The 1980s called and they wish Bettie Page was still doing her thing.
August 6th, 2024
5 thoughts and feelings for the week.
I think about my love for Bettie Page most days.
I find myself saying “Ugh, I just love her” to myself aloud. To me, Bettie illustrates what it looks like to feel good in your body, have fun, and not take yourself too seriously. That’s the magnificent thing about pin-up girls. Some people might critique them for feeding into stereotypes and are designed for the male gaze. Two things can be true. I find pin-up gals, Bettie Page in particular, to exude the self-confidence and silliness I wish to daily.
I enjoyed this little Refinery29 slideshow about Page.
I am exploring my relationships with the divine feminine.
In a word that veers masculine because of capitalism, monetary success, control, and power, I feel like we all need to embrace what it means to be feminine. Whether that’s 10% of who you are or 90%. This side of us needs to be nurtured and respected.
Femininity is beyond gender. The divine feminine is all about understanding our bodies to have strong intuition and emotional intelligence. It’s an empathy-first approach, not to make excuses, but to know there’s more beyond what we see and feel from our perspective. Embracing femininity is to feel fluid and open. To remain flexible. I am personally a Type A Capricorn controller. I’ve been called the “male” in many of my relationships. I am looking forward to unpacking this for myself, especially as I am building Club BodyTalk, and am curious if any of you resonate!
Is self-expression really what we think it is?
This article that Adam Curtis wrote about self-expression haunts me. In a good way. I have re-read it many times. This is for anyone who is into sociology, culture, and current events.
“…self-expression is the new politics. Self-expression is the new way of challenging the bad things in the world. But it can’t, because the whole world is actually based upon self-expression…”
Stick with it, it’s a bit of a rollercoaster.
Francesco Vezzoli’s home is an AI fantasy reality.
Francesco Vezzoli’s home, Mae West Sofa and all, show that we don’t need AI to create fantastical homes. I want to go to there. I recently had AI generate a couple of 80s fantasy bathrooms, and these feel very reminiscent of Vezzoli’s home. It’s giving the San Junipero episode of Black Mirror…
The San Junipero episode of Black Mirror is for hope, love, and tears.
I watch this episode when I want to dream, cry, and immerse myself into an 80s retro-future super fantasy world. I find myself incredibly satisfied by this episode, which you cannot say for all Black Mirror episodes… If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it! (Season 3, Episode 4)
Things that cost money but feed the soul.
One of my biggest fantasies is to own a storefront/multi-purpose space where I can curate and craft. As I said in my last letter, I am in a manifestation phase. I’m including a little “Retail Therapy” section as part of my manifestation practice. :)
This Maude vibrator. I love an organic shape and a vibrator that looks nice on your nightstand.
The Bedside’s Manifestation Journal. I haven’t bought this yet but I am planning to. This journal feels like a good way to hold yourself accountable to manifest your dreams.
Bettie Page: Queen of Curves. My friend Hanna bought this for me when I was in a deep pin-up girl phase. It truly highlights Bettie’s playfulness and how dynamic she was!
These bejeweled hairpins. I just bought these for my wedding look. They make me feel like an edgy badass princess, which we all deserve to feel. ✨ Feeding my inner child.
Scribble Community is a community center in Highland Park (Los Angeles). They have lots of great and affordable workshops hosted by community members. I am super inspired by this space and looking forward to exploring their offerings!
Until next week.
💖 Lizzy
So fun!