash 09:50

Pamela Des Barres’ “I’m with the Band” 11:55

The Tortured Artist 15:56

What’s the Fixation with Tortured Artists? 17:50

Humanizing Rockstars 25:43

The Former Accessibility of Rockstars 27:53

Rock ‘n’ Roll Divorce 32:56

The Extinction of Groupies 35:28

A Groupie’s Lifestyle Aspirations & Aesthetic 37:26

The Pain of Loving Artists 43:54

What Band Would We Be Groupies For? 45:49

Who Are Our Favorite Beatles? 47:29

Outro 49:52

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityvertigo.substack.com

The Girlification of the Internet

Community Vertigo — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 00:30:21 GMT

On this week’s girlpodcast, we’re just girls talking about our girldinners, girlblogging, girlmath, the girlification of food and, well, everything. We discuss how the act of ‘girlblogging’ has conquered a niche sector of the internet, the uncanny cuteness of ‘girldinners,’ the predicament of ‘girlmath,’ and how we endorse ‘balletcore’ as the future of 2024. Tie a bow onto your headphones for this one!

Links:

AJ Willingham, “‘Girl math’ was a fun social media joke. Then it got complicated” (CNN)

Biz Sherbert, “Intimacy and the Machine: Slouching Towards Girlblogging,” (Various Artists)

Hannah Jackson, “What Ballerinas Really Think of Balletcore” (Vogue)

Madeline, “'Girl Math' Explained” (BuzzFeed)

Merlyn Miller, “Please Don't Gender My Dinner” (Food & Wine)

Find us:

Timestamps:

Intro 00:00

Coquette 00:08

Girlbloggers— Empowering or Toxic? 03:57

Girl Dinner 15:37

Sacrificing Femininity to Display Strength 23:47

Ribbon Tying on Food 27:45

Girl Math 32:10

Gendered Trends 35:51

Balletcore 37:27

Outro 49:50

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityvertigo.substack.com

Live Fast and Die Young: Indie Sleaze

Community Vertigo — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 04:23:44 GMT

We’re celebrating the New Year (and our last episode of 2023!) by dissecting none other than the Indie Sleaze revival. We discuss the various fashion trends that encapsulate the era, the music that soundtracked it, modern-day depictions of wannabe hedonism, and Alexa Chung finally gets her flowers.

Links:

⁠Spotify Playlist⁠

⁠TikTok Collection⁠

Alexa Chung, “⁠Alexa Chung on the unpolished appeal of Indie Sleaze⁠” (Financial Times)

Alexa Chung, “⁠It⁠” (Google)

Arielle Richards, “⁠The Indie Sleaze ‘Revival’ Isn’t Real - It’s Just An Echo Chamber⁠” (Vice)

El Hunt, “⁠How ’00s indie sleaze made a massive comeback⁠” (NME)

Luke Morgan Britton, “⁠The Strokes on The Killers rivalry⁠” (NME)

Find us:

⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠

⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠

Watch ⁠⁠this episode⁠⁠ on YouTube

Timestamps:

Intro 00:00

Indie Sleaze Revival 01:27

The Trashy Party Girl 14:37

2014 Tumblr Era vs. Indie Sleaze 17:23

The Apolitical Nature of Indie Sleaze 23:32

Music of the Indie Sleaze Era 25:25

American Apparel 32:38

Indie Sleaze Media 36:08

The Strokes vs. The Killers 43:48

Is there an indie sleaze revival? 45:40

Bev Review 48:42

Outro 50:15

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityvertigo.substack.com

When Will Parody Be Parody Again?

Community Vertigo — Fri, 22 Dec 2023 18:00:00 GMT

This week, we dive into parody media, discussing the likes of the Wayans brothers, Mel Brooks, and Austin Powers. We differentiate ‘parody’ and ‘satire’, discuss the cult-like fanbases (and haters) of parody films, and how YouTube and meme culture may have oversaturated the genre.

Links:

Letterboxd List

Reddit Thread

Amber Rawlings, “Has meme culture killed the parody film?” (Little White Lies)

Hiff, “Comedy Horror Movies: The Embodiments of ‘Camp’ Are Here to Stay”(Hiff)

Jade Swann, “Satire, Parody & Spoof” (Study.com)

JM Maher, “Why Were Parody Movies So Popular in the 2000s?” (Movieweb)

Karen Pike, “Bitextual Pleasures: Camp, Parody, and the Fantastic Film” (LFQ)

Luke Edley, “Satire vs Parody” (Thanet Writers)

Find us:

⁠⁠Instagram⁠

Timestamps:

Intro 00:00

Parody, Satire, & Spoof 01:59

Parody Films 04:11

YouTube Parodies and Spoofs 15:26

Seriousness is a Target for Parody 17:49

TikTok Parodies 21:31

SNL Parodies 23:43

We Need to Use “Parody” Again 24:45

Parody and Camp 26:10

Parodies We Want to See 30:10

Outro 30:55

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityvertigo.substack.com

Ready to Rock 'n' Roll?: Dadcore

Community Vertigo — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 21:37:17 GMT

If you grew up watching 'Grown Ups' or SNL, or listening to the Foo Fighters and Creed on the way to school, then you'll understand just how formative 'Dadcore' really is. Inspired by Adam Sandler's enviable wardrobe, we dissect how Dadcore came to be, how it's an antithesis to the 'clean girl' aesthetic and the world of microtrends, & finding comfort in dad rock.

