Hot takes & cold water.
On sexist minor trolls, the death of Hollywood and the emerging trend of water connoisseurship.
Hello dear reader,
Are you also trying to keep up with the weather's mood swings? Last week I was reaching for sunscreen and shorts, now I'm wearing socks over my tights and a winter coat.
Oh well. Let’s chat <333.
Boys will be boys?
People living in Amsterdam like myself will know about this. Male minors have been molesting female joggers in different parks in Amsterdam. The fifteen or sixteen year old culprits thought it entertaining to film the sexual assault and post it on social media. When the news broke, 24 cases were reported, but the actual number is almost certainly higher. Earlier in April, identical cases were reported in other parts of The Netherlands.
After reading the news, I came across a TikTok video of a woman who had gone through exactly that. Visibly shaken, she told her followers how she burst into tears, overwhelmed by shock. I felt a wave of anger imagining how she must’ve felt—this grown woman—assaulted by a bunch of boys who’d probably only just started growing pubes, riding around on fatbikes like they owned the world. Maybe they still do, despite what seemed like progress.
As women, we are constantly aware of our bodies in public: how much space we take up, how we move, whether we attract attention, and what kind. When we sense danger, we shrink ourselves. We calculate, adjust, retreat. We join women-only gyms. We throw on a jacket over a fitted dress, just to avoid that uneasy feeling when walking past a terrace full of beer-drinking, lurking men.
And don’t even get me started on the unsolicited comments from men. The unnecessary opinions we are somehow expected to take to heart. How many times have I, or my friends, been told not to cut our hair because “long hair is so beautiful”, to “smile more” or to “wear dresses more often”..by men.
A few years ago, I watched an old interview with Tori Amos, who had just given birth to her first child at the time. The interviewer couldn’t help but comment on “how great” she looked, following it up with a clueless “How did you do that?”. The hilarious (and infuriating) part is that men genuinely believe they’re offering a compliment when they say things like this. Another example that came to mind was an interview with the iconic Katharine Hepburn. She was asked, by a woman, interestingly, why she preferred wearing trousers over skirts. Being the baddie she was, she said: “I have a skirt. I’ll wear it to your funeral.” Absolute legend.
How much of ourselves must we erase from public space just to feel safe or just to exist without being harassed or interrogated? Moving freely is a godforsaken privilege, one that our male counterparts far too often take for granted. The teenage boys on fatbikes made me think of women’s bodily integrity and autonomy.
Gloria Steinem once said:
“Opposing women’s right to control our own bodies is always the first step in every authoritarian regime.”
Men and boys feeling entitled to invade the private space of our bodies is a deeply entrenched cultural norm. However, with the rise of far-right and conservative sentiments—fuelled by the political gains of populism, the influence of the Republicans in the U.S., and big tech’s complicity with conservatives in power—there is more room for these pre-existing conservative ideas to resurface. These ideas were always there, never fully gone, but they were carefully tucked away. In a world that is no longer anti-feminist by default, such ideas would have once been intolerable. Over time, figures like Trump, Musk, Jordan Peterson, and Andrew Tate have opened that drawer, exposing what was hidden, and re-legitimising deeply regressive views on women’s place in society.
With far-right influencers preaching to young boys that unless they’re sex gods with abs of steel and $100 million in the bank, they’ve failed at life, it’s no surprise that we’re seeing some kind of backlash—angry counter reactions whether it’s technology-based violence or not. It’s a way of trying to reclaim control. Reclaim power. Reclaim the female body that, not long ago, was legally and culturally considered theirs. Real political and cultural progress has led to some men and boys feeling overlooked or threatened by the fact that they’re no longer the only gender with rights. In this twisted worldview manhood is earned through dominance; through the audacity to touch a woman without her consent, just to prove they still can.
I came across a BuzzFeed interview with American members of Gen Z, where they were asked why they think men are becoming more conservative. One respondent remarked that “humour—particularly dark humour—is trending among men.” This kind of humour, as mildly put, often involves mocking women, especially young women who are adapting to and embracing their more emancipated lifestyles—living with greater freedom than their mothers ever did. I suppose this is evident in boys slapping women’s bottoms in public and then documenting the act for social media.
