I’m not the biggest fan of Drive to Survive but I decided to watch Season 7, Episode 6: Wheels of Fortune because I’m a McLaren fan who hates Papaya Rules. One thing that frustrates me about the team is that they refuse to pick a number one driver and this specific episode highlights the problem that continues to loom over McLaren this season: which driver should they prioritize?

In 2024, they chose to give it to the driver with more “experience” rather than simply admit that they needed to prioritize the driver who’s higher in the driver standings, which was Lando Norris. This year it’s Oscar Piastri and yet the team still refuses to create a strategy that can win them the Constructor’s Championship and support their drivers, because there’s now two conspiracy theories floating around that they’re sabotaging both Piastri and Norris. This is not how you win a championship.

It’s frankly quite frustrating, that I’m almost rooting for Max Verstappen to win again and it’s a BIG possibility he does. Monza felt like déjà vu when he was leading the race with a 19 second gap. For most of the season, Verstappen has had trouble with the car and finally the upgrades are clearly paying off with two consecutive wins.

And it’s honestly the most exciting part of the season. With his undeniable skill, work ethic, and determination, you can’t help but root for Verstappen.

Even Red Bull’s social media content makes me root for Red Bull

Just like their team strategy, McLaren’s social media content has decided to focus on the image of the brand rather than create fun and engaging content that showcases the personalities and dynamics of the team. Right now their current content feels stiff but aesthetic, they could do more to keep fans hyped. Not to say their content is all bad, but fans follow drivers as much as teams.

Fans want to engage with athletes in the exact same ways they want to engage with other forms of celebrity. And therein lies the key to effective marketing that drives connection — building a brand someone can root for. And right now, McLaren is hard to root for off and on the track.

Red Bull on the other hand is playing the team game with their content strategy this season. Their TikTok is basically a Yuki Tsunoda fan page with the occasional appearance from Verstappen. They found a way to feature both their drivers in ways that make them likeable!

@redbullracingAllow us to reintroduce ourselves ✨ #f1 #yukitsunoda #narratortrend #funny

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Tsunoda has always been a fan favourite, even with his rough start in second driver’s seat fans are still cheering him on and look forward to more Red Bull content. Whether it’s silly little behind-the-scenes videos or social media challenges, fans are engaged. Despite, Tsunoda rarely scoring points for the team. Even the ones with Verstappen are fun to watch! And he’s not that big of a fan of doing media-related duties, yet the content he’s in lets his endearing personality shine through.

So, if Verstappen is their number one driver on track then Tsunoda is the fan favourite on socials. Red Bull knows the priority driver both off and on the track. Even when they’re not winning, you want them to win. And McLaren’s current team strategy is affecting their branding a TikTok video can’t fix.

McLaren should do better for both their drivers—and that means choosing a number one driver for this season.

And yes, it should be Oscar Piastri

Piastri winning could’ve been the best storyline of the season, especially with this being his third season in F1. McLaren has a dominant car and it looked like Piastri had it in the bag to win WDC, but the team decided to give Verstappen a sliver of a chance. McLaren could’ve easily won both Monza and Baku if they had better strategy. They botched Norris’ pit stop in two consecutive races. Piastri hit a wall last weekend and for the first time this season DNF’d, yet his teammate couldn’t catch up in points.

Sure, it’s a long shot that Verstappen can score 69 points in the next seven rounds but it’s still a shot. Heck, even Andrea Stella thinks he’s still a threat.

As much as I love Piastri, there’s something about Verstappen’s drive and work ethic that makes him easy to root for more than the two McLaren drivers. He makes winning look so good, whether it’s a 20+ second gap or clawing his way to a win from P17 in the rain. Max Verstappen proves his domination wasn’t just having a good car it was skill and strategy. Piastri has the skill and the car but not the strategy to back him up.

F1 is a team sport. Everyone has their role to play to win, from the engineers to the pit crew, everything they do is all about winning for the team. That also means choosing ONE driver to prioritize for the season and right now that’s Piastri.

Piastri is leading the WDC and should be given a proper chance to win it this year, without petty switches or bad pit stops. We want to root for a driver that can masterfully fight their way for a win. And honestly, it would fun to see Piastri battle it out with Verstappen in the next few races.

Are you a fan of Formula 1? What do you think about McLaren’s current strategy and if you think Verstappen can catch up?

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There's something undeniably comforting about Ghibli movies, especially the scenes about food. When I was watching Spirited Away, I wanted to try the food the parents ate in the scene where they turned into pigs. Yes, they turned into pigs, but if you look closely at the animation and how deliciously animated the foods were, you can't help but wonder what each of the dishes tasted like. So savoury and mouthwatering, the thought of it makes me want to rewatch the movie.

And then there's the eggs and bacon scene from Howl's Moving Castle. I've only watched it once and can't recall the plot, but I will always remember seeing the thickest pieces of bacon I have ever seen in my life at the time. The food is just so memorable. My stomach starts to growl just thinking of it.

The animation makes you wonder what it tastes like. Because of Ponyo, I tried ramen with eggs and ham for the first time. It tasted good, but it didn't feel as comforting as it was on screen in Ponyo. Or in Only Yesterday, the scene where Nanako cuts up the pineapple pieces, you see the detail in the process of slicing, and you can almost smell the pineapple. I started craving pineapple, and I didn't even like the fruit before watching the film.

I can keep going with examples like the herring and pumpkin pie from Kiki's Delivery Service or the bento boxes from My Neighbour Totoro. The point is that Ghibli artists know how to animate food that makes it look so delicious that your stomach starts yearning for it.

And that’s what I think a lot of brands + food visual marketing is missing. There’s no warmth or story.

From 2024 until now, there's been an interesting trend of brands harnessing the allure of food, marketing their products with desserts. Aesthetically, it makes you want the cake, but later forget about it after a few more scrolls. This type of sensory marketing needs to be more than just an aesthetic — you have to be hungry for the product. Craving it. In Ghibli films, food appears in its exaggerated best, taking the most attractive and appetising aspects of food and enhancing them.

The link between food and beauty is centuries old, dating back to Ancient Egypt when Cleopatra used burnt almonds in her eyeliner. Since then, food and beauty have often been intertwined, as seen with the 1970s invention of fruit-flavoured lip gloss. Today, this fascination persists with trends like Hailey Bieber's glazed doughnut nails, the charming strawberry makeup, and the pursuit of butter-smooth skin. We continue to indulge in the concept of delicious-looking beauty.

However, like most marketing trends, it’s a hit or miss. Most brands fall into the default of pairing their food-flavoured products with the actual food itself. Sometimes it’s striking and brings out the tangy or sweet flavour through the visual, and often it falls flat.

