Pop Culture Mondays/IX.XVIII.XXIII
The “ROMAN” Edition
Happy Monday, my darling pop culture junkies. I am SO sorry if you missed last week’s newsletter. If you have a Gmail address and get this directly in your inbox, it did not come last week. Gmail, my email provider, and some other IT things all happened, but this is fixed HOPEFULLY. A little housekeeping, though…I am working on moving from Medium to SUBSTACK. I will still offer the newsletter for free, but it will be a different format…so forgive me as I try to experiment over the next few weeks…
My pod last week was truly one of my faves thanks to the amazing conversation I had with my friend, Gary Whitta. Gary and I go back to the ’90s when we were gamers; I mean, we were GAMERS. Gary went from game magazine editor (the youngest of a national magazine in the UK at the time) to screenwriter (Book of Eli, Rogue One) to novelist with his LATEST and greatest and amaze post-apocalyptic (sort of)sci-fi thriller, GUNDOG (BUY HERE). If you haven’t already, please do give us a listen!
WE HAVE SO MUCH TO GET TO THIS WEEK. I had stress dreams all night about this week because there is just so much to cover, and my sleep score was SHIT as a result. So I am stressed and sleep-deprived and on my 2nd cup of coffee, and it’s just around 7, so good luck to all of us.
Grab your headphones and your snack of choice and enjoy…
SO, WE ARE ALL THINKING ABOUT THE ROMAN EMPIRE NOW?
This one pains me. I pride myself on bringing you things that are popping up in pop culture that either you have not YET heard about or else you have, but you need more context. However, in this case, many of you already know and wish you didn’t!
But I am counting on a few of you to be like, “HUH??” so let’s hope for that. So, this is a viral sensation that has now been picked up by the mainstream media and the morning shows. I mean, we have peaked already here, so now I am covering an OLD STORY that only unfolded this past week.
But for those of you who don't know what I am talking about — or even those who do but want to understand how this happened — I got you. APPARENTLY, as my EXHAUSTIVE research has told me (lols, I did a Google search), this trend started by a man in Sweden who is a ROMAN RE-ENACTOR. But before we go there, SOME say it started from a scene with Megan Markle in “Suits” which is becoming a HUGE show now, thanks to streaming.
But I prefer our Roman re-enactor dude who put up an Insta telling women they have no idea how often their men think about the Roman empire. He suggested they ask their boyfriends/husbands/fathers/brothers, etc. and see what happens.
Thank you, GAIUS FLAVIUS of Sweden, for blowing our minds. This thing took off…thanks to TikTok where this leapfrogged from Instagram — -thrilling for the people over at Meta, I am sure. 🫣
So, all of a sudden, people started asking the men in their lives how often they think of the Roman Empire, and here are some of my favorite ones. The best ones are obviously before the men knew this was a trend or what this whole thing was about. It turns out, a LOT of men think about the Roman Empire a lot.
I heard from guy friends all around the world on this. Because tbh, myself and a LOT of commenters on this trend believed this was all some massive prank we were all falling for. BUT, it is not. One friend literally reached out to me in bewilderment:
Can we please turn this around and ask women how the fuck they never think about the Roman Empire??
He went on.
I literally watched a video about Roman water pipe engineering the other week.
I will say it. My mind was blown. I asked a friend who had not yet heard or seen the trend at all. His response?
I mean not a lot. Like why? I guess like once a week or so. You?
I just cannot believe it. TO be fair, I did ask a few guys who were like wtf are you talking about and claim they never do so it balanced out. But I thought this explainer TikTok was amusing:
One of my fave lines so far:
Men love civilization. BUT…we ruin it.
OK, so us women are blown away by this whole realization. What is the female version?
This video isn't shareable but I loved it so much so a little screengrab. Women’s equivalent of what we think about all the time?
- Being kidnapped or murdered
- Tom Holland dancing to Umbrella.
THESE ARE FACTS.
We have discussed this dance MANY MANY TIMES here at PCM, but in case you missed it and have no idea about this reference…buckle up. I think about this entire video several times a week…every week, for years. FACTS.
I mean all of these women are CORRECT:
But I am late to the game because this has gone everywhere from the New York Times to WIRED:
AN ODE TO DOORMEN AT NYC CLUBS:
If you lived in NYC in the late 90s onward and went to an exclusive club like Bungalow 8 trying your best to get in, the man above needs NO introduction. But in case you are not, this is DISCO. I mean, I remember the utter fear I had in my early club days in not being deemed cool enough by Disco to be let in. I would run through the script in my head (after spending a lot of time on the LEWK, which was essential obvs) on how I was going to engage with Disco.
How it started? Me literally having an anxiety meltdown getting to a door Disco was at, terrified he would shake his head at me. THE POWER THAT MAN HAS.
