This week on The Deep Dive: The athleisure industry wants us to think that millennials killed wool too, TikTok’s fugitive is hiding something, the many contradictions of cheerleader representation in media, once upon a time Harvard had a 90 percent acceptance rate, and a look back at the actual most dramatic season of The Bachelor franchise yet.

And if you want more, upgrade to The Rabbit Hole! This week on the podcast, I talked about last week’s video essays (including the video you all clicked on the least but was low-key one of my favorites), the rise and potential fall of Coachella, and my layoff story, for anyone who feels like commiserating with me.

As always, don’t forget to catch up on The Deep Dive’s YouTube playlist and shop The Deep Dive merch here! 🐰

FASHION

Athleisure: Destroying Fashion & the Environment 🫠 by Abby Cox (30:45)

With a solid decade of modern athleisure trends under our belts, it’s about time we take a look back at its impact on the environment and fashion. In this video, Abby Cox throws it all the way back to the roots of athleisure in the early 20th century, to its early widespread popularity in the 1970s, and the yoga pants revolution of the 2000s. The bad news is that the stuff today’s athleisure is made of is pretty detrimental to the environment, as you probably could have guessed. But before you jump to the conclusion that activewear can only be made of synthetic materials, naturally waterproof and temperature-regulating wool is probably just as good, if not better, than a lot of them. Another problem with athleisure? It’s not all that interesting to look at when you really think about it.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Why the FBI Wants This TikToker by CHUPPL (43:25)

A man falsely accused by the FBI of kidnapping his own child has no choice but to live in and is unable to leave the island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis while his health rapidly deteriorates with little to no access to treatment – sounds like a compelling story, right? About 200,000 of Chad Hower’s TikTok followers would agree with you, and many of them have dedicated hours to helping him get out of this impossible situation. But what if that’s exactly what Chad’s situation is? Impossible. In this video, CHUPPL gets to the bottom of the notorious TikTok fugitive’s story through a tangled web of lies, conspiracy theories, and the very boring intricacies of federal and international law.

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