This week, we discuss the great mascot of modernism and one of our personal favorite archetypes: the dandy. We reflect on dandy theory from Baudelaire to Baudrillard and investigate the roots of dandyism as a reaction to “the great masculine renunciation” of the Age of Revolutions. We mourn tragic dandies past and honor their self-sacrifices at the altar of decadence, and we speculate on 21st century dandyism and its expressions online— and Sam shares her michelada recipe!

Links:

The Dandy, from The Painter of Modern Life by Charles Baudelaire

In Praise of Cosmetics, from The Painter of Modern Life by Charles Baudelaire

Simulacra and Simulations by Jean Baudrillard

The Rebel: An Essay on Man in Revolt by Albert Camus

Beau Brummel and English Dandymania – National Geographic

Great Moments in Dandyism – The Cut

Paris Fashion: A Cultural History by Valerie Steele

Dandyism and women’s fashion in the 1980s – The Guardian

Edward Preble on Tik Tok

Ethan Wong on Instagram

Mexican street corn devilled eggs Instagram recipe

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