Little more than a year ago, Kanye West’s latest excursion on his insatiable quest for any crumb of attention included proclaiming himself a Nazi on X (again). But that was old news by then. Few remember that West, whom I refuse to call “Ye,” has been perpetuating hateful ideology since the early 2010s, including comparing himself to Hitler onstage, making antisemitic comments on The Breakfast Club, and selling the Confederate Flag on the Yeezus tour. But since his 5150 in late 2016, he’s been on a downward spiral, reaching new levels of depravity with his behavior for a full decade.

These antics include, but are not limited to:

• Antisemitism & white supremacy: Identified as a Nazi on Alex Jones, praised Hitler, denied the Holocaust, dined with white nationalist Nick Fuentes, debuted White Lives Matter shirts at Paris Fashion Week, posted a swastika on X, ran a Super Bowl ad selling swastika merch, and released a song titled “Heil Hitler” in May 2025.

• Harassment & threats: Released a video depicting Pete Davidson being kidnapped, decapitated, and buried alive; urged fans to harass him publicly; hired PIs to surveil his current wife, Bianca Censori.

• Harmful public statements: Called slavery a “choice,” claimed Harriet Tubman “never freed the slaves,” and publicly revealed he pressured Kim Kardashian to abort their daughter North — all while running for president.

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Despite his frequent, consistent, and alarming pattern of behavior, he has continued to move through elite cultural spaces largely unimpeded. He has graced the front rows of Paris, Milan, Berlin, London, and New York Fashion Weeks, attending shows for major fashion houses including Kenzo, Schiaparelli, Balenciaga, Burberry, Givenchy, and Marni, and even walking the Balenciaga runway himself. He performed on SNL multiple times, earned a Grammy nomination, and has remained a fixture on the festival and touring circuit — appearing on Travis Scott’s tours and headlining Rolling Loud 2024. Most recently, his 2026 album topped the charts, he sold out two nights at SoFi Stadium, grossing $33 million, attended by several celebs such as Dave Chappell and Erykah Badu. He was also recently announced as a headliner for Wireless Festival, based in London.

Ultimately, the line for Kanye West was finally drawn by the British, who denied his entry into the U.K., effectively canceling the Wireless Festival in its entirety. When it comes to famous American men, consequences come few and far between. Chris Brown is selling out arenas, and Louis C.K. is releasing a Netflix special in 2026.

Cancel culture, as Americans have come to understand it, has never been a neutral force applied to bad behavior. It is a selective mechanism — one that moves fast when women make men look bad, but allows men to wreak documented, repeated, legally actionable havoc… until they try to bring their chaos abroad. This uniquely American problem is a symptom of our Trumpism. When the most visible consequence for bad behavior (34 felony convictions, civil liability in a sexual abuse case, the infamous Access Hollywood tape, and even the implications in the Epstein Files) in America is the presidency (twice), the message to every powerful man below that threshold is clear. With a little bit of money comes power, and with power comes immunity. And with immunity comes audacity. Yet they hide behind the veil of “cancel culture” while breaking podcast streaming records.

When women in entertainment behave badly, or inconveniently, or publicly, or in ways that make powerful people uncomfortable — the industry moves fast. Taylor Frankie Paul lost her ticket out of an toxic relationship for her part in a crime that was public knowledge before she was ever cast. Zara Larsson lost a $3M brand deal over a social media comment. Britney Spears lost 13 years of her life to a conservatorship for shaving her head. In America, the most unforgivable thing a woman can do is embarrass her brand partners. The most forgivable thing a man can do is everything else.

Offender #1: Donald Trump

The month kicked off with Donald Trump’s heinous depiction of the Obamas as apes. Late on February 5, he posted a 62-second video with Barack and Michelle Obama’s faces superimposed onto ape bodies, dancing to “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt attempted to defend the video as a “Lion King parody” and dismissed the backlash as “fake outrage.” However, the offense was so blatant that even Republicans like Sen. Tim Scott spoke out against it. Scott called it “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House,” while Republican Rep. Mike Turner called the images “offensive, heartbreaking, and unacceptable.” The video was eventually deleted after about 12 hours, with the President blaming a staffer for the post. But the damage was already done.

Studies have shown that the behavior of leaders tends to determine what is normalized in society. Specifically, a 2023 Boston University study found that reported hate crimes against Black people surged following Trump’s initial 2016 election, and white survey respondents began to describe Black people in more dehumanizing ways. In other words, Trump’s bigotry has emboldened people to wear their racism proudly.

Offender #2: The US Men’s Hockey Team (and Donald Trump)

Trump also managed to ruin a historic first in women’s hockey. Laila Edwards made her Olympic hockey debut on February 5 and became the first Black woman to play for Team USA, the first to score a goal, and the first to win Olympic gold in the sport. This feat was overshadowed by the utter disrespect shown by the men’s team and our President. Following the men’s gold medal game, Trump congratulated them, invited them to his State of the Union, and then “joked” that he had to invite the women’s team too or he’d get impeached. This “joke” was then met with hysterical laughter from the locker room. It’s important to note that the women’s team beat the exact same country with the exact same score; the only difference between the two teams is that the women’s team consistently medals. In fact, they have medaled in every single Olympics since the women’s team's inception. They won the very first gold medal in the sport in 1998. The women’s team declined Trump’s “invitation” to the White House, instead choosing to celebrate in Vegas with unlikely feminist Flavor Flav this summer.

