#12 – James Bond and Rosalía: the debasement of society
James Bond, Rosalía, and the end of the rogue archetype. A reflection on how culture redefines freedom, sobriety, and real connection.
If James Bond hadn't died in his last movie with a teddy bear in his arms, we would surely have an even less rogue Daniel Craig in the next installment. Less of a womanizer, less of a drinker, more empathetic and responsible.
Bond isn't just any character. On one hand, he's a sign of the times, and on the other, a multimillion-dollar franchise. One way or another, James Bond can now only reflect what society demands. And even more so now that the heirs of creator Barbara Broccoli have sold the rights to Amazon (MGM), who will no doubt milk it to the max.
By the way, selling James Bond to Jeff Bezos, who could very well be a James Bond supervillain, has its own irony.
Just last week Denis Villeneuve, who will be the new director, started casting for the new James Bond, and actors who are less tough and with a masculinity, if you like, more deconstructed, are in the running.
Anyway, Rosalía isn’t the only pop star who talks about her celibacy. Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Lenny Kravitz, also talk about it openly.
But that's not all, you'll be surprised to see more and more youth gatherings in environments as sterile as “coffee parties,” “yoga raves,” or “sober bars.” Some of them even have redeeming names like “Virgin Mary” in Dublin, “The Gate Way” near Dublin, or simply “Redemption” in London.
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- https://thevirginmarybar.com/
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- https://www.redemptionbar.co.uk/
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- https://www.gatewayhotel.ie/
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Or the trend of going to bed early to make the most of the day among young people, in contrast to the night owl who stays out until 2AM to make the most of the day.
https://www.wsj.com/health/wellness/early-sleep-bedtime-6ecd1d67
I don't want to make a political reading of this trend, nor automatically link it to a return to conservative values. I don't think that's it. Or at least, not only that. What we see is that young people have redefined what they understand by freedom, shifting it towards what they can control and towards more authentic social connections.
For brands, the question isn’t how to sell sobriety as a luxury, as we see in some cases, but how to validate a choice that the new generations are already making. Those who understand it will build communities. Those who ignore it will simply buy ad presence that works less and less.
Well, sure, unless you’re a brand for Silvers who, even in their 60s, still have their inner rebel and still much prefer Daniel Craig before the teddy bear than a Yoga Rave at 8 in the morning.