The internet was very nice this week. Highlights: Carly Rae Jepsen’s emotions, Page Six, the success of Wikipedia, the world’s loneliest whale, the banal brutality of bodies, Jordan Casteel, DevaCurl, Valentine’s Day on TikTok (and Twitter), a Hot Cheetos bath bomb, and the Democratic debate.
1. Longreads: Carly Rae Jepsen’s Exhilarating, Emotionally Intelligent Pop Music
I LOVE Carly Rae Jepsen profiles and reviews! I might even love reading about Jepsen as much as I love reading about Rihanna (although the only song by Jepsen I can recognize is “Call Me, Maybe”).
My father has always called me his “sensitive one,” and maybe the reason I love reading about Jepsen so much is that in the “maximalist sentiment” of her music, she “roams these vistas of the heart, shepherding those of us whose thick, cumbersome emotions render us lonely and overwhelmed.” I’m known for being dramatic at times (I’m a double Sagittarius), and for me, her allure lies in her dedication to exploring the fullness of emotions.