Internet Aesthetic

Do your eyes roll whenever you hear the word “core” attached to anything? Do you complain to anyone who will listen about how they’ll name a style after anything? Do you claim to have no style or that you just throw on whatever and go about your day? Have you considered that maybe…you’re normcore?? In this episode we’re rambling about what distinguishes someone who is “normcore” versus someone who is “normal”, what it means to pursue “no aesthetic” as an aesthetic, and what it means to pursue no aesthetic at all! Put on your most normcore outfit and listen along!

Learn more:

I wish I (Lisa) could say that it took me so long to edit this episode because I implemented all of the advice in this episode and was too busy reading to edit. But really I was procrastinating on both and watching The Great Pottery Throwdown instead. Which isn’t to say that our advice is garbage and you should skip this one! If you used to love to read and/or want to read and, like us, are also struggling to build the habit - you’re not alone! Join us as we chat about our love for reading, our theories about why we stopped and why it’s so hard to get back into it, some strategies we’re trying out to build our joy of reading again, and a moment when I lacked scholastic integrity in the seventh grade. 😢

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We often see people posting images of their glow ups comparing themselves to their middle school/child selves. But can they really be called glow ups when you were just going through the awkward phase of growing up? In this episode, we explore Glow Up culture. Is this putting pressure on actual children to look like adults?

References:

in this episode we're kicking back and discussing randomly generated aesthetics! We talk about whether or not Jam Punk and Forest Grunge would date. What's Realcore? And what on earth is Carnival Dinosaur??? Let us know what your favorite aesthetic generated during this episode was! Or if you identified with any of them! 

Generators we used: 

We’re fascinated by the speedy rise and fall of the Girlboss movement. What was once an admirable harbinger of gender equality in the workplace dissolved into a laughable meme. In this episode, we explore the history of the Girlboss, why the movement became problematic, and whether WE are Girlbosses.  

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Ah shit, here we go again. Another episode on Instagram. This time we're unpacking our motivations and feelings of shame around doing things specifically for the 'gram and why we feel so compelled to share our lives on social media. Also, with the holiday season upon us, we'll be taking a break and will be back again next year!

Reading: 

Did you also pick up ceramics / pottery / knitting / crocheting / sticker illustrating / print making / baking over quarantine and fantasize about turning them into a business? Just us? In this episode, we explore the monetization of hobbies. This phenomenon is not new, but this episode discusses the ways in which it manifests today on social media. We go over why this monetization is tempting, freeing, stressful, and sometimes necessary.

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One of our favorite ways to pass the time is playing dress-up in paper-doll style avatar-maker picrew.me and creating our best selves in an illustrated alternate universe where we have more confidence and cash. Picrew also forces us to think about the way we see ourselves, the way we want to be seen, and who we actually are. Or maybe we're just overthinking a dress up game. Also maybe Tumblr ruins everything???

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Autumn is upon us—move over cottagecore and thot girl summer, because Academia has entered the chat. In this episode, we explain what the academia aesthetic is and give an overview of its sub-genres: dark academia, light academia, chaotic academia, gray academia, and more! 

While we love the visuals of this aesthetic, we also cover why this aesthetic could be problematic. We understand that women, people of color, and queer people have been important members of academia for ever—so why aren't they represented more in the visuals of this aesthetic? We unpack this aesthetic's love for itchy wool clothing and dusty books that don't actually get read. (Your childhood affection for Harry Potter is showing)

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Hello! We're finally, finally back with our first episode and we're talking about the pitfalls of the internet and how to navigate them with the help of our very first guest, our friend Brenda! Listen on for our thoughts on why it's so important to be well-versed in the way the internet works, how to protect yourself, and some of our tips and tricks for getting around paywalls, processing the onslaught of information, and more! 

We're undeniable! We mostly just wanted to talk about how often we use the word "like." In this episode, we cover what makes a California girl: linguistically, demographically, and culturally! It's also fun to challenge our assumptions of what a California girl can look like. While we don't necessarily fit the stereotype, our home addresses and lived experiences make us unequivocally California girls. 

Bonus stories included about our experience growing up as California girls in Vietnamese-American communities (the 626, Garden Grove, Santa Ana, the OC, San Jose, and more)

Sources/Referenced media:

If you're on Instagram chances are you've seen at least one infographic trying to explain a complex topic within ten well-designed, minimalist slides. In this episode we discuss the benefits of raising awareness and spreading information through a social media platform like Instagram as well as the pitfalls that come with it and our own responsibility as consumers of that content.

Further Reading/Viewing: 

Cottagecore is the north star of our personal aesthetics. It was one of the first internet aesthetics we wanted to talk about, but never did because we wanted to do it justice. In this episode, we explain the origins of cottagecore, why we love it, some contentious issues associated with it, and variations of the aesthetic. Now excuse us while we frolic in a bucolic meadow wearing gingham linen frocks.

Associated resources:

surPRISE SHAWTY! It's another episode! Join us as we try to figure out what the fuck NFTs are supposed to be and do with questionable success and if they're worth the damage they cause to the environment (no). Disclaimer: Tbh we probably got some stuff wrong, please gently let us know what. 

Better Resources: 

We've established that your workplace is probably toxic in Part 1/2. In Part 2/2, we cover some different examples of hostility in companies, how the pandemic has worsened these existing issues, common and covert ways to identify a toxicity in your workplace, and how you can fight back to achieve a healthier work environment for yourself and your colleagues.

In this Part Two, we explore sexism at Pinterest, racism at Glossier, and harassment at ThirdLove and Away.

Is your workplace toxic? Probably. In this two-parter episode, we're talking about toxic workplaces, how common they are, and the structures of power that create them. In Part One, we break down the problems that caused Bon Appetit's fall in June 2020, exposing the ways staff of color were devalued, and how it took down the podcast, Reply All, that tried to cover it half a year later for the same problems. Then we take a look at two examples of more direct racism that can occur in the workplace through Everlane and Ellen DeGeneres. 

As a palate cleanser, do you know what "Cinnamon Toast Crunch Shrimp Tails Guy Gets Milkshake Duck'd" means? Find out with Isa at the end of the episode! 

And make sure to check back next week for Part Two where we talk about the examples of racism in Glossier, sexism AND racism in Pinterest, and harassment in ThirdLove and Away. We'll also discuss the signs of a toxic workplace, the effects of the pandemic on the workplace for better or for worse, and how to endure your workplace if it is toxic. OOF. 

Further Reading:

Two zillennials discuss the millennial aesthetic and the co-opting of that aesthetic into the branding (or blanding) of current products and companies that are being sold to us, the resulting backlash to those blands (and re-blands), and guess how brand design will evolve for the next generation. 

Further Reading:  

We're back for Season 2! In our first episode, we talk about our thoughts on House of Ho's first episode and the entire season of Bling Empire (spoiler alerts, obviously) and how we feel about Asian Americans being represented on reality shows. We also get into the quality of the representation we've been getting and the ways our stories are told in media. Most of all, we're so excited to have more and more stories coming out featuring characters that look and feel like us and the people we know. But representation doesn't necessarily translate into equality as we've seen with the rise in violence against the AAPI community. We need to speak up and fight back against the structures of power that keep white supremacy in place and harm all POC.