Episodes
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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'm Sorry, I Accidentally Invented Normcore - Ryan Estrada
Youth Mode - K Hole
So Now It's Cool to Just Be Normal - Bustle
Normcore: Fashion for Those Who Realize They're One in 7 Billion - The Cut
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We’re entering our ~ hag era ~ ! AKA the perception that people (namely, women) evolve into hags when they enter their thirties. In this episode, we explore the anxiety and pressure that can come with this perception—particularly for those in their twenties (like us!) who are approaching this milestone. We end this episode on an uplifting note: delving into why getting older should be celebrated and seen as a blessing, rather than a source of fear or shame. Join us as we muse on aging and the value of every life stage!
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Missing episodes?
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We’ve talked about Instagram quite a bit on this podcast - one of our earliest episodes was us talking about our Instagram aesthetics and anxieties around using Instagram. I think it’s fair to say that Instagram plays an important role in our lives and we’ve started to re-examine and re-assess our relationship with it. In this episode we're discussing how our relationship with Instagram has changed over the years, the ways that Instagram tries to keep our attention and keep us on Instagram, and what we wish Instagram could be and what we wish our relationship with the social media platform could be like!
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Two ✨material gworls✨ who love their stuff get into their spending habits, our thoughts on the genre of online content that tells you what you NEED or DON’T NEED to buy, how we’re influenced by influencers, ads, and even those around us, and our relationship with money.
Disclaimers:
- This episode was recorded in early 2022, before the start of the global economic slowdown and mass layoffs of late-2022. Some of the topics mentioned do not take this extreme economic lifestyle-shifting event into consideration.
- Isa here: I insinuated that most college odd jobs do not make significant money. This comment was ignorant, as many students, in fact, work jobs that pay enough to support themselves (and/or their families) throughout college. Also, I would like to take full accountability of my poor financial decisions! LA didn’t make me spend money, EYE made those poor money decisions myself.
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Hello hello! Did you miss how awkward we are?? Well we are at our most awkward and rusty in this season 4 trailer/pre-season episode??? Just a little explainer on what we’ve been up to the last 8+ months and trying to get back into the swing of things for the new season. We'll be back again next week with a new episode! Until then, feel free to follow us on instagram @net.aesthetic and keep up with us! As always, thanks for listening!
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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. 😢
Explore more:Why You Stopped Reading - Answer in Progress
Books Read By
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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:
The Problem With "Glow Up" Videos
I Didn’t Have a Glow Up and Neither Did You
thepuppyclub post
“Glow Up” Culture is Dangerous
It’s Time To Leave Toxic “Glow-Up” Culture Behind In 2021
WHY GLOW UP CULTURE IS TOXIC AND NEEDS TO CHANGE
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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:
First
Second
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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.
Resources:
Taylor Swift, “Unapologetic Messiness,” and the Dying Gasp of Girlboss Anachronisms
The Girlboss Is Dead. Long Live the Girlboss.
Rich White Women, Pinkwashed Capitalism, & The Downfall Of The Girlboss
WHEN MULTILEVEL MARKETING MET GEN Z
The End of the Girlboss Is Here
The Infantilizing Ways We Talk About Womens Ambition
Gaslight, gatekeep: How “girlboss” went from aspirational to insulting
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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:
The Damage Behind "Do it for the Gram" - Travel for Difference
An Evening Offline with the Fairytale Goddesses of Instagram - Vox
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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.
Sources:
Stop Asking Me About My Side Hustle
The complicated reality of doing what you love
Instagram Post
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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???
Resources:
What is This New Picrew Avatar Trend? - The Mary Sue
How an online dress up game became a battleground for digital hate mobs - Reddit
Picrews We Like:
by ieu
by Sudo Sota
by makowka
by alohasushicore
by scuffscotch
by ummmmandy
by TyuOrphinae
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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)
Resources:
https://aesthetics.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Academia José Rizal: The Philippines’ Reluctant Revolutionary • Puppet History -
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!
You can find our first guest, Brenda, on Instagram and YouTube @thebookofbrenda!
Do you have any tips on navigating the internet? Let us know in our Spotify Q&A or send them to us on our instagram @net.aesthetic !
Interesting Articles and Further Reading:
What is the Metaverse, and Do I have to Care? - The Verge
The NFT Scammers are Here - The Verge
How to Protect Your Digital Privacy - NY Times
Internet Basics - What is the Internet? - GCFGlobal
Cyber Collective
Internet Scams: What They Are and How to Avoid Them - Norton
It's Time to Stop Paying for a VPN - NY TImes
How to Get Around Newspaper Paywalls in 2021 Read Articles for Free - Medium
Your Phone Isn't Listening to You It's Collecting the Data You're Giving It
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Welcome to the new and improved Internet Aesthetic! We're going on 3 seasons strong and felt like our trailer needed an update :)
Join us each week for a casual dive into the internet and its trends, cultures and sub-cultures, society and its structures of power, and, aesthetics. Because of course, what is substance without style?
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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:
Culture of California
The United States Of Accents: California English
20 Words That People from California Say
Do I Sound "Asian" to You?: Linguistic Markers of Asian American Identity
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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:
the instagram infographic industrial complex - amandamaryanna
Should We Trust Instagram Infographics? - Hannah Berman
How Social Justice Slideshows Took Over Instagram - Vox
Unpacking the Instagram Infographic Industrial Complex - Lithium Magazine
The Aesthetics of Activism: How Instagram Changed Protesting - Refinery 29
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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:
Cottagecore Debuted 2,300 Years Ago
Is cottagecore a colonialist fantasy?
The Paradox of Cottagecore | Rejecting Hustle Culture
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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:
What are NFTs? - Bitcove Blog
Confused about NFTs? We Explain All You Need to Know - Creative Bloq
Sorry, but NFTs Are Not Design's Democratizing Savior - AIGA Eye on Design
NFTs Weren't Supposed to End Like This - The Atlantic
Here is the Article You Can Send to People When They Say "But the Environmental Issues with Cryptoart Will be Solved Soon, Right?" - Everest Pipkin
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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.
Pinterest Shareholders Sue Over ‘Toxic’ Work Culture - The Verge
Glossier and the Rise of Workers Using Social Media to Hold Employers Accountable - Make It CNBC
Looking Ahead: Responsibility to Community - Outta the Gloss
ThirdLove Says It’s by Women, for Women. But Women Who’ve Worked There Disagree - Vox
Emotional Baggage - The Verge
“People are Getting Soft”: How the Away Scandal Exposed a Silicon Valley Culture War - FastCompany
- Show more