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This Is Us

I Need Mary Anne of ‘The Baby-Sitters Club’ Now as Much as I Did When I Was 13

Thanks to Netflix’s reimagined version of ‘The Baby-Sitters Club,’ I got a glimpse of me again

Jada Gomez
Human Parts
Published in
4 min readJul 7, 2020

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A photo still of Mary Anne from “The Baby-Sitters Club.”
Mary Anne from “The Baby-Sitters Club.” Photo: Netflix

I’ve often thought about the right way to write about this era of Covid-19 and the racist fury of 2020. But all the tumult of my mid-thirties is something I really don’t want to put into words — at least for now.

If there’s any bright side to this year, it’s that I’ve found myself leaning on my favorite pastimes to create a soothing and safe bubble. If it can’t exist outside, at least it can happen within my own four walls. Without my usual weekly salon blowouts, I’ve fallen in love with my hair and exploring its textures: the natural springy curls, and combing them out for a luxurious lion’s mane like the Leo I am. I head to my Animal Crossing island, Coco Bear, to experience a virtual vacation — swimming, fishing, and shopping all included. My nine-year-old cockapoo has been my best friend for some time; we curl up while I read novels from Reese’s Book Club picks or break out my Rainbow Brite adult coloring book for some zen time.

And while all of these mental health practices have sustained me in quarantine, the toll of racism has been this albatross that feels…

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Jada Gomez
Jada Gomez

Written by Jada Gomez

Senior Platform Editor at Medium. Girl with the long last name from the Empire State. NYU Alum. Runner. Puppy Mommy. Smiler.

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