When you look at the food in Miyazaki's movies, they aren't just pretty to look at—the food scenes and even presentation of the food are typically intertwined with the plot. Food becomes an asset in storytelling and scene setting. A lesson a few brands can learn from when mixing food and beauty. Don’t just make food your prop—it’s part of your storytelling.

A good example is the Glossier x Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding Balm Dotcom collaboration, the bakery is known for their iconic Banana Pudding and teaming up with Glossier for the limited edition lip balm. This idea has a lot of sweet synergy that introduces both brands to each other’s audiences.

Rhode's food marketing is one brand that frequently uses sweet treats or cocktails in their marketing, and doing it well. The visuals don't just put fruits or pastries and their makeup products in a series of highly-edited photos, but it shows a visual story that sets the tone for the entire campaign.

The campaign for Lemontini Peptide Lip Tint didn’t just post a photo of a martini with a squeeze of lemon and lip tint, they created a set the scene where you need it. Rhode created a summer-themed vacation narrative that visually quenches your thirst. The shimmery sheer gold lip tint brought to life a chill, summery lemon-coloured motif that brought to life the tangy, sweet fruit in the middle of summer.

Then there’s the Peptide Lip Tint in Cinnamon Roll. Even when they just use visuals of food like cinnamon rolls or cinnamon-flavoured drinks, you feel the warm, toasty feeling of the product that feels like an invitation to a glamorous fall party. It was paired with a pop-up café and a cinnamon roll recipe anyone can replicate to try. Their social media feed continues this storytelling with frequent posts referencing different flavours, drinks, and desserts.

Rhode makes you crave its products because of how edible it looks, and you can feel or taste the food in its visuals. This is why their food marketing is so successful. There’s a coherent story and theme, and the food feels intentional and more than just an aesthetic gimmick. You’re feeding the fans.

Sensory marketing is all about the senses. Unlike Ghibli movies or other anime food scenes, you’re not cooking food that makes people curious. You are creating visuals that trigger a familiar sensation when they see the food. When they see chocolate cake with your chocolate-flavoured lipstick, it should have the look and feel of indulgence. It should remind them of the sweet taste of chocolate from their childhood or their favourite bakery they go to during their birthdays. It’s more of an emotion than hunger.

You have to build a story from that, whether it's through brand partnerships that help craft a narrative that makes sense to your audience and the brand. Even if the food isn’t the main character of the whole visual. It can be a plot device to elevate a campaign or introduce a new product.

Ghibli has even used food as a plot device to move the story. In The Secret World of Arrietty, we follow Arrietty and her family. They are all small people who borrow things that the humans would not notice were gone. A younger human is visiting to get some rest. Arrietty’s first drops a sugar cube that she is carrying right in front of the younger human. He returns it to her with a note. This is where food becomes more than just an appealing visual. It drives the story forward.

A good example in the beauty industry that took the food marketing to a different direction is E.l.f. Beauty's collaboration with the canned water brand Liquid Death. They didn’t copy the dessert and fruit kind of aesthetic, E.l.f and Liquid Death created a collection of heavy metal-inspired makeup. The result was a fun and funny campaign that turned a canned water brand reminded you of your emo phase. The drink wasn’t a prop — it was a muse that delivered a narrative no one expected.

I hope to see this trend thrive without relying on the aesthetic of food by taking the same emotionally-charged and storytelling approach of Ghibli films. They don’t have to animate it or have perfect studio photos, but create a story that makes sensory marketing actually sensory.

Noticed something interesting in pop culture? Let me know! Maybe I can write about it or just talk about with you, a nice chat will do too.

When Oscar Piastri signed with IMG Models, it left fans confused. If we're being honest, nothing about Oscar screams "runway-ready.” So why would one of the biggest modelling agencies in the world sign one of the quietest men on the F1 grid?

IMG Models is known for repping huge names like the Hadid sisters, Miranda Kerr, Hailey Bieber, and more. So, it would make any F1 fan wonder, “Is Oscar going to be a model now?!”

To the uninitiated: Oscar Piastri is an Australian F1 Driver for the McLaren F1 team. He has won seven Grand Prix throughout three seasons. He's the 15th Australian to have ever started a Formula 1 race. His accomplishments aside, he’s known as a calm, cool, and collected kind of guy. And the fact, I need to put an introductory paragraph about him proves that he probably needs more personal branding.

And over recent years, F1 has experienced a significant rise in popularity worldwide, thanks to the Netflix docudrama "Drive to Survive.” Since then, interest in motorsport has increased, elevating the profiles of well-known figures like seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and bringing attention to other drivers on the grid such as Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, and Lando Norris.

And with Oscar leading the World Drivers Championship, he needs to significantly increase his media presence. Talent keeps you in the seat. But personality keeps you in the spotlight.

So…how will a modelling agency help him?

Contrary to what most fans are saying on TikTok, Oscar isn't becoming a model. He's signed onto IMG Models’ athlete division, so it’s less fashion shows and more brand strategy. From editorials, ambassadorships, to off-track visibility. It’s about turning talent into a household name.

With IMG Models, Oscar has the opportunity to craft a personal narrative that showcases his unique identity to a new audience. What Oscar lacks right now is a good PR and marketing strategy. This deal opens doors: fragrance campaigns, fashion editorials, and media appearances during the off-season.

IMG’s athlete roster includes Toni Breidinger (Coach, 818 Tequila), Jack Draper (Burberry), and Olympic gold medallist Eileen Gu (Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co.). Eileen even attended the MET Gala. With the right moves, Oscar could follow suit, but in a lane that suits him.

He has the chance to expand his reach across all industries, whether it’s in fashion or even food. When it comes to personal branding, you have to stand out and choose brands that showcase your personality.

From a PR/Marketing perspective, this is a smart move for an athlete like him, this early on in his career. Because the harsh truth for most athletes is that talent doesn’t always guarantee longevity. You need to build a brand beyond your sport to become a household name. And Oscar doesn't have an established personal brand yet outside of F1 fans’ perception of him as the second Kimi Raikkonnen.

It's like world-building. Oscar isn't just trying to get brand deals or doing PR; each marketing decision should be strategic and intentional to his character. IMG Models will help Oscar create an image that people can resonate with, and a few wrong partnerships or appearances can lead to brand misalignment. Done right, every brand deal, every appearance adds to a character arc that fans and the media can follow.

So, what does this mean for Oscar Piastri?

Right now, IMG Models' sports division represents over 25 athletes, but not all of them have huge brand deals or visibility.

So, it all depends on the athlete’s motivation and commitment to step into the spotlight and start building their brand. Despite being a more reserved character compared to his teammate, Oscar’s not allergic to the spotlight—he just needs the right stage. His cheekiness shone in McLaren’s “Like a Winner” Hilton ad. His calm competitiveness made “Grill the Grid 2024” a fun watch, especially when he won.

