With the release of Love Story, it was only a matter of time before the internet rediscovered Carolyn Bessette. The new Hulu series, which premiered in mid-February, revisits the turbulent relationship between John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, but it has done more than retell a romance. It has reignited an obsession. Love Story has prompted a resurgence of 90s minimalism particularly through Carolyn Bessette with women replicating her understated glamour and effortlessness. Not only has the series revived our wardrobes but it has created a fantasy of feminine power rooted in quiet luxury. In doing so, television has not simply brought back 90s fashion but has reshaped how we remember it.
We have seen biographical dramas shape our perception of culture and history with television shows like The Crown, which redefined how a generation views the British monarchy. The stylisation of Love Story follows a similar formula. Through the cinematography, costume design, and an emphasis on minimalism, the series presents Carolyn Bessette not simply as a woman, but as an aesthetic. The show walks the fine line between documentation and romanticisation. It recasts her as a symbol of effortless elegance whilst being a woman navigating constant media scrutiny. The result is not simply a reinterpretation of Carolyn Bessette, but a cultural return to the 90s, an era that is constantly romanticised for its perceived simplicity.
This oversimplified perception of the 1990s is rooted in nostalgia. We imagine it as a time before constant self-documentation that is more private and less mediated. It is worth asking whether our obsession is more about her wardrobe or the longing for a time where social media didn’t exist. She did not narrate her life through Instagram captions or brand partnerships, but through images taken by others. Her identity was not shaped by self-performance but by fleeting moments captured by the media. Carolyn exuded quiet luxury, and perhaps that’s what we’re craving in a world built on overexposure and self-surveillance. In an age where personal branding feels compulsory, the romanticisation of Carolyn might say less about the 90s and more about us.
Of course, this sense of nostalgia glosses over the true reality of Carolyn Bessette’s life. The 1990s were hardly a safe space from media intrusion, and Carolyn herself was relentlessly hounded by the paparazzi. The images of her that fill our Pinterest boards were often taken at pressuring times instead of being carefully curated with her consent. Nostalgia has a habit of smoothing over discomfort. And yet, despite the scrutiny, her style endures. Perhaps that’s part of the appeal for us as an audience. The idea that even under pressure, her elegance remains intact.
Love Story may have sparked the resurgence, but our obsession with Carolyn Bessette says as much about the present as it does about the past. It’s not all about the 90s fashion that we adore but also about our desire for privacy in an era of constant performance. In a world that rewards constant visibility, perhaps the best luxury is a little bit of mystery.