Social Wellness and Body Horror

"let's go hotties"

Alex Cooper is launching a talk show and 24/7 music channel with SiruisXM; I’m happy to see we’re in the midst of a Logan Lerman-aissance; and Dua Lipa proves that coquettecore (and Gen Z’s love of bows) is holding strong.

INSIDE WILLA BENNETT’S FIRST ISSUE OF ‘COSMOPOLITAN’, businessofashion
The publication’s youngest-ever editor wants to revitalise the brand for Gen Z, and to do so, she’s focused on getting access to the people Cosmo readers care about. (Her first cover features Macaulay Culkin and Brenda Song, who, despite being millennials by birth, are “all over TikTok,” she said.) Bennett said her vision is already seeing traction on Cosmo’s social channels, where engagement is up 121 percent and reach has increased over 50 percent since she took the helm in September. Their social voice is indeed great:

CAN INFLUENCERS PREDICT THE NEXT BIG THING IN BOOKS?, elle
Elle asked a bunch of book influencers about anticipated publishing industry trends for the year ahead. Two interesting (to me) insights: Azanta Thakur says a lot of YA authors are leaving the genre behind to publish adult fiction, “because that’s what publishing was looking for. It’s romance that’s driving it. It’s smut; it’s intimacy,” while Steph Pilavin says, “There’s going to be a lot of pregnancy horror, women’s body horror, all sorts of queer horror. When things crumble and people are afraid, reclaiming topics through horror always sees a huge surge.”

SCHVITZING AT THE SAUNA LIKE A SUCKER, thewalrus
An interesting follow-up to yesterday’s piece about the emerging digital detox industry: Social wellness entreprenuers — like the team behind Othership, an ice bath spa and member’s club — are selling young people on the idea that collective self-care experiences “can nurture deep bonds and unlock happiness.” But are they providing real community or just commodifying our emotions? The author’s kicker suggests the latter: “I left Othership the same as I entered: sweaty, alone, with my head in my phone. A few days later, I booked my first therapy appointment in over a year.”

LEAKED INSTAGRAM DEALS REVEAL META IS OFFERING TIKTOK CREATORS AS MUCH AS $300,000 TO POST, businessinsider
Some creators are taking the deals — which allegedly require sharing 10 new videos exclusively to Reels a month and posting 25% more to Instagram than other platforms — because the money is so good, but one talent manager said many of their clients have declined, citing reasons like exclusivity and overall frustration with Meta. Some said posting multiple reels a day felt "cheugy.” (They’re not wrong!)

NET WORTH OF MILLENNIALS HAS QUADRUPLED: WHY SOME CALL IT 'PHANTOM WEALTH', nbcnews
“Younger families in the U.S. made remarkable gains,” according to the St. Louis Federal Reserve, which also reports that median wealth of older millennials, between the ages of 36 and 45, was 37% above expectations. The wealth of younger millennials and older Gen Zers, or those aged 26 to 35, exceeded expectations by 39%. The problem is that they don’t feel rich — hence the “phantom wealth,” which includes things like 401ks. In other words, just because their net worth is on the rise does not mean their spending is.

One last thought:

@tristantaylormayTate McRae Sports Car thoughts

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