Happy Divas Week to all who celebrate
Divas week, Limited Too needs to hire me, Napster, my AI digital twin 👸🏻
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! I have the energy of Fergie at her 2008 TODAY Show performance. *Whips out one-handed front handspring in 52 degree weather at 8:54am* Happy Spring, Happy Aries Season, and Happy Divas Week! The first two weeks of Aries Season not only include my birthday (4/2) but the birthday of many singers. True pantheon divas are denoted with crowns – Chaka, Aretha, Diana, Mariah, and Celine – as are those who have made an appearance on VH1 Divas specials: the aforementioned plus Fergie, Jessie J, Ledisi, and Jill Scott. You cannot deny the undeniable star power cosmically baked into this week. (Don’t even get me started on the astrology of this week in particular!)
Today’s letter:
• Why Limited Too needs to hire me
• Facebook is trying to make Facebook happen
• Napster is apparently worth $207 million
• H&M wants to use digital models instead of paying real ones
• My digital twin, her good, bad, and ugly outfits, and my thoughts on why [human] personal styling will always win [Paid subs only!]
It’s time to offer more to paid subscribers, because they’re my favorites!!!! Will be including some fun stuff behind the paywall, and will be giving paid subs the opportunity to claim their free copy of my forthcoming book of essays. (Soon!)
Also housekeeping note, I just realized that Substack does automatic footnotes. Wow. My life just got like 13% easier, and so did yours!!!!!
Nicstalgia is a reader-supported publication. Huge thank you to the people who go above and beyond to support my work: Janine, Marie, Liv, CY, Chet, and Jack! À la Jessica Simpson, I’m gonna love you forever 💐💐💐 If you enjoy Nicstalgia, please consider upgrading so I can continue writing the most fun newsletter about offbeat, obscure, and niche pop culture.
Like many Peak Millennials™, I was a true Limited Too kid in the 90s and early 00s. Core LTD2 memories include:
• LTD2’s in-store photo booth, from which I still have cheerleading-themed BEST FRIENDS stickers of my sister and me
• The matching red and navy striped polo shirts my sister, cousin, and I all wore on a pilgrimage to the Yankee Candle flagship
• My Grammy knowing the sales associates on a first-name basis
• The purple and green silk floral pajamas I wore when painting Halloween pumpkins from American Girl Magazine
• The orange v-neck t-shirt I randomly found in my parents’ basement in 2019 and wore to my corporate job LOL
I started a bit on IG about two months ago, where I posted on stories every day, “Day X of tagging LTD2 until they acknowledge my existence/hire me as brand director.” I made it to about a week, and they haven’t acknowledged my existence YET, but I was very honored to get so much support from my community. Like, the people are INVESTED in this storyline!!!! So I cannot and will not stop making my case. (Insert I will succeed because I am crazy meme with Lisa Frank dolphins here.)
Why me? I’m a longtime Limited Too researcher – even scholar, perhaps. Last year, I dove into the long-lost trademarked products from LTD2’s parent company’s beauty think tank, Gryphon, and lamented over not being able to find a picture anywhere on the internet of the blue hair mascara I had in second grade. (I still remember the smell of it!) I’ve mentioned Limited Too’s attempted comeback in this newsletter, before the whole IG bit, and by all standards, it’s not going well. Not to worry though, because I have a plan!
Target Market
LTD2 alienated their legacy audience by continuing to focus on tweens instead of its original customers, Peak Millennials™. The feedback on Instagram was directly, loudly, overwhelmingly negative.
Tweens’ parents are not the original LTD2 demo, so the brand comeback is not resonating with tweens nor their parents. Lose-lose situation.
It’d be fine if the brand solely focused on revitalizing the tween category, but because of what I like to call age inversion, tweens are not the marketable demo they were in the 90s/00s.1
In the appeal to parents, it’d also be fine if they made baby clothes for their now 30-40 year old demo. “Cute aggression” would be an amazing marketing tactic to deploy here, where parents literally can’t resist buying these clothes for their babies because they’d look so adorable!
