Ra's Roundup #41

Thee Optimized Woman and The Return of Guerrilla Marketing

A look back

On May 1st, 2024 I posted a newsletter #28 to substack with the subtitle, “Presidents, Gangstas and Thugs”. I kicked it off by celebrating 3,000 plays on an Explorations episode that focuses on Sade’s “Soldier of Love”. This video is now at more than 50,000 plays and remains to be one of my most viral works. I’ve been unable to duplicate this response in any of my other videos, is it simply the power of Sade?

Newsletter #28 also included the drop of two new songs Lowlands and Party Upstairs. “Lowlands” is about the criminals and crooks in government and the entertainment industry. The song begins with the chorus which goes:

“Everywhere I look there’s a monster

Presidents, gangstas and thugs

They got money money money money

Coming out the boards of the floors

I bet I’d look a little better

If I was dripping down to my draws

I want money money money money

Hiding underneath my mattress

I been stacking, I been saving for a come up

I see who they take serious

Those with money money money money

& Flashy in front of the cameras”

Revisiting this song today, as the U.S President is wreaking havoc across the globe, it couldn’t be more fitting. And I am still trying to save my money, money, money, money, money.

Anyway, enough looking back let’s get into this month’s roundup

Editor’s Note

Transcription:

I’ve taken note of the newest trend to surface “optimization”. Trend reporters are reporting on this and I have just started reading an essay on this topic. Optimization is the overwhelming desire to work towards peak health and wellness; going to extremes to calculate and coordinate your health repertoire. This could mean anything from monitoring all body functions on your Apple Watch to syncing your workout schedule to your menstrual cycle or multitasking by running while pushing a baby carriage. I think this term describes a lot of men and women 35 and older, a lot of the science may be new but to optimize is to try supplements that support longevity or anti-aging. I’ve most recently become super curious about a comment that shared they still take pre-natal vitamins well after pregnancy and that women who aren’t pregnant should take them.

Prenatals are multivitamins meant to support a pregnant woman and child in the womb. I had never heard of anyone taking them outside of pregnancy reasons; I’m still curious about it but I’m also a bit skeptical because the goal is to defy signs of aging.

Because of the cost and time it takes for optimized maintenance it is considered to be a luxury but, is it a scam?

Are we being initiated into a cult of only fit & hot people? Or are we becoming smarter about health and living longer by managing washboard abs and avoiding wrinkles. The idea is to be strong, to be beautiful, ageless and wealthy.

I definitely optimized my hair care; over the past year I used primarily Cecred (from Beyoncé Knowles award winning hair care line) Hydrating Shampoo and Rahua Classic Conditioner. These products are each only 8 fluid ounces and more than $30, far more expensive than the value products I was avoiding. I recently opted out of paying so much for hair care and sought out shampoos and conditioners that specifically were made with mango butter as an ingredient. I ultimately came across Raw Sugar, a California based vegan hair company. But this search for mango butter in my shampoo and conditioner was like this very niche hunt all for the care of my hair. This is the type of research that takes up time and adds to the luxury of optimization.

Wellness and Optimization are parts of a developing social hierarchy. If cleanliness is next to godliness then optimal wellness makes you a God yourself. It’s the discipline to stay on diet, going to the extreme, and measuring or calorie counting your foods. It’s the time available to hit the gym, and the bank balance for supplements and workout gear.

It’s not surprising that Gen x and Millennials are into optimization. They were brought up on film & pop stars who flashed more skin than ever before making positive body image of key importance. Tao Bo and Pilates were taught in my gym classes in high school. So today, it’s not surprising that these same cohorts are still thinking skinny thoughts.

I am a little more shook at gen z and gen alphas interest in beauty and fitness. A birthday party at Sephora isn’t what I would have asked for as a high school freshman but I’ve heard rumors that Gen z and Gen Alphas are opting for wellness by way of salicylic acid pimple patches and packets of face masks for glass skin.

So is seeking wellness second nature to us, and does this make us vulnerable and at the mercy of companies marketing to our every wellness whim?

Well yes, of course but we also have the opportunity to build new wellness intelligence, to know the difference between children’s slime and flax seed gel (which is nicknamed slime). It’s also an opportunity to honor the aging process instead of aiming to age without aging on the outside.

Articles and Intel

1. “The Guerrilla Marketing Campaign Against Elon Musk

   As Tesla’s profits drop, a group called Everyone Hates Elon is going viral for plastering London with fake advertisements for the company, infiltrating a car showroom, and inviting the public to trash a Model S.”

   Are we done with DOGE yet? Are we done with Elon Musk? I heard rumors about him deciding to pull back his involvement with DOGE as he now wants to focus on Tesla (which is faltering) and regaining his public image. I have always been a fan of guerrilla marketing, some of the ad campaigns by the Black Panther Party are among the first guerrilla marketing I was introduced to at 14 while I was researching them for a history report. The tactic is widely used today as it has been for ages to counter the government or people in positions of power.

2. Why do AI company logos look like buttholes? “If you pay attention to AI company branding, you'll notice a pattern:

   1. Circular shape (often with a gradient)

   2. Central opening or focal point

   3. Radiating elements from the center

   4. Soft, organic curves

   Sound familiar? It should, because it's also an apt description of... well, you know.

   A butthole.”

3. New PBS documentary explores funk music’s revolutionary roots ––you can watch the first episode of the doc at the end of the article. I watched part of it and learned so much about music history as it related to the birth of funk. It was made with the intent to be more real and honest instead of trying to polish up for white folk like Mo-Town was popular for.

4. “Fashion’s Reset: What Tariffs Are Forcing Us to Finally Fix

   Collapsing margins and surging inventory costs are more than a crisis: they’re an opportunity to rebuild our broken fashion system, argues Lawrence Lenihan.”

Image Bank

Happy Easter to those who celebrated!

Sound Bank

I met Kipp Stone in Cleveland Ohio back in 2011 or sumn, great soul and incredible rapper, loved this freestyle.

Pink Panthers interpolated the verse of the song “Freak Like Me” by Adina Howard and I thought it was genius. This is her version lyrically of American Boy by Estelle.

This song came into my head and I had to use my super memory power to hunt it down. I’ve been having more musical flashbacks as of late.

I have been on the hunt for more women in music and my sister put me on to Ray Lozano.

I was scrolling through an ESPN playlist and found Samara Cyn.

Closing Statement:

my favorite parts of this month’s newsletter are the Editor’s Audio Note and the article about Guerrilla Marketing. The first song in the audio note was produced by me and followed by “Amigos” by Sam T and “29” by Snares

I enjoy producing original music, curated mixes and original programming if you need that sort of thing, (input, inquiry or collab) please do let me know.

It’s a pleasure to have the time to write to ya’ll. Have a great month of May!

Big Love

Andra “Ra” Lee