The Digest 15

The decade that will define 2025's aesthetics + an ins/outs list analysis

Happy New Year!

And welcome to the first Digest of 2025. We’re kicking off the new year with a good one, and a bonus at the end: I analyzed hundreds of in/out lists on the internet to bring you a summary of what people are bringing into this year and what they’re leaving behind. Feel free to share your personal in/outs with me in the comments.

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Throughout the week, I keep track of everything that feels culturally relevant in the areas that I care about. I take that list from my notes app and turn it into this download of books, bodies, and consumer culture news to keep you in the loop on what I think you should know about this week. I hope you enjoy and take your time to Digest.

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

x Jo

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In a moment uniquely aligned with pop culture phenomenons of 2024, Emma Grede, one of the founders behind both SKIMS and Good American, is partnering with WAG Kristin Juszczyk on a sports apparel line. Curious to see what the size range will be

Speaking of famous athletes’ girlfriends- I don’t hate Taylor Swift but I usually hate her style. Go on, give us nothing Ms. Billionaire! I actually like these looks for her, although I think she could’ve benefitted from a knee-high boot on the second one

I wrote earlier this week about savory jello-o salad aestheticism and the rise of food as adornment rather than for consumption. Since then I’ve seen 2025 predictions of retro food styling from Big Night and modern surrealism / ornate tablescapes from Pinterest Predicts. Also discovered this new jiggly snack brand

Many outlets, including Pinterest, are also predicting cherry laden vibes. Interesting take from Dazed (always): “What the sinister cherry perfume renaissance says about our times”Z

The beauty industry in 2024 was characterized by desires to look thinner, live longer, and smell better. We’re going to see longevity everywhere in 2025. Who’s gonna tell them that thinness does not equal health?

In that vein - this is horrifying

Teen boys discovered beauty in 2024. Adult men are pursuing longevity. I think we’ll continue to see increasing male interest in aesthetic categories

See also: “Men with meticulously curated homes are going viral on TikTok, changing the way people think about male living habits”

This trend report is exactly the kind of reporting I like to see. Particularly enjoy The Utah Effect and Trad Masc sections

We’ve been tracking fragrance brands making unprecedented moves to stand out in a highly saturated (and growing) market. Add AVESTAN to the list, a brand that does not disclose the notes of their scents. I am intrigued by their new (second ever) scent inspired by the Svalbard seed vault (very apocalypse coded, very this book)

I used to host a live shopping series at my last job and I’m incredibly intrigued by the general concept, which is wildly popular in other countries. But can it work in America?

Is anything more ubiquitous than soda these days? Why is it so popular again?¹

A large portion of my December was devoted to Rummikub, both in person and online, so imagine my delight seeing this header photo in the NYT. Young people are playing board games again! Analog experiences are going to dominate in the coming months (anyone in NYC interested in going to play at one of these events with me?)

See also: “Tiktokers are turning to rage crafting for self care” - lest we forget the success of Happy Medium, “Just like a restaurant but you order art experiences instead of food”

“2024’s hottest fashion trend? No trend at all” - would love to hear thoughts here

“2024 Was The Year of the Trinket - not just the year of the trinket but the year of many trinkets, of so many tchotchkes coming together to manifest a shred of personality in a sea of sameness”

Very fun list of collaborations from the past year. One thing that stuck out to me RE McDonalds x Nails.Inc collab: “We respect the french fry/French tip concept but fear that “I’m Lovin’ It” nail stickers could be a gateway into skinvertising” - I’m tracking the concept of the body as advertisement as well as the cyborgification of our bodies, and I don’t think we’re far from seeing intense body modifications enter the scene. Interesting to see this example notated as “skinvertising” adjacent

I do not believe that bodies are objects we should subject to trends, but I know I’m in the minority.² Even so, the media is telling us that 2025 cosmetic procedures will focus on rejuvenation, subtlety, and work that is “undetectable” - I think this will lead to looking so perfect that it’s uncannily inhuman, and then it’ll loop back around to completely detectable, weird procedures (those aforementioned intense body mods)

Cannot stop thinking about milk right now and I’m not the only one

This week, a guest editor on

Feed Me

said the Caesar salad is dead. While I don’t think it’ll die as a food favorite, perhaps it’s also shifting into liquid form? Cue “desiring food rather than eating it” again

So. Many. 2025 ins/outs lists feature tiny ‘tinis / mini cocktails as IN for 2025. I hate it. I understand reducing alcohol consumption, but this doesn’t seem like the way. 2/3 the price for 1/3 the booze? I think it’s more related to our appetite crisis (remember when we talked about single bite offerings?)

