The Style Files
My thoughts on design, writing and entrepreneurship.
Photo credit (background): www.pexels.com
Photo credit (background): www.pexels.com
Photo credit: https://www.vulture.com/2020/04/you-cant-say-american-psycho-didnt-warn-us-about-this.html American Psycho is the ever-relevant novel about a Wall Street serial killer that “holds a hyper-real, satirical mirror up to our faces.” Although it was published in 1991, many aspects of the storyline remain eerily similar to real events in the years that followed. Below are the top 10 ways American Psycho accurately reflected American reality after its release.
This work of fiction was written about the violent and spiraling life of an ‘80s Wall Street yuppie and psychopathic serial killer, Patrick Bateman. Author Bret Easton Ellis explained that “[Bateman] was actually a character based on my own anger and frustration set in a very specific place and time."
1. Idolization of Donald Trump In American Psycho, Ellis explained that Patrick Bateman “sees [Trump] as the father he never had." Ellis stated in an interview that he included Trump in the novel since “he had a lifestyle that [Wall Street people] envied.” In other words, the Wall Street elite aspired to live like Trump and Bateman considered him a role model. What’s remarkable is that Trump’s central role in American life has only grown almost 30 years later. It’s common knowledge that he has since become POTUS although his relationship with Wall Street has taken a turn for the worse. 2. Murder on Wall Street American Psycho is a tale of elite privilege afforded to a Wall Street banker who walks away from serial murder. Bateman confesses to murder by confiding in his lawyer who assumes it’s all a big joke. The parallel between Bateman’s murders and those of the 2008 Wall Street bailouts is clearly metaphorical. Now that Covid hit, people are citing a repeat of the same corporate bailout on a smaller scale. The theme of murder on Wall Street certainly touches a nerve with the American public. 3. A life of privilege Bateman starts get sloppy and throws murder into conversation as the story unfolds. When talking about his job in the film version, Bateman responds blatantly by saying, “I’m into murders and executions mostly.” This along with his later confession to murder both fit the theme of extreme privilege and assumed innocence based on his place in society. Meanwhile in real life, we’ve since seen evidence of Wall Street milking a presumed state of innocence while acting illegally behind closed doors. Representatives of five major banks in question passed the blame along to a small number of employees within the organization instead of pinning the tail on larger corporate dysfunction. Essentially, the powers that be were attempting to reconstruct an image of innocence even after being caught red-handed. 4. Misogyny It’s really no surprise that a book whose protagonists murders prostitutes and other women is thought to be “saturated in misogyny and revenge fantasies.” Then there’s the issue of American Psycho being somewhat autobiographical in nature paired with Ellis’ take on misogyny in general: “I think basically most men are misogynistic. And it is what it is.” Dismissing misogyny with a casual bat of the hand hardly helps the cause. Meanwhile, there’s no end to the stream of misogynistic stories in American news lately. From the rape of Chanel Miller by Brock Turner to Brett Kavanaugh’s hearing, we’re nearly numb to the reality of living in a misogynistic society. American Psycho hit the nail on the head yet again. 5. Empty consumerism It’s been said that American Psycho speaks to the dark side of consumerism and capitalist culture. Ellis later commented that Bateman was “a young and directionless mannequin hoping that someone, anyone, will save him from himself.” Bateman essentially personifies how consumerism destroys the human psyche. Fast-forward nearly 30 years: consumerism is still alive and well but it’s taken on a new form. The invention of an anti-haul showcases how many YouTubers push products in its modern iteration. Ellis’ version is much darker, obviously, but the YouTubers brand of consumerism leaves people feeling ‘gross’ and ‘in shock.' 6. Audience manipulation A writing theme of American Psycho is its unreliable narration. Bateman describes his murders and torturous scenes in such a way that the reader is left questioning what actually happened. Ellis admitted to doing so intentionally to leave it open to interpretation. Although the book itself is a work of fiction, audience manipulation is ever relevant in our fake news landscape. Ellis may have been toying with his audience for literary effect but we’re directly familiar with the consequences of manipulated storylines all these years later. 7. Serial killer prototype It’s clear by now that American Psycho is a story about a modern American serial killer set on Wall Street. Ellis’ writing was incredibly detailed even when it came to scenes of torture and murder. American audiences were familiar with the topic of serial killers even if they objected to Ellis’ writing style. The plot of the book delves into the enormous subject of American serial killers. More interestingly, it exposes the inner monologue of a psychopath’s life and brings us one step closer to understanding the freakish phenomenon. Ellis stated in 2019 that "I was writing about a nightmare version of myself." Balancing Ellis’ acclaimed literary work and autobiographical role in the story is probably the hardest pill to swallow. 8. The perfect cover Patrick Bateman is what every ‘80s American yuppie wanted to be: wealthy, attractive and untouchable. Obviously, that’s not the full story given his alter ego as a deeply disturbed and obsessive serial killer. This is one case where if looks could kill means something else entirely. The art of crafting a perfect disguise continues to define powerful public figures since the book’s publication. Harvey Weinstein’s recent plummet exposed his strategic position as the Hollywood gatekeeper as well as decades of perverse abuse behind the perfect cover. Bateman may have seemed like a more glamorous man of leisure but the two were alike in every other respect. 9. Contempt for the homeless American Psycho has a long list of characters including a string of unwitting murder victims. Even an unsuspecting homeless man fell victim to Bateman’s violence and psychopathy. Directing aggression towards society’s least fortunate adds another layer of grotesque and cruel behavior to this fictional character. Unfortunately, violence against the homeless isn’t limited to novels. “The National Coalition for the Homeless” reports many cases of violence against the homeless including even murder. We’re shown that it’s not enough to need to make it in a capitalist society; those who don’t are especially vulnerable to the ultimate act of violence. 10. Denial and projection There was a huge amount of controversy surrounding American Psycho at the time of its publication. Its earlier publisher backed out, the book was poorly received by critics and it was even considered the most contentious novel of the ‘90s. The public may have been up in arms though American Psycho is thought to have defined Ellis’ career since. The book’s reception has mellowed over time but some of the anger targeted towards Ellis comes off as projection. American readers weren’t comfortable with the ideas he presented so making him the enemy was the easiest way to avoid the reflection in the mirror. In the meantime, the themes, characters and ideas presented in 1991 still apply today as consumerism collapses.
