lynn phillips & maggie cutler

two names, one writer

Tag: self-loathing

Donald Lipsky Cuts Up

book art by donald lipskyartist Donald Lipsky was inspired to create a version of SL4B that ate its heart out. Unfortunately, it is not for sale. But you can get self-loathing cups and care bears, etc. through Cafe Press, if you like. Click the tab above to navigate to our shop. The cup is especially nice. and will remind you to loathe yourself better and more stylishly with every sip.

Yea for Neigh

SJP-horse
The brilliant Website, SarahJessicaParkerLooksLikeAHorse.com site is a revelation — an excellent lesson in how to transcend self-loathing while hanging onto it at the same time. First you laugh your ass off. Then, as you click through SJP-horse comparisons, you feel guilty for being so horribly sexist and mean, but, as you keep going, SJP’s horsiness becomes deeply moving, a strange new way to see beauty. Now and then she turns into a horse-goddess — a divinity — though the horse laughs never stop.

Arianna Used the Word “Self-loathing Today

Arianna Huffington: The Self-Loathing “Liberal” Media

Newsweek hires Karl Rove. The New York Times hires Bill Kristol. CNN hires Tony Snow. What is it with these media outlets? Have they been so cowed by the Right’s relentless branding of them as “liberal” that they feel compelled to show that they are not by sleeping with the enemy? . . . By embracing these unabashed propagandists, the mainstream media have revealed a self-loathing streak a mile wide.

She ends, speaking on behalf of the radical right, with this paraphrase of Lenin:

“Self-loathing liberals will hand us the microphone with which we will bludgeon them.”

I hope they buy my book.

The Library Journal

April 15th 2008 (It’s about a third down the page)Phillips, Lynn. Self-Loathing for Beginners. Santa Monica. Apr. 2008.

c.216p. ISBN 978-1-59580-029-9. pap. $12.95. HUMOR

Phillips, who has written for publications ranging from the National Lampoon to Newsweek International, here presents-to quote the book’s promotional material-“the essential primer on how best to despise yourself!” This assessment isn’t far off: Phillips has written a gleefully sardonic guide to self-condemnation and disapproval that offers up wisdom in bite-size morsels. Short chapters are broken up with quizzes, “questions from the floor,” tips, and inspiration boxes.

Although the material isn’t groundbreaking-Phillips mentions self-loathing through abuse of food, bad love relationships, or demeaning family dynamics-the deftness with which she ties it all together makes this a delightful read. The sections on meta-self-loathing and spiritual self-loathing add an unexpected bit of flavor as well. Phillips is a self-described media tramp, and, as such, many of her examples will best resonate with those who follow celebrity news. This smart, accessible title-good for sit-down comic reading and with outstanding sound-bite potential-will entertain audiences from precocious high schoolers to retirees. A good choice for all public collections; academic libraries may also wish to consider.

Audrey Snowden, Cleveland P.L.

NYT Contributors’ Page

LP in T Beauty

From “T Beauty” magazine, the New York Times fashion supplement, April 13th, 2008.

If you click this picture it will get BIGGER! But, in case you still can’t read it, here’s the text:

The New York-based writer Lynn Phillips is a self-loather and proud of it. “I have an allergy to people telling me to cheer up,” she says. Phillips, who was once a writer on the cult 70’s television show “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman,” has even written a book called “Self-Loathing for Beginners” (Santa Monica Press) that covers the basics for thoughtful cynics and all those who “respond better to gloomier encouragement.” (Chapter 1 has a section called “Self-Love—Friend or Foe?”) Phillips was kind enough to present the first annual self-loathing awards for this issue (And the Winner Is…” Page 26*); naturally, she turned her weary wit to some of the fashion industry’s worst culprits. She cites a history of people saying good things about dark moods, such as the psychologist William James and the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus (center), whom she calls a master of the genre: “He even relocated humanity in the universe so we realized how pathetic and small we are.”

*NOTE: The article to which this squib refers was actually on p. 28, not p 26.

Mortifyingly Cheap!

Click HERE to order from Amazon.
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what swat

link to amazonFor news of Self-Loathing for Beginners,
Lynn Phillips’ book of helpful advice,
visit www.sl4b.com.
You can pre-order there, or by clicking
the image at left.
For Phillips’ Self-Loathing in Fashion awards, the DILFITs
(Do I Look Fat In This?)
see The New York Times T Beauty Magazine, April 13th.
ward sutton for HBOStay tuned for samples of Maggie Cutler’s columns from nerve.com: “The Secret Life of Kitty Lyons,” a series of political sex fantasies from the Clinton era.

There will eventually be an archive of other writings by Lynn Phillips, a.k.a. Maggie Cutler, from The National Lampoon, The Realist, Newsweek International, The Nation, and etc.,
hair
Thumbnail links to Lynn Phillips’ artwork
and a highly selective blogroll.

Phillips/Cutler posts to the following sites: