All Caught Up: Dior sweatshops, crowdfunding drones, the shareholder value of UGC
r/MonsterGirl
Sorry, but I love watching the Olympics. My entire feed is Kamala. And lots more…
This week's picks include AI slop, egg flights and microtrends as coping mechanisms.
Christina’s weekly scroll –
McDonald's collectible cups are back!!!
A24 launched its 1st annual scratch-off event. Grand Prizes include a visit to an upcoming A24 set, an all-expense-paid trip to the Ex Machina hotel, a year of LAUNDRY and TAXES (?) and much more. Join AAA24 (with my referral code) to play!
Sabrina Carpenter x Erewhon. The Short n’ Sweet smoothie is available now at all locations for $23.
The Reddit hentai community is fighting over AI-generated monster girls–yet another unrealistic beauty standard for women (lmao).
What happens after a company (Google) is ruled an illegal monopolist?
Instagram is shifting to views as a primary metric because engagement is dead 🙂
Leaked documents reveal that NVIDIA scrapes a lifetime's worth of videos DAILY to train AI. Cool.
A Stranger Things prequel is heading to Broadway????
TikTok Spotlight is a new in-app hub for videos about movies + TV shows.
A look into how beauty brands showed up at the Olympics, including pop-up grooming salons, FENTY beauty kits for volunteers and viral moments beyond official partners.
“2024 marks the first time the Olympics reached gender parity since the organization’s founding in 1896. That means there are more potential partners for beauty brands, who by and large cater to female consumers. Plus, there’s more interest in women’s sports at large, with the category projected to generate over $1.28 billion dollars in revenue in 2024, a 300 percent increase from 2021.”
The “Soho House” of nail salons just opened up in NYC. Reminds me of Chillhouse.
Dolce & Gabbana launched Fefè, the brand's debut perfume for dogs… The alcohol-free fragrance mist was named after Domenico Dolce's dog, Fefé. Veterinarians have a lot to say (and rightfully so).
Egg flights are hot right now and this is one silly “girl dinner” trend I fw.
Dior is being investigated for misleading consumers about their commitment to craftsmanship and social responsibility (see: sweatshops).
The crowdfunding campaign for deadly military drones.
Lunya x LACMA is turning bedtime into a work of art.
Nikita’s weekly scroll –
Might as well call this Nikita’s sports corner because as a reluctant viewer of sports, I am now obsessed and see what the hell everyone has ever been on about this. A new report from The Digital Fairy is all about the new sport, and I think this trend is because of a few things, which I covered in my note here. Sportiness is being subverted through hyperfeminine and queer codes.
UGC actually has shareholder value because brands who get tagged in lots of UGC see a rise in sales and brand perception. (A very duh! article to have on hand to fight with your boss tbh.)
Is Nike still cool? Yes, we’re talking about it. No, not in the same way because of bad business decisions. However, they arguably spend more on brand than anyone else. This article is annoying, but I don’t expect much from the people who say merch is dead. We are not in a post-brand world, we’re in a world where we pretend brand isn’t important but we’re branding ourselves in every tiny decision.
Emily Oberg has a new sexual wellness brand and…the name sounds like it was generated using Chat GPT. FWIW, Contact Sports is the OG sexual sport conceit brand but they seem to have died lol.
Christina note: ICYMI (via Nikita’s Instagram Story), I generated Emily Oberg’s new brand name with a very straightforward ChatGPT prompt. Hire us if you want a brand name that isn't generated by AI <3
Something something lore and pop culture but really I think that brand and popstar lore is replacing religion and oral tradition, bye.
I need Substack to allow me to unlock one article at a time for a fee because this person is cooking with gas. Shoutout to
for this incisive take on microtrend and memeing yourself mania. Also related, via in conversation with Jia Tolentino.Those creepy AI photos with like seven boobs are inadvertently being paid for by Facebook themselves.
Not sure I believe it but the NY Times claims teenage girls are less sad now (well, at least since 2020).
So much of work feels like the illusion of doing. Good one from
about busywork and how it pertains to our jobs in marketing. AKA, making things harder for customers.Part II of the ten charts article I linked last week.
HBR wrote about new power, which resembles my New Cultural OS.
Airbnb made a life-size Polly Pocket.
Are you miserable at work? You’re not alone, we all are 🙂
You don’t feel sexy because you are on that phone.
˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚Little Treat Corner ˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚
Christina’s weekly report:
READING: Men Have Called Her Crazy by Anna Marie Tendler… soon! Books-A-Million just shipped my pre-order!
EATING: Liposomal Vitamin C.
PLAYING: It's been a tough week. I have resorted to maining Sissy and killing people on TCM. I also entered the Cecile Bahnsen x ASICS draw via EQL.
OBSESSING: Teenage Engineering made the world's first medieval electronic instrument and the snippets are so good… I want it…
RECOMMENDING: Spending 30 minutes on the phone with someone as kind as Star from AT&T, who so graciously helped my neurotic ass when I BROKE the backend system (don’t ask) while trying to upgrade my phone this week <3
TREATING: Myself to a new iPhone! As soon as AT&T gets back to me… 🥲
Nikita’s weekly report:
READING: Honestly, my reading this week is what I’ve posted here…
EATING: Lamb meatballs.
PLAYING: I think I need a phone game or something to play so I get off TikTok.
OBSESSING: Over sorbet recipes that I will never make.
RECOMMENDING: Hanging out with your dog.
TREATING: I’m thinking about fragrance…
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