"No Gatekeeping..." #15
Brand identities are being rewritten in real time by new Popes, Birkenstock-loving Ballers and brash influencers-turned global ambassadors!
Chicago's vernacular infiltrates global Catholicism through Pope Leo XIV
Footballer Reiss Nelson blurs the athlete/artist boundary with Birkenstock
IShowSpeed's China tour creates cultural exchange where diplomacy failed
What links them?
A fresh form of cultural power emerges when people refuse to simplify their identities to fit institutional boxes.
Holy Chicago: When Local Identity Becomes Global Currency
The election of Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff and a Chicago native, has transformed parochial pride into unexpected cultural currency. Within hours of the white smoke, Chicago's distinctive vernacular infiltrated global religious discourse—late-night hosts quipped about "deep-dish communion wafers," Colbert led "Pope-S-A" chants in a thick Chicago accent, and The Onion's "Conclave Selects First Chicago-Style Pope" headline captured the moment perfectly.
The phenomenon runs deeper than memes. Chicago's Catholic landscape is experiencing tangible renewal—parishes facing closure have seen attendance surge, and there's growing momentum for landmark sites from the pope's early life in Dolton.
I'm fascinated by this collision, where debates about ketchup on hot dogs somehow intertwine with papal infallibility.
“Everything dope, including the Pope, comes from Chicago.”
Sources: Buzzfeed, Associated Press, The Wrap
Beyond the Collab: Why Reiss Nelson x Birkenstock Works
Yet something different is happening here. Nelson wasn't just handed a pre-designed campaign to front—he shot it himself. The visuals centre on duality, reflecting his parallel existence as an athlete with a distinctive personal aesthetic miles from the sanitised and creative agency-produced looks we've grown numb to.
A creative lead at END. admitted taking a risk: "We saw his photography portfolio and realised he had a genuine visual perspective." That gamble paid off. The imagery has a lived-in quality because it stems from Nelson's creative practice rather than a marketing department's imagination.
The collaboration works because it acknowledges a messy truth—that identity isn't as neatly boxed as marketing categories suggest. Nelson isn't an athlete pretending to be a creative; he's both simultaneously. At a moment when consumers have developed highly tuned bullshit detectors, this partnership suggests actual creative control might be more valuable than celebrity itself.
Sources: End Clothing.com, Versus UK, PauseMag
Accidental Ambassador: How I Show Speed Dismantles Geopolitical Narratives
A couple of months ago, IShowSpeed accomplished what armies of diplomats have failed to do: create meaningful cultural exchange between Western and Chinese audiences during intense geopolitical tension.
Speed—known for chaotic energy and unpredictable antics—has been touring Chinese cities, creating simultaneously ridiculous and revelatory content. In one moment, he's screaming with excitement on the Great Wall; in another, he's awkwardly attempting chopsticks while locals laugh and coach him. None of it feels calculated, which is why it works!
What strikes me is how his unfiltered approach strips away the frameworks we use to understand China. He's neither advancing Western human rights critiques nor parroting state-approved narratives. Instead, he's simply experiencing China as a place with incredible architecture, delicious food, and regular people. His 37 million followers aren't watching geopolitical analysis; they're witnessing human connection in real time.
A Beijing university student I messaged put it perfectly: "We're used to seeing ourselves through political lenses in Western media. Speed sees us as people who might beat him at ping pong or teach him calligraphy."
Sources: Global Times, South China Morning Post,
The Thread That Connects It All
These three cultural moments reveal a profound shift in how authority operates today. Pope Leo XIV isn't just "the Pope who happens to be from Chicago"—his Chicago-ness has become inseparable from his papal identity. Nelson isn't merely moonlighting as a creative—he's redefining what athletic identity can encompass. And Speed isn't an American in China—he's creating a third space outside traditional national frameworks.
Our growing hunger for cultural figures who refuse easy categorisation fascinates me. In an era where institutional trust continues to erode, we're increasingly drawn to individuals who carry their authentic complexity into spaces where they "shouldn't" belong.
The traditional gatekeepers haven't disappeared, but they're being forced to accommodate these boundary-crossers who derive their power precisely from their refusal to simplify themselves. The most compelling cultural forces will be those that help us reimagine identity as inherently fluid rather than fixed, capable of creating unexpected bridges between worlds we once thought were separate.
#IdentityFluidity #CrossContextCulture #AuthenticComplexity #BoundaryDefiance #CulturalTranslation
Another well timed thought piece to help the week's creativity. Thanks Rob.