SHE'S BACK!

Season 20, Episode 11: SHE’S BACK! The Art of Comebacks
21 June 2026 – Chat with me about my return to Substack, reboots and remakes, and more iconic comebacks I’ve been thinking about.

Hello! It’s been a minute.

I’ve taken a bit of a break from posting on Substack as it’s honestly made me feel burnt out when combined with my new full-time job.

When I first started Normal Girl Field Guide, my aim was to find a place to wholly express myself and to help others feel seen along the way. Seeing comments of people relating and appreciating my articles is the best part of writing here.

Not only does it make me feel hyped-up, but it also makes me feel less alone in whatever situation I’m in. That feeling of community and vulnerability is what encourages me to keep going.

This article is a recap of what I’ve been doing while away, though I’ve realized most of these things could also be described as comebacks.

It’s familiar now to us that fashion trends are cyclical, especially amongst gen Z, who are known for taking trends from the 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s, and throwing elements into our own style.

I’m not a fashion expert by any means, nor very stylish. You can catch me in a band t-shirt most days, paired with the same 3 pairs of jeans worn over and over. This isn’t me complaining; I’ve grown incredibly comfortable in these clothes, and won’t change wearing them.

Still, with having a business casual job, I’ve had to upgrade my wardrobe for work. This has triggered a big reconsidering of my own style.

I’m into ballet flats, which have been popular in multiple periods, spanning from the 50s to the 80s to now.

I only own two pairs, which is thanks to the curses of being broke and also a size 10 shoe (USA). I’m letting my purchases follow a “if I find it in person randomly then I’ll buy it” method, which is working as well as it sounds like it would.

As many of you know, or can see from my profile photo, I have bangs.

I am the queen of having bangs.

They’ve been a defining part of me since 2020, though recently I’ve been wanting to experiment with them. I won’t get rid of them, as they’re vital for not only brand recognition (joke) but also for covering my forehead (serious, unfortunately).

That being said, I’ve been having fun with stronger middle parts, hair clips, and headbands. More hair accessories are definitely on my to-purchase list.

While this isn’t a comeback in its own right, I do see this desire for experimentation as a symbol of the way things can stay the same but appear new. Maybe we wouldn’t call it a comeback, but a reclamation. I’m excited for all the new possibilities it’s bringing my style.

Speaking of headbands, I wore one recently (for the first time!) at a music festival that I went to with some friends from high school.

We hadn’t seen each other in a year, so this reunion was a bit of a comeback as well.

Our friendship is different now. We don’t talk much, which is shocking compared to how frequently we spent time together during school. Still, that change in our friendship doesn’t get rid of the love or memories. It’s all still there, just in a different shape.

That’s how I view comebacks. The same things in new shapes.

I am back on Substack, I am a new shape.

I’m thinking about my fiction writing so much recently, learning how to write a novel. That height in my writing desire, though, is counterbalanced by a lack of poetry recently.

I miss it desperately, but I’m not one to force things before they’re ready for their own respective comebacks.

Instead of being at school, I’m at home. Surrounded by old habits, old friends, old feelings. It’s been hitting me hard.

Despite heading into my junior year of university next fall, this is the first summer I’ve spent at home. I’ve been living away for almost two full years, so this complete return of the old has been a lot to deal with.

Oftentimes, I’m left alone with nothing but work and my feelings.

I drive down roads and remember when I was with old connections driving down them.

That sudden shock of remembrance is so strange. I don’t miss him, but I do miss that time in my life. I don’t want to go back, but I have an intense urge to live in the memories of it all.

It makes me sick to my stomach thinking about it.

My anxiety has never been worse as it is now.

This is probably confounded by the amount of time I spend at home, alone, doing nothing. Or at work, alone, doing nothing (except for staring at my empty Outlook inbox).

Another big factor is the weather, which is at its core climate change.

As a kid, I was terrified of thunderstorms, always imaging a tornado was coming for my house, harsh enough to kill my family––the people I love.

Then I became absorbed by watching footage of hurricanes; different from tornadoes by miles, however a clear way for me to ground myself in weather. To keep calm.

So, my fear went away for a really long time. As you can probably guess, it’s having a comeback moment of its own.

With horrible weather events happening sometimes multiple times a week, I’m hyper-fixated on the devastation that might happen to me.

The town I live in is firmly within the “new tornado alley” as many people call it.

That phrase is actually a myth, as the “old” tornado alley is still swirling in states like Kansas, Oklahoma, etc. Instead, I’d argue that tornado alley is expanding.

