culture porn 9/1
our weekly playlist
screenshot me:
depp v. heard (netflix)
in case you missed the social media dumpster fire that was the commentary on this trial, you can relive the recent past with this docuseries. watching this felt sad. it reminded me of the titan submarine social media frenzy - and how tragic situations from the 1% enthrall our public psyche in an outsized way.
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us open (espn)
celebrating 50 years of equal pay for women! 💪 this is my fave of the grand slams. the always-raucous NYC crowds love comebacks and underdogs. will they be rooting for alcaraz or djokovic to win the big apple's heart this year?
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the kardashians (hulu)
most of my knowledge of this show comes from YOUTUBE clips (or comedians recreating clips from the show). so i decided to sample a few episodes of the actual show. while i'm still sort of blown away by how their houses (with real children) manage to stay so white, cream, tan, and beige -- most of the show is relatable family dynamics occurring in extremely unrelatable circumstances.
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how to la
congrats to HOW TO LA for winning an ONLINE JOURNALISM AWARD for "excellence in audio digital storytelling." as a proud board member of the LAIST's parent, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PUBLIC RADIO, i'm thrilled this 1-year old local pod has gotten the national recognition is deserves.
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long live chainsaw (red bull / prime video)
eager for more cycling, we turned to a 2021 documentary on canadian mountain biker stevie smith. downhill mountain biking is the one sport that i tried and (after catapulting off my bike and narrowly missing a cactus) said: no thank you, not meant for me. but wow, this documentary is a joy to watch! stevie fills up the screen with his passion, made all the more emotional by his untimely death.
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suits (netflix / peacock)
ok, i had to see for myself why this old series is new again. meghan markle is surprisingly good. maybe the low stakes of this legal dramadey are exactly what we need right now.
insights & inspo
a ‘failure to launch’: why young people are having less sex
gen z and millennials are rewriting romance. in our digital age, intimacy has evolved. what used to be ‘different strokes for different folks’ has become ‘different swipes for different types’, and that trend is pointing towards fewer partners, less physical intimacy, and a slower road to relationship milestones.
more insights here
‘wanderlove' is this summer's dating trend, bumble says
the dating trend that defined this summer: WANDERLOVE.
BUMBLE reported a significant number of users are looking for romance while on holiday, meeting new people in new places, and while surveys say language barriers may cause some embarrassment they also note people feel more attractive while on vacation. it looks like culture is holding tight to escapism.
more insights here
#LOokforward🌅 with linda ong
like me, if you've ever felt a sense of FOMO over BURNING MAN, you can officially relax. climate change is killing the party.
and if you haven't had enough of billy mcfarland, you'll relish in the return of FYRE FESTIVAL 2 – the sequel nobody wanted!
the weekend's AFROPUNK festival was dedicated to making "all Black people feel welcome" – creating a safe space for the community in brooklyn.
more insights here