The Death of Personal Style with Liz Goldwyn

Summary

The Review of Mess: Episode Summary

Episode Title: The Death of Personal Style with Liz Goldwyn
Host Authors: Jessica DeFino & Emily Kirkpatrick
Guest: Liz Goldwyn, Creator of Starfucker Newsletter
Release Date: March 14, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of The Review of Mess, hosts Jessica DeFino and Emily Kirkpatrick welcome Liz Goldwyn, the creative mind behind the Starfucker newsletter. The conversation kicks off with light-hearted banter, establishing a comfortable atmosphere for a deep dive into the evolving landscape of personal style within pop culture.

Notable Quotes:

• Jessica DeFino [00:15]: "Hello and welcome to the Review of Mess..."
• Liz Goldwyn [00:35]: "Thank you so much for having me. I'm honored and intimidated to be in your presence."

Social Media's Influence on Pop Culture

The discussion swiftly moves to the pervasive role of social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok in shaping contemporary pop culture. Emily shares her recent hiatus from Instagram, highlighting the addictive nature of tracking likes and engagement.

Notable Quotes:

• Emily Kirkpatrick [01:04]: "Thank God I haven't been on Instagram in like six weeks..."
• Jessica DeFino [02:46]: "I don't feel disconnected because this is basically the state of mainstream media anyways."

The Emergence and Impact of Wellness Influencers

Liz Goldwyn delves into the rise of wellness influencers, particularly those based in trend-centric locations like Bali and Tulum. She critiques the often superficial and performative aspects of their content, such as promoting extravagant wellness fads or dubious health practices.

Notable Quotes:

• Liz Goldwyn [02:46]: "My favorite genre to troll is wellness influencers... it's just like fucking comedic gold content to me."
• Emily Kirkpatrick [03:19]: "She's a staple of the TikTok community."

Authenticity vs. Performative Trends in Personal Style

A central theme of the episode is the tension between authentic personal style and the performative trends propagated by influencers. Liz expresses her struggle to reconcile genuine self-expression with the absurdities she observes in influencer culture.

Notable Quotes:

• Liz Goldwyn [04:13]: "It's so hard, you know, sometimes, like I have to like just turn my head really fast and not laugh in people's faces."
• Jessica DeFino [04:16]: "It's like so beautiful in a way though."

Anecdotes and Examples

The guests share personal anecdotes to illustrate the absurdities of current wellness trends. Liz recounts an encounter with a tearful crystal seller and humorously admits to her own unconventional wellness practices, such as sunning her perineum and laying naked on rocks.

Notable Quotes:

• Liz Goldwyn [04:21]: "I've laid naked on a rock... I've sunned my perineum."
• Jessica DeFino [04:47]: "When I lived in Joshua Tree. I was sunning that every day."

Closing Thoughts

While the transcript provided concludes around the five-minute mark, the conversation encapsulates a critical view of how social media and influencer culture are contributing to the erosion of personal style. The hosts and Liz emphasize the importance of maintaining authenticity amidst the flood of performative and often superficial trends.

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Conclusion

In "The Death of Personal Style with Liz Goldwyn," Jessica DeFino and Emily Kirkpatrick, alongside guest Liz Goldwyn, offer a sharp critique of the current state of pop culture, particularly focusing on the influence of social media and wellness influencers. Through engaging dialogue and personal anecdotes, they explore the challenges of preserving genuine personal style in an era dominated by performative trends and superficial engagements.

For more insights and detailed analyses, listeners are encouraged to check out Jessica DeFino's newsletter here.

Transcript

[Jessica Defino]

Hello and welcome to the Review of Mess, a podcast dedicated to discussing the highs and lows of pop culture every month. I'm Jessica Defino and I write the newsletter the Review of Beauty.

[Emily Kirkpatrick]

I'm Emily Kirkpatrick. I write the newsletter. I heart Mess. And we're back today with a very special guest, Liz Goldwyn of the wonderful newsletter Starfucker.

[Jessica Defino]

Yay.

[Liz Goldwyn]

Thank you so much for having me. I'm honored and intimidated to be in your presence.

[Emily Kirkpatrick]

Oh, please, no need to be intimidated.

[Jessica Defino]

I could say the same.

[Emily Kirkpatrick]

Yeah, totally.

[Liz Goldwyn]

I read both of you obsessively and you know, I would be afraid to be on the receiving end of either of your scorn. You. Thank. Thank God I haven't been on Instagram in like six weeks, Emily, because I know you're obsessively checking to see people's likes.

