Very interesting piece, in fact it’s funny because I also wrote about The Preliminary Materials on my page, it’s the piece about the addiction economy.
I think your perspective is great and it seems great minds think alike! Check it out if you get the chance, curious to hear someone’s thoughts who has also been chewing on that.
Thanks for this Raquel! I've been thinking a lot about it after reading the article from The Cut but hadn't ventured to look at other viewpoints just yet, this was great!
Thank you for this. Reading it felt like having my heart and brain torn out in the best way. Thoughts I've muddled over for ages, in a much less articulated fashion, coupled with resources and further introspections. I needed this in depth analysis spelled out through the words of another - I feel educated, seen, and filled with even more questions. This was a joy and privilege to read... and also heart wrenching (the necessary kind). You had me at consume or be consumed!
I just wrote about our 2023 romanticization of girlhood, how we seem to be linking women’s liberation/emancipation and independence to consumption and how womanhood is becoming an extinct culture because of our reproduction of unoriginality through consumerism but I truly wish I had read your piece before writing!
The pipeline of romanticizing girlhood to adhering to TradWife teachings or to transforming into bimbos is SO important in this analysis of girlhood. I saw somewhere (lol either TikTok or Twitter) how this same current fixation women have with TradWife content is concerning because how our politics are globally looking to attack policies on women’s reproductive health (France and the USA, for example). Excellent piece and thank you for writing it! I feel like there’s always so much to say about this and you hinted at all the right things!
Ahh, your piece is fantastic! I especially like the point about how womanhood is sold to girls and girlhood is sold to women. Excited to see what else you write!
“Alienation, but make it aesthetic.” This piece is sooooo good. I love how you braided together these different culture phenomena together: the little girls at Sephora and the Stanley cup social hierarchies, they’re pointing at this same essential question about girlhood right now. Your essay reminds me how prescient a tale “Little Red Riding Hood” is.
“There was, of course, joy in being a Young-Girl, but I always looked forward to feeling like a real grown-up, someone who both remembered the shame of being misunderstood by adults but also offered a greater sense of understanding to young folks in turn.”
When I think about Auntiehood within the African diaspora context, this is what it means to me. Being an “Auntie”, whether you actually have nieces and nephews or not, comes with a social duty to be a safe space for niblings to turn to when parents just don’t understand. There’s a youthfulness and maturity to Auntiehood that helps them connect to the youth while gently guiding them to adulthood.
Very interesting piece, in fact it’s funny because I also wrote about The Preliminary Materials on my page, it’s the piece about the addiction economy.
I think your perspective is great and it seems great minds think alike! Check it out if you get the chance, curious to hear someone’s thoughts who has also been chewing on that.
Thanks for this Raquel! I've been thinking a lot about it after reading the article from The Cut but hadn't ventured to look at other viewpoints just yet, this was great!
Thank you for this. Reading it felt like having my heart and brain torn out in the best way. Thoughts I've muddled over for ages, in a much less articulated fashion, coupled with resources and further introspections. I needed this in depth analysis spelled out through the words of another - I feel educated, seen, and filled with even more questions. This was a joy and privilege to read... and also heart wrenching (the necessary kind). You had me at consume or be consumed!
Thank you so much for this wonderful compliment! I’m so glad it resonated ❤️
I just wrote about our 2023 romanticization of girlhood, how we seem to be linking women’s liberation/emancipation and independence to consumption and how womanhood is becoming an extinct culture because of our reproduction of unoriginality through consumerism but I truly wish I had read your piece before writing!
The pipeline of romanticizing girlhood to adhering to TradWife teachings or to transforming into bimbos is SO important in this analysis of girlhood. I saw somewhere (lol either TikTok or Twitter) how this same current fixation women have with TradWife content is concerning because how our politics are globally looking to attack policies on women’s reproductive health (France and the USA, for example). Excellent piece and thank you for writing it! I feel like there’s always so much to say about this and you hinted at all the right things!
Ahh, your piece is fantastic! I especially like the point about how womanhood is sold to girls and girlhood is sold to women. Excited to see what else you write!
Thank for for this. Reading this felt like the start of a beginning step towards introspection and critical analysis that I need to undertake.
thank you for reading! ❤️
“Alienation, but make it aesthetic.” This piece is sooooo good. I love how you braided together these different culture phenomena together: the little girls at Sephora and the Stanley cup social hierarchies, they’re pointing at this same essential question about girlhood right now. Your essay reminds me how prescient a tale “Little Red Riding Hood” is.
Ah thank you my friend! There's certainly so much to be said about the topic, I could probably write ten more essays!
“There was, of course, joy in being a Young-Girl, but I always looked forward to feeling like a real grown-up, someone who both remembered the shame of being misunderstood by adults but also offered a greater sense of understanding to young folks in turn.”
When I think about Auntiehood within the African diaspora context, this is what it means to me. Being an “Auntie”, whether you actually have nieces and nephews or not, comes with a social duty to be a safe space for niblings to turn to when parents just don’t understand. There’s a youthfulness and maturity to Auntiehood that helps them connect to the youth while gently guiding them to adulthood.
I love that comparison! Such a great reminder that being a non-parental adult presence in the lives of young folks is such an important honour.