Weekend Reads 9/20/25

Last week, challenging myself, I made an Instagram Reel talking to the screen about leopard print sweaters. It did well, and inspired me this week to do one talking about the new sneakers I got. This video did even better and I gained well over 100 new followers from it. I have never been a big Instagrammer, so 100+ is big (being on the Today Show in 2019 only gained me like 500 for comparison).

The followers came for the shoes, and found out about my political leanings. And not only did I have 100 new followers, I had dozens of DMs from folks wanting to compare what happened to Jimmy Kimmel to Roseanne Barr, asking if I thought Kirk deserved to die, if I thought Biden was a better president, if I approved of X or Y that some other celeb or politician did, and if I thought I'd be going to heaven with my views.

Clearly, they're new followers. I don't share my views for engagement, and I have no desire to debate with strangers, especially if you're coming to the debate without doing your homework. I understand we are all different people with different lives and experiences and beliefs and cultures, but there is never an excuse for showing up in someone else's space loud, uninformed, and combative.

One reason I have relatively few Instagram followers and do fewer brand partnerships with my audience is because I have political views, and I am not trying to turn them into my brand. I have no problem with blocking, banning, deleting, ignoring, and potentially offending a potential “customer.”

Along with this, I reserve the right to not share my opinion on every single political act. I have been quieter lately because the world is noisy AF and I am just another noisy voice taking away from actual facts and research. You don't need my thoughts, but you do need to know what's going on so if you do choose to educate and debate with others, you aren't one of the loud, uninformed, and combative. We don't make any progress if we're ignored, blocked, or mocked.

Weekend Reads

Family of Black student found hanging from tree on Mississippi campus seeks independent autopsy. (NBC News)

Let’s be clear about what happened to Jimmy Kimmel. (Vox)

Jake Tapper breaks down Jimmy Kimmel bombshell: ‘Follow the money.' (The Daily Beast)

I spoke out against hatred and violence in America — and it cost me my job. (The Golden Hour by Karen Attiah on Substack)

It's time to stop fighting for your rights. (Ijeoma Oluo: Behind the Book on Substack)

What I see as a midwife for pregnant women in ICE detention. (The Cut)

Could lithium explain — and treat — Alzheimer’s Disease? (Harvard Medical School)

The unique thrill of bathroom camaraderie at Bad Bunny’s historic “No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí” residency. (Mixed Feelings on Subsack)

Do I need these wide width boots?

American independent cinema owes much to Sundance king Robert Redford. (The Guardian)

Where are all the women designers? (Marie Claire)

The Supreme Court is about to decide one of the biggest economic policy cases ever. (Vox)

The future is flag. (New York Times – gift link)

I teach 22-year-olds. They don’t text like this. (Dr. Stacey Patton on Substack)

Rolling Stone, Billboard owner Penske sues Google over AI overviews. (CNN Business)

You make me feel like I'm living a sardine dream.

Gen Z and the terrifying rise of extreme tanning. (The Guardian)

And on Substack, I go into my glasses wardrobe with the pairs from CADDIS.

Sale Alert & Style Inspo

One thing about being a grown-ass woman is you can carry things off you can't when you're younger. And one is theme accessories. I bought a pair of pave skeleton earrings when I was maybe 30 and wore them once to a specifically themed party. I didn't touch those things again until I was in my 40s, and now they come out every Halloween. They're hokey and fun and an easy way to be festive without having to buy a whole look or costume. I'm full on Team Theme Accessories, and if you are too, here's some cute options for Spooky Season and beyond.

pave skeleton earrings | gold spider ring | spider earrings | rhinestone skeleton earrings | pumpkin earrings | ball ring | necklace | dagger and lips earring set | eye earrings | spider bracelet | bone bracelet | cat brooch

See/Hear/Read

The Girlfriend is a series on Amazon Prime that stars Robin Wright (The Princess Bride, House of Cards) and Olivia Cooke (House of the Dragon, Ready Player One). Based on a novel of the same name, it's a psychological thriller about the relationship between a mother, her adult son, and his girlfriend.

Wright plays Laura Sanderson, half of an affluent American couple living in London. They have one adult son, Daniel, who is a doctor, has a trust fund, and he is clearly a mama's boy. Or moreso, Laura is a Boymom. And Laura's boy has fallen for a woman named Cherry.

Cherry is ambitious, and doesn't come from a wealthy or privileged background. She works hard in real estate, she loves her mom, and it sure seems like she loves Daniel, too. But Laura doesn't have a good feeling about her.

The series will show the story from Cherry's perspective, and then Laura's perspective, and then vice versa. You will think you know what's going on, but then the second perspective sheds additional light (and bias) on the situation and you begin to question who is the problem and how reliable the narrator is. I kept returning to one of the first scenes when Daniel shares with Laura he's met this great girl and Laura reminds him of her. “She reminds you of me?” Laura says in response? Yep, they're both women who love Daniel and love to be in control.

Sure, there are issues with The Girlfriend, but Karl and I were both engaged and utterly charmed by Olivia Cooke and her big eyes and crooked smile. The costume director deserves props I wanted to know more about Cherry's past, I felt it would better explain parts of the story and help create connection to her character. But I'm glad I watched it.

For Your Entertainment

Pixel Grip is a Chicago-based electronica band founded in 2019 that is breaking boundaries and binaries. Reminding me of underground nightclubs I'd frequent in the late 90s, this is “Reason to Stay” from Pixel Grip's latest album, Percepticide: The Death of Reality.