Casinocore
It’s been over half a year since the world turned on its head. People have learned commuting is a sham, small businesses we have loved have gone under, and life goals have completely switched. A fantasy that’s becoming more and more common is disappearing into the woods since many office jobs are being proven that they can operate remotely. The fact that I had to reluctantly add “cottagecore” to my phone’s dictionary goes to show its popularity. My personal cottagecore is running away to a small coastal town and becoming a florist where two cats hang in the shop and they have to approve all flower arrangements.
This seaside fantasy is, at the end the day, a fantasy. I don't know anything about flower arranging and all my knowledge of Cape Cod comes from Vampire Weekend. However, there are two things that I am familiar with that this global health crisis has me longing for: partying and being reckless with my health and money.
No trending “-core” has fully encapsulated these desires. It wasn’t until I was binge watching The O.C. and hit Season 1, Episode 26, the one where they go to Vegas. Let me introduce you to a concept I call Casinocore.
Like most people, I’ve been living my life socially distanced from the rest of the world. I don’t have roommates so I’ve been mostly alone for the past few months. Group chats are a shell of in person socializing (shoutout to the boys chat though), and if I have to sit in another “fun” Zoom call I might actually lose it. I want to be out partying, meeting new people while drunk out of my mind and poorly flirting with some girl with a boyfriend.
Now think about a casino; it’s loud, it’s crowded and the polar opposite of minimal. Casinos always have some crazy print carpet and wild patterns on the walls. There’s nothing subtle about a casino. You’re transported away from your mundane daily cycle to a world where you literally can’t tell the time. Casinos are more than just a place to gamble. They’re a place that keeps you happy and makes you spend money.
Casinocore is just that: being in your face and unafraid. It’s not trying to be cool by being fake lowkey, it’s embracing the wild and loud. A shiny silk shirt underneath a linen suit is meant to get people’s attention. It’s all about standing out from the crowd (remember those?) without remorse. I want to tell people I spent too much money on this belt and these shoes. It was probably a bad decision financially, but I don’t care.
At the end of the day, I’m destined for a peaceful life. I love a lazy Sunday, sipping on a fresh cup of coffee with a good book. I want to appear on the JTTB moodboard with my future girlfriend putting fresh produce from the farmers market in our Noah tote. But with the past months feeling like the longest Sunday ever, that fantasy can wait a little bit longer. For now I don’t want to think; I want to be with the boys, betting all our money knowing we’ll lose it with zero regrets.
