we'll all be together, even when we're not together
EXTRA, EXTRA!
THE MOST IMPORTANT NEWS IN THE WORLD!
Do you recall our stunning new logo, wherein We Your Dames look like actual Disney princesses, drawn by the inimitable Simini Blocker, funded with the generous contributions of our beloved Patreon supporters? No? Maybe it would refresh your memory to see it emblazoned on a tote bag…
perfect for trips to the library
Or a coffee mug…
fuel up, friends!
Or perhaps a handy carry-all pouch?
so chic! so handy!
All of which can, _coincidentally_, be purchased in our freshly opened Society6 shop, along with many other neat tchotchkes! FINALLY, you have a new way to tell the world about your abiding affection for our impeccable taste and insouciant charm! Although, should you like to support us the old-fashioned way, our $10-a-month Patreon supporters are on the brink of receiving BOTH their last quarterly bonus email from 2016 *and* their first quarterly bonus PODCAST for 2017, so now is a pretty great time to jump aboard that bandwagon….
Live-tweet Announcement: Paris is Burning
Our next cinematic live-tweet will be the classic documentary Paris is Burning, which introduced much of straight America to drag balls and voguing, as well as such now-everyday concepts as realness, reading, and shade. It’s smart and sharp and forever timely and poignant as hell. It’s now on Netflix & we can’t wait to watch it with you! (If you love it, as we think you will, the forthcoming documentary Kiki looks to be a perfect companion piece.) (And if this film is ringing a faint bell for you but you don't know why, maybe it's because of Reply-All's segment on the history of YAS? If not, it's very well worth a listen - pick it up at 19:45)
When: Sunday, April 9 at 8pm EDT (GMT-5)
Where: Twitter - follow along using #parisdames. We'll be tweeting from @MrsFridayNext (Margaret) & @twobossydames (Sophie)
How: Netflix or a handy DVD
You will learn.
Three Truly Essential Reads: One Dishy, One Wise, and One Profoundly Incisive
Untrue of Mona Lisa Saperstein, but possibly true of Jenny Slate
Dishy: There seems LITTLE chance that any of you have missed the excellent profile of Jenny Slate that New York Magazine published this week, so just consider our mention of it here your invitation to come over and shout about which part of it you liked best. For Dame M, it’s a tie between Jenny saying of her recent ex Chris Evans “he’s like primary colors...His heart is probably golden-colored, if you could paint it” and her mention of a terrific-sounding Barbara Cooney-illustrated picture book Dame M. had never previously heard of.
Wise: Both Your Dames were profoundly struck by Linda Holmes’s meditations on Richard Simmons and “the nature of being known,” at least in part because it could have been… dedicated to us? Needless to say, Linda’s rumination on the phenomenon of being known, but not quite famous, and the dilemma of what to do with gratitude from strangers when it becomes too heavy to carry around daily are certainly central concerns of ours, and the quality of thought and empathy Linda brings to them is worth reading as an exercise in empathy.
Profoundly Incisive: It’s not often that we link to a white man who identifies as a former Republican in this here newsletter, but Chris Ladd’s essay for Forbes on why the working poor frequently vote against public safety net programs like universal healthcare in favor of the “white socialism” that tax benefits to corporations have helped create for Americans with good jobs is one of the better, more persuasive pieces of writing about the invisible system of white privilege in America that we’ve read to date.
A Little Women’s History Month Round-Up
We have used this gif before, and we will use it again, on account of it’s perfect. SUE US.
While it’s far from comforting how relevant the great and good film ‘9 to 5’ remains today, this interview with Patricia Resnick, its screenwriter, is fascinating and well worth your time.
And it’ll get you properly amped up to read this story from The Nation about a group of hotel housekeepers who decided to take on Harvard Universityand the limits of careerist feminism.
All of which might leave you in need of an outlet for your feminist rage-- like, perhaps, bowling for abortion rights as part of the National Network of Abortion Funds’ annual Bowl-a-thon. Even if you can’t participate yourself, it’s worth visiting the page if only to read the absolutely brilliant names people have come up with for their teams.
Foodstuffs of the Week
GET THAT CHLOROPHYLL, BUNNICULA
Queen Elizabeth, a very wise woman, eats a mini-breakfast about an hour before joining Prince Philip for a full meal each morning. As partial Hobbits, your Dames strongly endorse this practice.
This baked rice recipe looks delicious; if any of you have made it, will you let us know how it went & if you have any adjustments to recommend?
Please read The Old West’s Muslim Tamale King to get your classic American tale of immigration, racism, small town life, and mash-up identities. This is just ideal journalism, teasing out the tangled strands of an idiosyncratic local myth and recontextualizing facts for a wider audience. [insert heart-eyes emoji]
What do you call those little colorful things that you put on your ice cream? In the greater Philadelphia region, we like nothing better than a big cone of Mister Softee and a heated argument about those toppings, which Dame S can tell you are correctly known as Jimmies, forever & ever the end GOOD DAY. Sprinkles, my foot.
Meanwhile, over at _The Washington Post_, staffers were learning that, while Democracy Dies in Darkness (™), crabs-- even beloved ones you rescue from food labs and hope to transform into cherished pets-- die unless you keep them cool, moist, and possibly wrapped in seaweed. Come, gather round, and learn this and further lessons from The Legend of Old Bae, the Post’s short-lived newsroom crab mascot. [OLD BAE. That faint thump you just heard was Dame S. collapsing to the floor, taken in her prime by a truly ghastly (wonderful) pun.]
Then, take a quick turn into something a bit more unambiguously cheery by reading this deliciously long and funny ESPN article about the NBA’s secret addiction to peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches, which includes details like the following: “It's a tale of two diets in Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena, where the Cavs, courtesy of a partnership with fellow Ohio-based outfit Smucker's, foist about a dozen of the company's prepackaged Uncrustables PB&J's on opposing teams every game night… [while] serving themselves 20 artisanal PB&J's prior to tip-off, with homemade grape and raspberry jelly, as well as almond butter-and-banana and peanut butter-and-banana sandwiches -- the power of the PB&J being wielded as a form of asymmetric nutritional warfare.” (PS speaking of basketball, we still super-love Nigel Hayes, sweet courter of stenographers, hero of March Madness. Wisconsin plays Florida tonight for a spot in the Elite Eight & that is probably the most Dame S. will ever say about sportsball but ON WISCONSIN!)
take some bacon & you put it on a pancake
we make no apologies for this mammoth earworm
Cute Enamel Pins & Brooches Round-Up
(AKA what’s Dame Sophie stashing in her favorites over on Etsy these days?)
Throw on one of Frida Kahlo’s dresses and choose between two pairs of Harry Styles’ sparkly Chelsea boots, flirt with beloved revolutionary sweetheart A. Ham, don a a fierce posy of feminist peonies, accept some encouraging tough love from Tim Gunn, hang with a very chill sloth, enjoy confounding spelling sticklers with a perfect prefect badge (and/or an actual prefect badge from long ago), snack on some sweets from Mendl’s, proclaim your wistful family allegiance, live without apology the Beyonce way. Seriously, though, this pin can’t be beet!