Out Loud

What a week! I started a new job Monday, so I spent the first half of the week knee-deep in compliance training, watching videos and taking quizzes on phishing, sexual harassment, bribery, and even money laundering (I learned a couple things on that one actually). Because this company freaking rocks, they also had a unit on gender identity and expression and how to treat your fellow trans and queer employees. It is incredibly heartening to work at a place doubling down on inclusivity right now.

In Sharp Skirts land, we have a weekly conversation starter on the Slack channel, to get our writing minds going and get to know each other. This week, I asked how people decided on their career; what they initially planned to do and how it led to their current gig. Interestingly - and perhaps predictably - most of us started out wanting to change the world and switched course when reality set in. From environmental law and architecture to journalism and working with wayward youth, pretty much everyone changed horses midstream.

As my youngest starts college in 2 weeks (dear god), I want to share that thread with her and all her cohorts. Your dreams at 18 are framed in polished gold, and you should pursue them as ardently as possibly. Then give yourself the space to recognize when they need to change. There is no shame in shifting. Quite the opposite, actually. How admirable and ballsy to listen to yourself and then act to honor it.

If you want to join our Slack channel, apply here.

Stay fierce,
Carla

Greener Grass
When you’re looking for inspiration to let your freak flag fly, queue up this absurd comedy about suburbia, written and directed by its female leads. It’s a comedy style that takes some getting used to, but once you adjust, you’ll be giggling maniacally. The ultra-saturated color palette ups the absurdist ante, making the whole thing feel like an acid trip through Stepford.

A case for opting out
And in an argument I bet the ladies of Greener Grass can get behind, the fabulous Lyz Lenz shares her frustration with the eternal state of self-optimizing women find themselves in, juxtaposed against a government actively working against our civil rights. Stop watching ‘wellness’ videos on TikTok and read this instead.

“What would a progressive narrative look like? First, it would not be motivated by fear and hatred of women. Second, it would consider masculinity healthy and valuable rather than being ashamed of it. Third, it would be comfortable talking about the fact that men want to get laid and offer advice for how they might do that if it's something they're struggling with. And finally, it would provide a true assessment of romance and attraction - one in which they were not societally zero-sum, but win-win. That assessment would be grounded in the following truth: That the things which men can do to make themselves more attractive are things which actually improve society.”

From How to be a man, a great piece that goes on a bit long, but makes the point that the left’s refusal to address masculinity left them wide-open to right-wing misogyny (and worse).