- Words Notion Staff
Rated Reads shares our pick of the best content from around the web. This week: an investigation into a link between high heels and economic crises and a bopping chat with the cast of We Are Lady Parts.
How the sky-high heels of AW21 reflect the shitshow economy
As it turns out, the bigger the shoe, the worse off the economy, according to Sophie Wilson in Dazed. Her investigation into why socio-economic crises may manifest in towering footwear provides some fascinating finds.
“No one needs reminding that we’re currently in the midst of a global economic crisis,” Sophie writes. “The IMF estimates that the global economy shrunk by 4.4 per cent in 2020, which is the worst decline since the Great Depression in the 1930s. Back then, as stocks began dipping, heel heights started soaring – in much the same way as the ones rolling out on the catwalk seem to be right now.”
Whether a less expensive way to make a statement or a noughties trend comeback, we hope those heels don’t get too much taller.
‘I can’t believe someone’s written this’: the Muslim punk sitcom breaking new ground
Colossal Guardian columnist Coco Khan chats to the cast of We Are Lady Parts, talking “blaps”, songs about stealing eyeliner, and diverse representation on television.
““The show goes to some emotional places, without being heavy handed,” says [Anjana] Vasan, cagily. “Black and brown women just existing will be scrutinised, and that’s before making art. There’s some references to that in the show.””
Coco reveals: “Here’s my fear: that We Are Lady Parts will be written off as another clunky and forgettable diversity initiative, where shallow representation is used to paper over the cracks of a shoddy show before anyone even watched it. Or that prejudice and our ongoing culture wars mean people simply won’t tune in to a show about Muslim women. All of this would be a crying shame. Because We Are Lady Parts does something that many diverse shows have not: it delivers on the potential of representation. In short, it actually is funny.” We’re writing off this weekend to binge-watch.
Rachel Kushner Wants to Radicalize the Novel
With all that’s been going on this week, Rachel Kushner’s new book could not feel more timely. In The Hard Crowd, Kushner reveals her experiences reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from a refugee camp in East Jerusalem, as well as her conversation with prison abolitionist Ruth Wilson Gilmore and a take on the bourgeois novel.
Talking about her profile of Gilmore in relation to the murder of George Floyd, Kushner says “the summer of 2020 was devastating and thrilling in equal measure, and it was all marbled together. For those of us who went out in the streets and participated in it, there was a feeling of, “Now I finally know what it’s like to live in history.””
Vital reading for any fan of the author of The Flamethrowers and The Mars Room – or for anyone looking for illuminating insights into artist subcultures or global politics.
Moses Sumney introduces us to Asheville’s creative community
In i-D this week, the musician Moses Sumney takes the magazine on a creative tour of North Carolina in a fresh new film about the artist’s new home. “I toured for a bit, wandered for a bit, moved to London for a bit and thought that’s where I wanted to be. After I got there I realized I wasn’t focused enough. I wasn’t alone enough. I wanted to try living somewhere where I could be in constant commune with the birds and the trees,” Sumney says.
After arriving in Asheville, he discovered an artistic hub, as well as a natural haven, which would go onto inspire his second album, “Grae”. On the film, we meet other North Carolina creatives and explore Ashville’s artsy sites. We also meet a young farmer struggling to preserve the legacy of Black farmers who worked in America’s South.
SOPHIE’s friends and collaborators launch new art auction ‘God Is Trans’
A new art auction will be held in tribute to the music industry pioneer SOPHIE, who is sorely missed after passing away earlier this year, to raise money for the Trans Justice Funding Project.
All pieces will relate to the producer and DJ giant, including art prints, clothes and memorabilia. The event is held to “honour her radical generosity, artistic vision, and commitment to supporting the trans community.” Spread the word.
Is Buying a Piece of Virtual Art Better for the Environment?
Thinking about getting your mitts on an NFT? J.B. Mackinnon in The Walrus looks into the exploding world of digital art which has blown up during the pandemic, and whether it really is more environmentally friendly to buy art online.
It seems perhaps not: “In recent years,” Mackinnon writes “annual data consumption has grown at a compound rate of about one-quarter, and—once again in common with material consumption—the ways we consume are becoming more resource intensive rather than less.”
Maybe it’s worth putting that NFT idea on hold, then.