When did minimalist aesthetics become associated with the right-wing all of a sudden?
I’m seeing so many social media posts claiming maximalist aesthetics like heavy makeup, brightly-coloured wardrobe, etc. are an “act of defiance” against “clean girl conservatism and MAGA fascism”, emphasizing that minimalism and the “clean girl” aesthetic are indicative of fascism, purity, eugenics, and whatnot. This makes no sense to me. Being in my 30s, I remember when minimalism and anti-consumerism were largely associated with the radical left. Think Ad Busters and CrimethInc. Gen X and xennial comrades were extremely anti-consumerist and preached a minimalist lifestyle. At the same time, maximalist aesthetics were largely associated with the right, because they were seen as indicative of mindless consumerism and neoliberalism, e.g. right-wing women were the ones showing off their 200 different eyeshadows, 60 different pairs of shoes, and 27 different handbags. Today, it’s like the paradigms have flipped. Having 200 eyeshadows and 60 different pairs of shoes is now promoted as revelling against “Trump Era conformity”. The beige-ification of everything is entirely blamed on American politics becoming more conservative, despite the fact this was already going on years prior when Biden was in office. Hell, I’m even seeing progressive women complain about a “war on femininity” on the basis that Trump’s America wants to privilege traditional masculinity and wants to keep “girl-like” aesthetics that allegedly emphasize weakness out of public view (ironically, right-wing women have long complained about a “war on femininity” being lead by feminists and queer activists).
So what’s going on? My understanding is that this is another example of how liberals erroneously believe they can offset fascism by propping up neoliberal individualism. It’s liberals who are now pushing mindless consumerism as the antidote to Trump’s system, because they think being an individual who stands out will “defy” a conservative cultural shift. This is so pathetic I don’t even know where to start.
Am I full of shit, or are others seeing the same thing?
70 posts and 10 image replies omitted.>>2406298I mean, here (not the USA) we kept giving breaks from the lockdowns for consumption season. And every time everybody went back to shopping and crowding they were like
> OH WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT ANOTHER WAVE. AIN'T FATE CAPRICIOUS?"My favorite image of COVID though, is the high profile events after the height of it. When the mask hysteria had passed. and now you had all the rich and powerful people unmasked, served by business brand masked staff.
Apparently we are so domesticated that we can get outraged by whatever is on TV, but not millions of dead all around us.
>>2397464One of the worst aspects of social media is the normalization of self-righteousness, pretentiousness, and the moralization of personal preferences. "The personal is the political" is used in ways it was never meant to be used, and rather than being about dedicating your life to winning political goals it's become a way for narcissists online to get supply from berating and degrading others for making the "wrong" consumer choices.
Imagine making a tweet on Twitter saying: "I prefer purple to blue" and someone responds to you with: "YOU'RE DISGUSTING. Historically, purple was the colour of the elite classes since it took a lot of dead snails to make. By liking purple over blue you are directly playing into patriarchal white supremacist capitalist propaganda. YOU MUST LIKE BLUE OVER PURPLE TO BE A MORALLY DECENT PERSON." This is the kind of bullshit social media promotes.
>The beige-ification of everything is entirely blamed on American politics becoming more conservative, despite the fact this was already going on years prior when Biden was in office.Liberals are in-denial that a queer-friendly, autistic-friendly, Hot Topic alt girl-friendly Democrat administration was perfectly capable of selling Israel plenty of weapons to commit genocide, so of course they make everything about aesthetics in lieu of understanding how politics and power actually work.
>The beige-ification of everything"sad beige mom aesthetic is ruining kids childhoods" lmao segregated suburban settlers are now like their ghetto prisoners suffering from sensory deprivation, how ironic!
