What I consumed in June
a list of things that made me happy recently in this dumpster fire world
Listen. This past week has been 50 shades of bleak for any of us with an ounce of compassion for our fellow Americans. I had two other posts brewing before the morning of Friday June 24th, but in the wake of…*gesticulates wildly at the barrage of horrific news since then*…, I scrapped them both for now to offer what I hope is some levity instead. I love to write when I’m angry, but I also love to write about what makes me happy! And almost everything that made me happy this past month (minus like…sunshine, New York, a new job, therapy, my friends) just so happened to be a slew of books, movies, music, podcasts and runway shows that were not created by and did not feature any old, straight, white men. Imagine that !!! There is a lot of smart, funny, gay, sexy, and not-about-white-people stuff on here. Hope that’s cool with you! Maybe one of these recommendations will bring you joy next month or any time in the future when you need a break from the 24-hour news cycle in this nightmare society. lmk your thoughts/feelings/opinions on anything listed here. I’d love to hear them :)
BOOK: Just by Looking at Him by Ryan O’Connell - 5/5 STARS
I am proud to call myself an OG fan of Ryan O’Connell ever since I discovered him on Twitter almost 10 years ago and read his work on Thought Catalogue. To this day I think he is the funniest person on the internet. Just by Looking at Him is his first novel and I am truly obsoooossed. The book is very much written in his own voice, with the main character Elliott sharing many of the same qualities and SCORCHING hot takes as Ryan does. I can say that with authority since I am a loyal and avid follower of him on all platforms (and by that I mean Instagram. He, much like myself, does not really use Twitter anymore because it is hell over there. And we are both too old for TikTok). I am pretty sure I underlined at least one sentence on almost every single page. It is truly laugh out loud funny, brilliant, and refreshingly candid. He is never afraid to point out just how ableist, homophobic, misogynistic, and racist our society is at all times. Both Ryan and the character Elliott have a mild form of cerebral palsy, giving any able-bodied person reading this book some much needed insight into the life of a gay man with disabilities trying to live laugh love in these trying times. While we as a society have made strides (and by strides I actually mean baby steps) in the way we talk about race, gender, and sexual orientation, we are still embarrassingly stupid and ableist when it comes to considering our friends living with disabilities in this world. Read this book, learn something new, and LOL with me when you’re done!
“Cerebral palsy is my Regina George.”
“I’m disciplined enough to not eat pasta and my stomach is soft because I work out mostly for mental health reasons and don’t hate myself enough to shrink my world in order to shrink my size”
“Did a black trans woman really throw the first brick at Stonewall so cis white gays could eat $26 eggs Benedict as they unpacked the new Robyn album?”
“How strange that we can saw off certain parts of ourselves, so we remain confident in one area, an area that is challenging for others, only to feel completely hopeless in another.”
I mean, come on !!! I’m telling you nearly every page is quotable. I just picked four at random.
PODCAST: Pot Psychology: Gay Sex with Special Guest Ryan O'Connell
An obvious companion piece to Ryan’s book! This is the only episode I have listened to of Pot Psychology, but Ryan is always a good podcast guest so I will listen to him featured on anything. The episode as a whole was not that memorable, so I am only recommending this time stamp: 10:32 - 14:42. PROCEED WITH CAUTION SALLY ROONEY HIVE! This four minute segment articulates my honest opinion about Sally Rooney better than I ever could, but of course Ryan gets it spot-on in one take. And some of you white women need to hear it!
PODCAST: Intersections: The Art Basel Podcast with RM
This episode confirms everything AMI already knew about RM aka Kim Namjoon: he is incredibly smart, humble, talented, the BEST leader, and has excellent taste in art. He also explains a lot of the struggles that K-pop idols deal with, including the fear of aging out of the music industry by his late twenties…which is now :( But hearing him talk about his plans for his thirties and forties made me happy and hopeful for not just his future but the future of OT7. These boys need a break! For Namjoon, that break includes plans to open an art gallery of his own collection in Korea…*SWOON*
BOOK: Little Rabbit by Alyssa Songsiridej - 4/5 STARS
This is Dani’s mini review of the book because she is the one who recommended it to me:
“Little Rabbit is a dark and sexy little book that reads like a Sally Rooney novel if Sally Rooney knew how to write fun, kinky sex. If you like dark academia, WoC protagonists, unnamed narrators, luxurious mountain homes, queer relationships, and dance this one’s for you.” -Dani
No lies detected! It checked a lot of my boxes. I especially loved the dance and choreography element to it because as a former competition dancer, I always appreciate when the dance world is represented in media. Center Stage anyone?!? Also LOL at my Literallysisterlife# Dani for always being on the same wavelength as me, and by that I mean we complain about Sally Rooney to each other pretty often. Oh, and the protagonist is an Asian woman who grew up in Pennsylvania and has an affinity for dance and is a writer….okay @ me next time Alyssa! (I don’t really fancy myself a real writer since she does it professionally whereas I just type away in a blind rage for a few people on the internet to read for free…but still. The similarities are there.)
