What is American Style?
American Style is a newsletter about what people are really wearing and why.
It’s written by me, Biz Sherbert, and I write it by talking to people and going to places where they hang out.
I’ve spent my career making sense of how the internet has changed the way we look, dress and see one another. I’ve tracked the collapse of subculture into style, interviewed social media stars like Emma Chamberlain and analyzed trends to millions on TikTok. I’m also a host of Nymphet Alumni, a podcast for (according to Dazed) “the pop culture intelligentsia.”
Amidst it all, I began to get the feeling that no one knew what was actually going on. The lifeblood of the internet, from TikTok trends to online it girls, had become the lifeblood of style and culture. But despite constant take-making, what this meant for our real lives, online and off, was perhaps more unclear than ever.
So I decided to seek the truth, by taking to the streets and speaking to sorority girls and goth teenagers in the Deep South, college students in New York City, former influencers in Los Angeles and anyone else who caught my eye. What I found felt like a revelation.
Does American Style just cover… American style?
No! Here, you’ll also find essays, interviews and criticism on style, yes, but also on things like beauty, influence and pop culture. I see image-making, from how we construct our online selves to how we shape our eyeliner, as a way to understand bigger things like identity and power.
As for the American bit, I started this newsletter after returning to the U.S. following several years in London. I’ve always been drawn to American themes, like tensions around tradition and status, and with fresh eyes I found myself struck by kids I’d see walking around the mall or a country club or downtown Manhattan.
I think now is a particularly important moment to look deeper at our investments in and assumptions about appearance. My goal is to create a portrait of the time we live in, by looking closely and getting to know the people dressing for it.
And with your support I hope to take American Style… everywhere!
Is it worth the money?
The newsletter is free and will be delivered to you about once a week, but in true American style, you’ll have to pay for some of the stuff you really want.
To write American Style I have to, as Emma Glenn Baker says, ‘go there.’ That means literally going places like malls, country clubs, campuses and the cold, hard streets. But it also means having real conversations with people, who I’ve maybe just met, about who they are and what matters to them.
It’s not always easy to do (and must be done under constant risk of scaring the hoes), but I think it’s important. JFK once said that “this country cannot afford to be materially rich and spiritually poor” — I think you’ll find that in the end a paid subscription to American Style helps keep you sorted in both departments.
Biz… tell me a little bit more about yourself.
I grew up in South Carolina and I’ve lived in New York, New Orleans and London. My work’s been written about in Interview, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue, Nylon, The Guardian, The Face and more. My favorite color is pink.
You can write to me at bizsherbert@substack.com. Tell me what you’re thinking about and what you’d like me to think about for you (even if it’s just that one top you keep seeing girls wear — especially that).
