CATCHING FIRE: $750 flip flops, CMAT and is this illegal?
Do keep up!
Happy Fourth to all who celebrate. Happy anniversary to the “Back up, Terry” video (aka one of the funniest ever) for those that don’t.
I’m back in London after the most delightful time in Naples, Positano, Capri, Rome and Florence. I’d love to gift you a chunk of the giant block of creamy Parmesan that I stuffed in my case but it’s logistically easier if I share with you all the fantastico places my Italian relatives insisted I eat at. They nailed it and I’m not gatekeeping their reccs - read them here.
The heatwave meant that Italy felt on fire during my trip, and it was impossible not to notice just how hot the country is in terms of tourism too. Crowds everywhere, American accents dominate on the streets and queues for exhibits, museums and TikTok-famous affogato, tiramisu and spritz spots.
Italy has seen a surge in post-pandemic visits and arrivals are projected to be five per cent higher than last summer. The country is not the only thing blowing up so let’s get into it...
So hot right now
CMAT… The stars are aligning for the Irish country singer and I reckon she’ll be the next big star to pop after the first single from her new album went viral on TikTok and she wowed Glastonbury with a Friday afternoon set on the Pyramid stage that earned rave reviews.
CMAT, real name, Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, has been bubbling up since her first album dropped in 2022 and went to number one in Ireland. The 29-year-old’s third album, Euro-Country is out next month and looks set to be her breakthrough.
A track from the new record, Take a Sexy Picture of Me, has already dominated feeds after creator Sam Morris made a viral dance dubbed the ‘Woke Macarena’ that earned a write up in The New York Times after Amelia Dimoldenberg, Liz Gillies, Lola Young and Julia Fox all jumped on the ‘butcher, baker, home and family maker’ trend.
RELATED: The Guardian declared Olivia Rodrigo’s Sunday night headliner slot at Glasto as the one that won the whole festival. I was lucky enough to see Rodrigo’s debut at Worthy Farm in 2023 when she played a side stage and she was just as electrifying then.
St Andrews… An influx of American students to the Scottish coastal town’s university have led some to describe it as a “mini-Nantucket”. Nearly one in five students are now from the States prompting local businesses to cater to their needs by providing Thanksgiving meals and high-end furnished apartments.
Zohran Mamdani… is America’s newest political star after a “shock” win in the Democrat primary for the New York mayoral race.
I put shock in quotes because few in the mainstream media saw his 12-point victory coming. I read more about Mamdani, 33, on Substack than I did anywhere else. And, of course, Polymarket, the crypto-based prediction market, was well ahead of traditional polling rivals by anticipating his win.
Since Mamdani’s success there’s been huge debate over what the Democrat party - whose approval ratings are in the toilet - can learn. Many have focused on his savvy use of social media, but his message held way more sway than the medium he deployed. The socialist campaigned almost exclusively on New York being too expensive and promised to cut the cost of living with rent freezes, free city buses and government-run grocery stores.
Mamdani’s message and campaign spiked voter registration and drove under 40s to the polls. He’s now focused on keeping that momentum with younger voters up as he heads into the November election.
Trends, trends and even more trends
Is this illegal?… TikTokers are sharing their unusual connections and unholy alliances in the latest trend to grip the app, sending PinkPantheress’ track Illegal to the top of their music chart.
More than half a million TikTok’s have been created using a sample from Pink’s song, including a sister who joins forces with her brother because he has their mom’s credit card on his Apple Pay, step sisters meeting for the first time and a couple having an arranged marriage.
Creators are in on it too with Morgan Riddle, girlfriend of American tennis player Taylor Fritz, creating a Wimbledon themed version and TikTok stars Huddy and Sara Waisglass, who have 38 million followers between them, marking their first day on set of their new Tubi show by creating a video.
Illegal’s success on TikTok will almost certainly translate into chart success for PinkPantheress, 24, who previously had a hit with Boy’s a liar.
Wildly-priced flip flops… The it shoe of the summer is a pair of $750/£670 sandals from The Row that go by the name Dune.
Vogue dubbed the flip flops the new Margaux in reference to the brand’s hugely popular bag, the TikTok fashion girlies can’t stop posting about their dupes, I’ve seen them on fancy feet in London and
wore hers to Glastonbury.
They’re cute and all but there should be a wealth tax on all flip flops that cost more than $40/£30.
“You look happier”… TikTokers are revealing what brings them joy in another trend that’s taken over the app.
