Thursday Murmurings
Three Women, Sororities & Toxic Positivity
Hola amigas! Kicking it off this week with a book recommendation; Three Women by Lisa Taddeo. If you haven’t read it yet, get it on your list ASAPtually because WOW. I read this in two sittings. It’s the kind of book where you read some of the sentences three or four times because they’re just so exquisite. I have been waiting to read this for ages. A friend of mine who works in publishing was raving about it before it came out, then I had the long long wait for the paperback edition. I was so thrilled to get my hands on it last week, I read it in two sittings.
In this non-fiction read, the author explores the sex lives of three American women, through nearly a decade of reporting, following them around and in some cases, moving to the town the women lived in. The result is an extremely moving, eye-opening, at times heartbreaking, at times rage-inducing look into modern sex and relationships and our attitudes towards them. Truly a fascinating read. I can’t wait to read more of Taddeo’s work.
Things that caught my eye this week:
As someone who grew up in England, my knowledge of sororities and fraternaties has been garnered exclusively through American movies and pop culture. Frankly, I’ve never understood them. What exactly is the point? What it is that they do? They’re endlessly fascinating to me. This article about ‘rush week’ (where girls pledge which sorority they’d like to join) really provides no clarity on what the hell a sorority is or the purpose of these organisations, but is an interesting look at the lengths people go to in order to be considered for one. And in news that shocks I imagine absolutely no one, it turns out, these organisations are highly racist. Ugh. Anyhoo, if you, like me, have a somewhat morbid fascination with this weird American college tradition, it’s worth a read.
I’m not much of a one for reality TV, but I have heard of this Honey Boo Boo kid - though, she’s not much of a kid anymore. This Teen Vogue article interviews the now 16 year old Alana (understandably, she’s not thrilled about being called Honey Boo Boo at this stage). It raises some interesting questions about how someone who became reality TV fodder as a toddler is meant to forge a life for themselves as they age.
Parents are not okay. And whew, this account of parenting during the pandemic is a much needed reminder as to why.
Sick of toxic positivity? Have you tried tragic optimism?
Coming up on Monday
I’m digging into how we’re allowed to be more than one thing career-wise:
“What do you do?” Ugh. Abolish this question! Death to small talk!
I know I’m not alone in hating that question. It’s anxiety-inducing for many reasons; maybe you’re unemployed right now, maybe you’re at a temping job that has nothing to do with your actual passions, maybe you do a lot of things and it’s really hard to boil it down to an acceptable soundbite.
But the reality is, a lot of the time, what you do (or specifically, how you make money, because that’s what we’re really asking when we ask what people do), doesn’t have a whole bunch to do with who you are as a person. It’s not an adequate reflection of the complexity and variety that make up the wonderment that is you.
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Your Weekly Pupdate
This week, we sat by the ocean and Biggie, ever scared of water, did his usual dance of getting close to the wet stuff, then swiftly running away. Though he did make a little progress in finally, allowing some water to touch his paws. He’d like to remind you that taking on things you’re scared off need not be graceful or cute. Sometimes, just showing up is an achievement. And getting your feet even a little wet is a great starting point.
Until next week, smile at strangers, spread good vibes, be nice to people.