The Weeknd should have logged off
Petition to release Lily-Rose Depp from Sam Levinson's shackles.
Keep scrolling for why creators are collectively blocking a controversial TikToker.
The Weeknd claps back at Rolling Stone report claiming The Idol is in turmoil
A new piece by Rolling Stone claims the HBO show, billed as a darker and sleazier version of Euphoria, has “gone wildly, disgustingly off the rails.”
Created by Abel Tesfaye AKA The Weeknd, The Idol follows a young pop star named Jocelyn as she navigates the seedy underbelly of Hollywood’s music scene and gets involved with the owner of a nightclub who secretly runs a cult. Lily-Rose Depp plays Jocelyn, while The Weeknd plays the nightclub owner/cult leader.
Director Amy Seimetz suddenly exited the show in April 2022 as reports emerged that The Weeknd felt the series was leaning too much into a “female perspective.”
Euphoria director Sam Levinson then came on board, and according to several sources, the show has since become “twisted torture porn.”
“It was like any rape fantasy that any toxic man would have in the show — and then the woman comes back for more because it makes her music better,” one production member explains of Levinson’s version.
The exposé also details poor working conditions, budget issues, and last-minute rewrites.
The Weeknd responded to the piece by sharing a clip from the show on social media in which his character calls Rolling Stone irrelevant. “@RollingStone did we upset you?” he wrote.
Rolling Stone editor-in-chief Noah Shachtman responded “Not at all!” and shared two RS magazine covers featuring The Weeknd.
Read the disturbing exposé via Rolling Stone.
Charlotte Tilbury appoints Bella Hadid as the new face of the brand
Charlotte Tilbury solidifies itself as a Gen Z-favourite beauty brand by tapping one of the generation’s most beloved models.
Charlotte Tilbury has found immense success among TikTok users over the past two years, with the brand’s Flawless Filter and Hollywood Contour Wand both becoming staples in Gen Z makeup bags.
On March 2nd, Charlotte Tilbury announced its new partnership with Bella Hadid, naming her their latest beauty muse as the brand enters its 10th year.
“Bella is this generation’s supermodel icon,” Charlotte told the Business of Fashion. “[She] understands the power of makeup to create confidence.”
Bella and the brand will work together on campaigns and digital content.
Read about the partnership via BoF.
Bretman Rock reveals why they left the YouTube beauty community
In an interview with THEM, Bretman explained why they no longer identify as a beauty guru.
The content creator-turned-author reflected on an old live-stream clip where they announced that they no longer wish “to be tied with the beauty community.”
They said “white people ruined the beauty community” when creators started prioritising turning a profit and creating drama over producing quality content for their viewers.
“It just became a money industry, and like, it just became an ick to me… when did beauty become so ugly? ” they said. “It is no longer a beauty community… y’all do not even know to apologise? It is as simple as addressing what you did, saying sorry and never doing it again.”
With numerous OG beauty creators cancelled for racist comments and their lacklustre apologies, some pop culture enthusiasts have applauded Bretman for his honest take on the beauty industry.
Meanwhile, other viewers have gone on to point out how Bretman used contractions and uses phrases common in African American Vernacular English (AAVE) throughout the interview. Given that they have been called out for using AAVE in the past, many viewers argue that Bretman does not hold themself to the standard they expect from other creators.
Read the full story via Centennial Beauty.
Why do landlords keep posting on TikTok?
A new piece by Maxwell Strachan for Vice explores the concept of landlord influencers and why they continue to post on TikTok despite being widely hated.
Landlords have flocked to TikTok over the past two years, creating content about how to build property portfolios and generate passive income through real estate.
With the rising cost of rent and a housing crisis impacting numerous countries around the world, these creators have become some of the most hated on the platform.
“Many of the landlords I spoke with said their primary motivation was to help lift others up,” writes Strachan. “After spending decades as a landlord in Alaska, where he has managed more than 100 units at times, [Paul] Berger sees his role as ‘helping young landlords’ achieve success by sharing what he had learned over career. […] A Christian, Berger even said he sees landlording as a sort of missionary work that he enters with ‘an attitude of service.’”
Charlottesville, Virginia landlord Deandra McDonald told Strachan she “started to post about her experiences as a landlord in hopes of showing other Black people and women that they could do it too.”
“McDonald sees people’s frustration as justified, but feels that landlords have become a strong source of resentment because they are a regular face of broader capitalistic forces, one that people have to write a check to every month.”
Others that Strachan spoke to said they consider their content as part of finance TikTok, helping educate young people on the realities of investing in the industry.
Read the full deep dive via Vice.
TikTokers call to mass block controversial commentary creator Thoughts With Gracie
Thoughts With Gracie is facing intense backlash from fellow TikTok creators for her harmful and antagonising “reporting” style. (“Reporting” is a very loose term here.)
Gracie is a TikTok pop culture commentary creator who recently gained traction by starting drama with Alabama Barker (Travis Barker’s daughter) after she made several videos about the 17-year-old’s behaviour.
Many commentary creators called Gracie out for this, including Tefi Pessoa, Brooke Schofield, and Danisha Carter.
Gracie went viral again this week when she said that Alix Earle’s student house tour “glorifies and tries to normalise living in a depression den”. She also mocked Alix’s battle with anxiety in a TikTok comment.
This has prompted collective uproar from the commentary community, with many asking TikTok users to block Gracie to help silence her. They feel Gracie is damaging the legitimacy and reputation of their community, while also causing harm to those she “reports” on— many of whom are still teenagers.
“There is a person, a creator on this app currently who is a hater beyond anything any of us have all seen. And I know that, because we’re all gathering together to defend people we don’t even like in the comments,” said pop culture podcaster and comedian Claire Parker in a recent TikTok video. “This person, and you all know who I’m talking about, is just being a psychopath for views […] I’ve blocked her. Just choose to block her. We don’t have to take it. We don’t have to give it to her.”
Watch Claire’s full take on Gracie via TikTok.
Selena Gomez, Hailey Bieber & Nepo Baby Bullies: A Full Breakdown
This week’s infinite scroll podcast gives a full breakdown of the all drama going on between Selena Gomez, Hailey Bieber, Kylie Jenner, and Kendall Jenner. We first recap the entire saga from start to finish, how all parties have responded, what fans are saying about the drama, and obviously share our opinions on the situation.
Listen to the full episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.