Friday Links 8/11

Firstly, thank you for helping me reach 60 followers! I’m very touched that people enjoy reading this blog enough to submit to a never-ending influx of post notifications.
Also I’m picking up my Visa today. And maybe finishing up my tour of the Greater Boston area vegan pizza scene (i.e., three restaurants).

Also also, I may have broken my toe this morning. This has been a summer full of walking into things and burning myself on heating elements. And cooking, but I guess that goes with the heating element part.

So what else is new?

• This incredibly beautiful Provence Self Portraits series on Instagram. I’m trying to pick favorites but I can’t. Here’s the first one I saw. And another one.
• The science of why newborn babies’ heads smell so good. We’ve effectively been brainwashed by baby heads.
• YSL’s new Roller Skate Stilettos. This is why we can’t have nice things.
• Can a makeup company still claim to be cruelty free if they sell in China (which requires foreign companies to test on animals)? Is trying to change the system from the inside an excuse?
• Name quotes courtesy of Nancy’s Baby Names, including how Star Wars: Rogue One character Jyn Erso was named.
• In defense of ghosting (or as Miss Manners calls it, The Kafka Romance Dissolver).
• The RAISE Act: Would President Trump let you immigrate to America (for me it’s a no).
• “Manic Pixie Dream Girl with a Straw Basket Bag”: Man Repeller may have just called me out. But I take exception to the phrase ‘manic pixie dream girl’, which is usually used to connote a female character who exists solely to be cute and charming and a stepping stone on a male main character’s journey.
• The Limehouse Golem trailer– I’m excited because 1) horror/suspense, 2) Bill Nighy, and 3) period film.
• “My husband and I sleep in different bedrooms.” As an introvert with a fetish for alone time, I personally wouldn’t mind different houses. Except for the carbon footprint.
• A sartorial analysis of The Parent Trap (Favorite quote: “I love a hike look. Knotting superfluous materials around my body under the guise of utility is one of my favorite pastimes.” Same.) This movie always makes me feel very nostalgic (it was a Girl Scout Camp staple) and sad about Natasha Richardson.
• A first look at The Incredibles 2! (Robert Parr/Mr. Incredible is a stay-at home dad and Helen Parr/Elastigirl is out fighting crime, and apparently more the focus. Hence the high proportion of dislikes. Avoid the comments section.)
  So excited for more Edna Mode!
• When I used to subscribe to Elle, E. Jean’s advice columns were my favorite. Love learning more about her– what a wonderfully outrageous, eccentric, quirky person.
• Whenever I see this Hyundai commercial I have to sing along- it’s obligatory. If you’re from Boston you’ll know what I mean. Curse you, Hyundai! I feel used but also so seen.
• If you only follow one link, please watch this video on queer baiting and queer representation in the media: “Though the creators of content have the right to make TV shows and films that correspond to their ideas, they should also be able to listen to the valid criticism of fans rather than saying that they’re trivializing an important issue. No, this is not silly.  We are not just delusional people with silly ideas- we are the people you’re advocating the representation of. We’re the people you want to help. You’re the one who’s trivializing the struggle for representation […] Think about the dynamics you’re portraying. Make us visible without making us a token stereotype.”
  Some background: I don’t watch television, but Mom’s been watching Sherlock recently and I watched a few clips on Youtube because it seems like an enjoyable show. This led to Pinterest (and the internet, which knows all) recommending Sherlock fan art to me.  Which led to a discussion between myself and my Mom in which I explained to her what slash fiction was, and asked why she though the proportion of gay slash fiction was so high. She suggested that LGBTQ individuals may be looking for a way to feel that they and their stories are represented by mainstream media.  So even though this video is from maybe a year ago, it’s feeling super important, appropriate, and poignant.
• The ACLU is suing on behalf of PETA; the ACLU itself; Carafem, a health care network that specializes in getting women access to birth control and medication abortion; and Milo Worldwide LLC — the corporate entity of provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos- challenging the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) restrictions on controversial advertising.  Which decided the text of the First Amendment itself on municipal transit ads was too “political” for public display. Irony.
• I’m hoping to see Wind River this weekend (MovieBob reviews), which I’ve been waiting for since Sundance: “So what exactly should draw you in to watch a depressing movie where essentially from frame one we’re informed that it’s world view is that life is pain, everything sucks, the world will eventually wear you down and the best you can reasonably hope for is to become hard enough to live through it and maybe possibly exact some personal vengeance where applicable?”
  Me: “Are you kidding? That sounds excellent!”