Astral Codex Ten

barberpole theory of fashion

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barberpole theory of fashion

Article

barberpole theory of fashion is a recurring concept in the Astral Codex Ten archive, appearing 2 times across 2 issues between December 01, 2022 and January 16, 2026. The archive places it in contexts such as “secular changes in American culture to something like the barberpole theory of fashion”; “cf. barberpole theory of fashion”. It most often appears alongside California, Elon Musk, New York Times.

Metadata

  • Category: Concepts
  • Mention count: 2
  • Issue count: 2
  • First seen: December 01, 2022
  • Last seen: January 16, 2026

Appears In

Source Context

Recovered passages from the original issue text. When the raw archive preserved outbound links inside the source passage, they are listed directly under the quote.

Book Review: First Sixth Of Bobos In Paradise
December 01, 2022 · Original source
The Rise And Fall Of Culture Wars: I previously attributed secular changes in American culture to something like the barberpole theory of fashion: being right-wing was fashionable in the early 20th century. Then it became the symbol of a stodgy uncool establishment. By the 1960s, being a progressive hippie was fashionable. Today, being a progressive hippie seems like the symbol of a stodgy uncool establishment. And right on track, rebellious young people are becoming “alt-right”, a group with some suspicious similarities to the hippies (distrust authority, believe conspiracy theories, freak out over processed food, adopt paganism and weird spirituality, etc). So I was wondering if the right and left poles might just flip, over and over, in a long-term secular cycle. Brooks says that’s not what happened at all, and the 1950s-to-60s flip was a one-time event caused by a change in Ivy League admissions. If true, tragic news for today’s “Dimes Square” set.
Inline links: The Rise And Fall Of Culture Wars, the barberpole theory of fashion
The Dilbert Afterlife
January 16, 2026 · Original source
(maybe it’s unfair to attribute this to self-hatred per se. Adams wrote, not unfairly, that the scientismists in Kegan level 4 “are arrogant when it comes to dealing with people in levels two and three.” Maybe there’s the same desperate urge for level 5 to differentiate themselves from 4s - cf. barberpole theory of fashion).
Inline links: barberpole theory of fashion