The hipsters were ill-informed about most things–fedoras, handlebar moustaches, the desire to eat at a restaurant that specialises only in novelty cereals–but most of them understood that there are few things less erotic than being a so-called tech head. So too does Paul Mescal. The gentle Maynooth man was yesterday afternoon photographed strolling through west London with wired Apple headphones, a washed-out tank and–in a stunning twist of fate–thigh-skimming O’Neills shorts.
SplashNews.com
It was the writer Liana Satensein, the author and host of Neverworns, who first unpacked the allure of the analogue EarPods. “Those classic wires feel strangely luxurious,” she said of Bella Hadid’s then-outmoded preference in headphones. “The choice connotes that she can’t be bothered to keep up with the latest tech and prefers the simpler things in life, which is, oddly enough, the true measure of success.” True–and I have yet to see someone inspire even a semblance of thirst while wearing an Apple Vision Pro headset or the cyborgian Dyson headphones that come with an in-built muzzle.
The delicate $25 cords that frame Mescal’s thick and fibrous neck fulfil a similar function to the $17 sport shorts that frame his thick and fibrous thighs. It’s a subtle signalling that says, “I am effortless in how I navigate the world.” Compare this photo of Mescal exiting a Homerton Co-op, for example, to this image of Mescal in flared tailoring at the Independent Spirit Awards. The general consensus as to which outfit is most desirable is, at this point, quite obvious. Plus, he really, really likes indie music.
