Thursday Murmurings
Angelina Jolie, smear campaigns and the awkwardness of change
Happy Thursday, ya beauties!
Kicking it off this week with Angelina Jolie. Awards season is upon us and she is rightly nominated for her turn as opera singer, Maria Callas, in the movie Maria. I watched this over the holidays and holy shit, she is absolutely mesmerising. This is one of those once-in-a-lifetime performances that you can tell an actor put their absolute all into. I hope she gets rewarded with some sort of acknowledgement for it in the shape of an award this season, but if not, kudos to her for continuing to take risks in her career. This one definitely paid off.
Things that caught my eye this week
This Blake Lively vs Justin Baldoni situation - my God! If you’re unfamiliar, here’s the short version; they starred in a film together, “It Ends with Us'“, which Baldoni also directed. The film came out and there was this weird wave of anti-Lively sentiment that swept the internet. Then, In December, Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, alleging he, his publicist and others conspired to smear her in the press and she came with receipts! Baldoni went on the defence and has since filed a counter-suit of his own - it’s a whole shit show basically. But this New Yorker article is a great read and brings in the larger point that in the post-#MeToo era, there is no longer the assumption that women are to be believed. This passage particularly stood out:
“We are no longer in the #MeToo era. The standard of “believing women” did not really become a standard. Stories of harassment and abuse now receive a curdled, cynical, and exhausted reception. A crop of disaster public-relations experts prosper in this new environment, as do self-appointed “legal experts” on TikTok and other social-media commentators. And so Lively’s allegations against Baldoni were never going to be seen as brave, but, rather, as the kindling for a culture war. The late twenty-tens genre of #MeToo reportage cannot thrive on today’s volatile Internet. Information is misinformation and vice versa. Victims are offenders and offenders are victims. The word that comes up again and again in all the Internet litigation of Lively v. Baldoni is “narrative.” Abuse seems to be far from anyone’s mind. What matters is which side’s story is better suited to the politics of our time.”
Food for thought
You’re allowed to grow, change, shift directions. And it’s OK if that feels weird, clunky and awkward at first - that doesn’t mean it’s wrong. Give yourself permission to feel goofy and uncomfortable while you settle into new practices, places or communities. Eventually, the awkward will wear off and it’ll all feel natural…or it won’t and you’ll have figured out that thing maybe isn’t for you. Then you’ll pick another thing to feel awkward at for a while. And on it goes. It’s a fun ride, this life thing.
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In Monday’s letter I’m reflecting on beauty; what it is to have never really been considered ‘beautiful’ and to now be over 40, faced with ageing and the popular consensus that there is nothing attractive to be found in that. I find myself wondering if there’s freedom in that, or if I’m mourning the loss of something I never had.
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Your weekly Biggie Smalls (P)update
This week, Biggie wants to remind you that it’s OK if all those New Year vibes have left you feeling a bit like that. Pace yourself, young grasshopper. Slow and steady wins the race.
Until next week; smile at strangers, spread good vibes, be nice to people.