on personal style + p. diddy’s downfall

the ‘bad boy for life’ is bout to be locked up for life.

Good day to you all!

I hope your week has gotten off to a fabulous start. 😊

You may have heard that a big shake up is taking place in Hollywood right now. Dozens of celebrities are facing questions about their relationship to music and business mogul P. Diddy, so naturally, we’ll be starting off with news about his disturbing unfolding case.

We’ll also take a look at fresh trends in culture and wellness before moving on to some important developments in both global and personal politics. I know, it sounds so juicy already. Let’s lock in.

🎼 Culture corner

Diddy is cooked. Locked up in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan detention centre, he’s facing numerous charges, including racketeering conspiracy; sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and transportation to engage in prostitution. Based on his decades-long reputation as one of the most well-connected men in Hollywood and beyond, Twitter/X is being flooded with guesses about which celebrities could be found guilty of involvement in these alleged crimes. As internet sleuths add to their list of suspected perpetrators, the rest of us are asking why these charges took so long to be brought against him in the first place. It seems like everyone in Hollywood knew of Diddy’s gross, predatory behaviour – the most vocal of all being 50 Cent – yet not many celebrities steered clear of him.

Is culture dying? – the new yorker.

This piece reviews a new book, The Crisis of Culture: Identity Politics and the Empire of Norms by Olivier Roy, a French political scientist. Roy suggests that globalisation, neoliberalism, postmodernism, individualism, secularism, the Internet and more, are undermining the value of culture. He suggests that society’s cultural practices have been rendered meaningless, turned into ‘a collection of tokens’ to be traded and displayed, rather than acts that are naturally part of our every day lives. I’ll have to give this book a read, given that one review says it takes quite a ‘conservative’ stance. Even the NY writer points out that there’s ‘something to be disagreed with on every page.’ That said, recognising that society lives by the mantra ‘if you didn’t post it, did it even happen?’ and that each of us spends countless hours formulating our online identities on social media, I feel I might find myself agreeing on at least some points.

🧠 World of wellness

‘Dopamine fasting’ is a technique that numerous professionals and neuroscientists are getting behind. The idea is to deprive ourselves of all joy from apps, TV, and music – even if that means being miserable for short periods. Experts believe we should starve our brains of the quick dopamine hits offered by our smartphones, which have basically become all-access slot-machines in our palms. Doing so may be able to reset our neurological receptors, reboot our brains, and help us learn to appreciate the widely-forgotten pleasure of being present in the moment. Will you be giving this a shot?

If you’re so smart, why aren’t you happy? – erifili gounari / substack

This is a lovely read. Erifili offers us a gentle reminder to continue to look for joy in each day, because so many small blessings already exist in the present. While we might all be working towards our own larger, individuals goals and dreams – improving our knowledge, landing a promotion, planning new adventures – it’s important to remember that opportunities to feel fulfilment exist here and now, if we only allow ourselves to relish in them. The belief that we’ll only be truly happy when we achieve a certain milestone or achievement holds us back from experiencing the joy that is right in front of us. So, take a moment to notice the little things today. You might be surprised!

🌏 Politics + people

While unprecedented suffering continues in Gaza, Israel is escalating its attacks on neighbouring Lebanon. A clear sign that things were taking a turn for the worse lied in the ‘walkie-talkie attack,’ which was touted as targeting Hezbollah, but instead killed 32 people and left nearly 3000 civilians injured. Israel’s Prime Minister has ordered those in South Lebanon to ‘get out of harms way’ as his army ramps up attacks. In the last 24 hours, Israel has killed 558 people – including 50 children and 94 women – in a Beirut airstrike. Hezbollah can’t financially afford another war and the US likely doesn’t want become involved with a broader war in the Middle East, but it seems like no one is willing to stop Netanyahu. Al Jazeera makes keeping up to date on what’s going on in Lebanon easy, with live maps and charts on its website.

America is becoming less ‘woke’ – the economist.

Is the West becoming less politically correct? ‘Woke’ culture grew sharply across four domains during 2015: public opinion, the media, higher education and business. It’s no coincidence that this uptick coincides with Donald Trump emerging in politics, and continued to increase during the rise of #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements. Research conducted by The Economist found that the use of terms classified as ‘woke’ peaked in 2021-22 and have been declining ever since. Still, they remain well above the level of 2015 in almost every instance. The publication suggests that these ideas may be less discussed simply because they’ve become widely accepted as norms. It’s also predicted that Gen Z will retain its socially inclusive outlook as it ages, leading to further normalisation of these views among broader society.

👠 Styling + profiling

What happens when a cause becomes ‘cool’? More often than not, companies move to swiftly capitalise on it. Several brands have released clothing items embellished with pro-Palestine statements, imagery, and symbolism. A few indicate they will donate all proceeds to Palestinian aid, while others say ‘a portion of profits’ will be donated, without specifying how much. Others don’t mention donations at all, which likely means companies are pocketing whatever they earn from sales. Does a moral dilemma not arise when companies or individuals are generating profit off merchandise that references the struggle and erasure of an entire population of people?

The algorithm of the mind – from the desk of alicia kennedy / substack

How do we form our personal style? What shapes our likes and dislikes today? In this essay (not entirely hot off the press, but still so relevant), Alicia reflects on how social media has transformed our ideas of what is desirable. This usually depends on whether it is ‘aesthetic’ or ‘on trend’ enough to make it to the Instagram grid. She reminds us of the importance of being aware and critical of everything we see online, especially when the digital sphere takes up so much of our lives today. Is this ceramic bowl ugly or have influencers just not discovered it yet? Do we only like that bag because some Instagram it-girl has it? Much to think about.

🎬 Recommendation