Just Read: Emily Ratajkowski’s debut collection of essays, My Body. This book has gotten a ton of buzz because such is the perk of celebrity. I obviously love her, and I did devour the book (it’s a quick read for anyone else struggling to hit their goal for the year), but it also left me a smidge indifferent.
I’m doing my best to stop judging books based on my projections of what I want them to be, but I can’t deny how much I’d wished My Body dug deeper—more outward observation, more risk. Each word is calculated and pretty, the stories compelling and transportive, but there was a dispassionate undercurrent. Perhaps that’s the result of someone who has dissociated from their body trying to write about it. Nonetheless, My Body is a lovely nonlinear memoir that sheds light on the burden of beauty and the commodified self.
Thinking: 1.) It’s now been over two weeks since I’ve used Instagram (besides posting a couple stories to promote writing), or used Twitter or Facebook on my phone. At this point, I’m just going for three weeks based on the whole “21 days to form a habit” thing.
I’m learning a lot about myself through this break. I now know that scrolling without restraint intensifies my naturally frenetic energy into states of panic. That comparing myself to professionally hot people is an insult to my own beauty, and that being off IG makes the moments when I do feel beautiful more special and intimate. That it’s healthy to miss knowing what my friends are up to, but it’s equally healthy to make peace with being out of the loop. That I can go for 10 mile runs and finish multiple books in the time I’d otherwise spend scrolling. That I don’t need to be this constantly active “brand” to get people to read my writing. That my writing actually improves when I’m not trying to calm my brain down from information overload. Etc.
I’m not going to get ahead of myself and expect that this will transform how I use these apps. I’m just as unabashedly addicted as the next zombie. But I’m glad I’ll have this short period of my life as a reminder that it’s very possible and rewarding to log off.
2.) About the passing of Virgil Abloh on Sunday. I’m not even well-versed in his designs, but I still derived a profound sadness from this news. Anyone could feel Virgil’s pulse in fashion and culture. He pioneered the inclusion of streetwear in high fashion. And the way he felt about humanity and creative expression for a purpose bigger than yourself made the impact of a lifetime. Virgil was an artist so ubiquitous, he became a rap reference, a household name, and a hero for future generations of Black designers.
Just Purchased: My very first MacBook, baby. And it happened so fast? My boyfriend and our roommate talked me into it after watching me fiddle with my shitty work computer with no other viable option for writing. I basically blinked and found myself cruising down Columbus Blvd to pick her up from Best Buy. I always get weird about big purchases, especially tech, but I have to say… this feels like the beginning of an era.
Loving: GOOD DRUGSTORE MAKEUP ALERT *rap airhorn*. I was in Rite Aid the other night and wandered over to the cosmetics aisle. Have I mentioned how much I love drugstores? Jettison me through the roof of a well-stocked CVS and I’ll crouch down to the floor and start talking like a wilderness guide about all the exotic stuff to look out for. Anywho… products for you to try!
I’ve been loving the electric blue eyeliner trend. And what better brand to test the waters with than Wet n Wild? This stuff goes on easily, is super pigmented, and stays put. I love this look with little or no other makeup and lots of gold jewelry.
A good berry lip is like classic red’s sexy, foreign cousin. Maybelline’s Super Stay Ink Crayon won a 2020 Allure Best of Beauty award for a reason, and “Accept a Dare” is that shade. I wore this under a mask for hours at the museum, then ate a full meal, drank from a glass bottle, etc., and this ridiculous creamy-to-matte formula still did not budge. Side note: when it comes to really pigmented lip colors like this, I blot and smudge most of it off with my finger to leave that perfectly vivid “just made out” stain.