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For anyone familiar with design, you likely know that good taste is subjective. The issue of style is constantly debated in the design world. On one hand, it's a good thing: everyone's invited to the table. On the other, some things are simply outlandish. Today, I'll focus on the latter within the scope of interior design. Natural Themes One of the things that confuses people most is knowing what's accepted and what's not. You might see examples of interior design ideas that work perfectly well for a certain time, context or client but not in others. For instance, I might like Baroque architecture in an Austrian castle but casing my books in pigskin would be a bit much in a city apartment. There are other times when a design theme is so broad that people aren't sure how to implement it. Adopting natural themes is one such case. For example, here's a tree decoration which was beautifully incorporated into the structural/wall design of a home: Photo credit: www.pinterest.com/pin/407364728765650182/ As you can see, the tree design was thoughtfully placed next to the furniture and without nearby obstructions; its artistry can be appreciated as stunning statement piece. The colors and materials of the rest of the room are also deliberately correlated to the tree sculpture for a cohesive, graceful design. On the other end of the spectrum, we find natural elements in a home which look entirely random and out of place. (It's worth mentioning that there are ways to design with actual natural elements converted for indoor use although this isn't the answer.) What's most shocking is this photo's prominence in a respected architectural publication, Romantic Homes. I invite you to see for yourself: If I'm being candid, this looks like something the cat dragged in. Yes, the person in charge of this project painted a branch white to match the table and curtains. (Look closely, however: the bottom dips down out of sight so it might actually part of an overgrown floor plant.) It's still very much an unsightly dead branch mysteriously plopped on a table. Some other problems spring to mind: what about the ever-important issue of scale (i.e. size ratio)? The table might be used largely for decoration but the branch is enormous by comparison. Then there's also a candelabra competing for attention. Whether solo or coupled, this decorative scheme fails to skillfully incorporate natural elements in an elegant or even passable way. Overdoing the White Another style faux pas, in my book, is overdoing it with white. First, I should clarify that there is a way to effectively use white in interior spaces. Especially in northern regions, we're familiar with the beauty of a fresh snowfall as well as winter wonderland-inspired designs. Here's an example of interior designscape bathed in a soft, glittering white: Photo credit: aibd.org/holiday-decorating-tips/ This example from the American Institute of Building Design uses white in perfect combination with soft accents colors. The gold, rose gold and pink add enough from a color palate to provide contrast while the soft greys add a touch of sophisticated base. All of the colors work together to form a gentle, winterly theme reminiscent of a sugarplum fairy. In short, this is a premium example of how best to decorate with white by letting other colors contrast its beauty. Now let's consider what not to do. First of all, defaulting overwhelmingly to white a classic rookie mistake and in line with the seas of beige in 90s decor. However, I'd be remiss to suggest it's only a thing of the past. Nope; whitewashed interior design is unfortunately all too common (and unbelievably boring). You might think the example I'm using isn't that bad. It does do some things well like incorporate elements of texture and print to provide more than a solid backdrop of nothingness. However, the point here is that snooze-worthy, overly white design IS absurd since expression and ambience are the main objectives. Yes, it's possible to have beachy vibes or low-key appeal without being a monochromatic bot so I'd suggest reaching a bit higher. Minimalism vs. Moved-In We can all agree that there is such a thing as having too many things in a space. Whether the furniture is too tightly cramped together or storage is insufficient, there's something to be said for the calmness of a minimalist design. Photo credit: home.tarkett.com/en_EU/node/take-a-moment-and-breathe-while-surrounded-by-the-beauty-of-sophisticated-minimalism-8958 In the above example, you can see that the minimalist theme to interior design is upheld by open spaces, minimal furniture and very limited decorations. It's very deliberate, however, in its repeated use of visual elements like the fine metal rods in the chair, coffee table and lamp designs. The color themes are relaxed but purposeful by pairing muted mauve and sage green with copper and a subtle, marbled floor. Nothing about this design looks apathetic or haphazard. Even so, there's a lot of grey area between minimalist design and a barren room. You'll sometimes hear people claim their apartment is meant to be minimalist (i.e. a deliberate design decision) but it comes off more like moving day. Let's set the record straight on this one and illustrate what doesn't qualify as effective minimalist decor: Photo credit: www.pexels.com As you can see, the image above shows a chair in an empty space. The end. Technically, matching the chair color to the wall could be considered a design choice although we covered the risks of relying too heavily on a single color palette. In the same vein, making no effort by having next to nothing in a room meant for human use can hardly be described as a conscious decision. This spin on minimalism comes off as insincere and unintentional.
Final Thoughts Beauty is in the eye of the beholder although it's fair to say there are certain tenants of good design. Bear in mind that while taste is somewhat subjective, it can be helpful to identify positive and negative interpretations of the same theme particularly before starting a project. Going through exercises like these can help you identify the things that make or break a room. What's your take on these design successes and failures? Can you think of other interior design or architecture themes you'd like to compare? Leave your comments down below and share your experiences with themes gone wrong or right. |
AuthorHi, my name is Martha Oschwald and I'm a content writer focused on design. This page is meant to give you a taste of my writing style and latest musings. Archives
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