Nostalgia-bait, AI slop & chasing virality
Vol. 2 Issue 38 – 18th October 2025
The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show Returned... With Mixed Feelings
The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show made its return on October 15th for its second comeback year, and while there were undeniable moments, we’re all still mourning the OG era. Let’s start with the highs: Jasmine Tookes opening the show nine months pregnant in a golden fishnet dress with a Botticelli-esque clamshell cage, designed to look like her baby bump was a pearl inside a shell, was genuinely iconic. She became the first pregnant woman and second Black model ever to open the show.
Candice Swanepoel and Barbara Palvin (who walked on a broken foot, because apparently that’s what angels do now) stole the show as expected. But then there’s Bella Hadid, who closed the show in 23kg (50 pounds) wings just weeks after being hospitalised for Lyme disease. Fans were concerned watching her struggle down the runway, and Bella later confirmed on Instagram: “OK we’re not going to pretend these wings weren’t 50 pounds but HOW BEAUTIFUL”. Beautiful? Yes. Safe for someone who was literally in a hospital bed with IVs weeks earlier, as evidenced by her mom Yolanda’s Instagram posts? Questionable at best.
The consensus online? The wings and hair were disappointing, people literally compared the wings to mattress foam and postpartum pads. We wanted the big blowout, bouncy hairstyles that defied physics and wings that looked expensive, not like craft store clearance items. The show felt like Victoria’s Secret is still trying to figure out what it wants to be in 2025, inclusive but nostalgic, modern but dated. Maybe some things should stay in our memory and not on a New York runway.
Dan and Phil: 16 Years of Being More Than “Just Roommates”
Speaking of things we suspected all along, Dan Howell and Phil Lester finally confirmed what the internet has been theorising since 2009: they’ve been in a relationship for 16 years. In a 46-minute video titled “Are Dan and Phil in a Relationship? The Truth,” they opened up about why they kept it private (spoiler: trauma from intense fan shipping, homophobia, and wanting to be known for their comedy, not their couple status). Dan’s quote hit hard: “The pressure from people trying to out us was incredibly triggering. Honestly, it could have killed me”. They’re now launching a podcast called “Hard Launch” because if you’re going to come out as a couple, you might as well be extremely on-brand about it.
While I Was Gone: A Speed Round of Chaos
Let me catch you up on what I missed while I was touching grass:
Selena Gomez got married to Benny Blanco on September 27th in Santa Barbara, and the photos are giving Disney princess energy. Taylor Swift, Steve Martin, and Martin Short were there, and apparently everyone cried during the vows. File under: wholesome content we didn’t know we needed.
Taylor Swift dropped The Life of a Showgirl on October 3rd: Her 12th studio album with Max Martin and Shellback, with a Sabrina Carpenter feature on the title track and a Charli xcx/Kim K diss track. The album broke records (obviously), sparked mass discourse (as is tradition), and proved that whether you love her or are going through your contrarian phase, Taylor Swift is too above it all to care. With the catchiest hooks, even if you think the lyrics are millennial-cringe, she is busy baking sourdough, showing off her engagement ring and being happy.
Charlie Puth announced he’s going to be a dad in the most Charlie Puth way possible, via the music video for his new single “Changes”. The clip ends with a stop-motion pregnancy reveal featuring his wife Brooke, and honestly, the lyrics “There’s been some changes in our lives” hit different now. His album Whatever’s Clever! drops March 6th.
The Coachella 2026 lineup was announced with Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber, and Karol G headlining, and for once, I actually know most of the artists in the classic lineup graphic!
Anna Wintour and Miranda Priestly finally met IRL when Meryl Streep, fully in character, attended Milan Fashion Week while filming The Devil Wears Prada 2. The meta moment of Meryl greeting Anna backstage broke the internet, and honestly, it’s the crossover we deserved.
The Summer I Turned Pretty announced a movie literally hours after the series finale aired on September 18th, but was this really necessary? It feels like a cash grab now that they have everyone’s loyalty and attention from the final season.
The Concert “Moment” Industrial Complex
Can we talk about how every artist is now contractually obligated to have a viral concert moment?
Sabrina Carpenter started the trend by “arresting” fans during her “Juno” performances, with her latest being Joe Keery (aka DJO, aka Steve from Stranger Things), who people are now shipping her with.
Role Model picks a “Sally” every night to serenade during his song, and everyone from Hilary Duff to Natalie Portman to Charli xcx has gotten the treatment.
Conan Gray breaks a wishbone with fans to pick his surprise song, recently doing it with bestie Olivia Rodrigo, who requested “Sunset Tower” from his album.
Laufey brought out Katseye and Lin-Manuel Miranda at her concerts most recently.
