FYI you're not well.
Plus, the film that made Holly cry, the show Jessie suggests you watch with your partner and the celebrity memoir that taught Mia so much.
Hiii Outlouders, Em Vernem here 🙋🏾♀️
I think I’m unwell… and so are you.
Don’t worry, I explain myself further down. Let’s get cracking into this week’s reccos.
Weekly Reccos 📺 📖 🎧
Here’s what our Out Loud hosts suggest we watch, read and listen to.
Holly wants you to watch
The Wild Robot in cinemas. Not to jump onto Hol’s recco, but I interviewed Lupita Nyong’o about her role in this film, and I completely agree… everyone needs to watch it.
The Wild Robot is an animation about a robot named Roz who gets stranded in a forest full of wildlife. Her one role is to complete tasks for whoever owns her. When she accidentally learns that a gosling needs to learn how to fly before winter, she takes on a role that goes completely against her robotic instincts.
“I can't recommend it more. It's funny, it's clever, it's beautiful to look at. It's called The Wild Robot, and I cried.”
Mia wants you to watch and read
Watch The Substance in cinemas, then read Inside Out: A Memoir by Demi Moore. Starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, The Substance is about a woman who takes a substance to make herself younger.
After listening to an interview Moore did for this role with the New York Times, Mia downloaded her memoir as an audiobook (voiced by Demi herself).
“I just learned so much. She's had this very interesting life. Married to Bruce Willis, Ashton Kutcher, three daughters, substance abuse… I've got a lot more compassion for her now.”
Jessie wants you to watch
The new season of Couples Therapy on SBS Demand. It’s a documentary series that follows four couples and their therapy sessions with psychoanalyst Dr Orna Guralnik. For those in a couple, Jessie’s additional recommendation is to watch it with your partner.
“You have the remote in your hand, you pause it, you look at them and then you wait for them to speak.”
What do you think of this week’s reccos? Let us know by clicking the button below.
Check these out. 👩💻
What more from the topics you listened to this week? Check out these reads:
'The scariest part of Demi Moore's new horror movie was what it showed me about myself.'
When Lupita Nyong'o finished her new movie The Wild Robot, she was compelled to make one phone call.
The theory behind Melania Trump's $110 Christmas baubles.
Hayden Panettiere on what happened in the interview the internet wanted taken down.
The surprising reason Netflix changed the ending in The Perfect Couple.
From Holly ❤️
'Sometimes the mirror is a b**ch.'
Wrinkles and blotches and bits that sag. Shadows and creases and crepe.
My face is changing and I'm faking being fine with it. Maybe you are, too.
I'm sure that wasn't there yesterday, the mirror says, as I lean into her, minus my bifocal contact lenses with their comforting blur. Poking at a crevice. Holding up an eyelid. Pulling back my hairline. Reaching for a tweezer, a potion, a cover-all.
Sometimes it takes all the will in the world not to want to scrape it off.
I know it doesn't matter. I know that how we look is the least interesting thing about us.
And yet.
On those days, I just want to STOP IT. Stop the change, stop the slide, stop the fold, stop the inevitable.
Freeze it in time. Sand it, smooth it, lift it, fill it.
Maybe I will… Continue reading.
What type of friend are you? 👀
It’s quiz time! If you didn’t know, there are seven types of friends. Yes… seven. Don’t freak out, we’ve got you.
We’ve created a quiz that tells you exactly what type of friend you are. I highly recommend sending this to your mates and completing it together over a glass of wine.
Leave a comment below with your answer.
I think I’m unwell… so are you.
On Wednesday’s show, Mia, Holly and Jessie discussed ‘wellbeing burnout.’ A recent study conducted by athletic apparel brand Lululemon discovered that our constant pursuit to be the most “well” version of ourselves is actually doing the opposite.
Run clubs, ice baths, 5am gratitude journalling are some of the wellness activities that are trending on my TikTok For You page at the moment, and, I can honestly say, I can’t think of anything worse, but God I wish that could be me.
I’ve realised that I’m secretly grateful for wellness burnout.
As a single woman living alone in the city, people are quite surprised when they learn that I don’t do much other than work and hang out with my friends. I can see the jealous rage of friends who are mothers who’ve had to put their 6am pilates class or evening book club sessions on hold for other responsibilities.
I’ve always felt I need to be doing much more with my life. I should be going on dates every night. I should be travelling. I should be working out. I should be experimenting with cooking different meals. I should be joining sports teams and waking up early to catch the sunrise at the harbour bridge, and getting home at 11pm from the cinema after work.
I know all of this.
For the past five years, I’ve been embarrassed that I don’t do any of the things I should be doing. It’s much easier for me to jump into an ice bath at 5am than it is for anyone else who has actual responsibilities. But I don’t.
My entire social media feeds are filled with wellness trends, hacks, ideas and schedules. I’ve seen them all and I’ve saved them all.
I’ve been saving them for a special day. The day I finally go “I’m going to be the most perfect version of myself that I can be.”
Instead of jumping on these wellness trends, I’ve just been making my collection bigger and bigger for when this “new” me finally wants to arrive.
And now, I’ve learnt that this purist of mental and physical perfection is actually burning people out.
Instead of mourning my future perfect self, I’ve been able to let myself breathe as I start mentally deleting all of the wellness hacks I’ve saved over the years.
(*Read in Carrie Bradshaw’s voice*:)
It made me wonder, maybe wellness is actually the friends we made along the way.
Did I do it right?
Anyway, if you want to learn more about wellbeing burnout and how it’s affecting Australians more than anyone else in the world (rude), you can listen to the full discussion on Wednesday’s show.
🎧 The segment starts at the 11.57 mark.
Do you have a friend who you think might be going through wellbeing burnout? Go on, share this with them (and then tell us what they said 👀).
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I know what you’re thinking… But how do I get more Out Loud?
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