>>2406941>we’re not talking about colour preferences but about Nazi and eugenicist dogwhistles. same thing:
>Sydney Sweeney's controversial new "great jeans" advert for American Eagle has been widely criticised on social media for its perceived racial and genetic messaging, and even been accused of creating "eugenics rage bait".>The Euphoria actor stars in the clothing brand's fall 2025 campaign, where there is wordplay on “jeans” and “genes" along with the tagline “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans", which has some viewers uncomfortable with this conflation.>In one of the ads, Sweeney is modelling the clothes from the new collection and says, "Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality, and even eye colour… my jeans are blue," followed by a voiceover that then says, "Sydney Sweeney has great Jeans."https://www.indy100.com/celebrities/sydney-sweeney-american-eagle-advert-controversy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_eugenics>>2397585>Also, can we PLEASE FUCKING STOP using the term 'eugenics' Jeffrey Epstein has a big club of eugenicists, and plenty of PMC high school teacher (like Epstein!) socialists are neatly aligned with his ideology:
<" For a long time, "eugenics" has been a boo-word, almost always misapplied and misunderstood. Freddie deBoer (My Favorite Marxist) explains how this has recently gotten even worse: Perhaps Not Everything is Eugenics, by @freddiesubstack freddiedeboer.substack.com/p…https://xcancel.com/sapinker/status/1483885141676068866>to describe anything we don't like?nazi NPC dialog #2: "you call anything you don't like fascism"
>>2397621>eugenics actually is state enforcement of who is and isn't allowed to breedFascism is the merger of corporate industry with the state
>Shit like beauty standards,This ugly degenerate doesn't know lmao:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ugly_law>prenatal vitamins,"Neoliberal austerity nazis would surely not deny their ghetto slaves healthcare! It would be terrible if that ever happened!"
>wanting to be fit/healthy, etc.Oprah style self-help neoliberals like RFK Jr are fascists whose ideology is entirely consistent with the Victorian British eugenics ideology of "wellness" and "racial hygiene"
>>2406941Democrats are going to win the midterm elections by a landslide anyway, meaning Trump and his goons will have a much harder time getting their bullshit passed. The outrage over the Gaza starvation, the Big Beautiful Bill destroying many Americans’ healthcare, and anger over Trump being on the Epstein list will cause the Dems to win back both the House and Senate.
I know Dems aren’t much better but at least they will hold off the descent into fascism for another few years, which gives us more time to organize.
>>2407013>Oprah style self-help neoliberals like RFK Jr are fascists whose ideology is entirely consistent with the Victorian British eugenics ideology of "wellness" and "racial hygiene"So going to the gym is “eugenics” now too?
Fascists make an effort to work out and get stronger. Shouldn’t we be doing the same if we’re in situations where we have to fight them head-on in the streets?
Or is being a weakling unable to fight back more “anti-capitalist” now?
>>2406361>>2407013Eugenics isn’t just Action T4. Eugenics is refusing to care for disabled people in everyday life. I’m autistic and I can’t live alone. I live with my ableist mother who keeps demanding I move out even though she knows I can’t.
I don’t care about Sydney Sweeney. I care that others make an effort to care about me. Ignoring me and my struggles and the struggles of all other autistic/disabled people in the world is eugenics. Being a caregiver for a disabled person who can’t live alone will do more to fight eugenics in practice than calling out pop culture.
>>2407394RFK Jr, Dr Oz and other fascist health gurus the Trump Admin are pushing explicitly use gym/vitamins rhetoric as a way to justify their healthcare cuts in order to kill off the disabled. That's the eugenics we are talking about here.
As for your slogans it might encourage some people to exercise which is fine on that level. But it buys into weird body dysmorphic thinking that capitalists use to get people to buy their shitty products. Average person doesn't need expensive weight equipment or even go to the gym, they can get healthy exercise simply by jogging, basic calisthenics and a few cheap weights. People don't need to look like bodybuilders to be fit either.
>>2407053How often do you think there will there be street fights between fascist and socialists? This feels like anarkidde protest thinking. If you are actually worried about fights then you should carry a gun or other weapon and also go out with a group of people ready to gang up on attackers. Average person shouldn't waste much time training be a marital arts master unless they enjoy it. Just learning a few basic strikes and throws will be fine.
>>2407473>Average person doesn't need expensive weight equipment or even go to the gym,A gym membership in my city is like $7, LOL!
