Technology Is Just Showing Us What Was Always There

Here’s an unexpected addition to our 2025 bingo card: young women across the internet have been devastated by the demise of a nightmarish fanged fish. A black seadevil anglerfish (unflatteringly described by one marine biologist as “pretty much evolved to be a giant head”), usually a deep-sea dweller, was recently caught on camera swimming close to the surface by a shark research group near Tenerife. Sadly, apparently sick or injured, it died. This, however, was only the start of the anglerfish’s journey in the hearts and TikToks of young women. The fish’s story has triggered an outpouring of emotion. The narrative they have adopted is that the tiny anglerfish, who lived her life in darkness, wanted to feel the “sun on her face”, so swam alone through the vast ocean to do that before expiring. There have been tattoos, poetry and oceans of tears.

Anthropomorphism. It has for years been the preserve of airhead women (and the occaisional man). 

What catharsis is this creature providing? Yes, she was small and female, but males are even smaller – a tenth of the size. I wonder whether anglerfish parasitism (the teeny males are absorbed into females’ bodies, serving solely to provide sperm as needed) might appeal at a time when women’s reproductive autonomy is existentially threatened, but not only is that a massive stretch, but this particular species is non-parasitic.

And sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, Emma. Just because you can't stop thinking about a thing doesn't mean no-one else can.

So that leaves me with lots of young, especially American, women really not being OK right now.

Ah, now you might be onto something. 

I’m almost certainly reading too much into it.

A peep of self awareness?