There are a million and one little things, mannerisms, and commonalities scattered around campus or perpetuated by students and faculty that make us think, “That’s so Oberlin.” But, if an “Oberlincore” really exists, is it observable outside of the College, in the wild? Could it be that “Oberlin” is not only a local phenomenon, but a state of mind? If so, what do Obies think is the most Oberlin-coded piece of media?

These interviews have been edited for length and clarity. 

Lilliana Inosanto, College first-year:

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. There are so many eccentric things going on in that movie. There’s a little queer, sassy man, which I think is very Oberlin. There’s Ramona Flowers, who’s constantly dyeing her hair, and, you know, if you walk around Oberlin, you can’t walk past five people without seeing someone with very colorful hair. The main character is a very awkward guy who can’t talk to people, which I think a lot of Oberlin students may relate to. Also, the whole hero’s journey feels like college. You gotta defeat all the evil exes, but each evil ex is just a class … or an actual evil ex.

Luka Ison, Conservatory second-year:

I think an album that is very Oberlin-coded would be Ornette Coleman’s Skies of America because I think it’s a good representation of the direction that a lot of musicians at Oberlin want to take, both artistically and personally. 

Emma Shoaf, College third-year:

I watched the T.V. show Girls in high school before I even knew I was coming to Oberlin. I loved it. It was one of my favorite shows. However, since coming to Oberlin, I’ve tried to rewatch it a couple of times, but it hits too close to home, in a way that makes me feel sick to my stomach. So, I don’t know if I’ll be able to watch it until I’m settled and in my forties with a family, because something about the fact that that’s gonna be my future makes me feel really scared.

Harper Joyce, College 

second-year:

I think typical campus fashion falls into two categories: either the movie Moonrise Kingdom or a 2hollis concert. I feel like we see a lot of Boy and Girl Scout representation: lots of fur trapper hats and summer camp vibes once the sun is out. On the other hand, if you were to step outside of The ’Sco, you could convince me 2hollis is playing inside with the amount of ripped tank tops and skinny jeans and, like, black on black on black clothes. 

Alice Rosenberg, College 

second-year:

The movie Bottoms is the most Oberlin-coded piece of media. It’s funny, about queer people, and a little bit satirical, and sometimes Oberlin feels a little bit fake. 

Miki Wajima, College first-year:

I watched Lisa Frankenstein last week, and I feel like it’s a little bit Oberlin-coded. The aesthetic, which is kind of campy, a little bit goth, a little bit Victorian … you see people like that around here. It’s a sort of coming-of-age story of this girl who doesn’t really feel like she fits in, but then she discovers a person who accepts her unconditionally. That’s like the college experience. There’s DIY bottom surgery … that’s Oberlin-coded. I don’t know anyone here who’s gotten DIY bottom surgery, but, like, spiritually. 

I didn’t like the ending very much. I was disappointed. But that’s not relevant. 

Oliver Hough, College first-year:

The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It’s very gay and extravagant, and there are a lot of people at Oberlin who really like it. There’s the screening that happened earlier this school year which sold out, and another happening this month … it’s just a big thing that everyone enjoys. 

Elsa Beach, College 

second-year:

Oberlin is like every Portlandia skit ever, especially the episode of the feminist bookstore. They’re just feminists, and they run a bookstore. There’s one bit where they’re at a basketball game watching the cheerleaders, and they’re just yelling, “Let them speak! Give them autonomy!” It just seems like Oberlin’s vibe sometimes, but I love it. 

Also, Oberlin is like season two, episode three of HBO’s Girls, in which Hannah is in a mesh top with her nipples out and does cocaine and gets really sweaty with her ex-boyfriend who is now a homosexual. And that’s it, that’s all that happens. 

Simon Puchner-Noel, College third-year:

There’s a Swedish Elvis impersonator called Eilert Pilarm. I think he’s utterly ridiculous but brings with him some sort of, like, “the drear of Kansas.” Here at Oberlin, we too experience this same type of drear, as well as a certain self-conscious ridiculousness that I really appreciate. 

I think this is a very Oberlin answer to give. The answer in itself that I just gave is an Oberlin-coded answer because it’s absurd and ridiculous and comes from a self-possessed art girl who likes to make her own clothes.