Progress Reports: March 2025
The collective is buzzing and the warm weather is holding — Fiberglass Contamination, A Month in Review, The Kardashians x The White Lotus x Toxic Friendships, March Playlist, and Community Shoutouts
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Well, yes!
When I daydreamed of writing the inaugural Progress Reports post, I imagined introducing a light and airy anecdote, but I’ve been consumed by fiberglass.
If you haven’t suffered from fiberglass contamination, count yourself lucky.
For the past couple of months, I theorized too many explanations for the painful, red, itchy welts and rashes coming and going all over my body. Perhaps it was it was dust, my late-night snacking crumbs, or I was just in my sensitive skin era.
Then one day, my TikTok ‘For You Page’ showed me a video of someone in crisis due to fiberglass contamination from a memory foam mattress. I was shook and started to spiral…NOT the identical welts!! After reading every article I could find on the topic, I had to act. I threw away my mattress, sprayed everything with apple cider vinegar, vacuumed as much as I could, and lint-rolled every piece of carpet and fabric to ensure total removal.
After five days of sleeping on an air mattress in my living room and spraying, vacuuming, and lint-rolling the bedroom to the GODS every couple of hours, the fiberglass is FINALLY GONE.
If you are reading this, please check the contents of your mattress to ensure you won’t be ensnared in fiberglass hell. Although I make it look glamorous, it could have been a much worse situation.
The fiberglass of it all reminded me of another unrelated moment I had earlier this month where I questioned my identity.
And if I’m being honest, this feeling only came after checking social media. Getting life updates from people I’m no longer in contact with makes me mad emotional. It’s high-key weird to me that these social-media-induced ruminations are fairly new for human beings. It used to take real effort to have your mood fucked up by someone you haven’t seen IRL in years.
Anyway, I cried and ruminated and felt awful for a couple of hours until I realized it was literally all in my head. This is something I’m trying to be more aware of…when I feel unsafe, am I really unsafe? There was no one physically, verbally, or emotionally harming me in my apartment. It was just me and that damn phone…and unbeknownst to me at the time, the fiberglass leaking from my memory foam mattress.
Of course, both crises were equally frustrating, but they both highlight how working towards progress doesn’t mean that unexpected complications will not arise. With awareness, time, and effort, anything can improve.
Still, I sit here writing this—swirling my Sauvignon Blanc and feeling like Timothée Chalamet on stage at the SAG Awards 2025.
Although fear has been an obstacle that keeps me from actualizing my desire to be one of the greatest artists who ever lived, this column is a representation of my renewed commitment to overcome the fear of being seen by creating authentically.
March absolutely had its lows, but I stayyyyy grateful because all the lessons have taught me more about myself, my progress, and overcoming the fear that comes with moving closer to yourself and your desires.
Month In Review
After a traumatizing confrontation at work, I took three weeks off to rest, spend time with my community, and reconnect with my creative goals. This meant applying for fellowships, grants, and jobs that align with my passions. While the conflict itself felt demoralizing, I’m so grateful to the universe for pushing me outside of my comfort zone.
The weather in Philly is improving! Thankfully, it warmed up enough (65 degrees) for my first romp in the park with my friend and community member, Ronnie. We stopped at Alif Brew to get lentil sambusas and iced chai lattes before spreading out a blanket and chatting the afternoon away. There were so many kids and dogs playing in The Bowl at Clark Park, and I loved spending time with my friend!
Name a cuter Spring-Time Duo On a brisk evening this month, my friend Temple and I watched RuPaul’s Drag Race on her iPhone in the heart of Rittenhouse Square Park. Then we roamed around downtown, talking about our favorite shows and friendships.
Temple (Left) and Me (Right) at the Raven's Lounge making silly faces
The Kardashians, White Lotus, and Toxic Long-Term Friendships
When I partake in the high art of watching The Kardashians, I can’t help but wonder: what happens when the cameras stop rolling? Even in moments of seeming vulnerability, production still presents a carefully curated series of clips designed to create a false sense of intimacy with the viewer. The result? We’re meant to think, “Wow, behind the glitz and glam, they’re just like us.”
As a seasoned viewer, I’ve never bought into the hype. Keeping Up With the Kardashians may have done a better job highlighting the genuine dynamics of the large, blended family, but it also underscored their toxic relationships—even though the show was edited down boooooots. Back when they still let Rob on TV, they were building the messy foundation for all the drama that now unfolds on The Kardashians on Hulu.