I remember when I was in primary school, a boy once tried poking his finger up my vagina. I was wearing pants, not that this makes it any better lol. It was pretty fucked up. He and his friend laughed, feeling accomplished for having harassed me like that. I never even told anyone, because I was so in shock. This kind of behaviour occurred in the past, and it continues to persist today. The difference now is that it unfolds within the pervasive and harmful realms of social media. Public humiliations, once confined to dystopian series like Black Mirror, are increasingly becoming a grim reality for many. Girls are consistently among the primary targets of stalking, trolling, image-based abuse, deepfakes, hate speech, and more. A UN report from last year revealed that 58 percent of girls and young women worldwide have experienced some form of online harassment.
In the Netherlands, a perpetrator can face a community service order or a prison sentence for sexual assault, including acts like slapping someone’s behind. Personally, I’d add a re-education boot camp to the list of consequences. Call it Stalinist if you will. I call it a push forward for those lagging behind on the road to progress.
(Perhaps I didn’t dig deep enough, but I couldn’t find any re-education camps, or even ideas, aimed at guiding conservative teens toward more progressive values. Only the reverse seems to exist. And I’m not just talking about teachers casually mentioning terms like “toxic masculinity” or “online misogyny” in the classroom. I’m talking full-on bootcamps fuelled by militant rage—where problematic, sexist boys are forcefully commanded: “TELL ME YOU ARE A FEMINIST!!!” A gap in the market, perhaps?)
On AI: Is Hollywood the Detroit to be? + my very own celebrity morality matrix
Ben Affleck has most likely pitched a film entirely produced by AI. I wonder what went through his head. Maybe something like: “AI is taking over anyway, so why fight the current when you can just drift with it?” Traitor. It was only a year ago that the actor said the following:
“Movies will be one of the last things, if everything gets replaced, to be replaced by AI”
It wasn’t long ago that actors and writers were on strike, demanding protection from the industry threats of AI. But in so many aspects of the industry AI tools are already being used (de-aging actors, improving their accents), and production companies like Marvel studios have already stated that they’d like to invest significantly more in the usage of AI tools for filmmakers.
Tech companies like OpenAI and Google are being sued for using copyrighted content to train AI without permission. Writers and actors claim their work was taken, and studios like Disney and Paramount are being urged to join the fight, though they haven’t yet. Big tech is pushing the U.S. government to classify copyrighted art, films, and TV shows as “fair use” for AI training purposes, claiming that without such exemptions, the U.S. risks falling behind China in the global AI race.
(deep sigh.)
Who besides big tech of course, is advocating for less resistance against these tech driven changes? Ben Affleck, apparently. Why?
Yea yea yea: increasing efficiency, and reducing costs. AI can assist in creating content and automate tedious tasks, right? But we know that there’s always someone that’s being left at a disadvantage because of it. I’m reminded of that famous quote by Joanna Maciejewska:
Predictions suggest that AI will primarily impact background actors, with A-list stars maintaining their power thanks to their fame. In other words, the rise of AI could further un-democratise the film industry, pushing those already economically disadvantaged out of work, while solidifying the dominance of the elite.
I have a theory. Hollywood’s elite can be split into two types of industry insiders—actors, directors, and producers with big names and even bigger bank accounts. Both types are ultimately focused on preserving their wealth and influence, but they differ in how they go about it.
The first is the Flaky Pragmatist. He doesn’t mind if his past and present stances contradict each other. He goes wherever the current flows—especially if there’s a lucrative reward on the other side. Ben Affleck fits this archetype. On the Moral Foundations Theory scale, he’d score low on sanctity (he’s not bothered about being “unholy”), even lower on subversion (he doesn't resist the mainstream at all), and high on betrayal (he shows little solidarity with background actors or indie creators).
The second type is the Charitable Go-Getter With an Agenda. These figures are publicly progressive, often outspoken about inequality in Hollywood and the broader political landscape. They want to be seen—and see themselves—as aligned with the values of the “normal,” progressive middle class. Think Cate Blanchett, who has called herself “middle class,” or Lilly Wachowski, who co-signed an open letter to the Trump administration demanding real regulation on AI.
