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On Gore Vidal: legacy of self

This just poured out of me over my morning coffee as I was reflecting on the transformation I’ve undergone over the last several years and very recent transformations I’ve entered into (more on that later when I write about my new muse)! It’s about why Gore Vidal is so deeply important to me not just as a distant relative but as a role model and cautionary tale. I hope you enjoy and would love to hear your thoughts as always 💌 “Learning more about Vidal and absorbing his words, the sharpness and certainty of his opinions, I felt as if I had discovered a kindred spirit. I always felt like I was too much for people, too arrogant and self-possessed, too singular, too disagreeable, that these were all pathological aberrations I needed to correct and hopefully I could finally be normal someday—but seeing these traits in Gore Vidal made me feel proud because they were what made him who he was.“

@taterhole

Feb 27, 2025

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Sontag

My tortured lesbian queen <3 her essays have been getting me through it lately

@literal_ang3l

Jan 31, 2024

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Maeve Brennan​

Learning about this icon per Marlowe Granados' newsletter recommendation and I'm obsessed- also Marlowe Granados' substack is a gem. It's mostly about being glamorous in our current times (hard to do) https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v40/n17/joanne-o-leary/what-makes-a-waif?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

@kdawgie

May 19, 2025

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Never changing

My dad teases me about how when I was a little kid, my favorite thing to do when I was on the landline phone with somebody—be it a relative or one of my best friends—was to breathlessly describe the things that were in my bedroom so that they could have a mental picture of everything I loved and chose to surround myself with, and where I sat at that moment in time. Perfectly Imperfect reminds me of that so thanks for always listening and for sharing with me too 💌

@taterhole

Feb 23, 2025

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SURFING THE TIDES OF THE EVERYONE TAB

I am a woman of the people

@taterhole

May 28, 2025

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Rejecting the Commodification of the Self

I’ve been thinking about how much of social media is centered around curating our self-image. When selfies first became popular, they were dismissed as vain and vapid—a critique often rooted in misogyny—but now, the way we craft our online selves feels more like creating monuments. We try to signal our individuality, hoping to be seen and understood, but ironically, I think this widens the gap between how others perceive us and who we really are. Instead of fostering connection, it can invite projection and misinterpretation—preconceived notions, prefab labels, and stereotypes. Worse, individuality has become branded and commodified, reducing our identities to products for others to consume. On most platforms, validation often comes from how well you can curate and present your image—selfies, aesthetic branding, and lifestyle content tend to dominate. High engagement is tied to visibility, not necessarily depth or substance. But I think spaces like PI.FYI show that there’s another way: where connection is built on shared ideas, tastes, and interests rather than surface-level content. It’s refreshing to be part of a community that values thoughts over optics. By sharing so few images of myself, I’ve found that it gives others room to focus on my ideas and voice. When I do share an image, it feels intentional—something that contributes to the story I want to tell rather than defining it. Sharing less allows me to express who I am beyond appearance. For women, especially, sharing less can be a radical act in a world where the default is to objectify ourselves. It resists the pressure to center appearance, focusing instead on what truly matters: our thoughts, voices, and authenticity. I’ve posted a handful of pictures of myself in 2,500 posts because I care more about showing who I am than how I look. In trying to be seen, are we making it harder for others to truly know us? It’s a question worth considering.

@taterhole

Dec 27, 2024