Issue #2: in defence of the girl squad
Who is Pete Davidson dating now, Milan Fashion Week and more!
Hey everyone,
I have been binge-watching Sex and the City recently for the first time and I am having realisations. Firstly, I get why so many people are obsessed with this show, it is really GOOD. But also, as I am currently at the age that Carrie was in the show, it is really interesting how it deals with issues that even 20 years later are still poignant today.
The show is also such an influencer show. I swear I’ve been wanting to copy all the outfits, I’m ready to move to New York City and I am so intrigued by their version of the girl squad. I recently spoke to Candace Bushnell, the original Carrie Bradshaw, whose book and column the series is based on, and she told me that one of the most important things you need is strong friendships.
As someone who went to a girls’ school, groups of female friends are what I’m used to, and I have made some amazing groups of friends over the years. And honestly, they might not be as consistent as Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha but they have been there for me when I have needed the most. And that’s what friendships are like in reality. Candace Bushnell, herself, said that Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha were not based on specific people but amalgamations of her friends. I think too often the point we get from the show is that we have to be a ‘Charlotte’ or a ‘Samantha’ etc., instead of realising that we need to take the whole point of the situation, and just be there for our friends and support them when they need someone to listen to them or to talk them straight.
If you are familiar with this newsletter, you will know that I am a big Taylor Swift fan. She has always been the patron saint of girl gangs. And especially when she is single, they are OUT. In 2015, before she dated Calvin Harris when her album 1989 came out, she was spotted often with Karlie Kloss, a whole lot of other Victoria's Secret models and random young actresses. Now, she’s *single* again, 1989 is about to be re-released and the Girl Squad is back.
Most famously, she has been spotted out with Joe Jonas’ (Taylor’s ex) soon-to-be-ex-wife Sophie Turner around New York. They were spotted at numerous dinners around town with other TS staples like the Haim sisters and recently it was reported that Sophie and her kids are staying at Taylor’s NYC apartment. I mean, that’s being a girl’s girl.
That’s all from me this week! If you are interested in binge-watching SATC you can catch all six seasons (and the movies) on Showmax.
xoxo Caryn
Recs:
Series: Ms. Marvel - I’ve finally been catching up on the Marvel/Disney+ series. It tells the story of a teenage girl who gets superpowers. Kamala Khan is a Pakistani American, who idolises Captain Marvel. It is very much a young show so don’t expect anything too heavy, but I loved the interpretation of how the Partition affected the lives of Muslim people in India/Pakistan and how that reverberates on future generations. You can watch it on Disney+.
Film: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - a cute film about a writer who becomes enchanted by a community on the island of Guernsey and how she learns about their story and how WWII affected them. You can watch it on DStv Now/Stream.
Here’s what you missed in the news:
Entertainment/pop culture
At some point every young starlet has to date Pete Davidson, now up is Glass Onion/Outer Banks star Madelyn Cline.
Talking about dating, Bohemian Rhapsody actor Rami Malek has been seen cosying up to The Crown star Emma Corrin.
Staying true-to-form Leonardo DiCaprio is now dating 25-year-old model Vittoria Ceretti.
Usher has been announced as the performer for the NFL Super Bowl half-time show for 2024.
After publicly pursuing her, American footballer Travis Kelce was blessed with Taylor Swift coming out to support him at his game. The two apparently went out after it as well.
You can now watch the Taylor Swift movie of her Eras Tour worldwide (and in IMAX) and that includes South Africa from 13 October.
The Writers Strike is officially OVER as they came to an agreement with the AMPTP. This means, that some of our favourite shows can go back to the drawing board and come back to us soon soon. Next up is the actors guild!
There is a reboot of The Office in the works. But why???
Sadly, David McCallum, who played Ducky in NCIS passed away this week at age 90.
Michael Gambon, who played Dumbledore in Harry Potter as well as many other films and stage productions, also passed away at age 82.
TV shows that have been cancelled this week include Heels, Run the World and Blindspotting.
In a wild twist of events, Cher has been accused of hiring four men to kidnap her adult son to prevent him from getting back together with his estranged wife.
The clip from The Kardashians of Kim and Kourtney fighting over the phone has social media in an uproar. Here’s what you need to know about it.
Marilyn Manson has settled the lawsuit against a woman (known only as Jane Doe) who accused him of raping and torturing her in 2011.
Fashion & Beauty
What are the fashionistas saying about bags now? Well, apparently big bags are back according to Bottega Veneta, and top handle bags are what you should be investing in.
Kobe Bryant’s daughter, Natalia Bryant made her runway debut for Versace at Milan Fashion Week. At that same show, supermodel Claudia Schiffer made her return to the runway.
Rihanna announced a new loungewear collection for Savage x Fenty inspired by the world of soccer.
A new TikTok trend is the Korean Root Perm. Here’s what you should know about this treatment.
If like me, you are looking for some piercing inspo, here’s what the current trends are.
Refinery29 listed the best trends from Milan Fashion Week.
It’s all about hair ribbons now according to celebs like Emma Watson, Hailey Bieber and Maya Hawke.
The colour for Fall 2023 is apparently “latte colours”
WTF is ‘Barbie Botox’ that the kids are doing now?? It apparently makes you look like a doll.
Lifestyle
The current issue facing friendships is phubbing. Which is when someone snubs you in favour of their phones
“The design of apps, with constant notifications, can make it challenging for us to resist picking up our phones,” Catherine Talbot, PhD, cyberpsychologist and senior lecturer in psychology at Bournemouth University, tells Refinery29. “Also, people may not even realize they're phubbing, as spending time on their phone has become habitual.”
Social Justice
We need to talk about how online incel culture is affecting young men. Last week, a 15-year-old, Elianne Andam was tragically murdered in Croydon, London by a 17-year-old boy. She apparently died defending her friend from her friend’s ex and was stabbed with a machete.
This has prompted a greater conversation online about how problematic misogynistic influencers like Andrew Tate and others affect how young men approach their interactions with young women. Glamour wrote a great piece here and South Africans have been writing about it forever.
Podcast Recap
If you missed it, we had a great chat with stars of Netflix’s Unseen - Gail Mabalane, Ilse Klink and Shimmy Isaacs about how women of colour are often seen as 'invisible’ and their experiences in the South African entertainment industry.
You can listen to it here
Celeb Crush of the Week
After watching The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, it reignited my love for Michiel Huisman who I knew best as Daario Naharis in Game of Thrones. And reader, he is very dreamy in this film.
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See you next week!