“Gay son or thot daughter?”
The question of the ages - or at least the question that has lingered on niche meme pages since its emergence in 2012. The phrase has seemingly made it into the mainstream media landscape over the past few years, with one of my favorite influencers Harry Daniels, posing the question to stars such as America Ferrera, Ariana Greenblatt and internet icon Tana Mongeau at the People’s Choice Awards.
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The phrase is the inspiration for the phrase “thought daughter”. As a girl who is constantly pondering, I feel like this trend is the perfect representation of my people. I wanted to share my personal list of thought daughter essentials - a la 2019 niche meme page.
Joan Didion
Didion, the quintessential Californian cool girl, is an essential for the thought daughters of the world. Her 1961 Vogue essay, On Self-Respect, redefined my life and holds a treasured place on the right side of my bedroom wall. Her elegant prose and sharp observations make her the ultimate thought daughter.
2. 90s indie rock girl bands
Whenever I tap into one of these artists, I remember that I am the daughter of another thought daughter. My adoration for their heartfelt lyrics and stirring music is a direct result of the CDs my mom used to play for me as a kid. A thought daughter needs an adequate soundtrack, and I think that this playlist is just perfect.
Kaia Gerber’s Library Science
Model and nepo baby Kaia Gerber’s book club, Library Science, is my personal favorite celebrity book club. After her great performance in Bottoms, she definitely found herself at the top of my nepo baby rankings. Library Science explores some seriously good literature, from Didion to Babitz to Duras. I think that as thought daughters, we have some room for pretension, and Library Science is 100% up to scratch. I also love the interviews she has on the website. Her most recent is a discussion of Eve Babitz’s Sex and Rage with singer Gracie Abrams.
An active LetterBoxd account
Film is the medium that I spend the most of my time on, after literature. I have cried at the end of every movie I have ever watched, including Cocaine Bear. In my eyes, watching a film is an exercise in empathy that is designed to leave us reeling and contemplative. There is no better feeling than leaving the theater and updating your LetterBoxd profile. I painstakingly curate my top 4, and I highly encourage anybody who hasn’t to make an account and spend some time playing film critic.
A good journal
Some of the best writing comes from a deeply emotional place. Channel your inner Sylvia Plath and get a solid journal. After years of perfectionism, I bit the bullet this year and set aside my calligraphy pens in favor of commiting to a brain dump journal. Honestly, the best decision I’ve made so far this year. Not only is it the only way I can set aside whatever is weighing on me, but I just love the idea of looking back at my journal in the future. A thought daughter needs a thought dump to get through the day.
Magazine subscriptions
Guys hear me out. Paying a shipping charge on top of an online subscription in return for print copies is so so worth it. There is literally nothing better than making your way through a fresh magazine while drinking coffee and eating a little pastry. It’s the simple pleasures. Hot, intelligent thought daughters educate themselves on current events!
An obsession with Orion Carloto
Orion Carloto’s life is every internet thought daughter’s dream. She’s the original tumblr girl, who secured a book deal, fashion world connections and an exhibition pop-up through her internet platform. I’m just enamored with her and her aesthetic. I’m personally starved for content on her YouTube, so I also highly recommend her episode of Emergency Intercom for your Orion fix.
The Odd Woman and the City by Vivian Gornick
Guys, I had to save the best for last. I finished this book in February and I’ve never felt so incredibly seen before. It’s a memoir told in the story of vignettes, linked by the narrators walks through New York City. As a native New Yorker, who definitely identifies as an Odd Woman, I felt like this book reflected and verbalized so much of my perception of the world, relationships and humanity. Her voice shines through this, and I’m just obsessed with it. THE thought daughter read.
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