Selenaissance

The pop princesses are coming!

Aug 21, 2023

If I’ve learned anything in this crazy, crazy world, it’s that you should never, EVER count Selena Gomez out. Her 2023 has been quite exciting—from (allegedly) ending her feud with Hailey Bieber, to almost becoming a stepmom to Gigi and Zayn’s baby, to almost becoming a billionaire (thanks to the success of Rare Beauty), to the continued success of Only Murders in the Building and Selena + Chef (the best show), to the promise of new music (!!!!), and, of course, reminding all of us that she’s Taylor Swift’s #1 bestie.

And now she’s back to being the most followed woman on Instagram! Cue the fireworks! And she is working for it. Pick any odd hour of the day and check her story for perfectly curated vibes.

things that happened in pop culture you should know about:

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times—Addison Rae is here to save pop music, and that’s not hyperbole. (This also comes from someone who had “Obsessed” in their Spotify Top 5 in 2021.)
the girls got me again…
Renee Rapp is right behind her.
Miley, Ariana, Selena, and Drake all have singles coming out on Friday, August 25th. I love my girlies.
Venus Retrograde has claimed more victims—Britney Spears & that man broke up (good riddance).
The ~~failing~~ New York Times had the gall to suggest that Carly Rae Jepsen isn’t popular. They called her “pop’s middle class.” If it’s a war they want, it’s a war they’ll get.
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Bethenny Frankel had Raquel on her podcast, where they rehashed Scandoval for the millionth time. Again, the show does not need Raquel. It sucks that Raquel has had to face the consequences of her actions on the global stage, but she, like most of us, is not cut out for reality tv.
RE: No one can cancel Andy. Do we think that Andy and John have had sex?
Gorillas are addicted to TikTok.
Stevie Nicks watched Daisy Jones & The Six and loved it?
Keke Palmer was in Usher’s new music video. We love to see it.
Peacock is enabling the decline of media literacy by posting full episodes of tv shows on TikTok broken up into 3-7 minute sections, of course. I hate it here.
I can’t express how much I hate this. Why watch???????????????
For all my friends across the pond, (it’s very likely that) MAYA JAMA AND STORMZY ARE BACK TOGETHER!!
Trump wants Fox News to stop using pictures of him where he looks bad.
Diva down. The infamous Dr. Roberta Bobby (@DrSweety303) has been deactivated.
My nightmare.
Ms. Biljana Electronica made her triumphant return to our screens.
The Jersey Shore Swifties lost their minds trying to get a pic of Taylor at Jack Antonoff and Margaret Qualley’s rehearsal dinner. Weirdos.
RE: Royal Wedding. Lana may have worn crocs, but the girls are saying they are Gucci.
RE RE: Not everyone wants to go to Jersey. The streets are saying Lorde wasn’t invited to Jack’s wedding. Interesting.
Kid Rock was spotted drinking a Bud Light. Lol.
Men are insane.
Bradley Cooper is accused of being antisemitic for wearing a prosthetic nose in his new movie about Jewish composer Leonard Bernstein. The post budget just got very expensive.

what i’m reading

Recently I’ve fallen off readings, so as you know, I decided to pick up an easy book (The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the Hunger Games prequel) that could get my brain working again. Since then, I have reread the original Hunger Games trilogy. And what can I say? The booktok girlies are right—they hold up. I haven’t reread them in at least a decade, but (for lack of better words) it was nice to be back in that world (lol). Peeta was less pathetic than I remember (maybe he’s just pathetic in the movies?), and I surprisingly didn’t mind him and Katniss ending up together in the end. Sorry, spoiler. I would love to read an article about how this was Gen Z’s fantasy series during their formative years and how it shaped their brains (like how Harry Potter shaped ours).

Anyways. Still trying to read the octopus book for my book club.

what i’m watching

I’m on a Bravo kick.

Project Runway Season 20 (It’s an all-stars season, but not “Project Runway All-Stars”…?). OBVIOUSLY SPOILERS!!!!!! This season had so much potential. They brought back some of the most popular designers from the past two decades, but it’s like they don’t know what to do with them, and I have some thoughts.

While I love seeing designers from the original show (before it left Bravo the first time) like Kayne, Victor, Fabio, Kara Saun, Korto, etc., they are already established designers. They’ve been successfully working for decades now, their style is developed, and they’re here to introduce themselves to a new generation of consumers. Why would they need mentorship or advice/feedback from two fashion nobodies?
No, seriously, who the fuck is Brandon Maxwell? (Honestly, Elaine is whatever to me. She fills the useless host role in my mind.) You can’t just find a random fashion designer who kinda looks like Michael Kors or Isaac Mizrahi who has a few famous friends and call it a day? I’m feeling insane. Nina Garcia was gone for two episodes, and the show fell into disarray. I could have given better critiques. If you want an ALL-STAR season, you need ALL-STAR judges!!! Bring back Michael. Bring back Heidi and Zac for all I care.
In the original “Project Runway All-Stars,” the two judges were Georgina Chapman and Isaac Mizrahi. Two people who had ZERO connections to the contestants. They had no biases. (Note: Nina was there, but Nina is ALWAYS there.) For the past four normal seasons, Elaine and Brandon have been the judges. Three out of the top five are from the seasons they judged. Something to think about.
And then there is my sweetie, Christian Siriano… I love him, but the vibes have been weird. It’s weird to have him “mentoring” designers from older seasons (and HIS season). I don’t think this was thought through very well.
There have been multiple conversations about favoritism and bias amongst the judges that production left in!!!! All this to be said, I can’t wait for the reunion.

Below Deck Down Under. Ugh. Joao is back. Uggggggggggggh.

RHONY. No notes.

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