Pop Culture Mondays/12.4.23
The “YOU WANT WHAT?” Edition
Happy Monday, my pop culture junkies! I am unsure if it is due to all the craziness in the world or if everyone is trying to catch up on holiday shopping, recovering from the start of seasonal events and galas and holiday parties, or dealing with midterms and getting ready for vacation BUT…we are light on a lot of top of mind pop culture-y things this week. I mean, YES, Taylor went to another football game, and there is lots of celebrity or royal family stuff happening, but that's not for PCM (OK, there is ONE Taylor item below…forgive me.)
Or is it me? AM I THE PROBLEM? Have I just hit my social media limit due to all the insanity? I mean, PERHAPS. If my Amazon delivery team (yes, a TEAM, it seems) can be any indication, I am clearly stress shopping and new things are arriving at an alarming rate. I now have an entirely new grill set specifically for GRILLING fish, for example. DARK days my friends. DARK days. But something I do not regret buying is this hoodie:
Because GUYS…let’s pull it together. I mean, this shouldn't be difficult. We are better than this. The hate, the harassment, the language. All around the world. It is BANANAS. Protest all you want about things you disagree with. BUT, when it comes to having hate towards a segment of the population for their religion or color or sex or identity or sexuality or nationality…it is a REAL problem. SURELY, we can all agree on this? You know what I say to the antisemites?
You knew I HAD to bring Space Karen in somehow.
BTW, if you want the hoodie, I WILL NOT GATEKEEP as the kids say:
OK, enough of me lecturing…let’s get to some things that happened this week in pop culture. But as I said, nothing went out of control viral this week, or I ignored it, tbh, so I thought I would do a little trend report. SO buckle up — especially if you are a parent. LOCK UP YOUR WALLETS!
And if you missed last week’s pod…the one and only BRITT MORGAN-SAKS is back!
And now….it is time to grab some cold brew and some Haribo candy and put on your headphones for a brief escape. Enjoy!
Xx,
Brooke
THEY ARE OBSESSED WITH WHAT??
So this week, while a few things are getting attention WHICH we will get to, I also wanted to point out a TREND that’s happening with the kids. And if you have kids (pre-teen, teen, or YA), then you are PROBABLY aware of what’s happening and either in shock, ignoring it, or enabling it (or all three!)
And that is then Gen Z love of products and brands. I mean expensive ones. I mean LUXURY items. Before we dig in, I am not suggesting this is an entirely Gen Z trend. As a Gen Xer, it would be a lie for me to say I was not obsessed with brands. I mean, I NEEDED that Benetton sweater, those Guess jeans, those silver flats, the Tiffany bean necklace, Love’s Baby Soft perfume, and the CB windbreaker. YOU know the one:
Whatever trends you absolutely had to have were likely more of a regional thing or the trend took its time to make its way across schools throughout the US. But I think NY kids had different obsessions than Chicago or London kids when I was growing up. Now, due to social media… all of them want the same things. And they want VERY expensive things. From Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry like this:
Which is funny because you ALSO think of Gen Z as hating on the rich and calling things like this out. But…HUMANITY, my darlings. We are nothing if not consistently inconsistent.
And to be fair, there are lots of videos on how to get FAKE Van Cleef…but the fact is, 12-year-olds are aware of what Van Cleef IS.
Now to the UNTRAINED EYE, these look exactly the same. But god help you if you are responsible for a 12–23-year-old because THEY CAN TELL. They are not only master detectives, they are master authenticators too.
But it is NOT just jewelry…in fact, what is very different with this gen to that of Gen X or other gens, is the obsessive need/knowledge of make-up and beauty products. When I was 13, I was like, give me some Noxcema and Sea Breeze and call it a day. I mean, YES, technically, I burned my face off with these products, but also, they cost like $8 total.
CAN YOU SMELL IT???
The stuff of nightmares.
And the KIDS know it. And thanks to social media, there is zero shortage of knowledge and need for ALL the things.
This father sums up a lot of it.
