Nymphet Alumni

Nymphet Alumni
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Nymphet Alumni is a podcast dedicated to the study of fashion and culture. www.nymphetalumni.com

  1. 3 days ago

    Ep. 169: Giallobrutalism w/ Ella Dorn

    This week, Alexi is joined by music critic and columnist Ella Dorn to unpack her viral essay declaring Giallobrutalism as the defining visual language of mid-2020s pop, informed by the stylish delirium of Italian giallo cinema and a pervasive unease about surveillance and stardom. We discuss the aesthetic’s formal signatures—cool temperatures, split diopters, painterly tableaux, and more— as well as the rise of early-onset popstar histrionics, the existential glamour of centripetal girls in centrifugal settings, and the decade’s watershed fashion moments so far, from Miu Miu micro-minis to Sandy Liang mega-bows. We also challenge the default Y2K reading of modern pop aesthetics, arguing for a closer look at their 20th-century antecedents, and reflect on our shared past as stans of doomed K-pop girl groups. Links: “‘Giallobrutalism,’ or why everything looks like that” by Ella Dorn on Fairyland! Ella Dorn on Twitter Fairyland! on Instagram K-Pop Music Video Analysis w/ Alexi One on Top of the Other (1969) dir. Lucio Fulci A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin (1971) dir. Lucio Fulci “Music, Fashion, Film is Charli xcx at her subversive best” by Ella Dorn in The New Statesman Balenciaga F/W 2024 Film Noir and the Spaces of Modernity by Edward Dimendberg “The realities of being a pop star” by Charli xcx on charli’s substack Ep. 162: Crayola Casual Ep. 102: Just Dance w/ Lexee Smith Nicole Kidman wearing Miu Miu S/S 2022 for Vanity Fair’s 2022 Hollywood Issue cover Sandy Liang S/S 2024 Our Aesthetic Categories: Zany, Cute, Interesting by Sianne Ngai “In Defense of the Leopard Print Midi Skirt” in Paper magazine (the original @leopardmidiskirt Instagram account is GONE omg) New Giallobrutalist canon entries we discuss: YENA (최예나) – “캐치 캐치 (Catch Catch)”, aespa 에스파 – “Switchblade (Feat. Ty Dolla $ign)”, Gracie Abrams – “Look at My Life”, ifeye (이프아이) – “r u ok?” , aespa エスパ – “KISS N TELL” Bang Jae Yeob LOONA/ODD EYE CIRCLE – “Sweet Crazy Love” (Official Music Video) LOONA/Kim Lip – “Eclipse” (Official Music Video) The iconic abandoned Brutalist building from every K-pop MV Ghosts of My Life: Writings on Depression, Hauntology and Lost Futures by Mark Fisher Federico Fellini: Painting in Film, Painting on Film by Hava Aldouby no na - “honk!” (Official Music Video) no na - “superstitious” (Official Music Video) Elliot Shields on Instagram (creative consultant on Aespa’s “Kiss N Tell”) Magic by Jolin Tsai 蔡依林 但是又何奈 by Louise Tsuei 崔苔菁 Rocket Girls 101 (火箭少女101) K-pop plagiarism overview KiiiKiii on Instagram This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nymphetalumni.com/subscribe

    Ep. 169: Giallobrutalism w/ Ella Dorn

  2. 2 Jul

    Ep. 163: The Man and The Mirror

    In this solo minisode, Sam enters the wilderness of mirrors to unpack Michael Jackson: child star, King of Pop, fairy-tale monster, walking logo, and one of the strangest cultural phenomena of the 20th century. Using Margo Jefferson, Wendy Lesser, Mark Fisher, Foucault, Bakhtin, Peter Pan, The Little Prince, Shirley Temple, Diana Ross, Elizabeth Taylor, Bob Fosse, P.T. Barnum, Neverland Ranch, pork pie hats, patent leather shoes, and white spats, Sam pursues Michael as a figure of inversion: the child who was an adult, the adult who became a child, the Black man who became white, the man who became a woman, the innocent who became the guilty. Along the way, she considers the glamour and horror of child stardom, the maternal diva archive, the carnivalesque body, the freakshow of Wacko Jacko, and why Michael’s legacy remains endlessly unresolved. Stargirl’s 100th episode, we love you Emma On Michael Jackson by Margo Jefferson On Michael Jackson, with Shannon Taggart by Weird Studies The Resistible Demise of Michael Jackson, edited by Mark Fisher His Other Half: Men Looking at Women Through Art by Wendy Lesser Moonwalk: A Memoir by Michael Jackson The Autobiography of PT Barnum by PT Barnum Rabelais and His World by Mikhail Bakhtin r/LeavingNeverlandHBO My Family, The Jacksons by Katherine Jackson Michael Jackson’s Interview in Gold Girl Magazine, 2002 Michael Jackson - Thriller (Original) Who’s Loving You - The Jackson 5 on The Ed Sullivan Show Interview with Suzanne de Passe, Motown Costume Designer Human Nature, Wembley ‘88 - Michael Jackson Michael Jackson’s This Is It Sylvester Stallone on Michael Jackson Bob Fosse, The Little Prince, and Michael Jackson The Little Prince MJ Productions’s Letter to The Little Prince Marianne Williamson officiates Elizabeth Taylor’s wedding to Larry Fortensky Elizabeth Taylor surprises Michael Jackson with an elephant Abnormals, Freaks, and Michael Jackson: Foucault, Baldwin the Truth of the Grotesque by Brad Elliott Stone Nymphet Alumni’s Ep. 157: American Freakshow This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nymphetalumni.com/subscribe