Both showcased his personality a little bit more than just the second Ice Man of Formula 1. Oscar’s stoic demeanour can be fun if he’s in a situation where his calmness becomes comedy. This way, people can get to know him and see his personality shine through.

IMG should focus less on visibility and more on brand alignment. That means choosing appearances and endorsements that let Oscar’s quiet confidence feel intentional, not accidental. Right now, Oscar is leading the World Drivers Championship, so it feels like the right step should be riding that momentum. However, that would only lead to brand misalignment.

So, what types of brands would work for Oscar Piastri?

In my opinion, Oscar shouldn’t try to be high fashion like Lewis Hamilton or Eileen Gu and build a personal brand that elevates his character. Oscar needs to look authentic. He should double down on what makes F1 fans already like him: his dry humour, calm confidence, and a dose of awkward relatability.

Oscar Piastri is quiet, but not silent. Reserved, but not snobby. He has a quiet and cheeky confidence about him. If he were to partner with a fashion brand, it should have a timeless aesthetic that’s effortless to style that mirrors his cool-headed and effortlessly smart personality. Maybe Prada, Ralph Lauren or even Armani.

Although it might not be an option, I'd love to see the French fashion brand AMI as a potential brand partnership. AMI approaches fashion in a relaxed and authentic way. They are more recognised for their logo of a heart with the letter A. AMI’s casual and chic aesthetic doesn’t elevate him into someone else—it frames who he already is, Oscar’s low-key, quiet energy can bring AMI’s laid-back elegance to life.

This potential partnership lets him step into lifestyle territory—expanding his wardrobe beyond his team kit—but in a way that feels rooted, not performative. It makes his "unbothered" chill attitude look more stylish and endearing.

AMI has a global roster of ambassadors including K-pop group Enhypen, South Korean Actor Choi Woo Shik, and Normani (specifically for their L'Accordéon bag campaign). All of whom appeal to a younger demographic and fits the brand’s values of high quality, simplicity, and sophisticated elegance. Oscar can embody the brand and carry the style in and out of the paddock.

With more women between the ages of 16-24 from all around the globe taking an interest in Formula 1, AMI partnering with Oscar can be beneficial. Especially when the French Fashion brand is still relatively young, having been founded back in 2011. Together, they can build a legacy through fashion and Formula 1.

Bottom line: Oscar’s partnerships should align with who he is and who he is becoming. Not just big brand deals.

Oscar’s stoic demeanour can be fun if he’s in a situation where his calmness becomes his asset. He’s no the second Kimi Raikkonen or a man without emotion. Oscar Piastri has a quiet confidence that can be cheeky and relatable. Oscar's IMG deal shows he's ready to play the long game, and that means more brand deals, ambassadorships, and media appearances that keep him relevant off and on the track.

Are you a fan of Formula 1? Which driver or news should I cover next? Leave a comment!

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I loved watching and re-watching Ugly Betty because it’s such a fun watch, but if you ask me on a deeper level…

There was nothing ugly about Ugly Betty. For a show that debuted in 2006, some jokes and themes still hold up. Yes, even the trans storyline, because the reveal wasn't in poor taste, although Alexis’ character was played for laughs in the next few seasons. The fat phobia was both horrible and relevant. But for all its problems, the show will always have a special place in my heart. It introduced me to the world of fashion and had a 12-year-old me aspiring to be a Creative Director of a big fashion magazine.

In my pre-teen eyes, Ugly Betty was inspiring.

As an adult, it’s a different story. The whole show felt like a fever dream, and I expected nothing less from a show that referenced many telenovela tropes. From siblings coming back from the dead, casual cheating, to stealing a dead man’s sperm. Ugly Betty was wild and campy.

Now, I’m not here to do a deep dive into the show’s telenovela antics or even dissect its themes through a 2025 lens. No, I want to talk about fashion. Mode is the high-fashion magazine that started as a Vogue-like publication in the universe, to more of an Elle and Harper’s Bazaar competitor kind of magazine. The inconsistency bothered me, but the bottom line was that they were all about fashion. They dictated what was hot and not. And to many who worked at Mode, everything about Betty’s personal style was a big NOT.

The fashion on the show does feel dated since it was running between 2006-2009, an awkward phase for fashion trends. The Y2K aesthetic, you see now, might look a little different on the show. Less streetwear and more trendy corporate chic that was both colourful and too tacky. Many heavy accessories include big belts, tulle dresses, and jumpsuits. Questionably fashionable for the fashionable elites that dictated the aesthetic of Ugly Betty.

Betty was the fish out of water, dressed in too many polka dots and big butterflies, which represented her metamorphosis throughout the seasons. So, it was interesting to see her character development through her clothes. It may look like she toned down her fashion to fit into the Mode crowd, but she wears the same bold colours and patterns more tastefully without sacrificing personal style.

“As humans, our desire to stand out is ingrained because achieving special recognition and validation boosts our self-image and increases our likelihood of being rewarded.” - Fashion psychologist Shakaila Forbes-Bell

Even in the show, we see the death of personal style through its supporting characters who worked at Mode. It’s evident that a “stylish uniform” was worn by everyone each season, ranging from minimal outfits that embody the Chanel girl look to the swag-inspired outfits of the early 2010s. Apart from Betty, everyone else seemed quite similar. Betty had a signature style.

However, there’s one thing that truly showcases Betty’s personal style: defining what makes you unique, outside your wardrobe. Betty’s signature style was simple: bright colours, clashing patterns, an unusual mix-and-match of fabrics, and a lot of butterflies. Things that the fashion world in Mode found tacky. And if you watch the show, you know that Betty has a clear idea of who she is and what her values are in life.

According to Libby Page, the market director of Net-a-Porter, personal style isn't about looking good, it is about feeling like the truest version of yourself.

While everyone wore the latest brands and runway uniforms, Betty stood out as herself. If you want to discover your style, you need to learn more about who you are as a person. Because fashion isn't just the clothes you wear, it's an extension of your interests, values, and the things that inspire you. Defining those things will help you figure out your fashion taste.

The best-dressed people aren't the ones who know the latest trends or wear head-to-toe luxury brands, it's the people who have a distinctive personal style that defines who they are. It’s a sign that someone in Hollywood has made it if they have a signature style that they can easily turn into a Halloween costume, like the early eccentric styles of Lady Gaga.

Her weird fashion choices and theatrical wardrobe have become an extension of her that people found it boring when she started to tone done her style to fit her actress persona. So, when she wore a car part with her dress to the Chromatica Ball Concert movie premiere, people praised her fashion choice.

