Barbie girl summer is over, and I spent the extra daylight over the past few months consuming media online and in-person. And I think this has been my favorite summer yet! It could have something to do with having an air conditioner in my home now, the new hyperfixations, or the major events of the season. Time to spill:
June
The Show by Niall Horan
I did write a whole newsletter dedicated to this album, but after letting it marinate in the car and my playlists a little longer, I’m still obsessed. I mean, it’s a half-hour, ten song album, which is just an ideal length for any musical project. I could run errands and listen to it front-to-back. The direction he’s headed musically and aesthetically feels very authentic to him. Plus, I will be at his tour next summer, so it will continue getting my spins!
Survivor
TV-wise, Survivor was my summer. I had actually been wanting to watch it since Covid lockdowns but never got around to it because I was wrapping up undergrad. I am a loyal reader (Las Culturistas podcast listener), and Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang provided a Survivor syllabus with the best seasons for new viewers because there are nearly 50 to date. I stayed true to their list, and added in some more recent seasons (asterisks denoting my favorites):
Pearl Islands (Season 7)*
Cook Islands (Season 13)*
China (Season 15)
Micronesia (Season 16)*
Tocantins (Season 18)
Heroes v. Villains (Season 20)*
Cagayan (Season 28)
Winners at War (Season 40)*
Survivor 44*
Survivor 42*
Survivor 43
I am a reality competition TV lover, and this show is just too classic for me to never have watched. Each contestant is a castaway, and they are grouped in tribes. They have to build their shelters, forage for food, compete in challenges to win rewards, and vote each other out. At around the halfway point, eliminated castaways form a jury who vote out of the 2 or 3 people that make it to the end to win one million dollars. There’s strategy involved, deceit, and more as the game has evolved from the earlier seasons.
Some of my favorite players include Parvati Shallow, Sandra Diaz-Twine, Amanda Kimmel, and Cirie Fields (Yes, Micronesia was my favorite season). I’m watching the current season, and one episode per week isn’t enough to fulfill my fix, so I might have to go back to the archives. I’m literally telling you, I was Survivor-pilled so bad this year! Interviewing Jeff Probst is now on my bucket list.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse
The storytelling in these movies is unlike any other Spider-Man movie. I saw it twice, and I still go goo-goo ga-ga for it. I will say that the pacing in this sequel is difficult for me! I think it’s because it's part one to the next one. Yet, the 2 hours and 20 minutes is absolutely worth it when you get to the end. Another Oscar incoming!!!
July
Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)
I surprisingly did not discuss Taylor Swift’s most recent re-recorded album here. It’s actually not one I’m too attached to, although I did embroider a Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) top and I bought this one from her store. If that means anything, lol.
My favorite tracks are “Mine,” “Long Live,” “Enchanted,” and “Last Kiss.” My favorite vault tracks are “When Emma Falls in Love,” “Foolish One,” “Castles Crumbling” ft. Hayley Williams, and “I Can See You.” The latter was one of my surprise songs at The Eras Tour and I was like 😮 the whole time.
The Wonka trailer
Some of the year’s best line readings are in this movie, and it hasn’t even come out yet:
The Summer I Turned Pretty (Season 2)
Isabel “Belly” Conklin’s hot girl summer is tearing siblings apart. I live for the CW-ness of this series, along with the soundtrack. Because how do they go from “Nobody Sees Me Like You Do” by Japanese Breakfast, to “XO” by Beyoncé, to “exile” by Taylor Swift? In the same episode, mind you!
Sunday Riley Fairy Godmother Shimmering Body Oil Gel
Since I was inside watching Survivor all summer, I wanted to ✨glow✨when I went outside. This product did the job without me having to tan, plus it smells sooooo good. Expensive, but the bottle is huge, and I save it for special occasions.
Barbie
The movie of the year lived up to my expectations! I saw it with my mom, and we both dressed up and took pictures in the Barbie box in the movie theater lobby. I mentioned it a little in my last newsletter, but it was one of three cultural events of the summer. Greta Gerwig is 3/3 in my eyes, but please don’t ever ask me to rank her movies. It’s like asking a mother to pick her favorite child when they all get straight A’s, “pleasure to have in class” comments on their report card, and they make their bed every morning.
Barbie is as detailed as I thought it would be. Actually, probably more. My rewatches are spent finding new things I didn’t notice before. I saw a lot of discourse surrounding Gloria’s (America Ferrera) monologue, criticizing it for being very surface-level feminist. I mean, yes, but we need to remember that she was talking to dolls! Plus, I think Greta knew that small children would watch this movie, so this was an appropriate entryway to a discussion on gender inequality.
The soundtrack ate so bad (shoutout to my friend Yesenia, who worked on it!). “Speed Drive” by Charli XCX, “Angel” by PinkPantheress, and “Barbie Dreams” by FIFTY FIFTY were standouts with “Dance the Night” by Dua Lipa. “Barbie Dreams” literally samples “Together Again” by Janet Jackson, and that is so pleasing to me!
I bought several nail polishes from OPI’s Barbie collaboration, and I bought the little Hot Wheels Barbie pink Corvette. Barbiecore was obviously big in the summer, and it did inspire me to buy this pink gingham tube top from Free People, which is currently on sale. And you already know I’m getting the 4K copy of the movie this month… physical media forever <3
August
The Eras Tour
Had to mention it again, but I wrote more about it in the last newsletter in case you want to give it a read. The show I went to was one of the ones filmed for the concert movie out next week, and I’m stupidly excited to dress up, wear all my friendship bracelets, and watch it again. I think I’ll wear my folklore cardigan this time…
Coach Signature Heart Drop Earrings
I was in search of heart-shaped earrings to wear to The Eras Tour at T.J. Maxx the week of the concert, when I saw these cuties from Coach. I know the brand has had a resurgence within the past year or two among Gen Z and Millennials, but I had never looked into their jewelry before buying these. They were originally $95, but I got them for $30. I like that they’re gold and silver, because I would like to mix metals more often. Also, they feel personalized because they have C’s on them. It’s like they were made for me!!