[Emily Kirkpatrick]

Oh, you know, you know, I'm on. I'm on it. It's not, you know, when I first joined Reels, I was really getting served, I guess for listeners who don't know, I accidentally deleted my TikTok and now I can't have it back. And so I tried Instagram reels for a little bit and it, it's not working for me. But what I did learn from Instagram Reels is that I can see everyone I follows likes like what they're liking. And people are liking some very interesting content that I have been reporting a bit on in my newsletter, which I'm sure they don't care for.

[Liz Goldwyn]

You're. You're the investigative journalist in that sense. And then Jessica, you're like the chic, mysterious one who doesn't have Instagram, right?

[Jessica Defino]

Yeah, I barely post. I was like, away for years and I've like, slowly come back here and there.

[Liz Goldwyn]

But no, I don't think you're missing anything.

[Emily Kirkpatrick]

Yeah, I just relentlessly send Instagram stories to you. So I'm glad that you're finally back.

[Jessica Defino]

I know I'll get a message from Emily and it'll be like sent one week ago. And I feel horrible, but I'm like, I really haven't checked.

[Emily Kirkpatrick]

I really haven't checked since Evergreen content that I'm sending you.

[Jessica Defino]

Truly. No. You sent me some good ones.

[Liz Goldwyn]

I have, I have requested my top meme senders because my favorite genre to troll is wellness influencers. Especially if they're like spiritual wellness influencers. If they're located in Bali or Tulum, it's a plus. And if they're shilling, like, you know, some sort of self licensed sex tantric Sex coaching or, you know, a watermelon diet where they can change the color of their eyes. It's just like fucking comedic gold content to me. So that's the one thing that I miss. But I get people sending me that. Like they'll screenshot it and send it to me.

[Jessica Defino]

Yes, I've noticed that too. Like, I don't feel disconnected because this is basically the state of mainstream media anyways. Just regurgitating whatever's happening on social media. So I just don't. Yeah, I don't miss anything. Anything that's like relevant enough or funny enough will be covered somewhere else or sent to me.

[Emily Kirkpatrick]

Yeah, yeah. Liz, have you seen the viral TikTok girl who did like a wellness rap? Are you familiar with her? She's like very trustafarian in appearance. A big dread. She's a white woman. A small white woman.

[Liz Goldwyn]

Oh, my God.

[Emily Kirkpatrick]

Anyway, I. I'll find it for you. I'll send it to you. She's iconic. Yeah, she's a. She's a staple of the Tick Tock community.

[Jessica Defino]

You will love her.

[Emily Kirkpatrick]

Yeah, you'll love her.

[Liz Goldwyn]

There's lots of. I know we're like veering slightly off topic, but, you know, there's. There's. Where I live is like a very much an episode because I live in Hawaii is like an epicenter of all of that. LA is too, for sure. But it's like a slightly. People here, like, you know, they're a little more like off the grid wellness influencers. But there's one like kind of bougie store that sells crystals and stuff. And there was one time I went in there and this girl was holding a crystal and just a single tear rolled down her eye as I was dying. I was dying. It's so hard, you know, sometimes, like I have to like just turn my head really fast and not laugh in people's faces.

[Jessica Defino]

It's like so beautiful in a way though.

[Emily Kirkpatrick]

Like, I know. I love that she was so moved by a rock. I would love to be that moved by a rock, honestly.

[Jessica Defino]

Exactly.

[Liz Goldwyn]

Well, here's the other thing is that I am. I love rocks. Like, I personally have relationships with. Not crystal rocks, but actually like rock rocks. And I'll go sit on rocks. I'll lay naked on a rock. You know, you can do that kind of thing here. I'm not embarrassed to admit that I've done all of this stuff. I've sunned my perineum.

[Emily Kirkpatrick]

I've.

[Liz Goldwyn]

All of it. I've done it.

[Jessica Defino]

Oh, me too. When I lived in Joshua tree. I was sunning that every day.

[Liz Goldwyn]

Yeah, it's great. I love it. But, like, you know, I also feel like you can make fun of it, too. I'm definitely not in stores, you know, buying however much money worth of crystals and crying about it. But I think it's funny to have a sense of humor. I just saw a Spencer Pratt in la, or not in la. I saw him up in Carpinteria because he lost his house, right? And he's told me he's been, like, stress eating burritos and tacos and just drinking tequila at, like, you know, 3:00 in the afternoon.