Offender #3: KATSEYE

On February 20, KATSEYE announced that its sole black member, Manon Bannerman, would be taking a “temporary hiatus” from the group for her “health and wellbeing.” However, fans noted that Manon had liked a social media post about Black girls in girl groups being subjected to racism and mistreatment. In a recent interview with The Cut, she said that “being called lazy, especially as a Black girl, is not fair. Now I feel like I always need to put in extra work to prove something.” Fans have also pointed out that Manon has been treated differently from the beginning. The group’s first music video, “Debut,” was heavily criticized for keeping Manon mostly hidden in the back and barely visible. The situation has drawn comparisons to Normani (Fifth Harmony) and Leigh-Anne (Little Mix) who have experienced similar mistreatment as the sole Black members of a multiracial girl group.

Offender #4: BAFTAs and BBC

At the BAFTAs, Ryan Coogler became the first Black winner for Best Original Screenplay, but this historic win was overshadowed by a deeply disturbing incident during the ceremony. Tourette syndrome activist, John Davidson, who was the inspiration for a BAFTA-nominated film I Swear, shouted the N-word while Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo, both from the Sinners cast, were on stage presenting the award for best visual effects. Crucially, the BBC, which aired the ceremony on a two-hour delay, failed to edit out the slur while choosing to edit out other moments, including a presenter saying “Free Palestine” and a homophobic slur shouted by Davidson while the show’s host, Alan Cummings, was on stage. BAFTA and BBC both issued half-assed apologies publicly, but not directly to the actors. Davidson said he felt “a wave of shame” and was “deeply mortified,” and he rightfully questioned why he was seated so close to the microphones when the organization was aware of his tics. Reportedly, the incident left Michael B. Jordan’s parents in tears.

Offender #5: Jonathan Majors

Back in 2023, actor Jonathan Majors was convicted of assault and harassment against his ex, effectively ending his mainstream career. However, on February 26, news broke that he would be teaming up with Ben Shapiro’s The Daily Wire to star in an “anti-woke Sinners” action film. This is not the first abuser The Daily Wire has offered a lifeline to, as the company previously featured Armie Hammer in a film called Frontier Crucible. The Daily Wire and Ben Shapiro are also known for their extremist, white nationalist views. He has railed against the rap genre, even releasing a song that critics called an “exercise in minstrelsy” and cultural appropriation, with lyrics that referenced Black people being “thugs.” He also frequently denies the existence of systemic racism, entirely dismissing the relevance of slavery to present-day Black inequality. In fact, the most successful film by The Daily Wire is Am I Racist?, a mockumentary featuring Matt Walsh, which satirizes DEI and anti-racism work. It grossed $12.3M domestically.

February gave us the first Black woman to win Olympic gold in hockey and a sitting president who depicted the first Black President and First Lady as apes – all in the same week. Ryan Coogler made BAFTA history in the same ceremony where two Black men were subjected to a racial slur on live television. This is a microcosm of the world at large. The more Black people succeed, the more progress that is made, the louder the opposition becomes. The wall of shame is long this February, but so is the list of people they couldn’t stop.

What do all the remakes and reboots, influencer culture, and millennial pop flops all have in common?

An unwavering commitment to safety.

Palatability at its most reductive, worship at the altar of consumerism at its most grotesque. Risk aversion has become the norm, demonstrating a sort of authoritarian aesthetic where all the output is identical. Even when the envelope is pushed—take Sydney Sweeney’s controversial American Eagle campaign for example—it’s pushed in the direction of whiteness and formulaic palatability.

As America enters another war under the guise of freedom but ultimately to fatten the wallets of the wealthiest, it begs the question: why can’t we have some circus with our bread? Instead, not only are the big corporations starving us, they’re also numbing us to death.

Remakes, Reboots & Franchise Hell

As I’ve written before, movies and TV have become three-hour-long commercials. How the cheaper input lengthens the output is beyond me... I digress. But as time passes and studios continue to double down on this strategy, the commercial and critical reception has vindicated the original. Take A24’s Marty Supreme. The flick, starring Timothée Chalamet as a professional ping-pong player, has brought in $56 million domestically to date after opening on Christmas Day, making it A24’s third-highest-grossing domestic release. And yet, we’re soon to be subjected to a The Devil Wears Prada press tour, 20 years after the release of the first film. Shouldn’t Miranda be happily retired by now?

@itsjosezarateYall wanted pt 2 of mikayla nogueiras infamous luxury haul so here you go 👀😂 #mikaylanogueira #luxuryhaul #designerhaul #fyp #rich

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The Influencer Reckoning

Meanwhile, on TikTok, influencers are losing their luster. After Mikayla Nogueira’s $250K+ luxury shopping haul and subsequent failure to give back during the holidays alongside Jaclyn Hill’s tone-deaf lamentation of the drop in her engagement, a new conversation about influencers, overconsumption, and income gaps has come into focus. Viewers are tired of making people rich and famous, only to be dismissed and commodified. At some point, it becomes cruel to flaunt wealth extracted from the backs of others, while refusing to share that wealth.

