Pop Culture Mondays/11.28.22
The “BALENCIAGA HAS BEEN CANCELLED” Edition
Hello, my darling pop culture junkies. Most of you are coming back after a holiday or 5-day weekend or something where this particular Monday hits just a LITTLE bit differently. ALL those emails you have ignored, all the open items left unchecked on your to-do list, all those texts you have put off responding to….yes little ones…it is time to face the music.
Or not.
This is the perfect escape from reality for a few minutes just to delay the inevitable a LITTLE bit longer. I admit, you now must think about holiday parties and shopping and all the things you have again been putting off…but that’s ok, we are ALL in the same boat. Nothing a few TikToks cannot cure. As always, it was an action-packed pop culture week EVEN with the holiday. Below, we will get into the drama around Balenciaga as well as more World Cup moments and some thoughts around new content (The Swimmers, Wednesday, My Policeman, Matilda the Musical) and a few other viral moments so grab your favorite treat, take a deep breath, and enjoy…
Also, in case you missed last week’s special edition podcast with co-founder and CEO of Choose Love, Josie Naughton, well then here you go:
IT’S COME TO THIS:
Look, it could not happen to a more deserving brand as far as I am concerned. Balenciaga has been poking the bear (lols see what I did there) for a LONG time. Fave brand of anti-semite Kanye West and his ex-wife and the whole Kardashian clan, Balenciaga is the tangible real-life version of, “LET THEM EAT CAKE”. They are a troll brand that makes ridiculous things just for the viral moments they create.
The brand that brought us the $2K Ikea bag:
Or the nearly $300 SCRUNCHIE:
Or the $400 rubber logo slide:
Or maybe my fave thing to hate, the nearly $700 collab with CROCS:
Yeah. Fuck them. And you see these teens literally obsessing over massive sneakers for upwards of $2K. Look, I could go on. But this brand has been annoying AS FUCK (AF as the kids say) for a while now. They do it on purpose and it’s no wonder Kanye was so deeply aligned with this brand.
So what happened?
Nothing says the holidays like a little BDSM and KIDS! And that’s exactly what happened this past week with the release of the new ad campaign:
I don’t know if I am more offended by the stuffed animal the kid is being forced to hold or the thousand-dollar sneakers they are wearing. But the reason we are here TODAY is because of BDSM photo shoot involving toddlers. Oh and there is more. In another photo from the same campaign:
…eagle eyed people were able to zoom in on the papers in this photo. And guess what?
According to THIS article:
The stack of papers appears to show a page from the 2008 Supreme Court ruling of the United States v. Williams where the court upheld part of a child pornography law “that criminalized advertising, promoting, presenting or distributing child pornography even if the underlying material does not constitute child pornography.”
So is this one giant troll? I guess one could imagine the photographer was offended at the request for this shoot and made it known by hiding the papers in this picture but then it gets more complicated as NOW Balenciaga is suing the agency behind the shoot which I think is mental because how on EARTH would a brand as established as Balenciaga not have sign-off on a campaign from the top of the top? The amount of checks and balances needed before a campaign was to go live is insane…so did they just NOT do that or are they trying to pass the buck? If anything was going to bring the left and the right together, never in a billion years would I think it would be Balenciaga. Also, Kanye is now spinning this BTW as something he knew about Balenciaga and that’s why he cut ties with the brand the other week. MY EYES ARE ROLLING SO HARD. I am ignoring him here but people were upset over the last few days that Kim K had not spoken out:
But Kim did finally release a statement via Twitter about her thoughts and how she is re-evaluating her relationship with the brand.
This is also a powerful commentary from a well-known photographer:
And maybe the ONLY time we will ever agree with Tucker who btw has zero moral compass so take it as you will…but here we are:
BUT, I think this guy says it all:
LET’S DO A ROUND-UP:
There have been a bunch of things that have taken a hold of the pop culture zeitgeist this past week but I thought I would do my best to summarize them here.
COLORADO SPRINGS 🏳️🌈:
There are no words to talk about this really other than shameful, tragic, heartbreaking, and despicable. As we know, there was ANOTHER mass shooting, and this time it seems to be a hate crime targeting the LGBTQ+ Community at the nightclub, Club Q, in Colorado Springs. First, let’s look at the victims who were either members of the community or supporters of the community just out with friends and family and hoping to have a beautiful night. They lost their lives doing so. But I applaud the Colorado Springs police department for their handling of this:
And hearing directly from members of the community has been powerful and heartbreaking:
And this creator makes a good point…should the assailant be labeled a domestic terrorist? Shouldn't mass shooters be classified as such?