Thoughts and prayers to parents who live in a time of Amazon. I cannot imagine what that must be like. I mean, I cried for two years until I got those Guess jeans and had to hunt them down in 18 different stores until I found them. They were one size too small, but I was going to MAKE IT WORK.
Imagine being 11 and asking for a Prada bag or Apple headphones? For the kids who hate the rich, they sure do like the fancier things!
THE KIDS ARE VICIOUS.
Veering off trends for a second:
GYAT. That’s correct…you heard that correctly.
GIRL, YOUR ASS is THICK. So if your kids start calling out GYAT, now you know.
I digress…
Kids have also come to expect brands to listen to them. And give them all the things. Influencers get free shit ALL the time and showcase it and brands do follow TikToks and see how they can insert themselves.
LikeGen Z fave, NORTH FACE (a brand that has managed to be popular throughout multiple gens.)
So, the brand saw that video and was able to contact the creator and set up this response, and make it an entire marketing campaign. And the kids? They UNDERSTAND THIS. They know what PR and marketing are. Just look at the comments:
Unsurprisingly, the kids want luxury these days, with all the constant content they are being fed. So as much as the KIDS care about climate change and talk about not being able to afford a home, they also want things like this:
Or the new collab with Balenciaga and LA overpriced grocery store Erewhon:
NO wonder the kids cannot afford to buy a home. Forget about avocado toast! This is another level.
A typical TikTok feed:
AND lastly, make-up. There are more make-up influencers than there are scientists at this point. And you have 12-year-olds asking for lipsticks that are $60 a pop and other expensive items when they aren’t even wearing make-up outside of their homes yet.
Charlotte Tilbury, NARS, Rare Beauty, etc…these are brands kids are asking for that I can barely afford!
I am broke just from writing all of this. SO, my point is…brands are winning. Your wallet is losing.
A LITTLE OF THIS, A LITTLE OF THAT:
So, have I done your head in yet? Let’s look at some of the other things happening at the moment in pop culture land.
HR & Gen Z:
The kids starting out in the workforce have outlets like TikTok to voice their complaints. And other creators have siezed on that opportunity to make fun of some of those complaints. HR and company culture gets a lot of attention on TikTok these days.
Corporate Erin is getting a lot of attention on TikTok these days.
I would love to take a time machine back in the late ’90s and see my boss's face if I had had the AUDACITY to tell them I needed time off for my mental health. I mean, they would have thrown a stapler at my head…at the VERY least.
Post Panny corporate America hits different.
Martha Did Us Dirty:
I love me some Martha. I do. And she is USUALLY super ON trend or, dare I say, even AHEAD of trends. But we all have our moments, and this one came out hard. And tried to bring us ALL down with it.
THE DRESS DEBATE IS BACK. What haunted all of us, something like EIGHT long, long LONG years ago, came roaring back the other day, thanks to Martha. Thanks to her grandkids. The age-old question “What color is this dress” hit Martha hard, and she brought this back front and center. She even let us know there are a bunch of articles explaining the science of why we see it differently. THANKS MARTHA!!
The Kids Respect the PR Professionals:
When I was a teen, I had no idea what PR meant. Zero clue. Hell, I have been in the PR world for my entire 25+-year career, and I am STILL figuring it out. But I digress. The KIDS these days know what PR is, whether it is a brand doing GOOD or bad PR or whether a PR professional should be mocked or PRAISED. And I am SURE many kids are studying comms now more than ever due to that understanding. LOVE to see it, tbh.
But there is one person, above all people, whom this particular generation reveres.
And that is TREE PAINE. Who, if you Google, has the weird descriptor of American Publicizer? Now, that's a first for ME. But let me quickly explain who Tree is:
Tree started off in the music world in PR and marketing. She eventually moved up the ranks to being a senior PR executive within Warner Music, focusing on the Christian and Country divisions. And in 2014, she left to start her OWN PR Firm called Premium PR, and her first client was….
