Mythical Millennial #13: Self care is the best care
It’s been a year, hasn’t it. ‘F*** you, 2016’ is this year’s most prevalent meme, the only response we can muster to the (not my words) ‘garbage fire’ of a year we’ve been having. We have spent the last few months wading through the Brexit muck, only to stumble and fall face-first in front of President-elect Trump, gaudy, orange and triumphant in front of Isengard Trump Tower. Countless of our beloved idols have fallen. Sitting helpless, we watch as unimaginable atrocities are committed in Aleppo. Harrowing, triggering information has never been more accessible. We’d be lying if we said it wasn’t affecting us.
One of the biggest criticisms of the millennial generation is that we’re more fragile. Trigger warnings on social media have been a source of continuing controversy, fuelling the notion that self-censorship will only lead to echo chambers of our own creation. I’m of two minds about this. I understand the need for society to open ourselves up to opinions in contrast to our own. However, in light of all of the political shocks we’ve had this year, I’d argue that the discourse we need just isn’t happening. (See Buzzfeed’s analysis on Brexit: only 8% of 3 million tweets were replies. The rest were just users shouting into the endless void.)
My recommendation is two-fold too. Keep informed: read broadly, and if you can, don’t shy away from the hard stuff. We can ignore 2016’s garbage fire all we want, but it’ll still lick at our feet in mockery. On the flip side, embrace the vulnerability you’ve been chastised for. Take a bath. Go on a digital detox for a while. Bring more ‘hygge’ into your life. Audre Lorde once said, “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” Now, more than ever, is the time to take a stand.
Speaking of reading broadly, let’s take a moment to celebrate the wonder that is Teen Vogue. Lauren Duca’s piece ‘Donald Trump is gaslighting America’ has been lauded for its searing take-down of his campaign’s war against the truth, lighting the Twittersphere on (almost literal) 🔥. Beyond that op-ed, there has been content exposing Mike Pence’s record on women’s rights and LGBTQ rights, commentary on Texas’ campus gun-carry law, and a sobering video from Native American girls about the real history behind Thanksgiving.
People have expressed their surprise that a teen-oriented publication can produce such well-rounded, considered journalism. To me, it just goes to show that underestimating young women is, like, so last millennium. Shout-out to editor Elaine Welteroth and editorial director Phillip Picardi for making the right kind of waves.
Soothing sounds for your ears, soothing visuals for your eyes.
Man Like You (Patrick Watson cover) by Tom Misch
It’s the festive season, so there’s no better time to think about the act of giving. I wanted to highlight Femsplain, a wonderful community and publication amplifying feminine voices.
I’ve written for Femsplain a couple of times, and have been privileged to be a part of their incredibly supportive network this year. You can donate to Femsplain here, where all of your contributions will go back into supporting the publication’s writer fund.
See you in two weeks for the last Mythical Millennial of 2016 (ohmygoodness),
B x
Like this letter?
Subscribe to Mythical Millennial and get it directly in your inbox every other Wednesday.
Follow Brenda on Twitter @brendaisarebel
Originally published on Mythical Millennial.
