NYC marathon, a K-shaped economy, and Halloweekend recap

Congrats to the NYC marathon runners! Today we’re getting into some economic updates, a new trend for obesity in America, and some autumn inbox cleaning inspo. Let’s go.

Move aside NYFW, the New York marathon is here

Huge congrats to anyone who ran the NYC marathon! You are incredible, I could never! Intriguing new marathon trend: activewear brands are investing more than ever in IRL activations to increase their brand awareness. All the brands you know (Adidas, Nike, Lululemon) and many you don’t led group runs ahead of the marathon, and many gave out free swag. This is largely because marathons are great for activewear sales: last year, Harry Styles ran a marathon in a pair of Tracksmith shorts (under the pseudonym Sted Sarandos, lol), which caused those shorts to immediately jump in sales by 50%.

The economy is basically split down the middle

Consumer data shows that affluent spenders are doing really well — maybe even better than ever — while the bottom half of consumers are struggling especially. A few details: Delta sold more value in premium seats than coach seats for the last two quarters; the cost of a new car passed $50k for the first time ever in September; and Coca-Cola is selling more volume in its premium brands (like Topo Chico) than its less-expensive products, like Coke.

Semaglutides are up, and obesity is down

In the US, obesity rates have been steadily rising for years — but since 2022, we’ve seen a drop from 40% (which was a record high) to 37%, likely due to the use of GLP-1s. More women are taking the drug than men, and despite tons of buzz about celebrities in their twenties and thirties taking the drug, it’s actually most commonly consumed by 50-64-year-olds. The market share of the popular drug is expected to reach a whopping $150 billion by 2030.

I stayed local for Halloween, and despite (or maybe because of) the fact that I wear wigs and costumes MOST DAYS, I kept it pretty simple! I was a very low-effort spy (basically…wore black + glasses). We spent the weekend bopping around SF and consuming candy. I will be back in my costumes and wigs at some point this week, obviously!!!

I’m late to the barrel jeans trend, but now that I’m here, I’m going nowhere. Fall is here (unless you live literally anywhere but SF, in which case, it’s winter), and I’m bundling up! Barrel jeans are basically office-appropriate sweats, and I regret taking this long to learn of their wonders. I linked a few options in a couple of washes!

Everyone loves a spring clean, but early November is perfect for a digital clean, especially before you start holiday shopping and getting subscribed to a thousand and five new mailing lists (ugh). Highly recommend sorting your email by “unread” or “sender” and mass-unsubscribing from the brands that guilt you into buying a new coat every 48 hours. If you’re an in-person worker, inbox cleanup honestly looks like work…and you can definitely do it during your workday without anyone noticing (don’t tell anyone I gave you that advice). Clear inbox = clear head for the end-of-year (shopping) sprint.

Thanks for reading!