Pop’s Creative Bankruptcy

All the while, we’re still feeling the aftershocks of the stink bomb that was Taylor Swift’s last album, The Life of a Showgirl, an ironic misstep also taken last year by her former foe, Katy Perry, with her previous album, 143. These two millennial divas proved themselves as unable to read a room as the aforementioned influencers, by releasing lazy, derivative slop, knowing that at least their loyal followers would lap it up. Both were still blindsided by their floppery, and responded with defensiveness and contempt for their own fans who weren’t able to get on board with what they were selling. Katy crashed out on TikTok on multiple occasions, and Taylor revealed too much truth, asserting that if you’re talking about her at all, you’re “helping.”

Audiences are fully aware that a large faction of artists and creators are simply chasing money, as opposed to their approval or admiration, which has made the viewer experience profoundly depressing.

The tragic irony is that audiences have never been more vocal about what they want—originality, authenticity, creative risk—yet the machine keeps churning out the same safe, sanitized product. As long as there's profit to be extracted, corporations will continue to prioritize their bottom line over our collective sanity. We're left waiting for the inevitable: either a creative renaissance born from rebellion, or more of the same numbing monotony until we're too exhausted to care.

THE FLOPS:

Tilly the AI Actor

The entertainment industry’s most tone-deaf moment of the year arrived when a video production company called Particle6 introduced its newest creation, Tilly Norwood, an AI-generated actor who could “play any role without the complications of human talent.” The backlash was, of course, immediate and brutal. SAG-AFTRA members rightfully lost it, audiences called it dystopian, and the whole thing reeked of Silicon Valley tech heads completely misunderstanding what makes performance art actually compelling.

The rollout was a PR disaster. The creator tried to position Tilly as “the future of storytelling,” but all anyone saw was job theft dressed up in buzzwords. Within weeks, the project was quietly shelved, the executives responsible were shuffled to “new positions,” and the industry got a harsh reminder that audiences actually care about real humans doing the work. Revolutionary? More like revolting.

Katy Perry’s Lifetimes Tour

Katy Perry’s 2025 tour was marketed as a celebration, fresh off the heels of her Video Vanguard Award presented to her at last year’s VMAs, and an eerily similar title to Taylor Swift’s triumphant Eras Tour. Instead of a victory lap, it became a cautionary tale about what happens when you lose touch with your audience and fail to keep up with a fast-moving industry. Tickets went on sale at premium prices, but the demand just wasn’t there.

The real tragedy is that Katy has the catalog and the talent, but both the album and the tour felt disconnected from where pop culture actually is right now. The production tried to recreate the spectacle of her imperial phase, but audiences have moved on to intimacy and authenticity. The choreography couldn’t have been worse. (Like, did Jojo Siwa choreograph it?) Multiple dates got canceled or “postponed,” and by the end, this tour had become shorthand for the perils of resting on legacy without evolution.

The TikTok “Ban” That Lasted a Few Hours

The great TikTok ban of 2025 will go down in history as one of the most absurd pieces of political theater we’ve ever witnessed. After years of “national security concerns” and legislative posturing, TikTok actually went dark for American users. Cue the mass panic, the frantic downloading of VPNs, worldwide discourse, and Gen Z having a collective meltdown about losing their primary form of communication and income. For a brief moment, it felt like we were witnessing the end of an era.

And then, just hours later, TikTok was back. The whiplash was spectacular. All that drama, all those think pieces about what a TikTok-less America would look like, all those creators talking about migrating to RedNote—gone in an instant. The whole situation exposed how performative the entire “ban” had been from the start, turned lawmakers into punchlines, and left everyone feeling like they’d just witnessed the most expensive, poorly executed PR stunt in history. It was chaos, it was confusing, and it was peak 2025—lots of noise, zero forethought, and everyone left wondering what the fuck just happened.

Happy Gilmore 2

Netflix thought they had a guaranteed hit with Happy Gilmore 2, banking on ‘90s nostalgia and Adam Sandler’s enduring appeal. What they delivered instead was a soulless cash grab that reminded everyone why some movies should stay in the past. The script felt like it was written by an algorithm trained on “remember when” tweets, the cameos were painfully forced and the product placements overshadowed the plot.

This is a perfect microcosm of the perils of Hollywood’s recent obsession with regurgitated IP. This is clearly executives mining our nostalgia instead of trusting new ideas. Critics, audiences and even die-hard Sandler fans admitted this one missed the fairway entirely. The vibe felt cynical, like everyone involved knew they were making something mediocre but did it anyway for the Netflix check. In a year where audiences were desperate for originality, Happy Gilmore 2 became the poster child for Hollywood’s creativity crisis. Some things are better left as perfect time capsules.

Jeff Bezos’ Wedding to Lauren Sanchez

When one of the richest people on Earth gets (re)married, you expect extravagance. What we got instead was a masterclass in how money can’t buy taste or self-awareness. The Bezos-Sanchez wedding became an internet spectacle for all the wrong reasons—over-the-top fashion choices that ranged from “trying too hard” to “is this a costume party?”, and a level of wealth display that felt particularly tone-deaf given, well, everything happening in the world.

