Valentino staged the SS27 show in a library. Miu Miu launched a literary club. Dior sells totes and T-shirts printed with titles of classics such as Dracula, Ulysses and Madame Bovary. Many celebrities now run a book club and pose with their pick of the month. Brands, celebrities and influencers also launch Substacks.
Alix Earle went viral after she proudly said she has never read a book. I keep asking why anyone requested book recommendations from her at all. Interviewers now put the same question to many celebrities.
Reading is no longer common, yet reading is becoming cool. During a literacy crisis, showing you are a reader perhaps sets you apart from the masses.
Why Reading Gains Status Now
I have worked in fashion long enough to know trends do not appear from nowhere. Fashion brands no longer lead any movement. They take what already exists in culture and sell the result back to you. Over the last few years, online interest in looking well read, cultured, interesting and smart has grown slightly. The term “thought daughter” now circulates online and describes a thoughtful, deep young woman. BookTok has exploded. Guides explain how to be “disgustingly well educated”. People push to detox from their phones, start journaling, regain their attention spans and return to physical media.
Trends usually react against or reject what came before. Something cool is not everywhere and not easy to get. Reading has dwindled and attention spans have shrunk. Many people now agree culture became a little dumbed down.
For the last few years, dancing teenagers, get ready with me videos, celebrity boxing, rage bait, pranks, Love Island debriefs and influencer gifting hauls ruled social media. Perhaps this was fun, but not deep. At the risk of sounding like a snob, all of this felt a little stupid.
Beyond social media, reports say streaming services encourage writers to add dialogue summing up the plot, so viewers looking at their phones follow along easily. AI belongs in this discussion too. Many people quickly befriended a sycophantic chatbot and outsourced their thinking and writing. I find the number alarming.
A natural counterculture is developing as a result. People reject the dumbing down and align with a more literary, intellectual world. Being well read takes commitment and time. This natural barrier to entry is essential to coolness in our society. Skinny became cool when calorie dense food became abundant. In a world obsessed with optimization, AI and short form content, intellectual pursuits grow rarer and therefore cooler. Perhaps more terrifying, many people are becoming incapable of reading. Those who read form a smaller and more glorified group.
Real Interest or Performance
A cynical view exists, and the danger of performance is real. Treat T-shirts and tote bags announcing you like reading with strong skepticism. Some people join trends for clout. Wearing band T-shirts for bands you never listen to is an old idea. Trends often look vapid, fickle and inauthentic, especially when the fashion industry or social media interprets them.
Still, trends often capitalize on genuine cultural shifts. Frustration with an over optimized, on demand, dumbed down culture is real, and a counter reaction is ultimately necessary. Some people will buy a Ulysses T-shirt and never read Ulysses. Another person might read Ulysses because of the shirt and develop a lifelong love of reading. Trends give people a chance to find or return to reading, which is rarely a bad outcome. I prefer the second outcome over a culture where people proudly say they have never read a book.
Carla Fantin
Curator
Born in Florence, I have built my academic and professional path around my passion for culture, the visual arts, and psychology. After completing my studies in the humanities, I earned a degree in Art History from the University of Florence, specializing in contemporary art with a focus on the psychology of artistic perception. During my academic journey, I worked in the fashion industry, gaining hands-on experience in creative research and visual communication. In parallel, I completed an Executive Master’s program in Cultural Heritage Management, developing an interdisciplinary approach that connects contemporary art, cultural strategy, and fashion.
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