Brand Identity
The original LTD2 brand was very strong: playful, maximalist, and sporty. Its aesthetic was the perfect blend of Groovival and Curly Girly (my and my sister’s favorites, respectively). It sparked joy and appealed to the early majority; it was on-trend and age appropriate without trying too hard.
If we were to comp original LTD2 with a contemporary aesthetic, it leans Blokette, not Coquette, and TikTok Preppy, not Preppy. Tweens know the nuance here and can tell when a brand look & feel is inauthentic and missing the mark.
Enough with the brand flattening, blandification, and Brandy Melvilification of everything. (Interesting play on words there…) If you put out pastel clothing that says “MONTAUK” and “PICKLEBALL” I am yawning! Don’t replicate boring stuff that already exists; make something that’s your own. Without even seeing the tag, I should be able to know it’s LTD2.
Positioning & Distribution
The physical retail store was a lifestyle experience and third space for tweens. Obviously the nature of retail, lifestyle branding, and third spaces have all drastically shifted in the past 25 years. So much is different on a functional level, but on an emotional level, the desire to experience a brand universe remains the same. LTD2’s marketing so far is nostalgia bait, and a lot of people aren’t biting. We know why we needed LTD2 then, but you can’t reel in customers without having a sense of why they need you now.
Limited Too is for the early majority, but it needs to tread carefully as to not slip into the late majority due to their partner in Kohl’s. If you’re trying to be for everyone, you end up being for no one. Related to the point above about MONTAUK and PICKLEBALL, there’s an inherent risk in being yourself and having a distinct, proud tone of voice. Right now, that’s not a risk LTD2 is willing to take, and it will cost them.
Being in Kohl’s makes sense from a logistical standpoint as to minimize their liabilities, but Kohl’s is also where anything cool goes to die. In 2025, even Costco has more cultural cachet than Kohl’s. This was a big mistake for Sephora, who immediately lost major market share to Ulta once its brand positioning was tarnished by its ubiquity inside of a decidedly down-market store.
Brand Presence
LTD2 and LTD 2.0 are mysterious, and not in a good way. Everything done on socials seems like an afterthought or a cautious response to infuriated customers.
An overwhelming amount of people in the comments section were asking why the brand did not ask Paige DeSorbo – a popular Bravolebrity and original Limited Too model – to be a part of the launch. I have the same question. She would be a perfect model or spokesperson!!2
The brand had a launch party in NYC invited few, if not zero, NYC-based, Millennial, nostalgia niche content creators. Huge miss! Their social reach would’ve been so much more efficient, and brand trust could’ve been much further cultivated, had there been local, niche creators on-site. The influencer agency they used had connections in the lifestyle space, sure, but they didn’t leverage the creators who specifically have an authentic interest in the brand and the exact skill to generate excitement around nostalgic legacy brands.
Original LTD2 did a ton of brand partnerships and licensing, combining forces with various toys, accessories, and entertainment companies. They even had their own compilation CD! Lizzie McGuire, O-Town, Dream Street, Play, SweeTARTS, Build-a-Bear, Tiger Electronics (HitClips!), Reebok, Myscene, Clikits by Lego…They all had a place at Limited Too! Would’ve been cool to team up with similarly-positioned non-apparel brands for the launch party. There are SO many companies this would’ve worked for – nostalgic makeup, tennis gear, preppy accessories, retro sunscreen, analog electronics, etc.
Product Assortment
I’m confused as to why they’re focusing on clothing at all tbh. They released a size chart that massively disappointed people because the main appeal seemed to be to adults who can still wear clothing from the kids’ section.
The only thing that tweens do seem to care about is makeup, so why aren’t they selling makeup? Limited Too’s parent company’s beauty think tank, Gryphon, once served as a product innovation hub. Now, LTD2 should drive their beauty presence forward with UGC and solidify its once-reputation as somewhere tween girls can play with makeup without trying to be grown-up.
