What lives rent-free in your head?
On celebrity, fashion and The Bear
Dear friends,
I hope you are enjoying this little summer respite between the Canada Day holiday and July 4. I spent this past Canada Day weekend at a cottage overlooking the lake, and it was glorious. Wherever you may find yourself, please enjoy this time because summer is SHORT.
Now, onto the post.
I’ve noticed that not many things live rent-free in my head of late, and I’m kind of sad about that. With the rate at which we consume content across our feeds and streaming platforms, nothing seems to stick around very long or allow us time to contemplate or contextualize what we’ve just seen. I recently noticed this phenomenon with the Fashion Month shows in Paris last month.
There were some incredible shows, especially for haute couture—Thom Browne’s Olympics-inspired spectacle or Daniel Roseberry’s magical show centred around the idea of the Phoenix for Schiaparelli. I love that I’m able to continue to savour that particular show a little while longer, as the designer has been posting plenty of behind-the-scenes content on Instagram and the most incredible design sketches that I would love to frame and hang on my wall.
So it got me thinking about what actually lives in my head, rent-free, for any significant period of time, and one of those things is The Bear. I know I’m not alone in that sentiment, but no show (since Mad Men, maybe) has impacted me more than this one. I could get into the specifics of why – the acting, the chaotic kitchen scenes that instill a sense of panic and anxiety, the food porn, and of course, the way the show handles trauma, self-sabotage, and redemption.
I haven’t yet watched the new season, so no spoilers here. I like to accumulate a few shows at once so I can watch them together rather than having to wait week to week for a new show to drop.
The Bear is not your typical show—far from it. It’s almost uncategorizable, and it's not a comfort watch. But it has a chokehold on many of us: the most recent premiere racked up 5.4 million views worldwide over four days, setting a new ratings record, according to the Hollywood Reporter. There’s even The Bear-inspired merch, courtesy of a J Crew collab. But good luck getting a “Matter of Fak Supply” trucker hat, as it’s already sold out. Thanks to
of the great Substack Who Do You Know? for the tip on that.I think a lot of The Bear’s popularity has to do with its incredible acting talent: Ayo, Ebon, and Jeremy “Sad Eyes” Allen White. I don’t need to tell you how JAW is the snack of the moment, as you’ve seen the many think pieces and social media commentary on his Internet-breaking Calvin Klein campaign. For once in a long while, back in January when the campaign dropped, it seemed the world stopped what they were doing to marvel at this tatted-up, Michelangelo-esque New Yorker in his Calvin Klein underwear.
Did the campaign do its job? In media impressions, that’s a wholehearted, YES CHEF. If you need more proof, we have the results: the surge of social media impressions was worth $74 million alone, driving some of the highest consumer engagement the brand has ever seen and shattering the numbers for previous celebrity CK campaigns. The first week of the campaign featuring White also translated into a 30% jump in underwear sales compared to last year.
I think this campaign worked for many reasons, not least of which is that, yes, Jeremy is a feast for the eyes, and yes, sex sells. Further, the campaign is gritty and nostalgic in feel, recalling the iconic CK campaigns of the ‘90s featuring Mark Wahlberg and Kate Moss. Those campaigns still live rent-free in my head.
But more than that, JAW is inseparable from his character as Carmy in these ads, and that is what people are obsessed with. They are as obsessed with Carmy as with JAW, possibly more so. Jeremy is inextricable from his character, and it is that universe of storytelling within The Bear that people are responding to. Cultural relevance is propping up the celebrity endorsement right now – people want a story behind their icons, and this campaign, like Bridgerton’s Nicola Coughlin for Skims, is giving it to them.
Honestly, the brand would be wise to resurface the campaign on its feeds RIGHT NOW, but the only JAW post on the CK Instagram feed is one of Jeremy on the red carpet at The Bear premiere, dressed in Calvin Klein.
And that is sad. Perhaps they only had the rights to the content for a limited time, but honestly, CK social media team, if you’re listening, get it up there!
over at (one of my favourite Substacks, BTW) had a really interesting take on the notion of celebrity in her piece on “The New Female Pop Star Brand”: “With the rise of influencers who reach icon status (in terms of cultural relevancy and followers), celebrities don’t hold the same cache as they once did. To cement their icon status, they need to create a compelling, consistent narrative on why you should care about them.”And I think this is entirely on point. It’s why we’re seeing the rise of “celebrity fashion tribes” at fashion houses like Balenciaga. Celebs like Nicole Kidman, Naomi Watts, Michelle Yeoh, and Katy Perry all showed up at the house’s most recent couture show, where they were essentially “cosplaying” as Balenciaga fashion characters.
By tying themselves to a forward-thinking brand like Balenciaga, celebrities can insert themselves into the brand's narrative and create a new world around them, if only for a fleeting time, amplifying their relevance. When you have a new album to drop like Katy does, you need to insert yourself into the conversation, and fashion is a way in with the cool kids (even if the partnership does nothing to elevate the sales of said new album, which, according to the response to the first single, isn’t it).
So those are my musings for today.
What are your thoughts on The Bear’s new season? I’d love to know, but no spoilers, please.
I find that what makes something sticky enough to live rent free exists in two categories (1) the world enhances the sticky (ie Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter). It’s a catchy song but also it’s shoved down my throat (2) it’s nostalgic. It’s specific moments from SATC or a runway outfit from my youth, etc.
Great piece, thanks, Kristen.