Nouvelle Décadence, "New Decadence", from the
period in the 19th century in
France called "
La Décadence", which inspired many artists. It was focused upon death, decay and sensuality.
One of the artists it inspired was Oscar Wilde, founder of the Aesthetic movement.
New Decadence is anything to do with less-than-healthy states of mind and other unpleasant, or morbidly fascinating, topics. Often these people like to dress to get this across, the stranger, the
better. (Though mostly they are extremely aesthetically-minded and into being
pretty.)
The new decadents are often confused with goths,
emo kids, scene kids, et cetera. They tend towards a more fluid sexuality, but that does not mean they are all necessarily
bisexual.
The difference between new decadents and these other styles is largely one of detachment. The new decadents see their style as one of an affectation, but unlike posers, all know it is an affectation, enjoy it being an affectation, and have absolutely no problem with it being an affectation. They can be obnoxious to others, but among their own circles, it's everyone else who loses. They are very open-minded, and tend towards being bohemian. The difference is that they are not all laid-back. They often see themselves as acting, and the sensual,
dark, sometimes fantastic interests are not taken too seriously. These are not people who build their creed upon vampires or
glitter make-up or rock bands. They are people who find it interesting to behave as though that is the
case. Because they do not act narrow-minded, it is difficult for those who know them to think they really believe anything they say, but everyone who does not know them should realize that they don't. New decadents say things for the purpose of saying them, or posing a question; not because they mean them literally. They are often accused of vanity, but it too is simply put on. Most are very modest.
Unlike many other groups, new decadents are not all similar fashion-wise, incorporating
everything from gothic
lolita to glam-rock into their clothes, and elements from everywhere else. Most genres are separated by fashion, but this one is separated by mindset. It is more or less an
anti-genre.
They tend to be outcast in school but not
anti-social; on the contrary, they can be kind of
popular, but usually are not belonging to one select group.
Jane: We've got to choose a current movement in our English class to write an
essay about.
Andrew: Oh?
Jane: Yes. It shall be quite spectacular.
Andrew: Verily! What movement are you doing?
Jane: Nouvelle décadence, of course...doubtless Martelle won'
t know what I'm writing about at all. The supposed
goth in my class wants to know if I'm writing abot
Goth too, and I had to tell her that my genre started in
France, not Germany. She hadn't a clue of what I spoke.
Andrew: Ah,
well. C'est la vie. I hope you get an A, or a D.
Jane: A D? Oh, Andrew, you can't possibly mean that.
Andrew: I do. If you get a D, it must mean that the essay meant something personal to Martelle.
Jane: What a dear thing you are!