If they do carry clothing, it should be more elevated for adults and not juvenile. Silk pajamas with custom embroidery, for example. Imagine if LTD2 thought of this for their attempted comeback in 2016? They could’ve absolutely dominated the entire bachelorette demo. Every single one of my peers who got married from 2015-2019 would’ve decked out their entire bridal party. Eberjey seized that opportunity instead. I talked to 2 moms recently who said they’d buy LTD2 for their 3-5 year olds immediately but wouldn’t wear the brand themselves.
Carrying accessories would resolve the complaints about size runs. Flower logo keychains, reusable cups, tote bags designed like vintage LTD2 shopping bags, “Too Bucks” coin purses, Polaroid-type cameras, compact mirrors, sticker sets, and candles are all shit Millennials would buy. Also most importantly, an inflatable chair, because why not? For tweens, Stoney Clover Lane and Dear Hannah Prep are good contemporary benchmarks – bright, fun, cute, and personalized.
The brand should be evolving with adult consumers’ lifestyles. Make fun homewares! Make surprising and delightful and funky decor! Rebel against the Millennial greys and Wayfair-ification of furniture, you can do it!
LTD2 can hire me to do any of these things:
Create a clear brand identity, aligning all aesthetic, creative, and visual elements with the brand’s market positioning, tone, style, and personality.
Evolve the brand’s positioning that rebuilds brand fidelity, integrity, and relevance for its target audience.
Design internal brand guides to ensure consistency in how brand identity and brand voice are represented to the customer.
Confidently present the brand’s POV through editorial content, either on Substack or directly on their website like in the 2000s.
Build an email list by promoting signups for exclusive content and first access to drops. Surprise and delight with a virtual or physical membership card. (I did not forget about 2 Bucks, Too Punch Tuesdays, or Wacky Wednesdays!)
Build relationships with the right influencers and creators that can seamlessly bake your product into their content.
DIG INTO THE ARCHIVES!!!!!! Design a coffee table book and rerelease lost content from the catazines. (Cannot stress how badly I want this and would pay for this.)
Start a YouTube channel where an adult makeup artist does tween-friendly looks using LTD2 beauty products.
Recreate the fun games from the website in the 2000s on Roblox, and create Limited Too-branded costumes for Roblox avatars.
Film a video series digging into the history of LTD2, important people in its history, and behind-the-scenes of the brand’s current revitalization. This answers the question, “Why now?” beyond just doing a nostalgia bait cash grab.
LTD2 needs a leader with a track record of predicting and writing about what’s next, with deep knowledge of the brand, its legacy, and its consumer, as well as hands-on experience in retail operations, marketing, communications, social media, and the Millennial nostalgia niche.
People at the helm of this brand need to know how to develop and drive new concepts, brand identity & personality, collaborative special projects, customer journeys, product storytelling, and retail expansion initiatives.
Revitalizing LTD2 requires excellent leadership presence and communication skills, with the ability to present ideas clearly, concisely, and effectively. They need to integrate innovation and commerciality, allowing for nostalgia to be the piece that makes – not breaks – the brand.
Thank u for coming to my TED Talk <3 Enjoy this clip from Limited Too’s “Win Your Wish” TV special on ABC Family, featuring Destiny’s Child and No Secrets.
I am obsessed with both obsolete electronics and emerging technology and their impact on human communication and connection. Tech happenings – from delightfully obsolete to futuristically dystopian – needed its own newsletter section this week. My challenge to you here is to be discerning and critical of news, especially around “AI”; there is really no limit to the slop that will come across your feed.3
Facebook is introducing a new Facebook Friends tab that will only showcase updates from friends, without any other recommended content. I try not to use Facebook for literally any reason, but I still find this to be good news. 2006-2007 was the best time to be on social media – Xanga, MySpace, and early YouTube and Facebook – and everyone knows it!!! However the companies make money is not my concern; social media needs to be cozy and fun again.
Napster is indeed still a thing. The company was just bought for $207 million by a 3D technology company called Infinite Reality.4 “Infinite Reality plans to create virtual 3D spaces that allow music fans to enjoy concerts or listening parties together, and let musicians or labels sell physical and virtual merchandise.” Uhhh sounds like what Roblox has been doing for 10 years. IMHO this is all just reinventing the wheel, acting like listening to music online in groups is a novel concept because it’s too expensive to 1. Tour IRL 2. Build an alternative to monopolistic, broken ticketing platforms. AI is not taking over, capitalistic humans intent on destroying humanity are.
