Parents are paying $4k for sorority coaches
If you raised a daughter who can’t get into a sorority without a consultant, you failed as a parent.
Good morning everyone. Some recommendations from my weekend: carrot cake from Monkey Bar, This American Life episode about The Florida Experiment (more for the DeSantis Heads later in the letter), these adorable little glasses for a friend’s bridal shower gift, Cha Cha Real Smooth, making lists, and the Union Square Farmer’s Market. I also needed to go to an ATM twice this week — once for cash only sushi in Soho, and one for the market. So I’m going to become a big cash girl now.
News:
New York Times Opinion is launching an official TikTok account. They reallyyyyy don’t need to do this, but it should be entertaining to see these columnists talking into their iPhones. It doesn’t come naturally to most people! Earlier this year, The Washington Post hired a social media coach for their journalists, and I wonder if the Times has a similar figure internally. The announcement on the Times site reads, “With several videos posted per week, users can engage with commentary about the way we live, the way we work, the way we parent; how outside forces — like emerging policies, A.I. and even Taylor Swift — are shaping our lives; and explore questions that might not even occur to us as we move through the world, like “what one piece of culture captures the true spirit of America?””
Period industry corner:
August—the direct-to-consumer period care brand whose co-founder Nadya Okamoto has made headlines for pushing back against the so-called “tampon tax”—has hired Diane Lewis as its first VP of marketing. Lewis most recently served as VP of marketing for DTC skincare brand Evereden. Before Evereden, she was the marketing director of the customizable DTC hair care company Prose. I really like when startups hire industry vets to get the show on the road.
Aunt Flow’s 26-Year-Old CEO Claire Coder works 70 hours a week — and enjoys it. Aunt Flow, a company that offers thousands of free period products in schools, airports, government buildings, sports arenas, and entertainment venues, among other places. The company has now raised just under $17 million from firms like CityRock and Harlem Capital Partners. The Cut did a nice Q+A with her.
Not period industry exactly but there is a DTC condom boom approaching. I would never attempt to go against the perfect golden-ticket packaging of magnums, but I guess you could try. While legacy players such as Trojan and Durex have dominated the male sexual wellness category for decades, new brands are banking on expanding notions of masculinity, product innovation and approachable storytelling to capture the male-identifying consumer. Hello Cake is a gender-neutral sexual wellness brand that happens to cater to male-identifying consumers. Approximately 65% of the brand’s customers are men.