The same thing can be said for Steve Jobs, whose black turtle neck and denim jeans look have become synonymous with the Silicon Valley Tech CEO aesthetic. Personal style is about showing the world who you are and what you do. That's why a lot of famous business people and politicians are known to be consistent with their wardrobe choices because they're portraying a brand or a person they want people to see. Personal style is personal, not trendy.

Social media has caused a big shift in people's relationship to clothing. With the fast fashion trends and weirdly named aesthetics of TikTok. It feels like personal style is more of a character design. Rather than a genuine and organic expression of oneself, people want to dress like a cottage core housewife or an out-of-work ballerina. It’s more than just being trendy, it’s about how you want people to perceive you, even if it’s not exactly who you are.

Ugly Betty has shown that all the harsh comments towards Betty's clothes were veiled with racism, classism, and fatphobia. As the show slowly transitioned to the loud, almost cringy style of the early 2010s, with colourful blazers, peplum tops, and too many florals, Betty's style should've thrived, but she was still too ugly.

Like the real world. Mode represents a microcosm of issues that the fashion industry perpetuates: an undying pursuit of commercialised vanity that leaves little to be desired for our wellbeing. In today’s standards, it’s the labels we assign ourselves with the tribal hashtags of #darkacademia or #oldmoney or #cleangirl. All of which are supposed to feel like a fashion community. However, the issue is when we allow these aesthetics to define who we are. This is how the fashion industry weaponises the things we love for the sake of its commercial gain.

We feel this pressure to conform and soothe the itchings of FOMO by buying every single accessory, clothing item, and even skincare products to build an image of cool online. Betty also struggles with this in season 4 when she becomes a Junior Editor.

In Season 4, episode 2, appropriately titled “The Butterfly Effect,” Betty’s glasses broke, which meant she had to get a new pair. However, throughout the episode, her sense of self is challenged by the people around her, who suggest that she change it up a bit by buying new frames and trying out a new style. Especially with her new title as Junior Editor.

Like any woman in her early 20s, change can feel exciting and overwhelming. For Betty, this felt like she was turning her back on who she was as a person. She always knew she wasn’t part of the Mode crowd, and she wondered if changing her style meant she was losing her sense of self. Who was she if she didn’t dress like…herself?

Her friend Christina even designed a dress suit for Betty, who at first wore it with an unusual fit. Of course, this was psychological; in her head, the blazer didn't feel like her. It wasn't until the end of the episode that Betty browses through the blog Mark created to document all her “horrible” outfits, she decides to change her image. So, she wears the new dress suit to work and her new glasses to showcase her maturity and that clinging to the past doesn't mean she's staying true to herself. You have to let go to grow into the person you want to be. Even if that meant changing up your comfortable look to something a little more…stylish.

But it’s you who defines what’s stylish, even if everyone else is wearing the same thing.

Everyone is talking about the death of personal style, but was it even alive in the first place? When I was in college, I took pride in my styling choices because I felt like I stood out among a sea of people who followed the same Instagram and Tumblr aesthetic. Then one day, I noticed a lot of people wearing the same thing I was: an oversized button-up with a sweater, trousers, and loafers. I was mortified, like any 19-year-old with deluded confidence.

Since then, I tried so hard to make my clothes stand out, regardless of whether the pieces matched or if the clothes fit. The goal was to be different from everyone else who looked basic. But who was I to determine that everyone else was basic, and I was unique? Now, in my 30s, I see many women in different iterations of the same outfit I was wearing. In the age of social media, a sense of uniqueness is almost impossible to find. Why does personal style have to feel like a competition for individuality?

Looking back at Ugly Betty was ahead of the fashion curve. Even if her environment pushed for an exclusivity of style, Betty offered a colourful alternative.

Many of us get style inspiration from somewhere, so why shouldn't it be from a community? The TikTok aesthetic was never meant to be trendy in the first place. Whether it's coquette or cottage-core, there's comfort in style communities that give us a sense of belonging. Rather than feel envy or cringe at seeing someone dressed similarly, I smile and ask where they bought those cute shoes.

Personal style never died. Fashion can be a place of community and resistance to what most fashion elites deem stylish or trendy. Fashion doesn’t have to constantly consume the coolest or most expensive brands; it doesn’t have to be an eccentric expression.

Towards the end of episode seven of the show's final season, Betty talked about her iconic "B" Anne Boylen-inspired necklace: "It doesn't matter if it's valuable, it's about what it means to you." In some ways, she's speaking to viewers, telling them that there's freedom in fashion despite what the tastemakers (designers, editors, stylists) of the industry say. You can experiment with the trends you find online and choose the ones that ultimately feel like you, regardless of whether they are basic or unique. 

Personal style is personal. Fashion recycles trends, what's trending now will be trending again in the next 10 years. Fashion can be about the acceptance and celebration of people's decisions to dress in divergent ways.

Dear 16-year-old me, Liam Payne died. I’m sorry for your loss and the unfinished One Direction/Vampire fan fiction you wrote about him. Thanks to the parasocial grief, I read it for the first time in years. He was never your favourite member, but you still wrote this weird little story about him for some reason. You wrote him as an exaggerated boy band caricature. To you, Liam was this kind-hearted, curly-haired golden retriever who loved the band. And he will always be that for you.

In the next few years, you will cling to the Liam you wrote in your fan fiction. The Liam in the One Direction video diaries, and the Liam who rode a rollercoaster three times to interview his bandmates. You will mourn the old Liam over and over again. Even when fans start dropping off, you will always hope that he will redeem himself. It gets really hard to justify listening to the one song you like in the context of the 2022 Logan Paul podcast. You will feel conflicted about whom he’s become after reading excerpts of his ex-girlfriend’s book about him.

When you listen to old One Direction songs, it all comes from a pure place. Even when you’re 28, you still dance like an idiot while listening to ‘Up All Night,’ because it’s such a fun song. The old references remind you of that time you listened to the whole album alone in your room, dancing until the new year came. You only wanted to have a laugh.

To you, Liam will always be that guy from One Direction.

For a lot of people, mourning the loss of a former boy band member is weird. It’s because you don’t really know them, and they don’t know you either. But there’s one thing they’ll never understand, and that is the connection and community that comes with loving a boy band. Fandom and fangirling. They’ll never know the lowest points in your life that one song or album helped you climb from until there was a glimpse of hope again. No one will ever understand the dopamine high you get when you see them smile on your screen. Even for a few seconds, a video, or a photo, your day just feels better.

One thing about the One Direction era was that they blew up during the rise of social media. Before the TikTok edits, there were Tumblr imagines and endless fan art. Polyvore had a lot of us in a chokehold, curating H&M outfits to wear on a date with Harry Styles. You won’t believe the content we created for them. It was a love language that could only exist in parasocial relationships. A love that pulls you in with every song, music video, and interview. Every clip and GIF made you feel closer. 

