The Age of Decadence Without Pleasure: A Cultural Critique
A Guardian essay argues that contemporary culture is marked by 'decadence without pleasure'—a technologically mediated abundance that feels joyless and empty. The author contrasts today's anhedonic decadence with the fin-de-siècle decadence of Oscar Wilde, Aubrey Beardsley, and Joris-Karl Huysmans, which celebrated 'useless' pleasure and artifice. Today, GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic suppress appetite, tech billionaires like Bryan Johnson pursue ascetic biohacking for longevity, and looksmaxxing subcultures treat the body as a set of metrics to optimize. AI produces hollow content that leaches language of pleasure. The essay calls for a 'New Decadence' that reclaims embodied, everyday pleasures against the forces of optimization and algorithmic stimulation. It cites examples such as the sensuous cinema of Peter Strickland, the blood-coloured sculptures of Anish Kapoor, and Shola von Reinhold's novel 'Lote' as potential seeds of such a movement.
Key facts
- The essay was published in The Guardian on July 26, 2026.
- It contrasts contemporary 'pleasureless decadence' with fin-de-siècle decadence.
- Bryan Johnson spends $2 million a year on anti-aging treatments, taking 111 pills daily.
- One in eight American adults report taking GLP-1 drugs for weight loss.
- The global market for GLP-1s is expected to reach $190 billion by 2035.
- Looksmaxxing is an online subculture that treats male beauty as mathematical norms.
- AI is described as a 'pleasureless decadence machine' producing hollow content.
- The essay references Walter Pater's questions about pleasure as a guide for living.
- Examples of neodecadent art include Anish Kapoor's sculptures and Shola von Reinhold's novel 'Lote'.
- The essay argues that pleasure is essential for perceiving value and making judgments.
Entities
Artists
- Oscar Wilde
- Aubrey Beardsley
- Joris-Karl Huysmans
- Rachilde
- Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema
- Walter Pater
- Max Beerbohm
- Michael Field
- Bruce Nugent
- Anish Kapoor
- Peter Strickland
- Shola von Reinhold
- John Corigliano
- Andrew McMillan
- Carissa Véliz
- Franco 'Bifo' Berardi
- Ross Douthat
- Peter Thiel
- JD Vance
- Bryan Johnson
- Elon Musk
- Christian Angermayer
- Dr Sally Greenwald
Institutions
- The Guardian
- New York Times
- Amazon
- Equinox
- Gallup
- Hayward Gallery
- Madison Square Garden
Locations
- United States
- France
- Britain
- Weimar Berlin
- Palo Alto
- London
- UK
- Europe