Edition 63
A new format for those of you who told me you never make it to the end
I hear a lot of lovely things about this newsletter. I think (I hope) it achieves what it set out to from the start, which was to be a cheat sheet for anyone who wants to stay fluent in the the niche trends, cultural shifts and soft news pieces (not the actual news, for which I hope you’re looking to a more reputable source than a woman typing one-handed in bed while spooning yoghurt into her mouth with an ear on Survivor 50) that can pass you by when you’re preoccupied actually living your life, but would still like to feel somewhat across it.
The one complaint I get, though, is that the newsletter is too long to finish. (If you ever read any of my editor’s letters you’ll know I was never very good at self-editing.) So, in the interest of being a better contributor to your inbox, and to get back to the snacking part of Late Night Snacking, I’m stripping back the format. No more extracts; just a little spiel and a link to the source if you want to dive deeper. Hopefully it will allow me to cover all the same ground without taking up your entire Sunday evening. Is it a welcome pivot or an annoying change? Please tell.
Onto the links…
Feminism is going backwards
This has to be one of the most anxiety-provoking and talked about articles to drop this week. A global survey of 23,000 people has confirmed a terrifying trad streak in Gen Z men, who are now twice as likely as Baby Boomers to believe a wife should “obey” her husband (33% vs 13%). It’s a bizarre, regressive shift that suggests the youngest generation of men is somehow more socially conservative than their grandfathers. And the data only gets more awful as it goes on. Over half of the world now believes women’s rights have “gone far enough”—a 10-point jump since just 2019. (A reminder that Australian women still earn 88c for every dollar that a man earns.) And for the Gen Z guys sitting in this rhetoric vacuum, the expectations of how a woman should be are narrowing: 21% believe a woman should never initiate sex (compared to just 7% of Boomers, who clearly know enough not to look a gift horse in the mouth), and nearly a quarter think women shouldn’t appear “too independent.” Julia Gillard says it best: “We must continue to do more to dispel the idea of a zero-sum game in which women are the only beneficiaries of a gender-equal world.”
Gen Z males twice as likely as baby boomers to believe wives should obey husbands, the Guardian
The rise of the Sephora kid
We all freaked out at the rise of the Sephora Tween a couple of years ago, so imagine the pearl clutching we can collectively do over the idea of a Sephora Tot. Skincare brands aimed specifically at the pre-pre-tween set are here, marketing themselves and their sheet masks as harmless play along the lines of slime-making or nail art, but experts worry we’re trading childhood imagination for adolescent insecurity. I’m just as grossed out by you at this idea, although I will note that we give our little girls baby dolls to feed and change and push around in tiny strollers without a second thought, which is kind of more disturbing when you think about it (especially in light of the above)?
“Sephora Tots Are Coming” The Atlantic
God help us, mermaid travel cosplay is a real thing
If you’ve noticed a sudden influx of adults encased in very realistic silicone tails splashing around your local beach pool, don’t panic—it’s just a very niche romantasy travel trend hitting its stride. From PADI-certified mermaid courses in the Maldives to mer-conventions in Florida, people these days will literally tether their legs in water together to escape the friction of real life. Sounds a lot like a logistical nightmare to me—buoyancy issues, sinus infections, the very real risk of looking like a stranded dugong (I mean, I’ve seen pictures of myself paddle boarding on holiday and it is nothing like what I thought I looked like in my head)—but in this dumpster fire of a world we’re living in, maybe we should all be leaning into our inner Ariel and opting for a life where our biggest problem is a stray bit of kelp in our gorgeous hair?
“People are ‘mermaiding’ all over the world”, BBC’
The Pink Tax comes for creatine
I’ve been banging the drum for creatine for a while now, given the mounting research around its benefits for women—from supporting muscle tone to brain health and bone density during menopause. (Even my mum pulled out a bag of it the other day! Go Ruthie!) But as the supplement moves from gym bros to wellness girlies, it’s yet another product to be given the pink razor treatment. Brands are ditching the aggressive black bags for pretty gradient-hued tubs, then charging a premium for the privilege of more aesthetic packaging. Surely it’s time to banish the pink tax once and for all? (For context: You can grab a massive 1kg tub of California Gold Nutrition Pure Creatine from iHerb for about $45—that’s 200 servings. Compare that to the one of the newer female-skewed lines, which I won’t name, which is $55 for only 30 servings. I like my packaging to be as appealing as the next person, but, like, isn’t that why kitchen cupboards exist?)
“How Gym Bro Favorite Creatine Became the New It-Girl Supplement”, Vogue Business
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Below the paywall:
The workplace is in crisis
‘Harmonising’ your face is not a thing. Or if it is, it’s a bad one
All the facelifts in the world can’t de-age your hands
What is a ‘sexual market value’?
Tech billionaires are the new Kardashians
Why would anyone want to be a parent, really?
Are you still drinking cold water? In this Chinamaxxed era? Actually?
Maybe you hate your job; maybe you just need a micro-retirement
What do you want your days to actually look like?
Wigs are mainstream now, if you can afford one
The app designed to bully men into watching less porn
STIs are on the rise because people have forgotten condoms exist
Baby gut health is big business
People are accidentally sharing NSFW content that they never meant to make with Meta because no one reads the fine print
A better idea for first dates
The end of my search for the perfect hobo bag that fits a laptop
