The jury is out for The Devil Wears Prada 2, the Met Gala made people mad for different reasons, and moms are ready to organize—so they can boycott school events. But first:
Slang of the Week – “Chud”
“Chud” is about as demeaning an insult as they come. Originating from the title of a 1984 film, the term started as an acronym for “Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dweller.” For a while, the term was highly politicized and basically used as a way to call people with different perspectives out as basement-dwelling losers. Yet, as Mr. Lindsay points out, the meaning has become more generalized for modern teens, and “chud” now refers to any kind of “loser.” From a Christian perspective, “chud” is the type of language James encourages Christ-followers to keep out of their mouths.
And now for our three conversations..
1. A Million Girls Would Kill for This Sequel
What it is: The Devil Wears Prada 2 had an outstanding opening weekend, but it seems unlikely that this film will have the same enduring cultural influence as the original.
Why reviews are mixed: The storyline picks up in 2026 when Andy Sachs is laid off from a newspaper (very 2026), and she is offered a position to run the features department of Runway, the fashion magazine she swore off 20 years prior. The sequel zeros in on the state of the journalism industry amidst AI, corporate-owned media, and mass layoffs. As a general rule, legacy sequels aren’t great (think Jurassic World Dominion (2022), Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021), and Disenchanted (2022)), but fans of the original film may enjoy callbacks, like Andy’s cerulean sweater, the phrase “a million girls would kill for this job,” and a familiar opening montage. Gen Z favorites Caleb Hearon, Amelia Dimoldenberg, and Hannah Berner also cameo in the film.
Continue the conversation: How do you feel when you see social media, phones, and AI represented in movies?
2. Met Madness
What it is: This year’s Met Gala felt like rage bait, with the outfit choices, the guest list, and the event’s billionaire sponsors, Jeff and Lauren Bezos, sparking controversy.
Why generations tend to view it differently: What started as a supper that cost $50 to attend evolved into a celebrity bonanza, drawing 1.2 billion global views on social media last year. The dress code is an artistic prompt for stylists and clothing designers, and the ensuing outfits are meant to riff on the theme of this year’s Costume Institute exhibition. Unlike at other red-carpet events, everyone comes not just to impress, but to be interpreted. Young people following along on TikTok understand that the event is about art as much as it is about fashion, and following livestreams on the first Monday in May has become a Gen Z tradition. Gen Z celebrities, including Sombr, Tate McRae, Hudson Williams, EJAE, and Jisoo, all made their Met Gala debut this year.
Continue the conversation: Why do you think the Met Gala has become such a big deal in recent years?
3. Maypocalypse, Now
What it is: As “Maycember” kicks off, one opinion writer proposed that all moms should consider banding together to “underachieve.”
Why it’s funny—and eye-opening: This op-ed points out some of the more ridiculous aspects of supporting elementary school-aged children during the wind-down of the school year. Why do the art show, field day, and dance recital always seem to happen in the same week? How can anyone be expected to keep up with household responsibilities, get dinner on the table on time, and hold down a full-time job in the midst of attending multiple activities that take place in the middle of the day? And once kids age out of elementary school, the expectation for parental involvement doesn’t disappear. Sometimes, it actually increases. Moms, especially, may end up feeling like their role is primarily administrative—more calendar-scheduler than wisdom-dispenser. It makes you wonder… is all of this really necessary?
Let’s translate this one further…
When I look at May’s color-coded family calendar, I feel proud that I, a person who once lost a mailbox key on the walk back from that very mailbox, am now able to keep the appointments, practices, games, and social calendars of five people organized in one place.
I feel grateful that my children are healthy, active, and able to participate in so many things.
I feel overwhelmed because all of these responsibilities belong to other people, and even though my husband helps, they are primarily mine to remember.
But mostly, I feel bewildered. I didn’t become a mom so I could plan the wildest outfit for my kid to wear on Star Wars Day or make a last-minute glow-in-the-dark diorama for the art show. I support my kids in a million ways, but there’s so much going on. I didn’t sign up for all of this, yet here it is. And as a result, we are so busy that sometimes, my motherhood feels hurried, half-baked, or shallow.
This month at Axis, we’re talking about Memory Keepers. The ones who remember—to plan the graduation parties, print the family photos, give gift cards to the teachers, bake the bake sale cookies, and Venmo the class mom. In most families, this enormous role is wholly filled by one person: a mother. This administrative work often feels as invisible as it is essential. Fulfilling it makes the dream of actually being a mom—connecting with our kids, sharing our faith, and listening when it counts—feel out of reach. Maybe all we need is one quiet moment. But those usually aren’t in our calendar’s color-code scheme, so they’re harder to plan.
When I think of why I wanted to become a mom, I often return to Luke 2:19—the image of Mary, treasuring up the words of an angel, and pondering in her heart what it could mean. It’s a challenge, but a good one. If I don’t take time to consider my motherhood carefully, I might actually miss the most important parts. As my kids are growing up, they need me to keep growing up, too. If I don’t pause often to reflect, I could even rob them of the focused and spiritually mature version of me they might need to lean on in the future.
The crazy, chaotic, and busy story of my family isn’t random or happening to me. It’s happening for me–and for my kids. It’s telling me something: about my heart, about our world, and about God, too. As you kick off Mother’s Day weekend, we hope you’ll add some time to ponder to the schedule.
For more context and nuance, check out our Roundtable podcast on Spotify, Apple, YouTube, or wherever you listen to podcasts. In the meantime, here are three questions to help you continue the conversation with your teens:
- What’s one big moment in this season that you want me to experience with you?
- What’s a moment in this season that you would prefer to experience on your own?
- Do you think the expectations for how involved parents should be are too high, too low, or just right?
Parenting together,
Kate Watson and the Axis Team
In Other News…
- The Savannah Bananas, an “exhibition baseball” team that includes comedy and choreographed dances in games of what they call Banana Ball, played in front of 102,000 fans this past Saturday with a cameo from the Dude Perfect team.
- Angel Studios’ new adaptation of Animal Farm (paywall) hit theaters this past weekend, uniting George Orwell’s classic critique of totalitarianism with fart jokes and other trappings of modern kids’ movies.
- Scalpers are purchasing the new Pokémon Pop-Tarts from Target and selling them for up to eight times their worth (with their original price being $2.89 per box of 12).
- After Justin Bieber’s performance at Coachella, he became the artist with the most monthly listeners on Spotify, with just over 141 million monthly listeners as of this week.
- While the Taylor Swifts and Harry Styleses of the world may still get away with charging obscene prices for concert tickets, many other artists (like Post Malone and Kid Cudi) are also trying to increase sale prices—and then often cancelling concerts after low sales.
PS: Next month is all about the role that fathers play in the next generation. To submit a question for our Ask Axis podcast about fathers and fatherhood, send an email to ask@axis.org!