In early November, notoriously nice movie star Keanu Reeves made some rare public appearances with Alexandra Grant, a 46-year-old artist, and apparently Reeves’ girlfriend. The internet Lost Its Mind. But the commotion wasn’t just because of people’s strange, protective devotion to Keanu. Grant got attention for being 1. An “age-appropriate” woman (and not a 22-year-old model) 2. A person who chose to go in public with grey hair and a few visible wrinkles. The fact that her appearance caused such a stir raises interesting questions about the ever-evolving relationships between age, femininity, class, and beauty.
In episode two of Fashion Cats and Cocktails, Sara and Elise talk about what it means to “look your age” — and how that idea isn’t separate from issues of race and class and other identity categories. They discuss what they find exciting about Alexandra Grant and her potential “it woman” status, and what parts of the hype are just the same old thing.
Plus: They chat with Elizabeth Daley about her book Cats Rock and talk with special guest mixologist Justin Thomas (aka Chef Wanderlust) about his signature cocktails. They’re crafted especially to honor three new patrons, but we think they’ll be great for your next holiday gathering, too!
Listen to the episode here:
A complete reading and discussion guide is available to our Patreon subscribers here.
Some of the articles we talk about:
If Keanu Reeves’s Date Can Embrace Looking Her Age, I Can Too by Ali Drucker for The New York Times
Keanu Reeves is dating a woman close to his own age. Why is that so shocking? By Aja Romano for Vox
‘Menocore’ Is as Much About Wealth as It Is About Age by Sara Tatyana Bernstein for Racked
Get Elizabeth Daley’s Book!
Cats Rock: Cats in Art and Pop Culture by Elizabeth Daley
Signature Cocktails by Chef Wanderlust
In November we offered to dedicate a cocktail to the next two patrons who signed on with us. As you can see…we got lucky and three people signed up at once. So we made THREE! Many, many thank yous to Drew, Xena, and Erin. We hope you enjoy Chef Wanderlust’s creations as much as we did and are so happy to have the three of you in our community. The complete recipes are available on Patreon.
Enjoy!
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