In this week's episode, we examine a specific brand of dark femininity that feels like a vestige of 2016, embodied through dramatic imagery of luxury accessories, cartoon vixens, and predatory wildlife, and expressed through a paradoxical strain of man-hating male centrism. We discuss this aesthetic’s positioning in opposition to the Clean Girl and how interpersonal dynamics popularized by sex work inform its understanding of power and money. We also investigate why the dark feminine resonates so deeply among women of the so-called “Latina belt,” drawing connections to chola culture and Arabic literary traditions to explore how this affect functions as a negotiation between patriarchal tradition and Western ideas about female sexuality and autonomy. Finally, we identify the aesthetic’s greatest arbiters and muses, from Helmut Newton and Riccardo Tisci to Maddy Perez and BLACKPINK’s Lisa.Links:

Image board

Examples on Instagram, TikTok

Ralph Bakshi: A Forgotten Pioneer

Rihanna - B***h Better Have My Money (Explicit) (Official Music Video)

BbyMutha - RULES (Official Music Video)

Why Men Love B*****s: From Doormat to Dreamgirl by Sherry Argov

“How the Cholo Clown Became the Face of L.A.” by Frank Rojas for LA Times (“Smile Now, Cry Later” history)

Viral Alexa Demie Yo Voy clip

Ghazal History – Encyclopaedia Iranica

BLACKPINK’s Lisa introduces “Vixi”

@shopnou_ on Instagram

“The Wild World of Chris von Wangenheim” by Daisy Woodward for AnOther

Chris von Wanghenheim on TheFashionSpot

“Pomellato Revives Helmut Newton’s Daring ’80s Campaigns in a New Show” by Annie Davidson Watson for W

Ricardo Tisci by Donatella Versace for Interview

Givenchy Fall 2011 Menswear on Vogue Runway

Givenchy Spring 2011 Ready-to-Wear on Vogue Runway

Givenchy Fall 2011 Ready-to-Wear on Vogue Runway

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