    Ep. 163: The Man and The Mirror

  3. 17 Jun

    Ep. 161: The Paranoid Style w/ Anika Jade Levy

    In this episode, Sam is joined by friend of the pod Anika Jade Levy, author of Flat Earth and founding editor of Forever Magazine, for a sprawling investigation into the paranoid spirit of the United States of America. Beginning with the America’s founding fantasy of paradise, Anika and Sam trace how the country’s utopian dream soured into a national aesthetic of suspicion: from Puritan invisible enemies and the feminized conspiracy of the Salem Witch Trials, to the pastoral terror of data centers humming in the American wilderness, to cyberpunk stealthwear, urban camouflage, hollow earths, Atlantis, visions of a lost world, and much, much more. Drawing from Leo Marx, Richard Hofstadter, Adam Curtis, Cotton Mather, Anette Kolodny, Silvia Federici, and Anika’s own novel, the girls move through history, politics, media, and fashion to uncover what conspiracy reveals about American self-invention. Links: Anika’s Instagram Flat Earth by Anika Jade Levy Forever Magazine Agens Denis’s A Confrontation: Battery Park Landfil The Machine in the Garden by Leo Marx The Paranoid Style in American Politics by Richard Hofstadter The Lay of the Land by Annette Kolodny Caliban and the Witch by Silvia Federici The Significance of the Frontier in American History by Fredrick Jackson Turner Wonders of the Invisible World by Cotton Mather The Cultural Cold War by Frances Stonor Saunders CV Dazzle Balenciaga Panic of 2022 Lotta Volkova Conspiracy Data Center Hum on TikTok Mr. Bean/Princess Diana Reel The Century of the Self by Adam Curtis MAGA as Fan Fiction by Gideon Jacobs Player One and Main Character by Gideon Jacobs New Models: The Online Marketplace of Ideas with Joshua Citarella The Gurdjieff Movements The New Age Bible by Sheila Heiti This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nymphetalumni.com/subscribe

    Ep. 161: The Paranoid Style w/ Anika Jade Levy

  4. 14 Jan

    Ep. 146: Blonde Hair and Black Gold | Study Break

    In the first Study Break of the year, Biz and Sam survey the state of the world refracted through the prism of pop culture. They discuss Odessa A’Zion’s wig allegations, the hypernormal clownery of Nicolas Maduro’s kidnapping, Bella Hadid’s blonde hair omen, and the pop-princess perfection of Zara Larsson. Plus: a meditation on time in the second quarter of the 21st century, viewed through the anamorphic looking glass of Hollister’s 2016 anachronism, Cameron Winter’s Dorian Grey agelessness, and North West’s prodigious beat-making potential. Links: Hollister’s Tumblr Drop 2016 Revisionism Stateside + Zara Larsson by Pink Panthress North West’s Beatmaking Sample Cameron Winter at Carnegie Hall Bella Hadid for Dazed MENA @shop_reallifeasliv Carnival Time, Hardness, and the Machines That Process Excess by Sachin on Substack Work-Hardened Archetypes by Sachin on Substack Venezuelan Oil Explainer in The Guardian Enhanced Oil Recovery Techniques Oil Company Pushback in The Guardian Who is Zach Bryan’s Wife? Rama Duwaji Profile in The Cut Previous Episodes Referenced: Ep. 76: Get Silly Ep. 24: The Snapocalypse Ep. 25: America (with Light Townsend Cummins) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nymphetalumni.com/subscribe