Social media had a field day dissecting every detail: the pitiful Grace Kelly and Sophia Loren cosplay, a venue that cost more than most people’s lifetime earnings, and the guest list rife with the cancelled and the capitulating. What could’ve been an elegant celebration instead became a symbol of disconnected excess. The discourse around it perfectly captured 2025’s growing exhaustion with billionaire culture—we’re all just tired of watching people play Marie Antoinette while Rome burns. Read the room, Jeffrey.

American Eagle’s “Good Jeans” Campaign

American Eagle thought they had a clever play on words with their “Good Jeans” campaign starring Sydney Sweeney, or perhaps, the dog whistle was intentional. The campaign’s emphasis on blonde hair, blue eyes, and all-American aesthetics hit way too close to some very uncomfortable historical parallels—specifically eugenics-era “good genes” propaganda. The visual language, the casting choice, the script’s wording: it all added up to something that felt like a subliminal signal to appeal to a particular group of Americans.

As I wrote about at the time, there were obvious alternatives that could’ve kept the pun without the problematic undertones. But American Eagle either didn’t see the issue or didn’t care, and the internet rightfully dragged them for it. Both Sweeney and the brand’s responses to criticism were defensive rather than reflective, and the whole situation became a textbook example of what happens when marketing teams skip the “maybe we should think about how this reads” step. Some controversy just isn’t worth it, and this was exhibit A.

Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl

Even Taylor Swift, the seemingly untouchable force of pop music, had her first real stumble this year. “The Life of a Showgirl” arrived with massive expectations and left fans genuinely confused. The concept felt muddled, the sonic direction was all over the place and the beef was manufactured for clicks and views. For the first time in years, the Swiftie consensus was “this ain’t it.” Initial streaming numbers were strong (because of course they were—it’s Taylor), but the conversation quickly shifted from celebration to concerned analysis, and then worse – no discussion at all.

What made this particularly notable was watching the stan defense machine sputter. Even her most devoted fans struggled to mount a convincing case for the album’s brilliance. The writing felt rushed, the content was boring, and the whole project lacked the narrative cohesion that typically defines Swift’s work. It wasn’t a disaster by usual standards, but for an artist who’s built a career on exceeding expectations, meeting them with a shrug felt like a seismic shift. Sometimes even the greats need a reset — here’s hoping this leads to something better… after a much-needed break.

THE FEATS:

Ryan Coogler’s Sinners

“Sinners” was a film that nobody saw coming and everyone couldn’t stop talking about. The Black-led indie thriller managed to be both critically acclaimed and genuinely buzzworthy, a rare combination in today’s fragmented media landscape. Word-of-mouth was explosive, film Twitter lost its collective mind over the cinematography, and suddenly everyone was trying to avoid spoilers while desperately seeking out screenings.

What made “Sinners” such a feat was how it proved there’s still appetite for original, challenging cinema when it’s actually, you know, good. No franchise fatigue, no IP baggage. Its success gave a much-needed middle finger to the “nobody wants original content” narrative. This is what happens when you trust audiences to show up for originality.

Selena Gomez’s Wedding to Benny Blanco

In a year full of celebrity excess and cringe, Selena Gomez’s wedding was a masterclass in doing it right. Intimate, elegant, and genuinely joyful, it was everything the Bezos wedding wasn’t. The fashion was impeccable without being ostentatious, the guest list felt personal rather than transactional, and the whole affair radiated genuine love rather than performance.

Social media fell in love with how Selena handled the entire thing—selective sharing that felt generous rather than exhibitionist, gorgeous aesthetics that didn’t scream “look how rich I am,” and a phone-free vibe that reminded everyone that celebrity weddings can still feel human. In the era of everything being content, Selena proved you can give people enough to celebrate with you without turning your marriage into a brand activation or personal ‘coming out’ party. This was the blueprint for how to demonstrate high-profile romance with grace.

Lady Gaga’s Mayhem

Lady Gaga got her ass up and werked to deliver “Mayhem,” an album that reminded everyone why she’s an unparalleled generational talent. After years of Vegas residencies and acting roles, Gaga came back to pop music with something dark, weird, and absolutely HER. The production was adventurous, the lyrics were sharp, and the whole project felt like an artist reconnecting with her freak flag after playing it safe.

Critics lost their minds, fans went feral, and even the “she fell off” crowd had to admit this was a moment. The rollout was chaotic in the best way—guerrilla performances, fashion that made headlines, and a clear “I’m not here to make you comfortable” energy. “Mayhem” didn’t just meet the moment—it created one. In a year where so many legacy artists fumbled their comebacks, Gaga showed everyone how it’s done. Welcome back, Mother Monster. We missed this version of you.

Cardi B’s Am I the Drama?

After a seven-year hiatus that had people questioning if she’d ever return to the rap game, Cardi B made a major splash with “Am I the Drama?” reminding everyone why she’s one of the defining voices of her generation. The album went platinum within hours, and for good reason—it’s a masterclass in balancing spectacle with substance. Sharp diss tracks like “Pretty & Petty” sit alongside vulnerable divorce anthems like “Man of Your Word,” and the whole project showcases an artist who’s grown without losing any of her bite.