There was even this silly little One Direction animation on YouTube where they were superheroes saving the world’s missing cats. The hype and collective excitement can never be replicated again. The intensity and passion that come from a one-sided kind of love are reciprocated with every music video and lyric they sing to us. Love was hard work and no one knew that better than someone who loved One Direction.

When they disbanded, fans mourned with hope to see them again. The breadcrumbs of their former life were sprinkled in their solo careers, and we always ate them up. Singing old songs during their concerts or a brief interaction online. It felt like One Direction could be our favourite boy band again. How fast the night changes. Liam’s death was a different kind of heartbreak. It’s losing someone you used to love. He’s the past tense in our memories. Forever young in the photos we saved on our Tumblr archive and lost Polyvore accounts. Liam is and was.

When I was 14, high on my ‘Twilight’ hyper fixation, I fell in love with a group of boys in subtle vampire makeup singing ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart.’ Then at 16, I decided to write a fan fiction with the same title about a boy band whose member turns into a vampire.

Five boys got out of a limo and were greeted, though it was late at night, by screaming girls holding out pens, posters, and cameras. Each one of them was jumping, pushing, and shoving for a closer look, if not a picture or an autograph. One look was enough from these boys to cause a riot. Who are they? Who are these five boys causing all of this excitement?

They are One Direction.

I was a 16-year-old Filipino girl; there was no way to know how young British boys talked. My imagination and ‘Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging’ was the only reference I had. Another mistake was that I wrote it like Twilight a little too much. Liam felt like a placeholder for Edward Cullen if he was in a boy band. But it wasn’t a love story; I was not a self-insert Bella-like character (my self-insert was a pixie whose love interest was Louis).

The premise created by my 16-year-old brain had potential, but it was also all over the place. What can you expect from a love-struck teenager in love with five boys?

The story follows Liam Payne living the highs and lows of being in a boy band, then finds himself entangled in a world far beyond the stage lights, and a love from a past life he never knew he had. Turned into the first modern vampire in centuries, Liam grapples with his newfound existence while desperately clinging to the remnants of his celebrity life. As he struggles to hide his dark secret from his adoring fans and bandmates, he becomes the target of the ancient and powerful Vampire Council, who see him as a threat to their carefully maintained order. Now, he has to fight for his career, his mates, and his existence. 

Sadly, I never finished that story. I knew the ending, but never the pieces or sections that would lead to it. A few months ago, I was thinking of deleting this relic of my writing. It had everything bad associated with a story written by a teenage girl—bad grammar, inconsistent structure, and awkwardly young dialogue. Now, I see it through rose-coloured lenses. By writing standards, it’s horrible, but the memories associated with it were happy.

I was always excited to go home and write. Most of my time was spent outlining chapters during class, casting the characters, and reading comments from other fans. Logging onto Tumblr and firing away at the keyboard, cowering whenever my mother would pass behind me. Shame and excitement. For the longest time, I believed the Liam I was writing was the same Liam in One Direction. A teenage fantasy that placed him on a pedestal. He’s been knocked off it for quite a while now, but he will always be that guy from One Direction who made me smile.

It is happiness. One Direction reminds so many of the happiest moments in their lives. Whether it’s on-screen, the fandom, or a concert. They were the reason for the smiles, the giggling, and even tears. The Liam Directioners knew would always be part of that happiness.

I’m queer, I’m here and in love with Reneé Rapp, but Mean Girls (2024) was not it for me. As a musical theater nerd, I was excited about this film. I had the Mean Girls Original Broadway Cast Recording on rotation in any of my Broadway playlists. Apex Predator is my hype song at the gym. Revenge Party is the song that gets me out of a depressive slump when I feel weirdly overstimulated by the world. And of course, it’s because I loved the original Mean Girls (2004).

One of the biggest issues I had with Mean Girls (2024) was the wardrobe. It missed an opportunity to truly showcase the fast fashion trends of our time. Rather, it felt like they were given trendy yet cheap-looking pieces from Shein.

It sounds like a nitpick, but wardrobe and fashion were an integral part of the storyline in the original.

Mean Girls Dressed for Their Characters

In the original Mean Girls (2004), the Plastics had a set of rules that dictated their wardrobes for the week. It was significant to the plot because it showcased how they curated their images. They had a system in place to make sure they were not dressed like everybody else. Regina, Gretchen, and Karen were the most popular girls in school, so they floated above their peers. And what other way to say that than through fashion?

Pink wasn’t just a fun color to wear on Wednesdays; it was a statement of their unity and femininity. A cover that represents their innocence, cuteness, and beauty, when underneath it all is their conniving and snarky attitudes.

Fashion was also used to show Cady’s journey, discovering the girl world thanks to the Plastics. Her wardrobe started with a casual plaid shirt to represent her naïveté as she entered the highs and lows of an American High School. Then, when she meets and becomes one of the Plastics, she wears mini-skirts and high heels.

When it comes to visual storytelling, wardrobe is important. You’re not just dressing them for the sake of it all; it has to fit the storyline and their character.

Looking back, the Plastics wore clothes that made them stand out from their peers. They always looked like they were dressing to be on the cover of Teen Vogue rather than go to class. No one dressed like them in high school, and that was the whole point! They were untouchable trendsetters.

In the new Mean Girls (2024), it was hard to distinguish the Plastics from everyone else. Their clothes didn’t stand out in the way they were supposed to. We are meant to believe they are at the top of the food chain, yet they don’t look trendy enough to be trendsetters. Yes, they’re wearing clothes that are on trend, but it’s not enough.

The only time the new Mean Girls (2024) styled their characters to fit their characterization was during the introduction of Regina. Renée Rapp wore a black leather ensemble, which was a great choice for Regina, because who else could pull it off than her? It’s a bold fashion statement that not everyone can try on. So, it’s fit for a Queen.

Mean Girls fashion was also a social commentary on fashion trends and problematic views of young girls

Early 2000s fashion was problematic for several reasons, especially when it heavily focused on the glorification of thin bodies and looking sexy. Young girls in the early 2000s were pressured to look more mature with their fashion. The film is about how adolescence is such a delicate life stage for young women, and how fashion can heavily influence them.

Everything about the early 2000s was about showing your midriff, low-hanging pants, mini skirts, and trying to look like Christina Aguilera in her “Dirrty” music video.

Because these fashion choices made you look like a grown woman, or at least look “virginal but sexy” in a mini skirt. That’s why the Plastics wore those shiny, Mrs. Claus costumes for their Christmas showcase. They dressed for the male gaze, which fueled their popularity and self-esteem.

Their fashion choices also reinforce harmful gender stereotypes and the toxic diet culture of the time.