For this type, speaking out about AI isn’t necessarily disingenuous—but it is strategic. It’s a form of personal branding. Wachowski, for instance, co-created The Matrix, a film that fictionalised the dystopian threat of AI. As one of the brains behind this film, her vocal opposition to AI’s growing role in creative industries helps steer public perception, reinforcing an image of integrity and moral clarity. It’s about keeping the record clean.
But the truth is, for these figures, there’s not all that much at stake. Not really. They’ve earned enough to guarantee their grandchildren a home in the Hamptons. Whether or not they can exert real subversive power is uncertain—and if they do, that’s just a bonus. The Charitable Go-Getter flirts with sanctity and occasionally nods to subversion, but their stardom and immense wealth will always keep moral concerns at a safe distance.
Water is hot. Water is a Veblen good, but it’s shifting from symbolic to actual luxury.
Remember when Ronaldo stirred controversy by dramatically pushing aside two Coca-Cola bottles and urging viewers to drink “agua” instead? It was an improvised, oddly powerful moment, a health-conscious message dropped into a global football broadcast. It seemed aimed at his audience: largely working-class fans, many of whom might treat themselves to a Coke or two a day. Here was a football deity, a famously vain and worshipped athlete, but more significantly, a billionaire, telling the world: drink water. Water is sexy.
Unsurprisingly, Coca-Cola wasn’t thrilled. But as inflated as Ronaldo’s ego may be, the stunt felt like it came from a democratic, well-meaning impulse: water is a basic good, universally available, and healthier than sugary soft drinks. You should choose it too.
At the same time, though, there was something strangely elite, almost esoteric, about the whole gesture. In branding his rich, hyper-disciplined self as a water-drinker, Ronaldo was also brushing against the aesthetics of wellness culture, of Goop and the “glow-up” cult. Health, increasingly, has a socioeconomic weight to it. And so, water—this most basic, ancient resource—gets dragged into the realm of luxury. It becomes a status symbol.
Because for a while now, celebrities and other ultra-wealthy consumers haven’t just been paying for hydration. They’ve been paying for scarcity, narrative, and purity. If you’re Kim Kardashian or Shawn Mendes, why settle for tap water when you can sip bespoke alkaline water from a spring halfway up the Andes?
In 2008, Madonna reportedly spent $10,000 a month on Kabbalah Water (a brand that dubiously claimed to cure cancer) and even requested her swimming pool be filled with it. Here’s Serena Williams, photographed bathing in Evian at Miami’s Hotel Victor, for $5,000. (“It was worth it,” she said. “I could feel the difference.”)
Celebrities might be gutted to learn that over half of bottled water in the U.S. comes straight from the tap. Then again, maybe they wouldn’t.
Recently, water sommeliers (yes, like wine sommeliers, but for water) gathered at the Fine Water Summit in Atlanta. These trained professionals, mostly working in high-end restaurants, help pair your meal with the “right” water, based on clarity, origin, pH, mineral content, and even flavour profile.
Water of impeccably high quality has become a hobby for a certain class of the wealthy, perhaps a different cultural set than the celebs flaunting their Fiji bottles post-yoga. This group isn’t about flash, it’s about refinement. They don’t just sip; they swish and spit. They discern. Think less nouveau riche, more old money. Not “watch me hydrate,” but “I can tell the difference between twelve glacial springs.”
Luxury bottled waters like Svalbardi, Arctic Ice, or Japan’s Fillico Jewelry Water (which sells for up to $1,340 per liter) aren’t just about hydration, they’re about status, ritual, exclusivity.
“Blue Gold”
But while some pay for water that is expensive because it feels rare, water itself is fast becoming a genuinely scarce resource. According to the UN, over two billion people already live in areas experiencing high water stress. Climate change is compounding the crisis. The World Bank warns that, by 2050, water insecurity could reduce GDP by up to 6% in some regions.
And investors are paying attention. BlackRock, one of the world’s largest asset managers, has named water sustainability a top investment theme. Private equity firms are funding desalination plants and advanced irrigation systems. Nestlé and Coca-Cola, long criticised for extracting groundwater in vulnerable regions, are being joined by new players; ones less interested in bottling water than in owning its very sources.
“Water is the next Bitcoin”. And if access becomes ever more restricted, the most basic of human needs might soon become the most valuable of luxuries.
XXX
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Byeeeee
Love,
Naomi