There have always been tornadoes in the midwestern USA, however their likelihood seems to have increased, hence the thought of expansion as opposed to simply shifting. Tornadoes are becoming more frequent all across the States.

I’m working through my mental health in the only way possible with weather anxiety: being prepared and aware.

I keep track of the weather and know what to do in the case of severe events. I watch tornado coverage streams on youtube, just like I used to watch hurricane streams. A comeback.

All I have to say about tornadoes, really, is that they should always be taken seriously.

Tornadoes are one of the most unpredictable weather events, and can pop up with little to no warning. It doesn’t help that national weather services have been defunded.

In the case of a warning in your area (watch = ingredients to cook, warning = actively cooking), keep coverage up so you stay aware. Go to the most central part of your home, away from exterior windows. First choice is a basement, second an interior bathroom or closet, and third is a hallway.

For the love of all things I care about, please do not brush off warnings because they don’t ever actually happen to you.

It’s like fire alarms: the sensitivity on when they alert is low, meaning things that aren’t actually fires could trigger them. That being said, it’s better to have an error rate in the “false alarm” direction as opposed to the opposite, lose-your-life direction.

Enough of my storm rambling. It’s time for a media recap.

I’ve been doing so much film watching and book reading this summer. Many of these are comebacks of their own.

The Shatter Me sequel series just released had its second book released, titled Release Me. It’s up next on my TBR, sandwiched between romance novels and the Shadowhunters series.

I’ve been rewatching the Toy Story franchise in preparation for Toy Story 5, which I’m planning to go see next week some day after work. This rewatch has launched me back into childhood the same way being home has.

Honestly, I have no deep connection to these movies, and I wouldn’t call them my favorite Pixar films by any means. Still, they make me somewhat emotional and I feel connected to them now in a way I never used to.

They’re incredible pictures of growing up, moving on, and coming back home.

Everyone should watch them. My parents never have, which I was shocked to learn.

More recent movies I’d consider comebacks: Supergirl, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Minions and Monsters, Masters of the Universe, Disclosure Day.

I plan on watching them all (or have already), so follow my letterboxd to keep up to date with my thoughts, and always let me know if you want a review of a movie on here!

So many of my favorite music artists are also having comebacks.

Olivia Rodgrigo just released her new album, which is beautiful. My favorite song is “what’s wrong with me,” partially because I’m a huge fan of The Cure, partially because I relate to it and it makes me cry.

Gracie Abrams is releasing her new album soon, and I’m incredibly excited for it. I adore her lead single “Hit the Wall,” as it feels so true to me and gives me a mixture of old-Gracie and new-Gracie aesthetics. I predict this album will takeover my summer.

Finally, Phoebe Bridgers is back. This was one I didn’t expect, but am so so grateful for. Her music has always meant a lot to me, and I can’t believe I’m going to see her live in Europe this fall.

Phoebe has always encompassed the way I want to write, her lyric “I wish I wrote it, but I didn’t, so I learn the words” is so applicable to how I feel about her it hurts. She’s inspired my writing, as well as how I see myself, exponentially.

The multitude of comebacks I’ve mentioned in this article are vastly different. From fashion trends to sequel films, though, they all have one thing in common.

Nothing comes back exactly the same as it used to be.

Every comeback is a rebranding, a changing, an attempt to hold onto fundamental ideas while transforming into something new. Recognizable, but new.

I want to be recognizable, but new.

On Substack, in my writing, and in my own life, I’m aiming for growth in a way I didn’t expect when starting Normal Girl Field Guide.

In my first iteration here, I felt so motivated and excited to write with everyone else on this app.

Then, that spiraled downward and I’ve felt disconnected, like a failure.

I want to remove the pressure I’ve put on myself and get back to writing because I love it, and because I appreciate the people on this app so deeply and truly.

The people are what brought me back, alongside my obvious love for writing and sharing.

So:

Normal Girl Field Guide might look a little different from now on. I won’t be forcing myself to post weekly, but I will try my hardest to write anytime inspiration strikes. I love it here.

special shoutouts to maya olivia kate and other girl and maybe more

P.S. Special shoutouts to Maia, OliviaKate, and Evie 𝄞⨾𓍢ִ໋ . These are three people who I adore supporting, as well as receiving what feels like true and honest support in return.

P.P.S. So many others belong on this little list of people. I appreciate the connections and friendships I’ve built with so so many of you. Thank you thank you thank you.