Throughout the whole movie, Regina is on a diet, counting her calories, and weighing herself to make sure she’s just the right size. At the time, they were constantly exposed to impossibly toned abs, skinny figures, and people calling midsized celebrities fat. So, it’s no wonder the Plastics try so hard to look and dress the way they do.

Mean Girls (2004) was a satire about misogyny and social hierarchies in a high school dynamic. So, fashion is a key part of telling that story. The new movie completely missed out on this, especially with today’s social media-obsessed climate.

How another movie captured this generation’s fast-paced fashion and made it part of the story

Where Mean Girls (2024) failed, other movies before it have shown the scary way trends come and go. One movie that comes to mind is Do Revenge, which came out back in 2022. This movie had everything Mean Girls (2024) should have had—social commentary through a comedic lens, trendy fashion, and mean yet likeable characters.

It was an homage to classic ’90s and ’00s teen movies like Heathers, Jawbreaker, and of course Mean Girls (2004). It’s evident in its fashion choices, with many bright Y2K pieces and ‘90s-inspired aesthetics.

The wardrobe choices were referential but intentionally modern, especially when today’s fashion trends are recycled from the late ‘90s and early 2000’s. According to the movie’s director and co-writer, the fashion played an important role in telling the story of the characters.

“I wanted to pay homage to the worlds that we were inspired by, but it was also very important to me and the entire team that we were never being derivative. There are slight nods, but it is updated to look like the present day.”

The wardrobe of Do Revenge was important to the overall world-building of the movie. Even when the setting for Do Revenge is a private school, the mix-and-match nature of the pastel purple-and-green uniforms highlights the fashionable, gender-fluid, and trendy style of the characters.

Do Revenge is the perfect example of how styling can make a movie better or worse.

With the fast fashion trends and weirdly named aesthetics of TikTok, from croquet fashion to the resurgence of Y2K fashion, Mean Girls (2024) missed the opportunity to showcase the absurdity of today’s fashion climate through their characters.

To say A24’s film ‘Past Lives’ is a love story of two childhood friends is a stretch. The trailer was misleading, it made me believe I’d be crying my heart out to two people who could never be together.

Rather, I cried because there is a version of you that you lost somewhere in time. A million “what ifs” simultaneously playing in motion. We can’t see them, but we know they’re there, living another timeline with ours.

When you’re leaving for another country, you’re not just saying goodbye to your old home, you’re also leaving another life. Like a past life, you’ll always want to know. You lost the person you would have become if you stayed, and you will never know the life they lived. It’s a multi-layered feeling of diaspora and loss portrayed in a romance.

It’s like living two different timelines of yourself, one in your home country (past) and another in your new home (present/future). You’ll always wonder about the other version of yourself. What motivates them to wake up in the morning? Do they like the scent of rain, or do they recoil because often the moist air can smell like a wet dog? Did they marry the guy next door?

Who are they? A question that carries so much longing for a memory of you, a familiar stranger. You’d always wonder what would it be like if you stayed. Of course, you would be different. The accent, the words you use, and maybe the way you blink. Who knows, maybe you’d both be the same but speak a different language.

During, Hae Sung’s visit in New York, Nora was surprised to actually see him. He was a childhood friend who lived in her memories, an old friend she reconnected with through Skype, and now there he was standing in front of her. Hae Sung was the embodiment of the past life she left in Seoul. With him, she was and would always be Na Young—his first love.

That’s why when Nora told her husband, Arthur, about the surreal and intense feeling she had meeting Hae Sung again for the first time, she kept repeating the same word—Korean. She felt less and more Korean with him. Then clarifying the feelings she has for him were not attraction or romantic love. She missed him, but not literally him. Nora missed Seoul.

Heck, the montage of the next 12 years showed Nora at rehearsals with an actress reciting a line from what we can assume is her play about her journey with immigration. So, it’s very on the nose. A symbolism so overt, the romance makes it too covert. The actress talked about how immigrating basically cost her her life.

“Some crossings, you pay for with your whole life,” that was the line that struck me during my second rewatch. As the actress recited her lines, Nora was frantically taking notes. Perhaps it hit a little too close to home, or she’s nervous about Hae Sung’s visit. Whatever the reason was, the idea of her past life in Seoul made her fidget.

The impossibility of a second chance romance made the yearning between Nora and Hae Sung both sad and palpable. Their hands close to touching in the train, the long embrace, and stares—oh, dear God, the way they stare! There’s no denying that little curious voices in their heads were there—what if, what it, what if.

What if she stayed in Seoul? What if Hae Sung wasn’t so stubborn and visited New York? What if Nora booked a ticket to Seoul?

If you ask me, the only what if question that was asked in the film was “What if Nora stayed as Na Young?” Other possibilities like flying to Seoul to visit Hae Sung or Hae Sung going to New York can still live in the present life of Nora. The longing between them is more about the past life they shared as Na Young and Hae Sung. Not a life that could’ve been with Nora.

Her past life wasn’t Hae Sung, her past life was Na Young. The little girl who wanted to marry Hae Sung and wanted to win a Nobel Prize.

Past lives don’t have to be something like a Queen or a merchant a thousand years ago. Sometimes, it’s just the old you that you left behind. Childhood dreams, teenage fantasies, or who you were five years ago. In Nora’s case, it’s Seoul. It’s the future she could’ve had if she stayed or came back.

Nora and Na Young are the same people. It was still her name, but her Korean name is detached from her. Nora isn’t Na Young. It took her decades to realize that she left that part of her with Hae Sung in Seoul.

And that’s why she cried in the end of the film. Nora didn’t cry because of the love she had left for Hae Sung or the life she wished they had together. She cried for Na Young, who she left behind in Seoul.

What do we expect from celebrities? I ask myself this a lot whenever someone I love or admire is “cancelled” for something big or small. It could be something as simple as a tone-deaf tweet about race 10 years ago, or they’re one of the many abusers being called out in the #MeToo movement. Often, it’s a K-Pop idol who is completely ignorant of other cultures. Like anyone else on the internet, I have written many unsavoury tweets (when they were still called that) supporting the “cancellation” of multiple celebrity mistakes. Even though I only read one or two articles. I felt high on my horse.

But there is one parasocial relationship that I cannot cut off—Taylor Swift.

If you read the sub-headline, I mentioned that I have been a fan for almost 15 years now. Ever since I heard “Teardrops on My Guitar” on the radio when I was 12. At first, I listened to it thinking of my one-sided crush and then the next thing I know it was on my Friendster account. If you’re not familiar with Friendster, it’s like a cringe version of 2014 Tumblr pages meet Myspace. So, whenever someone visits my account, they will hear Taylor singing “Drew looks at me…” thinking I went through the worst break-up ever. Despite being 12 and never having a boyfriend.

