‘Rich-Mom Energy’: The TikTok trend that doesn’t need kids

What to watch, read, drink and buy: get ready for the weekend with these great diversions.

SPOTLIGHT / Vive la (soft) revolution!

Celebrities including Gisele Bündchen and Amal Clooney are part of the “Rich-Mom Energy” club.Credit: Getty Images

Just when you thought you’d escaped the immense gravitational pull of the Gwyneth Paltrow-inspired Quiet Luxury craze (39 billion TikTok views and counting), there’s yet another fashion trend on the horizon. It’s called Rich-Mom Energy (note the “o”) and, in the past few months, everyone from Gisele Bündchen to Amal Clooney has been (discreetly) parading their RME credentials.

RME involves lots of white, brown and beige; lots of cashmere, silk and linen; and lots of unbranded but wildly expensive accessories. So far, so QL. But then RME ventures into new territory: jumbo water bottles (“I might die of thirst waiting at pick-up in my Tesla wagon”), wraparound watches (“Don’t forget the meeting to donate a new library wing”), slip-on shoes (so school sports, by which I mean polo) and unbound hair (“Yes, I can afford a daily blow-dry”). Oh – and not a child in sight.

Just how important is this trend?

Well, this month on the New Words blog, lexicographers are asking whether “Rich-Mom Energy” should be added to the Cambridge Dictionary. So far, 30 per cent of readers say definitely not, 27 per cent say yes and most – 43 per cent – say let’s wait and see (which possibly translates to “Let’s vote on something worthwhile”).

Meanwhile, yet another permutation is already with us: blandstanding. And what is this? As the UK’s Evening Standard newspaper puts it: “A self-assured appreciation of the familiar, the quotidian, the (maybe just a little bit) boring.” Take that, Gisele! Liven things up: wear a colour and bring a kid! Amanda Hooton

WATCH / Family jewel

Hugo Weaving and Heather Mitchell in Love Me.Credit: Binge

Want to tune in to a show that features a cast of authentic characters doing their best to get by in a messy world? Season two of Aussie drama Love Me (Binge) is every bit as compelling as its award-wreathed predecessor, which follows the lives of the Mathieson family – dad Glen (Hugo Weaving), 30-something daughter Clara (Bojana Novakovic) and her younger brother Aaron (William Lodder) – as they recover from the loss of matriarch Christine.

Set and shot in Melbourne, S2 includes incoming heavyweights Eryn Jean Norvill (The Picture of Dorian Gray) and Nicole da Silva (Wentworth), plus the perennially magical pairing of Weaving and Heather Mitchell as his free-spirited new love interest, Anita (pictured). We can’t remember the last time we were so invested in a drama that we were screaming at the TV. But here’s the thing: the Mathieson family is our family and we love and are frustrated by them in equal measure. Put the kettle on and pull up a chair. Sharon Bradley

READ / Men behaving badly

The Wager, by David Grann.

Remember reading William Golding’s Lord of the Flies at school and being shocked by the level of depravity sunk to by a group of schoolboys stranded on an uninhabited island? Welcome to the grown-up version in The Wager, by best-selling American writer David Grann (Simon & Schuster, $35). It’s the true story of a British warship, The Wager, wrecked off the coast of Chile in 1741, leaving 250 men marooned on a desolate island to battle starvation, foul weather – and each other. As they resort, out of desperation, to murder, mutiny and cannibalism, Grann’s book (like Golding’s), asks, “What would you have done?” Enthralling. Nicole Abadee

WEAR / Bird in the hand

Oroton’s “Grace” bag.

Fashion’s feather fixation has spread its wings to jackets and coat trims, but if you lack pluck, start with a more grounded accessory. Enduring Australian label Oroton is tickling wrists with its feathered “Grace” bag ($449) in Tweety Bird citrine, crow black and faded flamingo-peach. It won’t carry your laptop, of course, but will easily accommodate your lipstick, keys and phone for an evening event that warrants a flamboyant touch. It even comes with spare feathers to ensure impromptu shedding doesn’t leave you feeling ruffled. Damien Woolnough

SHOP / Breathe easy

Etto “Forest Lungs” Steam Inhalers.

Gear up for flu and cold season with Etto “Forest Lungs” Steam Inhalers ($38 for set of five). Crafted from pure, Australian-grown blue mallee eucalyptus oil, these potent inhalers offer a natural solution to nasal congestion. Just dissolve one in hot water, cover your head with a towel and breathe in the invigorating steam. Ideal after air travel or exposure to a crowded, low-humidity environment. Frances Mocnik

PLAY / Now, voyager

La Prairie’s Art of Beauty Lounge at Sydney International Airport.

Fancy a pre-flight facial? With the opening of the La Prairie Art of Beauty Lounge airside at Sydney International Airport, you can now escape travel stresses by slipping into a private oasis of pampering. As you lie cocooned in a private, luxury “pod”, your skin will be assessed by professional consultants and prepared for changes in light, temperature, oxygen levels and time zones using signature treatments that combine a deep cleansing facial with luxurious La Prairie products (from $270). Appointments are available to all travellers and can be booked online. Frances Mocnik

To read more from Good Weekend magazine, visit our page at The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and Brisbane Times.