As I sit in a local coffee shop, where I managed to arrive through a walk in a park wearing a full-length skirt, hair pulled back in a loose claw clip. Slowly sipping a latte while reading “The Bell Jar” and listening to (with only mild judgment) a nearby conversation. I’m suddenly struck by a wonderfully esoteric realization. I’m having a Julia Stiles summer and so can you!
Julie Stiles Summer
For those young enough not to know, Julia Stiles was like Amanda Bynes‘ edgy older sister. She was (and is) cool, non-conforming, fun and feminist. A Julia Stiles summer for me references specifically back to her lead role in the 1999 mega classic “10 Things I Hate About You.” Stiles played riot grrrl SJW Kat Stratford. I rewatch this movie almost every year, and each time I spend the following months desperately trying to be as effortlessly cool as Kat.
The Dreaded Confines of Femininity
The ‘90s are very in at the moment. Long skirts particularly in white, paired with graphic tank tops and street shoes are everywhere. Not only is this look incredibly cute, it’s perfect for a summer that is simultaneously the hottest yet and the coolest to come. Balance out the lack of clothes with an abundance of beaded jewelry and silver rings. If you’re really committed to the bit, simply poke on a couple of fine-line tattoos so everyone knows you swing both ways.
You’ve come to think of your armpit hair as your favorite accessory. You put on a Stratford/Stiles outfit and worry it’s a bit too church girl. Although, you lift up your arms and remember you’re way too punk to ever be thought of that way.
It’s not a Julia Stiles summer if you don’t go outside to show off your fit along with your matching armpit hair. So in between coffee dates with friends (all femmes, of course) and reading Virginia Woolf in the park, you pull out your wired headphones, pretending your phone is a walkman. You’re listening to ‘90s grunge as you walk to your next destination (hot girls do not have driver licenses). Since you’re cool and indie and boycott Starbucks and Barnes and Noble for local cafes and used bookstores, you also support local artists and musicians. When you listen to the Cranberries, Boygenius or Faye Wong, you also listen to Little Moon from Utah County. Little Moon’s ethereal vocals and soothing instrumentals recently won the NPR Tiny Desk contest. Also, when you’re pissed at the state of the world and the confines of femininity, you turn on Narc for SLC-based “anti-fascist sludge-violence” or Ribbons for “really good crust shit” as one Bandcamp supporter calls it.
You Look So Hot Right Now
Ultimately, you know no amount of armpit hair or angry female vocals will change the world, just as no amount of flowy skirts will distract you from impending climate change. Yet, maybe pretending to be Stratford or Stiles will encourage you to get out of your air-conditioned room, meet some cool people and support some cool artists. You’ll enjoy summer for the first time since you started working over it. If not, you’ll at least look really hot.