    Ep. 146: Blonde Hair and Black Gold | Study Break

  5. 31/12/2025

    Ep. 145: Pastel Grunge Revival

    This week, we herald the coming of the Pastel Grunge Revival, a new wave of candy-colored femininity characterized by an eclectic and deliberately unsettling fusion of childlike innocence and overt sensuality. We discuss the style’s influences— soft grunge Tumblr imagery, cartoon nostalgia, Harajuku fashion, sex worker style, and more— and unpack the social functions of age regression, self-objectification, and homosocial fantasy that resonate with young women online. We also provide a brief overview of pastels in visual culture from the 1950s to present, and we explore the myriad reasons why this aesthetic emerged from Los Angeles in particular. Special thank you to Monica @finalformfemale for this episode idea!! Links: Image board Ashley Williams – Vogue Runway f5ve – I Choose You (Official MV) PGR It Girls and Creative Forces Masterlist: Mazzy Joya, Savannah Hudson, Miss Madeline and Chase Icon, Cannelle, ADÉLA, Manon Macasaet, Lexi Kingery, Kennedy Dechet, Natasha Somerville, Aerin Moreno Shopbluedream.us and @shopbluedream on Instagram for an inspired selection of PGR clothing Misc. PGR brands: Lovett, OGBFF, OMIGHTY, Poster Girl, I.AM.GIA, Poison Candy Apple, WeedSlut TikToks of girls posting their younger selves to sad songs Accidentally getting a job as a stripper in Japan TikTok storytime fakemink - Easter Pink (Prod Suzy Sheer) (Official MV) Rhode remakes Richard Avedon’s iconic Versace 1994 campaign OG Soft Grunge It Girls: Joanna Kuchta, Shelby Hamilton aka meowshelbs, Erika Kamano fka Erika Bowes Gwen Stefani and the Harajuku Girls (2005) Nicki Minaj explains Harajuku Barbie (2009) (+ Nicki’s iconic pastel necklaces by ONCH) Rapper CeeChynaa shows off her vintage doll collection This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nymphetalumni.com/subscribe

    Ep. 145: Pastel Grunge Revival

  6. 18/12/2025

    Ep. 144: The 2025 Nymphies Awards

    After a brief hiatus, the Nymphies are BACK!! In this annual ceremony, we honor 2025’s greatest achievements in fashion and culture with awards from us at the Nymphet Alumni Academy of Arts and Sciences, including categories such as Best and Worst Rebrand, Outfit of the Year, Best Sillyboy, and Best Brainrot Trend, featuring exclusive access to our careful deliberation process. We lay to rest dearly departed aesthetics of years past, and we end the evening by announcing the winner of the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award, immortalizing one true legend in the Nymphet Alumni canon. For the first time, we’ve also tallied up your votes for the Reader’s Choice Awards! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nymphetalumni.com/subscribe

    Ep. 144: The 2025 Nymphies Awards

  7. 05/12/2025

    Ep. 142: Gearing Up w/ Avery Trufelman

    In this episode, we’re joined (again!!) by Avery Trufelman, the grand dame of fashion podcasting, to discuss the latest installment of her podcast, Articles of Interest, titled Gear. In this meticulously researched series, Avery dives deep into the history of tactical/outdoor fashion and the ways in which the United States Military and the world of high-tech performance wear continuously influence each other. She answers our pressing questions about American frontier cosplay, the symbolism of the modern field jacket, the innovations behind lightweight tech, and why gear has reemerged as a major fashion language. We also touch on the future of patriotism ahead of the country’s 250th anniversary and the rise of meme-ified military archetypes among Gen Z. Links: Articles of Interest on Substack This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nymphetalumni.com/subscribe

    Ep. 142: Gearing Up w/ Avery Trufelman

  8. 26/11/2025

    Ep. 141: For Good and For Worse | Study Break

    In this edition of Study Break, we discuss the return of press tour psychodrama surrounding Wicked: For Good, the concerning midwittery of the Met Gala’s recent theme announcement, DLlegations in the highest office of the nation, and profiles in infidelity and iMessage confessionalism featuring Olivia Nuzzi and Lily Allen. We also review Vanity Fair’s latest Hollywood issue while reflecting on the bygone golden age of Hollywood ensemble editorials, and we launch a counteroffensive against Sombr in his war on 25-year-olds. Links: Vanity Fair’s 2026 Hollywood Issue: “Let’s Hear It For the Boys” Twilight cast for Vanity Fair December 2008 “Hollywood’s Next Wave” in Vanity Fair August 2008 (feat. Kristen Stewart, Amanda Seyfried) “It’s Raining Teens” in Vanity Fair July 2003 Druski + Timothee Chalamet hold auditions for Coulda Been Records in Brooklyn Viral Sombr concert review on TikTok + Sombr’s response PyjamaMann (Johnson Wen) Anime cardboard cutouts kid (Tobyn Jacobs) Bob Army – Saturday Night Live sketch on YouTube Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Spring 2026 Press Release – “Costume Art” Ken Burns | This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von #615 “I Left My Home” US Army Cadence on TikTok Cassius Thundercock on KnowYourMeme Nicki Minaj speaks at the United Nations on behalf of the Trump administration “Postscript to an Open Marriage: On Lily Allen’s West End Girl” by Jean Garnett – The Paris Review “Olivia Nuzzi Did It All for Love” by Jacob Bernstein – The New York Times Ryan Lizza on Substack Red Lobster CEO Damola Adamolekun Ice Spice - Big Guy (from The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants) on YouTube This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nymphetalumni.com/subscribe

    Ep. 141: For Good and For Worse | Study Break
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About

Nymphet Alumni is a podcast dedicated to the study of fashion and culture. www.nymphetalumni.com

Information

  • Creator
    Nymphet Alumni
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    136
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Nymphet Alumni
  • Show Website
    Nymphet Alumni

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