To Catch a Thief – 3.5/5 ★★★☆☆
Grace Kelly’s wardrobe is the epitome of european summmer—and oh my word, the dresses in the 18th century masquerade were so gorgeous I wanted to cry.
🐞Welcome or welcome back lovebugs!🐞
Now as the first of hopefully many blogs, I really ought off to start by introducing myself! let me share with you my current fancies and little loves:
But alas dear readers, I bear some tragic news. My love for such things and I suppose life in general has somewhat dissipated. I suppose we all know how it is; there never seems to be enough time or money to invest in the things we truly enjoy and, well, tiktok and insta and, my personal vice, youtube, are much easier, mindless options that the thought of perhaps reading, or pulling out the old sewing machine or getting out the house to feel the sunshine don't even register as an option I'd remotely consider. and yet again the option of trying something new, say the piano which is a lifelong dream of mine to play, stands even less of a chance as the passive consumption of media is a much more serotonin inducing activity than the alternative of actually do something and be bad at it. But this is hopefully were this blog comes into play! there are so many things I want to explore and try out (herbalism, piano, pasta making, piano and sewing- only to name a few!) and so many things I want to get back into (refer to the list above) yet I never do as it often feels so time and money consuming with so little reward. This space, then, is my little attempt to carve out something slower, softer, and more intentional. Not quite going fully analog—I do love my iPad, after all —but rather going doom-scroll free. A sanctuary away from the infinite scroll, where I can document my journey back into hobbies, rituals, and the joy of doing things simply for the sake of it. Here’s to being a beginner again. Here is to messiness, curiosity, and loving life again!
Lately, I’ve been having one of those stretches where even getting out of bed feels like a herculean task. You know the ones—the duvet becomes an ocean you can’t quite swim out of, and your phone screen is suddenly the most interesting (and exhausting) portal in the universe.
I find myself cycling through the same thoughts:
"Why don’t I just do the things I love?"
And yet, hours pass, days pass, and it’s easier said than done.
So, in a soft rebellion against my shrinking attention span, I’ve been trying to rewire my brain away from doom-scrolling and back toward longer, slower forms of joy. The current experiment? Old movies.
The other night, I watched cary grants' and grace kellys' To Catch a Thief
There’s something about classic films that feels medicinal. The pacing is slower, the dialogue sharper, the glamour unmatched. It forces me to sit still, put my phone down (okay, I did check it once or twice, but who's counting?) and exist in another world for a while.
It’s not a fix-all. I’m still lazy and I'm still not creating anything but rather consuming. I’m still struggling with motivation. But it feels nice to try.
Maybe tomorrow I’ll try another film. Or maybe I’ll just get out of bed before noon.
Either way, it’s enough.
xoxo,
miss ladybug 🐞
Movies I’ve watched lately—ranked for vibes, entertainment, and sometimes just the outfits 🐞.
Grace Kelly’s wardrobe is the epitome of european summmer—and oh my word, the dresses in the 18th century masquerade were so gorgeous I wanted to cry.
Despite not finding Grace Kelly’s performance compelling, this film’s wardrobe design and incredible musical lineup (bing crosby, frank sinatra and louis armstrong!) more than made up for it.
all I can say is that I had the biggest grin on my face while watching this film
The figure of Lana Del Rey represents far more than a mere stage name adopted by Elizabeth Woolridge Grant; she embodies a complex alter ego that resonates deeply with a generation of young women navigating trauma, identity, and desire within a patriarchal society. As Lizzy Grant reinvented herself as Lana Del Rey, she constructed a persona that operates simultaneously as an artistic vehicle and as a cultural symbol for the collective experience of adolescent and young adult female trauma. This persona functions as a trauma response that romanticizes suffering, particularly at the hands of men, thereby entrenching the trope of the scorned, vulnerable woman whose pain is aestheticized and consumed as a form of pop mythology. Lana Del Rey’s highly publicized failed relationships and her eventual marriage further complicated and enriched this narrative, offering both a cautionary tale and a hopeful fantasy for young women who see themselves reflected in her story.
