Hey Jordan. I’m new to The Composite and already love it here. Incredible piece and thank you for the link to Cardin’s Bubble Palace. Wow!
This made me think of Colette Shade’s new book Y2K: How the 2000s Became Everything. Her intro essay touches on the futuristic design trends of that period—blobby shapes, shimmering silvers, and translucent electronics. Inspired by the optimism of the 60s, these aesthetics promised a frictionless, limitless future. It tracks that in this particular moment, people are grasping for the 60s and 00s. Really looking forward to your next installment!
Hi Caitlin! Welcome, so glad you're here and thank you so much for such a thoughtful comment! I actually saw this article from bustle (https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/y2k-colette-shade-2000s-book-interview) about that book and saved it to include in my Digest post this week for this very reason! I love that we both thought about it in relation to this post. Thanks so much for reading <3
really fascinating piece Jordan!! I also struggled with Vanessa's article... this quote "Zendaya’s gown would never have been recognizable as Vuitton if she wasn’t officially a face of the brand" specifically was where I had to clock out because what do you mean the gown in literal LV orange would not be recognizable ??? It just read as "these are all the problems I have with the fashion industry right now" and not actually about old hollywood being overdone lmao
I'm so glad you enjoyed! And YES what a good point about the color of her dress! I and that I disagree with Friedman's opinions more often than not. Doesn't feel like the freshest perspective to me. I think there's soooo much more to dig into (clearly) about this retro nostalgia and we shouldn't take it at face value.
Oooh that sounds so fun! I've read a lot of cli-fi in the last year and I highly highly recommend Land of Milk and Honey by Pam C Zhang - it has really stuck with me for almost a year now. And then You're Safe Here, which is a little more girlbossy but still has some really interesting perspectives on what the world might look like in the near future. It feels very realistic to me!
So wonderfully written. I've also been thinking about sci-fi movies from the turn of the century and how the plots seem to be coming true as we progress through the 21st century (iRobot, A.I., etc.) It's no wonder we're looking backward to look forward. Nostalgia is a very powerful thing.
I’m so glad you enjoyed!! Yes, some of them were definitely right on track in terms of predicting our unique brand of dystopia. Nostalgia is definitely powerful and looking back is much easier than anticipating whatever may come next
Thank you, Jordan Bogigian, for highlighting "retro-futurism's resurgence as desperation for optimism."
Retro-futurism, blending nostalgia with visions of a hopeful future, reveals our longing for positivity amidst today's uncertainties.
Is there a desperation for optimism? I know there's a need for more optimism—especially as "declining optimism" is identified as a key global risk in the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2025.
How can we turn this yearning into actionable optimism that shapes a brighter future?
Hey Jordan. I’m new to The Composite and already love it here. Incredible piece and thank you for the link to Cardin’s Bubble Palace. Wow!
This made me think of Colette Shade’s new book Y2K: How the 2000s Became Everything. Her intro essay touches on the futuristic design trends of that period—blobby shapes, shimmering silvers, and translucent electronics. Inspired by the optimism of the 60s, these aesthetics promised a frictionless, limitless future. It tracks that in this particular moment, people are grasping for the 60s and 00s. Really looking forward to your next installment!
Hi Caitlin! Welcome, so glad you're here and thank you so much for such a thoughtful comment! I actually saw this article from bustle (https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/y2k-colette-shade-2000s-book-interview) about that book and saved it to include in my Digest post this week for this very reason! I love that we both thought about it in relation to this post. Thanks so much for reading <3
really fascinating piece Jordan!! I also struggled with Vanessa's article... this quote "Zendaya’s gown would never have been recognizable as Vuitton if she wasn’t officially a face of the brand" specifically was where I had to clock out because what do you mean the gown in literal LV orange would not be recognizable ??? It just read as "these are all the problems I have with the fashion industry right now" and not actually about old hollywood being overdone lmao
I'm so glad you enjoyed! And YES what a good point about the color of her dress! I and that I disagree with Friedman's opinions more often than not. Doesn't feel like the freshest perspective to me. I think there's soooo much more to dig into (clearly) about this retro nostalgia and we shouldn't take it at face value.
I am very excited for the next installment of this series!! One of my favorite classes I took in college was centered on Climate Fiction.
Oooh that sounds so fun! I've read a lot of cli-fi in the last year and I highly highly recommend Land of Milk and Honey by Pam C Zhang - it has really stuck with me for almost a year now. And then You're Safe Here, which is a little more girlbossy but still has some really interesting perspectives on what the world might look like in the near future. It feels very realistic to me!
Oooh thank you for the recs as always!!
So wonderfully written. I've also been thinking about sci-fi movies from the turn of the century and how the plots seem to be coming true as we progress through the 21st century (iRobot, A.I., etc.) It's no wonder we're looking backward to look forward. Nostalgia is a very powerful thing.
I’m so glad you enjoyed!! Yes, some of them were definitely right on track in terms of predicting our unique brand of dystopia. Nostalgia is definitely powerful and looking back is much easier than anticipating whatever may come next
Thank you, Jordan Bogigian, for highlighting "retro-futurism's resurgence as desperation for optimism."
Retro-futurism, blending nostalgia with visions of a hopeful future, reveals our longing for positivity amidst today's uncertainties.
Is there a desperation for optimism? I know there's a need for more optimism—especially as "declining optimism" is identified as a key global risk in the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2025.
How can we turn this yearning into actionable optimism that shapes a brighter future?