Instagram Obsession: Olivia Muenter
I found Olivia through her appearance on the Bad on Paper Podcast, I missed her fall candle review (she and her then-fiancé got drunk and reviewed ALL the Bath and Body Works fall candles). She’s super funny, fun, and shares tips about freelancing, writing, and productivity. I also love that she is an influencer that doesn’t live in LA, New York, or Charleston. Sometimes on Instagram it feels like those are the only cities that exist with occasional trips to Europe or Asia. Also, look at how colourful her feed and style is! I really love that colour is making it’s way back, all the whites and creams, blacks, and greens bore me.
She’s currently making her husband watch the Twilight series for the first time and it’s hilarious.
Also I want to crop my battery percentage out because it’s stressing me out, but I’m going to be honest with y’all.
Podcast Obsession: Maintenance Phase
So this is kind of a cop out, but I felt like I had to pick something besides You’re Wrong About, so I listened to one of the host’s Michael’s other podcast that talks about fatphobia and diet culture in our society, and he hosts with Aubrey Gordon, @yrfatfriend on Instagram. Everything from the President’s Fitness Test (if you ever went to school in the USA you know), to Oprah, to The Biggest Loser. It’s very similar to You’re Wrong About in that each week the hosts take a turn to tell the other a story. When you hear each story all laid out it is mind blowing how we just let all of this stuff just slide right on by. Like no wonder every Gen-Xer and millenial has disordered eating patterns and body dysmorphia when our entire lives have been shaped by different diets and “heroin chic” and fen phen being fed to us through the media.
Also, this episode blew my mind, all of these things that we have heard to lose weight, eat off smaller plates, diet and exercise work for long-lasting weight loss, and most of what we have been told is evidence-based weight loss techniques is based off junk science with mostly tampered with data.
Movie/TV Obsession: Black Widow
I have to say Black Widow, I know I already talked about this in my Thunder Bay post, but I loved it. I loved watching a Marvel movie in theatres again, [spoilers] I loved that we finally got the Black Widow’s back story, I loved that we finally got a Budapest explanation (although I have to agree with Hawkeye that it sounds very different that from the Battle of New York), I loved the braids (it was a masterclass in how white people can do braids), but mostly I loved how it was the feminist Marvel film that women Marvel fans have been asking for this whole time and I loved that we are finally getting that recognition with stories like WandaVision, Black Widow, and Loki (yes Loki is about a gender-fluid person, but if you think that show wasn’t written for the female gaze you are sorely mistaken!)
Anyways, I thought it was fantastic and I loved every second of it, and I can’t be the only one who held their breath hoping for Natasha’s response whistle in the post-credit scene. I also love how everything is being tied together so beautifully, although no one should be surprised about that.
Random Obsession 1: Vessi sneakers
I love these shoes, I bought them out of desperation, because I was trying to go for walks in my Nike Metcons and was getting some of the worst blisters I have ever had (I do not understand how people do cardio in these or nurses wear them on shift, they make my feet hurt in ways I didn’t know they could) and I love them.
They don’t have the most amazing support, they definitely aren’t for hikes or crazy walks, but for bopping around they are great. And the waterproof thing is super cool, I love that when it’s hot and raining you don’t have to put on rubber boots that make your feet all sweaty and then make you look super extra if it stops raining.
Random Obsession 2: Kate Spade x Keds Raffia Platforms
We’re very sneaker themed this week, but July was a three paycheque month and I used it to do and buy some of the things I have been need-wanting (like I can get by without them, but these things make my life a lot better or make me a lot more confident). These were not one of those things, I straight up got got by an Instagram ad (and I bought those Vessi’s back in April). I love these fun shoes so much, they are really comfortable, and they go with all my summer outfits in a way my Vessis or 1 pair of sandals just do not. They kind of take the place of a pair of brown/gold/or nude sandals. I wore them with my nap dress and yellow gingham jumpsuit last weekend all day walking around Thunder Bay and they were great.
I did have to practice a little in them, I’m not used to a flat platform if that makes sense? Like normally if I’m wearing a platform it’s like a wedge or a heel so you have that heel-toe difference. I felt a bit like a foal trying to learn how to use it’s legs for the first couple minutes, but after that we were all good!
I hope you have a good weekend, I’m going to spend it binge watching Outer Banks season 2 and the new season of Virgin River because I just renewed my Netflix and trying not to spend anymore money because I’m going to do a no-buy for August, it’ll be my first and I’m nervous.
Have a great weekend!
Laura
Thoughtful Millennial 