Panic, panic and hope π
Hi friend,
since I'm very short on time this weekend, I'm skipping the heavy duty deep dive into enraging structural sexism and will jump right into the fun part. And to be fair, I'm really only sending out a newsletter today, because I couldn't wait for another week to talk about this:
Phoebe Waller-Bridge's portrait in Vogue.
If I weren't already completely and utterly in love with her, this piece would leave me absolutely infatuated. Editor Lauren Collins crafted a portrait which makes you feel like you're right in the scene, like you're strolling though Central Park with these two highly accomplished women. And you'll definitely find out things about Phoebe that even hardcore fangirls (like the one writing this newsletter) did not know before. What a masterpiece!
In case you don't feel like reading the whole thing right now, scroll down to the "73 questions" video at the end, which demonstrates just how incredibly quick-witted this woman is. Her approach to writing in three words? "Panic, panic, hope." Yup, same. So, seriously, drop everything for the one, the only, PWB. And guess who is rewatching Fleabag this week.
βοΈ More #popculturepleasures to enjoy:
The BBC Book Club invited Helen Fielding to discuss Bridget Jones. They cover everything from how it feels to have created an iconic character that generations of women can identify with to how Daniel-"Is skirt off sick?"-Cleaver would fare in a #MeToo world.
HuffPost editor Nancy Groves wrote a lovely piece on the beauty of making friends in your 30s. I have only entered the 30s club this year, but I can totally relate:
I use the phrase "guilty pleasure" a lot, also in this section. But after reading this NYT piece, I'll scratch that from my vocabulary, because apparently there is no such thing! βHaving something else to do besides problem solving is really healthy for us,β says psychology professor Kristin Neff about enjoying things that, nicely put, "don't require intense intellectual focus". Here's a free pass to enjoying all the rom-coms and reality TV you like!
Finally, it's about time to introduce you to the podcast from which I "borrowed" the #popculturepleasures category: The Self Help Hipster Podcast. It's an unfortunate name, but such a wonderful podcast. Hosts Lianne and Andrew, two very, very likeable Dutchies, skillfully walk the fine line between education and entertainment and are refreshingly authentic. New episodes only drop every six to eight weeks so they always feel like an extra special treat.
Alright my loves, I hope to be back with more focus next week but I'm not making any promises.
Have a lovely week,
Anna