I have come to realise that there is no freer feeling than just embracing one’s own unique lameness, mainstream interests and all
Ever since the Tumblr-scrolling days of my youth, my ultimate goal in life has always been to be seen as someone who is undoubtedly, undeniably, unquestionably “cool”.
As most other former insecure, desperate-to-be-perceived-as-cool teenagers would attest to, the formation of our identities directly coincided with the media, fashion, celebrities or philosophies we were fans of at the time. It was paramount that what we happened to enjoy got the stamp of approval by whatever chic society we were chomping at the bit to be accepted into, digital or otherwise.
For me, it was the internet It Girls that dominated my laptop’s screen during the early-to-mid-2010s, who expressed their love for Cigarettes After Sex, Lana Del Rey, FKA twigs, and TV shows and movies almost exclusively made 20 years prior.
I wanted nothing more than to be just like them and to be a part of the Cool Girl Club.
