Living in Sin - 030

I do not care about your Labubu.

Hi y’all!

Coming to you fashionably late—like Sabrina on all fours in kitten heels, or a print magazine arriving in the mail in 2025. Let’s call it a delayed drop, not a missed deadline.

Pride

It’s Pride Month, and every brand on the internet is trying to rainbow-wash a $48 water bottle. There’s been a lot of talk this year about how safe it is to be visible. If your client is trying to "do something for Pride," remind them that the rainbow isn’t a seasonal accessory. It’s a signal of solidarity that comes with responsibility. That means money, platforming, and support that lasts beyond June 30. Slate had a good read on the end of the rainbow.

Sloth

This week’s long-read to luxuriate into comes from Fast Company, and it’s a surprisingly riveting look at... internet cables. Yes, really. How AI Is Fundamentally Transforming the Internet’s Physical Architecture digs into how companies like Lumen are laying thousands of miles of fiber-optic cable to keep up with AI’s monstrous data appetite. Not since the broadband boom has there been this level of physical overhaul. From a PR POV, it’s worth watching how stories about infrastructure—typically the least sexy beat—are getting elevated to front-page narratives amid the AI arms race. Follow the fiber is the new “follow the money.” If your clients are in tech, cloud services, or even real estate (data center zoning is about to get wild), now’s the time to start building out POVs that speak to power access, speed, and physical network demand.

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Greed

We’ve already tracked this in past issues, but I really do think there is a return of print media. We have another glossy for the pile: Microsoft has launched a 120-page print-only magazine called Signal. Yes, you read that right—print only. I have to admit, I eat this up. I dreamed of working at a magazine when I was a little girl, and it still stings a little that so many have disappeared or been gutted beyond recognition. But now? Now they're being resurrected—but not by Condé Nast. By Costco. By Microsoft. By dating apps. Welcome to the age of branded publishing as a power play.

We’re watching brands move away from quick-hit content toward “slow” storytelling—elevated, tactile, and targeted. Think Costco Connection reaching more households than The New Yorker (?!) or Hinge's hardcover anthology No Ordinary Love causing a spike in brand consideration.

From a PR POV, this is prestige publishing reimagined as corporate communications. And while it might make journalists cringe, I’d argue this moment represents a massive opportunity for publicists

Gluttony

Say it with me… Potato. Salad. Summer.

@alfiecooks_🥔 CRISPY SMASHED POTATO SALAD + CHILLI CRISP TAHINI 🔥 everyone loves potato salad. but I think I’ve cracked the code with this particular version of a CRISPY SMASHED POTATO SALAD. you guys went crazy for a recipe I posted last year, so I’ve freshened things up + this one is EVEN better… 🤤 AD to make the best potato salad, you need to use the best potatoes. and HONESTLY @jerseyroyals are like no potato I’ve tasted before. once boiled, smashed, seasoned + roasted until golden + crisp, their nutty, slightly sweet flavour is second to none 😍 grown exclusively on the island of Jersey and often hand planted, they are available in most supermarkets, independent grocers and food markets from April to July 🥔 my full recipe can be found below - so enjoy! and let me know if you give it a go 👇 INGREDIENTS (serves 4 as side) 750g Jersey Royal potatoes Salt, pepper + olive oil 4 tbsp mayo 4 tbsp Greek style yoghurt 2 tbsp tahini 2 tsp chilli crisp 1 lime, zest + juice 1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar 1 garlic clove, minced 1 thumb sized knob ginger, minced 2 tbsp spring onion, chopped 2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped 1 tbsp each toasted black + white sesame seeds METHOD 1. Place your Jersey Royals in a pot of cold, salted water. Bring to the boil, then simmer until fork tender (25-30 minutes). Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 180 degrees celsius. 2. Whilst the potatoes boil, make the dressing. In a mixing bowl, combine mayo, yoghurt, tahini, chilli crisp, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, lime zest + juice. Mix well, loosening with a splash of water if needed. Set aside in the fridge. 3. Once the potatoes are fork tender, allow to steam dry completely. Then, on a large lined baking tray, place + flatten the potatoes with the bottom of a glass - being careful not to overcrowd. Sprinkle with salt + pepper, then drizzle generously with olive oil. Roast for 30-45 minutes, turning half-way, until completely crisp + golden. You may need to add a splash more oil if required. 4. Allow the potatoes to cool once cooked, then to finish the sauce add the spring onion, fresh coriander + sesame seeds, mixing well. In a large bowl spoon in 1/2 the dressing. Pour in the potatoes, then mix carefully to fully coat. Add more dressing as required, then I like to finish with more spring onion, sesame seeds + chilli crisp. Serve as a side, or simply enjoy! #jerseyroyals #smashedpotatoes #potatosalad #easyrecipes #comfortfood

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Lust

Sabrina Carpenter dropped the cover for her upcoming album Man’s Best Friend, and the internet had no chill.

Sabrina knows exactly what she’s doing. The album art isn’t an accident—it’s a deliberate riff on submission as performance, power play, and pop provocation. Yet, the online discourse would have you think she’s personally rolled back the feminist movement a decade.

If my client was being called "insanely misogynistic" for being on the cover of her own record this is a rare situation I would put into the all-PR-is-good-PR bucket. I think she’s playing with iconography, virality, and satire in a way that’s made her more relevant than ever. In an attention economy, a well-timed controversy is currency and she’s raking it in.

Envy

I need to be at the women-only dance parties. I’d kill to pitch one of these. What I love here is the total rejection of "cool girl" minimalism. These parties aren’t trying to be sleek or aspirational—they’re proudly sweaty, sparkly, and sincere. It’s a smart community-building, authentic word-of-mouth strategy, and a feminist reclamation of nightlife all in one. bring this to D.C., please.

Wrath

As always, I have no time for wrath, so instead you get a recent camera role gem: iykyk

okay bye, babes!

-M

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