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

CLASSIFIED ADS

Your classified 
ad here! Email 
wmg-contact@
umich.edu for more 
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.

