Happy Friday, Ambitious Fam! I have been having ALL THE FEELS lately so I thought that it was about time that we bring back a Friday Feels post. I used to do this series weekly on the blog (pre-pandemic) as a way to share random things–products, pop culture, happenings, etc.–that had been on my mind that week. Honestly, I don’t plan on putting it back into the regular rotation just yet. However, let me know in the comments if these posts are something you enjoy or would like to see more of in the future!
Here are five things that gave me all the feels this week:
A Tale of Three Wednesdays
On Wednesday, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris officially became the President and Vice-President of the United States. As a country, the first three Wednesdays of 2021 were quite the emotional rollercoaster. The year started with the insurrectionist attack on the Capitol (January 7th), followed by Donald Trump’s second impeachment (January 13th), then the inauguration of a new executive branch (January 20th). There were so many different feels surrounding the days leading up to the inauguration and even more on the day of. I can’t believe that in my lifetime I have been able to see the first Black President take office and the first Black/South Asian Woman Vice President. It felt like the start of a new chapter, one that I was eager to flip to after a particularly scary one. It felt like the return of hope. While I and others felt a sense of relief and happiness with the inauguration, it is important to note that I am not content, instead I am cautiously optimistic. There is still so much work to do, but maybe, just maybe this could be a contributing factor to making the world a better place.
I can’t end this segment without mentioning my new favorite person–Amanda Gorman. Amanda Gorman was the 22-year-old first ever youth poet laureate that performed her poem, The Hill We Climb, at the inauguration (the youngest to do so!). It was incredibly inspiring to watch and even more inspiring to learn about how it was influenced by the coup attempt at the Capitol. Click here to read the transcript or watch it performed!
The Fashion! The Memes!
Other than the inauguration being a historic event, the entertainment factor was on point. THE FASHION OMG. So many monochromatic looks that were not only an iconic fashion statement, they were political statements as well. Michelle Obama often discussed how she used her outfits to uplift young and Black designers and, as always, she did not disappoint when she stepped in front of the camera. Vice President Kamala Harris also wore a Black designer and paid homage to Shirley Chism by wearing purple. Dr. Jill Biden donned multiple looks; her blue was said to symbolize “trust, confidence, and stability” and she later wore a white outfit by a young designer that featured the official flowers of the different states and US territories (with Delaware being closest to her heart). I fully agree that women have the tendency to be judge solely by their appearance which is annoying, but if they are already looking at the outfit, might as well make a statement!
Speaking of fashion, the memes that came out of Bernie Sander’s inauguration look were top tier. People have been photoshopping him and his mittens (said to have been knitted by a teacher from a repurposed wool sweater btw) into so many places/scenarios and I can’t help but giggle. Between that and him carrying his envelopes into the ceremony, the internet has been buzzing with Bernie Sanders content.
Disney Love Triangles
Let me preface this segment with the disclaimer that I am well aware that I am entirely too old to be invested in this love triangle drama, but that’s what Tiktok does to you. Also, I have watched the shows in question and I have been following their careers in general. This generation’s Disney love triangle has been compared to the Miley Cyrus-Nick Jonas-Selena Gomez triangle drama of my (our?) day and it is just as juicy. Here is a quick summary for those of you who are not up to speed (no pun intended haha). On January 8, 2021, 17-year-old Olivia Rodrigo (star of Disney+ show High School Musical: the Musical: the Series) released the song titled Drivers License. Besides the fact that the song is honestly so good, it is also said to be about her HSMTMTS co-star Joshua Bassett. The song is very Taylor Swift-esque, detailing the heartbreak she experienced from Joshua (age 20) breaking his promise to wait for her to become of legal age so that they could date by instead dating “that blonde girl” Sabrina Carpenter (known for her role in Disney’s reboot of Boy Meets World as Maya in Girl Meets World). With her debut release of Drivers License, Olivia skyrocketed into the limelight, breaking Spotify’s record for the most streams of a song in a single week with 65,873,080 streams! Fast forward to January 14, 2021. Joshua releases his song Lie Lie Lie seemingly as a response to Olivia which was arguably not as catchy but was enough to stir the pot. The plot thickened this morning with Sabrina Carpenter’s release of her song Skin in which she states that she’s telling her side of the story–issa bop. Sure, we can chalk this all up to an elaborate publicity stunt; only they know the truth. Whatever it is, it certainly adds to the lore of Disney Channel Stars.
New Season of Virtually Best Friends Podcast
After a small holiday break, VBF Pod is back with new episodes! Caitlin and I are just so excited for a new year of building connections and sharing stories on the podcast (available on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and wherever else you get your podcasts!). We kicked off the new season by chatting with two guests. The first, Sasha (@thesashawhitney), is one of the people that I credit with helping me survive 2020. It sounds dramatic, but it’s simply the truth. In her episode, we chatted about mindfulness and how we can all be the change in 2021. Click here to check out Sasha’s episode!
Our second guest of the year was Kristen of Strolling Through Life! Kristen is your go-to girl for non-judgemental sustainability advice. On YouTube, Kristen shares thorough eco-friendly product reviews that you can trust while highlighting when companies are Black, POC, and/or Women-owned. Click here to listen to Kristen’s episode!
Target Finds
Target has had quite a few things that have caught my eye recently. Most notably, the Black History Month collection that has been rapidly depleting. I’m happy that I was able to grab a few things before they went out of stock (such as the matching sweatshirt and leggings set pictured in the post’s cover image), but there are still great items available for adults and kiddos alike! I particularly enjoy this silhouette sweatshirt that is still available in multiple sizes. In addition to apparel, I also recently got in a 6” Opalhouse planter that is meant to look like a plant is growing out of a person’s head! I love that is available in multiple skin tones and it has a pluggable drainage hole which is key for keeping your plants happy. Click here to see what I mean!
Have a safe weekend!
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