There are so many parts of 2020 that I could have never predicted. For the purpose of this article, I am choosing to focus on the unprecedented fascination with Connell Waldron’s silver chain in the BBC adaptation of Sally Rooney’s wildly popular novel, Normal People.
When BBC dropped the highly-anticipated adaptation last week, I anticipated Perks of Being a Wallflower-tier mania. If you read Normal People, and consequently shared a photo of you reading the book positioned purposefully next to a $17 eggplant and ricotta sandwich flatlayed on the pristine green grass of an Eastern Suburbs park to your Instagram stories — you probably found yourself embroiled in a bunch of makeshift DM book clubs, poring over the novel. It’s the first time in years that I felt that everybody that was my age was reading the same book. Like The Fault In Our Stars when you were sixteen. Except we’re not sixteen, we’re in our early 20s, and we’re horny, and we have DMS, and we’re ready to dissect.
I didn’t, however, anticipate the mania to be directed towards a kind of, (dare I say it?), insignificant element of the show — leading man Connor Waldron’s silver chain.
The importance and power that a male accessory has should never be downplayed. I have let men treat me like absolute garbage because they wore a small hooped earring or a lashing of black nail polish. At the risk of sounding like Carrie Bradshaw, the accessory is the Achilles heel to all women. You can put me through the absolute ringer and know that I will continue to crawl back like pathetic, whimpering dog as long as you embellish your hand with a tasteful signet ring. It’s a toxic, destructive horniness — one I fear I’ll never outgrow.
Connor’s chain, described as “Argos chic” in the book, has incited such universal nymphomaniac that it’s earned itself a legion of 53.4k followers on Instagram.
It has also led to a 200% spike in the sales of silver chains on eBay. “The hype surrounding the show — but even more bizarrely, Connell’s chain — has translated into a resurgence in male jewellery across Australia. Perhaps viewers want to capture some of Connell’s charming style, or treat themselves during isolation — whatever the reason, the item has certainly caused a chain reaction!” reveals eBay Australia’s Sophie Onikul.
This news has truly shaken me to my core. I just know that post-isolation I’m going to be spending my salad days getting fucked over by men in flimsy little chains.
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You can watch Normal People on Stan. If you’ve already binge-watched the hell out of the show, why not check out our list of must-watch dramas streaming on Stan right now?
