Nymphet Alumni

Course Materials 055

Nymphet Alumni — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 13:30:47 GMT

Welcome to week fifty five of Course Materials, our recommendations column where we share the best of our cultural diets for paid subscribers every Friday.

To access the full Course Materials archive, exclusive episodes, and all the glamour of our premium content, you’ll need to add your payment information at this link.

Here are our personal picks for the week of June 15th:

Ep. 161: The Paranoid Style w/ Anika Jade Levy

Nymphet Alumni — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 20:43:44 GMT

In this episode, Sam is joined by friend of the pod Anika Jade Levy, author of Flat Earth and founding editor of Forever Magazine, for a sprawling investigation into the paranoid spirit of the United States of America. Beginning with the America’s founding fantasy of paradise, Anika and Sam trace how the country’s utopian dream soured into a national aesthetic of suspicion: from Puritan invisible enemies and the feminized conspiracy of the Salem Witch Trials, to the pastoral terror of data centers humming in the American wilderness, to cyberpunk stealthwear, urban camouflage, hollow earths, Atlantis, visions of a lost world, and much, much more. Drawing from Leo Marx, Richard Hofstadter, Adam Curtis, Cotton Mather, Anette Kolodny, Silvia Federici, and Anika’s own novel, the girls move through history, politics, media, and fashion to uncover what conspiracy reveals about American self-invention.

Links:

Anika’s Instagram

Flat Earth by Anika Jade Levy

Forever Magazine

Agens Denis’s A Confrontation: Battery Park Landfil

The Machine in the Garden by Leo Marx

The Paranoid Style in American Politics by Richard Hofstadter

The Lay of the Land by Annette Kolodny

Caliban and the Witch by Silvia Federici

The Significance of the Frontier in American History by Fredrick Jackson Turner

Wonders of the Invisible World by Cotton Mather

The Cultural Cold War by Frances Stonor Saunders

CV Dazzle

Balenciaga Panic of 2022

Lotta Volkova Conspiracy

Data Center Hum on TikTok

Mr. Bean/Princess Diana Reel

The Century of the Self by Adam Curtis

MAGA as Fan Fiction by Gideon Jacobs

Player One and Main Character by Gideon Jacobs

New Models: The Online Marketplace of Ideas with Joshua Citarella

The Gurdjieff Movements

The New Age Bible by Sheila Heiti

Course Materials 054

Nymphet Alumni — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 13:31:07 GMT

Welcome to week fifty four of Course Materials, our recommendations column where we share the best of our cultural diets for paid subscribers every Friday.

To access the full Course Materials archive, exclusive episodes, and all the glamour of our premium content, you’ll need to add your payment information at this link.

Here are our personal picks for the week of June 8th:

Ep. 160: What Can I Deuphoria | Study Break

Nymphet Alumni — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 20:44:03 GMT

In this edition of Study Break, we bid a bittersweet farewell to Euphoria, discussing our conclusive takeaways from the season finale, including theories on slapstick comedy, destiny swapping, and sexual extremism. We also review the Gen Z losercore horror hit Backrooms and its thesis on the dangers of introspection, analyze Dua Lipa’s topologically curious courthouse wedding look, and consider the cultural implications of new releases from Drake, Charli XCX, and Olivia Rodrigo.

Links:

Course Materials 053

Nymphet Alumni — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 20:27:55 GMT

Welcome to week fifty three of Course Materials, our recommendations column where we share the best of our cultural diets for paid subscribers every Friday.

To access the full Course Materials archive, exclusive episodes, and all the glamour of our premium content, you’ll need to add your payment information at this link.

Here are our personal picks for the week of June 1st:

Ep. 159: I Know Dada w/ Chase Rutherford

Nymphet Alumni — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 16:48:04 GMT

In this episode, we’re joined by legendary TikTok creator, Slushy Noobz creative director, and certified #SWAG Dadaism pioneer Chase Rutherford to further interrogate the ideas introduced in our previous episode. We discuss the freedom of default aesthetics and the legacy of normcore, the provocative power of readymades over a century after Fountain, how Kanye anchored the preppy misfit years of Chase’s youth, and how Chase resisted the siren song of LA influencer culture in favor of creative autonomy. We also discuss the art historical impact of Beyoncé and Jay-Z at the Louvre, how Sombr’s personal brand might still be salvaged, and the importance of reframing transient microtrends—from clout goggles to Brazil baby tee—as the significant cultural artifacts of our time.

Links:

Chase Rutherford on Instagram

Chase Rutherford on TikTok

Slushy Noobz on Patreon

Slushy Noobz official merchandise

Course Materials 052

Nymphet Alumni — Fri, 29 May 2026 12:48:03 GMT

Welcome to week fifty two of Course Materials, our recommendations column where we share the best of our cultural diets for paid subscribers every Friday.

To access the full Course Materials archive, exclusive episodes, and all the glamour of our premium content, you’ll need to add your payment information at this link.