Peer-to-peer rental is gaining traction

I feel strongly that we are going to see a surge of the space age aesthetic and a variety of 1960s influences in culture this year. Interestingly, Vogue randomly (?) wrote this week about Marc Jacobs’ 1995 mod collection, “a time lapse of early-’60s fashion”

editing note: was just putting final touches on this and found this newly published article: “2025 Will Be The Year Of ’60s-Era Beauty Trends”

Brands are crowdsourcing on Instagram for the new year with Beis, Rhode, and more making posts specifically soliciting feedback from customers

Unsurprised to see this trend emerging as conservatism continues to creep in and various related cultural signifiers move through the zeitgeist (camo, barn jackets etc)

Ending on a serious note as we enter the always toxic New Year’s resolution territory: A couple years ago, I was denied birth control from a doctor because of my weight based only on the doctor seeing my external physical appearance, no health-related exam involved. There was no medical reason I could not take it. Stories like this are so important, and these instances of discrimination are why I talk so extensively about dismantling diet culture. Next time you want to say something derogatory about your own weight or someone else’s, remember this and the real, devastating effects³ our words and biases can have

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2025 In/Out Lists Report

I didn’t personally make one of these lists, but I reviewed hundreds of them online. While there were some line items that bounced between the in and out sides (see: headbands), the lists were generally surprisingly consistent (albeit fairly predictable). Here’s a high level overview of the most popular answers.

IN THIS YEAR: (according to the internet)

• Mini cocktails

• Dressing how you want / being overdressed / dopamine dressing

• Capsule wardrobes / outfit repeating / personal style

• “Cheeky cigarettes” / drunk cigs

• Flirting

• Poppi in wine glasses

• Saying no / setting boundaries

• Mixed metals

• Class consciousness

• Red meat + dairy milk

• Board games / hobbies

• Dirty Martinis

• Youtube / longform video / long vlogs

• Sleep / reading before bed

• Coffee at home

• Honorable mention: “Letting Luigi unite us, don’t @ me” - Rachel Kushner

OUT THIS YEAR: (according to the internet)

• Fast fashion / overconsumption / impulse shopping

• Dairy alternatives

• AI / ChatGPT

• Drinking coffee on empty stomach / first thing in AM

• Situationships

• Doomscrolling / high screen time

• Y2k aesthetic

• Vaping

• Microtrends

• Overthinking / negative self talk

• People pleasing / caring what other people think

• Hangovers

• Not using PTO

• Anything from Lemme (oops, that one is just from me)

• Shaving

• Espresso martinis

• UberEats / Doordashing

• Honorable mention: “Orienting your entire being for optimization within the capitalist, bipartisan, algorithmic hellscape we are trapped in as we float through infinite space dissociating from the fact that all norms and institutions are a construct” (Lauren Chan’s whole list is chef’s kiss. Ester Manas mentioned!!)

PS: I really enjoyed all the In/Out lists + curation of tastemakers from Cultured Mag

What I’m hearing? Intentionality is in. Prioritizing yourself is in. Doing whatever the fuck you want is in (antithetical to the concept of these lists, but I digress). I’ll be spending 2025 the same way I spend every year: over-caffeinated, overdressed, and overthinking. Xoxo, Jo ✨

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1. this line killed me: “In 2024, the only early-aughts star vying for a bigger comeback than Lindsay Lohan was soda.”

2. I was pleased to see the comments agreeing on this post, though.

3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25903020/