Friday Fives, Vol. 85
Every Friday we highlight five things we have on our radar that we think should be on yours, too.
Next week, we’re taking an extended holiday weekend, but we’ll be back with Friday Fives’ Vol. 86 on July 12th with more stories to share. Happy 4th!
Here’s this week’s Friday Fives.
NYC Pride has officially arrived! ✨ Despite what various companies have tried to tell us (or sell us) throughout the month of June, Pride month is about acknowledging and celebrating the legacy of the LGBTQ+ community. This year’s festivities are hitting a little closer to home for New Yorkers, marking the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall riots — the spark that ingnited a national gay rights movement across the United States. Despite the sea of rainbow banners lining the streets, many still don’t know the details of the defiant, six-day standoff between police and LGBTQ activists that began in the early hours of the morning at The Stonewall Inn in NYC’s West Village. Fast forward 50 years — Stonewall is a national monument, Pride Month runs the entire month of June, and millions are flooding to New York City for 2019’s World Pride celebration to commemorate the legacy of one tiny inn that began a revolution. — AKH
Nobody cares about your photos
Remember the days when you only had 24 chances to take that perfect vacation shot? In an age where cameras are literally at our fingertips, it’s time we realize the truth — photos don’t hold the same meaning as they did before. What was once used to capture the special moments in our lives with friends and family, we now use to capture hundreds of photos at a time, hunting for the perfect angle and lighting condition to show off that disgusting subway rat to our 400 closest Instagram followers. And with the constant urge to seek approval by amassing ever-greater numbers of Insta likes, we all just take the same pictures anyway. Let’s be real — we’re never going to stop taking photos, but maybe we can stop and appreciate the moment, even if for a second, before we instinctively whip out our phones to take a picture. — MC
I think we can all agree — getting on a packed NYC subway car in June is like getting sucked into a bottomless, sweaty ball pit where all the balls are elbowing you in the ribs and that one irritating ball just can’t seem to STAND CLEAR OF THE CLOSING DOORS, PLEASE. Not a particularly enjoyable way to get from A to B. Google agrees, which is why they’ve released an update to their Maps app which offers live traffic delays for buses as well as information on how crowded your bus, train or subway car will be. After analyzing user review data over time, they’ve been able to create a new prediction capability that will enable you to make a better judgement on what kind of commute you’d like to have. With this information, Google has also ranked the most crowded transit systems in the world, with the L train sitting neatly in the top 10 (to no surprise to all the north Brooklynites out there). Knowledge is power, and we’re going to use that power to avoid the traumatic ball pit experience at all costs. — AB
Another day, another instance of cultural appropriation by a Kardashian. This week, Kim Kardashian continued to expand her empire with the launch of her new shapewear line: Kimono. Within 24 hours, the line had already sparked massive outrage from Japanese people everywhere. Despite Kim’s attempt to build some clever wordplay into the name of her new brand (KIM-ono, get it?) cultural appropriation is no laughing matter. Not surprisingly, many feel that naming a line of booty-lifting underwear after a sacred Japanese garment reserved for special occasions is disrespectful and insensitive (no matter how famous the butt that it’s lifting). #KimOhNo — CB
It seems that consumer packaged goods companies are growing a conscience. Soap can’t just be soap anymore — at least not for Unilever. A rising demand for brands with transparency and substance has led Unilever (maker of Dove, Axe, and TRESemmé, to name just a few) to take stock of their current brand portfolio and make some drastic changes. This week, the company announced their plan to ditch any of their brands that don’t stand for something meaningful. Although this suggests good intentions, Unilever’s brands that are most committed to social justice are already driving the majority of the company’s growth and will leave it a comfy cushion to fall back on as they clean house. Unilever may not *actually* sticking their axe-scented neck out that far for positive change, but we’re happy to see such a major brand CPG company taking a stand. 👊 — AA
