Jia Tolentino

And, you know, there's so much that felt – and I went to college in Virginia. It just felt very – Oh, cool.

And, you know, there's so much that felt – and I went to college in Virginia. It just felt very – Oh, cool.

Uh-huh.

Uh-huh.

Like I flirted with this boy with a solo cup over a cat. Yeah.

Like I flirted with this boy with a solo cup over a cat. Yeah.

It's all too true. I didn't know that you were the middle girl of two boys. Tell me more about that dynamic. Are you quieter than your other two siblings? Tell me about that.

It's all too true. I didn't know that you were the middle girl of two boys. Tell me more about that dynamic. Are you quieter than your other two siblings? Tell me about that.

Well, yeah, and presumably the psychosexual dynamic is perhaps particular to the Ratliffs here.

Well, yeah, and presumably the psychosexual dynamic is perhaps particular to the Ratliffs here.

I wondered for you, as you were thinking about Piper, she seems like she's been a good girl her whole life. She's been smart. She's had it together. She's neat. She's held up that sort of obligation of that role in her family. And now she has her sights on something else. And did you think of this as this is the first time that she's perhaps about to rebel? Is this the first time?

I wondered for you, as you were thinking about Piper, she seems like she's been a good girl her whole life. She's been smart. She's had it together. She's neat. She's held up that sort of obligation of that role in her family. And now she has her sights on something else. And did you think of this as this is the first time that she's perhaps about to rebel? Is this the first time?

I know. You get it. I know. I really know. And I sort of wondered watching Piper, I was like, it's sort of like you get out of that context and maybe you've had some kind of unnamed discontentment or sort of like, why is this the way it is? I don't love this. But you don't really have the language or the framework to understand that discontentment.

I know. You get it. I know. I really know. And I sort of wondered watching Piper, I was like, it's sort of like you get out of that context and maybe you've had some kind of unnamed discontentment or sort of like, why is this the way it is? I don't love this. But you don't really have the language or the framework to understand that discontentment.

And then you, maybe in college, you experience something, an alternate framework that's like, you kind of realize, oh, I was perhaps a little more searching for something new than I thought, right?

And then you, maybe in college, you experience something, an alternate framework that's like, you kind of realize, oh, I was perhaps a little more searching for something new than I thought, right?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah, and I think we can see that she is searching to see who she is outside of the identity of her family and outside. She wants to test it, right? She wants to see what is in me that is not just this talk I'm getting from my mother about who the kind of person we are, what kind of people we are. It's like she wants to know what kind of person she is underneath it, right?

Yeah, and I think we can see that she is searching to see who she is outside of the identity of her family and outside. She wants to test it, right? She wants to see what is in me that is not just this talk I'm getting from my mother about who the kind of person we are, what kind of people we are. It's like she wants to know what kind of person she is underneath it, right?