"DORM-ROOM DÉCOR" used to mean some combination of those generic posters once sold during freshman-orientation (AI Pacino in Scarface, Bob Marley's head shrouded in weed smoke, maybe Audrey Hepburn looking gamine with her cigarette holder), overflowing laundry hampers, and never-dry shower caddies for the shared bathrooms. And while I'm sure versions of this can still be found at colleges and universities across the land, the confluence of Amazon, helicopter-parenting, and Instagram-oriented decorating has ushered in a new era: the dorm room custom-decorated-often with a unifying color scheme-by Mom.
Recently, I, like reporters at People and the New York Times, have been sucked into a corner of Facebook dedicated largely to mothers who decorate their adult children's college dorm rooms. Dorm Room Mamas, at over 246,000 members strong, is just one of many parent-run groups devoted to dorm décor. What makes Dorm Room Mamas so interesting to me isn't the creative storage solutions, the DIY upholstered headboards, or the bespoke neon signs (names like PEYTON or MARLEIGH, above each roomie's bed, or college cheers-HOTTY TODDY at Ole Miss, HOOK 'EM HORNS at UT). What has me scrolling (and scrolling) is the group's underlying purpose as a place where helicopter parents support one another as they endure the wrenching process of letting their kids go free.
Not all members of these groups are helicopter parents, of course. Many are simply excited for the opportunity to transform a room from a cinder-block cell into something adorably color-coordinated.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 09 - 22, 2024-Ausgabe von New York magazine.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 09 - 22, 2024-Ausgabe von New York magazine.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Trapped in Time
A woman relives the same day in a stunning Danish novel.
Polyphonic City
A SOFT, SHIMMERING beauty permeates the images of Mumbai that open Payal Kapadia's All We Imagine As Light. For all the nighttime bustle on display-the heave of people, the constant activity and chaos-Kapadia shoots with a flair for the illusory.
Lear at the Fountain of Youth
Kenneth Branagh's production is nipped, tucked, and facile.
A Belfast Lad Goes Home
After playing some iconic Americans, Anthony Boyle is a beloved IRA commander in a riveting new series about the Troubles.
The Pluck of the Irish
Artists from the Indiana-size island continue to dominate popular culture. Online, they've gained a rep as the \"good Europeans.\"
Houston's on Houston
The Corner Store is like an upscale chain for downtown scene-chasers.
A Brownstone That's Pink Inside
Artist Vivian Reiss's Murray Hill house of whimsy.
These Jeans Made Me Gay
The Citizens of Humanity Horseshoe pants complete my queer style.
Manic, STONED, Throttle, No Brakes
Less than six months after her Gagosian sölu show, the artist JAMIAN JULIANO-VILLAND lost her gallery and all her money and was preparing for an exhibition with two the biggest living American artists.
WHO EVER THOUGHT THAT BRIGHT PINK MEAT THAT LASTS FOR WEEKS WAS A GOOD IDEA?
Deli Meat Is Rotten