I’m Reading That New Memoir About Working At Facebook,”Careless People,” And It’s Just Fucking

qualeasha wood, "bed rot," 2024, woven jacquard, glass seed beads, and machine embroidery

Ive been saying this for years. You need to understand blue eyeshadow to understand anything at all. Today, blue eyeshadow is regarded as a "choice." Its either trendy or tacky or outdated, depending on the shade and style of application. But for about 30 years in the late 20th century, maybe the 50s through the 80s, blue eyeshadow was regarded as subtle, conservative, middle-of-the-road. Feminine. A "correct" shade to use. Brown or beige eyeshadow was the new thing, too subtle and casual to look like a "full face" of makeup. My grandmother (an enthusiastically conventional woman) has only ever worn blue eyeshadow.

The last 10 or 15 years have seen a real takeover of neutrals, beiges and grays and whites, in consumer goods and interior design. We've all seen the car color chart. Other people smarter than me have discussed the reasons for this, the caution brought on by economic instability. Nobody wants to paint their walls green because their home isnt a place to get comfortable, its an investment that will need to be made palatable for a new buyer (and why give yourself the extra task of repainting when youll have so much else to do when you move).

Neutral overload (and "clean design," with its lack of ornamentation) is aimed at creating a consistent, timeless, elegant look. Its adherents dont understand that this is also a trend. This subtle, conservative, middle-of-the-road design choice will look tacky and ostentatious someday. And necause you value timelessness, this will embarrass you.

if you’ve ever thought i’m standoffish, politely distant, or generally hard to befriend, know in your heart that i’m exactly the same in real life. my neighbours just showed up at my door drunk on Canada Day celebrations and told me how desperate they’ve been to meet me for the past few months and then tried to fix the water pump in my basement

you HAVE to fag it up every day so that little girls at the antique mall know they have options

andrewkarre (2022, Jan 27): In light of a Tennessee district banning MAUS, I'm sharing the greatest two pages ever written and drawn about the importance of children's literature and protecting children's access to books, starring Art Spiegelman and Maurie Sendak. From the New Yorker, September 27, 1997. [tweet]