Deep dives, pop culture, & evolving tastes

Hey friends,

Fall is wayyyy underway here in New York. ‘Tis getting quite chilly, so I hope you’ve been staying warm! If you’re in a place that doesn’t “observe seasons,” I hope you continue to ~maintain homeostasis~.

Recently, I’ve been watching these “deep dive” videos on YouTube—basically video essays, stylized with added graphics and other forms of audiovisual content that supports the creator’s main thesis. I really enjoy this trend of creating these kinda-sorta mini-documentaries that track the evolution of popular culture.

It goes to show that meaningful analysis isn’t restricted to the written word, nor to the classroom setting. Creators have done a great job of adapting “traditional” methods to new formats to create products that are both entertaining and informative.

✨ A deep dive into fashion...

My sister is the fashionista of the household, and most of my clothes come from her closet (heheh…). This past year, though, I’ve found myself appreciating fashion more and putting greater care into color coordination, accessorizing, etc. It’s fun how interests can grow and wane depending on what stage of life you’re at.

Interests are not static, nor are the human beings that nurture them.

There’s a fashion deep dive by Mina Le that I enjoyed and want to share with you. It covers the iconic Fran Fine from The Nanny, a sitcom that aired in the late 1990s, but whose fashion is still so impactful today. It’s impressive much thought goes into costume design and how character development can be materialized in the way a character dresses.

🔥 Popular culture in the classroom

That being said, popular culture—movies, music, fashion, etc.—are often seen as contradictory to rigorous academic and professional studies. But my favorite college assignments have actually been the ones in which I had the freedom to incorporate popular culture into my work.

• In a philosophy course, for example, I wrote about Disney’s Mulan through the lens of John Locke’s social contract theory.

• For my Human Nature class, I wrote a reflection on trends in plastic surgery, social hierarchies, and East Asian culture, making reference to the Subtle Asian Traits community.

• In a first-year writing seminar, I wrote about foot binding and gender stereotypes in conversation with the Brothers Grimm Cinderella story. This led to a research paper I wrote this past summer on the history of foot binding and economics of caregiving, with a focus on the valuation of reproductive labor.

(Let me know if you’d like to learn more about any of these projects, btw!) 😊

🎥 Latest bops heard from my dorm room...

Any track from Taylor Swift’s “Folklore” and “Evermore” albums. Particularly, champagne problems, the lakes, and right where you left me. I think these are taylor-ed (heh) towards a more mature audience, compared to her previous pop/country-style songs.

I like to think I’ve matured since the songs were first released, which may explain why I’m more appreciative of them now.

Alas! It’s fun to see how your tastes can evolve based on who you currently are.

🎥 Latest videos

🎙️ Latest on the podcast

That’s it for this issue. As always, cheers to being inbox buddies!

❤️ Caroline

P.S. If you have any feedback/comments for me, please reply to this email or contact me on my website: carolinechen.me. I’m always happy to hear your thoughts on content, what you find useful, and what can be improved with some “re-thinking.” :D