Who gets to be a journalist? Who gets to be a subject?
bad week to be a blonde (sometimes brunette) influencer from nyc
If we had a dollar for every time we wanted to start this newsletter with “whew what a week!” we might be making whatever the White House offered Kate Mackz to sell out (allegedly). For anyone whose TikTok is not dominated by NYC influencers and/or the “Runtok” community… Kate is a New York content creator with a “man-on-the-street”-style running interview show (what a mouthful!). Or… she was? This week she faced massive backlash after dropping an interview with the White House propaganda machine press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Her defense, the classic “I’m a journalist covering both sides” plea, fell on deaf ears as the internet raced to take her down. A valid reaction in our opinion, but also a glorious chance for many influencers to garner praise from their audiences for doing the bare minimum (not actively platforming fascism!). The conversation has predictably turned into a “follow me instead” showdown, and influencers put themselves at the center of the conversation.
Similarly, NYC influencers (particularly the women of the West Village) took center stage online after The Cut published this article. The author (and the internet) were quick to mock the transplants. While the piece touched on issues of displacement, gentrification, and what it means to seek out community, that was mostly overshadowed by its mocking tone and generally snarky take. Is it wrong? Not necessarily. Is it new? Also no… It seems like we keep having the same conversation.
Our question this week is this: when we tell these stories, whose stories are we not telling? Why do influencers of a particular demographic always find themselves at the center of controversial conversations and taking over places they aren’t supposed to be? Is it “raising awareness?” or is it distracting? Can it be both?
It’s a lot easier to sh*t on the caricature of a basic 20-something than it is to have the full conversation about displacement, community, and culture. It’s a lot easier to post to the sound “I’m a straight man who voted for Kamala” than it is to mobilize for good in your community. It’s a lot easier to say NYC influencers are boring instead of asking WHY these types of influencers all look and act the same. We’re not saying we should stop talking about it, but we can’t just talk about it. There is so much more to explore in the realm of influencer culture and how it's become intertwined with other societal issues, but we're down to keep yapping if you are. Drop your thoughts in the comments! (We may just have to launch a new series…)
In Other News:
The Cowboy Carter Tour has officially kicked off (thank god!), and so far highlights include Blue Ivy being the manager of the family and Rumi stealing the show. Also, the girls are fighting over what to wear. Respectfully, with these ticket prices you are allowed to show up in whatever you want!
Rihanna is pregnant again! RIP to our hopes for an album but congratulations to her and her beautiful family.
Jojo Siwa was on Celebrity Big Brother and honestly so much happened with that we’re not even sure what the latest is.
Trisha Paytas is having a boy… and we’re not the first to say it but welcome back Pope Francis.
Everyone is obsessed with the incredibly odd interview from Bill Belichick (73!) and his girlfriend (24!). With the recent cultural fixation on age gap relationships, we expect a similar “fictional” feature film about their relationship is being pitched in studios as we speak.
Things We Hate Right Now:
100 men vs. a gorilla discourse.
The cost of building a capsule wardrobe.
My current food hyper-fixation ending but not having a new one yet so there's just a depressing lull.
The rumor that Liv Schmidt is making 100k a month on subscriptions for her “blog.”
Everything we want to watch rn being on 18 different streaming services that we can’t afford and also they all have ads!
On Repeat
Brain Break!
Things We Wish We Could Post But Our Boss Won’t Let Us
Quick Hits
Stop asking me about… Flip flops being back! I'm still unclear on if we've made toes socially acceptable again.
Something living rent-free in our head… Doechii's Met Gala look hello?!?!?!?!
Food for thought… (please weigh in) If you found something at the thrift store from Shein would you buy it?
Cheers,
the everygirlz
P.S. Want to ask us a question? Submit one here!
I want SHEIN products to sit in thrift and consignment stores so long the employees regret ever putting them on the floor. This matters much more in consignment, but I want employees to turn every SHEIN piece away due to poor sales, such that ppl selling to consignment stop buying the junk in the first place.