Too Faced Cloud Crush Blurring Blush
I rarely change up my makeup, but I was gifted this from the brand in a cute PR package right before The Eras Tour, and thought it would be the perfect opportunity to try out something new. I received the blush in the shade Candy Clouds, and it looked so good on my skintone for the summer. Plus, the packaging was very Lover vibes.
Love Island
I was seated for Love Island for the second time this year, and this season was pretty good, and comparable to Season 5 for me. Jess and Sammy were not my winners though, and they literally broke up last week. Whitney and Lochan losing was like when Lorde lost AOTY for Melodrama at the Grammys.
New purse + bag charm combo
I was easily influenced by my friend Delaney to get the popular Uniqlo Round Mini Shoulder Bag. I had been on the hunt for a new everyday bag for a while now, and bought this one in the natural colorway. It fits everything I need with room to spare! I also preordered the Sandy Liang BAGGU black bow shoulder bag, which will come home to me next month.
I’ve had a couple different plush character bag charms on my purses this year, but I had long been in search of a Hello Kitty one. I found the perfect one at the Sanrio store in Irvine, and she comes on a heart-shaped carabiner. Bag charms are outward expressions of personality, and it’s cute that she can go places with me!
September
Renaissance World Tour
I fulfilled another childhood dream of mine this year and saw Beyoncé for the very first time. I went by myself and it was the best solo date I’ve ever had! I’ve been to concerts on my own before, but this was my first time going to a stadium show alone. Luckily, I had just been at the same stadium for Taylor, and was sitting in a similar area, so I knew my way around and what to expect. I even made a friend in line! We talked about concerts we had been to, and they were shocked when I said I went to every One Direction tour. I felt the same way I felt when I got “ma'am-ed” for the first time… just decrepit.
Anyway, I have been rewatching the videos I took at the show in full disbelief of the fact that I saw her. She opened with “Dangerously in Love,” which she hadn’t sung live in years. “I Care” is one of my favorite songs of hers, and she also included it in her opening act. All her visuals were too good, and it’s so hard to pick, but maybe the Opulence section of the show was my favorite. She did “Formation,” into “Diva,” into “Run The World (Girls),” and I was gagged to say the least. As Wanda Maximoff said in the newest Doctor Strange movie, “That’s what every mother does.” Plus, this is the section where Blue Ivy dances during “MY POWER” and “BLACK PARADE,” and she did so well!
I got to hear Beyoncé sing “Virgo’s Groove” during Virgo season (as a Virgo), and Taylor Swift sing “august” in August – I think I’m God’s favorite. Other highlights during the concert were the “COZY” into “ALIEN SUPERSTAR” transition (AKA when Beyoncé goes mimi), the mute challenge, “CHURCH GIRL” into “Get Me Bodied,” hearing “Rather Die Young” and “Naughty Girl” live, “AMERICA HAS A PROBLEM,” and getting the coveted “big three” at my show: “THIQUE,” “ALL UP IN YOUR MIND,” and “Drunk In Love” with the runs she did at her private Dubai show. She didn’t sing those three at every show, I was really hoping she would for mine because “THIQUE” is one of my favorite songs from Renaissance.
Beyoncé asked everyone attending a show during Virgo season until the end of the tour to wear silver, and I wore these silver pants from Gap, and a sparkly black top from Zara. And I was not a silver girly before Renny Tour, but these pants looked too good on me. I’m wearing them again for the Renaissance World Tour film, and probably for the holidays. I think she single-handedly made silver go on trend for this fall and winter.
New music from Troye, Olivia, and Mitski
Troye Sivan is releasing a new album this year, and his first two singles “Rush” and “Got Me Started” are the most exciting things to come from a male popstar this year.
Olivia Rodrigo’s new album GUTS absolutely beats the sophomore slump allegations. It was a grower for me, because I really like when she gets in her alternative pop pocket. My favorite tracks as of right now are “lacy,” “ballad of a homeschooled girl,” “get him back!” and “love is embarrassing.”
Mitski’s new album, The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We, was released a few weeks ago, and my favorite tracks are “The Frost,” “My Love Mine All Mine,” “Star,” and “I Love Me After You.”
Levi’s Icon Floral Mini Skirt
I turned 25 at the end of summer, and I bought this skirt as a present to myself and wore it to a brunch with some of my friends. I can always trust anything I get from Levi’s, and they go on sale very often. The patchwork flower lowkey looks like it could be Sandy Liang, and the colors work well with what’s already in my wardrobe. I’m excited to wear it more often next spring and summer!
Finally, the cast announcement for season 2 of The Traitors
After my summer watching one season of Survivor per week, I will bear the fruits of my labor during the new season of The Traitors. On this show, three reality stars will be named “traitors” and the rest of the cast has to figure out who the traitors are in a game of mafia.
Parvati and Sandra from Survivor, Pilot Pete from The Bachelor, Peppermint from Drag Race, and Ekin-Su from Love Island are among the cast for this season. The first season had Cirie from Survivor and Arie from The Bachelor, and I enjoyed it so much earlier this year! Alan Cumming is also a great host for this show. We need to get him an Emmy!
Long time no see, I hope you’re doing well! I will be back for a 1989 (Taylor’s Version) newsletter in a couple weeks. Also, happy two years of handle with care!! Thank you for reading, especially if you made it this far 💕💚