“That’s Not How It’s Gonna Go, Girl”

Bonsoir, Meteor readers,

Why the French? Because I’m still luxuriating in the Joan of Arc cosplay Chappell Roan wore for her VMAs performance, along with a red carpet look that would bring a Renaissance painter to their knees.

STARE DIRECTLY INTO OUR SOULS, QUEEN. (VIA GETTY IMAGES)

In today’s newsletter, we’re talking about the importance of yelling back, how Trump’s lies have harmed Haitians in Ohio, and a little weekend reading.

Au revoir,

Shannon Melero

WHAT’S GOING ON

“Not me, bitch”: MTV’s Video Music Awards were last night, and while there were a ton of exciting moments— Megan Thee Stallion’s pet snake; Jordan Chiles and Flava Flav; Taylor Swift just existing; Sabrina Carpenter and that alien— the night really belonged to Miss Chappell Roan, who took home the Moonman for Best New Artist, the first award of her career.

But Roan made her mark before the show began. When a photographer on the carpet yelled “shut the fuck up” in her direction, she yelled back, letting him know she wouldn’t be spoken to that way. Asked about the exchange later by Entertainment Tonight, Roan said, “I’m not taking this for the rest of my career; I’ve been famous for, like, one month. This is not how it’s gonna go, girl.”

The fact that Roan, who is only 26, has the wherewithal to be this staunch about her boundaries, and the career she wants to have, is genuinely inspiring.

If you’re under 35 and reading this, you probably grew up in the hyper-voyeuristic post-sex-tape age of celebrity, in which privacy and common decency were in scant supply, and the general feeling was a belief that being a public person means you belong to the public. But stars like Roan, Naomi Osaka, and Billie Eilish have been bucking the system to create a more tenable way to be famous. And while that may not seem like the most important thing in the world, think about the power of saying to millions of young fans that each of us should be entitled to our own private lives and the masters of our narrative. And also just the iconic choice of looking someone in the eye in the middle of a black carpet and screaming, “Not me, bitch!” Iconic.

AND:

• As you may have heard, in the presidential debate on Tuesday, Trump made the outlandishly racist claim that Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, are eating people’s pets. And if you predicted that’d make the lives of Springfield Haitians worse—you’d be right. Families are keeping their children home from school out of fear of being attacked. One woman even reported acid was thrown on her car. “I’m going to have to move because this area is no longer good for me,” she told The Haitian Times. “I can’t even leave my house to go to Walmart. I’m anxious and scared.”

• Today, a New York court has indicted Harvey Weinstein on additional sex crimes, the details of which will remain under seal until an arraignment later this month. Prosecutors claim that the new indictment includes multiple accusers who are prepared to testify against him. These new crimes will be part of Weinstein’s retrial in the rape case which was overturned in April.

• A new study has confirmed that Black women are far more likely than white women to be subject to unnecessary C-sections.

• Three trans women are suing health insurance company Aetna after their claims for coverage for gender-affirming surgeries were denied. The women say they were denied coverage for facial feminization surgeries despite the fact that Aetna has covered similar reconstructive surgical procedures for cisgender women.

• A judge in North Dakota has vacated the state’s total abortion ban on the grounds that it was “unconstitutionally vague and an infringement on medical freedom,” the North Dakota Monitor reports. In his ruling, Judge Bruce Romanick stated, “Pregnant women in North Dakota have a fundamental right to choose abortion before viability exists.”

• Donald Trump is holding a rally today at the Tuscon Convention Center’s Linda Ronstadt Music Hall. However, Linda Ronstadt has a big fuckin’ problem with that! Se explained in a statement: “Trump first ran for President warning about rapists coming from Mexico, I’m worried about keeping the rapist out of the White House…Call me what you want but this cat lady will be voting proudly in November for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.”

• Did you miss UNDISTRACTED as much as we did? Well good thing it’s back baby!! And who is the incomparable Brittany Packnett Cunningham in conversation with for the first episode season three? Award-winning director Ava DuVernay, of course!

WEEKEND READING 📚

On restoration: Rebecca Nagle’s new book, By the Fire We Carry, is an intimate dive into a landmark court case that saw the largest return of Indigenous land in U.S. history. Take a look at this excerpt before you head to your local bookshop. (The Intercept)

On night life: Queer Latine New Yorkers needed a place to let loose. Thus “Maricón” parties were born. (Remezcla)

On the farm: Small Black-owned farms in the South are tackling climate change one crop at a time. (NPR)

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