All Caught Up: YouTube turns 20, pistachio shortage, recession proofing your life

Real is overrated

and

Apr 25, 2025

Hello, friends! This is a gentle reminder that if you want my wellness essay, you’ve gotta sign up for it. More than 50% of the 250 copies are accounted for. Grab it here.

This week's picks include America’s obsession with protein, CAKE and free SuperGrok.

Christina’s weekly scroll –

You don’t need a funnel, you need a spine. h/t
Rama Sow
!
Is BeautyTok the manosphere for women? Great convo between
Alyssa Vingan
and
Jessica DeFino
on how beauty has become the new American dream.
New York’s proposed Beauty Justice Act would ban the sale of products containing harmful ingredients like parabens, formaldehyde (!) and a specific pigment used in mascara and eyeliner. Self-tanners could also be impacted.
Americans are obsessed with protein. And Khloe Kardashian is hopping on the trend with the launch of Khloud Protein Popcorn, lol. No comment!
Holy shit. 20 years of YouTube (!) Looking at the past, the present and the future.
Really enjoying this new social series from Tiffany & Co. spotlighting its archive.
Coco Gauff for Miu Miu x New Balance. 10/10.
DAMN. Kendrick Lamar is Chanel’s latest brand ambassador.
Teens think social media is bad for other teens, not themselves. Lmao.
The FTC is suing Uber over deceptive practices. Good!
Real is overrated. “We’re all putting on a show, aren’t we?” The uncanny valley of online expression and why Addison Rae works c/o
eliza mclamb
.
words from eliza
The End of Authenticity...and thank God
“This is what comes from the wrong kind of attentiveness. People get brain fade. This is because they've forgotten how to listen and look as children. They've forgotten how to collect data. In the psychic sense a forest fire on TV is on a lower plane than a ten-second spot for Automatic Dishwasher. All the commercial has deeper waves, deeper emanations…
Read more
2 months ago · 769 likes · 29 comments · eliza mclamb
Great week for gaming: Paul Rudd recreated his SNES 90s commercial for the Switch 2. Eric André + Kyle Mooney + Fortnite = dub. Bethesda revealed and released the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion remaster the same day.
Duolingo is getting a chess course. This is their first new subject since adding math and music a few years back.

Nikita’s weekly scroll –

Young women are already beginning to recession-proof their lives, and manicures and Ubers are first up on the chopping block.
On the other end of people cutting spending comes this… seemingly loyalty-focused platform, CAKE.
I’m working on a piece about community strategy, and I’m taking notes from this piece by
Viktoriia Vasileva
about Oddli.
Edibles are booming. The DTC, low-dose, hemp kind, thanks to clever workarounds.
Do not let your absolutist Tumblr brain poison you. Nuance is important.
As far as I’m concerned, J.W. Anderson at Loewe is the case study to end all case studies about how a brand can engage with culture on multiple fronts and win.
In cyberspace, delulu is the solulu.
I’m in the minority here, but I think the Cheesecake Factory for adults restaurant genre can kick rocks. Just go to a chain restaurant.
I don’t even have words for this one. Glad I spend way less time on TikTok now.
The IKEA life at home report is here!
CAA is going after billionaires because celebrities are too lowly.
The Gen-Z lifestyle subsidy is free AI tools. I’d take cheap Uber rides personally.
Conflicting reports here but supposedly Dubai chocolate is causing a pistachio shortage?
Everyone’s favorite tradwife partnered with everyone’s favorite drugstore brand. A partnership that actually makes sense.
How do we cry online?