who/what/why?
who?
My name is Katie. I am 24 years old and I live in New York City. I grew up in Asheville, North Carolina, and I graduted from UNC Chapel Hill six weeks into the pandemic. My dad died very suddenly when I was 16, and I have a younger sister. My rent is $1,158.33 per month, and I don’t think I believe in God.
what?
Relatable Girl Says™ is a space for non-cis het men to be a little silly and creative and maybe write some devastatingly personal and beautiful work that they can link to in their Instagram bio or text someone if they want to drop a hint or something. For me, it’s a kind of diary of this part of my life--the good, the bad, and the cringe.
It’s also a space to ask questions about gender and identity and youth and emotion and how much it kind of really sucks to be coming of age right now. From notes app grocery store lists to narrative non-fiction and Spotify playlists, it’s a little corner on the internet to park the stuff that gets nixed by literary journals and magazines, a place to take a deep breath and see that other people also don’t have their shit together 24/7.
why?
The idea of being relatable seems limiting, and it feels like something women are constantly being told they are.Women are relatable when they’re single and self deprecating in snappy rom coms and television shows, but I would argue that being relatable should mean more than being single and ascerbic. To be human is to relate, and to be a woman is to have your personhood questioned or dismissed over and over again. Relatable Girl™ is an exploration of what it actually means to be relatable; what does it mean to relate to others and let them relate to you? What does taking up space and letting yourself be emotional mean? How do we allow ourselves to experience the good and bad parts of being alive? What does it mean to be a relatable girl?