The Reading List: August 8, 2020
Image via @hannahpahl - check out her shop here!
Moira
On Tik Tok’s silencing of Black creators and amplification of cultural appropriators.
As a liberal, the daughter of a teacher, and the granddaughter of a postal carrier, I’ve always trusted the union label. The police present a dilemma to my support of unions, and this New Yorker article explains just how scary and powerful they can be.
Sometimes I think my life is really exhausting and then I think about this family who adopted thirty kids. Then I go back to sleep.
Largely because my bra cup size is halfway through the alphabet (humblebrag), lingerie can really make or break an outfit. Also, how much of a bad bitch do you feel like when your bra and underwear match? Here are 14 brands to try.
Having your hair washed by someone else is truly a beautiful thing.
Shannon
A close read of major images from Beyonce’s career, and a reminder of how tightly she controls her public persona.
The women who went to law school with RBG.
One of my internships in college was in the programming department at VH1. That was in 2008, and a lot has changed when it comes to ratings, content, and programming—this interview with the head of Comedy Central was super fascinating.
How Ben and Jerry’s has maintained its activism—even after being acquired.
Padma Lakshmi’s memoir is one of my favorites. This profile in the NYT Magazine is worth a read (and I still need to watch her new Hulu show!).
Jasmine Guillory (one of our faves!) on her daily writing habit.
30 days as a grocery store worker during the pandemic.
Elizabeth
I loved the Bon Appetit test Kitchen, and I am not impressed with the way that the publication has dealt with the very real complaints of their stars. I’m fully supportive of the three that walked away, and I’m grateful I can still follow their culinary adventures on Insta.
Black Women’s Trauma Deserves Better than Memes. Louder for the people in the back.
Similarly, it’s time to dispel the myth of the “strong Black woman.""
We are still in the early days of understanding COVID — I know it feels like it’s been forever, but we are only about 9 months since discovery — and so the long-term impacts of this virus are unknown. I was lucky that my “mild case” was actually mild, and I have recovered (at least at 3 months out). Heather Hogan’s experience with LongCovid is terrifying.
Like many women of a certain age, I read the “Twilight” books — HP was always my favorite, but I did enjoy this series, at least until…Reneesme made an appearance. This oral history of the character is amazing. We were all freaked out. (I would be remiss if I didn’t link to my favorite Twilight article of all time here, too.)
Did you see the National Book Festival is going virtual?
When I saw this article titled “Fashion Sweatpants”, I assumed it was just going to be about work-from-home wear. instead, this is an incredible piece about the decline of the fashion industry and how it may never quite bounce back.
And for a fun blast from the past: how the hardest worker on Queer Eye actually gets it done.
