The Cringe Shall Inherit the Earth
Gen X feared being a sellout, millennials feared being inauthentic, and Gen Z is afraid of being cringe. In Cobra Lily’s first episode with video, Ella explores the phenomenon of “cringe” and its reverberations across culture: ironic detachment in humor and self-presentation, an embrace of campy absurdism in pop music, and safe minimalist aesthetics (clean girl, old money, Brandy Melville ballet-core) in women's fashion. Why are young people so afraid of being seen trying, and what are the consequences of not? How has growing up in a digital panopticon changed our relationships to…
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