MOVIE: Fire Island - 5/5 STARS
Are my followers sick of me talking about this movie yet? Well guess what, not everyone in my life has watched it yet so I will not shut up about it until you report back to me that I am correct in saying it is the perfect summer romcom! I could go on and on about how much I loved this movie but I won’t. I may or may not save a more in-depth analysis of this movie + all my other recent favorite movies by Asian creators telling Asian stories for a later post…we will see! I will just say this for now: Joel Kim Booster is an immensely funny and talented writer, Bowen Yang needs to be cast in every movie going forward, Conrad Ricamora is officially the hottest Mr. Darcy to ever exist, Matt Rogers is the perfect Lydia, Tómas Matos is going to be a star, and MUNA’s cover of Britney Spears’ seminal classic Sometimes is my current song of the summer.
MOVIE: Good Luck to You, Leo Grande - 4.5/5 STARS
This movie premiered at Sundance and was on my radar since then but I didn’t get the chance to watch it until recently. It is so sexy and good y’all! It is without a doubt the most honest, positive look into the lives of sex workers I have ever seen depicted onscreen. It is the first time I saw (Just by Looking at Him was the first time I read about!) a sex worker’s common role as a therapist for their clients, and why their job is so necessary and should be de-stigmatized and de-criminalized. Emma Thompson was obviously brilliant, but I was most impressed with Daryl McCormack’s performance here as he totally kept up with her throughout the entire movie. This interview with the writer Katy Brand and director Sophie Hyde does contain spoilers so don’t read it until after you watch the movie, but I do recommend it! Hyde even talks about the fact that Timothée Chalamat in Call Me By Your Name was a major inspiration for the Leo Grande character which like…omg you guys Elio is one of my all-time favorite characters and CMBYN is one of my all-time favorite movies so who is surprised that I loved a movie that references both?! ELIO 4EVR. Where is my little Victorian prince Tim-o-tay…I miss his press tours I hope he is doing well <3
Leo was based on an amalgamation of sex workers the team met, as it was vital for Brand and Hyde to speak to as many different people as possible. They ended up working with several consultants who gave advice from pre-production through to post, correcting misconceptions and gently nudging things in the right direction. “The most important thing was embodying and settling into the idea that sex work is work,” Hyde says. “We knew that before, but that’s what we kept coming back to to anchor us. They can have a connection, a transformational experience, they can form true intimacy, but it is his job, he does walk away from it and he gets paid.” -Ella Kemp in aforementioned interview with Brand and Hyde
MUSIC: Proof by BTS
Literally just stream Proof. The month of June felt like it was six months long so I can’t really believe this album technically came out this month. This comeback season has been a doozy, am I right AMI?! Real heads know the best songs are the unreleased demos on Disc 3. LMK UR FAVES BABES. Include your favorite performance of the new songs too! I don’t know if I can pick a fave yet, but these 13 seconds live in my mind rent free. And if you haven’t told me your bias yet…I am patiently waiting!
COLLECTIONS: Marc Jacobs Ready-to-wear FW22/23 and The Row Womenswear Spring 2023 & Menswear Spring 2023
I do not pretend to be the ultimate knowledgeable fashun girlie, but I do like to keep up with Fashion Week highlights and new collections from my favorite designers. I enjoy checking the Vogue Runway app every now and then to replace my usual doom scroll. These three collections in particular are still on my mind.
RUNWAY SHOW: Celine Menswear SS23
I typically do not pay much attention to Men’s Fashion Week, but when Bangtan is involved…suddenly I am a menswear enthusiast. I lost my mind when I found out Tae was flying to Paris just to attend the finale Celine show. How hot and cool and chic of my bias wrecker, no?! It is worth noting that BTS was never able to attend fashion week or have individual brand partnerships in the past due to demanding schedules even though they have been invited several times, so this was a big deal and a big hint that Taehyung will be more involved in the fashion world going forward!!! I hope!!! Not me passing out at the thought of him doing a solo campaign later this year. The official Celine page heavily featured Kim Taehyung, Lisa of BLACKPINK and K-drama star Park Bogum in the beginning and end of this promo vid while every other celebrity had an average of two seconds of screen time…their power! I’m glad the rest of the world is slowly starting to pick up on what K-pop and K-drama fans knew this whole time: these celebs are simply the best.
EDIT 7/2/22: this video just dropped so…yeah. I obviously need to include it.
RUNWAY SHOW: Louis Vuitton Menswear SS23
This is less about the show as a whole (it was pretty cool though!) and more so just me making it about Bangtan once again. All seven members are ambassadors for Louis Vuitton so they have been wearing the brand almost exclusively in public for a while now. My favorite game to play for the past few LV shows is “which outfit could I see (and want to see!) each of the member wear in the future?” so I am just going to end this post with these pretty pictures so we can all daydream about future Bangtan appearances in these fresh looks.
Everything in here ~ 😙🤌🏼💜
Ok I rewatched Fire Island last night and Noah & Will’s chemistry is just off the charts 🥵 also the row womenswear collection is so good!!!