Paris, Taylorpalooza & A billion dollars
Salut de Paris! We made it. We largely disconnected. We're even writing this newsletter together from a delightful cafe. And we got to experience the phenomenon that is the Era's tour in-person, and there are no words...but we're going to write some anyway.
We trekked to Paris with two friends to celebrate Lauren's birthday and her tendency to impulsively spend when stressed, inebriated, or both. Some of us were Swifties; some of us weren't. Some of us are frequent concert goers; some of us go only on rare occasions. All of us agreed that this was the best concert experience we've ever had and that Swift deserves every penny of the billions she's made on this tour.
We'd heard about the kind and respectful crowds, the trading of friendship bracelets, the young girls watching with awe as a successful woman confidently claims her power. It's all true, and then some. Each of us were struck at different times by the new world these girls will get to grow up in and even the new world we're now living in vs. the TRL days of our youth.
Many of the themes that come up at Weak Ties/Strong Bonds dinners were on display. Swift entered an industry set up for men. Plenty has been written on how she upends it, so we'll spare you our own admiration, but what blew us away was:
✅ The new experiences and spaces that she's created within that industry - experiences and spaces that are explicitly female and/or queer.
✅ The implicit demand that all audience members respect her rules, and live within the culture she's created - a culture of mutual respect and civility.
✅ The fact that she continuously celebrates classically feminine themes and values like friendship, collaboration, and caring for those around you (and has made billions doing it).
In conclusion (for now), if you've never stood in a crowd of more than 40,000 mostly female and queer fans screaming "fuck the patriarchy" or "shade never made anybody less gay" at the top of their lungs, may we highly recommend it?
🪢 Laura & Lauren
Interesting Insights
Why Female friendships are crucial
In a recent podcast episode, marketing expert and course creator Amy Porterfield shared why female friendships have been the most valuable asset in helping her to build an 8-figure business.
Taylor Swift Isn’t the Economic Force. It’s Her Fans.
Swift’s economic impact has been broadly reported and discussed. This Time article delves into the increasing economic power of women broadly and how Swift speaks to them. (Lauren teared up while reading. 🥹)
Things We Loved This Week
Laura’s Things
🥐 In celebration of my time in Paris, this video that will never not make me laugh.
✨ This serum from a super clean women-owned brand in St. Louis that has completely transformed my skin.
🛍️ This article about how the female founders behind Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, Levain Bakery, and Glowbar create their playbooks for retail expansion.
🎨 This gallery in Paris that came highly recommended by a friend with impeccable taste. They have no website and the hours I could find were wrong. Go between 3:00 and 4:00 for an incredible collection of vintage prints. Mama’s gonna have a big Framebridge bill very soon…
Lauren’s Things
💀 This episode from the new season of the podcast Normal Gossip that had me cackling in public and wondering if WT/SB should be hosting Bunco nights.
👗 This dress that Christian Siriano designed for Christina Hendricks's NOLA wedding weekend.
🎶 Getting to watch this powerful performance of Maroon live and sobbing.
🤺 This take on the Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar diss tracks.
🧘 This missive from a Substack I love about the seemingly diametric but related concepts of routine and awe.
To Tie Things Up…
“What fuels a patriarchal society? Money, flow of revenue, the economy. So actually, if we’re going to look at this in the most cynical way possible, feminine ideas becoming lucrative means that more female art will get made.”
– Taylor Swift (duh)
