Book Review: The Vanity Fair Diaries

Toward the end of last year, I started hearing more and more people talking about Tina Brown's The Vanity Fair Diaries. The reviews were all glowing, and since I studied journalism in NYC, I particularly enjoy reading about other journalists doing their thing in my college town.

If you aren't familiar with Tina Brown, you should know she is a truly badass boss lady. At the age of 25, this woman moved from England and managed to turn around Vanity Fair, which at the time, was a sinking ship. She later went on to head The New Yorker and to found The Daily Beast.

The Vanity Fair Diaries are a collection of her journaling about the experience of being the editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair from 1983 to 1992. It's full of juicy name drops and hot takes on the big players of the New York social scene in the 80s from Arianna Huffington to -- you guessed it -- Donald Trump. It's extremely entertaining and laugh-out-loud funny at certain parts.

But what I loved most about it is its bold feminism and the intimate look into the work-life balance of such a successful, talented female journalist.

Brown was and is undeniably brilliant and talented. The story of how she became the Vanity Fair EIC is inspiring. She knew she could bring it back from the dead, and when the older men running Condé Nast wanted to kowtow to the other older man running Vanity Fair by making her a "consultant," she unapologetically refused to settle and instead returned to London. Finally, they recognized she genuinely deserved to be the EIC and made the objectively correct decision in bringing her on.

I loved reading about how she cultivated her team of writers, how she brought her vision to life, and how she navigated the politics of a workplace full of strong personalities. I am so impressed by the people she found who have since gone on to become prominent journalists; it's an amazing ability to be able to recognize undiscovered talent in others. And I am incredibly motivated by her stories of standing behind her ideas and concepts as a 20-something in a new country.

Later in the book, she writes about balancing her family life with her career. When her son George is born prematurely, she worries constantly about if the demands of her job are taking away too much time from him. He shows signs of developmental delays, and I wonder if her husband, a wildly successful editor as well, felt similar guilt about not spending enough time with him.

So yes, as a journalism nerd, I highly recommend this book. But I think any young professional woman can also relate to it and will be inspired by her stories of advocating for herself and her ideas. 

And if you're not here for that, come on, I know you'd be in it for the celeb gossip.

Happy reading!

xo,
S

Movie Review: RBG

A few weeks ago, my awesome friend Kate asked me if I wanted to go to a pre-screening of the new Ruth Bader Ginsburg documentary, "RBG." I didn't even know there was an RBG documentary coming out, but of course I enthusiastically said yes.

Presented by the Open Society Institute, the Charles Theater showed the film yesterday, which officially comes out May 11. 

YOU MUST GO SEE IT.

Before seeing the film, of course I knew a good bit about RBG, but mostly the highlights. Like any good feminist, I knew she has been a prime champion of women's rights, has written some badass dissents, and that she had a remarkably supportive husband at a time when a woman's career was never expected to supersede her husband's.

What I felt like this documentary taught me was who she is at her core. Although the film was mostly light and I got quite a few laughs out of it, RBG is super serious, quiet, INCREDIBLY brilliant, and of course, someone who makes me question what I am even doing with my life. She's also "bubbe" to her grandkids, a "super diva!" in the gym, and someone who may or may not know how to turn on a television.

One major takeaway? I learned that even though she faced major discrimination as one of nine women at Harvard Law in a class of hundreds, she never responds in anger. Her mother drilled into her that anger is a useless emotion. This is a good reminder for me right now, since every political argument for me these days results in RAGE.

In addition to being fascinating and informative, the documentary was also extremely touching. I had to hold back tears MULTIPLE times since I got eyelash extensions for the first time earlier in the day (blog post on that to come!) and they aren't supposed to get wet for 24 hours. But I was moved by how strong she is in her convictions, how beautiful her 50-plus-year relationship with her husband was, and how as liberal as she is and how conservative Antonin Scalia was, they were the most adorable pair of besties I've ever seen. 

I knew she had contributed loads to the standing of American women today but I had no idea how much. Before becoming a justice, she argued six cases before the Supreme Court as a lawyer and won five of them in the '70s. I didn't expect to come away as moved and inspired as I did, but holy shit, watching this quiet, little woman make history motivated me to do more, and do better.

I HIGHLY recommend seeing "RBG" when it comes out next week. I bet you'll learn some things you didn't know, get a few laughs, and be inspired.

xo,
S