How it went? I mean, my club days are, for the most part, over…unless I am in another country, and then all bets are off. But Disco, who is a giant of a man is a man with a giant heart as well. If I were to see him today, he would remember me and hug me (I have experienced it) and we would reminisce about the days of my YOUTH. But that man held the power. Did you get into the hottest club and have the most amazing, mind-blowing, life-altering night thanks to the nightlife QUEEN, Amy Sacco? Or did you go home with your tail between your legs trying to forget the humiliation of being shut down in front of a line of people? THAT WAS LIVING ON THE EDGE, BABY.
Well, we are right back here in 2023. It’s not Disco, but instead a gentleman by the name of Markus Kelle whose Insta bio says “raconteur x door person x pr ingenue”. And before I show the video, let me explain…there is nothing more triggering than being turned away from a door IN my opinion. And Fashion Week is even more brutal. But my feeling is, you are turned away…you walk away. You do not engage in a battle that will only make you look bad. WALK AWAY. This woman….did not walk away. And now we have some incredible gems.
Let’s watch…then discuss:
My response to anyone giving me a hard time moving forward will be:
I AM A PR PERSON, YOU DUMB FUCK.
LOLS. BUT SOME OTHER GEMS:
- I wish you well
- I’m matching your volume
- The last time you got fucked was by genetics
- Safe flight!
I mean, at first, I thought this was staged because I could not believe this woman did not walk away. Many people who were there gave context which was this was a fashion week party — which to me looks to be at the Bowery Hotel, but I digress. And MARKUS (really digging the ROMAN CONNECTION HERE) aka Mullet Babe, was managing the door and the party was at capacity. While many people in line were invited and on the list, because the party was at capacity, no one was getting in until people left the party.
PRETTY standard.
But this woman from Canada, lols, apparently felt that she was more entitled than others to be allowed in and claimed she was a paid influencer to be there and should be granted access. FYI, lots of influencers were there, and MARKUS wasn't having any of it. And we are the beneficiaries of that.
Loved this explainer:
And more context on Markus, our Roman hero and the sitch:
WHAT A WEEKEND WE HAVE HAD!!!
A LITTLE OF THIS, A LITTLE OF THAT:
I am really not going to give much oxygen to the FASHION WEEK fashion show run by infamous PR person Kelly Cutrone on the roof deck of Anna Delvey’s apartment building (GOOGLE IT).
I am all about being cutting edge and pushing the boundaries, but it was both offensive and tragic to see Kelly and others take full advantage of Anna, a criminal, and a pitiful soul. I can say that because I knew her and experienced her antics firsthand.
I will say this, though. Whoever did Anna’s face…that’s a doctor we all need to see.
How it started:
How it’s going:
BUT moving on…so much to dig into, and apologies on the fact I will miss things because it was just a LOT this week.
But let’s start with Drew. DREW DREW DREW. I have such a kinship towards her as I was told since ET came out, I looked like Drew. And when Drew became a wild girl, I became a wild girl. I think because people perceived me that way so I just became that character. And her butterfly and barrette and glitter phase also coincided with MY butterfly and barrette and glitter phase.
But the similarities have stopped as of late. She has become a beloved daytime talk show host who dances in the rain and cries when interviewing guests. A talk show she started in Covid, and perhaps as a result, she feels a bit BETTER THAN others and perhaps has a circle of people around her making her believe so? Because it is hard to imagine what she was thinking when she announced despite the Writer’s Strike, she was going to forge ahead with her show without writers. She CLAIMED she would be compliant, but that was impossible.
The response was what you expected. People went nuts and called her a SCAB aka someone who crosses a picket line. And negative reaction grew so much that she went from America’s sweetheart to villain in a matter of hours.
And she reacted.
WITH ANOTHER TERRIBLE “APOLOGY” VIDEO. She has since taken it down but here is a part of it:
Here’s the summary. She cried. She threw PR people under the bus, natch. She apologized to the writers.
BUT. She was going ahead with the show. So, it was like not an actual apology.
And this guy explains the issue perfectly:
And my fave PR woman on TikTok:
Drew decided to NOT move forward with her show after her apology video was destroyed. She announced via Instagram, NATCH:
And BTW, after she had announced she was moving forward with her show initially, Bill Maher was like, “YEAH ME TOO. Let the world hate on America’s sweetheart, so let me follow on that…”
After Drew made the decision NOT to move forward…guess who followed?
OK Bill. 🙄
Oh Jann:
The kids won’t know who this is, but for us olds, this face is a symbol of rock and roll. Jann Wenner. Co-founder of ROLLING STONE Magazine, author, co-founder of the ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME and now disgraced MAN. SIGH. It was SO easy not to be that guy. I mean, the fun thing about Jann was he always spoke his mind. And I am all for that. He didn't like a band, he would say and not apologize for it. He shared secrets others I am sure resented him for. But he was a character.