To the sound of Taylor Swift’s You Belong With Me creators are recounting an imaginary conversation which explains why they “look happier”. The most popular are extremely relatable…
Spilling surgery secrets… Khloe Kardashian is the latest member of the KarJenner clan to volunteer information about the surgeries and procedures she’s had.
In response to an Instagram post from a London doctor who listed out the tweaks he believed she’d had, Khloe replied with a long comment correcting the record...
Khloe’s statement comes after half sister Kylie shared the exact details of her boob job and their mom Kris revealed the name of the surgeon who did her recent face lift.
Gatekeeping is dead for many in this family, but will Kim ever get the memo?
Shrinking American patriotism… Pride in being American has dropped in every age group and is now just 41 per cent for those in Generation Z (ages 13 to 28).
The depressing data comes from a new Gallup poll as America celebrates 249 years since the declaration of independence.
Going viral
Princess treatment… Another gender war is playing out on TikTok and this time it focuses on the expectations that women have for their significant other in traditional male-female relationships.
It was kicked off by Courtney Palmer, 37, who declared that at restaurants she does not interact with staff, make eye contact with staff, nor does she order her own food so that her husband can “lead”. She dubbed this philosophy “princess treatment”.
The video, which has been watched over six million times, sparked huge debate with some declaring Palmer, who is a stay at home mom, “weird” and compared her theory to being a “hostage”.
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In spite of the backlash it’s yet another example of tradwives and conservative views of femininity thriving on TikTok.
Need to know
Prime time’s embrace of TikTok stars… Two creators who made #MomTok blow up in 2020 and went on to star in Hulu’s Secret Lives of Mormon Wives have been signed to the next season of Dancing With the Stars.
Jen Affleck and Whitney Leavitt join another TikTok star, Alix Earle, on the show marking a significant shift in booking strategy for the ABC show. It’s also a sign of TikTok’s maturity that some of its contributors are now being signed for TV’s biggest reality shows.
Entry-level jobs in the UK have dropped by a third since the launch of ChatGPT… creating a massive issue for young people as they leave education.
Retail, IT and finance are the most affected sectors according to research by jobs search site Adzuna who looked at the volume of vacancies for graduate roles, apprenticeships, internships and junior positions with no degree requirement since November 2022 when ChatGPT launched.
Squid Game season three breaks Netflix viewership record… with over 60 million views in the first three days of release.
While I have no reason to doubt that millions are enjoying the final season, unlike it’s launch it’s created little conversation in culture.
Oasis Summer starts tonight… with the legendary 90s rock band beginning their reunion tour with gigs in Cardiff, Wales.
This week I’m…
OBSESSED WITH
Charlize Theron, 49, telling Call Her Daddy that a recent one-night stand with a 26-year-old was “really f**king amazing”
The idea that On running shoes when worn with smart casual clothes are a wealth indicator
The guest list for the Ritz-Carlton superyacht brand trip
The discourse over the sad grey office carpet at Jeff Bezos and Láuren Sanchez’s wedding
Whether an engineer has been scamming start-ups by working remotely for several of them at the same time. Tech Twitter/X can’t get enough of this story.
READING
Maybe #MeToo Is Really Dead in The Cut following two not guilty verdicts on the most serious charges in the Diddy trial. I’m minded to agree but I also think prosecutors mounted a very ambitious case against the music mogul. Cassie Ventura and ‘Jane’ who testified against Diddy deserve all the plaudits for their bravery.
How Anthpo Always Goes Viral in The Publish Press
’s brilliant take that every personality trait has become a problem to be solved in her viral post Nobody Has A Personality Anymore“Cool people are largely perceived to be extroverted, hedonistic, powerful, adventurous, open and autonomous” according to a new study that’s written up in The New York Times (gift link)
Brushing teeth in the shower, making two cups of tea at the same time and eating the same thing every day are some of the ways people are saving time and optimising their lives through microefficiencies according to The Guardian
A new study of 18 to 34-year-olds across ten countries found that physical and mental health are more important than status, salaries or wealth. The research from EY was reported in The Wall Street Journal
LISTENING TO Virgin, the new album from Lorde. Favourite Daughter is on repeat.
WATCHING as much Wimbledon as possible
highly flammable is produced and written by me, Rachel Richardson
I’m a content creator, commentator and a consultant for hire at Beginning, Middle and End
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Say hello at rr@bmend.com
That princess treatment screenshot is criminal lol