All Caught Up: Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, the first woman on the Moon, Erewhon kids meals
Fascism, fashion shows and body politics
The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is a lens for what’s happening in politics more broadly. I will admit that I enjoyed the Bella Hadid x Cher moment but besides that…I think this specific cultural moment is one that was primed for this brand to come back. The VS brand tried to play into inclusivity, was derided for it (not enough fantasy!) disappeared, and came back with a… spectacle that rode the early-aughts nostalgia train to its fullest last night. Reactions on social media have ranged from glee (from users I perceive to be Gen Z) to horror (from millennial women in particular – who lived through early-aughts body image hell.) The idea that a brand cannot be aspirational and inclusive is beyond me - I think Rihanna has done an incredible job, as has SKIMS. I’ve seen the writing on the wall for Bush-era culture to come back since the orange one was elected the first time, so this comes as no surprise.
VS is doing well (well, of course being relative) right now – surpassing Q2 expectations, and they’re doing some things right: they hired the ex-Fenty/Savage CEO, and their board of directors is 89% women. Looking beyond VS though, I want to think about this cultural moment - because as I said: the brand is generally checking boxes, and I’m using it as a starting point to discuss something more broadly.
The global tide of fascism and right-wing ideologies are a factor in this regression from inclusivity. Fascist ideologies extend their order and control to the body; historically, conforming to the ideal body type was evidence of one’s disciplined, committed mind in service of the state. We have to ask ourselves about the media environment that we’re living in. There’s been a notable regression when it comes to women’s rights – is it any wonder that thinness is back in as a measure of social control and stratification? Coupled with social media (I think we’ve all heard of Instagram Face) and the ability of editing apps to create a further homogenized vision of beauty, it feels like the hard-won progress of the past decade is disappearing. It feels to me, at least, right now that our aperture has narrowed – there are shining moments of representation, but they seem even more hard-won than ever before, and the buck simply cannot stop at mere representation. I mean, even Kerry Washington said that Scandal couldn’t happen today because Hollywood is now so risk-averse, they won’t cast a show with a black woman as a lead.
A renewed focus on thinness coupled with the rise of GLP-1 drugs has created the perfect storm. Before we get into the Ozempic thing let me be abundantly clear: I reserve no judgment over GLP-1 drugs – I think that they are a fantastic, life-changing resource, but the cultural narrative around them being a magical panacea and the subsequent accusation that everyone who loses weight is on one…is something. 42% of Americans gained weight during the pandemic; Ozempic followed – is anyone surprised? This increased self-surveillance over people’s waistlines, the increased pressures of social media and the disappearance of larger sizes from stores shape the imagery we see – and dietary trends. You cannot scroll social without someone hawking a protein bar or a gut supplement at you (29% of consumers in the United States stated that protein has become more important over the course of the last year). This all reminds me so much of the Atkins Diet to South Beach Diet to Paleo diet arc of my teenage years, and it makes me sad.
Inclusivity was never given a chance to be a winning strategy because the dream of flat, representational politics and marketing was easier than doing the internal transformational work. Ultimately, the rise of pro-ana, pro-thinness narratives serves as a litmus test for us about how much progress has really been made in not only the fashion industry - but across culture as a whole: if rights are being rolled back, trad-wives are in, and we’re posting pro-ana content again, was the “progress” of the last decade a collective hallucination? Ultimately, that only served a certain class - and the broader infrastructural collective change that needs to happen wasn’t given space to occur.
This week's picks include AI prosecutors, election denier bombers and nonconsensual bot problems.
Christina’s weekly scroll –
Megan Thee Symbiote <3 Megan stars in a new promo for Venom: Last Dance.
Feeld, the polyamorous dating app, made a magazine… and then invited Woody Allen to the launch party? What an inappropriate and weird f*cking way to reemerge on the scene… This article checks out.
Ed Hardy by Kim Petras by The Cobrasnake Drop 2 is out now.
Erykah Badu will receive the Fashion Icon Award at the 2024 CFDA Awards.
Character.AI lets users create bots in anyone's likeness without consent—and there's little to no recourse. Bleak.
This AI tool is helping convict people of murder…
Billie Eilish x Converse released customizable Chucks. Available now.
Donovan Mitchell for SKIMS is exactly what I like to see!!!
Angel Reese talks Caitlin Clark, the Met Gala and more via Wall Street Journal.
T-minus 18 days to Election Day… DHS alerted agencies this summer about online threats to election drop boxes used in over 30 states…
To celebrate the release of National Geographic’s documentary 'ENDURANCE', Burberry has recreated the garments (Burberry gabardine, a weatherproof fabric) worn by Sir Ernest Shackleton's crew during their 1914 Antarctic expedition. Replicas commissioned for the film will be displayed at their flagship Regent Street store. Love this little tribute to history and craftsmanship!
Nikita’s weekly scroll –
A smart brand move from Maude – they’re sponsoring an exhibit at the Louvre. I like brands leaning into channels that aren’t expected.
Kamala has been doing the podcast, etc circuit this week. Charlamagne, Joe Rogan rumors… On 7/12 I tweeted that Kamala would go on Club Shay Shay to revive the then-ailing Biden-Harris campaign, and every single day since then that tweet has felt like prophecy.
Alex Consani for Interview. No notes.
The next Moncler genius stunt is a phone that lets you call iconic creatives like Rick Owens and Nigo and the comments are… not good.
Someone PLEASE let me do Beyoncé’s personal brand strategy because what is this weird candle she’s releasing now?
Reebok released a supplement line.
For every Frutiger Aero post, there were thousands of comments begging people to make tech fun again. Future of is trying to do that!
Erewhon launched kids meals and Hilary Duff helped announce them.
This Glossier holiday asset is cute. That one busted Balm Dotcom ad with the balms lying in a plate of cookies isn’t.
I guess it’s Nikita’s body image corner today but the indie sleaze revival brought back pro-ana ;(
Smart one on “basics” examined through socio-economic and cultural trends.
The first woman on the moon will wear Prada.
This op-ed from a young NBA fan bemoaning the loss of longer-form content feels like an amplification of the constant mismatch between big-scale-oriented marketing goals and meaningful comms.
˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚Little Treat Corner ˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚
Christina’s weekly report:
READING: Nothing. My brain is fried. Watching Tell Me Lies instead.
EATING: Fruit Riot! Sour Frozen Pineapple 🍍
PLAYING: Hello Kitty Island Adventure. They just released a new update to celebrate the 50th anniversary!
OBSESSING: Fruit Riot…
RECOMMENDING: Be direct, don't mince words.
TREATING: My Glossier Birthday Cake Candle finally arrived and it’s… scrumptious.
Nikita’s weekly report:
READING: I think you know what I’ll say.
EATING: Thai Chicken Crunch salad from Just Salad.
PLAYING: That goddamn Camilla Cabello Move mix that’s been all over TikTok.
OBSESSING: Over when I get my favorite boots back from the cobbler.
RECOMMENDING: Going to the cobbler.
TREATING: (shocker) Myself to the repair of five pairs of boots.
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Hi, Nikita and Christina. How are you? Today, I forgot to embed the link to this recommendation of yours: This op-ed from a young NBA fan bemoaning the loss of longer-form content feels like an amplification of the constant mismatch between big-scale-oriented marketing goals and meaningful comms.
Could you send it, please? Thanks