The Tamesis
1948, Fashion 658 pages published book of etiquette, Written by editor Millicent Fenwick, it includes how-tos, dos and don’ts, and appropriate manners for a variety of different scenarios. But as Fenwick writes in the introduction: “Liturgy is based on tradition, but it can change.” Some 75 years later, Oh, and behave! is a new monthly magazine Fashion Experts discuss today’s evolving social etiquette in columns.
There was a time when etiquette meant knowing which fork to use. Now it knows how to ask friends and complete strangers for a penny your Idea…then charge $8 a month. In the age of Substack—where everyone has a newsletter, a niche, and a pay tier—the rules are even vaguer. How long is too often? Does anyone have to subscribe? When does self-promotion become self-indulgent?
For this issue Oh, and behave!, Fashion Turn to two writers who are familiar with sentences and subscriber lists. Carole Radziwill – former ABC News producer and author real housewives of new york city Alumni (with exposure to the franchise as reporters) and bona fide members of the Kennedy orbit – and now the pen voice of reasona substack with over 12,000 loyal readers and tons of opinions. Alongside her is Jalil Johnson, a New York-based stylist. Consider yourself literateHer keen eye for fashion and culture quickly attracted more than 15,000 loyal followers, and she can often be seen at fashion parties wearing jewelry ranging from pinky rings to necklaces, dressed with ease.
Together, they navigate the social minefields of modern publishing—from proactive subscriptions to subscriber envy, inbox overload, and the delicate politics of asking friends to promote your work. Because if Substack has taught us anything, it’s that writing may be personal, but the audience is very, very public.
About the operation substack
Fashion: Is it acceptable to subscribe someone to your substack without their consent?
Carol Radziwill: I think this is worth encouraging! I mean, I didn’t know you needed consent to subscribe someone to your substack? I subscribe to tons of people – I give free lifetime membership to anyone I meet on the street who reads anything I write!
Jaleel Johnson: I think it would be gross if you just got someone’s email and automatically subscribed to them without letting them know. However, I have a warning! If you migrated to Substack from another platform and already have a follower email database, then in my mind, these readers have already agreed to subscribe to you. But when this happens to me, I feel violated! I felt severely violated. It can also clutter your inbox. For example, I already have over 11,000 unread emails – which I’m absolutely ashamed of – and this is just adding to that number.