As I wrote in my review, this is Cardi feminizing rap without sacrificing edge, proving she can disappear for nearly a decade and still return to dominate on her own terms. The album isn’t flawless—a few tracks like “Principal” feel like missed opportunities—but it doesn’t need to be perfect to be a success. Critics called it a “massive comeback,” and they weren’t exaggerating. In a year full of underwhelming releases from major artists, Cardi showed up with one of the strongest rap albums of the 2020s. Worth the wait!

Wicked Press Tour Fashion

The “Wicked: For Good” press tour became a cultural phenomenon that transcended the movie itself. Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo (and their stylists, Law Roach and Justin Bolden, respectively) didn’t just promote a film—they created a masterclass in method dressing, thematic coordination, and how to keep a press tour interesting for months. Every appearance was an event, every outfit told a story, and the internet obsessively documented each Glinda-pink and Elphaba-green moment.

What elevated this from fun fashion to cultural reset was the intentionality behind each look. These weren’t random designer pulls—they were a carefully crafted narrative that honored the source material while showcasing both actresses’ personal style. The chemistry between them was genuine, their mutual support was palpable, and the whole tour became a case study in how to build anticipation. By the time the movie dropped, everyone was so invested in the journey that the film almost felt secondary. That’s how you do a press tour — make the promotion as compelling as (or more than) the product.

Benny Drama’s “Overcompensating”

YouTube star Benny Drama dropped “Overcompensating,” a semi-autobiographical limited series about discovering his sexuality during his college years. Rightfully, the internet collectively lost it in the best way possible. The inaugural season was perfect encapsulation of what happens when internet comedy talent evolves into full-fledged artistry. What could’ve been a novelty project instead became a legitimate cultural moment, with clips going viral and critics actually taking it seriously. Benny proved that internet fame can translate into real creative output when you’re willing to take risks.

But the even bigger story was watching Benny Drama and Mary Beth Barone become one of 2025’s most beloved duos. Their chemistry is undeniable, their collaborative content is consistently hilarious, and they’ve managed to build something that feels genuine in an era of manufactured partnerships. Whether they’re roasting celebrity behavior, creating characters, or just riffing together, they’ve tapped into something the internet desperately needed: smart comedy that doesn’t feel like it’s trying too hard. They’re not just internet personalities anymore—they’re actually shaping comedy culture, and “Overcompensating” was the moment that made everyone realize these two are here to stay.

What We Learned

2025 taught us that authenticity and originality still matter, audiences are more savvy than executives think, and sometimes the best moments come from the least expected places. The flops shared a common thread: disconnection from reality, whether through tone-deafness, capitalistic greed, or just horrendous timing. The feats, meanwhile, succeeded because they felt real, took risks, and reminded us that humans still crave genuine emotion in their pop culture.

Here’s to 2026—may it give us more pop gold and fewer AI actors, more romance and fewer billionaire spectacles. The bar has been set!

Katy Perry dominated the timeline – not because of a hit song or a triumphant comeback, but because both her album and tour were comically bad. Clips of stiff choreography, dated visuals and gaudy costumes presented a maximalist pop joy that felt like parody without the wink flooded the feeds. The internet was half confused by her and half sad for her.

Then came, her bizarre trip to space on the Blue Origin flight alongside the new Mrs. Bezos, on which she stared blankly into the camera, holding a daisy. What unsettled people wasn’t space travel itself, but rather the dissonance in a year marked by economic anxiety, cultural regression, and very real conversations about survival. The spectacle of wealthy passengers treating a vanity flight as spiritual transcendence felt grotesquely miscalibrated. The internet responded with ridicule, most of which was aimed at Katy due to her treating the experience as a sort of photo op. All this bad press seemingly got to her, as her engagement to Orlando Bloom ended abruptly.

Taylor Swift had a similar journey. As an OG Swiftie, it pains me to say this, but her virality this year had nothing to do with artistic excellence and everything to do with her deep insecurity. She dominated the conversation because of her clear inability to cope with other, younger artists rising around her. The result was a rushed album release that felt uninspired and compulsory, a sharp deviation from her typical formula. She needed to put something out. Anything. Even if it was slop.

And the lyrics were bad. Not “grower” bad. Not “maybe it’ll click later” bad. Certainly not “too deep to understand” bad. Just lazy, clunky, self-mythologizing bad. While the album’s visuals were the most overtly sexual we’ve seen from Taylor, the lyrics were laden with trad wife aesthetics, and fantasies about domestic bliss. Pair that with endless variants, aggressive promotion and parasocial oversaturation, what used to feel like a shared ritual between artist and fan turned into a public exercise in overcompensation and overconsumption. Then there was her bizarre beef with Charli XCX — sparked by Sympathy is a knife on last year’s Brat, a song all about insecurity and comparison. Instead of self-reflection or empathy for a peer, Taylor responded with a hierarchy check that exposed her need for mean-girl dominance and to prove she was still the most popular girl in school.

@whitehouseOUR VIBES 🇺🇸

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Further, she allowed the White House to use her music while avoiding meaningful political engagement while two of her most prominent successors unequivocally took a stance against the Trump administration’s use of their music. In just a few years, Taylor went from staunch feminist to Republican Barbie and capitalism’s final boss.

