TueDo List: Judy Blume + Girl Bikes + Pop Culture Preservation
Plus: Women pursuing their dreams after 50, curtain bangs and It Girls
THIS WEEK
📖 READ: Older women are overrepresented among the happiest people in America. Is marriage a preparation for divorce and other philosophical questions from a woman with a most unconventional family. Where are the beauty brands for older women? A look back at famous It Girls.
👀 LOOK: Regular life as a Wes Anderson movie. Lizzo defies Tennessee’s ban on drag. The New York Times wants to know your midlife health questions.
🎧 LISTEN: Feist contains Multitudes, Lara Downes blooms on piano, and a tearjerker-of-a-Carpool Karaoke finale with Adele.
🤣 LOL: She’s dancing like she’s never danced before. Word processing in 1975. Of course ‘70s “curtain bangs” are back. Shallot!
🛒 ADD TO CART: Blockshop robes are so gorgeous. Super-fun Australian limited-edition mumus. Amazing patterned dresses straight from Santorini. Retro Tupperware.
🎟️ GO: Achtung Baby, Vegas style. Celebrate 50 years of Hip-Hop and see this amazing exhibit at Fotografiska before it closes next month.
📺 WATCH:
Tonight: Michelle Obama & Oprah Winfrey: The Light We Carry. Filmed live on the final stop of Mrs. O’s 2022 book tour (Netflix).
Wednesday: Awkwafina is Nora from Queens. Season 3 of the light comedy (Comedy Central).
Friday: Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. Judy Blume’s iconic novel for tween girls makes a comeback as a movie starring Rachel McAdams (Theaters).
Monday: White House Plumbers. Veep producers and an all-star cast tackle Watergate history across five episodes (HBO).
STORY: It’s Not a Boy’s Bike If It’s My Bike
By Fran Mason
In 1980, somebody stole my bike, a Huffy 5-speed girls’ model, from our side yard. In my journal, I wrote about its replacement. My dad had bought me an old beat-up orange 10-speed — the only thing wrong with it was that it needed air in the tires.
The new-old bike looked just right: already broken in, sleek, a touch too big for me. It was like inheriting a perfect pair of faded, ripped Levi’s from a brother I didn’t have. At 15, I didn’t play sports, but I cycled all over our Chicago north-side neighborhood and beyond. I couldn’t wait to be seen unlocking this battered bike in public.
“The tires and the chain look good, so you should get a lot of use out of it if you don’t mind riding a boy’s bike,” my dad observed.
TUENIGHT 10: Carolyn Cochrane, Kristin Nilsen, and Michelle Newman, Pop Culture Preservationists
Your Age: Carolyn, 57; Kristin, 55; Michelle, 54.
Basic bio: The trio host the hugely popular Pop Culture Preservation Society podcast, which is dedicated to safeguarding pop-culture nuggets from our Gen-X childhoods. Every week, these three GALs invite us into their circle to discuss and dissect the crushes, clothes, books, movies, songs, TV, and toys that shaped our youth. Their mission is to spread joy through these shared experiences, mastering the art of storytelling, one episode at a time.
Beyond the bio: Being over 50 gave us the freedom and the bandwidth to finally pursue our dreams for real. We had no carpools to drive, games to attend, asses to wipe (except our own) and at last, it was time for us! Our talents have been revealed and released, and we have found joy and a new kind of fulfillment that has convinced us that this chapter is the best time for women.
What makes you a grown-ass lady?
We three grown-ass women decided to start a podcast knowing exactly ZERO about starting a podcast — but we did it anyway! We have taught ourselves how to record, edit, produce, and promote a podcast — in MIDLIFE, a time when most of us are asking our kids how to re-gram a TikTok!
#GENXAPPROVED: Question of the Week
This week in #GenXApproved TueNighter Alison needs is looking for a good natural deodorant. I’ll bet we have some ideas: Chime in:
🤔 ASK YOUR OWN QUESTION! If you’re a premium subscriber, you can learn how to submit your questions here or head straight to the new section to chime in with your recommendations.
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Re: natural deodorants, I love Megababe’s https://megababebeauty.com/collections/all-products/products/the-smoothie-deo