Smugness and confidence are important, because they signify that you know what you’re doing, and if someone else doubts it, they’re in the wrong. Basically the Emperor’s New Clothes. If you can pull that off, you’re sort of by definition high status. People might privately think there is something wrong, but as long as everybody else pretends that it’s fine, and even very good, then you’re not going to step out of line.
Part of being cool is being legible. A leather jacket is legibly cool—add enough confidence and ease, and you have a good chance of being viewed cool. Unless you’re over 25 and not obviously hot, in which case you’re trying too hard / a poser. Which can happen anyway, as wearing a leather jacket to show you’re cool is so 90s (or whatever).
That Midjourney image is a good one. That guy is adding clown elements to an otherwise normally good looking suite setup. He’s wearing clothes (and importantly accessories) that are legibly “well dressed” and then added the dots and facepaint to show that he’s edgy and cool.
I think this is the main point of the lonely dissent article—wearing a leather jacket (or a black beret, or reading the communist manifesto or any other of a bunch of such things) are signs that you’re not like other girls, you’re not a sheeple, you’re the chosen or whatever. You still care about what others think about you enough to present yourself in ways that are legibly going against the system (or popular opinion, or what <some group> thinks, or whatever). While showing up in a clown suite because you have a good reason for doing so that doesn’t at all involve what other people think (even if it’s just because you want to) is non legible and strange.
Coolness is very much inside the limits of what is socially allowed, it’s just up against the borders. The further you get without crossing over, the cooler you are.
I showed this video (for lack of a better picture of you) to someone who is attuned to these kinds of things. She says you have a good looking face, so you can get away with a lot more, but that your sunglasses are a choice. Which sort of confirms your whole point, I suppose...
Smugness and confidence are important, because they signify that you know what you’re doing, and if someone else doubts it, they’re in the wrong. Basically the Emperor’s New Clothes. If you can pull that off, you’re sort of by definition high status. People might privately think there is something wrong, but as long as everybody else pretends that it’s fine, and even very good, then you’re not going to step out of line.
Part of being cool is being legible. A leather jacket is legibly cool—add enough confidence and ease, and you have a good chance of being viewed cool. Unless you’re over 25 and not obviously hot, in which case you’re trying too hard / a poser. Which can happen anyway, as wearing a leather jacket to show you’re cool is so 90s (or whatever).
That Midjourney image is a good one. That guy is adding clown elements to an otherwise normally good looking suite setup. He’s wearing clothes (and importantly accessories) that are legibly “well dressed” and then added the dots and facepaint to show that he’s edgy and cool.
I think this is the main point of the lonely dissent article—wearing a leather jacket (or a black beret, or reading the communist manifesto or any other of a bunch of such things) are signs that you’re not like other girls, you’re not a sheeple, you’re the chosen or whatever. You still care about what others think about you enough to present yourself in ways that are legibly going against the system (or popular opinion, or what <some group> thinks, or whatever). While showing up in a clown suite because you have a good reason for doing so that doesn’t at all involve what other people think (even if it’s just because you want to) is non legible and strange.
Coolness is very much inside the limits of what is socially allowed, it’s just up against the borders. The further you get without crossing over, the cooler you are.
I showed this video (for lack of a better picture of you) to someone who is attuned to these kinds of things. She says you have a good looking face, so you can get away with a lot more, but that your sunglasses are a choice. Which sort of confirms your whole point, I suppose...