Capsule #75 ft. Hannah Turner

Hello hello,

Let us remember this week for the moment it got COLD. And also for the time I came out and admitted that I’m not as good at reading as I used to be. More on that below!

Also in this issue: the tights guide, notes on Florence Pugh, and the Capsule news you missed this week. Scroll for the weekend recs as usual, and don’t miss Hannah Turner’s Hot & Not list. 🧣

Your gift guide will drop next week!

Enjoy your weekend,

Holly x

First up: we need to talk about reading…

I read the first two Sally Rooney novels in about ten days. My life looked a look different then, in 2017 and 2018. I was either studying, with long breaks between terms, or in that post-grad period of figuring out what to do. I had more time, for sure. But that isn’t the only difference.

I began reading Intermezzo, Rooney’s latest novel, on a train journey recently. In theory, I had two hours of free time. I was fed and watered, so no issues there, and well rested. With my basic needs met, and a long stretch of time with little else to do, I thought I was primed for the perfect introduction to a new text.

I’m kind of embarrassed about what happens next. I read a few pages, then feel compelled to check my phone. I check it, open Instagram, feel annoyed with myself, and close it. I carry on reading a little more, repeating a paragraph I’d forgotten. Two more pages. I check my phone again. No notifications, nowhere I need to be, no pressing admin I need to complete. I read a little more, and feel again like I need a break. This time I’m bothered by my incompetence, and don’t pick up my phone in protest. I look at the seat in front of me and think about what’s happening. I want to read this book, and know I’ll get significantly more out of doing so than scrolling on my phone, but can’t seem to do more than bite-sized chunks.

It’s during this moment that I admit to myself that my attention span isn’t where I’d like it to be, and that I need to make an effort to fix it. This process began on that train journey, staring at the grey plastic interiors around me, and continues each day. So far, it feels something like this: doing the thing you want to do, like reading, and tuning in to how you feel as you do. Sometimes a flow state emerges naturally, and that’s great, but that’s not my default. Instead, I’ll be reading one page, and immediately want to check how many are left in the chapter, or I’ll read for a few minutes, and notice that my brain is taking it in, yes, but also has a separate browser window open, that I can see in my mind, checking over other tasks and thoughts and compulsions. The desire to check my phone. The need to scan for admin tasks or extra bits of thinking I could be doing to be productive. And the most annoying one, thoughts about how frustrating it is to not be able to read easily, something I’ve been doing for most of my life.

What I’m working on now, is noticing these thoughts and feelings as they arrive, acknowledging them, and continuing to read, knowing that I’m exercising a muscle that needs to be trained. It is too easy to stop and fall into mindless habits, and practicing resistance feels like the only viable route out. The same thing can be applied elsewhere - by looking up and around as you walk down a street, by not compulsively scrolling in dead time (bus journeys, on the loo, waiting in line), by allowing time for a film or TV show or any piece of art to settle into your bones after consumption, daring to mull over it for a while before short-circuiting back to the algorithm.

About six or seven years ago, when I first heard people say that social media is impacting people’s attention spans, I denied it. I hadn’t thought about it too much, but it felt like a slight towards young people, snobbish almost, and gave these apps too much power. In reality, I was probably on the cusp of something changing significantly. I was enjoying improvements to algorithmic feeds, treating them as vehicles for connection and humour, ignoring the possibility that they could be manifesting something more complicated and sinister.

Today I’m not anti-social media - far from it - but I am at a point of admitting that the way we consume short-form content has a cost, one we pay for elsewhere in our lives. I’m not giving it up, (it’s literally my livelihood), but I am accepting what needs to be done to repair my habits, to make space for the things that make life feel worth living. I do not remember 99% of the TikToks or Reels that wash over me, or even the tweets I love, but highlighted quotes by hand or by Kindle in novels I’ve read over the past decade help me feel connected to myself, and remind me what it’s like to discover something about myself or the world, form new opinions, and question existing ones. The cost of losing that is too high, and I’m willing to sacrifice some scroll time to protect it. I hope you’ll join me.

Next up…

Changing tone completely (that’s what open tabs are for?) to bring you the tights guide you requested a couple of weeks ago.

