the 'far east', fashion, and frozen veggies
just like you with this post, Edward Said would've loved the Orientalism discourse this week
Good morning! I [Ilze] was listening to a Happiness Lab podcast episode where Yale professor Laurie Santos dropped a gem: today’s zeitgeist is celebrating imperfection. Aha moment! Think about it—people are opting for Damp January instead of hardcore Dry, and the 75 soft challenge we mentioned last week. Fillers? Out. Natural faces in. The clean girl queen Matilda Djerf flop. The ugly, unfinished ads. Nike copying smaller brands’ designs for that holed, worn-out look. Plus, those overly polished IG feeds are starting to feel really cringe these days.
Here’s our perfectly messy rundown of the past week’s happenings—let’s dive in:
🗞️News:
Coffee and chocolate prices are rising. Tea is gonna have a good year.
Severance (on Apple TV) seems to be on everyone’s watchlist + an amazing IRL ad campaign they’ve done that reminds you that creativity does trump AI slop.
Snapchat is very much back for content creators.
Timothee Chalamet on a Lime bike…must’ve been product placement?
Sans Serif is the it-girl font; at least for album covers.
Mark Zuckerberg (on Joe Rogan’s podcast) felt very comfortable sharing how he feels the workplace doesn’t have enough masculine energy as masculinity is being perceived as more and more negative. Here’s maybe a good response.
🧂Trends:
Xiǎohóngshū (a.k.a. REDNote)
Xiǎohóngshū (XHS, literal English translation: Little Red Book) is THE app on every chronically online person’s phone, as US users look for alternatives due to an upcoming ‘TikTok ban’.
XHS has been incredibly popular since its release as a shopping and aesthetic curating platform - kinda similar to Pinterest and Instagram.
US users have flocked to it almost as an anti-establishmentarian move in response to the ‘TikTok ban’ being due to data security concerns over Chinese involvement in the app. So US users are migrating to this very Chinese-centric app, connecting with others through jokes about Chinese spies and “willingly giving up their data to China”.
The influx of English-speaking users has made native users of the app worried about possible platform changes and 'Americanization' of XHS's content. Others criticize the language surrounding US users calling themselves ‘TikTok refugees”.
But there has been an immense amount of cultural exchange too! US users shared what “raw, next question” means, and pre-existing XHS users showcased Luigi Mangione’s popularity on the app. Plus, many new users claim to want to take up learning Mandarin.
Wanna know more about it? Here’s a compilation (by a really good uni prof, Ashe’s personal stamp of approval) of academic and few non-academic sources on XSH.
Nonchalant Elevator Entrance
People are having fun online showing creative ways to look nonchalant while stopping elevator doors from closing on them.
DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS
Bad Bunny’s latest album has grasped ears - and hearts - over the past few days. Deemed a love letter to Puerto Rico (with stunning educational visualizers on YouTube), Bad Bunny has used his platform and art to bring attention to anti-neocolonial efforts with the album.
LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii has sparked users from many island nations to share the effects of (neo)colonialism on their land - similar to the stories of Hawaii and Puerto Rico.
The biggest hit, DtMF has truly enamored listeners to the fairly relatable feeling of nostalgia for a home that doesn’t exactly exist anymore, and regretting not having a way to relieve the good times.
People have shared video edits to the song showing their ‘homes’ - family members, friends, and places that are captured memory now. Others share stories of loved ones they lost that they wish they could be close to again.
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Striped scarves
Wrapped around everyone. Chunky, skinny, knit - anything goes.
Fireman jackets
On the topic of fashion, fellas, this one’s for you—fireman jackets, i.e., workwear-style jackets with hooks. It certainly gives that extra 🔥
Sporty Mary-Janes
When was the memo sent out that these shoes need to be everywhere? Mary-Janes have been back for a while, but the non-heeled, more sporty varieties are gracing more ‘fits these days.
“Marinating” Clothes
Ever smelled yourself on a night out and thought “oof… could’ve done with a little extra perfume”? Well apparently enough people have, and they’ve got some tactics.
Spraying your going out clothes with perfume (maybe even putting them in ziplock bags) to ‘marinate’ before the event so you’ll stay smelling a little extra good the entire time.
Japan
In 2024, it felt like at least one person on your IG was in Japan, but by 2025, it’s going to Japan has become so mainstream that Hinge prompt “Give me travel tips for… Japan” has officially dethroned the “pineapple on pizza” debate.
Turns out, this isn’t random. The Japanese government set a goal to hit pre-COVID tourist numbers by 2025—and crushed it last year. Japan’s official travel agency predicts even bigger numbers this year, and the stats behind all things #Japan backs it up.
A place where you can grab boiled eggs and pickles on every corner - Honestly, what’s not to love.
Frozen Veggies… as ice
Ragebait or reality? There’s been a few posts of people using frozen veggies to ice their drinks while having a little snack.
Now, it may just be an actual healthy life hack, but seeing as the amount of engagement communicating discontent there is… it may just be engagement bait.
Ilze's friend kicked off the New Year by mistaking a chicken broth cube for an ice cube and plopping it into her Negroni. Now she’s doing dry Jan.
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Before we go, a gentle reminder to check in with your community during this time of year. Blue Monday is coming up—plan something fun.
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