Dacy, I love this essay. I want to give you credit for the fact that I'm taking risks in my wardrobe this fall that feel dangerous and transgressive as I divest from dressing for the patriarchal gaze. So much of this has been inspired by your work. I've been letting my gray hair grow out and now have silvery streaks throughout. (My stylist is calling them "wisdom highlights," a phrase I'm not totally sold on?) I bought a pile of maxi dresses in really sumptuous fabrics (April Cornell, Natural Life) and have not defined my waist in weeks. I'm leaning into a style that I have wanted to dress in for years but wasn't brave enough before because I worried it would make me look old, or unprofessional, or frankly crazy. I've been topping these dresses with chunky cardigans and a poncho, for the rainy PNW weather, and I've been getting so many compliments from other women. A couple of people have told me that I look like a witch, but like, in a good way. The song "Season of the Witch" has been stuck in my head for weeks. I feel like it's my sartorial middle finger to the patriarchy, and I have you to thank for inspiring this shift. So yes, your work absolutely is political, inspiring, and empowering. Keep it up!
oh my goodness, diana! this whole comment is making me a bit teary. i'm so grateful that i've been any small part of what sounds like such a badass, witchy evolution. those outfits sound like perfection - you have to share one in the chat!!
Yes, everything is political. I appreciate you stating that unequivocally. My husband works in politics, currently doing some amazing innovative political ethnography to change the Democratic Party’s narratives and our dinner table talks have been very interesting. He’s written an amusing but very thoughtful series on how to interpret the polls we’ve been seeing based on his current findings and I’ve sent it around to those in my circle who are very nervous about tomorrow and might like some actual HOPE. If you’d like the link, just let me know.
I’m also an herbalism student (mainly focusing on herbal interventions to mitigate my perimenopausal symptoms, which has changed my quality of life tremendously) and nervines are getting our household through this current period of both election anxiety and having our kiddo not in school for more than a month because his current special ed class violated his boundaries and broke his trust so we’ve been going through the hellish process of fighting to update his IEP to get him the actual resources he needs and finding a new school. So if you’re still in that coffee shop, I highly recommend getting a pot of chamomile tea and making sure you steep the bag for at least 15 minutes. If not, here’s a short list of herbs that you can use to help calm your central nervous system in addition to chamomile: passionflower, ashwaganda, lavender, lemon balm, milky oat straw, and motherwort. We’ve all got this, we just need to keep on keeping on, but we don’t have to do it alone!
Dacy, I love this essay. I want to give you credit for the fact that I'm taking risks in my wardrobe this fall that feel dangerous and transgressive as I divest from dressing for the patriarchal gaze. So much of this has been inspired by your work. I've been letting my gray hair grow out and now have silvery streaks throughout. (My stylist is calling them "wisdom highlights," a phrase I'm not totally sold on?) I bought a pile of maxi dresses in really sumptuous fabrics (April Cornell, Natural Life) and have not defined my waist in weeks. I'm leaning into a style that I have wanted to dress in for years but wasn't brave enough before because I worried it would make me look old, or unprofessional, or frankly crazy. I've been topping these dresses with chunky cardigans and a poncho, for the rainy PNW weather, and I've been getting so many compliments from other women. A couple of people have told me that I look like a witch, but like, in a good way. The song "Season of the Witch" has been stuck in my head for weeks. I feel like it's my sartorial middle finger to the patriarchy, and I have you to thank for inspiring this shift. So yes, your work absolutely is political, inspiring, and empowering. Keep it up!
oh my goodness, diana! this whole comment is making me a bit teary. i'm so grateful that i've been any small part of what sounds like such a badass, witchy evolution. those outfits sound like perfection - you have to share one in the chat!!
I've been meaning to post a photo in the Friday thread and need to work on my fashion selfie skills lol but I will post one (or more) soon!
❤️
Love this! And it reminds me of this: https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-lighthouse/1769594787?i=1769594801
Yes, everything is political. I appreciate you stating that unequivocally. My husband works in politics, currently doing some amazing innovative political ethnography to change the Democratic Party’s narratives and our dinner table talks have been very interesting. He’s written an amusing but very thoughtful series on how to interpret the polls we’ve been seeing based on his current findings and I’ve sent it around to those in my circle who are very nervous about tomorrow and might like some actual HOPE. If you’d like the link, just let me know.
I’m also an herbalism student (mainly focusing on herbal interventions to mitigate my perimenopausal symptoms, which has changed my quality of life tremendously) and nervines are getting our household through this current period of both election anxiety and having our kiddo not in school for more than a month because his current special ed class violated his boundaries and broke his trust so we’ve been going through the hellish process of fighting to update his IEP to get him the actual resources he needs and finding a new school. So if you’re still in that coffee shop, I highly recommend getting a pot of chamomile tea and making sure you steep the bag for at least 15 minutes. If not, here’s a short list of herbs that you can use to help calm your central nervous system in addition to chamomile: passionflower, ashwaganda, lavender, lemon balm, milky oat straw, and motherwort. We’ve all got this, we just need to keep on keeping on, but we don’t have to do it alone!
thank you for the reminder of community. we are not alone. i'd love to see your husband's thoughts! feel free to post it in the chat or just email me.
https://disorderup.substack.com/p/moby-dick-is-a-useless-guide-to-polling-dc7?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=1332463&post_id=150998286&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=4mgii&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
May it help everyone feel a little better about a lot of things! ❤️
Thank you Dacy!! Love all this.
💕