Don't Like - "It's Not That Deep"
Last night I read a piece called “Menswear is … a spindly glory hole that, if you dare jam your dick in, tickles for a second but mostly makes you feel broke and sad” by Andy Sachs1 on the substack Deez Links. It’s a scathing piece of criticism against the current state of male fashion (a.k.a. menswear). If you aren’t even vaguely familiar with what’s popular or considered cool right now, the substance of the article might be too opaque to be legible. For what it’s worth, the article generally critiques what could be called Nobu Style. If you’ve also read the article I’d be happy to talk about it but what really caught my attention was a comment left by someone going by AnonDrip. The comment is a long rebuttal to the article with five bulleted points and a small conclusion at the end. The first four points were on the specifics of the piece that I am unable to comment, but the fifth point stuck out to me. This person said, “it’s really not that deep. people wear what they like…”2 You see this sentiment around the web and it leaks into the real world as well. I can see how such a sentiment re-tethers certain discussions back to reality. However, it often gets used in a way that forecloses having a fuller conversation about what goes on around you. It’s funny because it is a phrase that’s seemingly used by people who like the thing that is being critiqued. Case in point, writing a short response to someone’s article and finishing by effectively saying “This is a waste of time.” In that way, it’s very similar to “Let people enjoy things.” It wields cynicism and populism as weapons against intellectuality under the guise of being a new kind of symbolic pacifism. I think that’s sad, even when it’s about topics I don’t fully understand.
Pretty sure this is also just a pen name which is funny because Andy Sachs is Anne Hathaway’s character’s name in The Devil Wears Prada, a flawless film.
The full comment by Anondrip was:
“1) this article is everything it claims to hate about “Menswear”
2) speaking about “Menswear” as a monolith is a flawed approach and way of thinking, and it becomes self-fulfilling prophecy when viewed through this lens.
3) the ALD hate is as played out as you claim the brand itself is. everybody hates on ALD because they’re good at what they do and everyone can claim they “saw it coming”
4) criticizing ALD for being white boy fast fashion with Supreme pricing and then praising a brand like 18East that does the same exact thing (and was criticized for potential appropriation) is actually laughable.
5) it’s really not that deep. people wear what they like. generations are nostalgic for their formative years. millennials love the 90’s and genz loves the 2000’s and they wear what they like and what resonates with them.
if you dislike what people wear, on a large or small scale, you are what’s wrong with “menswear” - people wear what they like. get over yourself.
signed - someone with ALD, Supreme, 18east, Noah, and lots of “gorpcore” in their wardrobe.”
The second to last part is a particularly aggressive point. While it is true that people can over-intellectualize style and dress, it is bizarre to not have any critical stance—particularly amongst people who self-profess to have an interest in style and dress.