summer read: homeward bound

anyone who enjoys taza's rockstar diaries as much as i do has probably read emily matchar's article that appeared in salon about two years ago why i can't stop reading mormon housewife blogs.  (wait you haven't?  click the link and read it right away for gods sake, it is much more interesting than this blog.  i'll wait...)

ok so now you've read it right?

i've got to say the article really struck a cord with me, i loved reading it and found myself knodding along throughout.  but for a quick disclaimer i think matchar's perspective is a bit over simplified when she argues that "it's all a show!  nobody's that perfect!  their lives definitely suck somewhere deep down!" 

because of course nobody's that perfect.  of course the mormon mommy bloggers have terrible days that go undocumented by photoshopped j.crew catalogue-esque blog posts.  duh.  they're young.  they, like many of us, grew up with the internet and a very strong pressure to present the best version of yourself online.  there are two sides to every coin.  the famous bloggers have bad days and non famous bloggers have gorgeous beautiful days too.  just because someone attractively documents the good stuff in their life, that doesn't make it disingenuous, nor does it make it the whole picture of who they are.  ok... i'm off my soapbox now.

that said, i am totally excited about the release of matchar's new book homeward bound: why women are embracing the new domesticity.  so far, from reading the synopses and book reviews, some of matchar's examples of trendy behaviors among young women today totally resonate with me.  not all, but some.    the blogging community really appears to be a remarkable sect of women who are embracing new domesticity in the way matchar describes and i am absolutely fascinated to see what she has to say about this from a larger cultural perspective.

i haven't read the book yet, so don't consider this post an endorsement, but if anyone is looking to check out this interesting sounding read i'd love to see what others think as i read along!