Also, vitamins are a part of healthcare. Not really much different from taking over-the-counter meds you get at a pharmacy.
>>2407375>So when the only medical plan available is 'go to the gym and take vitamins' You're making a huge false dichotomy. No one ever said going to the gym and taking vitamins is a replacement for free healthcare. You take your health into your own hands as much as you can and go to the doctor when you can't.
It's also pretty funny seeing "leftists" demonize working out or taking vitamins of all things. My mutual aid group provided Vitamin D supplements to the unhoused last winter.
>>2407473> If you are actually worried about fights then you should carry a gun or other weapon and also go out with a group of people ready to gang up on attackers. Not possible if you live in Canada, Europe, or a US state with tight gun regulations like NY or MA.
Again, why the demonization of physical fitness? Why suggest physical fitness is "fascist" or inherently in opposition to universal healthcare?
>>2407490>Another factor that is very common in the western left is to treat suffering and extreme poverty as elements of superiority. It is very common in Western leftist culture to support martyrs and suffering. Everyone today likes Salvador Allende. Why? Salvador Allende is a victim, a martyr. He was assassinated in Pinochet’s coup d’ etat. When Hugo Chavez was alive, many sectors of the left turned their nose up at him. If he had been killed, for example, in the 2002 Coup attempt, he would be adored by the immense majority of the western left today, as a symbol of suffering and martyrdom. Since he continued exercising power as leader of a political process which, by necessity, had various contradictions, he was increasingly abandoned, as time passed – I don’t even have to mention what has happened to Maduro here. These same sectors which celebrate and support the idea of Allende because he defended democratic socialism do not see or do not want to see that Allende governed almost entirely through decrees. At the time, the Chilean constitution had a legal mechanism which enabled the executive branch to govern by decrees that did not have to be approved by parliament or the Supreme Court. So Allende was able to make laws through decrees which bypassed Congress and the Supreme Court. Since Allende did not have a majority in Congress and suffered a lot from the bourgeois opposition, he basically governed through decree throughout his entire mandate. This kind of action today is enough justification to label any left leader that practices it as authoritarian, to compare him to Trump, Bolsonaro, or Orban. If Allende was alive today he would also be criticized, but he died.
>“Allende governed almost entirely through decrees.”
>Another example of this is the situation with Ché Guevarra and Fidel Castro. To most western leftists, Che Guevara represents a rebel dreamer. In real life he was not, but they have built this image around him. Ché Guevara died immolated in the jungles of Bolivia, so now he is a symbol of sacrifice, martyrdom and the agony of defeat. Fidel stayed in Cuba as leader of the Cuban Revolution and all of the contradictions of this process. Today he is viewed as a bureaucrat, without charm or appeal, by many if not the majority of the western left. Ché Guevara is an eternal symbol of resistance, of dreaming, of utopia that is unfulfilled because of death.
>Another example of this is the contrast in how the People’s Republic of Korea is treated compared to Palestine. Both nations engaged in the same struggle – the anti-colonial fight for national independence. In the case of Korea, the struggle was made from a socialist perspective. Korea succeeded, despite being a country that is fractured by imperialism. It has an economy that is relatively strong, with a reasonably high level of industrialization, a very strong national army and capacity to launch nuclear weapons. So, Korea is not a defenseless nation. Palestinians are a people who are deeply oppressed, in a situation of extreme poverty, that don’t have a national economy because they don’t have a national state. They don’t have an army or military or economic power. Therefore, Palestine is the total incarnation of the metaphor of David vs Goliath, except that this David doesn’t have a chance of beating Goliath in political and military conflict. Therefore, almost everyone in the international left likes Palestine. People become ecstatic looking at those images – which I don’t think are very fantastic – of a child or teenager using a sling to launch a rock at a tank. Look, this is a clear example of heroism but it is also a symbol of barbarism. This is a people who do not have the capacity to defend themselves facing an imperialist colonial power that is armed to the teeth. They do not have an equal capacity of resistance, but this is romanticized. Western leftists like this situation of oppression, suffering and martyrdom. This is the part you needed to post, and yes it is correct.