My crush soon faded and the discovery of Taylor Swift’s early discography turned into an intense hyper fixation. I watched everything. Her vlogs, her Myspace updates, and cheered when called out Joe Jonas on the Ellen Show. I was completely head over heels for the woman. Every “Who Inspired Me” essay for school was about Taylor Swift. My tone-deaf ears tried very hard to memorize every song in every album she’d released.

I was the internet fangirl people warned you about—vicious, vindictive, and very annoying. Someone would say she only writes about boys and breakups, I defended her and called them sexist. They say she dates too many men, I told them they probably are single and lonely. Even during my One Direction era, I fought anyone online who had something to say about Harry Styles and Taylor Swift. If you thought K-Pop stans are scary, you never saw a 16-year-old queer girl hopelessly devoted to Taylor Swift.

She made me feel like she was my best friend. I projected my feelings of teenage loneliness and obsessive personality on a woman I’ll never meet. Because every tweet, Tumblr post, and Easter egg lyric felt like it was just in between us. A secret. An invitation to her world—quite literally, too. During Swift’s Red Era, she invited fans to her house for a listening party and baked cookies. This fuelled my delusion, which continued to drive my love for her.

Then Tom Hiddleston, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian happened. It’s no secret that Taylor Swift is a calculating kind of person. Taylor Swift is a marketing and PR genius. She knows what to say and how to react, so people focus on the public image she crafted for herself. Whether it’s the sweet country girl-next-door or a wholesome pop girlie, we buy what she’s trying to sell. Every time. Then it started slipping down the moment Tom Hiddleston wore an “I <3 TS” shirt. People assumed it was for publicity, their relationship was not real. Rather, it was a pretty good payday for both paparazzi and Swift’s PR team.

Then people complained about her “shocked” face whenever she wins awards. Fake. Even when Taylor met Hiddleston’s mother in London, people kept tweeting fake, fake, fake, and fake. Taylor Swift was fake. As if she owed her real personality and real life to us. That didn’t matter. Kim Kardashian and Kanye West decided it for us.

Here’s a short catch-up on this big crack in Taylor’s picture-perfect public image Kim and Kanye shattered:

• Kanye West said that Taylor gave him permission for his song Famous, which became the lead single off his album “The Life of Pablo.” The lyrics included the line, “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex. Why? I made that bitch famous.”

• Taylor said that Kanye never called her for approval and felt blindsided by the “I made that bitch famous” part.

• During her acceptance speech for Album of the Year at the 2016 Grammys, Taylor passive-aggressively called out Kanye West.

• Kim Kardashian defended her then-husband, Kanye West, saying Taylor knew about the song and even released a video of a phone call between Swift and West talking about the song, where Taylor heard the lyrics and supported it.

• The infamous notes app explanation and the iconic “I would like to be excluded from this narrative.”

Taylor’s reputation took a massive hit. Everyone called her a fake bitch, a snake, and a try-hard victim. She was venomous. Then people called her out for her Girl Squad, which was mostly a bunch of white women. Which then snowballed into a conversation about how she rarely supports Black and POC artists in the industry unless the headlines would benefit her.

Cue in the Twitter feud with Nicki Minaj.

Minaj called out the 2015 Video Music Awards for snubbing her Anaconda video for a nomination, while the roster of nominations included a lot of slim women. Similar to anyone with a fragile white ego, Taylor took this as a personal jab at herself, as her Bad Blood music video was nominated. Luckily, she apologized after realizing that the tweet was never really about her. So, why did she feel like it was?

Her feminism hung on the line of the “women supporting women” point of view without any intersectionality. It was shallow. But once Reputation came out, we sort of forgot that specific criticism about Swift. We praised her comeback and how she was reclaiming her narrative and public image.

Pre-Lover Era, Taylor has never spoken up on issues about LGBTQIA+ or racism. Anytime the topic would be mentioned, she was quiet. Heck, people thought she supported Trump because her silence during the 2016 elections was truly that loud.

Of course, Taylor did try to step out of the White Feminist label through her documentary Miss Americana.

Now, this is where a lot of people felt she has finally realized the influence she has as a celebrity and not just an artist. She wanted to harness the full power of her voice for something good. Her documentary addressed every single issue that she avoided during earlier parts of her career. Taylor spoke about her battle with body dysmorphia, her mother's cancer diagnosis, her sexual assault trial, and finally going public with her political views, including LGBTQIA+ allyship. She explained that her silence was because of her people-pleasing tendencies and her need to be likeable.

Quite relatable to anyone who has ever felt like they had to suppress their views to avoid any unnecessary criticism or conflict.

Taylor Swift may not be a feminist icon and The Man is a surface-level song about misogyny, but still quite catchy. At least, we see her try to be better. She is speaking out as much as she can and cherry-pick issues that she believes her voice can amplify. Yes, her activism is performative, not perfect, but it’s an effort. So, I took those crumbs and ate them up like any devoted fan who grew up loving her.

Then there’s the private jet issue. Back in July 2022, it was revealed that Taylor had the worst private jet CO2 emissions of that year, with an average flight time of just 80 minutes. So, she was branded as a climate criminal.

For this I have no defence, there’s nothing there to defend anyway. Her two jets flying in seven months caused a huge amount of CO2 emissions that roughly 1,184 average people would put out in a year. Now, this is all before any world tour. So nothing is justifying these short private trips.

And yet, people like me still desperately want a ticket to The Eras tour. Unless we’re all deluded and think she may not be using a private jet. Let’s be real, she is, and I still don’t know how to feel about that.

I never expected anything more from Taylor Swift than good music and poetic lyrics. She’s a pop star. Her job is to make music and perform. What else is she supposed to do? Of course, I expect her not to be overtly racist despite dating one and then collaborating with Ice Spice to distance herself from said racist (ex) boyfriend. I also hope she treats her staff well and compensates them fairly—the girl has two private jets she should be paying them well.

My love for Taylor Swift can simply be boiled down to separating the art from the artist. I don’t know Taylor Swift personally.

I can say I’ve known her since I was 12, yet it’s only the parts she’s willing to show us. Miss Americana is a glimpse, not a window to her life. Whether it’s for publicity to salvage her public image or her amazing music. I love Taylor Swift, the artist. It’s a lame excuse, but there’s no other way of going about it. I can’t ignore the headlines that follow her, and neither can I stop listening to her songs. No matter what other people or the media may say, I’ll always be a fan.

The Taylor I know is the artist behind Fearless, Speak Now, Red, Reputation, Lover, Folklore, Evermore, and Midnights.

What else can I do? Sure, there are more problematic artists out there who have done far worse. Yes, it sounds like an excuse, but as the title of this essay says, I don’t know why, I’m totally fine with it all.

