Hot firies and cool kittens, plus Stella McCartney’s sustainable Paris fashion market
Greetings from my plague den : /
Good afternoon, I am writing this from my sickbed this week. After managing to dodge COVID until July this year, I’ve caught it for a second time. Not gonna lie, it’s real ordinary.
We’re well-stocked with food and meds, though, and no one seems to have caught it from me, touch wood. I did go out for birthday celebrations on Saturday night before I got sick and shared a dessert with my friend, plus caught up with another friend Friday and saw many people on Thursday. So eep, we’ll have to wait and see.
In other news, I’m not sure I have any other news. I foresee several days of catching up on TV shows and movies, so if you have any recommendations for me, I’m all ears. Probably a comedy or something on the lighter side. That sounds nice right now.
So, I’m expecting next week’s Becks and the City will be a bumper issue where I download to you all the thoughts my brain has had about all the books I’ve read, games I’ve played, and screen-y things I’ve watched in the previous seven days while sprawled on the couch. I even have a little camp bed set up in the lounge room so as hopefully not to spread corona to my partner. Last time, we tried this and it was doomed to failure, but it’s worth giving it a crack again, in case we can spare one of us from this icky virus on this occasion. Fingers and toes crossed.
I’m halfway through a newly-released book that I’m having some reservations about but am continuing to plow through. I’ve also been watching a neat little mini-series on free-to-air TV that I’m looking forward to sharing with you.
In the meantime, I hope you’re keeping germ-free and genial.
News
1. This stood out as a slice of good news to me recently – companies are more readily integrating older dancers into routines. Some are making comebacks decades after they’d retired. Good on ’em. Traditionally, ballet dancers, in particular, often hung up their dancing shoes by their late thirties. I think we’d be better off as a society if we canned the outdated opinion that a person should automatically give up sport or physical activity as they get older. Modify the activity to allow for their body’s changing capabilities? Yes. Give it up when they’re still safe to practise it? No. Sometimes the best art is created around constraints like physical limitations.
2. Vegetarian fashion designer Stella McCartney is one of my favourite nepo babies (of a very short list) because she tries to use her God-given platform for good. How do you sell sustainability to the world? Make it fun, make it fashion. McCartney recently hosted a Paris fashion market to promote earth-friendly materials and designs, which sounds like both an extremely good thing to do and an extremely good time. Bravo.
Reviews
1. I admit, reading a blurb from an author I’m familiar with describing a book as ‘unputdownable’ or ‘a terrific read’ definitely helps sway me to purchase it. After taking the plunge, however, there have been several occasions where I’ve thought: ‘Really? That author liked this book? Did they even read it before allowing their words to be used to recommend it?’ This article in Esquire answers that question: quite possible not. Or they might have been only singing the praises of the book as a favour to a friend. I’d heard whispers before that this sort of thing goes on, but I hadn’t realised it was to quite this extent. And it very much aids in perpetuating the ‘It’s not what you know, it’s who you know’ dynamic and keeping diverse authors largely out of the industry. This is not what we want. I think I’ll consciously be giving blurbs far less weight in book-buying decisions from now on.
2. Thaddeus Coates aka @hippypotter is a male plus-size model and illustrator. He also moonlights on Instagram as the eye-popping bundle of joy you need in your feed. Think: outfits of the day inspired by cartoon characters, positive affirmations on bright flower backdrops, rainbow splashes of gay pride, and plenty of bouncing along to upbeat grooves.
3. Being a huge devotee of MECCA’s To Save Face SPF50+ superscreen, I was eager to try the sample I was sent of the MECCA MAX Screen Saver SPF30 broad spectrum facial sunscreen. They’re both vegan, moisturising, give a smooth matte finish, and have a light, reasonably pleasant smell. Screen Saver seems like a step backwards from my favourite, though. It’s only SPF30 and it doesn’t have the light tinted effect of ‘To Save Face’. Screen Saver is a cheaper alternative, though — $25 for 75ml rather than $44. It’s good, but ‘To Save Face’ is justifiably better for the price.
4. I don’t normally like to review items I receive as gifts, but this is too cute not to share. My friend gave me an Australian Firefighters 2024 Cat Calendar on the weekend for my birthday and it is a true thing of beauty. Together at last – hot heroes and sweet little kitties. The selection of both shirtless men and felines is outstanding and the backgrounds in the photos are lovely and colourful. Absolute winner.
What I’m Feelin’ Right Now
The ice goth look
Mixing your check patterns
Desserts inspired by Golden Gaytimes
Taking photos in arched doorways
Latte dressing
‘TOO MUCH’ by The Kid LAROI, Jung Kook, and Central Cee
Baked eggs in avocado halves
One-shoulder dresses
Giveaway
Last week’s giveaway, Grace Kelly by Megan Hess, was won by Sallie Andrew. Sallie, I’ve emailed you and will send you the book next week once COVID’s soul has left my body.
In the interests of keeping my germs to myself, there’s no giveaway this week.
Playlist of the Week
Sitting on your back deck sipping iced tea: