Pantone chose ‘cloud dancer’ as colour of the year for 2026 - a shade of white. Most people are buying greyscale cars and neutrals have never been more in. In 2026, the 'new ugly aesthetic' suggests that vibrant colour and garish design is a rebellion. So what are the origins of minimalism? Spoiler alert: it’s fascist...

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00:00 everything feels grey

06:43 colour is political

16:42 minimalism is… racist? 

23:07 the new ugly aesthetic

25:37 why Trump hates brutalism

33:26 Pantone’s white is tone-deaf

Grab a tea, grab a coffee this ones a chill one to listen to as you clean, commute, shower etc etc. Thank you so much to all your responses, follow on Instagram (@fromthedivingboard) to contribute to next month's episode. And a hugeeee thank you to the wonderful Peggy for joining! Find Peggy on Instagram: @_peggyrose

⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊✩°｡⋆˚⁺⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊✩°｡⋆˚⁺⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊✩°｡⋆˚⁺⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊✩°｡⋆˚⁺business enquiries only: [email protected]

socials!

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timestamps:

00:00 the adaptation

05:42 “the greatest love story”

11:58 the red latex of it all

15:40 rage bait, elitism & literacy⁺

˚⋆｡°✩₊✩°｡⋆˚⁺⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊✩°｡⋆˚⁺⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊✩°｡⋆˚⁺⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊✩°｡⋆˚⁺business enquiries only: [email protected]

Designed to go viral with a focus on intensity and ambition, Hyrox reflects everything that Gen Z craves right now: self-optimisation, a cult like community and extreme discipline. But... why? What is it about pushing ourselves that is so enticing to us? And what if our desire to self-optimise wasn't entirely our own, but influenced by decisions politicians made 40 years ago...

⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊✩°｡⋆˚⁺⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊✩°｡⋆˚⁺⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊✩°｡⋆˚⁺⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊✩°｡⋆˚⁺
Music: Joe Silver

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Everyone's talking about going analog, but are we ready to make the jump? Even if we are - how do we get there? In this episode we unpack where this trend came from, the rise in AI slop, the lack of ownership that we have over media when it's digitised, and whether we can ever really escape social media algorithms even if we do decide to log off... Let's dive in!

Outfit from @coldwashonly_

Get involved by sending a submission to @fromthedivingboard on Instagram - keep an eye out for Change My Mind prompts!

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00:00 intro

03:07 the situation

08:42 we've all got the ick11:38 we don't own anything

18:46 is this all performative?

As us Aussies (& southern hemisphere friends) enter the Summer, I thought it might be a good time to reshare this episode on suntanning. We know suntanning is bad for our health, but why do we even want to tan our skin in the first place? Let's unpack where the trend comes from, and its links with race, class and health.

Thanks so much for tuning in! See you next fortnight with a brand new episode! xx

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TikTok: @charlichatss

What are we locking in for? Unpacking the 'religion' of self-optimisation culture & locking-in as an aesthetic as we approach the new year. How to avoid burn-out & stay ambitious without having to set new year's resolutions that make us feel worthless... let's talk about it!

& THANK YOU for all of the love this year!!! I truly am beyond grateful for your support. Make sure to follow the podcast to keep up with any new uploads! Bring on 2026 xxx

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TikTok: @charlichatss

00:00 intro

01:18 thank you!

05:05 the December of it all

06:54 The Great Lock In of 2025

18:38 new year, new me

23:20 a better way to make resolutions

28:12 my burnout experience

Earlier this year, Avi Schiffman’s poster campaign for his brand Friend—an AI-pendant promising to “listen, respond, and support you”—was vandalised almost as soon as it hit New York’s subway walls. Yet while critics mocked the idea of an artificial ‘friend,’ Schiffman smiled; the backlash was part of the plan. In this video, we unpack the loneliness epidemic, what friendship looks like under neoliberalism, and why AI companionship is becoming appealing in a world that worships convenience and rejects friction.

Follow along on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠Tiktok⁠⁠ <3

Source list found on YouTube.

Business enquiries only: [email protected]

timestamps:

00:00 intro04:00 loneliness & the internet10:34 anti-social media17:22 frictionless friendship22:05 is it all just rage bait?29:30 our conflict avoidance crisis

A few weeks ago, British Vogue did the impossible - she broke the internet with long form content. The article was called ‘Is having a boyfriend embarrassing now?’ and everyone had something to say about it. Today we’re unpacking the theme of ‘decentering men’ from a slightly different angle - is it men we should blame, or systems of patriarchy & capitalism (& can it be both?)

Huge thank you to Chanté Joseph for starting this incredible conversation!

Follow along on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠Tiktok⁠ <3

Source list found on YouTube.

Business enquiries only: [email protected]

timestamps:

00:00 intro

01:45 is it embarrassing to have a boyfriend now?

11:35 the vacuum of it all

27:05 ‘single’ as an aesthetic

33:37 echo chamber mentality

thank you for watching!! xx

Follow along on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & Tiktok <3

Source list found on YouTube.

Business enquiries only: [email protected]

timestamps:

00:00 intro

04:16 Bali, the Paradise Myth & moral absolutism

15:40 influencers in Afghanistan

21:48 ‘self discovery’ through tourism

26:40 do travel boycotts work?

33:50 final thoughts