PARIS—In the Marais, a barista who normally sneers at anything more commercial than Serge Gainsbourg is humming “Livvy Dunne” to himself while foaming oat milk. In Lagos, a streetwear reseller is hawking knock-off LSU leotards to university freshmen who have never watched a full gymnastics meet. In Seoul, the subway ads for a vitamin drink…
Kayla Nicole, Globalized: How One Influencer’s Split Became a Multilateral Trade Dispute PARIS—It is a truth universally acknowledged that when two Americans quarrel on Instagram, the rest of the planet feels an immediate, involuntary urge to pick a side, monetize the fallout, and then pretend it was all a masterclass in soft-power diplomacy. Such is…
Bill Pulte and the Gospel of Twitter Altruism: How One American Heir Became the Global Patron Saint of 280-Character Generosity By Matteo “Max” Marconi, International Desk, Dave’s Locker It usually takes a papal conclave, a Nobel committee, or at least a moderately corrupt FIFA vote to anoint a new global philanthropist. Yet in 2024 the…
PARIS—While French farmers were dumping manure on the A7 to protest diesel taxes, and while Japanese teenagers queued for ramen-flavored Coca-Cola in Shibuya, a 23-year-old from New Jersey quietly became the G-7 summit of the algorithm age. Her name is Alix Earle, and if you don’t know it, congratulations: you still possess the ancient luxury…
Elizabeth Hurley at 59: How One Woman’s Bikini Selfies Became a Geopolitical Flashpoint By Our Correspondent, Somewhere over the Atlantic It began, as most modern crises do, with an Instagram grid. There, framed by the turquoise infinity-pool of a rented Cotswolds manor, Elizabeth Hurley—actress, swimsuit entrepreneur, and walking reminder that time is negotiable—posted another photograph…
