Paragraphic, Yet Breezy
HELLO FRIENDS!
This is our *very first* official newsletter! We're still figuring out how best to emulate the "paragraphic, yet breezy" editorial style of Two Bossy Dames's mascotEleanor Kirk*, but hopefully the journey is fun for all. NOW, to begin!
*Yes, we're going to keep linking to this profile until everyone on the Internet has read it; sorry/not sorry.
From the Department of Everything Old is New Again:
Stevie Nicks, sing-witch & super bosslady extraordinaire, shot a ton of self-portrait Polaroids during her many insomniac nights in the 1970s, and lo, they are gorgeous, and further lo, Dave Stewart ofTHE FUCKING EURYTHMICSis curating a show of them at a gallery in New York. Gallery owner Peter Blachley describes the 1970s Greatest Queen of All Media at work:
I think she was really being her own muse in terms of how she wanted to see herself. She sort of opened up this wonderful treasure chest of clothing and furniture and accessories, and all the things that she would have had around her to create these little worlds of fashion, and how she saw herself.
We could go on, but you should read thewhole interview, whose only flaw is that it isn't with Nicks herself. I mean, aren't you dying to know how she set up this shot?
And in further news about Stylish Ladies of Recent History, we quite agree with the dames at Rookie about the bestness of Mary Quant. How could we not love the person who (1) popularized brightly-colored tights and (2) invented the detachable Peter Pan collar? PLUS, for that immersive, multi-sensory experience, here's some important listening for while you read:
Mary Quant in Blue, by the Dylans
Are you a mod, or a rocker?
The Jet Set Junta, by The (crazy-dreamy) Monochrome Set
People We've Praised Before But Must Praise Again!
Taffy Brodesser-Akner, whose brilliant long read on Britney Spear's Vegas Residency was one of our earliest #BossyShares, is back again. THIS TIME it's a brilliant long read on Paula Deen's cruise/career in Martyrdom and SPOILER it's excellent. I mean, just read this perfect description of Deen's recipes and tell me you don't want to follow Taffy to the ends of the earth:
“There was a time,” her recipes always seemed to say, “when we didn’t ruefully chew our tree bark and soy cheese on gluten-free foam bread in the hopes of making it to 94. We lived. We ate, and we enjoyed it — right until the moment we suddenly clutched our chest on a golf course, keeled over and died at the age of 69. Men had died so we could do this.”
PS: Taffy was just announced as a correspondent for GQ, who seem to be on a lady-courting spree, having just recently hired ex-of-Jezebel Lindy West over the summer. We are INTO IT.
Further, one of Margaret's very favorite new bands of 2014 remixed the lead single of one of Margaret's OTHER favorite new bands of 2014 and HEY GUESS WHAT? The results were terrific!
Seasons Change:
First things first: Karis, an eleven week old lion cub, plays in fallen leaves in her enclosure at Blair Drummond Safari Park, central Scotland. Don't worry! There are, indeed,more pictures of this MOMENTOUS EVENT.
Don't mind us, we're just going to be snuggled up under the duvet in a bedroomdecorated in shades of Pat the Bunny. Or maybeCaps for Sale. Or possiblyFlora and The Flamingo. Don't make us choose! We'll just buy a bigger house for our culture commune!
Truly, this fall is the Season of The Internet's Boo. Major publications from TBD pantheon membersAnne Helen Petersen,Amy Poehler,Mallory Ortberg,Lena Dunhamand others are dropping like so many multicolored leaves, making us reflect wistfully on our own accomplishments, and look, even if you don't share our Marianne Dashwood-stylepassion for dead leavesand new books, you probably did a little screamy happy dance whenRoxane Gay's bossiness of The Butterwas announced. And if that last sentence makes absolutely no sense to you, well, consider yourself the happy recipient of a very pleasurable homework assignment. Get to reading!
Our Current Visual Culture Crushes
Julien Britnic's pop culture re-imaginings of Penguin Classics covers make us spew our tea all over our keyboards.
C&C Mini Factory pairs teeny, tiny animal figurines in whimsical & strange environments and who wouldn't want that popping up in their Instagram on the regular?
Jamala John's engrossing Hey (Music) Ladiiies! Pinterest Board and its vintage pictures of folks like Salt, Pepa, and Spinderella is turning our eyes into big cartoon hearts.
This Week In #TweeAsHell
We're obsessed withLili Chin's Dogs of the Worldposters:
(These illustrations are also available asdog-breed-celebrating t-shirts, Margaret would like theJack Russell Terrier shirtin navy blue at your earliest convenience. Possibly to celebrate her GENIUS business model of "UBER + dogs" where your pre-ordered cab comes equipped with a trained therapy dog as well as, you know, a driver. So that you get cuddles as well as transport. "CALL ME, venture capitalists!" says Margaret.)
Tips onManaging Your Continued Two Dots Obsession, and if any of you can explain to Sophie how to escape the utter hell that is Level 129, she is all ears.
Pitchfork has published all five of the making-of videos about Stuart Murdoch's film, God Help The Girl, yay!
This week in FICTIONAL LADIES BE READIN'!
Things That Are Not Thematically Linked, Other Than We Love Them and Think You Will, Too:
Uttterly bananas textbook covers from 1920s Japan,the trailer of Inherent Vice is gloriously odd, Lisa Schmeiser's incisive & appealing contextualization ofliterally every important thinginhertinyletter, So What, Who Cares?, irresistible Prince rumors,Bill Murray wonAmal Alamuddin's recent nuptials,The Golden Age of Disney playliston our sonic boo, Songza.
And Finally, Because We Care a Great Deal About Education & Learning
1000% scientifically accurate anatomy diagrams of miniature goats and fluffy bunnies make our booplesnoots twitch with delight while we dance a jig on our little ground tappers. Please be sure to share this important research with all the anatomy & physiology instructors of your acquaintance.
Whew! That's it for this week. We hope you dig this new incarnation of Two Bossy Dames. If you do, be a darling and share it with a friend, won't you? We welcome topic suggestions, misandrist rants, cultural consumption queries and hairstyling tips on Twitter, where we are@MrsFridayNextand@sophiebiblio, and onTumblr, where we mostly reblog but can also be persuaded to createepic GIF setsof your favorite worthyobjects of objectification.