The Endless PR Stunt

America’s superstar pro-natalist couple hacks the media

Have you heard about Malcolm and Simone Collins? They’re the American couple that have made themselves the poster-family for the “pro-natal” movement, which is an actual thing we have in the U.S. now. If you haven’t heard about them, congratulations! And I am so sorry to break your streak. But they’ve been profiled repeatedly and I know about them, so now you have to know about them, too. They look like this:

A photograph of Simone and Malcolm Collins, seated, in front of a reflective window. Simone is on the left, dressed in a white bonnet with long drawstrings hanging down to her elbow level. She is wearing a black skirt over a white blouse with a ruffled neckline and puffy sleeves that end in ruffled cuffs, and her signature, chunky, black, round-framed glasses. Her hands are folded in her lap and she is looking down and to the right, in front of Malcolm. A toddler’s head is visible peeking from behind her left shoulder. Her overall presentation reflects her “techno puritan” aesthetic. Malcolm is dressed in a black leather jacket, black collared shirt and jeans, and square-rimmed black glasses, and is gesturing while speaking to camera for an interview.

They are often pictured with more of their many children. Simone’s rural-trad presentation notwithstanding, this is a couple that famously met on Reddit a decade or so ago and that has been terminally online for years. They have strong “people you would sidle away from at a party” energy.

Regrettably, the Collinses are fascinating both because of their cause (I have previously written about government pro-natal campaigns) and because of how successful they have been at getting themselves and the cause profiled. The current arc of coverage started in January and picked up speed through April, and I have read it so you don’t have to:1

April 25th, on NPR, including their explanation of the look they’ve adopted
April 24th, on CNN, being interviewed by Pamela Brown – a good view into their politics
April 24th in the Independent, in which they talk about creating a religion, “techno-puritanism”
April 17th in the New York Times, prominently featured in coverage of NatalCon (more on that below)
April 1st, on the BBC, in which Malcolm explains their PR strategy
February 21st in the New York Post, as part of a survey of the Valley’s links with pro-natalism, with an amazing photo of Simone in full puritan regalia, cradling a chicken
February 4th in the Washington Post, which notes their connections to Peter Thiel.

There are many more from last year and the year before. They may be decent at having kids (four plus one on the way), but they are undisputed world champions at getting into the press.

Read the rest on Substack