When I walked into my kitchen
on the first day of September, I
wished my roommate a Happy
Christian Girl Autumn. It’s a
holiday, folks. A holiday to celebrate
the turning of the seasons and the
return of the white woman’s fall
aesthetic. My roommate and I are
intimately familiar with the style
that constitutes a Christian Girl
Autumn: bouncy curls, skinny
jeans, scarves larger than the
girls rocking them, knee-high
boots and, inevitably, a pumpkin
spice latte. It’s the aesthetic that
dominated the early 2010s and
turned fall into a veritable cultural
phenomenon. But how did we
get here? How can I wish my
roommate a Happy Christian Girl
Autumn with the enthusiasm of an
actual holiday, and how do we both
know precisely what the other is
talking about? Well, it’s more than
a holiday — it’s a meme.
In August 2019, then-college
student Natasha tweeted this
photo with the caption “Hot Girl
Summer is coming to an end, get
ready for Christian Girl Autumn.”
Both Natasha’s Twitter account
and the original tweet have been
lost to the sands of time, but its
aftershocks have not. The women
in the photo are Caitlin Covington
and
Emily
Gemma,
friends
and influencers from Winston-
Salem, North Carolina and Tulsa,
Oklahoma,
respectively.
Both
became the subject of online vitriol
in response to Natasha’s tweet.
The original meme was retweeted
over 12,000 times with many
responses labeling the women as
homophobic, racist and Republican
based on their appearances. Other
jokes were tamer — riffing on
white name memes and assigning
“Christian Girl Autumn energy”
to pop culture characters. The
meme’s use and meaning have
certainly softened today, but it
exploded at its inception and
unexpectedly
raised
questions
about internet feminism and the
virality of being basic.
When I was in my early teens, I
avoided pumpkin spice lattes, One
Direction and makeup like the
plague for fear of being labeled a
“basic bitch” — that is, liking things
that are stereotypically popular
among young women. I was
like that until I had my feminist
awakening as a sophomore in
high school, and decided that
being “basic” was a concept and
not a valid marker of any kind
of societal value. Still, the basic
bitch phenomenon dominated the
early 2010s whether I rejected it
or not. Basic was a “useful insult”
that did not make its user “stoop
to calling someone a slut or a
halfwit or anything truly cruel.”
Calling someone — almost always
a woman — a basic bitch started
like any other trend, which is to say
virtually out of nowhere. Things
like reality television, Uggs and
pumpkin spice lattes had a veritable
heyday among young women in the
early 2010s, and with this came
a lazy, casually misogynistic way
of shaming women for not being
unique or cool enough.
Luckily the basic bitch insult
has since faded considerably, but
it would be ignorant to say that
the internet doesn’t still spend a
lot of time dunking on women for
conforming to things they enjoy
and the communities they’re a
part of. Caitlin Covington and
Emily Gemma donned fall styles
that Southern, wealthy, church-
going women have been copy-
pasting for years now. Since these
identities have generally negative
connotations and their associated
aesthetics
are
so
distinctive,
frustrations with these identities
were aired at the expense of
two strangers. They became the
punchline of sexist, politically-
charged jokes, and were memed
to hell and back based solely on
appearance. In reality, they were
wearing, in my opinion, cute, cozy,
practical outfits that happened to
fit a “basic” stereotype and were
popular at the time. They went
viral for being women that fit a
mold the internet had deemed as
bad, and while some points made
about homophobia, racism and
religion among the upper classes
were fair and accurate, they had
not found fair or accurate targets.
Covington
and
Gemma,
however, were more than capable
of getting the targets off of their
backs. In a 2019 interview with
Buzzfeed News, Gemma remarked
that she’s “white and Christian but
none of the tweets were accurate”
and that people “assumed we were
anti-LGBT, but we’re not at all.”
