The Digest 30
the summer menu of ultimate temptation and bushkinis for big girls
Welcome back!
When asked by a coworker what I did on my week OOO, I responded that I just lived my life. I feel alive and rejuvenated. Now that I’ve dusted off my laptop, here’s a little weekend Digest for you - more on what I got up to this week in the upcoming Spread issue, or here on my IG. Enjoy xx
At The Composite, we serve up a curated collection of culture, beauty, and critique. Think of The Digest as your quick, thoughtful read to replace the doom scroll, offering a bite of everything you need to stay in the loop. Come hungry. Leave questioning everything.
Aperitif
A little taste of what’s to come
Trending Tidbits:
These trends are tracked not for following, but for what they reveal. Not necessarily an endorsement, but a thought starter
➡️ Gladiator Sandals (lord help us)
➡️ Pearls
The Main Course:
A selection curated to keep you fed
There was a wide variety of literary-inspired bits this week:
📚 Jimmy John’s dropped a “Summer Menu of Ultimate Temptation”, or SMUT, a lineup of sandwiches inspired by steamy romance novels. The menu is accompanied by an original audiobook, narrated by none other than Walton Goggins. Unfortunately I love this
📚 Merit posted a stack of books in one of their branded totes, asking followers what’s on their summer reading list
📚 Dior is looking to Jonathan Anderson to revive their classic book tote and turn it into a bestseller. They posted a preview here of his interpretation, including a bold Dracula version1
📚 The perfumer behind 19-69 fragrances is partnering with author Bret Easton Ellis to create scents based on his novels. First up? American Psycho. Elle editors put it to the test
📚 Authors are fashion’s next top models. Brands are seeking to align themselves with intellectualism as an evolved marker of aspiration and exclusivity
📚 More niche news that is exciting to me personally, but this book-to-movie adaptation is my Roman Empire. I cannot WAIT. Even though I would have cast the main character *very* differently
Some Related Recommended Reading
📖 How Toni Morrison Changed Publishing
📖 The perfect man exists. He's called a 'book boyfriend.'
📖 The Books Times Readers Are Most Excited About This Summer
📖 Book recs for girls who ranked Zohran #1
On to regularly scheduled programming:
I called this social format out a couple weeks ago and it still seems to be gaining traction, with ASOS and Tarte both using it this week
On that note, I first predicted the grocery basket social post trend in September of last year. PBT reported this week that we’re “entering the era of the grocery store basket”
The body spray craze continues, with Calvin Klein as the latest brand to drop a line of these popular mists
Olly, the vitamin and supplements brand, is entering the body care space. They claim the products are “science-backed” (they always are)* and “transform your mood”. The campaign for the launch is a series of videos called “Unlicensed Shower Therapy” starring Heather McMahon
*Speaking of which: “How companies like Dieux, Glowbar and Evereden are meeting demand for ‘science-backed’ skin care”
Rumor has it that Gap is dropping a beauty line, returning to their 1990s roots
has been telling us for a year that all things medieval would take over. The newest alleged iteration? Medieval Y2K“Ocular aesthetics” are a new area of focus, with eyes having their wellness moment. Trendalytics also reported a +110% increase in social buzz around “oral care”
Melted Solids is the agency behind Zohran Mamdani’s digital campaign, an unprecedentedly successful venture.
of Link In Bio interviewed the agency’s founders back in May. If you work in social and don’t follow her, change that!Cinnamon Toast Crunch seems to be playing into the chaos marketing trend. They dropped this “Cereal Killer” campaign about… cannibalism?
