The Digest 14

Replacing your AM social media doom scroll

Dec 17, 2024

I’VE MISSED YOU!

My intentional, 1-week Thanksgiving break turned into an unintentionally very long hiatus due to a variety of reasons - some good, some bad, some in between. While I was away, the news cycle kept churning and my notes list of books, bodies, and consumer culture news kept growing. Because we were apart for so long, the structure of this letter may be a little different (read: longer winded) than the usual Digest and some of the news may not be the newest, but I hope you’ll still love anyway. So glad to be back with you, promise I won’t leave you again 💋

Also! I have some exciting think pieces I hope to bring to you soon. Let me know what you want to see first. Topics include:

What the rise of the retro-futurism + dystopian aesthetics say about society’s current trajectory
A hard critique on the Kardashian brands and how they champion diet culture
A piece I started writing post-election, pre-hiatus about fashion trends and how they predicted the alt-right rise and increasing conservative ideals in America. I know a lot of content has since come out on this topic, but if you’re still interested in my take on class, body ideals, and conservatism, then I will still publish it!

Think of this as your curated morning paper, best read with coffee in hand

x Jo

Let’s have an aperitif section today, because she’s a long one:

➡️ The year of maxxing: Has our obsession with self-optimisation hit its peak?

➡️ Beyond Filthy: Why our martinis keep getting dirtier

➡️ Nothing is hotter than libraries right now. Literary it girls rejoice! Proof here, here, and here ( I <3 PBT) plus this and this

➡️ Brat, bodysuits and bag charms: The year in TikTok

➡️ Genuinely a genius move from AWAY to capitalize on the lookalike contest boom

➡️ Charms and mini bags have been two huge trends this year - so I think it’s hilarious when they converge and the mini bag becomes the charm

➡️ Conagra Brands adds ‘GLP-1 friendly’ label to some Healthy Choice meals 1

➡️ “Just because you had sex, doesn’t mean you’re f*cked”

➡️ The Allure of Smoking Rises Again: The cool factor of cigarettes has proved hard to shake

Okay, time for the main course:

I shared in the last Digest (11/21, wow) that I found myself gravitating towards 2000s Olsens twins makeup. Turns out I’m not the only one. Quote of note from Allure: “The makeup itself is totally harmless (in fact, I think it looks awesome), but there’s an icky feeling that settles in my stomach when I think about what our refreshed obsession with these young women from 20 years ago means about where American culture is headed. Whereas our years-long love for the aesthetics of the 1990s just felt like nostalgia, the timing of the 2000s coming back post-election feels more like backsliding”

In that vein, Glossier launched shadow sticks, “reminiscent of the effortlessly cool, soft grunge look of 2000s envy”. The names + shades were “inspired by the raw energy of indie sleaze”. This may actually be the first thing I ever purchase from Glossier

We’re seeing structural silhouettes popping up and out - from Loewe on the SS25 runway to A-listers on the red carpet, clothing is being used to sculpt curves and create surrealist body shapes. Emily Kirkpatrick had incredibly interesting insight on this, which can be found here. In the age of Ozempic, the ultimate statement is to be thin and architecturally add heft to your body, both adhering to and defying the beauty standard

In addition to the candles trend we’ve been tracking, some food companies seem to be leaning into a new category of surprising drops: wines. Pizza Hut announced a tomato wine and Hellmann’s Mayo (a brand to watch, IMO) dropped “Mayonnaise Blanc”2 (PS: Heinz advent calendar is a yes from me). Also loved this from Ghia

Too much diet culture news to digest here. Hims & Hers launched meal replacement shakes (welcome back, Slimfast), the Kardashians are purportedly launching a snack brand (welcome back, 100-calorie packs), restaurants are adding single-bite offerings to their menus as people are eating less due to GLP-1s

Hims & Hers also released “The Shape of America”, a new report on how Americans feel about weight. The report says that “85% of Americans believe at least one major aspect of their life would improve if they lost weight, from living longer to having better sex”. The only thing I have to tell you is this: your life does not become better when you achieve your “dream body”. Your life becomes better when you stop thinking that you have to achieve it in the first place. When the vast space in your mind that has been devoted to losing weight becomes dedicated to your happiness, exactly as you are. I think we need to remember this now more than ever. And I guess the second thing I’ll say is that your weight is *not* the reason you’re having bad sex

“Club Zero: A controversial dark comedy about teens whose social lives revolve around not eating”

So. Much. Fragrance. News. to talk about. But first: a quote from a previous Digest: “we also talked about the push for brands to innovate products, presenting something we’re familiar with but in an unfamiliar format (a la EOS lip balm). I’ve been wondering if we’ll start to see perfumes morphing in this way, considering how saturated that market is becoming”. It’s happening, people. Fragrance is going off the walls