Covington took to the replies on
the original Christian Girl Autumn
tweet to tell commenters that she
is in fact not a Republican, and
she told Insider that she is “a gay
rights and Black Lives Matter
supporter, and I think all people
should be accepted for who they
are.” Both women were quick to
say that they thought the meme
was funny, but Gemma hit the
proverbial nail on the head when
she said “I think people realized
that not all white girls who love
fall fashion and pumpkin spice are
what we’re all categorized to look
like,” because just as quickly as
the jokes had come rolling in, they
were replaced with praise over the
women’s responses. Suddenly they
were allies and icons worthy of the
highest accolades simply because
they did not fit the stereotypes
assigned to them. As recently
as 2020, Covington continued
to prove her mettle by donating
$500 to Natasha, the creator of the
original Christian Girl Autumn
tweet, to help cover the costs of
beginning her transition.
I love fall. It’s my favorite
season — I can’t stand the heat of
summer, and the gray of winter is
demoralizing. I love spicy drinks
and big sweaters and the smell of
my heater in the morning. And, call
me basic, but I love the Christian
Girl Autumn meme. I love what it’s
become, and in recent years I’ve
come to view it in a warm, loving
light. Still, when I get philosophical
at night, it makes me wonder what
women have to do to prove that
they’re not who you assume they
are. Why did an innocent meme
have to turn into Covington and
Gemma jumping through hoops to
prove that they’re not bigots when
their only crime was wearing big
scarves and drinking pumpkin
spice lattes? Their efforts in
defending themselves, however, are
a huge step forward in dismantling
“basic”
feminine
stereotypes
and their weaponization. As the
internet progresses in its treatment
and celebration of women and past
its “basic bitch” phase, I too might
be inclined to call Covington and
Gemma “queens.” Because of
them, I feel a little better about my
cozy sweaters and my pumpkin
spice lattes. Because of them, I
feel a little better about wishing a
happy Christian Girl Autumn to all
who celebrate.
4 — Wednesday, October 12, 2022
Arts
michigandaily.com — The Michigan Daily
Colombo, 1990, the capital
of Sri Lanka. Maali Almeida
— intrepid war photographer,
obsessive
gambler,
closeted
gay man and atheist — wakes
up in a government office, a
bureaucratic
nightmare
of
long
lines
and
procedural
formalities.
Initially,
Maali
assumes
he’s
dreaming
or
suffering from the after effects
of the “silly pills” he and
his best friend enjoy taking
from time to time. Soon, our
protagonist wishes he were
simply dreaming, as he realizes
he’s moved on from the land
of the living. He’s dead — with
an unnerving inkling that his
death was no accident.
After
his
stellar
debut
novel, “The Legend of Pradeep
Mathew,” Shehan Karunatilaka
returns with his second novel,
“The Seven Moons of Maali
Almeida,” which is shortlisted
for the 2022 Booker Prize. Set
amid the ruthless butchery
of
Sri
Lanka’s
civil
war,
“The Seven Moons of Maali
Almeida” delivers a mordantly
funny satire concerning love,
obligation and conflict. With
its sardonic humor and magical
realism, the novel unfolds as
a deliciously thoughtful take
on a classic whodunit murder
mystery.
As
our
protagonist
is
confronted with a less exciting
afterlife
than
most
would
hope for, he learns that before
he can go into “the Light” he
has to wander through seven
moons (or seven nights) in the
“In Between,” a world that lies
on top of our mortal reality, a
blanket for misery and despair,
traversed by ghosts but ruled
by demons. In the In Between,
Maali recalls his past life by
stalking his loved ones, still
amid their grief, from behind
a screen, unable to manipulate
the living world yet still able to
feel its pain.
But
the
thing
is,
Maali
wasn’t ready to move on. He
dreamed of his photos changing
the
world,
unveiling
the
truest horrors of war to bring
attention to the immeasurable
— yet unbelievably tangible
— suffering spread across his
country. His obsession with
his work — to bring something
good
out
of
utter
despair
and
destruction
—
ruined
relationships with his family
and left him harboring secret
emotions in a life of scant
intimacy. Yet Maali had recently
developed new friends, better
friends — people that cared
for him and people he found
himself caring for in ways he’d
never encountered. But he’s
dead now, regretting the things
he left unsaid and the work he
was never able to finish.
“My pictures. They need to
be seen. And I have five more
moons. Enough time … if you
step into The Light, it is not the
forgetting that you fear, but the
things that will step in there
with you.”
While
Maali
lived
his
life bearing witness to the
continuous cycle of violence
plaguing
Sri
Lanka,
he
maintained
no
power
to
influence it. Before his death,
he was still waiting for a
chance for his photos to make
a difference. Now, as a ghost,
he desperately tries to sway
events in a last-ditch effort
before his seven moons run out.
As Maali will confess himself,
although he’s had many failures
in life, photography is not one
of them. He lived a dangerous
lifestyle — fearing death or
the unwanted attention of the
state, he hid his best work,
the most incriminating and
pertinent shots of the war.
Shots
of
covered-up
state-
sponsored
pogroms,
secret
meetings between leaders of
warring
factions,
tortuous
deaths
in
custody,
war
crimes and countless shots
of pure, unfiltered violence
capturing the darkest side of
humanity. All sitting, awaiting
publication and a chance to
change the world. And as
his hidden treasure, in many
ways his life’s work, comes
under threat of confiscation or
worse, being forgotten, Maali
scrambles to prevent his legacy
from withering away while
simultaneously
solving
the
mystery of his murder — how it
happened and whodunit.
Karunatilaka
delivers
his
story fizzing with energy and
creative imagery. Rich with
irony and vexed comedy, what
emerges is a blunt, honest
and
scathing
commentary
on
conflict
—
its
origins,
implications and the way we
confront it. “The Seven Moons
of Maali Almeida” sets you in
front of a mirror to inspect
the choices you’ve made, the
excuses you’ve told yourself
and the direction you’re going.
Yet
Karunatilaka
doesn’t
leave you in a state of dejected
existential crisis. Instead, just
like Maali, you’re guided on a
path to acceptance, hope and
perspective.
Shehan Karunatilaka brings a refreshing
new take on the classic murder mystery
with ‘Seven Moons’
NOAH LUSK
Daily Arts Contributer
puzzle by sudokusnydictation.com
By Amie Walker
©2022 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
10/12/22
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
Edited by Patti Varol and Joyce Nichols Lewis
10/12/22
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
Release Date: Wednesday, October 12, 2022
ACROSS
1 “We can seat you
now” gadget
6 Italian wine used
in cooking
13 Puts in a row
15 “So it would
appear”
16 Spoon, for one
17 The 4,080-piece
Disney Castle,
e.g.
18 Protest song?
20 Boy in the “Star
Wars” prequel
films
21 “What __, your
maid?”
22 Short mission?
26 Alexander of
“Rizzoli & Isles”
30 Msg. to the whole
squad
32 Drink suffix
33 Backing track?
37 Twix ingredient
40 Directly toward
the sunset
41 Opening number?
43 Go bad
44 “Hey, that’s
enough!”
45 “Hey, that’s
enough!”
48 Derisive look
51 Virginia Woolf’s
“__ Dalloway”
53 Gear tooth
55 Revived game
show hosted by
Jane Krakowski
that’s also an apt
title for this puzzle
60 Prodded
63 Rely on
excessively
64 Buttercup family
member
65 Array for BB gun
target practice,
perhaps
66 Broadway props?
67 Really love
DOWN
1 Climbing spikes
2 Low-hemoglobin
condition
3 __ therapy
4 Exxon, in Canada
and Europe
5 Damage beyond
repair
6 Many-legged
arthropod
7 Outfielder
Tommie in the
NY Mets Hall of
Fame
8 Wild party
9 “La La Land”
Oscar winner
Emma
10 Relieved sounds
11 Novelist Harper
12 Class with
smocks
13 Pixar film that
lost to “Encanto”
for a Best
Animated
Feature Oscar
14 Urgent request
19 Mosque authority
23 Word with candy
or sugar
24 Track figures
25 Tidy
27 __-Pei: dog
breed from China
28 Natural rope fiber
29 30-Across, for
one
31 “24K Magic”
singer Mars
34 Took a nosedive
35 “Darn it all to __!”
