Was the White Lotus Finale ruined?
Plus why I want a smaller audience. And the Sexy 6.
But first: the video below is a new thing- an extra long Insta-Babble - in which I talk about White Lotus, my favourite new eyebrow product, glitter, pearls, my boobs and yours (if you have them) and other things. I’m trying something different by only sharing a preview on Insta and keeping the director’s cut here (except I don’t edit them they are fully free flowing because lazy).
This is 15 mins, so strap in or scroll past, you choose.
I used to record Insta-Babbles a few times a week but in the past few months, like many content creators who have been Very Online for a Very Long Time, I’ve felt the need to retreat. But not for the reason you might think.
It’s not that I’m scared of trolls.
I’ve had a public profile since I was about 25 - more than half my life - and I’ve been cancelled many times, and called all manner of things including “the load her mother should have swallowed”, so, you know.
You should have seen my mother’s face when I told her about that one.
Mostly this:
All of that’s to say, working online gives you pretty thick skin.
So it’s not trolls that are causing creators like me to retreat - that’s the same as it ever was. It’s actually this: we want a smaller audience. At least I do.
And this goes aginst everything we’ve all been told by our tech overlords since they first began to encourage everyone from your dry cleaner to your grandad to start a social media account - or 5 - on every available platform.
Grow your audience, they said. It’s free marketing, they said. Stay in touch with everyone you’ve ever met, they said, including that one guy you hooked up with in high school and that lady who lent you some sunscreen when you went to Club Med in 1994.
And we did. And we did and we did.
But when you’re making personal content about yourself, the thing about a big audience in an algorithmic world is that it’s shown to people who don’t follow you, know you or give a shit about you.
And I have no interest in that anymore.
I would much prefer to reach a smaller group of people who have opted into reading or watching or listening to me and who come to my content in good faith.
Not haters. Not trolls. Not randoms.
I’m exhausted by the mindless metric of more. More time spent scrolling. More people for you to follow. More ads the overlords can serve you to monetise your attention. More time spent desperately trying to game an algrorithm for maximum reach.
So where am I going with this? Well I’m going here, as you know. I’m going smaller. I have had a newsletter for many years and sent it out with varying degrees of regularity.
But with the desire I feel to retreat from the public square of social media and the open Internet, I’m leaning further into podcasting and this newsletter.
Both of those things aren’t governed by a third party algorithm. And they are self-selecting. You don’t accidentally listen to a podcast or get sent a newsletter.
It’s an active relationship which is what makes it more meaningful, I think, for both of us.
So thanks for being here. And if you know someone who likes my work or who you think would appreciate what I share here, forward this to them (see, my competitive nature is still kicking - I want to top the newsletter leaderboard).
THE SEXY SIX:
Haven’t done this for a while and I have lots to tell you about.
Shoe Jewellery
I bought these from Style Runner where I have been finding some great things lately. Naturally, I went hard and decorated all my trainers and I can’t tell you how much joy it gives me to look down at my feet and see these silly things attached to my laces.
2. This Sports Bra
I’m always looking for good sports bras because I have to wear 2 per exercise session so I go through a lot of them in a week. They can be really exxy so I’m delighted to tell you about this one I found on Amazon.
3. The Last Anniversary on BingeBeautiful show. There’s a mystery at the heart of it - it’s a Liane Moriarty book adaptation by Made Up Stories who make Strife, Big Little Lies, 9 Perfect Strangers etc - but it’s really a story about generations of women in a big family. Delicious.
4. We launched a new Mamamia podcast called WELL, hosted by the iconic Clare Murphy and it’s all about your health but it’s neither scary nor earnest. Just helpful.
This week’s ep is about endo
Blurry Lipstick Pudding Pot
I’m not a matte or shiny girl at the moment and I’m not into gloss either. My friend Amelia Lester put me onto these blurry lip pudding pots from the Korean brand Fwee and when I excitedly told my beauty guru, Leigh Campbell, she rolled her eyes patiently and said she’d talked about them on You Beauty MONTHS ago.
This is why she is my guru. I am suitably chastised.I can’t explain the texture or why I like them so much, I just do.
6. What Not To Buy
I love being bossed by smart people who know their shit and the Leonie, the Style Insider certainly does.
