Memorial Day Weekend Reads

As you read this, I will be heading to or at a campground in the mountains without wifi or cell service. It's another Girl Scouts getaway, but instead of a beach house, it's a tent. I'm so glad the forecast is for mild temps and no rain. Cross your fingers for me that it stays that way! I found this work by Frank Bensing that was used for a magazine cover… It's what I'd rather be doing with the scouts this weekend though I know camping will still be fun.

Weekend Reads

Social media use may cause depression among young people, new study finds. (Mashable)

What’s behind BuzzBallz – Gen Z’s favourite alcopop? (Financial Times)

The backstage hustle behind Jennifer Hudson’s ‘spirit tunnels.' (Washington Post – gift link)

Slop videos. Slop bowls. Slop clothing hauls. When did we get so submerged in the slop-ified muck? (New York Times – gift link)

The tariffs come tinged in pink. (The Contrarian/Substack)

The musicians are getting Gen Z offline & into the crowd. (W)

It's time to talk about how often you're cleaning your water pitcher. (Wall Street Journal – gift link)

If you've thought about getting a clothing rental subscription, Rent the Runway has subs 50% off this weekend. Use code MEM50.

Vitamin D may slow a process related to aging, new study suggests. (Washington Post – gift link)

Men and boys are in crisis. Yes, feminists should care. (Jill Filipovic/Substack)

Is ‘chic’ political? In Trmp 2.0, the word stands for conservative femininity. (The Guardian)

Can I wear a sheath dress without looking like a MAGA woman? (New York Times – gift link)

How Taylor Jenkins Reid became a publishing powerhouse. (Time)

Georgia attorney general: LIFE Act doesn’t require keeping pregnant brain-dead woman alive. (Catholic News Agency; sharing for additional context on this story)

2 dead, 19 injured after Mexican navy sailboat crashes into Brooklyn Bridge. (ABC News)

Jem and the Holograms are back (with new music!) for the 40th anniversary of ‘Jem’. (Billboard)

The real dangers women face. (The Audacity/Substack)

See/Hear/Read

In 6th grade, my friends and I passed around a copy of Forever by Judy Blume. That book was dog-eared, the spine creased a million times, and the pages would open right to that part of the book that made it a read we tweens found dangerous and thrilling and embarrassing and educational.

Decades later, all I remember is the guy wore glasses and named his member Ralph. I also remember even in the 80s I found parts of the book dated. When I heard Netflix was turning Forever into a series taking place in 2018 California and Judy Blume was part of the team, I was intrigued.

A little background, my husband and I are high school sweethearts. We met senior year and I came home that night and told my mom I met the guy I wanted to marry. We fell hard and fast, said we loved one another early on, and often talked about “forever.” We graduated, I went to college, he went into the Navy, we experienced life apart and then moved in together in 2001, marrying in 2004.

So this series has me in all my feels. In the first episode, I cried before the opening credits. It's beautiful and real and bittersweet and utterly charming. The teens, the parents, and the situations are so well done. We haven't finished it yet at the time of writing this, but we'll likely finish it this evening.

We're not watching Forever with our teen, we wanted to see it first alone and get all nostalgic. Know there is nudity (breasts and butt), drug use (marijuana), plenty of swearing, discussion of sex and drugs beyond weed, and reality of teens and their parents in modern-day America but done where it doesn't feel all that different from when you were their age.

For Your Entertainment

I used to watch TikTok a lot. Then I deleted it for a year and realized I didn't miss it. However, I keep getting videos sent to me by my sister, my daughter, and friends and TikTok eventually won't let phone browsers play them. So I re-downloaded it, but I haven't gone back to it beyond watching what is sent my way.

This month, my sister sent me a TikTok of four women performing a choreographed dance to the instrumental version of Janet Jackson's “Miss You Much.” The dance felt familiar, and I realized I had seen a video of other women doing it in a wood-paneled basement. My sister said it was Panic Shack, and I was like, huh? The dance is called Panic Shack?

No, the BAND is Panic Shack, and they are recreating the original dance circle, using it to do “fit checks” of their tour outfits. So I went to check out the band Panic Shack, and was surprised I hadn't heard of them before because now I am a FAN.

Panic Shack is a Welsh punk rock band that formed in 2018 and released its first singles in 2020. Not well known across “the pond,” Panic Shack released its first EP in 2022, which reached #92 on the UK charts. Panic Shack is releasing its debut album in July, and thanks to social media and its choreographed fit checks, it's building a worldwide fanbase. Panic Shack's latest video is for “Gok Wan,” and the lyrics are pretty powerful:

I squat for 2 hours a day
Not enough to keep the red ring of shame away
If my stomach is flat and my arse is perky
Maybe I could get everybody to like me
Fingers for dinner, starving yourself
Trinny and Susannah stacked on the shelf
Vertical stripes and skipping meals
Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels

I squat for 12 hours a day
I know best I do what people on the telly say
And all I count are pounds and calories
Don’t read books just glossy magazines
Who needs brains when you got hip bones like mine
I learnt this from you mum, I must be doing fine
Nothing really matters except numbers on the scales
Coz nothing ever tastes as good as skinny feels

I look good this is all I do
My body is yours enjoy the view