The famous “Mattress Girl” (this is not a nickname I invented) is managing to create weirdness and attract attention even during graduation.
Millennials truly are different. And I mean it in a good way. Of course to us, ancient old farts, this exuberant self-branding does look strange. But it’s our problem, not the youngsters’.
Clarissa's Blog 
Well, if it doesn’t have a trending hashtag, or inspire think pieces or isn’t recorded, it doesn’t exist apparently and it doesn’t matter. Andy Warhol was a sage, and I live in this era but I don’t belong by temperament, upbringing or experience. 🙂
To be surveilled is to exist and to disappear into an undifferentiated mass. Since avoiding surveillance is not an option for most people, to create your own spectacle is to matter.
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[your invitation to join the Society of Secret Squirrels is now ready]
🙂
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I’m totally hoping to get my Secret Squirrel carrying card when I come to Oxford. 🙂
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best comment I’ve seen on this yet (not mine, alas)
“It seems like she could have made some money by selling ad space on that mattress.”
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Just give it some time. 🙂
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How about Ukraine millennial artists building Kremlin barbecues for their troops!
http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2015/may/21/ukraine-artists-russia-kremlin-barbecue-video
Turning up the heat on Putin.
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What a great idea! I totally want one now. 🙂
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Have you seen hexamine camp stoves, the kind that burn little tablets of fuel?
Now I want one that folds out into a little Kremlin.
Of course, it’s appropriate that burning a hexamine tablet results in leaving a nasty burnt residue on the bottom of the cooking vessel, and in fact you can’t cook food directly on top of a hexamine stove …
This makes a fold-out hexamine-burning Kremlin all too perfect. 🙂
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Yes, that’s what Kremlin does: leaves a nasty residue. So true.
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I thought about this and wondered how she will manage to function after graduation, when the protective mattress will have to be left behind.
On the one hand, the mattress is a sign of being unable to overcome trauma and imo prevents her from beginning the process of healing. However, it also seems to function in the opposite way, as some kind of protective presence, performing some of the functions which teddy bear provides for children.
On another topic: may I email you to ask advice about something connected to my MA?
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“On another topic: may I email you to ask advice about something connected to my MA?”
“On the one hand, the mattress is a sign of being unable to overcome trauma and imo prevents her from beginning the process of healing.”
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I also came to the conclusion that any trauma suffered was not… sexual in nature. I had assumed the motive was revenge.
I wouldn’t have guessed in a million years that it’s perssonal branding but I’m not a millenial and haven’t had much experience with them (they don’t exist as such in Poland, the generational cycles are on a different schedule).
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I don’t even see a reason for revenge. They had the most cordial, lovey-dovey relationship for months after the alleged rape. MONTHS. And when the poor fellow got accused of being “a serial rapist” based on absolutely nothing, I just felt sorry for him.
The whole story is an absolute disgrace.
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“I don’t even see a reason for revenge”
The CW of the revenge scenario: Their relationship went cold and she tried to re-hook him (lovey dovey messages), but he didn’t bite. So she eventually accused him of assault and eventually dragged in her friends for an coordinated attack.
In some ways the personal branding idea is scarier because it’s more…. random, she could have picked any poor schmuck to build her brave victim brand on.
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I don’t think this is motivation that these kids would even understand.
Have you heard that a male student also decided to participate in the fun and accused this poor Nungesser fellow of raping him as well? Obviously, that accusation fell apart very fast. But this is a very interesting generation.
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