AND THEN…he wrote a book:
Frankly, a book I would want to read. I love Bono…he is in fact a brilliant man, artist, humanitarian and friend. And, omg tell me more about Jerry Garcia and Pete Townshend. PLEASE.I mean yes yes yes.
But also.
Something is missing from the title. And the book.
Women? People of color?
OK…it is his opinion after all. And perhaps he likes music from a perspective he is comfortable with: WHITE MEN.
But when asked this weekend by the New York Times WHY women and people of color are not in his book, he says THIS:
The people had to meet a couple criteria, but it was just kind of my personal interest and love of them. Insofar as the women, just none of them were as articulate enough on this intellectual level.
Of Black artists — you know, Stevie Wonder, genius, right? I suppose when you use a word as broad as “masters,” the fault is using that word. Maybe Marvin Gaye, or Curtis Mayfield? I mean, they just didn’t articulate at that level.
Yeah, so Jann welcome to 2023. HARD LANDING for you, I know. The backlash was swift, and he has been removed from the Board of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Again, being surrounded by people who don’t tell you the truth or you don't listen to is a problem.
I suggest reading and LISTENING to the interview:
Love Surge:
So, a cringe-worthy TikTok made its rounds last week. A couple deeply in love, decided to document a mushy thing that works for them…and publish to the Internet. INEXPLICABLY.
Their love surge:
Yes, cringey. And the responses were amusing…also cruel…but also, TO BE EXPECTED. I mean, the comments alone were an indicator of where this was going:
And some of the stitches were funny:
OK, but the fun took a turn and got dark for this couple pretty quickly. And she once again took to TikTok to share:
It’s heartbreaking BUT a good reminder that the Internet is a dark place and you go at it at your own risk. THINK BEFORE YOU POST!!!
Goop learns about Edging:
If you aren’t aware of what “edging” is, that’s ok. But understand that a LOT of people do know. The official definition is:
Edging is the practice of engaging in sexual stimulation to the point of ejaculation before stopping and starting again. It involves cycles of stimulation that can lead some people to a more intense orgasm.
So Goop posted that to their Insta, and the reactions were funny.
I Did Not Know This:
Did you know the beginning of elk season is like a thing? Like people run for their lives when the elk go into heat or whatever. They take over towns. If you live in an elk area, you will know this. But for the rest of us innocents….welcome to ELKTOK:
I mean, I would leave town and never look back.
My fave is this one. BACK UP JACK!!
So what is Elk Rutting? According to Google, an Elk Rut is: A: Occurring from mid-September through mid-October, the elk rut is a time when male elk are looking to mate with female elk, also known as cows.
Godspeed.
Oh, Drake:
I have said it here before, but I will say it again, and I know…I KNOW…this makes me uncool with a lot of the kids.
But I am not a Drake fan. I am not a fan of his music, his style, his vibe. I am not his person. I don’t get it…I don’t hate on it, and I understand why others might be obsessed. No, that’s not true. I don’t get it, but I don’t judge those who love him.
But I do love Halle Berry. How do you NOT love her? So when Drake used a photo of Halle being “Slimed” for his new single art, you assume he and his team had MISS HALLE BERRY’s permission?
They did not.
Being slimed is a NICKELODEON thing and this is a photo of Halle being slimed at the Kids’ Choice Awards back in 2012. But in the context of Drake, it has a lot grosser of innuendo.
Anyway, Halle came out swinging. She posted this on her Insta…please note her comment next to it:
Not only is she saying she didn’t have her permission, which at first indicates he used it without asking…NOPE. She is saying he asked, she said NO, and he used it anyway.
This is the single btw:
AND so far…as of the time of writing this newsletter, no response from Drake or his team. And the Insta is still up.
The Long Denim Skirt:
Sometimes there are trends I just close my eyes and hope go away as fast as they came. The influencers and brands are trying to push the long denim skirt craze down our throats. And this creator sums it up perfectly IN my opinion:
You look like a Duggar. LOLS.
Long Game:
We have all seen or heard the news on Russell Brand. There is a documentary airing in the UK now about Russell Brand being a predator and groomer and rapist. Media have been building a case around him, it seems, for some time, and the police are reportedly now involved. Tons more women are coming forward. And none of us seem that surprised. And Gen Z is confused because they are like, who is he?
Well, he went from comedian Lothario to right-wong conspiracy theorist whose entire platform is about questioning media. So really, this is the TikTok that I think NAILS IT:
And let’s end on this SIA trend I love….people singing “Another One Bites the Dust” while hitting THAT note:
This is not a new trend…but it's making a resurgence, and I love it.
THAT IS IT, my darlings…
I skipped over some things…more Ashton and Mila stuff. Some Sean Penn AI analogy that got creepy (Google it) and some other things, but feel free to ping me if you want me to cover anything you think I missed.
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Xx,
Brooke
