Dear readers,

As you can see, I’ve decided to bring back my Inspiring me lately series! Why? Because it’s summer and there’s a lot of things I’ve been #obsessing over lately. And, really, who doesn’t love a good links list?

So without further ado, here’s what’s been inspiring me lately. When you’re done, tell me what’s been getting your juices flowing in the comments, because I always appreciate a new discovery to sink my teeth into.

1. The Handmaid’s Tale, Season 2

If you haven’t already hopped on The Handmaid’s Tale bandwagon, then trust me when I say that you’re seriously missing out. So dark, so poignant (especially given the current political climate), so good. Go watch and become obsessed like me. Trust me, it’s worth it.

2. Queer Eye + Jonathan Van Ness’ podcast

Queer Eye is the Netflix show taking the pop culture world by storm. The premise: five fabulous gay men come in and makeover (usually) a straight male’s life. It’s the best kind of reality TV, undoubtedly staged and engineered to make you feel things, but filled with tons of endearing, seemingly authentic moments, insights and tips you can apply to your own life, and, as my brother put it, “it’s good, mindless, upbeat”entertainment. I’m not ashamed to say that I pretty much didn’t stop crying through the whole second season.

When you finish binging all of the episodes, don’t worry you can still get your Queer Eye fix by checking out Jonathan Van Ness’ podcast, Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness. Jonathan is one of the standout stars from the show, and it’s easy to see why, he is a radiant light of sunshine, positivity, and sass. Getting curious has ample doses of his addictive personality while at the same time diving into a whole lot of meaty and interesting content. He interviews experts about topics he’s curious about — everything from Renaissance art to gender bias in film scoring to fun chats with big names like Lizzo. What I love about his interviews is how he really breaks down complex topics simply by not being afraid to ask the questions we’re all thinking, and also his exuberant personality makes learning so entertaining.

3. Man Repeller

Man Repeller has become a digital stalwart in my life. This blog from Leandra Medine has been around for years, expanding from her personal style blog to the full-blown media brand it is today. Their whole is ethos is on providing a humorous and intellectual take on fashion, because you can care about fashion and be intelligent (woah, say what?). I usually log on to this site when I need a “brain break” (as Leandra dubbed it) and am craving some visual candy. There’s a whole lot of quirky, fashion inspo alongside articles that will also make you think or consider a new perspective.

4. The Sun Magazine

The Sun Magazine is another one I’ve been a fan of for a while now. Their tagline is “personal, political, provocative” and they definitely deliver on all those things. Check it out if you’re in the mood for some seriously good writing (poetry, fiction, and nonfiction) and interviews that will really make you feel some things while also wedging open your perspective in large and subtle ways. I subscribe to the magazine, but I believe you can also get a limited amount of their content for free on their website.

5. The Poetry Foundation’s Instagram

This is a great account to follow if you need a break from vacation pics and latte art and want to inject a little substance into your feed. They share excerpts of poems that create a little respite of inspiration and thoughtfulness amidst the mindless scrolling.

6. Homemade Body Scrubs

Ok so maybe not a groundbreaking discovery here, but maybe you also need a friendly reminder that homemade body scrubs are a delightful and easy DIY you should definitely be taking full advantage of this summer. I was reminded of this during a visit to my local drug store bath section. While perusing all of the body scrubs on the shelves that cost around 10 euros each and which all contained a bunch of questionable ingredients, I realized I could save money and create something beautiful and nourishing all by my damn self, with minimal effort to boot. Here’s the recipe I used as a starting point to get the ratios right. I mixed olive oil, a combination of normal and dark brown sugar,  lavender oil, and rose oil and now it sits in a cute mason jar on the edge of my tub.

7. #SummerOutfitResearch via The Cut

Another light but fun thing that I’m into right now is The Cut’s hashtag summer outfit research. So many good outfit ideas and throwbacks! I’m here for it.

8. Tracee Ellis Ross, always.

This one needs no explanation. This woman is just a gem and so is her Instagram. From her stories to her feed, I love everything about her; her fashion sense, her hilarious personality, her momma.

9. The JooJoo Azad Because We’ve Read book club

Since I swear I’m not all fluff. JooJoo Azad is an inspiring political fashion blog created by Hoda Katebi, a self-described “sarcastic (& angry) Muslim-Iranian creative and community organizer living in Chicago”. Her radical reading book club launched a few months back as a response to her viral clip shutting down some racist news anchors during a live TV interview (When they said; “You don’t sound very American.” she replied, “That’s because I’ve read.”.). So far the club has been a great resource for expanding my awareness on history, colonialism and how it all relates to the political issues we’re facing now. Thanks to the book club, I read Assata Shakur’s biography and have been able to follow enlightening discussions around race, religion, and activism. I look forward to seeing their future picks and reading more books I’d otherwise not have been aware of.

10. Ann Friedman’s weekly newsletter

Last but definitely not least is Ann Friedman’s wonderful newsletter. This is another great resource for staying abreast of current news, both “real” and pop culture. Ann Friedman (one half of the famous and also enjoyable Call Your Girlfriend podcast) puts this newsletter out every Friday. In it, she shares a list of links to timely articles as well as videos/audio that cover a wide range of current world events (I would say they tend to be slightly more US focused though). She only shares really high-quality content, and I can always rely on her for a well-rounded mix of topics. Because I struggle with keeping up with the news and am often guilty of tuning out altogether, I use this as my weekly portal to having some sort of inkling of what’s going on in the world.

~

Okay, so I think that’s enough for now! Your turn. Tell me what you’re obsessing over. Which rabbit hole should I fall down next?

All the love,

Elizabeth