Dear Subscriber First Name,

This is a summer for exploration and nurturing relationships. The ABG team is fully vaccinated, and we’re taking the (cautious) liberty to travel, celebrate friends’ birthdays and passion projects, spend time with family, and reacquaint ourselves with the local adventures to be had in our city of Los Angeles, California.

The equity and political undertone of the global vaccine situation doesn’t escape me for a minute. It makes me even more grateful, mindful, and present.

Every time I’m in the company of my favorite people, I marvel at how different this is from a year ago. How quickly things can change, our ability to adapt, and the power of hope and novelty. We’re allowing ourselves to have fun together again. In the upcoming weeks, I’ll be celebrating my friends’ marriage in a destination I can’t believe I get to experience, and I’m also starting a ceramics class after a decade of pushing it off.

We learned last year how astonishingly easily our lives can be turned upside down. However you’re spending your summer, I hope you find the radiance in this moment. If there’s something you’ve been wanting to try and keep putting off, and feel safe doing so, I encourage you to go for it.

Add a little sparkle to your life in the form of novelty or new perspective. Your brain (and soul) will thank you :)

To new adventures!
Haemee

P.S. - If you’d like to suggest a theme for an upcoming issue, message us at: newsletter@asianbossgirl.com.

Illinois becomes the first U.S. state to mandate Asian American history to be taught in public schools. The “Teaching Equitable Asian American History Act” will go into effect January 1, 2022.

#majorbookalert Philip Wang (WongFu, our Helen’s husband), Phil Yu (AngryAsianMan), and journalist Jeff Yang have created what will become THE reference for the last 30 years of Asian American culture. RISE is available for preorder and slated to release in January 2022.

“Confronting a broken American dream,” Blue Bayou is a film written and directed by, and starring Justin Chon. He plays Antonio LeBlanc, a Korean adoptee, husband, and father in the American South who runs into trouble with ICE. Described by Chon as “represent[ative of] what America feels like and looks like”, Blue Bayou is an official selection of the 2021 Cannes Film Festival (Vanity Fair).

Disney and Pixar’s Turning Red has us screaming with anticipation. The animated film tells the story of 13-year-old Mei Li, and her (slightly overbearing) mother, Ming (voiced by Sandra Oh), and how Mei Li “poofs” into a giant red panda when overwhelmed with excitement. Hilarious and heartfelt, Turning Red releases March 11, 2022.

Naomi Osaka’s second collaboration with Barbie, modeling her outfit from the 2020 Australia Open, sold out in just a couple of hours after launch. Said Osaka, “I hope every child is reminded that they can be and do anything.”

Kataluna Enriquez will be the first openly transgender Miss USA contestant. Recently crowned 2021 Miss Nevada, this win puts her in the running this Fall for Miss USA. If she wins, Enriquez will become the second trans contestant to compete for Miss Universe. Read more about her story in this NPR article.

New Jersey Rep. Andy Kim donates his blue suit to the Smithsonian—the same blue suit he wore while helping to clean up the Capitol’s floor in the aftermath of the January 6th Insurrection. Kim hopes his suit will stand for “hope and resilience” and “a story of light on one of the darkest days in our democracy.”

Reading: Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng. Ng’s novel tells the story of a Chinese American family in 1970’s Ohio. The Lee family’s favorite daughter tragically dies, and the subsequent events reveal just how much even family members struggle to understand each other.

Watching: Never Have I Ever, Season 2 - when Season 1 dropped last year and my best friend texted me to watch it (a VERY rare occurrence), I thought, “okaysurewhynot.” And then less than two days later I’d finished the whole dang thing. Season 2 began this week, and no one will see me this weekend because I’ll be in bed, drinking kombucha and laughing my ass off—alone, but very happily.

Eating: Kimchi Cheese Rice Balls - in all honesty, I have yet to actually eat/make these delightful things, but trust that I had a visceral, borderline NSFW reaction when I learned they exist. Tina Choi aka @doobydobap is one of my latest, favorite follows. Her food videos are captivating—bright personality, well-executed content, deep food knowledge, and delicious recipes. Don’t watch on an empty stomach—unless that’s your thing.

With this summer weather, we’ve been more active in our daily lives—and so have our sweat glands. To keep us feeling and smelling fresh, we turn to Native. Clean and cruelty free, Native offers deodorant, body wash, sunscreen in light summery scents like Coconut & Vanilla and Citrus & Herbal Musk. Try Native today with 20% off your first purchase, code: ABG20.

On particularly hot days, I like to keep my skincare and beauty routine simple. Essentials only: moisturizer, sunscreen, and barely-there makeup to accentuate my favorite features. Simple and beautiful just happens to be Glossier’s secret sauce with cult classics like Balm Dot Com, Boy Brow, and Cloud Paint (my favorite blush). Get Glossier today with 10% off your first purchase.

Low to no-cook recipes are a favorite when work gets super busy, or it’s simply too hot to cook. When craving something quick, nutritious, and yummy, we love Daily Harvest. From bowls to smoothies, they’ve got you covered! Get $25 off your first Daily Harvest order and stock up your freezer, code: ABG.

*Some of the above links are affiliate links - this means that if you purchase through them, we earn a small % and it does not cost you any extra.

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