JoJo Siwa thought Chloe Fineman’s SNL portrayal of her was “iconic”; Julia Fox was born for TV; Billie Eilish announces free “Hit Me Hard And Soft” listening parties; and Emma Chamberlain really should host everything — there is no one she can’t charm!
HOW TIKTOK CHANGED FASHION, wapo
Loved talking to Rachel Tashjian — fashion writer at the Washington Post, esteemed creator of Opulent Tips — about the app’s effect on fashion ahead of the TikTok-sponsored Met Gala (where TikTok influencers were notably absent). She writes that the “rise of TikTok coincided with the arrival of ultrafast fashion, putting companies such as Shein and Zara at the center of consumerism, rather than the brands they once knocked off.”
POSSIBLE TIKTOK BAN COULD BE 'AN EXTINCTION-LEVEL EVENT' FOR THE CREATOR ECONOMY, npr
Because most big TikTokers don’t have large followings on other platforms, James Nord, the founder of the popular influencer marketing company Fohr, says a ban will mean starting over. "For many people, this will be an extinction-level event for their careers,” he adds. "This will shut tens of thousands of small businesses down. They won't get unemployment.”
THE PACKAGE KING OF MIAMI, nymag
Twenty-one-year-old Matt Bergwall — a “self-styled fintech whiz, Marc Andreessen with a zoomer perm” — could have gotten a job at any tech company. Instead, he allegedly spun up an elaborate refunding operation, defrauding retailers like Amazon out of nearly $5 million.
FROM DOOMSCROLLING TO SEX: BEING A BOY IN 2024, theguardian
One reporter traveled the UK interviewing teenage boys and found that conversations around sex, consent, and false allegations are causing them to feel fearful about sex and relationships. This, in particular, made me gasp:
[A 16-year-old boy] said it was “quite common” among his friends to record their partners on their phones giving verbal consent before having sex. Sometimes, he said, they recorded again midway through – this time to make sure that the girl was happy to “do something different or something” – and sometimes the phone was left recording the whole event … “to make sure”.
THE LONELINESS CURVE, nyt
In a study published last Tuesday in the journal Psychological Science, researchers found that loneliness follows a U-shaped curve: Starting from young adulthood, self-reported loneliness tends to decline as people approach midlife only to rise again after the age of 60, becoming especially pronounced by around age 80.
RETAILERS SCALE BACK SELF-CHECKOUTS TO CURB IRRITATION—AND THEFT, wsj
The only problem is that young shoppers prefer self-checkout over traditional registers, with more than half of Gen Z and millennials saying that a self-checkout option would be a reason for them to switch retailers. (Yes, part of that has to do with how easy it is to shoplift, but I think the vast majority of young people would just prefer not to interact with salespeople if they don’t have to. Maybe that’s why we’re all so lonely!)
FROM RENTERS TO OWNERS: YOUNG ADULTS ARE PURCHASING HOMES IN THESE US CITIES, thehill
Landing at No. 1 for young adults was Provo, Utah, where people under 25 make up roughly 39% of homeowners. In fact, young adults own more homes than those ages 25-44, 44-65, and over 65 (so…everyone? I’m not great at math).
One last thought: