Oh, To Be A Nepotism Baby
I can’t believe I missed the chance to say ‘may the fourth be with you’ yesterday, what kind of jokester do I think I am??? At least it’s still relo for anyone reading on May 4th - so if that’s the case, may the fourth be with you!
PS HI to all the new besties who've joined us! If you were looking for somewhere to learn about all the weird and wonderful (and incredibly shitty) things going on in the world each day, you've come to the right place! I'm Luce!! So stoked to have you here!
PPS the email goblins have been putting my morning newsy (that I work so hard on) into spam/ junk for the past few days - AND THEY WERE REALLY GOOD ONES - so you should probs go dumpster diving for them (I'm worth it, right??) ILY, on with today's show!
🥺 PLEASE COME AND SUPPORT US, WE NEED YOU 🥺
Bel Chimes In: What’s the best characteristic you could have? I think it’s Gumption
Phoebe Bridgers opens up about her abortion
Nepotism babies are everywhere
Ed Sheeran released a song with Ukrainian band Antytila
Blac Chyna loses defamation case against Kardashian-Jenners
Bel Chimes In: What’s the best characteristic you could have? I think it’s Gumption
This section is written by my crush, the refreshing-as-a-house-chardonnay-on-a-steamy-day, Bel Hawkins. You should check out more of her beautiful words here.
Gorgeous to be back here this week telling you all the things I think about on a weekly basis!
Ok, so I spend a lot of time with my female friends sitting at tables/on living room floors trying to solve the problems of the universe. Lately, we’ve been talking about what the best characteristic to have is. In a friend, in a workmate, in a lover, in yourself.
You know what it is? It’s gumption.
It’s about having “sharp or spirited initiative and resourcefulness,” courage, spark, conviction. I feel like it's approaching life with a leaning into the wind kind of energy.
It’s being that friend who organises things. That person who has a spark for something and chases it. The crush that comes up with things to do and places to go. It’s the people who stand up for you. The people who give you that energised, infectious feeling when you're around them. It's deeper than confidence. It's gumption!
PS. Thanks for your cute replies and messages to the newsy – especially cute to see these words out in the world. Love u.
Phoebe Bridgers opens up about her abortion
This is all we know, god I love her.
Jodi Picoult also popped off
Making Sense Of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard
New episode of Culture Vulture! — open.spotify.com
For this week's episode of Culture Vulture we discuss the trial taking the internet by storm - Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard. We give a whole lot of context, explain why this trial is being filmed and broadcast, and go into the background of each person involved, to try and help explain how we got where we got today. We talk a lot about mental health, the complexities of abuse, and why we should take this opportunity to watch and learn from this trial, without feeling the need to take a side. I highly encourage tuning in if you want a well-rounded view of what we know so far.
Ed Sheeran released a song with Ukrainian band Antytila
Do you remember a few months ago when all those celebs sang at that charity concert to raise money for Ukraine? Well around the same time a band from Ukraine reached out to Ed Sheeran (who was helping organise the concert) to tell him that they were one of the biggest bands in the country, but had to give that up to join the military. They made a TikTok, aimed at him, discussing their situation, and asking if they could perform at the concert via live stream. They were turned down, (apparently to avoid association with the military), but Ed Sheeran has since decided to circle back and instead release a song with the band, where proceeds go to the people of Ukraine.
The lead singer of the band said that he partly wrote the lyrics while serving as a medic on the front line in Borodyanka, and they also partly filmed it on the front lines. Also, considering the state of Ed Sheeran’s music lately - the song itself is actually not too bad!
What is a ‘Nepotism Baby?’
Lately, I’ve been hearing ‘nepotism baby’ all over TikTok (mostly in TikToks about Maude Apatow or King Princess) and apparently The New York Times have been hearing it too. A nepotism baby is exactly that - a baby of nepotism - someone with famous parents or relatives. Sometimes people use this phrase to hype up their fave nepotism baby (Maude Apatow), and sometimes it’s to tear down their least fave (I see ppl doing this with Ben Platt.) Almost every time, it’s from a place of jealousy - people wishing they could be a nepotism baby! Here’s an excerpt from the piece in the Times about it:
“The phrase “nepotism baby” (or the diminutive “nepo baby”) has pervaded social media in earnest expressions of surprise (“just found out…”), envy (“pls god why couldn’t i have been a nepotism baby”) and even admiration (some favorites include Ms. Apatow, Zoë Kravitz and Dakota Johnson). Others are already talking about the next generation of nepotism babies, including the unborn child of Rihanna and ASAP Rocky (“a galactic nepotism legend already,” as one person put it).”
Nepotism isn’t new, it’s how families or companies keep power - espesh in Hollywood. They give their own family a leg up and then they hire them in their productions, or to prep them to take over their companies.
It’s funny watching us all realise that meritocracy is still v much a thing and some of our fave lil unknown actors/ celebs were actually born for this. I for one can’t wait for the next-gen of galactic nepotism legends!!!
Blac Chyna loses defamation case against Kardashian-Jenners
I literally just spoke about the court case that Blac Chyna laid against the Kardashians in Culture Vulture yesterday and already we have a verdict! Turns out that no, the Kardashian family did not ruin Blac Chyna’s career, but they had acted in ‘bad faith.’ You can listen to what the trial was about in more detail here
Should we retain the right to choose what we do with our bodies?
Yesterday’s mundane poll was… not that mundane. Here’s how you voted:
98% said yes we should
2% said no (but I had a BUNCH of people saying they tapped the wrong option in this poll, so that accounts for a few of these people)
Making Sense Of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard (Culture Vulture)
The invention of ‘paparazzi’ (Video)
Why People Can’t Stop Adding lol to Texts (The Atlantic)
The Shaming-Industrial Complex (The New Yorker)
Now it’s Amber Heard’s time to speak (The Cut)
Become a ✨SYSCA SUPPORTER✨ — shityoushouldcareabout.memberful.com
Seriously, we need you 🥺🥺🥺
