This is the first week the newsletter did not come to me in a moment of manic inspiration and unfortunately is the product of “hard work” which I find disgusting!
Everyone in Brooklyn knows someone who knows someone who got bad drugs. Hot girl summer lives!
I enjoyed the first episode of the new Gossip Girl, a solid start to a series it feels impossible to live up to. THEY SHARED A SIBLING THAT NEVER GOT MENTIONED AGAIN GUYS!!!!!!!!!!! Of course The Cut got it right, while the guy at the Hollywood Reporter begged for a panopticon absolutely none of us want. Should men be allowed to write about Gossip Girl? No but we knew that already!
Was anyone doing anything this week other than listening to Leandra Medine sound like a dumbass and mourning the loss of Man Repeller? It is absolutely devastating to know something so wonderful was created by a self absorbed crybaby. MR was such a unique space on the internet and was one of the only accessible fashion platforms that felt like it WAS doing the work to create a more diverse fashion industry. I miss the site’s online community but the comments on The Cutting Room Floor patreon post are a nice temporary substitute and part II of the interview is out next Wednesday.
On the subject, I read a comment that argued most of the people who have been “cancelled” were young women trying to disrupt larger industries and they paid the price for the sins of an entire industry. I do think there are some merits to the argument. Women like Leandra, Ty Haney, and Audrey Gelman are such products of their industry it feels almost impossible to separate their own humanity from their meteoric careers. As young women, they found a way to work within the system to succeed (yes, I do see finding seed capital as “traditional” even if it comes from a woman) while also creating brands for themselves online as doers, makers, and earth shakers. The changing world blindsided them.
In fairness, the world blindsided a lot of people in the 2010s. We started the decade with a black President, gay marriage, and Girls, Lena Dunham’s modern Sex and the City. Not only did we have Girlboss Marnie (RIP Alison/Brian Williams), there was Lena writing, directing, acting, producing, and being fat while getting naked with Adam Driver. Women were all over Twitter and Buzzfeed and TV and Instagram and something called blogs (SP?). Victory! Things were going so well we even got our first blonde Scorpio Democratic Nominee. It did feel like we were ushering in this new era of inclusive (capitalist) womanhood.
And then we didn’t. What’s a girl to do?
The answer was more. The system was broken, yes, but if we knit our pussy hats, posted our Instagram activism and practiced kindness, we would overcome. More, more, more!
After 2016, I think a lot of Millenial white women buckled down on this idea instead of seeing the writing on the wall. I feel bad for these women. I also thought doing well within the confines of the establishment would reward me; my own successes would be enough without remaking the system. Then, something terrible happened— I went to college, realized everything is bullshit, and woke up. It is hard to wrap your head around the fact the world is based entirely on racist patriarchal capitalism and that any underlying system is also inherently anti-women. It’s always been easier to fruitlessly play by men’s rules instead of remaking a more inclusive system that rewards us all. Unfortunately, that helps no one.
This is when the girls started having problems. They boxed themselves into their brands to sell empowerment to Millennial women and their Gen Z counterparts, with absolutely no idea their Gen Z counterparts wanted ACTUAL change alongside the aesthetics. Gen Z had a different idea. If the systems we participate in are so corrupt, why don’t we make our own? A more inclusive future is possible just for the love of god shut up about womanhood. Overnight, women who were industry shakers became The Establishment, because we came to see that’s what they always were. Slapping a pretty face on a new brand doesn’t make it anymore feminist than Shell if the culture doesn’t reflect it.
Their “cancellations” are a reflection of this pressure. Their fate is what happens when you don’t stop and reflect on what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. We live in a very different world now than when many of these girl bosses came to power. It’s not enough to be a woman founder if you aren’t offering paid leave. It’s not enough to play CEO with no regard for employment laws. It’s not enough simply to take pictures of BIPOC to put on the Gram but also to hire them, pay them fairly, and listen to their ideas. For most young people, these seem like the bare minimum. I don’t think it’s unfair to hold them to the same standard I try to hold other companies, even if they are making prettier products.
These women made their money and platforms by selling us an idea and a lifestyle. If they want us to keep buying, they’re going to have to change. Most of us already have.