Here are our personal picks for the week of May 25th:

Ep. 158: Dark Homocore w/ Kiernan Francis

Nymphet Alumni — Mon, 25 May 2026 13:56:34 GMT

In this episode, Alexi is joined by filmmaker, photographer, and Club POLO founder Kiernan “Knives” Francis to discuss Dark Homocore, the sweaty, unapologetically horny strain of queer visual culture that’s crawled out of the underground and into the zeitgeist. We trace the history of male objectification and coded gay desire from Bruce Weber’s homoerot…

Course Materials 051

Nymphet Alumni — Fri, 22 May 2026 14:27:36 GMT

Welcome to week fifty one of Course Materials, our recommendations column where we share the best of our cultural diets for paid subscribers every Friday.

To access the full Course Materials archive, exclusive episodes, and all the glamour of our premium content, you’ll need to add your payment information at this link.

Here are our personal picks for the week of May 18th:

Course Materials 050

Nymphet Alumni — Fri, 15 May 2026 13:30:34 GMT

Welcome to week fifty of Course Materials, our recommendations column where we share the best of our cultural diets for paid subscribers every Friday.

To access the full Course Materials archive, exclusive episodes, and all the glamour of our premium content, you’ll need to add your payment information at this link.

Here are our personal picks for the week of May 11th:

Ep. 157: American Freakshow | Study Break

Nymphet Alumni — Wed, 13 May 2026 14:04:38 GMT

In this edition of Study Break, we discuss the less-than-triumphant return of Euphoria and Sam Levinson’s pivot to everythingsplotation Western, Michael Jackson’s new hagiography and the grotesque legacy that transcends it, and recent fashioncore highlights from the literalism of the Met Gala to the nostalgia of The Devil Wears Prada 2. We also discuss the Substack truth nuke that rocked the indie music scene, Olivia Rodrigo’s coquette comeback, The Drama’s fresh take on the tribulations of female adolescence, and more.

Links:

Suga Free the Pimp on Instagram

Pimp: The Story of My Life by Iceberg Slim

“Why Is Everything So Ugly?” in Issue 44 of n+1

“Fashion Is Not Art (And That’s OK)” by Valerie Steele in Someone Else

“See Every Look from the Met Gala 2026 Red Carpet” in Vogue

Hudson Williams MUA Aika Flores Pinterest board leak

Hudson Williams heading home at 7am following the Met Gala after party

“Abnormals, Freaks, and Michael Jackson: Foucault, Baldwin, and the Truth of the Grotesque” by Brad Elliott Stone

“Freaks and the American Ideal of Manhood (Here Be Dragons)” by James Baldwin, originally published in Playboy, January 1985

Rabelais and His World by Mikhail Bakhtin

Michael Jackson describes his first sexual encounter with Tatum O’Neal (2003)

Telephone Stories: The Trials of Michael Jackson on Spotify

On Michael Jackson by Margo Jefferson

“Meryl Streep and Anna Wintour on Power, Fashion, and Acting the Part” (April 2026 cover story) by Chloe Malle in Vogue

Synopsis: Innocence by Kaija Saariaho from the Metropolitan Opera

Olivia Rodrigo – drop dead (Official Music Video)

Olivia Rodrigo – begged (Live) on Saturday Night Live

“Fake Fans” by Eliza McLamb in words from eliza on Substack

Nancy Pelosi Endorses Jack Schlossberg For Congress

Acquired Style x Swan Beauty Viral Bachelorette Party

Course Materials 049

Nymphet Alumni — Fri, 08 May 2026 13:03:47 GMT

From now on, we’ll be sharing the best of our cultural diets for paid subscribers every Friday.

A little reminder: if you haven’t added your payment info into Substack following our move from Patreon, your comped subscription to our exclusive episodes and newsletters has now expired.

To remain subscribed to exclusive episodes and all the glamour of our premium content, including Course Materials, you’ll need to add your payment information at this link.

Without further ado, here are our personal picks for the week of May 4th:

Ep. 156: #SWAG Dadaism

Nymphet Alumni — Wed, 06 May 2026 14:22:24 GMT

In this episode, we coin a new term for one of the most interesting creative impulses of our generation: #SWAG Dadaism. Like the original Dadaists responding to the whiplash of industrialization and WWI, a certain subset of young creatives are responding to the vertigo of global instability and breathless technological futurism through fashion assemblage, IP maximalism, and a fearless embrace of all things chopped and random. We conduct a historical survey from Clement Greenberg’s theory of kitsch and the avant-garde to the early days of meme culture to explore page fashion parodists of the past decade. We also get into Justin Bieber and Timothée Chalamet’s parallel #SWAG rebrands, the collapse of the secondhand market and its unexpected creative upside, and how #SWAG exists as the antithesis of refinement culture.