Nicki Minaj’s arc this year was more sinister. Her appearance at a Turning Point USA event alongside bonafide sociopath Erika Kirk was rather illuminating. Barbs were forced to reckon with the very real, very disturbing fact that both her husband and her brother are convicted sex offenders, which she seems to simply accept. Questions about her finances began circulating. Is she broke? Is that why she’s cozying up to MAGA money? Whether those rumors are true almost doesn’t matter. The damage was already done. This is now what her name conjures. Not bars. Not legacy. Not influence. Just mess, compromise and a complete lack of morality.

These moments weren’t simply isolated missteps or PR blunders. They were symptoms of a growing problem with millennial stars — creative stagnation coupled with ideological decay. A generation of stars who once benefited from cultural goodwill and unwavering loyalty suddenly found themselves exposed by an audience that no longer feels obligated to defend them under this political climate. This isn’t about aging out, but rather the failure or refusal to adapt, a lack of growth, accountability, and the very self-awareness that made their artistry compelling in the first place.

Once the cracks in the illusion appeared, it changed how we talk about what we expect from celebrities creatively, ethically and culturally.

Last month, Sabrina Carpenter surprised fans by announcing a new album, just a year after releasing her Grammy-winning Short n’ Sweet. She revealed the cover for the upcoming record, Man’s Best Friend, which shows her on all fours while a faceless man in a suit strokes her hair. Instantly, social media was flooded with thinkpieces about how this was a step back for women. Blah, blah, blah.

This isn’t the first time Sabrina’s been criticized for her overtly sexual performances and tongue-in-cheek lyrics.

Not long after, American Eagle dropped the denim ad heard ’round the world, starring fellow blonde Sydney Sweeney. Cue the discourse avalanche about eugenics-coded language, vintage white beauty standards, and the fetishization of Americana. Naturally, the internet lumped the two women together, accusing them of the same crime: appealing to the male gaze.

I strongly reject this premise. Yes, both women are beautiful. Yes, both know how to command attention. But only one of them feels like she’s in on the joke. The other feels like she’s unknowingly become the punchline.

Sabrina Carpenter: Coquette-Core with a Side of Theatrics

In her Short n’ Sweet era, Sabrina leaned into frilly lingerie, pastel hues, and bratty lyrics—performing hyper-femininity so exaggerated it becomes camp. She’s not trying to be some man’s dream girl; she’s playing one. Her entire aesthetic flirts with the male gaze while simultaneously mocking it.

You see it in the visuals. You hear it in the music.

She may not go full man-hater, but she definitely rolls her eyes at them. On “Espresso,” “Dumb and Poetic” and “Coincidence,” she patronizes her male subjects with contempt. On her latest hit “Manchild,” she graduates from man-shaming to man-hating, mocking her past lovers claiming, “I swear they choose me, I'm not choosing them.” The men in her songs aren’t threats or heartbreakers. They’re… nuisances. Dumb. Easy to forget.

Sydney Sweeney: The Male Gaze’s Favorite Daughter

Whether it’s Euphoria, car commercials, or glossy ad campaigns, Sydney Sweeney is consistently framed as an object—to be looked at, not to look back. Her signature haunted, doe-eyed expression mimics a very specific kind of fragility. It’s seductive, but submissive. Beautiful, but breakable. A damsel aesthetic that appeals to the male psyche: not because she’s powerful, but because she looks like she needs saving.

That’s the fantasy being sold — not a woman in control, but a woman who seems slightly damaged, slightly undone.

Not dangerous, but delicate. Not independent, but in need.

In a cultural imagination still shaped by male directors and male audiences, Sydney has become the ideal muse: someone who doesn’t challenge male power, but subtly reinforces it. She doesn’t take up too much space. She doesn’t talk back. She’s alluring without being assertive.

The American Eagle campaign drove this home. Between the name, the baggy denim, and the press rollout, the whole thing felt like a not-so-subtle wink to eugenics and retro beauty politics. And Sydney? Silent.

She’s beautiful. That’s the brand. That’s the content. No irony. No layers. Just boobs, blonde, and 10,000 brand deals.

Why This Difference Matters

Sabrina is selling irony. She uses the tools of seduction to parody seduction itself. Sydney is selling nostalgia—a throwback to a time when women smiled, looked pretty and stayed quiet. (Think: Betty Draper)

The former feels modern and defiant. The latter feels dated and deferential.

Yes, women can and should do whatever they want with their image. But let’s not pretend we can’t tell the difference between a performance that’s made for us versus one that’s clearly still for them.

Sabrina’s rise proves what Gen Z and millennials actually relate to:

• Femininity with bite

• Sex appeal that smirks

• Beauty with a bratty, knowing edge

Because the future of hotness isn’t about being stared at like an object, it’s about controlling the terms of your own desirability.

Listen to this week's podcast episode

Men in Hollywood have long been protected from the consequences of their actions while women and girls both famous and otherwise must suffer them instead, in silence. Despite the #MeToo movement of the late 2010s, this pattern has continued while celebrities and comedians fear an imaginary boogie man in “cancel culture.”

Over the weekend, Jonathan Majors was arrested during a domestic disturbance that took place in New York, during which he allegedly was “striking [his girlfriend] about the face with an open hand, causing substantial pain and a laceration behind her ear.” Majors was the one to call the cops, reporting that the unnamed female was experiencing an emotional crisis. He was arrested and she was transported to a hospital to be treated for minor injuries.

