1. Meet Me at the Met
What it is: A deepfake image of Katy Perry, a Kardashian corset controversy, a string of high profile no-shows, and political protests blocks away marred the glitz of this year’s Met Gala.
Why people are talking about it: The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual costume ball has been taking place since 1948—but until the past few decades, only dedicated fashion lovers and socialites in New York seemed to care much about it. Now the event is covered in great detail, with a livestreamed red carpet and TikTok influencers dissecting every ensemble. But big names like Blake Lively and Taylor Swift opted out this year, and the celebrities who did attend seemed to do so with the goal of grabbing headlines. Some costumes barely resembled clothing, and a sizeable segment of commenters were aghast at Kim Kardashian’s rib-crushing waist trainer—a garment that left her struggling to breathe. The Gala’s opulence feels increasingly tone-deaf when many people are struggling to afford groceries, leading some to speculate that the prime heyday of the fashion showcase may be over.
Continue the conversation: How do you think Christians should think about fashion?
2. Meatfluencers
What it is: A growing number of social media influencers are promoting a “carnivore diet” of mostly animal products.
What parents should know: Diets with extreme restrictions aren’t anything new, but the shifting—and at times, conflicting—attitudes of young people towards meat have become a curious topic. Vegan and vegetarian diets are popular with Gen Z and Gen Alpha for a host of health and environmental reasons. But many younger consumers are reporting that they have been intentionally increasing their meat consumption. Some influencers correlate eating meat—even raw meat—to higher muscle mass and better brain performance. Someone following the “carnivore diet” might eat a dozen eggs for breakfast, a bowl of sliced steak for dinner, and a stick of butter as a snack sometime in between. In an interesting twist, the diet seems to be trending among former vegans, which suggests that some adherents may simply gravitate towards a regimented eating plan.
Continue the conversation: What would you say to someone who said it was immoral to eat meat?
3. Moms Make It Happen
What it is: As Mother’s Day approaches, people are talking about “kinkeeping”—the role of planning celebrations, managing communication, and maintaining closeness within a family—and the work it requires.
Why it’s timely: Kinkeeping continues to mainly fall under the purview of women. Statistics would indicate that the kinkeeper of almost every extended family is a woman who is also a mother. Running the logistics for any group of people is challenging, and navigating complicated family histories and emotional dynamics on top of it makes it even harder. Kinkeeping is work that is constant, always shifting, and never, ever done. It is work that is often invisible, and the rewards—and there are rewards—are often felt instead of seen. Even as moms are encouraged to “take it easy” this Sunday, they will still be thinking about and probably executing kinkeeping tasks. Thanking moms for what we see them do is one thing, but this year, let’s also thank them for what we don’t always see: the work they do to keep people close, and their labor of love for the next generation.
Continue the conversation: What does it take to keep a family close?
Resource of the Week
At Axis, we understand that summer with teenagers can be particularly difficult to plan for. That’s why we put together the Parent Guide to Summer 2024. It’s a resource packed with simple, digestible information about the music, movies, celebrities, and social media trends teens are talking about this summer. It’s also filled with practical questions for you and your teen to deepen your connection through spiritually enriching conversations. Like everything we create, it’s totally free for you to access. Get it here!
Deep Dive: The Fall Guy
In the Marvel-fication of movies over the last decade (or two), a particular genre of movie has waned in popularity: the action-adventure. Sure, there are examples here and there, but it felt like nothing quite captured the joy and spirit of movies like the original Indiana Jones, The Mummy, or Sahara.
The Fall Guy, released May 3, feels like a return to the spirit of those films. This week on the Culture Translator podcast, we discussed the movie, which begins with Colt (Ryan Gosling) hitting rock bottom (literally and figuratively) as a working stuntman. As the adventure kicks off, Colt is swept back up into film production as he chases after a former romantic love. The plot isn’t all that complicated—it has a comedic tone, and of course, a movie focusing on the unsung work of stuntmen and stuntwomen is going to have some fun action. But there’s also a surprising amount of emotional depth in the film.
Colt has all the bravado, confidence, and swagger of your traditional action hero, fighting bad guys in ridiculous setpieces that would make Indiana Jones himself proud. Yet, at one moment in the film, Colt finds himself crying in a car to Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well” because things aren’t going how he planned. (Hard to imagine Indy doing that.) Swashbuckling and car crying both feel genuine for the character, and it makes it all the more meaningful when we see Colt succeed.
The central question of the film is pretty simple—in fact, one character pretty much says it out loud. When you’re knocked down, will you get up and try again? It’s a simple enough question, but that doesn’t make it any less compelling. At some point, in all of our lives, something will not go how we planned. Maybe it’s a death in the family, maybe it’s a relationship not working out, maybe it’s losing a big work opportunity. When things go poorly for us, how will we react?
The Bible doesn’t shy away from the fact that things won’t always go our way. In John 16, Jesus lays it out plainly to his disciples: they will suffer. As Jesus tells them this, He also offers hope. Their sorrow, while being very real, will turn to joy. Our response in those moments of sorrow will vary from person to person, but it’s worth remembering that we don’t suffer alone; Jesus promises that even if He isn’t physically present, the Holy Spirit will be with us.
For the full podcast episode, you can click here, but for now, here are some questions to help continue the conversation:
- What makes a good hero?
- How do you think you (or I) would react if life doesn’t go as planned?
- What does having joy mean to you?