Last week, I received a text from a friend asking if I would join her on a new social media platform. The app is called Lapse. It promises living in the moment and delayed gratification, among other things. It’s akin to a film camera in the digital era. I kindly declined (also because it’s only available on iOS) and informed her that the only social app I am loyal to is Substack, if you could even call it that.
Since the launch of the Substack app in 2022, it has captured more of my time than I would like. The app is just really good at consolidating. What could get lost in your pedestrian email inbox, the app amalgamates your subscribed newsletters all in once place. Like a social media feed that requires further reading. A lot of it, if that’s what you’re into. Substack also gives really good recommendations based on what you follow. Culture! Fashion! Dumb internet things!
Download the app now! This is not sponsored. I make no commission. It’s just really, really good.
I like sharing articles with friends and lately a high percentage have been coming from Substack writers. Substack is the wild west of writing and I highly recommend that you do your due diligence and fact check and put your critical hats on.
This edition of Homosexual Agenda is my top 10, highly rec newsletters that you need to subscribe to. It leans heavy on culture, fashion and sprinkles of misc because that’s what gay men on the internet love to read. I hope so because it sure isn’t sports.
MAYBE BABY - My personal gateway into Substack. I followed Haley’s career starting at Man Repeller to her pivot to Substack during the height of covid. Really good if you find yourself looking for more nuanced writing, that’s neither here nor there and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. People need more nuance these days (another day, lol). I would say the pregnancy stuff was uninteresting, personally. Subscribe for cultural criticism, personal essays, advice column and a really good pod. The pod alone is worth becoming a paying subscriber.
BLACKBIRD SPYPLANE - I’ve encountered BBSP before and thought it was hypebeast on sterioids. I later returned after reading the piece on SSENSE and well, I never looked back. Jonah and Erin use a unique type of vernacular native to BBSP that takes time to understand, but once you do you’re kind of stuck in the loop? Great for all things fashion, because you LOVE fashion, you can’t get enough of fashion and you deeply care about your fit. I don’t even say fit but this feels appropriate.
THE UNPUBLISHABLE - also known as “the beauty industry’s least favorite newsletter”. I find that people may find this newsletter controversial only because people, themselves haven’t looked into the way the beauty industry has condition us as a society and warped our idea of what beauty is. If you’re ever feeling shitty about how you look, remember that it’s not you, it’s the BEAUTY INDUSTRY! Since subscribing, I used to use a plethora of products and I have narrowed it down to three things: castille soap (for scalp and body), body lotion and sunscreen. That’s it! Saves a lot of money and time!
SHOP RAT - Emilia Petrarca has written for every fashion publication, with most recent being The Cut. This newsletter feels like you sent your cool fashion friend to report back on the latest intel. Just. For. You. It’s earnest. It’s irreverent. It’s facetious. It’s serious fashion reporting!
MAGASIN - I’m sorry. It’s another fashion newsletter. Though, this one leans heavy on capitalism. Affiliated links aside, while I don’t participate in the shopping itself, I enjoy learning about the sales (that I will never buy) and the styling tips (that I may practice). And of course, the discourse on Phobe Philo’s launch which I am fatigued. It wouldn’t be a fashion newsletter if it didn’t write about PP.
EMBEDDED - As someone who is not online, but is online, this newsletter keeps me young and informed about what is going on, online. Like this one: Gen Z loves the newspaper (on TikTok).
STUPIDER THAN BEFORE - It’s the elusive Embedded, but stupider. It’s quick hits of dumb things on the internet that wishes I stayed longer on Twitter and glad I didn’t stay any longer.
THE SOCIOLOGY OF BUSINESS - I’m new to this newsletter but everything so far has been promising. Again, it’s generally about fashion through a socio-economic lens. Hot read: What’s a Creative Director for, Anyway?
GAYLETTER - I have followed their original newsletter from back in the early aughts (that’s right, the 2010’s era). A newsletter about parties and events happening in NYC. Then they came out with a magazine which I did not buy, but thought it was a great antidote to the other terrible gay magazines out there. And their Substack is an add on to their original newsletter and magazine. Subscribe if you want to know what’s going on with gay culture, etc.
HUNG UP - I want to say that I don’t care about celebrities, but Hunter Harris really makes you believe in the cause even if it’s about Gigi Hadid’s and Leo DiCaprio’s dating timeline. Like what’s their status now? Oh, have we moved on to Zoë Kravitz’s and Channing Tatum’s engagement??? I won’t research any of this at my own accord, however if this is on Harris’s agenda then we should all submit. Waiting for a Selling Sunset recap. Like, now.
I just discovered while writing this week’s newsletter about John’s Music Blog who dedicated a whole post to The Row’s Spotify playlist. Did you know there was a playlist??? So many questions: who is curating this playlist? Mary-Kate? Ashley? Mary-Kate and Ashley? What do you recommend people listen to while waiting in line for the sample sale? What is the vibe? Where do you get your inspo? Do you recommend holding a machete and vibing?
Honorary mentions to my people who also have Substack but to my dismay they don’t have a consistent content schedule. (NO SHORTCUTS). Ephemeral or Something. The Chismosa. Official Record.
I am looking for recs! I don’t really subscribe to any Substacks related to music, design, film, politics, TV and food. That’s my wheelhouse of interests + above. Where are they??? Send recs in the comments!
Perry
I watched the trailer for the new Mean Girls movie yesterday so you don’t have to. It looks really, really bad. Kind of embarrassed actually. I don’t even think I would hate watch it.
@jonathan_collins comments: For those of you who don’t know, this is not a remake of the original movie. Rather, it is an adaptation of the broadway musical based on the original 2004 movie
This is giving JACOBS BY MARC JACOBS FOR MARC BY MARC JACOBS IN COLLABORATION WITH MARC JACOBS FOR MARC BY MARC JACOBS.
Just found your Substack yesterday and have been reading through the back issues (back issues?). Thanks for all the interesting links, recs, and thoughts! Also, the blue coat was the right choice.
goated list & immediately subscribing to the newsletters i’m not already subscribed to 🤝 and ty for the shoutout, that is so sweet and a good reminder to actually maybe post again lol