Hustles > Hobbies and #BoysWhoSew
Discover more from After School by Casey Lewis
Hustles > Hobbies and #BoysWhoSew
color me beautiful
Shein claims record profit results in the first half of 2023; Burberry taps Barbie star Emma Mackey (the actress who looks like Margot Robbie but is not Margot Robbie) for its new fragrance; and Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For” is the most streamed song from Barbie’s soundtrack, bringing in more than 30 million streams worldwide (“Barbie World” is my most streamed).
ANGUS CLOUD, ACTOR ON ‘EUPHORIA,’ DIES AT 25, nyt
Tragic. To understand the significance of this loss among Gen Z, last night on TikTok, #ripanguscloud had 2.4M views, and this morning it has 14.7M views.
THE STARTUP MAKING IT EASIER FOR YOUNG PEOPLE TO PUT MONEY ON SPORTS, wsj
Over the past year, the PrizePicks app has been downloaded more than the sports-gambling apps for Barstool Sports and Caesars Entertainment; it’s also gained ground on the top two competitors in sports betting, FanDuel and DraftKings. Marketed as a daily fantasy-sports game, it offers a “sports-betting-like experience” that falls outside of gambling laws, enticing young people who aren’t legally old enough to gamble.
THE MEN TEACHING TIKTOK HOW TO SEW, fashionista
A growing community on the platform is helping to rewrite the gender stereotypes that come with making clothes. TikTok has seen a significant increase in the popularity of sewing content, with the hashtag #sewing reaching 20.5 billion global views, and the trend is driven by men, as seen in the rise of #boyswhosew with 53.4 million views.
THE DEATH OF HOBBIES, insider
After a 40-hour workweek, “rather than knitting a scarf or relaxing with a book for the fun of it,” almost half of young people are turning those activities into income. According to a new Bankrate survey, millennials with a side hustle report making $1,022 on average from their secondary gigs, and Gen Zers brought in an average of $753 a month. The hobby, as the headline says, is effectively dead. I can’t decide if this is depressing or not. I think it probably is — even though I’ve never really had a hobby — but I also think if you enjoy your side hustle, and many people do, it’s perfectly fine to do that rather than “knitting a scarf or relaxing with a book for the fun of it.” Curious to hear your thoughts!
PERSONAL COLOR ANALYSIS IS FUELING A GEN Z TOURISM BOOM IN SEOUL AND BEYOND, bloomberg
The decades-old practice of finding your most flattering hues has gone viral among young people on TikTok — which we talked about here a few weeks ago — and it’s led to a tourism boom in South Korea. In the U.S., a session at a place like House of Colour in Brooklyn can cost $545, while it’ll cost you between $80 to $160 at most Korean studios.
EREWHON, THE CULT-FAVORITE LUXURY GROCER TO THE STARS, GETS A DIGITAL MAKEOVER, fortune
With its shiny new app, Erewhon — the cult grocery store that doubles as a singles scene — is trying to achieve two things: make shopping easier and more seamless for its slavish devotees and continue to build brand loyalty with customers, particularly among Gen Z, “which largely can’t afford to shop there regularly but will in the future.”
KIDS TELL US WHAT THEY THINK 2050 WILL BE LIKE, vice
”Well, I heard that if we don’t save the earth in a few years, it’ll be too late. So when I’m 30, I don’t think I’ll be here anymore.” — Léonardo, 10
One last thought:
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Hustles > Hobbies and #BoysWhoSew
My struggle with monetizing hobbies is that you’re sending a message to yourself that your curiosity is only as valuable as what the market is willing to pay. If that payout doesn’t come, I think it can be demoralizing in a very broad way.
It’s hard to have hobbies when you have to work like “100 hours” just to survive.