As someone who started her own PR firm, it is a hell of a thing. It takes a huge amount of work to start any business, but when your business is YOU in terms of providing a service for high-profile clients, that means you have to build a hell of a team to manage and grow the business. It is NOT for the faint of heart. And when your client is the most famous person on the planet…it makes it that much harder.
And we all know the power of the Swifties by now. Godspeed to anyone who upsets them. But if you gain their respect and admiration, you are held on the highest of pedestals.
And the comments tell you all you need to know:
The kids know about stylists and other professions, but now they have their eyes on PR peeps:
And Tree came front and center this past week going after gossip site/Instagram/podcast DEUX MOI which has been out there with a narrative that Taylor and Joe (her last ex) were actually married or had a marriage ceremony that might not have been legal. Now, these Taylor rumors and gossip are everywhere all at once all the time.
BUT this one was different. And this one got Miss Paine to DROP THE HAMMER.
In case you cannot see this tweet/post, whatever it is called:
Now the kids have set their sights on Deux Mois. Thoughts and prayers:
HBCUs Sorority Rush:
FINALLY, we have a NEW kind of RUSHTOK. We all remember BAMARUSH and the traumatic ride we went on and the girls we got invested in who were cast aside by their peers. We are JUST finally recovering, but in case you forgot, here’s a reminder:
But it is now time for a different kind of sorority, TikTok, and this one from the Historically Black Colleges and Universities. And they are INCREDIBLE.
There are a bunch of different sororities, but as you can tell, most of the videos are from AKA (Alpha Kappa Alpha), which is, to my understanding, the oldest Black Greek Letter Sorority and the largest one. It was founded in 1908 at Howard University by a group of 16 students and led by Ethel Hedgemon Lyle, who went on to have a 40-year career as an educator. Click on the link to read more about her.
And I encourage you to read up on the history of AKA HERE as it is fascinating. 1908!!
The song AKA members sing is:
Written by: J. Marjorie Jackson
Through the years as we struggle
With main and with might
To capture a vision fair
There is one thing that spurs us
To victory’s height
With a fellowship sincere and rare
O, Alpha Kappa Alpha
Dear Alpha Kappa Alpha
Hearts that are loyal
And hearts that are true
By merit and culture
We strive and we do
Things that are worthwhile
And with a smile
We know each other
For we know there’s no other
Like our sisterhood
Alpha Kappa Alpha
So together anew
We will pledge our fatih
And united we’ll forge away
Greater laurels to win
Greater task to begin
For thy honor and glory today
O, Alpha Kappa Alpha
Dear Alpha Kappa Alpha
Hearts that are loyal
And hearts that are true
By merit and culture
We strive and we do
Things that are worthwhile
And with a smile
We know each other
For we know there’s no other
Like our sisterhood
Alpha Kappa Alpha
Mother God:
While there are some people who think of sororities as a cult, everyone is talking about a REAL cult called “Love Has Won.” We have had a lot of cult-content lately…a lot of this has to do with the “TWIN FLAME” ideology and this one is no different. The premise is the same: people are looking for connection and love and to be loved. And post-Panny…this is even more so. I thought cults were like a very passé thing…like a ‘70s-’90s thing.
BUT I WAS WRONG.
This latest look into a modern cult is on HBO (Or MAX, fucking pull it together Warner!) and is a doozie. Not all episodes have dropped, but you have to watch it, tbh because it is terrifying.
Without giving too much away, the leader aka MOTHER GOD, who is now NOT with us, claims to have been Jesus, Joan of Arc AND Marilyn Monroe. The cult also believes she was basically being led by her angel, Robin Williams, whom they also worshipped. Among others.
Laugh all you want. It is wild how fast this thing took over people’s lives.
THAT IS IT, my darlings…
I need a Diet Coke after this one…I am EXHAUSTED. I hope you guys have a beautiful week and sorry for ignoring some other Pop Culture moments…but I only have SO much time.
Love you lots. Hit me up with comments, feedback, questions, tips.
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Xx,
Brooke