Links:

⁠Spotify Playlist

Jerry Portwood, ⁠“Saturday Night Live And The Dacore Revolution”⁠ (Fatherly)

Lauren Sharkey, ⁠"How dadcore won over fashion"⁠ (The Book of Man)

Tayler Adigun, ⁠“Why Adam Sandler is Tiktok’s unlikely fashion muse”⁠ (Yahoo)

Find us:

⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠

Timestamps:

Intro 00:00

Defining Dadcore 00:17

Grown Ups 03:24

Phil Dunphy 05:45

Dadcore v. Blokette and Clean Girl 06:22

Ready to Rock ‘n’ Roll? 07:41

Normcore to Dadcore 08:04

Fashion Through the Decades 09:54

The Irritations of Microtrends 11:33

The Empowerment of Baggy Clothing 16:38

Dad Rock 17:55

DILF Fan Accounts on TikTok 22:03

Momcore? 24:24

The Objectification of Men Online 26:12

Confining Ourselves to Aesthetics 28:36

Outro 30:19

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityvertigo.substack.com

The Irish Renaissance: Let it Linger

Community Vertigo — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 23:49:59 GMT

There's truly nothing that has unified the internet quite like the Irish Renaissance has. We're letting it linger this week by discussing the roots of the culture's obsession with the Irish, from fixations on Irish actors and musicians; to aspirations of a cottagecore lifestyle that the Irish seem to perfect. If you're Irish, tap in!

Links:

Find us:

Timestamps:

Intro 00:00

The Irish Boyfriend 01:05

Niall Horan 09:04

Americans and European Ancestry 15:21

Hozier 17:47

The Cranberries 19:07

Inhaler 20:21

Fontaines D.C. 27:42

Cillian Murphy 29:32

Paul Mescal 35:09

Saoirse Ronan 37:16

Why Ireland? 38:01

Outro 40:48

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityvertigo.substack.com

Lobotomies at Claire's: The Fall of Mall Culture

Community Vertigo — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 21:35:27 GMT

This week, we reminisce on mall culture and what once was: eating Cinnabon, going to Claire's, Justice, & Hollister, romanticizing the act of loitering, and more. We talk about the history of American malls, their subsequent demise, and how TikTok shop is responsible. Third-wave mall culture is just glorified amusement parks, and we're mad about it!

Links:

Pinterest Board⁠

Avery Hartmans, ⁠"The rise and fall of the American shopping mall"⁠ (Insider)

Candace Davison, ⁠⁠"If Malls Are Dying, Why Are We Still So Obsessed with Them?"⁠⁠ (PureWow)

Eva Rothenberg, ⁠"The US mall is not dying"⁠ (CNN)

Find us:

Timestamps:

Intro 00:00

A Brief History of the American Mall 00:42

Is the Mall Dying? 04:28

The Mall in Culture 05:02

Online Shopping Killed the Mall 07:45

Clothing Stores 13:28

The Mall's Representation in Media 18:28

Stealing 21:35

Rainforest Cafe 22:01

Symbol of Teenage Independence 25:18

Third-wave Mall Culture 27:06

Hobby Stores and Mall Kiosks 29:03

Mall Concerts 29:53

Paulina's Celebrity Encounter 31:41

Al and Online Shopping 33:01

Mall Food 34:37

Claire's vs. Justice 35:21

Outro 38:20

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityvertigo.substack.com

Looking Camp Right in the Eye: Horror as a Tool for Reclamation

Community Vertigo — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 20:44:37 GMT

Happy Halloween! This week, we’re talking horror films: the genre’s queer roots, female villains reclaiming their bodies, and how American Horror Story altered our brain chemistries, for better or for worse.

Links:

⁠Spotify Playlist⁠

⁠Horror Recs⁠ (Letterboxd)

Julia Kristeva, ⁠"Approaching Abjection"⁠ (JSTOR)

Julia Métraux, ⁠"The Very Human Appeal of ‘American Horror Story"⁠ (JSTOR)

Find us:

⁠Harper Bullard, "How Netflix Changed the World of Book Adaptation"⁠

Timestamps:

Intro 00:00

Our Favorite Horror Films 00:17

Horror and Queerness 04:20

Scream Queens 07:00

American Horror Story 9:25

Autonomy and Horror 19:03

Low Budget and Indie 22:11

The Working Man’s Genre 25:15

What are we afraid of? 28:30

Horror Tropes 33:03

Outro 34:58

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityvertigo.substack.com

Brunettes are Oppressed: YA Dystopia of the 2010s

Community Vertigo — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 22:10:45 GMT

To introduce you to Community Vertigo, we discuss a topic that has plagued our minds for over a decade: the YA dystopia trend of the 2010s. Led by The Big Three—Divergent, The Hunger Games, and The Maze Runner—we dive into the aesthetics that this era afforded us, how the series’ heroines taught us not to be like other girls, and how we were basically consuming horror-lite throughout our formative years.

Links:

⁠Spotify Playlist

Pinterest Board⁠

Collage Graphics

Find us: