Teenage Dreams

Watching others come of age is actually really fun

First things first: Have you seen Do Revenge? I only ask because it’s all I really care to talk about these days. For the uninitiated, Do Revenge is Netflix’s latest take on teen dramedy.

I personally think it’s a genre that the streaming site does extremely well (case in point: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before). But Do Revenge is…different. It’s better.

If you came of age in the 1990s and early aughts, you’ll appreciate the many homages to classics like Clueless (students in Do Revenge go to class in Horowitz Hall and wear plaid uniforms that would make Cher and Dee rejoice); Can’t Hardly Wait (the male antagonist’s breakdown is pure Matthew Lillard); Mean Girls (there’s a full, at-least-five-minute-long sequence that is so clearly inspired by the “Regina George once slapped me in the face and it was awesome” scene).

But better yet, Do Revenge focuses not on boys, as so many of the ‘90s teen classics did. Instead, the focus is on female friendships — albeit, with a dose of camp (like the emotional support bearded dragon named “Oscar Winner Olivia Coleman”). Also: Maya Hawke is fantastic and will soon be a huge star, I have no doubt.

Both the costuming and the soundtrack are also killer (the latter is full of some of the same tunes you’ll remember from the aforementioned flicks).

I’ve written about nostalgia before, but I guess that’s largely the appeal of Do Revenge for me. It transports the viewer to a time when fun and frivolity were on the daily agenda. When driving to the mall to buy a new album was an activity. When nursing a crush felt new. When applying to college was stressful. When driving in the car with your best friend — windows down, music blasting — was somehow the most magical thing on Earth.

Cheers to coming-of-age — or remembering it, while watching Netflix.

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I thought I’d do something new in forthcoming newsletters — something that gives you a reason to keep coming back. So the plan is to add video: recipes, tips or tricks, skincare hauls … all the stuff that just kind of fits here, in this space, and nowhere else. (Anything specific you want to see? TELL ME in the comments! I want this to be useful!)

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This face oil by Sunday Riley will absolutely help you if you suffer from breakouts. The best part is that it’s an oil, so it moisturizes rather than stripping your skin. It’s also a “dry oil,” which means it won’t make you look sweaty and damp but just kind of …. glowy. It’s the first product I’ve tried in a long time that I absolutely loved.

I love a good weird pant. Something that’s tailored but interesting and looks equally good with a white tee and blazer as it does with a more structured blouse. These barrel-legged trousers, by Totéme, hit all the marks. Great with Birkenstock clogs, equally great with a sandal.

I ordered this Sarah Sherman Samuel for Lulu & Georgia bolster pillow to go on our new couch and I adore it. In fact, I decided to order one more and realized it’s on back-order. Fortunately, it is available in some other color ways.

This stuff is incredible. I love any sort of nut butter and on a whim I bought a jar of this at a little general store in Hudson, New York. I am so glad I did. I have since ordered several jars to keep in the cabinet. It’s perfect with a banana but oh my god would this take a s’more to the next level.

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What I’m watching/reading/listening to and loving:

• The Avengers (Elliot Stabler, Olivia Benson & Co.) are back. And yes, I watched.

• I read the story of The Watcher when it first was published in 2018 and I haven’t stopped thinking about in the years since. Now, Netflix/Ryan Murphy are coming out with their take on the horror story, just in time for Halloween. And let me just say, the trailer’s use of Hopelessly Devoted to You is kind of genius. I will never hear that song and not be creeped out now.

• As always, The Cut gets to the heart of the matter in the Adam Levine saga: why are even hot celebrity men so criminally poor at sexting?

• Corn kid is doing just great, thanks for asking.

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And I’ll leave you with this….