Hello, lovely readers and friends!
I hope this finds you well and that you’ve been staying cool in the summer heat. Climate change is real, and we have been feeling it over here: Lisbon has hovered above 90 degrees all week, and our sky is hazy-silver with wildfire smoke.
Remedies include jumping into the Atlantic ocean, cold showers (a habit I never thought I’d embrace…and yet!), pistachio gelato, iced coffee, and mooching off free A/C in public indoor spaces (the real reason behind Barbenheimer’s box office success: air conditioning).
Coming back from girlhood’s summer break, I wanted to a) say hi!! and b) give some updates and recommendations. Without further ado:
Listening…
Lily Allen’s 2006 hit album Alright, Still…it was fantastic in 2nd grade and turns out it’s still fantastic now!!! My faves are Littlest Things, Everything’s Just Wonderful, and Not Big. Lily is an icon and my ultimate girl crush.
We Can Do Hard Things is one of my favorite podcasts ever, especially while navigating big changes. As Glennon Doyle and Abby Wambach deliver nuggets of life-changing wisdom, it also feels like they’re wrapping you up in a hug:“On We Can Do Hard Things, [we] laugh and cry and help each other carry the hard so we can all live a little bit lighter and braver, free-er, less alone.” ❤️ Go listen!
Watching…
Barbenheimer, ofc! I thought both movies had excellent soundtracks, superb acting, and nearly-completely-coherent storylines. (As in, I only thought to myself wait, what? 2-5 times.) I surprised myself by enjoying Oppenheimer a smidge more…what did y’all think? (BTW,
wrote two brilliant pieces with a piercing eye, as always, on how the movies speak to beauty culture and consumerism. This one is a bit of a gut punch, and this one is a bit of a laugh.)
The new season of Black Mirror, until I watched it before bed and couldn’t sleep and remembered why I don’t watch Black Mirror. Righttt.
Reading…
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, which I’m borrowing from Lee and absolutely love. This novel will pull you in. It’s irresistible! It’s also sprinkled with poignant passages that make my heart melt.
What are you reading and watching?! I want to know! And that brings us to what’s…
Coming up on girlhood
🇵🇹 Lisbon travel guide: In two weeks, I’m swapping the cobblestones of Portugal for the concrete slabs of New York. The change is bittersweet — as my Grandma Judy would say, goodbyes are such sweet sorrow. I’m excited to reunite with a functioning postal system, the English language, and Trader Joe’s, but sad to leave the sunset vistas, seafood, and other pieces of my heart that are here. Keep your eyes peeled for a lil travel guide by yours truly coming sooooon.
🩺 PCOS awareness month is around the corner, and girlhood has something to say about it: in September, I’ll be sharing women’s stories — including my own — with polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS. Women’s health is too often overlooked. By sharing our experiences, we can advocate for improved health outcomes, research, and funding — and help each other feel less alone along the way.
💭 Guest perspectives: Over the coming months, girlhood will be chatting with some brilliant humans! Hurray! Look out for conversations with:
- ’s , who writes about body image and “the tricky business of the physical self”;
Stephanie Still, founder of Steady Sunday, a space for young adults exploring sobriety to connect and heal; and
Hanna Erdtmann, holistic health coach and founder of The Hanna Method.
Feel free to drop any questions or topics you’d like them to explore below ⬇️ I’d also love to hear how your summer’s been, what you’re reading and listening to, and how you’re doing.
Sending all my love always!
Xo,
Eden
Can’t wait to keep talking with you and reading your work!
Lily Allen! And I very much enjoyed Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow...