VAN Magazine

“Playlists and mixtapes intended for shared consumption, let alone (gulp) public consumption, are intimate, fraught with the desire for appreciation and approval, whether we’ve assembled them for publications, dance parties, or, worst of all, a new love interest’s perusal. Those of us attempting to woo through playlists veer back and forth between the stridency of “Love me, love my immaculate taste!” and obsessive, insecure remixing, reflecting our inadequacy at conveying to the Beloved how attractive, intriguing, and full of inner life we are.“

Image from NYPL Digital Collections

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