New York Magazine Substack

Today, a service-y, anti-funk guide to body scents, a new smoothie restaurant, and the wedding of an important historical figure. SCENTS Do it for your fellow commuters, if not yourself. The sky is orange, and the temperature is in the 90s. You and I are both covered in a thin film of sweat at all times — it’s unavoidable. Smelling bad, however, is optional. The first step is to understand the science of B.O., per Strategist senior editor Crystal Martin.

Even I, a true fan, learned so much from this Madonna syllabus. Also, let’s ban changing the clocks and allow NYC teens to get summer jobs. POP GIRLIES “Please, someone, teach me something I don’t already know.” Photo: James Devaney/GC Images Have you heard the good news about our lord and savior Madonna? It has recently come to my attention that some younger millennials and Gen-Z people didn’t grow up with Madonna in the air and in the water the way people my age (44 and up) did.

What’s everyone talking about right now besides cyclosporiasis? Plus a young real-estate agent and some bad news about live-action remakes since, uh, more are coming. THE DISCOURSE Here’s what we’re chatting about around the hopefully untainted watercooler. Photo: Bing Guan / Bloomberg via Getty Images/Bloomberg via Getty Images Every so often, I like to check in with my colleagues and my various feeds to see what’s top of mind at this exact moment in time.

We come out in defense of standing in line for fro-yo. Rihanna performed for the first time in three years last night. Also: Reading about sex can reignite your libido, if you let it! SCENESTERS Talking to Brock Colyar about investigative reporting on line culture. This week’s cover story is New York Magazine New York Magazine–ing harder than it has ever New York Magazine’d before (complimentary): a 3,600-word article about where, how, and why people seem to love standing in lines nowadays.

A magnificent ship full of gay men and Patti LuPone. A Little House for our times. And a controversial makeup trend that is, at least, free. ONLINE THINGS Tales from the strangest ports of call on the internet. Every week, Becca Schuh harvests tweets for us. This week, we boarded a gay cruise with a Broadway legend, got on the horn with Mitch McConnell, and heard from Aunt Lena. Patti LuPone had a poetic response to a gay cruise not being let into Turkey.

Rising politician Eon Huntley is just like us, except better dressed. Some hard truths about assisted reproductive technology. Zhuzh up your bathroom. POLITICS I talked about working retail and affording Bed–Stuy with my district’s representative. A few weeks ago, I was delighted to cast a vote in the primary election for Eon Huntley for Assembly District 56.

Who’s the Madonna of 2026? Turns out: Madonna. America experiences ritual humiliation via soccer game. A spirited defense of getting married at MSG. POP GIRLIES Get into the groove, then get out the tissues. Craig Jenkins agrees with me and all the strict old gays: Madonna’s new album is good. And it’s not just danceable; it’s also deep. Calling in all of us who have ever described ourselves as “not religious but definitely, like, spiritual”: remember how Ray of Light made you feel? This is like that.

We’re recovering from Taylor Swift’s wedding. Also, a literary take on the World Cup, and a new hot person to become obsessed with. TAYVIS WEDDING Fran Hoepfner spent the weekend hanging out near MSG, and lived to tell. The thing about Taylor Swift’s MSG wedding is: You have to care about it.

Happy early birthday, America! To celebrate, here are some X posts, a horny new novel, and shirt advice for men. ONLINE THINGS Here are the tweets that made us say “Okay, sure” this week. Every week, we check in with Becca Schuh to see what’s happening on her timeline. This week, as we know, Pride went out with a bang and July began with a series of whimpers. Also, I don’t know if you’ve heard anything about this, but Taylor Swift is getting married.

In Silicon Valley, there’s a new bot farmer in town. You can now use an app to monitor your poop. But at least we’ve found the perfect summer sandal. ONLINE THINGS Venture-backed bot farms aren’t just for China and Russia anymore. Photo: Courtesy of the subjects Meet a new nightmare person: 21-year-old Doublespeed founder Zuhair Lakhani, whose business is generating AI personae to promote your product on X and TikTok.