I was watching some clips online last night and it got me thinking about how much the landscape for "edgy" performers has shifted over the last decade. It feels like there used to be this unspoken rule where you could lean into the dark, the occult, or just plain weird imagery, and it was seen as part of the art. Now, it seems like the second an artist touches on anything remotely controversial, the backlash is instantaneous and often permanent.
It’s weird to me because, on one hand, I get why certain crowds want to avoid certain aesthetics. But on the other hand, it feels like we’re losing that raw, transgressive energy that used to define subcultures. Everything feels so sanitized and "brand-safe" these days. Even when someone is clearly performing a character or an aesthetic, the reaction is often to just shut it down entirely rather than engage with the art itself.
I remember back in the day, seeing stuff that would make most modern social media users have a collective meltdown, and it felt like a shared experience of being on the fringe. Now, the "fringe" gets pushed out of the mainstream so fast it barely has time to breathe.
Do you think we've reached a point where true counter-culture is actually impossible because the backlash is too efficient?
It’s weird to me because, on one hand, I get why certain crowds want to avoid certain aesthetics. But on the other hand, it feels like we’re losing that raw, transgressive energy that used to define subcultures. Everything feels so sanitized and "brand-safe" these days. Even when someone is clearly performing a character or an aesthetic, the reaction is often to just shut it down entirely rather than engage with the art itself.
I remember back in the day, seeing stuff that would make most modern social media users have a collective meltdown, and it felt like a shared experience of being on the fringe. Now, the "fringe" gets pushed out of the mainstream so fast it barely has time to breathe.
Do you think we've reached a point where true counter-culture is actually impossible because the backlash is too efficient?