36 John Irving’s “A
Prayer for __
Meany”
37 USN officers
38 Many millennia
39 Matter of
interest?
42 Gossip
46 Eye-related
47 Had meager
success in a
series of
games
49 Foe
50 Home detector
target
52 Boarded up
54 Understands
56 Spanish hand
57 __ Kate Dillon
of “Billions”
58 Look after
59 Folded snack
60 “The Women of
Troy” novelist
Barker
61 “Woman
Power” singer
Yoko
62 “__ Burns:
America”
SUDOKU
By Ed Sessa
©2022 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
10/05/22
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
Edited by Patti Varol and Joyce Nichols Lewis
10/05/22
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
Release Date: Wednesday, October 5, 2022
ACROSS
1 Creates suds
6 Lettuce variety
10 Testy mood
14 Patronized, as a
diner
15 __ Bator: former
spelling of
Mongolia’s
capital
16 Security
checkpoint device
17 Crooner Mel
18 Tracks on a
muddy road, e.g.
20 *Kitchen fire, for
one
22 To boot
23 __ lodge
24 *Laura Dern’s
“Little Women”
role
30 ’60s protest gp.
33 Bed bug?
34 Vaio laptop
maker
35 Game, __, match
36 Kylo Ren’s
mother
37 Yellowstone
bovine
39 “I Just Wanna
Stop” singer
Vannelli
40 Square root of
100
41 House overhang
42 Pitcher’s bagful
43 Pvt. address
44 *Lifetime
Achievement
Award presented
to “Sesame
Street” in 2009,
e.g.
47 Michael of “SNL”
49 Latest
50 Soft-shoe classic,
or what can be
found in the
answers to the
starred clues
56 Common
sweetener
57 Atlanta Dream
co-owner
Montgomery
59 “Oh, sure,
whatever you
say”
60 Wolfe of detective
fiction
61 Try to stop
62 Chilean sea __
63 Revise
64 Part of an inner
circle?
DOWN
1 Butter or lard
2 Brief “Then
again ... ”
3 Flight-related
prefix
4 Jukebox musical
featuring ABBA
songs
5 Braced (oneself)
6 Kid’s dismayed
cry
7 Nastase of tennis
8 Mystery writer
Nevada
9 Uncommon
blood type,
briefly
10 Two-time Best
Actress winner
Hilary
11 Self-absorption
12 Very dark
13 NFL scores
19 Like netting
21 Linguistic suffix
24 Island near Sicily
25 “Not __ out of
you!”
26 Thick-skinned
safari beast
27 Valuable quality
28 Milne joey
29 Christiane
Amanpour’s
channel
31 Durable fabric
32 Poker-faced
37 Shearing day
sound
38 Creeping vine
39 Hits a homer,
in baseball
lingo
41 Idyllic places
42 Loyalty program
perks
45 Trendy place
46 “I could take it or
leave it”
48 Tom who voices
Woody in the
“Toy Story” films
50 NYC cultural
center
51 Unit of force
52 1960s TV horse
53 Cosmonaut
Gagarin
54 Not duped by
55 Pay period, for
some
56 Baby bear
58 Poetic “before”
PARKING
Parking Space
for Rent
North State & Kingsley
734-904-0649
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ad here! Email
wmg-contact@
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information.
Happy Christian Girl
Autumn to those
who celebrate
MADDIE AGNE
Daily Arts Writer
Design by Leilani Baylis-Washington
Cover art for “The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida” owned by Sort of Books.