H&M “expects public opinion to be divided on its plan to use “digital twins” of real models in AI-generated imagery. But the best way to protect models’ jobs and rights in the age of AI, it says, is to bring them into the process.” That claim is so bogus. They’re using digital twins because of fast fashion’s hyper-accelerated production, consumption, and waste cycle. They want to shoot as many e-comm shots as possible without actually having to pay models, hair stylists, clothing stylists, makeup artists, photographers, et al. The solution here is to stop selling so much shit, but that doesn’t make them money, so digital models it is!
Speaking of digital twins, I am a beta tester for an app called Doji. It’s like Cher’s closet from Clueless, but if you couldn’t actually afford anything. As much as I would love to be in the market for luxury, 1. I can’t afford it 2. I had a career in the fashion industry and know better than to buy pretty much anything at full-price, to the chagrin of my former Handbag Hustler Self. Commerce would be better facilitated with at least slightly more accessible brands, but I guess the point is less about buying (??) and more about looking like an SSENSE model.
For paid subscribers only, you get to see my digital twin, her outfits (the good, the bad, and the ugly), and my thoughts on my likeness, the challenges of using nascent AI, and why [human] personal styling will always win.
My likeness: Too yassified, too tall, too model-ish. I don’t need to look like a model, I need to look like me. I don’t need lip injections. Why am I blonde? (Don’t give me ideas….) I’m very muscular, as is my likeness, but this model has zero percent body fat, which I hope does not trigger body dysmorphia. Also, where did my boobs go?
The whole problem with online shopping is that the models are not proportional to the grand majority of human beings. Although I have a big personality, I have a small stature. I am 5 foot 1 and 3/4, similar to Mary-Kate Olsen, Fergie, and Lady Gaga when she is not wearing 30cm Alexander McQueen Armadillo boots. Who cares if I have a digital likeness for the purpose of seeing how clothes look on me if that’s not how clothes will look on me?
Challenges: Other than the proportions, AI doesn’t know how clothes look on a human body. This is why you see back interior tags on top of the model’s chest, weirdly arranged tops and bottoms, or stretched out proportions of clothing, like they were edited in Microsoft Paint or placed on top of a paper doll. My favorite is the cutout jeans with just a blank space where a hip should be, even though I am obsessed with the outfit itself. For one particular outfit, and I’m not exactly sure how, they made a skirt pants and a pair of jeans a jacket. You can also pair the same items and get a completely different look – a long vest and boucle-like skirt on a brunette becomes a cropped vest with feathered shorts on a blonde. Go figure.
Styling: AI cannot replicate human emotions, no matter how advanced it gets. The one thing a computer can never be is human. (Shoutout to S1M0NE.) Not all people have a visceral reaction to clothing and an innate, overwhelming sense of what they love, but I do! You can put me in expensive clothes, but I can still think they’re ugly. Doji’s default outfits didn’t look bad per se, but nothing and no one knows what I like more than me. The outfits that looked best were the ones closest to my personal style. I’d actually wear these IRL. I wish they had more colors in my palette (saturated versus muted) and my style (eclectic and fun versus tailored or classic), but overall, it’s fun to try on clothes! :)
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When I say age inversion, I’m referring to the marketing tactic of selling adult stuff to kids (age compression) and kid stuff to adults (age regression). Sephora tweens and adult toy collectors are great examples of this.
People tell me we look alike all the time, which I take as a massive compliment!
I anticipated Chat GPT would become “normal” and early adoption of web3 and decentralized web principles in 2022 and predicted there would be mass panic about AI back in 2023. This is why I don’t do predictions and forecasts anymore lol. I’m always 2-3 years too early for everything.
Infinite Reality also just raised $3 billion at a $12.25 billion valuation (yes billion with a B) and insisted their investors remain anonymous. Nefarious!
Happy birthday, Nicole!!!