WNBA players embodied Black Dandyism at the Met Gala
plus: a mega-link roundup and an updated discord link!
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A lot has happened since the last time I did a news roundup post, so let’s go through just the hits. But first…
Housekeeping
I was on the “Where There’s Woke” podcast talking about the transphobic disinformation campaign around the Boston Marathon.
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Now, let’s get to all the news…
There’s so much I want to cover that I decided to break it all down by sport. Let’s start with the Met Gala, which I’m now considering a sport, tyvm.
Met Gala
WNBA players walked the Met Gala carpet for one of the first times ever, and boy did they bring it. The theme was “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” and was based off Monica L. Miller’s 2009 book “Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity.” I want to call attention to two players who really embodied the theme while staying true to their individual style.
I’m kind of obsessed with Jonquel Jones’ style evolution over the past few seasons (maybe I’ll write a larger post about this). As a 6’6” Black, masculine lesbian, JJ fits into nearly every category that is underrepresented when it comes to style icons. It’s been thrilling to watch her come into her own in terms of her personal style, as well as her ability to rock designer clothing like nobody’s business. Which brings us to the Met Gala.
JJ was styled by Courtney Mays, who is a menswear consultant, and is wearing a Sergio Hudson suit. The details on this fit are incredible, from the tie clip to the broach to the hair. Just perfection, and so perfectly tailored to the theme (sorry). Her hair even went viral! I absolutely love the masculine woman doing a take on the Black dandy.
Another player who hit it out of the park was Angel Reese, who was also on the Met Gala’s host committee. And while she’s known for having a more feminine style, she still managed to embody the dandy-ism and tailoring theme.
This dress has several nods to menswear, with the structured tailoring of the corset bodice and the collar at the neckline. It’s stunning. She linked up with Megan Thee Stallion at the event, and I love how hard Meg continues to ride for the women of the W. Angel then had to fly from the Met Gala to a Sky preseason game. She must be exhausted.
Now, onto the actual sports (and there’s even a mini “Haterade”-style rant hiding for you below):
Soccer
The English and Scottish Football Associations have banned trans women from playing women’s football, forcing several athletes to leave their teams. Amelia Snowdon, a goalkeeper-midfielder for tier-seven team Castle Point Rangers (and a subscriber to this newsletter!) sent a letter announcing she would step down before the policy was passed so that she could leave on her own terms. “Playing with this team has been one of the most affirming and joyful experiences of my life,” she wrote. “I’ve loved every moment spent on the pitch, giving everything I have to the game I love, surrounded by teammates who have shown me nothing but kindness, courage, and solidarity.”
Meanwhile, Canada officially has their own pro soccer league, the Northern Super League. It’s a gay league, I don’t care what anyone says—Quinn, the non-binary Olympic gold medalist, scored the first-ever goal in the new league. At Defector, Abigail Segel wrote an incredible piece on The Vermilion Vanguard, the supporters group for AFC Toronto.
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