Here’s the thing though: where’s the line between genuine fan service and manufacturing a 15-second vertical video moment? These artists are brilliant, they’ve figured out that concerts aren’t just about the music anymore, they’re about creating shareable content that extends the tour’s lifespan across FYPs long after the venue lights go up. Is it cynical? Maybe. Is it working? Absolutely. But there’s something bittersweet about watching concerts become optimised for virality.
Timothée Chalamet Is Doing Press Like He’s Dropping an Album
Timothée Chalamet is promoting Marty Supreme like he’s Bad Bunny announcing a world tour. The man did an Instagram Live where he sat in a giant ping-pong ball machine wearing a ping-pong ball mask, then burst out to an EDM track sampling Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, walked through a field, and casually announced the film’s Christmas 2025 release date. This level of unhinged A24 marketing combined with Timothée’s commitment to the bit? He really is one of our generation’s greats.
TikTok Trends That Are Breaking the Internet (and Relationships)
The Little Birdy Trend has couples everywhere attempting to perch on their partner’s arm like actual birds. It’s an optical illusion created by positioning your body in a specific way, and the results are either adorable or absolutely chaotic, depending on your partner’s upper body strength.
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The Internet loves a transition short-form video: Sabrina Carpenter’s songs When Did You Get Hot?, Nobody’s Son and Tears are all being used to film transition Instagram reels/TikTok, ranging from cute to risqué. And Taylor Swift’s Wood is joining the lineup, along with the viral dance on The Fate of Ophelia.
AI Chaos: Pranks, Fake Actresses, and Existential Dread
The AI era is here, and it’s... weird.
Women are pranking their partners with AI-generated shirtless plumbers in their homes, leading to texts like “Why is he shirtless...” and “Tell him to put his shirt on and get out of my goddamn house”. The homeless man prank did similar damage to moms, proving that AI’s current main use is mild domestic terrorism.
Meanwhile, Hollywood agents are allegedly trying to sign Tilly Norwood, an AI-generated actress. Real actors are (rightfully) furious, with Melissa Barrera saying “Hope all actors repped by the agent that does this, drop their a$$”. Welcome to 2025, where we’re fighting for jobs against pixels.
Other Things That Happened Because The Internet Never Stops
Kylie Jenner officially entered her singing era, featuring on Terror Jr’s “Fourth Strike” to celebrate Kylie Cosmetics’ 10th anniversary. King Kylie lives.
Cardi B and Nicki Minaj reignited their beef, and it got so ugly they dragged their kids into it. Can we not?
Bad Bunny is doing the Super Bowl LX halftime show in February 2026.
Kris Jenner got another facelift (what else is new?), calling it her version of “ageing gracefully”.
Anne Marie has named her baby boy Forever Sugar after her grandmother and the gestational diabetes the singer had while pregnant…
Mercedes is NOT discontinuing the G-Wagon despite viral panic from influencers who aren’t rich enough to own one yet.
Snapchat is now charging for memory storage over 5GB, which feels like emotional extortion for millennials who have 10 years of memories saved.
Women are pranking men by claiming they bought thousand-dollar rocks from Anthropologie, and the brand leaned into the chaos by creating fake in-store displays.
Gen Alpha won’t stop saying “6-7” (pronounced “six seven”) from a Skrilla song, and teachers are losing their minds. Let’s not look too deep into it, it’ll fade like the Italian brainrot memes.
Marvel’s Wonder Man series is coming to Disney+ on January 27, 2026, starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.
Nobody Wants This Season 2 drops on Netflix October 23rd, and based on the trailer, Joanne (Kristen Bell) and Noah (Adam Brody) are back with more messy, raw relationship drama.
The Takeaway
Pop culture in October 2025 is revealing an uncomfortable truth: we’re living in the mirror world, being served either nostalgia or rage as bait. Everything is for, and contained within, the online world; we’ve known this for a while. But are we so saturated now that creating something from scratch and truly new is a herculean effort? From the VS fashion show, “King Kylie” making a comeback, industry friends making surprise appearances at each other’s concerts (self-referential stunts designed to look fresh yet feel eerily familiar), to making unnecessary short-form opinion piece videos on whatever’s trending, for the purpose of inviting polarity in the comments section. Every comeback, “unpopular opinion”, sequel to an early 2000s movie, and concert “moment” exists not for authenticity but to fuel a 15-second vertical clip.
Every experience is optimised for shareability, every milestone needs a viral angle, and every piece of nostalgia gets repackaged until it’s unrecognisable. On top of that, we drown in AI slop, pranks that verge on domestic terror, because we crave main-character status so badly, we’ll outsource reality to algorithms.
Maybe that’s just what pop culture is now: a feedback loop where we consume, create, and perform for an audience that’s doing the exact same thing. We’re not just watching the show, we’re in it, directing it, and editing it for maximum engagement. Whether it’s storylines extended just to squeeze more cash, or life’s milestones revealed via cinematic music videos, we’re all performers in our own curated mirror world. Because what’s a life lived, if it didn’t invade someone’s FYP?
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