After the news broke, Twitter exploded with polarizing takes. Many people jumped to Majors’ defense, citing that he was the one to phone the police and warning others not to fall for “rumors.” Others expressed a shocked disgust considering Majors’ public emphasis on soft masculinity, feeling duped and disturbed by his dual personality.

(since deleted)

Most notably, the film industry started to rumble, noting that there had been talk of his abusive behavior for years. Some users recalled a vague tweet from months back which referenced an unnamed actor who was experiencing a sudden rise to fame who didn’t deserve their accolades due to their nasty behavior behind closed doors. “I never would’ve guessed this was about Jonathan Majors,” wrote one Twitter user.

Majors, through his lawyer, has maintained his innocence, claiming he’s done “nothing wrong” and that the victim has “recanted.” However, on Monday, March 27, Majors was arraigned and indicted formally on multiple harassment and assault charges.

On Thursday, his lawyer released a series of text messages between the alleged victim and Majors in which the victim blames herself and apologizes, something that is not uncommon for victims of abuse. She also notes that she collapsed and fainted.

After the texts were released, Twitter once again erupted in a storm of opinionated tweets, but this time, most agreed that this did not paint Majors in the light his lawyer must have hoped. Instead, many women recognized the tactics he employed.

In addition to Jonathan Major’s arrest, just this week we’ve also learned of Sebastian Bear-McClard’s disturbing sexual misconduct allegations. Multiple women who were aged 17 and 18 at the time of the incidents have accused Emily Ratajkowski’s ex-husband and frequent collaborator of the Safdie brothers, Sebastian Bear McClard of egregious behavior ranging from verbal abuse to sexual assault.

It was also announced that Tory Lanez, who was convicted in December of the 2020 shooting of Megan Thee Stallion, will be seeking an appeal. Lanez shot Megan multiple times in both feet after a party at Kylie Jenner’s mansion in July of 2020 and is currently awaiting sentencing. He faces up to 22 years. Megan was met with an overwhelming amount of misogynoir online before and during the trial, including from fellow rappers like 50 Cent and Drake, who both indicated she was lying.

While all of these incidents were made public this week, it’s worth nothing that Hollywood has begun to once again embrace a Mr. Chris Brown again. Brown won an American Music Award back in November, and was booed by the audience. When Kelly Rowland accepted the award on his behalf, she admonished the crowd, telling them to “chill out.” She then doubled down on this opinion later on, saying, “Everyone deserves grace, period.” Jordin Sparks, who collaborated with Chris Brown on the hit “No Air” also chimed in in agreement with Rowland, indicating that people deserve room for growth.

However, Brown’s brutal 2009 assault on Rihanna is not his only nefarious incident. He’s been arrested for assault on multiple other occasions and was accused of drugging and raping a woman in Miami in January of 2022. Her case was dismissed later that August.

Both the members of our elite society and our everyman are quick to question women while offering men excuses. A woman is asked, “Why would you go to a married guy’s house?” A man is offered, “She didn’t say ‘no.’” A woman is asked, “What did you say to make him mad?” A man is offered, “Maybe she’s lying.”

The one thing we can all take comfort in is knowing all these men are typically too insufferable to keep a decent lawyer. Alexa, play ‘Jail’ by Kanye West.

Gwyneth Paltrow recently appeared on “The Art of Being Well” podcast produced by Dear Media this week and when asked about her current wellness routine, she emphasized the importance of intermittent fasting, movement and detoxing.

@dearmedia#gwynethpaltrow shares her daily wellness routine on The Art Of Being Well, listen now 🎧 #wellnessroutine #healthandwellness #healthylifestyle #routines #goop #podcastclips

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She spoke of being careful not to spike her blood sugar in the morning and indicated that she only ate between around noon and the early evening. Paltrow noted that she really liked bone broth and soup for lunch and followed the paleo diet. She also revealed that the “weirdest” wellness thing she’s ever tried is rectal ozone therapy. The internet had a lot to say.

Several professional nutritionists and dietitians emerged to express their disapproval of Gwyneth’s approach to “wellness” and warned of this dangerous rhetoric. In addition, several social media users pointed out Paltrow’s less than glowy appearance, questioning what makes her an authority on wellness in the first place, which is fair.

@abbeyskitchenGwyneth Paltrow is nothing if not consistent 🤦🏼‍♀️ She is the reigning queen of problematic wellness misinformation and disinformation. For someone as passionate about detoxing as she is, she is probably one of the most toxic celebrities in the wellness space of our generation. This diet is so frighteningly low calorie and low protein that I feel both empathetic and sad for her, but also angry that we continue to let this woman have such a powerful platform. This interview should have never aired without a ton of disclaimers and trigger warnings IMO. #gwynethpaltrow #goop #wellnesstok #detox #detoxtips #cleansediet #detoxdiet #paleodiet #dietitiansoftiktok

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While the outrage at GP’s detachment from reality is warranted and valid, perhaps we should be celebrating what could finally be the beginning of the end for the Goop lab’s pseudoscience. If we keep giving Gwyn enough rope to hang herself with, perhaps she’ll go away once and for all.

