I know I am a few days late with this post but you need to be gracious with me as I am now an elderly woman 🎂
June was super fun, not just because it housed my birthday, but also because of all the friends I got to see, all the ice cream I got to eat, and all the new music I am jamming to, still.
One thing I am proud of this past month is that I went and enrolled myself in ice skating lessons at a rink near my house. I am definitely getting better and I feel proud of myself for taking action and practicing every week. It’s been a dream for a long time, so it was nice to finally make it into a reality.
Another thing I’ve been doing more for self-entertainment purposes has been reels on Instagram. Yes IG is going through a transformation (and you can read Haley’s post linked below) but it’s been eye-opening to do a few outfit inspired reels. It’s more work than I initially suspected and I am not even entirely alien to making videos or content. Kudos to the influencer industry I guess…. (*terms and conditions may apply).
Art 🖼
June 13th was my dear friend Nikhil’s birthday and so it’s only appropriate that I talk about how amazing he is and all the cool things he does… one of which is a poetry IG account called Voices of Bhakti. It’s such a beautiful feed and I know it’s a labor of love for Nikhil. So go check it out, give it a follow, share on your stories etc. etc. 😌
The Half of It (2020, dir. Alice Wu) — This is a movie that was on my Netflix queue for a year and I finally got to watch it. Extremely cute and wholesome and a beautiful exploration of friendship where people transcend strict platonic or romantic lines.
Luca (2021, dir. Enrico Casarosa) — My new favorite movie, hands down. I am a little upset that animation fans on Twitter underplayed Luca, but it’s so entertaining and warm and sort of unorthodox in all the right ways. Specifically loved that forgiveness between children comes easily and naturally, and also that every kid has a unique life trajectory.
I have not yet watched Akira but it’s on my to-do list. I saw this behind-the-scenes clip on Twitter and was hooked. Look how amazing things humans can do.
My mom and I are re-watching Elementary (on Hulu) which I feel is so underrated. It features Lucy Liu and Johnny Lee Miller and it’s a modern interpretation of Sherlock Holmes. Obviously, there is a great redemption arc and the acting is superb. But I think it’s also one of the best depictions on television of addiction and recovery both from the addict’s perspective and those around him.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!
Catch me in 2022 concerts 🎶 💃
Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin (narrated by Alyssa Bresnahan). Here’s my Goodreads review of it. Probably among my favorite books I read this year and maybe even my whole life. I am definitely on an Ancient streak right now… I might or might not have bought 4 new books about various women in Ancient Greece… So uh… Please read Lavinia, or listen as I did 🥺
Also check out this webcomicname mash-up generator. Definitely among my favorite comic artists (I have a few prints at home & the oh no earrings). Also here’s my random panel mashup.
Modernity 🌃
Silence is a Commons by Ivan Illich
When Losing Is Likely by Brad East — A great essay on thinking little and thinking big. Public justice and private virtue. How do we move ethically in a world where unjust systems are rarely changing.
This apartment tour with Rajiv Surendra. Butcher, baker, candle stick maker earns a new meaning. A good reminder of cultivating personal connections with the things we use and consume, from utensils and cupboards to tweed jackets and sketchbooks. Everything in this apartment is intentional, crafted with thought and love. What a beautiful aspiration.
Guilt by Haley Nahman — Good insights into guilt, shame, and the pleasure mechanisms we are protecting from critique.
What’s up with Instagram? by Haley Nahman — I have been talking about this with friends too… what exactly is our issue, in 2021, with people being fake on Instagram? Aren’t we over the “instagram vs. reality” comparison pictures? Is inauthenticity inherently bad?
Sex & Gender 🧬
Forced sterilization policies in the US targeted minorities and those with disabilities – and lasted into the 21st century by Alexandra Stern
I would couple this article with the documentary No Más Bebes. I actually watched it in college and it was really influential for my development as someone who tries to fight for reproductive justice and female liberation. Eugenicist practices were legal and carried out until only a few decades ago, but they are far from over even if the laws have officially changed. Britney Spears just spoke about how her conservators have been forcing her to keep her IUD so she cannot have children is something the public and our judicial system is dealing with in 2021. We have a long way to go before women’s bodily autonomy is respected and our dignity recognized.
May You Live Long Enough to Become the Standard of Beauty by Blessing J. Christopher — A beautiful and poignant piece on body image, beauty standards, social and communal expectations and pressures on the female body, desirability, and the stigma attached to sickness.
Beauty Anxiety by Haley Nahman — This was probably one of the best things I read in June. It was extremely and painfully relatable and a good start for doing some deeper introspection on my own beauty perceptions and habits.
A backlash against gender ideology is starting in universities on the Economist — Kind of surprised this came out at the beginning of June but it was a good read.
Stonewall risks all it has fought for in accusing those who disagree with it of hate speech by Sonia Sodha
A New Way to Be Mad by Carl Elliott (2000) — This was a great read on a relatively recent phenomenon. Elliott touches on the mental, physical, and social aspects of wanting bodily modification, especially the kind that would render the recipient disabled. He goes into detail about self-creation and how our understanding of our embodied experience in the modern world affects our aspirations. He describes something called semantic contagion, and also theorizes on the role of institutions in reifying things like mental disorders. Ultimately he says, we need to be careful about what concepts we let disperse in the public psyche; not all censorship is created equal.
Religion & Philosophy 📜
Godless Grifters: How the New Atheists merged with the Far Right by Phill Torres
Why Am I Being Hurt? by Agnes Callard — A great meditation on the nature of complaint, protest, and venting. The relationship between complaint, suffering, and interrogation. And a vindication for all of us who have ever felt guilty about being in a bad situation, complaining about it to our loved ones, not leaving said situation, and continuing to complain about it.
Politics 🇺🇸
Orange Cheeto Man Bad? by Freddie deBoer — Why is the elite liberal agenda so focused on making sure we are in a constant state of panic? What does panic change? And why are people so obsessed with the perceived heroics of activism rather than the drudgery and mundane work that will ultimately make ordinary people’s lives better?
Accountability is a Prerequisite of Respect by Freddie DeBoer — In Turkish you say “dilimde tüy bitti” to explain the sentiment that you are sick and tired of saying the same thing over and over again. For that reason alone, I am glad FdB is saying it now, he can take the torch and pass it on. It being the criticism of liberal activist movements in blind faith without any curiosity or pushback.
IT IS OBSCENE: A TRUE REFLECTION IN THREE PARTS by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie — (link might be changing, but title is static). This is a good essay by Chimamanda, kind of on the same point as FdB above, performative loudness and aggression without substance.
Health & Wellness ☀️
when you have come apart by Freddie deBoer — This is a vulnerable and honest piece about healthcare in America, mental health issues, and the inaccessibility of appropriate care
Trauma unmakes the world of the self. Can stories repair it? by Anna Gotlib