Funnily enough, Liquid Death is dropping a collaboration with Fruity Pebbles, creating “Cereal Criminal” flavored sparkling water. I find it odd that they didn’t call it Cereal Killer, though
The Atlantic wrote about the return of the wrap (Mcdonald’s Snack Wraps, for example), dubbing it “the worst sandwich” - but they also explore how this is indicative of a regression to diet culture of the ‘90s / early 2000s
Teen Vogue launched an editorial series called Group Project, “a series on the many ways young people are building and engaging with community”. Side note: I like the branding
Two Group Project pieces of note: the first being this one on YA book series The Clique - “How The Clique Fandom Community Paved the Way for a Clique Sequel From Lisi Harrison”
The second is “The Community Ozempic Stole: As Influencers Lose Weight, Their Followers Feel ‘Abandoned’". I often get asked about my opinions on this subject, and the folks in this article sum it up pretty succinctly
I’ve been critiquing Hims & Hers’ involvement in the weight loss industry for a while. Apparently the telehealth company “sold ‘illegitimate, knockoff versions of Wegovy that put patient safety at risk’”. Novo Nordisk is discontinuing their partnership
Multiple pieces of media dropped this week about dressing for the apocalypse (a fictionalized one). Read about the costume design for 28 Years Later here and listen to The Last of Us costume designer speak about “apocalyptic realism” on The Who What Wear pod here
“Fast fashion is trying an Earth-friendly makeover. Is it real?” Lots of chatter this week about this - textile recycling at major retailers, “false climate solutions” at Lululemon and Shein
“Runway Meets Raceway: Fashion Brands Team Up With Automakers”
As you know, we’ve been seeing many brands leaning into laundromats and dry cleaners aesthetically. Now actual laundromats are turning into hot spots, adding bars and coffee shops to their business model, turning the chore into an outing
Horrible news drops every day emphasizing this administration’s desire to strip immigrants of their humanity, Willy Chavarria’s invitation to his Paris show this week mimicked an immigration summons, but instead affirms the readers’ “right to exist”
Digestif:
A download on this week’s hard pill to swallow
Let’s talk about Billie. You probably know them from their subscription razor service and their youthful approach to body hair removal. I appreciate a lot of what they stand for and how they market - I wrote a few weeks ago about their very fun recent scratch-n-sniff OOH ads.
The company’s About page starts with this: “We’re making feel-good body products without the feel-bad body pressures they usually come with”. It goes on to say “Our mission is to champion the whole spectrum of womankind. We want to undo the unfair social pressures women face, starting with double standards around shaving and bodycare, and celebrate the infinite ways women can look, feel, and be in the world”. Sounds really good!
Billie is a personal care brand, so they don’t operate within the constraints of a sizing system. They do seem to feature a variety of body types in their content, which I always say is often more impactful for brands to do when they *don’t* have a size range - there’s no obligation. They support many different marginalized communities, with their About page also stating that they “have zero-tolerance for racism and systemic oppression.”.
All this to say - I think we can critique brands’ actions while remaining in a gray space that appreciates them for the positive things they do. In my opinion, the best thing you can do for a brand you love is to hold them accountable and push them to be even better.
This week, Billie dropped a collaboration with Ian Charms and designed a “bush-friendly” bikini adorned with charms. 2025 kicked off with the TikTok trend of “full bush in a bikini”, so this is unsurprising in terms of zeitgeist. I happen to think it’s very fun! I am here for the bush and the bushkini and everything in between.
Ian Charms sells a selection of apparel on their site, most or all of which appears to be available in sizes S-XL. The range for the bushkini *is* slightly larger, coming in sizes XS-XXL. As you know if you’re a regular Composite reader, this is still straight sizes only. It seems antithetical to Billie’s company mission and ethos (“to champion the whole spectrum of womankind” and “celebrate the infinite ways women can look, feel, and be in the world”) to enter into a collaboration without pushing for the inclusion of the entire spectrum of womankind in the size range of the product offering.
You know how I feel about this - I want everyone to have an extended size range, but I’m realistic enough to know they won’t. So, if you don’t want to cater to us, simply stop putting inclusive verbiage in your mission statement and your marketing language. I don’t want to see you having your cake and eating it, too.
In HypeBae’s coverage of the collab, they write “This release marks not only a hilarious and body-positive move, but it’s also Billie’s first foray into fashion and jewelry. This collection is ‘all about celebrating your body, your way,’ Billie shared. ‘Whether you’re bare, bushy or somewhere in between, this is your summer to show up exactly as you are.’”
Well, I’m here to tell ya, Billie, that big girls have bushes too. Take my money! Let us wear your bushkini!! Exactly as *we* are! That would be a body-positive move.
Dessert:
A weekly book rec as the cherry on top
The Girls Who Grew Big by Leila Mottley (on sale as of 6/24!)
I somehow have not yet read Nightcrawling (currently waiting for my library hold to come through after reading and loving TGWBG) but I was hypnotized by Mottley’s sophomore novel. We follow a handful of teen moms in a claustrophobic Florida town as they find sisterhood through motherhood amidst the harsh judgement of their small town. Through an intricately woven multi-POV story, Mottley’s humanizes her characters through a compassionate defiance of stereotype and perception.
If you’re here for a new perspective on fashion, beauty, and culture, you’re in the right place. Pull up a chair. The table is wide, and the conversation is layered.
A couple Book Tote notes from last week in cased you missed it:
Lots of chatter about lit girl summer this week. Elle said the season is upon us once again, claiming the current it-bag is a “Tote That Holds a Book (and Little Else)”
Beis dropped the “Book Tote”, dubbing it an “overachieving style” part of their campus collection
Thanks for the shout!!
You always include the best articles and have great takeaways. I feel tapped in after reading these posts. :D Keep 'em comin!