>>2407479Rates depend on the city, gym brand, tier and if you have a contract for 6 tor 12 months, etc It can be hundred of dollars a year depending.
But my question is does the average person NEED to pay for a gym membership? No, they only need basic healthy fitness which is easily accomplished with jogging and calisthenics. If people want an extra workout they can buy a cheap set of weights. You don't need a Blowflex, Peloton or pay monthly fees to a gym.
>>2407480>No one ever said going to the gym and taking vitamins is a replacement for free healthcare. In fact Right-wingers ARE suggesting it's all anyone needs. It works perfect with new age positive thinking bullshit, Multi-level Marketing companies selling supplements, and Prosperity Gospel Christians all combined into one retarded American ideology. Trump and RFK, Dr Oz love all of it.
>It's also pretty funny seeing "leftists" demonize working out or taking vitamins of all things. Did I say anywhere in my post exercise and vitamins are bad? No.
>>2407481>Not possible if you live in Canada, Europe, or a US state with tight gun regulations like NY or MA.That's why I said you should bring "other weapons" and going out with groups ready to gang up on attackers. Learning basic strikes isn't bad but becoming a martial artist would be a wast of time. Even professional MMA fighters have been killed in street fights.
>Again, why the demonization of physical fitness?Never did. I said bodybuilder body dysmorphia is bad, not fitness. You don't need to look like Schwarzeuyghur to be fit and healthy.
>>2407484Republican executive branch can ignore Democrats congress if they want. Even assuming Democrats win all the branches they will only restore a fraction of what Republicans tear down. That is how it's been working for decades.
>>2407502>In fact Right-wingers ARE suggesting it's all anyone needs. Can you provide proof of this? It sounds like you're making a caricature. I googled "Dr. Oz supplements" and didn't see any recent articles of him peddling supplements. He's a sham doctor anyway but whatever.
>Did I say anywhere in my post exercise and vitamins are bad? No. You implied it. You said that vitamins were being used as an excuse for denying people healthcare and thus evil.
>Learning basic strikes isn't bad but becoming a martial artist would be a wast of time. What's wrong with enhancing your physical abilities and encouraging other leftists to do so as well? "Not everyone can do it, therefore it's useless" is a fallacy.
>Republican executive branch can ignore Democrats congress if they want.I'm not going to cheer on the Democrats, but do realize Trump and his minions like RFK are already facing extreme public scrutiny. Not just for the Epstein shit but also for the Big Beautiful Bill itself and specifically how it cuts healthcare. Even former Trump supporters are realizing this was a shitty idea since they're going to suffer without Medicare.
I'm sorry, but I simply don't buy the idea that the Trump Administration is going to commit eugenics. Why would they want to massively kill off a huge number of Americans when the entire ideology of Trumpism is "make America productive again"? They don't want to kill off disabled people, they want to force disabled people to work. That's what the wellness farms are for: not death camps but work camps. And all the crap about Medicare says the disabled and elderly have to work to earn their healthcare. It's all about forcing so-called "unproductive" people back into the labour force using the stick.
And let's face it: killing off a massive part of your population would cause a gigantic crisis in capitalism. That's why the ruling class wanted everyone to get the covid vaccine, so they could avoid a post-covid recession and get everyone working again. The capitalist class has no reason to kill off the disabled when they can just force them to work. All this talk of: "THEY'RE BRINGING BACK AKTION T4!" is nonsense.
>>2407509>Can you provide proof of this? https://www.alternet.org/trump-official-sick-americans/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rfk-jr-supplement-makers-fda/>He's a sham doctor anyway but whatever.And now he is America's new Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
>You said that vitamins were being used as an excuse for denying people healthcare and thus evil.Using vitamins as an excuse to cut healthcare is evil. But you were the one who jumped to the conclusion that means I was saying vitamins are evil. To be clear vitamins are not necessarily bad when taken it the right doses.
