I see a lot of, letโs say, regrettable takes online. Iโm on Twitter, for godโs sake. But I saw one this week about how my new favorite movie, Fire Island, is an F- (lolz) on the Bechdel test. Friends, if you glean nothing more from me this week, please know that if a group of marginalized people make a movie together about their lived experience and they donโt also include two women talking to each other, it can still be a great movie. And with that, here are your links!
โขย Longtime listeners will know Iโm obsessed with Las Culturistas, the podcast of friends, Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers. Well, theyโre in a movie together and itโs delightful. Youโve probably seen it on all of your favesโ IG stories this week. Here is what the LA Times has to say about Fire Island, which I wholeheartedly give an A+ on the Bechdel test. (Apple Podcasts)
โขย Turns out, my friends are reading romance. Smut girl summer? I posed a question in my Instagram stories last week asking what everyone wants to read this summer. Spoiler alert: the answer is filth. Here is your official summer reading list! (The Blonde Mule)
โขย Vallery Lomas (whoโs cookbook is GREAT btw) is showing us how to make an easy โshortcutโ triple chocolate mousse. Yes, yes I will make this. (Bookshop.org, Better Homes & Gardens)
โขย Virginia Sole-Smith, the hero behind Jeans Science, put out a podcast episode this week about the intersection of beauty culture and diet culture. If youโve ever wondered if all beauty reporting is paid marketing, or if fatphobia and ageism are relatedโฆ This is for you. (Substack)
โขย I have a lot of friends who have quietly gotten sober over the pandemic. One of my favorite friends, Natalie Lima, wrote about getting sober again for Catapult magazineโs new essay series, I Give Up. (Catapult)
โขย Iโm old enough to remember when it was trendy to (air quotes) โbelieve womenโ. Itโs been disappointing to hear bad take after bad take from so many (air quotes) โwell-meaningโ folks about the Amber Heard and Johnny Depp trial. Jessica Valenti is always a voice that rises above the fray in these situations, as she is here in her Substack.
โขย I was reading Previously On, one of the newsletters by R. Eric Thomas, and he writes about celebrity memoirs and how great they are as audiobooks. I immediately thought about how much I loved the audiobook of Mariahโs Careyโs memoir, and Dave Grohlโs, and David Changโs, and and andโฆ You get the point. (Bulletin)
โขย Itโs hand sunscreen season. Remember Birchbox? Man, I used to ride so hard for Birchbox. RIP pre-pandemic me. I got a sample of this Supergoop! Handscreen and I loved it so much I sure did spend $38 on hand lotion. If you drive a lot in the summer, you may want to invest in this. (Sephora)
โขย As some of you know, I host a podcast called Ladyland and weโve made a short video series. The first three videos are out and I would love for you to watch them. Weโre taking a short break to record some podcast episodes and then weโll be back with more videos. (Ladyland)
โขย Times are hard, things feel heavy. In the spirit of relief, I leave you with this cat pole dancing to โPour Some Sugar on Meโ. (TikTok)
See you in the comments!
Kim
28 Responses
UPF gloves from Coolibar are my hand sunscreen.
I am *here* for the hand sunscreen!! As a pale lady who moved to CA a few years ago and was shocked at how intense the sun was (plus driving, which was new for this NYC transplant), I started using body lotion with SPF and never looked back. Since I wash my hands so much (thanks panini), I couldn’t justify the Supergoop sunscreen cost, but highly recommend the Eucerin Daily Hydration Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Sunscreen, which I reapply to my hands and forearms constantly!
Oooh, this is good to know. Thanks, Kathleen!
I started listening to audio books when commuting back and forth caring for my sick dad. I love to read, but some books Iโm convinced are better as audio books. I just finished Minnie Driverโs โ Managing Expectationsโ and itsโ fantastic! her voice is gorgeous, I was sad it was over, she is a wonderful writer. Up next is Molly Shannonโs โhello Mollyโ.
Big fan of the Supergoop hand screen! It goes on like a hand lotion. Why donโt more companies address this? Yours hands are this first thing to show age.also donโt forget your neck and chest ( older lady here)
I’ve heard that Minnie Driver’s books is soooo good. I need to download both hers and Molly Shannon’s.
Sunscreen just for hands! That’s genius. Thanks for the rec! I often think about how much sun damage my hands and forearms are incurring when I drive, but instead of applying sunscreen like a rational adult human, I resort to gripping the steering wheel from the bottom so that my palms are facing up and the backs of my hands are not exposed. Probably not a good move on these Mad Max Fury Roads of Nashville, where you need to be fully caffeinated, hands at 10 and 2, on high alert with dash cam on at all times (who am I kidding, I don’t have a dash cam).
Katie, yes! Exactly. You know that dermatology office on White Bridge, in front of Target? I used to see a derm there and she was known around town for driving her Porsche (lol) with white driving gloves in the summer. Honestly, a hero.
I know the place you’re talking about! She’s not the hero we deserve, but she’s the hero we need. I hope she also had one of those dramatic Isadora Duncan scarves flowing out her window (that she did not get strangled by in this instance). Also lol at commenting about insane drivers yesterday because I got creamed by an inattentive driver today! No injuries but also no more car.
It’s my 50th birthday today and I realized I *officially* turned 50 while watching a cat pole dance to Pour Some Sugar On Me… !! Rock on! Prior to that, when I was still 49, I read the Jessica Valenti article and cursed Johnny Depp and our downhill-headed misogynistic society. She is always spot on. Thanks for a great round up, Kim!
Happy birthday, Jessica! Had I known, I might would have given you a better present than that pole-dancing cat, but I’m glad it added to your day – ha!
I highly recommend Brandi Carlile’s audiobook as well!! So freaking good.
Total agreement about Fire Island!! Loved it so much!
Oh, yay! I’m so glad you liked it too, Traci. Such a great movie to kick off summer.
Oh man, how much do I need this Sole-Smith episode rn? This much *smiles until skin cracks because I smeared retinol all over my face last night.* Thanks for the rec!
Erica! YES. I was so glad to hear that episode. I didn’t know how much I needed it. I’m glad you liked it, too.
Love the Ladyland videos! Looking forward to more.
Awe, Michelle. Thank you for watching them!
I LOL at that pole dancing cat! OMGโฆthatโs hysterical! I love cats! Thanks for sharing this, I needed a good laugh!
Hi Sara! Yay. I use TikTok to destress so it seemed like something maybe we could all use right now. I’m glad you got a laugh from it.
It’s amazing what pets will do for attention or exercise. This cat is quite talented with its pole moves. Thanks for the funny TikTok Video.
Sue – it’s so true! And that is a very talented cat – hahahaha
The “Blessed” and “Home Sweet Home” really MAKE the cat video!!!!
Don’t they? Hahahaha. Like Sue said above, it’s a very talented cat.
I laughed out loud at the cat video! Thank you for a great newsletter ??
Awe, yay! Thank you, Ramona
Loved Natalieโs article!
Rachel, isn’t that article so good? I love Natalie and I’m so glad her essay is out in the world.