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Woman in Retrograde

thecut.com · 983 words · saved by 1 readers

In 2023, the market conspired to sell us one thing, rendered every which way, and that thing was: girl. Online, she was ubiquitous, gender neutral, performing campy femininity, and going on hot walks and having non-nutritional dinners. In fashion, she had bows in her hair, on her mary janes, and everywhere else; she was Miu Miu for the luxury shopper and Simone Rocha and Sandy Liang for the downtown set. And as the critics heralded the return of monoculture — budget-busting, inescapable mass spectacle in the forms of Taylor Swift and Barbie — there she was on the front lines, blonde and newly empowered but still, definitely, always girl. It’s tempting to see the girl as being foisted on us — just another wicked instrument of the patriarchy. That might be true, but it’s also too easy. It’s women who are dressing up in pink and chirping “Hi, Barbie” at each other at the movie theater; women who are spending thousands on coquettish schoolgirl skirts and ballet flats; and it’s a woman whos

Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photo: Getty Images In 2023, the market conspired to sell us one thing, rendered every which way, and that thing was: girl. Online, she was ubiquitous , gender neutral, performing campy femininity, and going on hot walks and having non-nutritional dinners. In fashion, she had bows in her hair, on her mary janes, and everywhere else ; she was Miu Miu for the luxury shopper and Simone Rocha and Sandy Liang for the downtown set. And as the critics heralded the return of monoculture — budget-busting, inescapable mass spectacle in the forms of Taylor Swift and Barbie

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