Paul Mescal is a wired It-Girl
The hipsters were ill-informed about most things – fedoras, moustaches, the desire to eat at a restaurant that specialises exclusively in novelty cereals – but most of them understood that there are few things less erotic than being a so-called tech geek. That goes for Paul Mescal too. The gentle man from Maynooth was photographed yesterday afternoon strolling through west London wearing wired Apple headphones, a faded tank top and – in an amazing twist of fate – thigh-length O’Neills shorts.
It was Neverworns writer and host Liana Satensein who first pointed out the appeal of analogue EarPods. “These classic cables feel oddly luxurious,” she said of Bella Hadid’s then-old-fashioned preference for headphones. “The choice suggests she can’t be bothered to keep up with the latest technology and prefers the simpler things in life, which, oddly enough, is the true measure of success.” True – and I’ve never seen anyone give even the appearance of thirst while wearing an Apple Vision Pro headset or the cybernetic Dyson headphones with built-in muzzles.
The delicate 19-pound cords that frame Mescal’s thick and fibrous neck serve a similar function to the 13-pound gym shorts that frame his thick and fibrous thighs. They are a subtle signal that says, “I move through the world effortlessly.” For example, compare this photo of Mescal leaving a Homerton Co-op with this image of Mescal in tailoring on display at the Independent Spirit Awards. The general consensus on which outfit is most desirable is currently: quite obviously. He also really likes indie music.