You may know of Goop as Gwyneth Paltrow’s lifestyle brand that sells a $75 candle that smells like her vagina, but it is much more sinister beneath the service. The Goop Lab, which has an eponymous documentary series on Netflix with horrendous reviews, “explores ideas that may seem out there” and create products like $66 jade eggs that are meant to balance the heart chakra by being inserted into the vagina.

Gwyneth’s antics have gone so far as to prompt medical professionals to publish works speaking out against The Goop Lab’s pseudoscientific practices.

So again I ask, why are we still asking her about her health routines?

You know, I thought we’d learned from Donald Trump that being rich does not mean you are intelligent or even remotely competent when it comes to business. But alas, here we are, discovering this all over again with Elon Musk.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, incarcerated or in a coma, you probably are aware that everyone’s favorite billionaire recently purchased Twitter for $44 billion. This transaction was first initiated back in April of this year but wasn’t completed until October 27. There was a lot of back-and-forth surrounding this, with Musk backing out of the deal due to a concern about bots. Ultimately, the social platform filed a lawsuit and intimidated Musk back into the deal.

Immediately upon solidifying the transaction, Elon canned three key players: Parag Agrawal, CEO, Ned Segal, CFO, and legal affairs and policy chief Vijaya Gadde after claiming that they had misled him regarding the number of fake accounts on the platform. This sparked a mass exodus for most of the remaining senior leadership. In addition, thanks to Elon’s radical free speech mentality, the platform was inundated with racist slurs. From there, things spiraled out of control quickly.

Mass Layoffs & Potential Privacy Issues

Following the firing of Agrawal, Segal and Gadde, Musk proceeded to lay off half of the company’s workforce (some say 75%), primarily folks who do not code, meaning they work in departments responsible for things like security, privacy and compliance. Pretty damn important people, if you ask me.

According to information obtained by The New York Times, these labor shortages will require engineers to “self-certify” so that their projects meet privacy requirements, potentially causing a major issue with the FTC. Previously, Twitter has conducted internal reviews to ensure its products for privacy issues before rolling them out to users. However, this is no longer possible given Musk’s dismissal of manpower and imposed rapid pace.

The Verification Badge Debacle

Considering Elon’s aforementioned concern with fake accounts, one of his first changes to the platform truly doesn’t make sense. The classic blue check verification badge became a feature available only with Twitter Blue, which at first was set to cost $20 per month. This feature would also now be available for any Average Joe who wanted one. Obviously, this poses many issues considering how easy it would then become to pose as any individual or business, increasing the risk of scams and other privacy issues.

Director of Product Management, Esther Crawford, was pictured sleeping on the floor at Twitter HQ, following Musk’s orders that her team must roll out Twitter Blue ahead of a November 7 deadline, otherwise she and her team would be fired. He’s ended remote work, effective immediately, telling employees to come in or face the chopping block.

Unsurprisingly, verified users like celebrities and journalists balked at the idea of paying for their badge, with many stating they’d happily let their blue check go. After receiving backlash, Musk lowered the monthly price to $8, completely missing the point. He stated in a company-wide communication that he intends to make subscriptions 50% of the platform’s revenue.

Soon, verified creators changed their names and profile pictures to impersonate the self-proclaimed “free speech absolutionist” (and other figures like Joe Biden), which he very much disliked. Twitter began suspending users parodying Musk shortly thereafter. He then adjusted the Twitter rules to reflect this, stating that any parody account that does not explicitly in the display name will be permanently suspended.

In much less amusing news, someone created an account impersonating the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, tweeting that insulin would now be free. The company had to clarify that this was not, in fact, true. Woof. Just hours later, the pharm giants stock fell dramatically.

Similarly, a fake Lockheed Martin account tweeted that the company was stopping weapons sales in Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the United States. Their shares took a nosedive as well.

Twitter Blue’s rollout has since been paused.

Advertiser Boycotts

The turmoil has caused the corporations which allocate a significant amount of ad spend to Twitter to reconsider their partnerships with the platform. Major brands like United Airlines, The Volkswagen Group and REI have pulled their ads, resulting in what, according to him, is a $4 million loss per day. “The economic picture ahead is dire,” he told his employees.

Elon clearly fails to understand the communications field in any capacity, which makes sense considering Tesla does not partake in traditional advertising.

Potential Legal Trouble

The Verge managed to obtain some receipts from Twitter’s Slack channel, in which an attorney for the company stated, “Elon has shown that his only priority with Twitter users is how to monetize them,” and that they’d “heard Alex Spiro (current head of Legal) say that Elon is willing to take on a huge amount of risk in relation to this company and its users, because ‘Elon puts rockets into space, he’s not afraid of the FTC.’”

This very claim is what earns Elon his spot amongst Donald Trump and Kanye West. It represents his genuine belief that his net worth makes him not only above all others, but above the law.

The delusions of grandeur are of course a uniting factor as well, made evident on Monday when Musk claimed that Twitter usership was at an “all time high lol.” While the traffic is booming due to people like me wanting to know the tea, the platform actually saw 1.3 million users deactivate following Musk’s takeover.

While this circus has proven to hurt Elon’s pockets, it’s been just as satisfying watching it bruise his little ego. Where does Twitter go from here? Simply… under? Time will tell.

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