In this edition of Study Break, we discuss the ragebait spectacle of Paris Fashion Week, darksided news from Hollywood featuring Tilly Norwood and D4vd, lives of showgirls everywhere from Taylor Swift’s possible schizophrenia diagnosis to Addison Rae’s vintage scream queen moment to Zara Larsson’s sublime vocal talent, and the cultural warfare fallout of Bad Bunny’s road to the Super Bowl. Sam also reviews Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another and we discuss the curious case of Chase Infiniti. Links:Jean Paul Gaultier Spring 2026 by Duran Lantink Cardi B “she was so happy to look a mess” Tweet (Gypsy Sport Spring 2016)Balenciaga Spring 2026 by Pierpaolo PiccioliMaison Margiela Spring 2026 by Glenn Martens“When Did New York Fashion Week Get So Boring?” by Rachel Seville Tashjian for The Washington PostBen Doctor Spring 2026 Keith Urban and Maggie Baugh affair rumors amid Nicole Kidman splitTilly Norwood Official Website“Hollywood is Already Falling Behind on AI Video” by Lucas Shaw for Bloomberg“Everything We Know About D4VD” – BillboardChase Infiniti’s K-pop dance cover of “OMG” by NewJeansAddison Rae’s performance in Ryan Murphy’s Monster: The Ed Gein StoryAddison Rae performs “Diet Pepsi / New York” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy FallonTaylor Swift explains her song “Actually Romantic”“Irony and Proverb Comprehension in Schizophrenia: Do Female Patients ‘Dislike’ Ironic Remarks?” in Schizophrenia Research and TreatmentZara Larsson on Sweden’s Got Talent in 2008El Chavo Del Ocho (English Version) - Saturday Night Live starring Bad Bunny This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nymphetalumni.com/subscribe
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Ep. 136: Jane Birkin w/ Marisa Meltzer
This week on Nymphet Alumni, Biz is joined by journalist and author Marisa Meltzer to talk about her new book It Girl: The Life and Legacy of Jane Birkin — the first comprehensive biography of the actress, singer and myth-muse. The two get into the making of Birkin’s image and the unseen real life behind it, plus how aging, style and selfhood intersect. Also discussed: the horrors of Serge Gainsbourg’s man-cave, Timothee Chalamet as inheritor of the Jane B legacy, and why swag might just come from getting older.Links:It Girl: The Life and Legacy of Jane Birkin by Marisa Meltzer (Out now!)Soft Power by Marisa MeltzerMarisa Meltzer This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nymphetalumni.com/subscribe
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Ep. 135: Chinese Century Romanticism w/ Olivia Kan-Sperling
In this episode, Alexi is joined by writer, editor, and dear friend Olivia Kan-Sperling to discuss the aesthetic universe of her brand new novel, Little Pink Book, a lyrical and decadent romantic tragedy set in Shanghai. In unpacking her wide range of influences, we explore shabby chic Orientalism, avant garde florists, Chinese romantasy web novels, baroque bespoke beverages, the emerging field of Wasian studies, the triggering qualities of Clairo’s “Pretty Girl” music video, the possibility of Labubu as a literary format, and much more. Links:Image boardLittle Pink Book by Olivia Kan-Sperling from Simon and SchusterOlivia’s websiteOlivia on Instagram @dianadiagramAlexi’s interview with Olivia in Interview magazineDiane Severin Nguyen: In Her Time (Iris’s Version)Empire of Signs by Roland BarthesMolly Tea’s domineering CEO romance receipt promo via Dr. Candise LinThe Architecture of Taste by Pierre Hermé - Lecture to the Harvard Graduate School of Design (2013)Julian Castronovo review of Little Pink Book in BOMB magazineShanzhai: Deconstruction in Chinese by Byung-Chul Han This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nymphetalumni.com/subscribe
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Ep. 134: Fashion and Psychoanalysis w/ Dr. Valerie Steele
In this episode, we welcome back none other than the “Freud of Fashion” herself, Dr. Valerie Steele, to discuss the Museum at FIT’s latest exhibition, Dress, Dreams, and Desire: Fashion and Psychoanalysis. Dr. Steele walks us through central theories on mirrors, masquerade, and eroticism, exploring the deep-seated fears and fantasies that drive what we wear. We dissect how the theories of Lacan and Freud play out on the bodies dressed by Schiaparelli, McQueen, Versace, and many more fashion history greats. Links: Visit Dress, Dreams, and Desire: Fashion and Psychoanalysis at the Museum at FIT (up until January 4, 2026)!Register for the Fashion and Psychoanalysis Symposium at the Museum at FIT, Friday November 14th!Audio Analysis for Dress, Dreams, and Desire (four items) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nymphetalumni.com/subscribe
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Ep. 133: Clown Town (Emergency Roundtable)
In this emergency roundtable report, we discuss how clownery has become a dominant mode of aesthetic and ideological expression, perhaps symbolizing the defeat of authenticity. Recent carnivalesque incidents include the chaotic spectacle of this year’s VMAs, the meteoric rise of the Savannah Bananas, Jay Guapo’s Italian Brainrot Block Party, the political role reversal of the troll and the triggered, Audrey Hobert’s debut album Who’s the Clown, and more. Links: Top Clown Town outfits at the VMAs: Conan Gray in Erik Charlotte, Megan Stalter as hot dog vendor, Doja Cat in Balmain, Ariana Grande’s outfit changes, Sabrina Carpenter in ValentinoSabrina Carpenter Performs “Tears” | 2025 Video Music Awards“I need to see you spin first, sista” from Sex and the City S4 E18Chappell Roan Performs “Pink Pony Club” (Live From The 67th Grammy Awards)“Chappell Roan on the Queer Origins of her Signature Makeup Look” – Gay TimesFlash Mob! The Savannah Bananas Crash The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon“As Savannah Bananas ursue ‘a billion fans,’ are they real competition for MLB?” – The New York TimesJay Guapo’s Brainrot Block PartyTyler Robinson’s bullet casing inscription breakdown – PBS News HourThe story behind FBI Director Kash Patel’s seemingly random ‘Valhalla’ referenceTrump’s presidential portraits from 2017 to 2025“What Is ‘Dark Woke’?” – The New York Times“Why has Gavin Newsom gone ‘dark woke’?” – BBCMexican influencer Marian Izaguerre dies after posting goodbye video in clown makeupAudrey Hobert Who’s the Clown interview in Teen Vogue“The Clown at Midnight: Coulrophobia, Counterculture, and the Decadent Pierrot Mask” by Samuel Love – Sequitur Passages from Mikhail Bakhtin on the grotesque body and the carnivalesque sense of the world This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nymphetalumni.com/subscribe
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