First up, the fun ones. I think there’s space for every single one of us to try an alternative to black tights — such a low-stakes way to choose playfulness in what is otherwise a season of darks and neutrals. Some great inspiration here:

And to source your own:

• Dusty blue tights, Swedish Stockings

• White floral lace tights, Heist*

• Heart Pointelle tights, Urban Outfitters*

• Red tights, Calzedonia

• Sheer green tights, Mango

• Grey tights, Topshop*

And if you’re trying to tone with your existing winter wardrobe more easily, here are some elevated versions of your classic black, and I’m also classing burgundy and leopard print as a neutral.

And to source your own:

• Floral lace tights, Heist*

• Leopard print tights, & Other Stories

• Burgundy tights, Mango

• Sheer black tights with silver stripes, Prod*

• Classic Sheer Rip-Resist Tights, Steertex*

• 10 denier ladder resist tights, M&S

• Sparkle tights, Free People

*Starred links were on sale at the time of writing! But do check the others for Black Friday stuff.

Also worth mentioning…

We spend a lot of time identifying the things we think celebs shouldn’t talk about (politics, not talking about politics, random weight loss products, etc) but this week we had a total opposite moment. Florence Pugh chatted about her PCOS and endometriosis diagnosis on the SHE MD podcast, explaining why she froze her eggs at 27, and her experience of accessing healthcare for reproductive stuff. This is exactly the sort of thing that benefits from high profile amplification: searches for both ‘PCOS’ and ‘endometriosis’ spiked this week, and so many more people are learning about the symptoms. Read up!

And finally…

News from the Capsule universe you may have missed this week:

• The Coachella lineup dropped

• The quickest route for a legacy luxury brand to reach young people is through talent. Speaking of, Olivia Rodrigo is the new face of Lancôme

• …And Smirnoff just named this star as their “chief vibes officer” 🫢

• The Christmas special announcements keep coming… this time, Beyoncé

• Charli xcx has been a top story of the week for like… 50 weeks now? The latest: a surprise (free!) Times Square concert and a pending world tour

• Of course Kim K is into this

• This couple finally went public

• Another Kardashian-Jenner self-referential moment: last week, Kim and Kourtney settling their Italy feud with D&G, this week, Kylie marketing her new khy line by reenacting Kendall’s cucumber incident

• And call me crazy, but I’m speculating about some sort of Rihanna x Billie Eilish collab… First Rihanna said Billie was her dream collaborator, and then this week, Billie posted a photo wearing a t-shirt that says “I want you to stay”. Could be nothing, could be a remix of ‘Stay’ on the way. We wait…

This week, Hannah Turner popped into Capsule to share what’s 🔥hot🔥 and what’s not 🙅‍♀️ …

Hannah is a disabled writer and journalist living with complex chronic illnesses. Her writing focuses on disability, anti-wellness culture, and pop culture. Her words have appeared in many places, including Refinery29, Vittles, Mashable, and Dazed. She lives in Amsterdam with her partner, and you can find her talking about books, knitting, and life with illness on Instagram and work with her via her website.

📺 Watching: Wicked is finally out… Simply must see what the press tour emotions are all about. And Emma Chamberlain’s hair theory video on YouTube, which is honestly just a very beautiful film.

📖 Reading: The Miley Cyrus profile in Harper’s Bazaar (anyone else routing for a Miley Glastonbury?), and to follow up with more Emma Chamberlain, this interview for After School.

🎧 Listening to: Two new albums: Access All Areas: Unlocked by FLO, and Mahashmashana by Father John Misty, an old album, Lady Gaga’s The Fame Monster, which turned 15 (!) this week, and this great episode of This Jungian Life on the ‘decision archetype’ and why getting rid of options in your life can be a good, powerful thing. This is the sort of thing I need a quarterly reminder on.

Some Thanksgiving trends for us this week, brought to you by Ralphie, who had his first snow day this week, me, a Brit attempting to host a friendsgiving event, and Google Trends, our source of truth.

• For the first time since 2015, November search interest in turkey trot is greater than that of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

• “Friendsgiving ideas” and “friendsgiving dishes” are currently being searched more than ever before

• The top trending cocktails are: apple cider margarita, cosmopolitan, and ginger cranberry whiskey sour

• And here are the chosen side dishes of each state:

If you’d like to adopt Ralphie or one of his friends, click here to learn more.

Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear how you’re finding Capsule - let me know here. And if you have a friend who might like it, do refer them! 🥺

See you next week 💋

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