Brodie

Katy Perry did an interview with Australian radio hosts Kyle and Jackie O this week and flipped out when they was surprised her with a call from Ja’mie King, the best character from the TV show Summer Heights High and the new series Ja’mie: Private School Girl (out on HBO in the United States on November 24). This interview kills me, especially when Katy realizes who’s on the phone and her face just explodes with joy.

Katy had obviously gotten a sneak peek at the first episode of Ja’mie: Private School Girl, because she knows that Ja’mie needs to be flattered constantly and trills “ILY” at her throughout the call. Ja’mie is super into Katy, too: She calls her a style icon, asks her for sexting advice, and tells her, “When I play hockey and stuff, I have [‘Roar’] in my head when I, like, smash other girls in the head with my hockey sticks.” Basically, they feel about each other the same way that I feel about both of them.
Hazel

Illustration by Jasper Rietman.

Illustration by Jasper Rietman.

According to this article in T Magazine, television shows and movies have potential to create and change stereotypical notions of female computer scientists and engineers. Computers are forever awesome to me, and women who know how to build and design them are even cooler. When I think of computer hackers, my brain goes straight to Lisbeth Salander, the punk-rock feminist vigilante from the Girl With a Dragon Tattoo series. But I say gimme more TV shows and movies about badass computer-whiz women, please!

Our preferred means of communication.

Our preferred means of communication.

The world is a better place with emoji in it, isn’t it? I’d much rather express my feelings in little pixelated images of moon faces and smiling poop swirls than…what are those things called? Words? Yeah, overrated. So I was stoked when I saw that there’s going to be a whole art and design show dedicated to work made from and inspired by emoji, online and off. So cool! Submit!

Every once in a while, I like to step away from the teen-girl utopia that is my job and see what dudes our age are up to, so I’m pretty into this preview of 19-year-old Alex Kazemi’s new book, Yours Truly, Brad Sela, which comes out next year. The book uses the late-’90s nostalgia that seemingly everyone on the internet is obsessed with to paint a captivating picture of teenage life and expression just before the 21st century.
Arabelle

A tweet about the mindset that Cottom responds to in her post.

An example of the mindset Tressie Cottom responded to in her post.

I’m fascinated by the relationship between class visibility/hostility and fashion/consumerism, so I loved this piece by Tressie McMillan Cottom on class, race, and luxury. It answers the question asked by many people like Errol Louis, the tweeter quoted above: “If you are poor, why do you spend money on useless status symbols like handbags and belts and clothes and shoes and televisions and cars?” I think we can all learn from it in some way.
Julianne

One of my least favorite things is when feminists pass judgment on our fellow feminists for not being “feminist enough”, so when I read the title of Mallory Ortberg’s latest essay on The Toast, A Real Feminist Would,” I braced myself. I soon let out a sigh of relief: The piece is actually a spoof on the idea of “real feminism,” and it offers so many excellent, heart-swelling missives and underworld-y directions for identifying “real feminists.” Example: “A real feminist will drink three draughts from the drinking-horn of Útgarða-Loki, which has its tail end in the sea, and thus create the tides. She will lift the foot of the cat, which is really Miðgarðsormr, off of the ground, sending the ice giants into a secret panic. She will hold her own as she battles Elli, the specter of old age and death.” UGH! I LOVE IT!

January Jones looking her part on Halloween. Photo via Vulture.

January Jones playing the part on Halloween. Photo via Vulture.

January Jones went as Betty Draper for Halloween, which is pretty awesome.
Tavi

The first of two great spooky music videos to come out this week is from Springtime Carnivore. “Creature Feature” has everything I love: beauty pageants, ghosts, and choreographed girl-group moves.

The other is for Bleached’s “Love Spells.” It features a buncha high school zombies partying in the middle of the day at a very dreamy cemetery. Just let these songs be my world, please, thanks.

Illustration by Gary Taxali.

Illustration by Gary Taxali.

The New Yorker published an excerpt of Rookie Grown Man B.J. Novak’s new book. My favorite part is ALL OF IT. ♦