>What's wrong with enhancing your physical abilities and encouraging other leftists to do so as well? Encouraging fitness and health is good. But Bodybuilding is a hobby at best. Just packing on muscle doesn't do anything for you compared to lots of other activities. Martial arts is the same. You can be a great marital artist and still get jumped and overpowered.
https://au.sports.yahoo.com/kiwi-mma-fighter-dies-one-week-after-gutless-street-attack-021135263.html?guccounter=1After a certain point, returns for learning street fighting or putting on muscle diminish compared to just organizing a group or not getting into the fight in the first place.
>facing extreme public scrutiny.So what? They are still in power.
>Big Beautiful Bill itself and specifically how it cuts healthcareIt already passed.
>Even former Trump supporters are realizing this was a shitty idea since they're going to suffer without Medicare.And? Many Republicans now say they never trusted Bush and were against the Iraq War. He wasn't a true conservative you see. The next Republican administration will finally drain the swamp.
>the entire ideology of Trumpism is "make America productive again"? That's only if you take them at face value. Why are you?
>not death camps but work camps.Work will set the free…
>killing off a massive part of your population would cause a gigantic crisis in capitalism. They want some type of neofeudalism not capitalism. Current ruling class is realizing capitalism is a bad system to base their rule off of. They are looking for an off ramp.
>>2397585>>2397621>>2406361American politics has largely become based on outrage culture. Whichever side isn’t in control of the establishment resorts to outrage in order to rally up their supporters to go against the side that’s in power now. Liberals are currently sperging out over “EUGENICS EUGENICS EUGENICS” for the same exact reason MAGAts were sperging out a few years ago about drag queens reading books to kids.
If the Sydney Sweeney ad had been made by a Black woman, no one would have cared. But because liberals saw it as “Nazi propaganda” they were able to fester outrage. Lo and behold, American Eagle stock has now exploded due to the controversy and MAGAts buying said jeans to spite the so-called “wokes”. Oh hell, now they’re trying to get Billie Eilish cancelled for essentially doing the same thing, even though they had zero issue with her embracing a tradwife aesthetic back in 2021.
>>2409571Disabled people were being denied healthcare under Obama.
No idea why liberals think this shit started under Trump and RFK.
>>2409852idk at least some of them have some shame about it. On the other hand, conservatives actively try to make it acceptable and in turn make it easier for liberals.
Whatever, as leftists we know they both need to go.
>>2409930A lot of Minimalists advocate quality over quantity which tends to be more expensive. That means buying products that are more expensive than if they just bought lot of cheap replaceable ones. Some capitalists will charge premium prices for "minimalists products" specifically aimed at people trying to cut back. It also might not actually be better quality just be designed to look like a minimalist product.
But that criticism is not really dealing with the core ideas of minimalism but simply capitalists taking advantage to jack up prices and rip people off.
>>2411966the comparison is between 50 pairs and 1 pair
appealing to quality over quantity then forces you to say that the quality of 50 pairs together is at least equal the quality of one. this then means that the price of the shoe is in line with its value, which must be at least worth the cost of 50 shoes.
>>2411970the entire dichotomy is between quality and quantity
cheap shoes decline in value in proportion to their quality - hence, a cheap shoe falls apart quickly
this means that theoretically, an expensive shoe's quality is measured by its price ratio to the cheap shoe, so if a cheap shoe is worth $20 and an expensive one is $200, then it has 10 times the quality of the other. this also means that comparing between 50 pairs and 1 pair, the 1 pair would have to be worth at least $1000
my argument is that 50 pairs are generally preferable in the same time-frame than just 1 pair, since at least the 50 pairs are renewed after one another, rather than the slow decline of the one pair.
>>2397464You should also mention how, in spite of all the tradwife shit, right-wingers are becoming far more open to sex positivity whereas a lot of left-leaning zoomers are sexual prudes.
I had a zoomer girl tell me she thinks the Age if Consent should be 22, because “a 30-year old has no business dating a 20-year old unless he’s a predator”. Two decades ago it would be right-wing conservatives saying that shit. “Don’t have sex until you’re married and have a stable source of income because we don’t want abortions or welfare queens.”
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