Welcome aboard, I think your a very interesting and inspiring person, Looking forward to seeing your knowledge and insight on everything you do and see. Praying 🙏 for your success in your life ✨️ 💛 Dreams.
“It appears that certain styles, more conservatively coded, have become survival traits in a country that no longer feels stable.” An interesting way to put it. “Survival traits” reads as a nod to evolutionary selection, but of course style is more transient than typical traits that are selected for. So really the trait being selected for is the ability to switch, to change your look at the drop of a hat, to camouflage socially
I read this twice. The line about ambiguity wearing heavy really stuck with me. You found the emotional truth (one I tend to forget about when I see these people on the news or in my X feed; I usually only view it with a superficial lens) underneath an aesthetic trend and had the nerve to apply it equally to both sides. Really special debut Savannah!
Terrific writing! I love the epigrammatic style, the way you leave abstractions open: it reminds me of Adam Phillips in his books about Winnicott and Houdini.
“Noem knew the rules of the tribe and had paid the price of admission. Even as the world outside destabilized, the promise remained that the Republican Party’s order would continue to hold her within its arms — and therefore keep her safe.” But it didn’t; she was fired. Or am I just missing the deliberate irony here?
This is a great point, and shows that while your piece argues we might not blame the faithful for sacrificing their bodies to the cause in order to be a part of something, we must also recognize for our own urges to be part of something that nothing outside of us is truly safe, even if it’s a community. With the types of trends you lay out, the moment always evolves, and changing who we are simply to be included and safe is a false path. Safety doesn’t come through style but through care, no matter which ideological persuasion we hold at any given time.
Truly a creative piece, and the reading of MAGA female aesthetic feels important as we look around and wonder what the hell is happening.
I did find myself stuck on the both-sides framing a little bit. The piece itself hedges — “this may not be MAGA beauty by another name” — but then doesn’t really press on why. I was stuck here because I’m not sure the equivalences weigh the same. The liberal spend you point to is a thing, the $800 Brunello Cucinelli tee, the Loro Piana cashmere, but hasn’t that been a long-standing aspect of elite fashion? The $90,000 figure is carved into the body as a condition of belonging. Do barrettes and longer skirts sit on the same scale as that?
And separately, what does this look say to the women who share everything it represents but can’t afford the price of entry? That gap in what MAGA face represents and those who believe in it but can’t reach it feels like another hard question just underneath the surface.
Overall, I enjoyed this piece very much, very well written. Contemporary style aesthetic from you will be a great edition to the review!
Thank you Adam I’m so happy to be here and also to see more of your thoughts as I work on new pieces. What you said is something I struggled with — even if the stakes are different, how can I consciously diagnose the underlying aesthetic impulse without coming off as flippant? One of the hardest parts to tackle. On your second point, that’s very interesting…I hadn’t thought deeply about it. I thought about the high costs of entry on both sides, but not about what it means for the women who can’t afford to play the game. That’s something I need to think more carefully about to give a more thorough answer. Very excited to read your comment
Welcome aboard, I think your a very interesting and inspiring person, Looking forward to seeing your knowledge and insight on everything you do and see. Praying 🙏 for your success in your life ✨️ 💛 Dreams.
Can’t resist brining him in here:
“In all unimportant matters, style, not sincerity, is the essential. In all important matters, style, not sincerity, is the essential.”
- Oscar Wilde
He’s hard to resist I grant you
“It appears that certain styles, more conservatively coded, have become survival traits in a country that no longer feels stable.” An interesting way to put it. “Survival traits” reads as a nod to evolutionary selection, but of course style is more transient than typical traits that are selected for. So really the trait being selected for is the ability to switch, to change your look at the drop of a hat, to camouflage socially
A very careful point; and true.
I read this twice. The line about ambiguity wearing heavy really stuck with me. You found the emotional truth (one I tend to forget about when I see these people on the news or in my X feed; I usually only view it with a superficial lens) underneath an aesthetic trend and had the nerve to apply it equally to both sides. Really special debut Savannah!
This is spot on! Sad. Pact with the devil and all that.
Great article, looking forward to reading more of Savannah’s pieces!
Terrific style! I love the epigrammatic reversals and double-binds. it reminds me of Adam Phillips in his book on Winnicot and Houdini.
A very high compliment Tom, thank you!
Terrific writing! I love the epigrammatic style, the way you leave abstractions open: it reminds me of Adam Phillips in his books about Winnicott and Houdini.
Interesting piece highlighting the parallel between politics, society, and fashion in a way I had never thought before!
Stepford Wives, anyone?...
“Noem knew the rules of the tribe and had paid the price of admission. Even as the world outside destabilized, the promise remained that the Republican Party’s order would continue to hold her within its arms — and therefore keep her safe.” But it didn’t; she was fired. Or am I just missing the deliberate irony here?
Exactly, and perceptive! The safety is but an illusion.
This is a great point, and shows that while your piece argues we might not blame the faithful for sacrificing their bodies to the cause in order to be a part of something, we must also recognize for our own urges to be part of something that nothing outside of us is truly safe, even if it’s a community. With the types of trends you lay out, the moment always evolves, and changing who we are simply to be included and safe is a false path. Safety doesn’t come through style but through care, no matter which ideological persuasion we hold at any given time.
Wow - thank you for being so thoughtful Adam. I couldn’t have said this better
Truly a creative piece, and the reading of MAGA female aesthetic feels important as we look around and wonder what the hell is happening.
I did find myself stuck on the both-sides framing a little bit. The piece itself hedges — “this may not be MAGA beauty by another name” — but then doesn’t really press on why. I was stuck here because I’m not sure the equivalences weigh the same. The liberal spend you point to is a thing, the $800 Brunello Cucinelli tee, the Loro Piana cashmere, but hasn’t that been a long-standing aspect of elite fashion? The $90,000 figure is carved into the body as a condition of belonging. Do barrettes and longer skirts sit on the same scale as that?
And separately, what does this look say to the women who share everything it represents but can’t afford the price of entry? That gap in what MAGA face represents and those who believe in it but can’t reach it feels like another hard question just underneath the surface.
Overall, I enjoyed this piece very much, very well written. Contemporary style aesthetic from you will be a great edition to the review!
Thank you Adam I’m so happy to be here and also to see more of your thoughts as I work on new pieces. What you said is something I struggled with — even if the stakes are different, how can I consciously diagnose the underlying aesthetic impulse without coming off as flippant? One of the hardest parts to tackle. On your second point, that’s very interesting…I hadn’t thought deeply about it. I thought about the high costs of entry on both sides, but not about what it means for the women who can’t afford to play the game. That’s something I need to think more carefully about to give a more thorough answer. Very excited to read your comment
Interesting. But not a single illustration or photo about style?