Not Okay was More than Okay in its Fashion
No, the movie didn’t just have the charm of it being outdated. It was a differentiation of cultures, clinging to childhood comforts and a whole lot of fad pieces.
The Plot and Storyline
Long story short, Danni Sanders (Zoey Deutch) is a young and aspiring writer working as a photo editor at Depravity, which is a media company having the essence of both Vice and Buzzfeed. In order to climb up the ladder and woo an influencer (Colin played by Dylen O’Brien), she fakes a trip to Paris, only to realise that a bombing in real-life Paris (and not her photoshopped sceneries) cause multiple hurdles for her to eventually fall back face-down.
The story touches up on the topics of influencer culture, fashion trends, netizen voices and being infamous in general. However, none of the topics (except for being #cancelled) were discussed in-depth, leading to many characters left unexplored in their personalities. What kept me going throughout the movie plot was waiting for the whole situation to get to the breaking point, i.e. with whom and how her secret would leak.
The creation of a truly unlikable character with no redeemable qualities is also a refreshing take from writer-director Quinn Shepherd, with the director quoting how the response of initial audiences was unironic: ‘Why would someone make a movie with an unlikable woman?’. With the statement given, it’s not that hard to understand which group this response came from (ahem, white men in critics). Yet, it is the presence of Danni being oh-so ungodly, flawed and blockheaded nature that brings such a dynamic of a group into the limelight.
This scenario is perfectly summed up by ModernGurlz in her video, quote, “It brings up an interesting point about what is considered acceptable behaviour in men vs. women. Unredeemable and unlikable male protagonists are fairly common.” To add to it, such characters are also praised for their flawed nature and portrayed as aspirational figures, think Bollywood’s Kabir Singh or Tyler Durden in Fight Club. I cannot name many anti-heroines right off the bat.
It was also smart on the director’s end to not include any footage of the bombing visually. That way, us as an audience can only have it to our imagination, and go with Danni to explain it to everyone about it.
The Fashion Sense
Not Okay’s style sense was okay-ish for its scenes (as it should be).
Danni, the protagonist, is always in outdated recent fads or microtrends, and was still not liked initially by her coworkers and had no social life. Imagine a random pinterest image of a white young adult posing with her tote bag, dyed highlights, baguette bag and y2k rings with a matcha latte in hand. You can’t think of her as unpopular, right?
Not Okay exactly depicts the lack of balance between inner and outer beauty by showing how just following a trend or looking the best isn’t going to work in real life.
While in faux Paris, her red beret becomes a major icon as that is the last picture she had posted online (that is the exact morning and the place of the bombings), and also when she manages to merge into the crowd of survivors coming back. Croissants, baguettes, ditsy floral dresses and red lips are all over her feed to convince anyone that she was actually in Paris at the time. From a personal standpoint, it’s a big risk she takes as I overthink before posting anything on my ‘gram.
Her inclination towards the 2000s style is not only a ploy to be likeable, but also a remembrance of her childhood. Almost all of the pieces she wears, be it the black ‘n white printed pants at the support group or the yellow sunglasses, are all good to style to this day, just not in the way that is intentionally done in the movie (but If you truly enjoy y2k look then sure, go for it).
In accessories and hair, it’s more and more and then some. Claw clips, gaudy rings, skittles-inspired french tips. It’s the old Paris Hilton mixed with the microtrend of 2020. Her phone cover is flower-pressed, and the beaded chain link attached to it? What a moment.
The movie touches upon the points of influencer culture from a fashion perspective for its characters. Cultural appropriation, queer stereotypes and hypebeast styles are all explored through Danni, Colin and Harper. Not Okay through its costuming also questions how frivolous fashion trends can get. It tests the limits of a microtrend, such as the money-piece turned e-girl highlights and chunky rings (which seemed almost cringy now that I am looking at it in a movie many years later).
Cancel Culture & Pitfalls of the Influencer Generation
Macmillan Dictionary defines Cancel Culture as the practice of no longer supporting people, especially celebrities or products that are regarded as unacceptable or problematic.
However, what the definition misses is the gravity of problematic behaviour that makes it acceptable to cancel someone out. Sure, maybe if Danni would’ve apologized in a few Instagram stories about her fake trip as soon as the bombings happened, it would not have been that big of a tragedy for her, but at that moment all she could see was how she would stoop even lower amongst her social circle.
Plagiarism was also a major plot point shown in a different angle, with Danni using Rowen’s words to rise to fame by playing the victim. The dialogue (which I assume was meant to create a mark about the apathetic thoughts of Danni) is also used twice, both interpreting drastically differently: The internet loves to turn villains into victims, and vice versa. We see both in practice with Rowen and Danni.
Colin and the Missed Opportunities
A true f*ckboy, Colin being a successful influencer is only attracted to Danni till the time he finds profit in her, no matter it be through her fame by surviving the bombings. He himself showcases his shallow apathetic nature by mentioning how he never asked if she was okay. Ultimately, Colin kicks her to the curb once she is exposed.
On a hilarious note, the more I noticed Colin to see his style and looks, the more I realised how many comic relief moments he had to provide. If you see it through a lens of mockery, his weed-leaf chains, tattoos hidden under oversized tees and the weedboicolin handle is a deliberate attempt to show how that really isn’t his true self. One cannot make a true personality around marijuana.
Even though he is an established grey-area influencer, his character falls flat as just being a himbo, and is only present to show how fame can aid you in finding friends and so-called love interests. What could’ve given Colin the depth would be to put him in a similar situation of scandal as compared to Danni, with him getting out unbothered and with hardly any consequences for his actions due to his white male privilege.
Snapbacks, cross-body pouches, psychedelic printed tees ad hoodies are Colin’s staple pieces. With 8BPlus and mentions of Banksy, his clothing is part rebel, part gorpcore.
Not to mention, his style is heavily inspired from the hypebeasts and sneakerheadz references (think Machine Gun Kelley), and Colin’s dialogues often have dialects from the black culture, which is again a form of appropriation gone ignored by the media of Not Okay’s world (including Depravity), except in the only conversation Colin and Harper have, where she explicitly mentions that he is from Maine (and can stop using the made-up dialect).
White privileges are also blatantly shown throughout for Danni, which helps the movie get credit. Danni had a safety net (her parent’s house) to fall back on. She also mentioned how she was on a cruise when 9/11 happened and feels the FOMO about it (which, with the bombings in Paris, she later needs to fake her “trauma” about surviving it). She was able to wear a traditional Chinese qipao dress with no consequences at an influencer party. The list goes on. In fact, the only major decision she has ever had to make in her life was the choice Harper gave to her: To tell the truth herself, or let Harper expose her out.
Rowen puts it in the movie perfectly during her poem, quote “Why do people like you get movies on Netflix and Hulu, while people like me get told to sit tight and wait for change?”. Even Danni herself mentions as a self reflection
“My life before this, it was so easy. So easy. No one stared at me in the street. No one doxed me on Twitter. No one gave a sh*t.”
Her dialogue made me give ‘the last laugh’ reaction, knowing she is simply just explaining what marginalised groups (poc, lgbtq community and many others) go through on a daily basis. Not Okay gives us a perspective of the same from a white-lens for a change.
…
Did you enjoy Not Okay? I would define it to be a pretty realistic narration of how fame can get to your heads.
Feel free to take any information for your own use on credit. Want anything you want me to cover? Let’s connect through Instagram or Linkedin. None of these articles are funded, so you can also support my work by giving me a tip on Ko-fi!
