The Spring-Summer edition of New York Fashion, which ended last week, is perhaps the most notable cultural event of the past week. True to form, the venerated event bent, not just the fashion world, but the global pop culture landscape to its will. Everywhere one turned, last week was deluged with hotly contested fashion takes and gorgeous runway looks. Nonetheless, the lustre of NYFW was somewhat tempered by the tense political landscape in which it unfolded. I’m loath to bring up Charlie Kirk’s assassination. But since it happened, it has borne down on society with forceful intensity, culminating in protests and debates in far-flung regions such as Japan, where denizens took to the streets, echoing isolationist rhetoric. In the UK, about a hundred thousand protesters, led by far-right activist Tommy Robinson, took to the streets of London, railing against immigration with their characteristic virulent rhetoric.
Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension over a light-hearted jab at Donald Trump’s reaction to Kirk’s death is the latest in a series of cascading events since Kirk’s assassination. In this instalment of PopTakes, I untangle a wide array of subjects ranging from Kimmel's suspension, which has colored the American media landscape in a melancholy shade, to some hilarious but profound fashion conversations arising as NYFW retreats in the distance. I also pull apart Cardi B’s exciting rollout for her just-released album Am I The Drama? and Miu Miu’s widely talked-about PR disaster. So strap in and brace yourself for a thrilling ride!
Cardi B’s Rollout For “Am I The Drama” Has Been a Joy To Watch
Starting this instalment on a cheery note is the subject of Cardi B’s masterful rollout.
“Atlantic Records has done some deductions to my album’s budget,” Cardi B announces. She sits on a cream coloured table wearing a tan leather jacket. “So the new check has arrived and has been received.” She slides her glasses from her forehead to her eyes and hunkers down to open the envelope. On the back of the envelope is the text “ATLANTIC RECORDS LLC,” scrawled in a playful handwriting. The atmosphere tenses up as he pauses to read the budget. “$50”, she announces. “So due to the fact that the budget is $50, I have to go on the road and sell these CDs and vinyls myself.” With this hilarious video posted on the 9th of September, Cardi B officially kicked off her album rollout.
Since then, she has appeared in the streets of many cities, literally selling copies of her album and treating fans to her distinctively charming whimsy. Since the album dropped, she has upped the ante by organising meet and greets with fans.
My first take is that the marketing intern who, I imagine, timidly pitched the strategy at a meeting should be given a raise, instantly! The rollout is brilliant and has resonated so strongly across the board because it humanises Cardi B, putting her playful side on display. “I love how this rollout and album release just reminded the world why we all fell in love with Cardi in the first place. #WellDone,” one tweet reads. It has also allowed fans to interact with her in person and provided exciting content for those of us following through social media.
Jimmy Kimmel’s Suspension Sets a Dangerous Precedent in American Politics
Last week, Donald Trump’s indiscriminate attack on the press sank to a new low. I had just woken up and was lying on my bed, perusing my emails, when I began to see news about Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension. The newsletters talking about this all held in their titles a permutation of four phrases: “Jimmy Kimmel,” “Donald Trump,” “Suspension,” and “Charlie Kirk.” After several minutes of untangling the story, I came away with an existential dread lodged in my chest. “Surely this is not happening,” I thought. Earlier that day, the Federal Communications Commission’s chairman, Brendan Carr, during his appearance on the conservative YouTube show The Benny Johnson Show, threatened punitive action against Disney/ABC, owners of The Jimmy Kimmel Show, if they did not mete out disciplinary action against Jimmy Kimmel over comments made about Kirk. It’s frightening, the speed with which ABC capitulated to Carr’s threats.
After reading this, I headed to YouTube to hear for myself what incendiary comment Kimmel had made to stir such fervent antagonism. To my greatest surprise, nothing he said was particularly inflammatory. In fact, he had commiserated with the Kirk family and spoken out against gun violence. The issue, it seems, stemmed from a joke Kimmel had made at Trump’s expense: something to the effect of how casually Trump grieved the loss of his friend (Kirk). Following Kimmel’s suspension, Trump ecstatically took to Truth Social to celebrate and issue further threats to the free press. Thankfully, the public outrage that followed has impelled ABC to reinstate Kimmel. Nonetheless, the fact that he was suspended to start with sets a dangerous precedent.
Miu Miu has a PR Disaster In Their Hands
This story starts with a somewhat hilarious video Wisdom Kaye posted on TikTok. In it, he talks about how he had spent $18,000 on Miu Miu items, only for some of them to come out broken. They sent replacements, which he decided to unbox on camera. “So here we have the new vest and the new sweater,” he says. “I’m making this video because if it does happen to break again, I have to have this recorded on camera.” And guess what? The vest’s button broke, again. The comments beneath the post are equal parts hilarious and apt. “Why wouldn’t they test them before sending?” “Third time’s the charm,” another reads. My personal favourite is a comment that reads “Manager looking at the Chinese factory workers.” The kicker is a picture of Homelander looking absolutely flustered. Most of the comments and the ensuing public reaction raise a salient question: What is the place of luxury fashion in today’s society?