How about you? Are you a Swiftie who cares about Taylor’s reputation, or do you just love her music? Should we separate the art from this artist?

*SPOILER WARNING* In case you are not updated or still planning on watching Bojack Horseman.

Diane’s relationship with Bojack was born out of a misguided sense of responsibility. What started out as a professional relationship turned into a deep friendship. Bojack needed Diane to reassure him that he was a good person under all his toxic layers. Roping her into his spiral of self-destruction, making her feel like it was her responsibility to guide him to the right path.

Answering his 3 am calls and entertaining his latest hijinks, hoping she could somehow change his mind about a bad decision. Even when Bojack cut himself off from everyone, it was Diane who continued to call Bojack, hoping he was fine. Diane was his anchor. As his friend, she felt the need to take care of him. Even if it means worrying about the worst and making herself available for Bojack, despite the emotional exhaustion of it all.

What tested their friendship was the New Mexico incident with Penny. Conflicted with her morals and her care for Bojack, Diane wanted to make Bojack face one of his greatest mistakes. Angry and disappointed, she urged Bojack to take responsibility for himself.

And despite all the anger, she still supported him. She felt obligated to help him as a friend, hoping her statement about being friends with awful men would not ring true. If she can’t change the world, she can at least be a good friend.

What most people don’t understand about Bojack Horseman is that you’re supposed to empathize with his past, but hate his actions. The alcoholic horse was never meant to be redeemed. Bojack is an anti-hero. No one is 100% good or 100% bad, we’re just people who do bad or good things. When the bad things start to pile up, and we make excuses for them, then it starts to outweigh any good you want to do. Diane’s character saw the good in Bojack, but ultimately it wasn’t enough.

In most anti-hero stories, forgiveness is used as a tool to avoid accountability. We praise the anti-heroes we see on TV and glorify their toxic behaviours. Idolizing their redemption arcs as a story of hope. In Bojack Horseman, we see how hard Bojack tries to undo his wrongs and show the world he's a good person, but not a single good thing he's done was for the benefit of others—just himself.

Nearing the end of season 6, we start to see Bojack’s world deteriorate. With no sense of control, his last phone call was to Diane, who he hoped would pull him out of his mess. He truly believed Diane would save him from himself, even from death. We later find out, off-screen, that Diane blamed herself for what happened. What if she answered his call? What if she was there to stop him? She felt a semblance of guilt, knowing that things would’ve ended differently if she just answered the phone. Her guilt soon turned to resentment and anger because Bojack had so much control over her.

In the end, she chose to cut Bojack completely out of her life because she realized how toxic their relationship was. During Diane and Bojack’s final conversation, we see how strained their relationship ended. She had no regrets, but if she stayed any longer, she wouldn’t have the clarity to finally be happy. Bojack had always been that dark cloud that stopped her from seeing anything clearly, even when she tried to be his anchor or moral compass—Bojack’s needs were above hers.

Bojack and Diane represented a doomed friendship. Diane had to ignore most of her morals and ethics when it came to Bojack. She thought thier friendship could heal him. Whatever she preached about misogyny or problematic men, she wore rose-coloured glasses in front of Bojack. She thought all he needed as a friend was to steer him in the right direction. Sadly, beneath all his toxic layers was someone who found warmth in the layers he sewed. Diane couldn't reap what he had sewn.

A Triangle of Sadness was a literal shit show—it had merits, but a lot of poop on the ship. This entry will include minor spoilers, so read at your own risk. If you’re planning on watching the film, prepare to see a lot of literal and metaphorical shit.

The film is a masterclass of good acting. I can go on and on about the nuanced performances of the actors—from Woody Harrelson to Dolly De Leon, but there’s not enough time or space for it here. Rather, I want to talk about how the film was supposed to be a commentary about the wealthy and the oppressive class system. Yet the direction of the plot shipwrecked its own message.

You would think that a title like A Triangle of Sadness and a chaotic plot about a working-class immigrant stranded on an island with a bunch of rich people would be interesting. It had so many opportunities to turn the triangle on its peak and show the ridiculousness of the class structure. Heck, I wouldn’t have minded if they took a cannibalistic turn. So, yes, it would’ve been nice to see them eat the rich.

I don’t want to sauté the Karen who doesn’t know what a sweatshop is, or the guy who got a corporate job thanks to nepotism. Nah, they’re not worth it. Even the Kardashians are not worth salivating over. When I say eat the rich, I mean billionaires. CEOs who exploit thousands of people for money, and assholes who call themselves businessmen but soak their products in the blood and sweat of their third-world workers. Politicians who live in lavish estates that Google Maps can’t find and spend tax money on their helicopter commutes. These are the people worth eating.

In a fair society, billionaires shouldn't exist, they didn’t get to where they are by playing fair. No amount of TikTok financial planning tips will elevate us to their level. We're living in a world with an insane economic inequality crisis. Living expenses continue to rise, yet our wages are stuck in 2009. When you think of the rich, the disgusting lot with an obscene amount of money made from the burnt bodies of third-world workers—Filipinos, Bangladesh, Indonesia, India, heck most of South East Asia. Good ol' maths will tell you that it would take a thousand years to save up for a billion, so it's questionable how men like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have accumulated their wealth.

So here's a list of possibilities: exploitive labour practices, tax breaks (despite having the insane wealth to pay taxes), and legal loopholes made for the rich and their partners willing to play the money game.

Then there are the Marcoses who stole their money from taxpayers and the Royal Family who colonized their way to generational wealth, yet despite this fact they expect us to praise them. As if their rise to power isn't tainted with blood and trailed by millions of bones.

I understand the praise for Dolly de Leon’s performance because it was honestly so good, and she was robbed of an Oscar nomination. Plot-wise, A Triangle of Sadness did her character dirty, yay for bagging a model, but it’s not enough payback for those rich twats she’s stranded with.

So, my disappointment with A Triangle of Sadness is that it felt like a cop-out and a missed opportunity for Abigail to deliver a powerful monologue about the oppressive system she had been living in. I wanted rage from Abigail's character, rather than murder, which would have been more impactful. Yes, they poked fun at the wealthy, but at the same time blatantly ignored third-world exploitation. Immigrants worked on that boat, serving the rich with the food they can’t afford, cleaning their shit, and hearing them complain about their chest hair.

Also, Parasite already did the whole hit someone on the head with a big rock ending. So, let’s not copy off that and just eat the damn rich.

One film that did a better job at sending a message about the rich and exploitation is Nocebo starring the amazing Chai Fonacier and Eva Green. It’s not just making fun of privilege or another depiction of a Filipino being a maid or caregiver. Nocebo is the revenge plot that will make any rich white man think twice about hiring a brown caregiver or maid.