culture porn week of 6/20
our weekly content recommendations
screenshot me:
suspicious minds (elvis presley)
with baz luhrmann’s movie coming out on elvis i can’t stop listening to my favorite of his songs, originally written by mark james. it’s timeless yet so timely. - @sarahjaneunger
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meet me at our spot (the anxiety)
this song isn’t new but it’s the mood. the anxious, slow creep of summer heat that’s personifying surreal 2021 celebration. a little optimistic, a little nihilistic, a little weary. the band consists of willow smith and tyler cole. - @sarahjaneunger
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under the banner of heaven (fx/hulu)
andrew garfield investigates a gruesome murder mystery that leads his devout mormon cop into a rabbit hole of extremism among a patriarchal family. based on a true crime, it plays like TRUE DETECTIVE x SUCCESSION as the lafferty brothers jostle for supremacy - and their father’s approval. - @lindaong100
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real estate: deborah levy (bloomsbury)
the british booker prize finalist takes you into her deepest thoughts about motherhood, relationships, home and work as she nears her sixtieth birthday. so intimate, it feels like eavesdropping. - @lindaong100
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cha cha real smooth (apple tv+)
though this sundance darling feels a little self indulgent and the romantic plot line is a bit icky, i find dakota johnson mesmerizing to watch and pleasantly sat through cooper raiff’s movie to do so. - @sarahjaneunger
insights + inspo
is the most exciting brand in fashion from china?
i first encountered SHEIN while wandering around ojai in the early days of the pandemic, when local towns seemed exotic as a baby step into venturing out. in one charming store, two men decked out in exuberant streetwear caught my eye, extravagantly peacocking among the slouchy sweats and beiges of lockdown. i complimented them on their swagger, which they attributed to SHEIN, and ever since i've been following the fortunes of this chinese fast-fashion juggernaut. is #sheinhaul becoming the TIKTOK of fashion?
- linda ong, @lindaong100
more here
would you pay $6 for a strawberry?
as a novelty seeker, when i get word of a new fruit or veggie, i must. try. it. but the omakase berry was hard to acquire. it took me a few months + a bit of driving. was it worth it? well, it's a damn delicious berry but no, it's not an ongoing part of my eating experience. i find that the LA farmers markets give us plenty of delicious fruit. still, fun to try!
- sarah unger, @sarahjaneunger
to see more, head here
can’t change the world? try changing your feelings
it's hard not to feel frustrated at the state of the world lately, but how you react to things you can't control has a big impact on how you feel about yourself. turns out that "changing how you feel can actually be much easier than changing your physical reality, even if it seems unnatural," according to arthur c. brooks the atlantic. as the pandemic has caused us all to take stock, it's a good time to focus on being kind to ourselves – something i'm always trying to remind myself to do!
- linda ong, @lindaong100
for more, head here
#LOokforward🌅 with linda ong
PB and i were lucky to be invited back for the first brilliant minds symposium since 2019. gathering scientists, creators, artists, activists, visionaries, and entrepreneurs to hear from and mingle with change-makers like ai wei wei, esther perel, alexis ohanian, simon sinek and more, we were most happy to be reunited with pals like joanna coles, BABETTE owner fredrik lundberg, and sam kirby-yoh, and make new friends like walter frye - and amped up by florence and the machine on the lovely cusp of midsommar in stockholm.
back in the states, inflation is feeling very real, especially for younger consumers who now are literally paying the price for tech companies newly focused on actually making money.
for linda’s full debrief, head here