Plot Points #102 💌

Girl clothes, living in the past, Oxford scandals, and a theologian quiz

Mar 27, 2026

Plot Points is a weekly newsletter where I share my favorite books, links, words, and more. If you enjoy what you find here, please consider subscribing or leaving a tip. Thank you!

Tip Jar

Hi friends! Happy Friday. Glad to have you here.

This Lenten season seems to have flown. I’ve fasted from YouTube (except for my workouts), but have pretty quickly come to discover more of what I already know about my tendency to seek out joy from the internet. Instead of YouTube, I let Pinterest/Substack Notes/etc. fill in the gap. It raises some serious questions for me about the life I want to lead, and whether being a person who writes on the internet is worth the amount of time I’ve wasted over the past twenty years (👵🏻). I haven’t settled on an answer yet. I’ve considered migrating my email list back to my website in order to reduce the scrolling and brain rotting, but that’s just an idea for now. Still, when the thought of never being on the internet except to actually look something up, or pay a bill, or send an email brings me only relief, I have to pay attention to that.

In the meantime, I’m grateful to continue sharing work that matters to me and I’m thankful for each and every one of you.

Have a beautiful weekend!

Wendi

Word of the Week ✍🏻

Sehnsucht: (v.) A deep yearning or desire for ideal alternative experiences.

Point #1: “Girls are being trained—groomed—to be attractive to men as early as possible.”

I was speaking to my husband about this just the other night. Take a look at the boys’ or men’s clothing section in any department store: practical, utilitarian, fairly generic items.

But women’s clothing? Girls’ clothing? Designed to be seen, admired, and objectified from the moment we emerge from the womb. Julie Bogart says the quiet part out loud here in her latest essay, and I think it’s far past time we all paid attention.

Julie Off Topic

Time to name it what it is: Pedophile culture

Pink frills and bows. Ruffles, ruching, and ribbon. Lace, leggings, and open-backed smocks. Dresses, skirts, bloomers, onesies in every print and pattern, with shades of pink from each angle…

15 days ago · 1305 likes · 185 comments · Julie Bogart

Point #2: Get in, loser. We’re doing God’s work.

I love theology. I love a quiz. So when I saw Taylor D'Amico share her results of the “Which Theologian Are You?” quiz, I had to take it myself. Turns out, I’m a Maximus the Confessor, followed closely by Teresa of Avila and my boy, Jack. (That’s C.S. Lewis to y’all.)

Which theologian are you?

Point #3: “Consolation for your historical grief is not found in living in the past; it’s found in recognising that the past is still living — that we are still living in the same world.”

If you, like me, find yourself feeling nostalgic for eras past (see: our Word of the Week!), you need to read this beautiful essay from Lucia M, which explores the source of this longing and offers emotional insight into how we can live out the past values we crave right here and now.

Lucia's Letters

For Those Who Wish They Lived in the Past

I can’t remember where I first saw the ‘wrong generation’ memes. They’re usually a grainy picture of a sixties bar or an Anastasia-style ballroom overlaid with something like “I was born in the wrong era” or “I should’ve been born in the 1800s” in bold white type. I us…

a month ago · 49 likes · 14 comments · Lucia M

Point #4: Let them get dirty.

I loved this piece from Emily Phillips on how to mother boys. While Theo has so much in common with his older sister (who had more energy as a little kid than this introvert knew what to do with), the truth is that parenting boys and girls requires different skills. You’re not doing it wrong, Mama. You just need to let him go dig a hole in the yard. (Honestly, that’s one of Theo’s favorite pastimes 😆.)

A Warm Hearth

For the Mothers of Little Boys

I come to you as one who has journeyed in toil and learnt patient lessons. As one who has carried many a sweaty, sleepy boy up to bed; who has separated violent rage from ebullient wrath with her words and body; who has endured an eternity of potty humor…

11 days ago · 75 likes · 13 comments · Emily Phillips

Reading in The Nook 📚

Not much to report this week beyond the usual. My NetGalley request for The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies by Kate Westbury was approved, so I’ve just started that. I have no idea if it’s any good yet, but that title? That cover? 10/10. India Holton—She of the Snarky Historical Fiction—gave it a rave review, so I feel optimistic!

I’m also set to begin Lock Every Door by Riley Sager, which received the most votes in last week's opening line poll. It’s a thriller about a down-on-her-luck young woman who gets paid to house-sit an exclusive New York apartment. The only catch? The building is carrying some dark and twisted secrets. Sounds delicious!