issue #3: who is the bigger star - posh or becks?
Paris Fashion Week, Tyla's Water and martini makeup!
Hey everyone,
So I, like everyone else, have been watching David Beckham’s new docu-series on Netflix. I’m only halfway through at the moment but I am transfixed. Director Fisher Stevens has done a great job of showing how Beckham the family man intersects with Beckham the footballer, and Beckham the pop culture icon.
But what was perplexing for me was the online chatter about who was the bigger star David Beckham or his wife Victoria Beckham. Many people (mostly men) say that Victoria was nothing without David. *ahem ahem* To me, that was preposterous.
For those of us who were around for the tabloid drama of the late 90s to the early 00s, we remember VERY clearly what a phenomenon Posh and Becks was.
The Spice Girls were the biggest musical act in the world. Like no doubt about it, it was a time when monoculture was a thing. Everyone in the world knew about the Spice Girls, they were like if BTS and Marvel had a baby. But that doesn’t mean that anyone who dated a Spice Girl immediately became famous. Does anyone remember Jade Jones from Damage? He was Emma Bunton’s boyfriend then and now her husband. Or Jimmy Gulzar who was Mel B’s husband at the time?
But in the same vein, no footballer has made their partners as famous as Victoria Beckham was. Irina Shayk? Cheryl Cole? Colleen Rooney? They were barely known outside of UK tabloids. Victoria literally made WAG a thing and was the reason most of us were watching that box.
But David Beckham was also at his peak at the time and had the football world in the palm of his hand. And the dynamic force of that power, plus the influence that Victoria brought from her pop culture status, made them larger than life. And it helped that they flaunted their relationship status with matching outfits and they looked good together.
So the assumption that Victoria was nothing without David is simply wrong. But she didn’t make him either. They belong in a different category of being a couple who were known for specific things and used their status to band together and become even greater. Power couple indeed.
xoxo Caryn
Recs:
Series: She-Hulk
Yes, it’s me talking about another Marvel series. Again, I’m probably in the minority here but I really enjoyed She-Hulk. I like the comics and this series felt like a mix between Ally McBeal and Powerless (a DC show with Vanessa Hudgens that I loved). It’s a lot of fun, it doesn’t take itself too seriously and it experiments with the genre. I hope that there is a second season. You can watch it on Disney+.
Film: Every Day
This is a strange one. But this film tells the story of a 16-year-old girl who falls in love with a spirit who lives in a different body every day. It was a surprisingly beautiful film and very cute at times. You can watch it on Showmax.
Here’s what you missed in the news:
Entertainment/pop culture
The queen Beyonce released the trailer for her Renaissance Concert film. It will release in US cinemas on 1 December but there has been no news yet about if it will release internationally.
My show Only Murders in the Building has been renewed for a fourth season.
The MTV EMA nominations have been announced and Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo and SZA are leading the pack.
After 27 years, a suspect has finally been arrested for rapper Tupac’s murder.
Grimes has filed a petition against Elon Musk to have a parental right over their three children.
TV shows that have been cancelled this week include Home Economics, the iCarly reboot, and Sort Of.
Another couple hits the dust as Jodie Turner-Smith and Joshua Jackson have filed for divorce.
And in happier couple news, actress Anya Taylor-Joy married Malcolm McRae in Italy.
The SAFTAs took place last weekend and the big winners were Gaia, Silverton Siege, Lavish, How to Ruin Christmas and Scandal.
The SAMA nominations were announced and AKA received the most nominations, other big nominees were K.O. and Kabza de Small.
Fashion & Beauty
Bad Bunny and Kendall Jenner made their Gucci campaign debut as a couple.
These are the biggest trends from Paris Fashion Week according to Refinery29.
The hottest party makeup trend is apparently martini makeup - it’s green, metallic and v v classy.
Have you heard of barcode hair???
Pamela Anderson recently went makeup-free at Paris Fashion Week and it made news. She revealed in an interview with Elle magazine, that since her makeup artist Alexis Vogel passed away in 2019 it felt better not to wear makeup.
Thebe Magugu launched the Thebe Magugu Custom Heirloom Shirt which allows you to upload a picture of your loved one and wear it on your shirt.
Lifestyle
Spotify has increased its prices in South Africa.
Apparently, SA is running out of eggs rn.
A new report has shown there are more Airbnbs in Cape Town than in Amsterdam, San Francisco and Singapore combined. What does that mean for housing in the city??
Social Justice
The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Narges Mohammadi, the Iranian activist who is advocating for women’s rights in her country. She has been in prison since 2021 after she attended the memorial for Ebrahim Ketabdar who was killed during nationwide protests over gas prices.
“We are fueled by a will to survive, whether we are inside prison or outside…The government’s violent and brutal repression may sometimes keep people from the streets, but our struggle will continue until the day when light takes over darkness and the sun of freedom embraces the Iranian people.” - Mohammadi wrote for the New York Times in 2022.
Podcast Recap
In case you missed it, we spoke to Kim Windvogel and Romantha Botha, the creators of the Showmax docu-series Sex and Pleasure about the show, sex and why South Africans often skirt around the issue. You can listen to the episode here.
Celeb Crush of the Week
This week I’m obsessed with South African singer Tyla, who is conquering the world with her song ‘Water’ which is going viral worldwide (like its playing in every TikTok video). She just released the music video as well, and omg it speaks for itself.
See you next week!