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VIRAL NEWS: GWYNETH PALTROW, 365 DAYS OF BEING A GIRL, & DEFINING "WOKE"

A peek into the topics buzzing at Cassandra

Friday comes again, and just like you can count on Taylor Swift to surprise her fans with new, always relevant, music in tandem with a major moment in her career, you can count on us for our weekly recap of the most viral news of the last seven days. Culture moves fast, and we at Cassandra try to move even faster to keep up with all the topics creating conversations in the online world of Gen Z's social media. Grab a Guinness or a Shamrock Shake on this St. Patrick’s Day and enjoy as we discuss an interview gone wrong, the backlash Gwyneth Paltrow faces for her dietary practices, and the celebration of a year of changes for a big TikTok influencer—all this and more in today's edition of viral news.

Image of the text "woke" in quotes on a navy background

DEFINING "WOKE"

Bethany Mandel, a conservative author and commentator, was interviewed by The Hill's online show Rising, where she was asked to define the term "woke." She struggled to provide a clear definition, ultimately admitting that the term was difficult to pin down and had different meanings depending on the context. Briahna Joy Gray —the interviewer— pressed her to elaborate on why she and other conservatives were so critical of "wokeness," but Mandel struggled to provide a coherent answer to that as well. The clip became viral on TikTok and Twitter with discussions on how Mandel's inability to define "woke" highlights the challenges conservatives face in articulating their opposition to progressive ideas and social movements.

Image of someone pouring a green juice from a bottle to a glass with cut apples, a sliced cucumber, and greens surrounding

GWYNETH PALTROW AND DIET CULTURE

Actress, nepo-baby, and wellness guru Gwyneth Paltrow shared her daily wellness routine in an interview with the podcast "The Art of Being Well." The response has been very negative. Paltrow is drawing criticism for promoting diet culture and unrealistic expectations for women. The routine includes various expensive and time-consuming activities, such as infrared saunas, vitamin IV drips, and paleo-driven diets. However, the fact that she admitted to having coffee for meals and bone broth for lunch brought the most backlash, with critics accusing Paltrow of promoting restrictive eating habits and perpetuating harmful stereotypes about food, weight, and "detoxing." TikTok is having a field day pointing out the irony of Paltrow's claims to promote "wellness" while perpetuating the diet industry and unrealistic beauty standards, commenters naming her "The Ultimate Almond Mom."

Image of a person holding a trans LGBTQ+ flag

365 DAYS OF BEING A GIRL

The TikTok 23-year-old superstar and creator of the "Days of Girlhood" series, Dylan Mulvaney, recently celebrated her one-year anniversary of girlhood by putting together a live cabaret show in the legendary Rainbow Room in NYC, marking the anniversary of the day she began living as a woman full-time. The event was filled with music, comedy, earnest conversation, TikTok personalities, and even a special cameo by the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel herself, Rachel Brosnahan. Mulvaney has been documenting her transition on social media, which has made her a role model for other transgender people and an advocate for trans visibility and acceptance. Despite facing harassment and transphobia from trolls, Mulvaney remains committed to sharing her story and fighting for the rights of transgender individuals. The show raised funds for The Trevor Project, which focuses on helping LGBTQ+ youth's mental health. The event was so successful that the site selling digital access to the live stream temporarily crashed only hours before the event due to high traffic. Take that, haters!