The shooter NOW says they identify as THEY/THEM, therefore, claiming they are a member of the community they attacked. We know generally speaking that people who do these things come from homes that are not the most stable. NOT all, I know this…but in many MANY cases. And here, we are “blessed” with actual evidence of the FUCKED UP-ness of their father. The man has been described as an addict and FORMER porn actor…who DEFINITELY does NOT do gay…he is FINE with porn I guess in his conservative “Mormon” life…but god forbid gay…
I mean can you imagine this is your response when you find your child is a mass murderer???
It is too much.
SPACE KAREN AKA ELON….AGAIN:
Did you all enjoy a momentary reprieve from Space Karen antics? Well, hate to break it to you….he’s back trolling everyone. What now? He posted a pic of his bedside table which we must take a with a grain of salt because we ALL know that guy sleeps in a coffin or hangs upside down from a barn somewhere right? And this is a clear attempt to be one with a certain segment of people…But can you guys spot the thing I personally find the most offensive about this scenario??
CAFFEINE-FREE Diet Coke? Like the GOLD CANS?? If there ever was a signal that he is a total psychopath, THIS is it my friends.
But truthfully, he is such a troll. White boys raised during Apartheid in South Africa are a different beast…there is no way for us to understand this guy unless you start there. That’s my total belief.
Anyway, moving on….
TAMPAX…
No better segue from Elon TBH am I right? Ok, so yet another brand that went off the rails but a brand VERY grateful to Balenciaga for taking the heat off them.
So let me explain first the meme for which Tampax referenced and got into trouble. It’s the “You’re in her DMs” meme. Examples are:
OK…weird and funny and it’s a trend that has passed so it’s weird Tampax tried to jump in now on this but BOY OH BOY did they and it not go well, OBVIOUSLY:
I mean…..OY.
Time to switch to OB you guys….
MATILDA — THE MUSICAL:
It is not out in the US yet, it comes out on Christmas Day, but it IS out in the UK and therefore we have a viral moment that is an amazing campaign for Matilda in the US TBH. Please note, this is not a remake of the OG film…it is the actual musical on film. First here is the trailer:
And there is one scene in particular that has taken over TikTok…and it is THIS girl:
Can you FEEL the excitement??
And a new viral dance:
MY POLICEMAN (on Amazon Prime Video):
LOOK…Look guys…I have no words tbh other than I loved this film. I really did. I am guessing Harry is not really doing publicity for it because he is TOO good in it? I mean he is a closeted gay man and it is a beautiful story and a beautiful cast and also….it is the sexiest movie ever and I have not stopped thinking about it since I saw it. I feel like Lauren Sanchez told Jeff Bezos he had to make this happen and I know that is not really true but I really feel it could be. Lols.
I am not the same since watching it:
Watch it on Amazon Prime Video…not with the kids though…this is just for you.
WORLD CUP:
Look, I am not a football/soccer fan. I wish I were and if I lived in London I think I would learn to be. Sitting in a pub, with a pint, cheering your team is a FUN thing. But that’s not who I am at the moment. I love Ted LAsso, that’s entirely different.
BUT, every so often, a thing, takes a hold of everyone’s consciousness and this year, so far, it was the SUPER GOAL by Brazil. By a man who goes by one name…like Madonna, like Cher, like Beyoncé…we have…
RICHARLISON.
And after this goal, you understand why he can get away with that. I have TikToks and a tweet below depending on how you prefer to watch:
LIKE….wtf is actually happening how does anyone do that unless they are actually not human?? IT IS AMAZING. And he seems amazing and I am now a full-on Richarlison STAN.
WEDNESDAY:
I watched this show on Netflix.
I loved this show.
Tim Burton is BACK.
And the much talked about dance which Jenny Ortega, Wednesday, NAILS and is a direct homage to the OG Wednesday is amazing:
Of course, the dance is going viral and there is a WEDNESDAY ADDAMS filter trending on TikTok:
THE SWIMMERS:
And LAST but MOST definitely not least, is the most incredible film and the most important film and that is Netflix's THE SWIMMERS. I cannot recommend this film enough…I held a screening with Josie Naughton last week, the co-founder and CEO of CHOOSE LOVE which is the charity partner of the film, and after it ended, no one wanted to leave. They wanted to talk about it. It’s a movie that moves you, that teaches you, that captivates you, that breaks you and that inspires you.
This is based on a very true story. Two sisters escaping Syria who leave behind their parents, their home, everything and everyone they know to try to get to safety and then eventually get the rest of their family to safety. This is a real story about their journey, their literal swim across the sea, the dangerous lengths they had to go to to get to Germany….and ultimately, the Olympics. It’s a magical film.
And a little tidbit…the actresses in the movie playing sisters are real-life sisters. And one of the sisters it is based on is YUSRA MARDINI who is now guess what? A TIKTOK CREATOR. Love her:
THAT IS IT, my darlings…
I hope you enjoyed this PCM. And I hope you have a beautiful week.
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