Isabelle, you may be only a sprog (from where I'm standing), but you are a very wise sprog, and you write beautifully - collecting little moments in the cracks of daily life' made my heart jump with joy a little bit!
I sort of find this aesthetics stuff quite interesting, albeit bewildering, but you're right, it is just so throw-away and such a scam, and it seems to be all accelerating. I hope enough of these kids are going to be all right, many that I hear about and come across seem to be amazing and bright and canny and fill me with hope, but it does all seem a bit terrifying. Treading the path of identity and self-esteem as young people was always difficult and fraught and dangerous, but it seems even more so now.
Somewhat tangentially, have a listen, if you've time, to the novelist Zadie Smith on This Cultural Life the other day - it's on BBC Sounds now. Not all of it is about this but she's interesting about social media, and as a reader I'm sure you'd enjoy it.
Thank you so much, Lucy. This means a lot to me. :)
I think it shows younger people are LOOKING for this stuff, they're looking for community and connection and guidance and ways to become better people, its just being funnelled in the craziest directions. I'm curious of ways we can bring them to more positive places
I will check out the podcast, I'm intrigued to hear more.
Thanks, Nadine! I did not know the scientist from the baby Albert study went into advertising, thats SO revealing. This peak happiness concept is super interesting and 'competitively performing happiness' made me shiver! It reminds me of people trying to optimise every single one of their relationships, especially marriages. Super interesting read. :)
Gosh Isabelle. Love that you are writing about this. The consumerist, anti-sustainability, loneliness issues sadden me. Real connection gained with like-minded individuals in person or through deeply thoughtful writing/correspondence brings me joy, and hope, and lets me know we are indeed changing the world.
I’ve bonded (for life I hope) with a man larger than life in the policy sphere this week. After multiple team introductions over time, site visits and proposals across states (and even out of country), we spent the afternoon – just the two of us side by side – at an enormous conference table in one of many big buildings owned nationwide by a corporation.
Could care less what we each looked like. We just listened to each other (4 hours-ish) discussing sustainability across societies, professions, even planets (not kidding :D). I told him about you at length towards the end of our conversation, how you are the person – of sooo many I’ve met – that understands these issues and may communicate them best, by NOT being tethered to any particular industry, nor, even to a particular generation.
We slowed down. We were our true selves. And that is enough. That is how we change the world ID?
Can I stay in his orbit? I tend to do so, if I say I’m going to, here, on your Substack. <3
I’m tiny. I’m just a landscape architect at the end of the day. But I am so not alone. :D
Ahhhh Sidney your lil stories always make me so happy! It's so motivating to hear the small connections happening every single day, across the world, spreading the message of the better future we will be arriving at. <3
I’ve struggled to write about topics like this lately because I fear I haven’t dedicated enough to do so—like I’m not walking the walk enough to talk the talk. But I think you do a beautiful job of critiquing and analyzing while holding grace for yourself, and being honest about your own struggles in putting these ideas into practice. I totally agree with what you say here—it feels like beauty culture and aesthetic consumerism is yet another lever of capitalism to not just keep us spending but also keep us lonely and isolated—so we continue spending!
Isabelle, you may be only a sprog (from where I'm standing), but you are a very wise sprog, and you write beautifully - collecting little moments in the cracks of daily life' made my heart jump with joy a little bit!
I sort of find this aesthetics stuff quite interesting, albeit bewildering, but you're right, it is just so throw-away and such a scam, and it seems to be all accelerating. I hope enough of these kids are going to be all right, many that I hear about and come across seem to be amazing and bright and canny and fill me with hope, but it does all seem a bit terrifying. Treading the path of identity and self-esteem as young people was always difficult and fraught and dangerous, but it seems even more so now.
Somewhat tangentially, have a listen, if you've time, to the novelist Zadie Smith on This Cultural Life the other day - it's on BBC Sounds now. Not all of it is about this but she's interesting about social media, and as a reader I'm sure you'd enjoy it.
Thank you so much, Lucy. This means a lot to me. :)
I think it shows younger people are LOOKING for this stuff, they're looking for community and connection and guidance and ways to become better people, its just being funnelled in the craziest directions. I'm curious of ways we can bring them to more positive places
I will check out the podcast, I'm intrigued to hear more.
A friend sent me this today which is tangential to what you've written about here and I think might interest you. https://aeon.co/essays/how-did-being-happy-become-a-matter-of-relentless-competitive-work
Thanks, Nadine! I did not know the scientist from the baby Albert study went into advertising, thats SO revealing. This peak happiness concept is super interesting and 'competitively performing happiness' made me shiver! It reminds me of people trying to optimise every single one of their relationships, especially marriages. Super interesting read. :)
Gosh Isabelle. Love that you are writing about this. The consumerist, anti-sustainability, loneliness issues sadden me. Real connection gained with like-minded individuals in person or through deeply thoughtful writing/correspondence brings me joy, and hope, and lets me know we are indeed changing the world.
I’ve bonded (for life I hope) with a man larger than life in the policy sphere this week. After multiple team introductions over time, site visits and proposals across states (and even out of country), we spent the afternoon – just the two of us side by side – at an enormous conference table in one of many big buildings owned nationwide by a corporation.
Could care less what we each looked like. We just listened to each other (4 hours-ish) discussing sustainability across societies, professions, even planets (not kidding :D). I told him about you at length towards the end of our conversation, how you are the person – of sooo many I’ve met – that understands these issues and may communicate them best, by NOT being tethered to any particular industry, nor, even to a particular generation.
We slowed down. We were our true selves. And that is enough. That is how we change the world ID?
Can I stay in his orbit? I tend to do so, if I say I’m going to, here, on your Substack. <3
I’m tiny. I’m just a landscape architect at the end of the day. But I am so not alone. :D
Ahhhh Sidney your lil stories always make me so happy! It's so motivating to hear the small connections happening every single day, across the world, spreading the message of the better future we will be arriving at. <3
Awww <giant SMILE here> this makes my day. Thank you for being here for us. For your community. 4 being U :)
I’ve struggled to write about topics like this lately because I fear I haven’t dedicated enough to do so—like I’m not walking the walk enough to talk the talk. But I think you do a beautiful job of critiquing and analyzing while holding grace for yourself, and being honest about your own struggles in putting these ideas into practice. I totally agree with what you say here—it feels like beauty culture and aesthetic consumerism is yet another lever of capitalism to not just keep us spending but also keep us lonely and isolated—so we continue spending!
Thanks Mia, this is really kind of you!! I am CONSTANTLY feeling like I'm not walking the walk myself!!! Or that I'm full of sh*t lol!!
Honestly i think it shocked me when i realised how deep the beauty/aesthetic community goes