A little reminder that women kick ass
Just in case anyone needed it / was unaware
A lot of what I’ve seen on social media in the last week / ten days has been somewhat depressing to witness - abuse on various platforms has sadly always existed but that quote that has become popular on TikTok has really served as a reminder (as if one were needed) that some people really hate women. And women having the freedom to choose, to vote, to work, or even just the audacity to exist, frankly.
As an antidote to this absolute bilge, I thought it the perfect time to highlight some stories about women and / or by women: wonderful, funny, both perfect & imperfect, and most of all, human. Creators, caregivers, worriers, realists, idealists - all of it, none of it, some of it.
TL;DR
Read The Troubles With Us & The Vanishing Half. Watch First Wives Club. Listen to Dolly Parton’s America. If you like these you’ll love watching Motherland, Bad Sisters and The Golden Girls.
READ
First up, a book I inhaled in one sitting: The Troubles with Us by Alix O’Neill.
It is O’Neill’s experience of growing up in Belfast in the 90s interwoven with her mother’s own story of learning about her family & background. O’Neill and her mother, Anne, are both strong, funny Irish women with the most hilarious turns of phrase and wonderfully unique outlooks on the world that will have you crying both happy & sad tears.
On a completely different note, The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett is a fictional tale of twin sisters Desiree & Stella from Louisiana.
The girls are black but very light-skinned. As they grow up, Stella escapes their poor background to live her life as an affluent white woman married to a man who doesn’t know her true identity; while Desiree ends up in an abusive marriage with no idea of what has happened to her sister. It sounds wildly depressing but it isn’t - it’s powerful and spellbinding and another one I inhaled.
WATCH
Time for a bit of nostalgia. Remember First Wives Club?
A 90s classic, and I wonder why a certain Tango’ed someone’s success across the pond made me think of it…I guess it’s just that his first wife is in it delivering the immortal line “Don’t get mad, get everything”. What’s it about? (As if you didn’t know) Three women in their 50s are left by their husbands. Rather than mope around and feel sorry for themselves, they get up, get out & get angry. A rallying cry for mid-life women everywhere.
LISTEN
Another great lady, I think we can all agree, is Dolly “It Costs A Lot Of Money To Look This Cheap” Parton. Dolly Parton’s America is a nine-part podcast series about the woman herself and her career.
It’s made by Jad Abumrad - he of Radiolab / WNYC fame, as previously mentioned in the debut edition of this very newsletter - thanks to his link to Parton through his father, a doctor who treated Parton after an accident. It covers her start in life in Tennessee, her career as a singer & songwriter and even the creation of Dollywood theme park. It’s a lovely way to spend a few hours, learning about the woman who dedicates so much time and money to getting kids reading as well as other issues such as LGBTQ+ causes and healthcare.
WATCH
Well this was a case of ‘where to start’. I kept thinking of great examples of women writing, producing and acting in great TV. Absolutely anything that Sharon Horgan is involved in is going to be gold.
If you haven’t yet seen Motherland and / or Bad Sisters, 1. where have you been? And 2. I am quite literally jealous of you. Both are masterpieces in excellence in writing, acting, humour and honesty. Motherland stars Anna Maxwell Martin as London-based mum of two whose husband is constantly playing golf or on a stag do. It’s a warts’n’all take on what it’s like to be a mum in a time where we get to ‘have it all’: as in a job, a husband, the kids, the BS at the school gates and still the vast majority (if not ALL) of the mental load. So on the nose, so brutal and so funny.
Bad Sisters season 2 has just come out on Apple TV+ this week. But the first season was Horgan’s reworking of a Belgian original, and this new season (which I have yet to watch) is the first season purely from her own magnificent brain. I am giving nothing away when I say that season 1 is about figuring out which of five sisters killed the arsehole husband of the eldest sibling. It’s hilarious even if the way they filmed on location around Dublin had me screaming “but that’s nowhere near there - you couldn’t have walked that!”
Finally, as a complete & utter curve ball, did you know that you can watch all seasons of The Golden Girls on Disney+?! For years, I have followed a fan Instagram account with clips of Dorothy, Sophia, Blanche & Rose for the laughs so I was delighted to discover the episodes in full on a streaming platform.
From the clothes to the hair and the incredibly beige 1980s interiors, it’s peak comfort viewing. There is no threat of violence or even remote mild peril. There are lots of innuendos and instances of women in the 50s & 60s cracking jokes and talking about sex: rare in the ‘80s, and still pretty rare now to be honest. A great one for a weekend afternoon on the sofa with a blanket, a cup of something warm & a pack of chocolate biscuits.