The emergence of Lana Del Rey as Lizzy Grant’s musical alias is a foundational act of self-reinvention, a conscious crafting of identity that draws on cinematic Americana, noir aesthetics, and vintage glamour. Grant’s choice to adopt the name “Lana Del Rey” signaled a deliberate departure from her former self and an embrace of a character who is at once mythic and deeply flawed. Unlike many pop stars who present polished, aspirational images, Lana Del Rey’s persona is saturated with melancholy, longing, and a palpable sense of danger. This aesthetic aligns with a narrative tradition that explores the femme fatale archetype, the tragic lover, and the woman defined by her attachments and betrayals.
Crucially, this persona speaks to a collective experience among many teenage and young adult women who encounter trauma in its various forms, often relational and gendered in nature. Lana Del Rey’s lyrics, public statements, and visual representations repeatedly engage with themes of emotional pain, abandonment, and desire interwoven with vulnerability and strength. In doing so, she provides a mirror in which young women can see their own struggles reflected. The romanticization of trauma in her work is thus an embodied cultural script: a way of making sense of suffering by framing it within a narrative of tragic beauty and doomed romance. This response serves a dual purpose—on one hand, it offers validation and community through shared recognition of pain; on the other, it risks perpetuating the romanticization of unhealthy or abusive dynamics.
Lana Del Rey’s public relationships have reinforced this persona. Media coverage of her partnerships and breakups often emphasized a pattern of emotional intensity and heartbreak, further entrenching the image of the scorned woman whose identity is inseparable from her romantic suffering. These narratives are not simply gossip fodder; they contribute to the cultural mythology surrounding Lana Del Rey and deepen the resonance of her alter ego among fans who interpret her experiences as emblematic of their own. In this way, Lana Del Rey’s personal life becomes a kind of participatory performance art, blurring the boundaries between the artist’s reality and the fan’s fantasy.
The culmination of this narrative arc—the artist’s marriage—marked a significant moment in the ongoing dialogue between Lana Del Rey and her audience. For many young women who had internalized the trope of the tragic, suffering heroine, Lana’s marriage represented a tangible instance of hope: that despite pain and heartbreak, a “happy ending” is possible. This event disrupted the previously dominant narrative of romance being soft heartbreak and introduced a new dimension to her mythology, suggesting growth, healing, and the potential for love that is not exclusively defined by suffering.
This shift is particularly meaningful given the cultural context in which Lana Del Rey’s persona has flourished. Contemporary media often presents conflicting messages about female desire, autonomy, and trauma loving her artistry and ‘cancelling’ her for the same apparent reasons. In her infamous “question to the culture” Lana denies her work fetishises suffering and vulnerability as intrinsic to authentic femininity amongst other many controversial things. Lana Del Rey’s artistry navigates these tensions by dramatizing pain and longing in a way that feels both raw and stylized, inviting reflection on the complex ways young women process their experiences.
Moreover, the romanticization of trauma in her work can be understood as a form of cultural coping mechanism. By reimagining trauma within a romanticized, aestheticized framework, the persona offers a way to manage pain that might otherwise feel isolating or incomprehensible. This is not to idealize suffering but to recognize how narratives of heartbreak and resilience can provide meaning and solidarity in the face of adversity.
Lana Del Rey’s identity as Lizzy Grant’s musical alter ego transcends mere performance; it encapsulates a shared emotional landscape for many young women negotiating trauma and desire. The romanticization of suffering within her work and public persona reflects broader cultural patterns that both empower and complicate female subjectivity. Her highly visible personal relationships have amplified the mythos of the woman scorned, positioning her as a figure through which many women have processed their own experiences of being used, discarded, or misunderstood by men. However, her marriage introduced a significant shift in this narrative. For the countless women who have internalized the idea that they are “damaged goods”—too complicated, too emotional, or too hurt by past relationships to ever find lasting love—Lana Del Rey’s marriage offered a rare moment of hope. It suggested that love and happiness are not exclusively reserved for the untouched or unscarred, but are also possible for those who have suffered, survived, and rebuilt themselves along the way. In this sense, Lana Del Rey serves not only as an artist but as a cultural symbol for the possibility of healing and connection after trauma, complicating and expanding the conversation around female pain, resilience, and desire in the 21st century.