Links:

Image board

Dada Manifesto by Tristan Tzara (1918)

“Avant-Garde and Kitsch” by Clement Greenberg from The Partisan Review (1939)

“The First Meme of 2026 Is About Not Explaining Yourself. And Buttons.” by Madison Malone Kircher for The New York Times

Chase Rutherford on Instagram (referenced posts one, two, three)

Chase Rutherford interview for Perfectly Imperfect

@okniceok on Instagram

@kalebphobic on TikTok re: digicore sampling

Canal Street Research Association and Shanzhai Lyric on Instagram

“Bags, Bootlegs and Art: A Quirky Communion on Canal Street” by Siddhartha Mitter in The New York Times

Ava Nirui / @avanope interview in Office magazine (2017)

“Meet Ava Nirui, The Creative Force Behind Marc Jacobs’ Heaven Line” by Eni Subair in Vogue (2020)

“Go To The Thrift Store That’s Where The Heat Is” on Know Your Meme

@harmonytividad “filet minion” post on Instagram

Middle school boy bar crawl on TikTok

Tung Tung Tung Sahur boxers outfit on TikTok

@twylatoktok on TikTok (referenced posts one, two, three)

@turtlewithhat_ / Izzy and Emma pink leggings outfits

Course Materials 048

Alexi Alario — Fri, 01 May 2026 12:01:57 GMT

Welcome to week forty-eight of Course Materials, our revamped recommendations column!

From now on, we’ll be sharing the best of our cultural diets for paid subscribers every Friday (coming in on Sunday, back to our regularly scheduled programming next week.)

A little reminder: if you haven’t added your payment info into Substack following our move from Patreon, your comped subscription to our exclusive episodes and newsletters has now expired.

To remain subscribed to exclusive episodes and all the glamour of our premium content, including Course Materials, you’ll need to add your payment information at this link.

Without further ado, here are our personal picks for the week of April 27th:

Course Materials 047

Sam Cummins — Sun, 19 Apr 2026 22:13:18 GMT

Welcome to week forty-seven of Course Materials, our revamped recommendations column!

From now on, we’ll be sharing the best of our cultural diets for paid subscribers every Friday (coming in on Sunday, back to our regularly scheduled programming next week.)

A little reminder: if you haven’t added your payment info into Substack following our move from Patreon, your comped subscription to our exclusive episodes and newsletters has now expired.

To remain subscribed to exclusive episodes and all the glamour of our premium content, including Course Materials, you’ll need to add your payment information at this link.

Without further ado, here are our personal picks for the week of April 13th:

Course Materials 046

Sam Cummins — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 20:26:35 GMT

Welcome to week forty-six of Course Materials, our revamped recommendations column!

From now on, we’ll be sharing the best of our cultural diets for paid subscribers every Friday.

A little reminder: if you haven’t added your payment info into Substack following our move from Patreon, your comped subscription to our exclusive episodes and newsletters has now expired.

To remain subscribed to exclusive episodes and all the glamour of our premium content, including Course Materials, you’ll need to add your payment information at this link.

Without further ado, here are our personal picks for the week of April 6th:

Ep. 155: The Life of a Bravolebrity w/ Mia Alario

Alexi Alario — Sun, 05 Apr 2026 15:04:19 GMT

In this exclusive solo episode, I interview Mia Alario, the star of Bravo’s Charleston-based nightlife reality show Southern Hospitality … who also happens to be my older sister. We discuss how her reign of terror as a juvenile delinquent led to a successful career in television, the challenges of casting for TV in the digital age, the cornerstones of B…

Course Materials 045

Nymphet Alumni — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 19:32:20 GMT

Welcome to week forty-five of Course Materials, our revamped recommendations column!

From now on, we’ll be sharing the best of our cultural diets for paid subscribers every Friday.

A little reminder: if you haven’t added your payment info into Substack following our move from Patreon, your comped subscription to our exclusive episodes and newsletters has now expired.

To remain subscribed to exclusive episodes and all the glamour of our premium content, including Course Materials, you’ll need to add your payment information at this link.

Without further ado, here are our personal picks for the week of March 30th:

Ep. 154: God's Country Regional Warfare (Emergency Roundtable)

Nymphet Alumni — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 20:58:43 GMT

In this Emergency Roundtable, we survey the creative battle for the heart of America, discussing how pop stars, auteurs, and creative directors can’t seem to quit the American interior, with varying results from campy kitschy country-pop to anxietycore political absurdism. We dissect the Lana del Rey vs. Ethel Cain conflict as a generational allegory, the Chappell Roan smear campaign and the contradictions of her Midwest Princess persona, Taylor Sheridan's neo-Western empire and the fantasy of heartland wealth, and the Texas vs. California showdown over the soul of the American economy. We also review the viral Dinergoth prospectus, and Alexi and Sam report back from a Texas road trip with new personal stakes in all of the above.

Links:

Course Materials 044

Sam Cummins — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 13:01:18 GMT

Welcome to week forty-four of Course Materials, our revamped recommendations column!

From now on, we’ll be sharing the best of our cultural diets for paid subscribers every Friday.

A little reminder: if you haven’t added your payment info into Substack following our move from Patreon, your comped subscription to our exclusive episodes and newsletters has now expired.

To remain subscribed to exclusive episodes and all the glamour of our premium content, including Course Materials, you’ll need to add your payment information at this link.

Without further ado, here are our personal picks for the week of March 23rd: