Despite the radio silence, we’ve actually been reading tonight! A few meaty pieces for your evening, plus one worthwhile video:
On the long history of a San Antonio subculture:
Over time, the gowns have become symbols of the dream of wealth and exclusivity. “It’s like a grown-up fairytale,” explained Ellen Maverick Dickson, a former princess in 1951. “The whole thing is a metaphor for saying, ‘We can do this and you can’t.’” The coronation of the queen continues because of mutual desire: The girls want to wear the dresses, and their fathers, the 850 members of the Order of the Alamo who are descendants of the bankers, oilmen, and cattlemen whose money built San Antonio, long to give their daughters what they want.
“Each spring for 85 years, San Antonio society has entertained itself with an extravagant game of dress up.”
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On the fraught language of food:
“Often the question for using compassionate language is, What’s in it for me? What do I get out of this? Well, what you get out of it depends on who you are,” Yin says. “If you’re a writer, are you answering to your readers? Are your readers going to look at your publication and say, ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t believe they just used this word that is known to be universally offensive?’”
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Finally, consider The Celluloid Closet required viewing (and reading) for full appreciation of The Niche. It’s absolutely worth your time.
The Niche 