ADN: Because Sometimes Chaos Comes in Glitter
There I was — probably in a zip-up hoodie from Tammy Girl and butterfly clips just about holding on for dear life — the first time I heard the words:
“Ooh stick you! Your mama too!”
And something deep inside me awakened. Was it rebellion? Chaos? Neurospicy rage in its earliest form? Whatever it was, it had a name — and that name was Daphne & Celeste.
Loud, Proud, and Deliberately Annoying
In a sea of polished pop princesses singing about boys and heartbreak, these two American teens landed in the UK like a glitter bomb in a quiet library. They weren’t trying to be pretty or sweet or even likeable. They were bratty. They were bold. They were LOUD. And they didn’t care who didn’t like it.
Which, for a kid like me — autistic, aspec, often confused about what the hell I was meant to be — felt like a revelation.
They made it okay to be too much.
“U.G.L.Y” Was a Power Anthem (Yes, Really)
Let’s talk about “U.G.L.Y.” for a second. On paper, it’s a song about calling someone ugly. But in context? It was theatre. It was camp. It was pure, unfiltered attitude. The kind of song you’d sing with your friends at lunch (in the learning support area, in my case), while pretending you were in the video with pigtails and platform sneakers.
It was the first time I realised you could perform confidence, even if you didn’t feel it yet.
Chaos With a Capital C
They crashed Reading Festival. Got bottled. Kept singing. Absolute agents of chaos. No girlband had ever dared to be this hated on purpose — and they wore it like a badge of honour.
Looking back, it was an early lesson in unbothered womanhood. They didn’t apologise for taking up space, being different, or annoying the hell out of people.
Now as someone who’s proudly autistic, disabled, aspec, nostalgic, and deeply unfiltered — I owe them a weird little thank-you.
What They Gave Me (Besides a Detention)
- The courage to be weird
- The thrill of saying what you’re not supposed to say
- The beginnings of my chaotic feminist streak
- And… probably one of my first music-related meltdowns when someone dissed them
🎙 Daisy’s Corner:
“U.G.L.Y.? BABES THAT’S JUST MY VIBE. If I’d had that song in Year 7 I would’ve taken down the whole year group and not even blinked. Daphne & Celeste were ICONS. I’d like to personally thank them for paving the way for my unfiltered era. Now excuse me while I rewatch their Reading set with popcorn and violence in my heart.”
Did Daphne & Celeste make you feel seen? Or just really annoying in the best way? Let’s chat about it. Bonus points if you ever sang “Ooh Stick You” and got told off. 😈💅
Asten Does Nostalgia 
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