Archive - Crush Material

Songs of Summer

Determining the song of summer is less an investigation than a ritual. Just as we need icons for nostalgia, we need ones for longing

Jun 16, 2023 •

Alexandra Molotkow

May 2023

For the Love of Mindless Chatter

Let's argue about aesthetics

May 26, 2023 •

Alexandra Molotkow

On Being Charmed

Beauty is reactive — like celebrity, it alters human behavior

May 19, 2023 •

Alexandra Molotkow

November 2022

Why Can't I Remember My Crush's Face?

I've always found it impossible to visualize my crush — and I'm not alone. The condition is weird and frustrating, and in several ways it captures the…

Nov 22, 2022 •

Alexandra Molotkow

August 2022

The Banal Intrigue of the "Unconventional Crush"

Whenever an "offbeat" hunk is named as such, people rush to dissect his appeal, though it's usually pretty obvious from the start. Nathan Fielder, who…

Aug 4, 2022 •

Alexandra Molotkow

April 2022

On Arthur Russell and "Virtuous Art"

In the throes of a crush, other people can appear very distorted, which tends to feel like a violation, even if nobody else even knows or cares. There…

Apr 29, 2022 •

Alexandra Molotkow

December 2021

Elliott Gould, Dream Lover

About a decade ago, I realized that the faceless, anonymous man in my fantasies about men was not faceless or anonymous at all: he was Elliott Gould.

Dec 29, 2021 •

Alexandra Molotkow

On the Noises of Neighbors

The relationships we form with neighbors we hear but can't see are crushlike. They also serve as a constant reminder that, even in isolation, one exists…

Dec 2, 2021 •

Alexandra Molotkow

November 2021

An Erotics of Hypochondria

Hypochondria and obsessive crushing are similar conditions: both are all-consuming, interpretive fevers, and both bear the stigma of being a lot about…

Nov 18, 2021 •

Alexandra Molotkow

Pete Davidson, Public Muse

In the years since his romance with Ariana Grande — a narrative as captivating for its hopelessness as anything else — Pete Davidson has expanded from…

Nov 4, 2021 •

Alexandra Molotkow

October 2021

The Exquisite Meekness of Joe Pesci

Joe Pesci's long, winding life and career contains moments of incredible vulnerability, upending American mythologies around failure and success. And…

Oct 28, 2021 •

Alexandra Molotkow

Introducing: Crush Material

Introducing Crush Material, a series about crushes and how best to love people we don't really know.

Oct 26, 2021 •

Alexandra Molotkow

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