It’s officially June, which means we are on a mission to spend our days by the sea. And while our Nantucket girl summer may still be a ways away, an evening sipping rosé by Lake Norman will satisfy our need to exist by a water feature. 

Join us on 6/19 at 7pm for our next live show at The Wine Cottage at Lake Norman. 

“I’m sorry this is truly a human rights violation.” -A girlie recently banned from Tinder for seemingly no reason. Read: victim of a fragile male ego? A VPN or law firm near you could help out.

Skylar: Not sure if you caught Elisabeth Moss on the cover of Variety Magazine this week, but the internet has some thoughts. The boxy blazer look sent me spiraling into a full-blown PTSD flashback from high school when I, too, misunderstood fashion and power.

I was in DECA—a club allegedly preparing teens for the “business world” (cut to present-day me: a creative girlie who gets paid in vibes, not 401(k)s). We competed in mock business scenarios, which apparently meant dressing like I was on an episode of “What Not to Wear” in the early 2000s.

My outfit of choice? Khaki gaucho pants, a brown beaded tube top (why?), and a grey one-button blazer. I would share a photo, but I deleted it—and everyone who let me leave the house like that.

Taylor Swift dropped a handwritten note on Friday casually announcing that she now fully owns her life’s work. Girlie… goosebumps. Whether you’re a die-hard Swiftie or just Swiftie-adjacent, you have to respect the main character energy.

If you’re not familiar with the whole record label drama that led to “Taylor’s Version,” I’m not your girl—but I guarantee there’s a SwiftTok dissertation with footnotes and emotional damage timelines waiting for you.

What I can speak on is the handwriting. Not a single misspelled word. Ruled paper? No. Just perfectly spaced, borderline calligraphic confidence. Meanwhile, my journals look like a ransom note written during a minor earthquake. Jealousy? Activated.

I have some thoughts about Sydney Sweeney. And this week, Dr. Squatch soap company revealed they will be selling an exclusive line of soap…containing her bath water. Le sigh. The good news? I can’t think of a quicker way to scan a guys bathroom and see if he is a walking red flag.  

Carol: Swifty Double Dose. I’ll keep it short. I’m not going to pretend that I knew we would never get Rep TV, but I will say that the extension of the trademarking at least made me question the timing. What I wasn’t expecting?  Ahem ✨removes red nose✨ to be told only a quarter of it has been re-recorded. Color me aghast. I’ve never related more to the feeling of “I just can’t get back to that place.” You know the one…when your stomach drops into your ass because you suddenly remember something unhinged you did over an ex. Taylor has carried me through every breakup, and yes, I once tweeted “we are never, ever getting back together” while at the same bar as my ex just hoping he’d see it. Woof. Anyway—congrats, Mother.

Your Friends & Neighbors. First, Jon Hamm. That’s a full sentence. The quick wit and pace is a yes for me. Thanks for the recos during the last live show, girlies.

My visit with Katie from Trope Bookshop reminded me of two things:

1) My deeply rooted desire to own some kind of adorable shop - a bookshop, flower shop, candle shop, wine shop, whatever you get it, after watching You’ve Got Mail at age 8.

2) My equally deep commitment to being dramatic and my love for the months October, November, and December.

In hindsight, this dream was less about running a business and more about my interest in wistfully staring out my shop window while it rained and an emotional attachment to the idea of curating the perfect holiday window display. Shout out to Katie for actually turning the fantasy into reality.

This week’s girlie deep dive is coming to you from the brand new Trope Bookshop HQ in Charlotte, NC. When we say this bookstore is providing the actual dreamscape of every millennial bookstore fantasy, we mean it. This shop around the corner is providing everything you need and more: tall book stacks and even taller shadow daddies. 

We hung out with the founder of Trope, Katie Mitchell, to talk romance books, escaping the corporate slog by trading spreadsheets for smut, and why every girlie deserves a bookstore that feels like home.

Learn about shadow daddies…trust us…you want to know…by checking out the full interview on our Substack.

Plus - don’t miss an out of this world smut rec from Katie.

Carol: Yes, I know. I only gave you half the goods with my potions of youth. Stay tuned for the heavy hitters: from toxin dose to laser beams. I’ll show you my UV damage under a microscope, reveal my true skin age, and walk you through the full before, during, and after of my latest laser treatment. Coming soon.

Skylar: If you were at the last live show, you might remember I posed a very real, very urgent question: what are you supposed to do when you're staying at someone’s house, go to wash off your makeup, and the only thing staring back at you… is a pristine white washcloth?

That towel moment inspired a full spiral—and now I’m deep-diving into how to be a decent houseguest. I’m even interviewing legit etiquette experts. You’ve probably heard of Elizabeth Post? I’ve got a chat lined up with her daughter next week, and yes, I will absolutely be asking about shared bathrooms and whether stealing snacks counts as a federal offense.

One hot tip I’ve already been humbled by? You're supposed to match your host’s schedule. Comedy hours and I are going to need to have a serious conversation.

We keep hearing from the girlies that the dating scene is a dumpster fire, especially on the apps. We cracked open the inbox, sharpened our little matchmaker pencils, and waited for the eligible submissions to roll in. And…silence. Not even a Gemini.

Are we devastated? A little. But also maybe this isn’t what you needed! Maybe you don’t want your future situationship handpicked by two girlies with a newsletter and delusions of grandeur. That’s fair! BUT IF YOU DO, if you’re even a little bit curious, you’ve got to tell us what this looks like.

Do you want brunch mingles? A Google Form? A quarterly draft? What would actually make dating suck less? We’re not saying we’ll build the whole solution, but like...we might. If you tell us how. Please advise.

Don’t leave us unread - tell a friend to subscribe and join the chat with you.  

Come chat with us in person by the lake on 6/19 at the Wine Cottage.