A Defense of Gift Guides
A short story about patriarchy, capitalism, and joy.
When I was growing up, the only gift guides I ever encountered were the ones in Seventeen Magazine or maybe, if I was feeling fancy, the Sunday Styles section of the New York Times. My parents would get me some books, a couple of CDs, a piece of jewelry, and we would call the season complete.
This year, I think I’ve seen over 30 gift guides that include a seemingly-obscure silver fish-shaped clip. I have seen gift guides for puzzle nerds, women who camp, former horse girls, and women who dream of Hotel du Cap. Every identity, every pastime, every micro-aesthetic now gets its own curated shopping list.
SALE TODAY ONLY! Give the gift of an EYP substack subscription for $35 a year!!
And why the proliferation of gift guides? Affiliate linking baby. We are all laboring under a capitalist commission structure in which any identity or life moment can be translated into dollars. (Yesterday, I posted a dog grooming tool guide, guilty as charged #dogmom.)
About a decade ago, Kate Kennedy (of the …