we're all mad here

Put a bunch of angsty, disaffected teenagers on the internet, and what do you get?  A slew of dark grunge Disney edits featuring everyone's favorite animated blondie, Alice in Wonderland.  Something about the surrealism of the original Disney movie, plus the allegorical nature of Alice's journey through the rabbit hole (and probably the influence of Tim Burton's eerie film adaptation), inspired a lot of grunge-y, trippy photo edits back in the early 2010's.  After all, this is not Wonderland; this is the internet, and we're all mad here:

the original whimsy maxers

 my social media algorithms have been pissing off me off lately.  everyone's trying to be "whimsical" by sticking rhinestones and stickers on everything, and everyone is trying to critique the so-called whimsy maxers by saying it's weird and childish or whatever.  My take is that stickers are fun, and they remind me of my Rookie mag days, which makes me happy, so I will continue to put stickers on all of my belongings.  To those who think it's "childish," I suggest diving into the origin story of Rookie and question who shaped your conceptions of childness and girliness.  I think part of what made Rookie such a special publication was their self-referential aesthetic—they were aggressively girly and childish as a way to reclaim the idea that such kitschy or cute imagery lacked meaning or depth.  It was a rebellion in the same way that Courtney Love dressing in pretty nightgowns and smeared lipstick was a rebellion, and I refuse to give in to the notion that you have to stop doing fun things once you reach a certain age or stage of life.  So there. 

indie rock autumn

It's fall, officially, which means the song Nineteen by Tegan and Sara will be on repeat on my metaphorical iPod.  To me, that song is the ultimate autumnal indie rock anthem—the crunchy guitars, the soaring chorus, the somber lyrics—it just hits so hard.  These are some photos inspired by the vibes it conveys that make me excited for the season to come:

 

all photos click through to their original sources