On the rink. Everyone’s binged Off Campus by now. The show has ice hockey (more than Heated Rivalry), plenty of buff men, and somehow only two women that the show cares about. They threw in a non-binary character with Jules and did a shoddy job at actually giving them any personality. It’s still the trashy fix for the summer, and it’s bringing on a cleavage renaissance.
Aiming lower. Thank you, Bad Bunny for appearing in a Zara ad, wearing regular-length shorts. We’re not anti-short-shorts. We loved the silky ones on Hudson Williams at the Met Gala after-party. We love Harry Styles’s bright red boxers in his new MV. We just want options, you know?
Waking up. Dreams were the one place we could chill. But researchers are coming for that too. They’ve found that it’s possible for lucid dreamers to absorb new info while they’re asleep – and remember what they learnt when they’re awake. Optimisation influencers will make vids on How To Sleepmaxx And Level Up in Your Career. Don’t let them see this.
Signing off. If your entire job (and personality) was hosting a podcast that nobody was ready for, watch out. Amazon’s Alexa Podcasts generates AI-created episodes on the topic you want, with AI voice “hosts”. We were already tired of podcast bros’ banal banter and misinformation. Bots, we fear, will be worse.
Levelling up. Korea’s 4B women’s movement (No marriage, no dating, no motherhood, no sexual relationships with men) has got a new character arc: It’s now 6B4T: No buying sexist products or idolising male stars ; supporting single women; rejecting toxic beauty standards, creepy anime depictions of women, and religion. Chinese and Japanese feminists are adopting it too. Keep up, world.
Changing tracks. Nepo-kid life hits different. Diplo’s son had his dad DJ at his kindergarten graduation. The kiddie Coachella delighted teachers, students, and moms as well, obviously. The little child has racked up a million aura points before even turning six. Some of us are still at zero.
Eating this up. While music gigs get cancelled worldwide, China is out there, hosting sneaky-eating competitions. “Steal A Bite of Paofan” held at a mall, honoured the deeply relatable student experience of trying to eat in class without getting caught. Contestants had to scarf down food while dodging “teachers” patrolling the room. Finally, a competition built around real-world survival skills.
Fighting bad guys. JP Morgan is coming for comic books. One of their clients, Diamond Comic Distributors, went bankrupt, and its ownership is in dispute. Batman, Doctor Who, even Grumpy Cat Garfield are part of the 8 million comics catalogue stored in a warehouse. When you save everyone, who saves you?
From HT Brunch, May 30, 2026
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