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“Dopamine dressing” — the act of donning colorful, shiny clothing and makeup in pursuit of a mood boost — dominated 2022, but Day-Glo and sequins are losing their appeal as young people confront the sobering realities of life in 2023: the economy is faltering, the pandemic has precipitated a mental health crisis, and data suggests that the perpetually plugged-in are struggling to make meaningful social connections.
A decade ago, makeup was used to conceal the effects of a sob session or a late night out. Now, young people are wearing unkempt eyeliner and grungy eyeshadow as badges of vulnerability, signaling to the rest of their peers: Don’t worry, we’re all going through it together. There’s a twisted kind of beauty in that.
For Highsnobiety’s Beauty issue, we collaborated with photographer Richie Talboy and writer Natasha Stagg and asked them each to aestheticize what it means to watch ourselves cry, either through our tiny bright screens or the pages of this magazine.
