A few things I want to talk about, that have already been talked about to death.
Tradwives:
Just going to throw it out there, I love Nara Smith and her soothing, dulcent tones. I think here in the UK trad-wives are just a ’what if I lived on a homestead and raised cows and chickens instead of living on a new build estate and working full time’ but I can see why in America they are seen as something more dangerous, something that veers into alt-right territory. I know that their content is exactly that, content: It’s not realistic and these women aren’t filming their children’s tantrums when it takes them six hours to make cereal are they?
Girlhood:
Girlhood is an interesting one. While some argue it’s just women enjoying the twee and the whimsical, some say that it infantilizes women and the power/strength that we have. I honestly think you can be both - You can like the colour pink and collect Sylvanian Families and you can be a badass bitch who gets shit done. Why do we have to put ourselves into a teeny tiny box when we are beautiful, multi-faceted beings?
Aesthetics:
Mob wife, clean girl, coastal grandma, cottagecore, Y2K, dark academia…There are so many ‘aesthetics’ now and quite frankly, it’s exhausting. When I was a teenager you were a chav, a goth or you were ‘normal’, you knew where you stood and that was that. I’m not sure why the younger generation are so desperate to have an aesthetic but here we are and maybe I’m just old. I’m a big believer in wearing what you love and what you feel comfortable in, regardless of if it’s en vogue or not.
Ten Year Olds & Skincare:
When I was ten, I was obsessed with Sabrina’s Secrets and Boots ‘Glitter Babes’. I loved make up, I loved glitter and I expressed myself a lot through experimenting with them (and still do). I don’t really see the difference between that and the Sephora kids, other than the price difference. It’s when anti-ageing comes in to it that it becomes a problem because lined skin is beautiful - Ageing is a gift that not all are lucky enough to receive, we should embrace it instead of fearing it.
Age Gap Relationships:
There was an article that went viral in The Cut about a woman who met her husband when she was 20 and he was 30. Personally, I think money came into it a lot more than age did, and in the grand scheme of things ten years is icky but not too icky - When your 56 year old dad is dating a 30 year old (aka 2 years younger than you!!!), ten years doesn’t seem that bad…And yes that’s a true story, kill me.
Stanley Cups:
As someone who used to have a severe shopping addiction and had to have everything in every single print and colour, I’m glad I got over it before Stanley cups came on the market. Capitalism in it’s finest form and defeats the object of them being an eco-friendly alternative. You need one. Maybe two at a push. And even then, they leak like fuck so why bother (especially for £45!!!).
Amen!! Ahhhh I wish I could just print all this on a t-shirt and wear it. But make it black because I'm still a goth.