trip's making it out of the group chat this summer
and we've been nosy about them, so you don't have to
Hi! It’s Ilze on the editorial duty (we’re swapping each week). I’m currently hooked on Your Friend’s & Neighbours, asparagus, Bon Iver’s new album and the election of a new pope. Just watch Conclave and you’ll be too.
🗞️News
TikTok will introduce reviews of places in comments section so you don’t have to open Google Maps.
Jonathan Anderson is the new creative director of Dior Men
Instagram launches new app Edits - a direct competitor to Capcut and new features answer to capcut and introduces Reels sharing feature Blend.
A24 Music. Stay Tuned - that’s all we know. For now.
Rick Rubin (The Creative Act author) and Rare Beauty launched Substack.
asks the important questions here: “Why the Fuck Does Rick Rubin Need a Paid Substack?”Casting for upcoming Hunger Games prequel Sunrise on the Reaping releasing on social media channels.
🧂Trends
Travel destinations 2025
Drum roll please. Our travel inquiry (n= 62) results are in:
EUROPE
Last year’s darlings—Naples, Marseille, and surprise hit Albania —have officially fallen off.
🇩🇰Copenhagen’s now leading the pack, with Lisbon still holding its ground.
Athens is stepping up as the new edgy, creative Southern capital. Makes sense—everyone’s craving gyros, and Greek-infused food spots have been sprouting up everywhere.
🇪🇸Mallorca and Marbella, brace yourselves—shirtless Brits incoming. They’re topping TikTok searches among Brits and Germans.
🏔️Feeling outdoorsy? Switzerland and its lakes are riding the algorithmic wave too.
👯Easterners have more fun: Poland and the Baltic capitals are emerging as the fun friend trip pick.
OUTSIDE THE EU
🇯🇵Japan’s still the top pick—weak yen helps. But South Korea is right behind.
AMERICANS
Across the pond, Americans are pivoting to South America and Canada. One-way ticket maybe. But still Euro summer is a thing.
Reasons to travel: loads of weddings and festivals. 🎉
(Don’t) Let Them
Rarely has there been a more indecisive self-help bestseller than podcaster Mel Robbins’ book The Let Them Theory: A Life-Changing Tool That Millions of People Can’t Stop Talking About. Of course, there’s the plagiarism angle—the catchy phrase allegedly lifted from a poem by Cassie Phillips, no credit given. But the real issue, pointed out by many therapists (with actual degrees), is the idea itself. The Let Them theory says if someone acts in a way you find annoying, hurtful, or just plain rude—let them. Because you can’t control other people. The idea is called out for being too generic and selling passivity – nothing’s in our control and our actions don’t matter. Which is exactly what capitalist powers want us to think, and part of why global politics is such a mess.
‘De-Amazon’ed Kindles
Unfortunately for Bezos, avid Kindle readers are ‘jailbreaking’ their devices to get rid of the Amazon storefront aspects of the e-reader. People are showing off their custom wallpapers, Kindle games, and free non-ad interrupted reading experiences.
“…I’m okay giving up the right to warranty from Amazon in exchange for a better reading experience. It’s quite easy too - there’s [sic] some really good Youtube and TikTok tutorials. Now my Kindle shows the cover of the book I’m reading when it’s offline; like it’s a real book. No f*ckass Amazon ads.” says one Kindle de-Amazoning warrior.
Holistic Workouts and ‘Flow’ Fitness
Jada, a.k.a. “flowgogirl” on Insta and TikTok is going viral for the mat rats of us who love at-home pilates and yoga. Her content is full of energy to get your movement motivation up - often to popular songs or sound snippets in her short-form content.
Her focus connects to the larger growing popularity of more ‘holistic’ workouts: small sets, large muscle groups impacted, and a mind-body connection. These result in sort of hybrid workout sessions, “a combination of yoga, strength training, and mindfulness”.
“[Most people] don’t focus on what they can do with their own body weight, how they can improve their basal strength [endurance, stamina, motivation] - and a holistic approach makes you focus on these. They just pay for a gym subscription and go because they have to. Plus - you should include your mental health and state into the work out; like intentionally removing stress and pain from parts of your body. Move because you should - it’s fun, not because you have to.” says a holistic workout trainer.
Return of the Ice Bucket Challenge
The ice bucket challenge of the 2010s has regained popularity. But this 2025 TikTok version seems to have co-opted the ALS Awareness campaign challenge for mental health awareness.
ALS spokespeople have criticized this, while being incredibly understanding that the challenge is still raising money for another worthy cause. But ALS should not be forgotten.
Braids
If in 2010 the mantra was “Messy bun, get stuff done,” then now the power hairdo is the braid. From pigtail braids to the gym favorite rope braids. French braids, Dutch braids, cornrows. Braider might be the hot new job in beauty—#braider is the most searched beauty concept in the US in 2024, according to Spate.