People want to smell like their pets

Functional fragrance is allegedly the new thing, with people leveraging chemical benefits for purposes from dating to quitting addictive behaviors to amplifying your aura3

“Would You Buy a Perfume You Had Never Smelled? A half-million people are on the Ffern wait list hoping to do just that” - once again, leveraging the unusual in a saturated space

“Why Does Everyone Smell Like Candy?”, you ask? Well, In the Ozempic Era, Gourmand Perfumes May Be the New Dessert - I find this concept incredibly interesting, to no one’s surprise

Beyond gourmand perfumes, confectionary smells are permeating other wearable areas. In recent weeks, Dunkin and Native released “four sugar-filled, donut-inspired scents”, and Crumbl Cookies partnered with Dove on cookie-scented body care (see related: Poptart candles)

Pantone’s color of the year is similarly sweet - Mocha Mousse was announced with an AI-generated campaign, which people are really unhappy about

I’m seeing multiple sources telling me that pigtails are in

Thank you to my friend (and incredible swimwear designer + entrepreneur) Taylor Long for bringing to my attention this absolutely abysmal Vogue cover story. I mean?? This is peak 2007 in terms of visuals, level of inclusivity, and everything else. The video of them in denim lined up alongside each other made me physically ill. Extremely ironic for a story that touts this: “In fashion, a kind of paradigm shift is taking place, with the old markers—exclusivity, luxury, aspiration—now being joined by ingenuity, affordability, and accessibility: It’s the democratization of fashion” - can you say out of touch?

Part of the cover story also involves Zac Posen’s GAP (+ he got a full Vogue profile this week as well). The writer notes that upon a visit to GAP, she felt the following: “Not only was I buying something with longevity, both in terms of quality and timelessness; this was also something that wouldn’t break the bank—a combination that has long felt all too rare” - a combination that is still quite rare for plus size folks, and nonexistent at GAP for anyone above an XXL. The article also references The Frankie Shop as serving “a previously overlooked clientele” in terms of price point. TFS’s size range goes up only to a size large. While I understand the “accessibility” referenced in this article is about money, I think we should be thinking more critically and speaking more intentionally here

Casey Lewis

discussed Posen’s Studio collection for GAP in her recent newsletter as well, and I fully agree with her that it feels very dated and underwhelming. Even so, these silhouettes could have easily worked across a variety of body sizes and perhaps they could lift their overall revenue by expanding their size range and therefore their customer base. As Casey said, “nothing has sold out yet, which does not seem like a good sign”. You know what always sells out? Larger sizes. Scarcity, baby!

Another favorite topic of mine as of late: TIGHTS! I speculated that Sabrina Carpenter’s affinity for leg wear would seep into the mainstream, and it’s happening. We haven’t yet seen the customizable versions I predicted, but we have lots of stocking news regardless: The tights color everyone is wearing right now, the tights pop stars love, lace tights, tights are latest low-cost fashion statement, Kris for Khy in whitey tighties

“Tights are the plastic straws of the fashion industry”4

Lace is trending overall, and previously disgraced underwear brand Parade is trying to make a comeback with a new lace collection5

Surveillance is becoming an aesthetic. My partner studies the impacts and biases of surveillance, and so I hear a lot about this topic. It is concerning. Also, I just discovered and am tempted to listen to the new audiobook for 1984 featuring Andrew Garfield + Cynthia Erivo, just as a little ~~treat~~ (reminder)

Viv Chen

speculated in this Substack Reads 2025 predictions piece that “With the rise of government surveillance, laws that limit people’s control over their own bodies, and apps that sell your personal data, I think we’ll see the pendulum swing toward sartorial anonymity as a means of protest, privacy and protection.Longer skirts, baggier pants, facial coverings like balaclavas and scarves, eyewear”

We recently discussed how rising grocery prices have even affluent shoppers turning to Walmart. Anecdotally, people in my life who live in the suburbs have been singing Walmart’s praises, saying they’re stepping up their game. It seems they’re pushing Target out of the top spot for young people

I think constantly about

Leslie Stephens

’s book You’re Safe Here - it is an incredibly prescient speculative dystopian fiction novel largely involving tech-based body mods - and we’re continuing to see more technology colliding with our bodies in various ways, including these RFID chip nails

I really, really hope this is not the future for Rhode

The Digest 14

Replacing your AM social media doom scroll

I’VE MISSED YOU!

Let’s have an aperitif section today, because she’s a long one:

Okay, time for the main course:

Discussion about this post