Is "Livin' On a Prayer" your go-to karaoke song? Did you see any of the first three Star Wars movies in their original theatrical releases, or do you wish that you had? Then come join us as we analyze current pop culture, fashion, and beauty through a Gen X lens. We'll explore what the touchstone cultural personalities from our most formative years — the '80s and '90s — are up to, while providing context and analysis. We will wade into nostalgia for resurging fashion and beauty trends, as well as the glut of 30-years-later movie sequels and endless throwback concert tours. We will even occasionally recommend well-vetted things we love when it makes sense to do so.
Who We Are
We (Fawnia Soo Hoo and Cheryl Wischhover) are Gen X-born and Midwest-raised, and we met in conditions that made us fast friends. In the late aughts, we had both given up our first professions, or fifth, in Fawnia’s case. We left event sales (Fawnia) and nursing (Cheryl), to take on new careers when we were in our mid-30s/almost 40: fashion blogging. We met in NYC while writing for Fashionista, coming up alongside millennials raised on “Saved by the Bell” and Harry Potter rather than “Beverly Hills, 90210”and VC Andrews novels. Since then, Cheryl has been a freelance beauty, wellness, and retail journalist, writing for Vox, Business of Fashion, Allure, the FT, and tons of others. Fawnia has carved out a niche in fashion and entertainment, specifically costume design, where she can indulge the intersection of her two passions. She's written for The Hollywood Reporter, Vanity Fair, W Magazine and many others. She also contributed to the 2022 New York Times bestseller, Rise: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now.
Why We’re Doing It
We've talked about doing a writing project together forever, and now seems like the time. We are burnt out by the constant churn and disregard of the media industry and want to parlay our expertise to report on topics we feel are missing in both mainstream and social media, as well as explore our love of the pop culture that inspired us. Working as Gen X-ers among mostly younger colleagues in the digital media trenches has made us keen observers of generational commonalities and distinctions and we are ready to analyze and report and BLOG.
We obviously chose our name in homage to the patron saint of Gen X, Kurt Cobain, who wrote that brilliant lyric in “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” It perfectly encapsulates our mindset and the labels slapped on our generation. "Whatever" speaks to our supposed trademark apathy, but it also represents the wide breadth of our capabilities and understanding and experiences. After all, we survived the transition from beta tapes to TikTok, landlines to Apple Watches, Alan Ruck as Cameron Frye in Ferris Bueller's Day Off to Connor Roy in “Succession.” "Nevermind" speaks to how Gen X has often been ignored in the discourse, which is generally fine by us, because we want no part in any beefs! But it also reminds us to never mind the naysayers who might think throwing away perfectly good, traditional careers to take blurry runway photos on 2010-era smartphones was questionable or that writing about Madonna in 2024 is folly. Oh well, whatever, nevermind.
Welcome! Or, to quote a few more words from the late Cobain, "Hello, hello, hello, hello."
Logos by Ben Kim for labtested.studio.
