The 2024 Overrated List
All the overrated things in one place!
Recently, GQ’s 1995 list of things that were overrated made the rounds online. I felt inspired to make my own list of things that are currently overrated, consulting my friends and family for guidance. Without further ado…
The Icarus Eater 2024 Overrated List
Traveling. It’s not inherently virtuous and we need to stop acting like it is.
Clapping and cheering every time men wear skirts. This is the new painted nails or wearing pearls. A tactic for uninteresting men to try and get in the pants (or overalls) of “artsy” women. Not so fast, little boy!
Working out/Going to the gym.
Chipotle, Cava, Playa Bowl, Sweetgreen, etc. Yippie! Another bowl-centered fast casual joint! You shouldn’t have…
Quiet luxury fashion. SNOOZE.
Teezo Touchdown. I like him. He’s cute. I have a crush on him. Just wish his music was as cool as his look.
Denmark. There's a lady on my TikTok feed who’s an American living in Copenhagen and all of her videos are about how awesome her new life is. The comments are also filled with googly-eyed Yankees drooling all over themselves. I’m not patriotic, but something about it is disgusting to me.
Music festivals.
Big shirt + Little pants combo.
Energy drinks. Was I asleep when these became cool? Why are people online holding a Monster like an accessory? And I hate you Celsius for trying to make these chic. You can like them, but they’ll never be chic.
The name “Ophelia”.
The city of Houston. Everything cool about it is immediately soured by the fact that all of it is so s p r e a d o u t.
Every Blake Lively Met Gala look.
Vodka seltzers. (Do people even like these anymore?)
Gracias Madre, The LA-based vegan Mexican restaurant chain. I just want y’all to stop coming here. Last time I went, it was filled with the most loud, snooty, obnoxious wannabe influencer types. Go back to Nobu!
Amsterdam. Too many people.
Whole Foods. I saw an English person say that it’s weird that one of the most popular grocery stores in the US is owned by Amazon, and y’know what? It is weird!
Raising Canes.
Smoking/Vaping. Look, I’ve enjoyed a cigarette in the past. I’m not gonna sit up here and say it doesn’t look cool as hell, that would be a lie. Still, there’s a Mom Voice in my head going “omg this is like so bad for you :(“. I’m able to keep my reservations to myself, unless it’s about vapes. What the hell even are those electronic plastic disposable little shits?
iPads.
Zara (the clothing store). Probably the only thing on this entire list that I seriously dislike.
Eurovision. After loosely keeping up with the most recent season, I’m kinda glad the American version of this flopped.
Disliking seed oils. Anyone who says “no seed oils!” doesn’t know diddly-squat about nutrition, I’m convinced. It's a weird fear-mongering tactic that should not leave the borders of whatever gentrified LA neighborhood birthed it.
One Piece (the anime).
Marrying rich. Can’t help but feel a great sadness for girls who think this is a “way out” of patriarchy, and I’m perpetually rolling my eyes at the women trying to sell it.
Those TikTok accounts whose whole shtick is re-enacting “cringe” viral videos. I was going to do a separate rant/analysis on this phenomenon because it confuses me profoundly… but the TLDR is that I think everyone involved is kinda lame.
Caring about the way your lawn looks.
Thrifting. Of course this is, on paper, more sustainable than buying from places like the dreaded Zara, but the best thing you can do from a fashion sustainability standpoint (for the environment and for your own personal style) is to wear the stuff you already own. Overconsuming at the thrift is still overconsumption…
Being someone’s muse.
On The Grind, The Texas-based drive thru coffee chain. Had the worst coffee I’ve ever tasted here, and I used to be a Dunkin’ regular so that’s saying something.
Not wanting to look like everyone else. This is just a fool's errand and I think we’d all be happier if our fashion philosophy was centered around what we do like rather than what we want to avoid.
Lip-liner. I’m a lazy makeup girl. If there's any step in the process that I feel is not absolutely necessary (which is, in truth, most of them) I simply will not do it.
Wingstop.
Cowboy boots. These aren’t even trendy anymore, which is part of my bone to pick. The gaudy low-quality fast fashion ones pained me to see as a Texas girl and now, for better and for worse (mostly for worse), they’re all probably in a landfill somewhere already.
Radiohead. Sorry…
Matcha. Delicious, one of the best drinks ever. It’s the pale pastel green ones that lowkey piss me off. If it’s not medium-dark grassy green, don’t even bother.
GQ has also published their own 2024 overrated list, including gems such as pop-ups, yearning, and dating-app doomersim.
I’ve recently donated to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, please consider doing the same.
Hello everyone, thank you for reading. I enjoy writing these more fun pieces, and I think they’re great for summer. This month is looking to be quite emotionally laborious for me due to some personal tragedy, which I do plan to write about but may never publish.
As for a sneak peek of next month’s post, I would like to do something like my recent pop-culture deep dive. I’ve been working on a few things, but as I’ve learned, anything could happen…