Welcome to The Trend Report: Business Edition™, a midweek look at top stories, trends, and more of what’s happening online and off by Kyle of The Trend Report™. Today, we’re talking Erika Kirk for Vanity Fair, chilled red wines, why Rachel Dratch is having a moment, and the ongoing humiliation ritual of having to share that you’ve been unemployed for years and yeras.
📝 Media Matters: Is Erika Kirk’s Vanity Fair story a coal mine canary?
In response to Vanity Fair’s recent Erika Kirk story on Instagram, I commented “i thought yall were better than rage bait?” because the story is rage bait, a means to get “angry” liberals riled up that their Conde Nast fave is Kirkposting. Even though (lesbian) Candace Owens called such a desperate move on Kirk’s behalf, the real desperation is behind the camera: this seems to have been a big Conde Nast cry for help, or at least I’m taking it as such. Rewind to March, when Jake Shane bombed the Vanity Fair Oscar party, which trickled into a few bungles and desperate moves in April, which brings us to this week, to hear news that the head of Conde Nast is stepping down, taking a job at Mattel. Not even another magazine: Mattel. Such a wandering eye — and “shocking” exit — by a media CEO is a big tell that something stinkier is happening behind the cover, one that Empire of the Elite mapped quite well. This feeling is emphasized by pick-me rage bait efforts like this Erika Kirk story, the similarly fumbled John Galliano Met Gala, and Vogue World robomasturbation session: these are symptoms of a deep illness. Publishing isn’t what it used to be and magazines and media outlets have long opted for the salacious for attention, but these moves like the magazine’s sports pivot shows how dry the well is getting. Funny enough, both of these items were popped up in the Q1 and Q2 Trend Reports™, that rage bait was going to become more and more of a brand strategy which Conde has bundled up with sports being a space to dabble in when you’re seeking to diversify in culturally conservative times like these. Conde will be fine, but my trend senses started tingling immediately when seeing Erika “in Vanity Fair.” A cry for help is a cry for help, as a stunt queen embraces another stunt queen.
📓 NYC Diary: Apartmenting
I was lamenting this on LinkedIn, but I am tired and know some NYC sicknesses are going around and am not keen on getting them. So…I’m trying to keep out of “that” by protecting my peace and laying low this week (and getting my flu, Covid, etc. shots) because I’ve been running this ship and doing my freelance things while doing many a life logistic. But very soon something may slide off our to-do list: apartment items, as we’ve been battling the AI staging and guarantor gatekeepings to potentially land a spot. Say a prayer with me, as it’s been a journey. How have we made it work? With a big assist from Kindred, as we’ve been swapping homes for the whole of this trip that lasts through the end of October. I recommend it! And I’m sharing this as it’s a question that keeps popping up: how are you making this work? With Kindred. Here’s my lil referral link, which gives you some credits to rent (and me some too, if you’re ever interested in trying it out), and — for my queer people — I’ve been poking around their queer travel circle which limits your searches to LGBTQ+ peers. I share this because such a move would not have worked without house swaps, as our home stays for 2.5 months have cost less than $1500. Yes, in NYC for two months: that little. In this economy, I’m not paying more than that for long term stays!!!!! Anyway, we love Kindred. Now, onto other things I noticed this week —
To the tired and sick thing, masks are on now, which was really not a thing in Europe and shows a clear cultural difference, which is likely based in caring more about one’s health, lack of healthcare, and considering others in ways some places don’t. The NYC spirit is a kind one, even if it expresses itself gruffly!
Roast chicken places are the thing, which I’d maybe guess is the “new” fried chicken, which is a reaction to wellness crazes. These places are typically wine bars too, as I’ve now visited three and have encountered more: Badaboom, The Fly, and Gigi’s. As a dedicated chicken lover, I’m all for this, which fits firmly into larger chicken-as-steak trends and the culture of takeaway rotisserie chickens.