Kim and Kourtney’s relationship has always been riddled with competition. The most recent argument involving Italy and Dolce & Gabbana, televised in 2023 is just one example of how intensely both sisters experience their rivalry.
To Kim, Kourtney is always stealing her swag, and “copying” her. To Kourtney, Kim exploits even the most intimate experiences for money, commenting, “She sees everything…and takes it for her own…She doesn't even see it, she sees it for the dollar signs.”
A recent episode mentions this viral fight once again, purely as a promotional tool for the SKIMS x DOLCE & GABBANA collaboration. Kim advocates for Kourtney’s involvement in the ad campaign, insisting their audience will find it amusing to see an ad that makes light of their highly publicized (and memetecized) personal conflict. But knowing Kim, this isn’t just a casual suggestion. It’s a strategic maneuver to continue shaping the family’s public narrative.
While the act may appear to be a playful commentary on their “squashed beef,” the power play is clear. Kim positions herself as the orchestrator of their public image. By involving Kourtney in the campaign, Kim uses her as a prop to reinforce her cultural power and maintain relevance in the ever-changing landscape of social media and celebrity culture.
That’s what makes the storylines of The Three Gossiping Divas—as Nirupam (@hugeasmammoth.films) on TikTok calls them—on the currently airing The White Lotus Season 3 so compelling.
In The White Lotus, we see scenes of the women pair off in rotating circles to gossip about each other. When I first saw this unfold onscreen, I felt a strange mix of relief and nausea. I felt relieved because I already distanced myself from those kinds of “friends,” but also nauseous because I realized how deeply toxic and pervasive this behavior is.
This is what people do to each other, I thought to myself. This is really how people are.
It’s only been a few years since I did a full audit of my long-term friendships, and the women of White Lotus still send chills down my spine. In one of my last encounters with my own personal “gossiping divas”, I began to truly process just how insidious the gossip was. I heard multiple stories of mutual friends’ devastating struggles told like a comedy routine. What first seemed like an expression of genuine concern, quickly turned into shocking confessions of shallow indifference. Just when I thought they had truly fallen out with the targets of their gossip…BOOM!!!—Now they popping up at the wedding of the gossipee they just talked about like a D O G!!!
¿Da fuq?
I couldn’t help but wonder: What were they saying about me when I wasn’t around?
It’s sad, but not everyone who calls you a friend is one. Some people are associates, colleagues, peers, and or even competitors. Sometimes it’s a mix. It’s a hard truth I’ve spent most of my twenties unraveling. Friendship and competitorship are rarely compatible.
Laurie, Jaclyn, and Kate’s trio remind me of the dynamic between the Kardashian siblings. They’re committed to perceiving each other as the people they once knew each other to be.
Their relationships are so eroded that all they can do is continue to gossip and tear each other down. Neither will ever escape their jealousy and deep-seated resentment as long as they keep seeing each other as competitors.
All I can say, is if you currently got a toxic relationship, cut that bitch off now or continue to get pulled into their drama. The choice is yours.
On Repeat
Every month, it’s interesting to see how my real life parallels the themes of the music I’m streaming. This month, most songs reminded me of friendships and the grief that comes with losing friends who felt like family at some point.
The songs on my playlist have helped me process the complexities of friendships, from the joy of new connections to the pain of letting go. Music has a way of capturing emotions that words alone sometimes can't.
This month, Ariana Grande’s Eternal Sunshine, along with songs by SZA, SAILORR, Charli xcx, and others have been particularly poignant.
Listen to my March 2025 Playlist to hear all the music I was obsessed with this month.
Community Corner
The Community Corner is a space to uplift community members, events, and resources.
This month’s shoutouts go to:
The Creator's Studio at Drexel’s Dornsife Center which I visited for the first time this month! On my journey to connect more with creating imperfectly, it was the perfect place to spend time while taking time off work. I connected with new community members like Oliver Vecellio. Vecellio is the director of the Creator’s Studio, a producer, DJ, and student at Drexel University. Maybe I’ll end up sharing some of the music I’m making. This is neither a threat nor a promise.
Crashout Comedy is a monthly comedy showcase of up-and-coming comedians in Philadelphia. It’s produced by my friends Darius Foggy and Savion Jewett. On Saturday, March 29th, I was honored to attend their SOLD OUT showcase at Time & Peace Cafe & Gallery. I am always so inspired every time I go to a Crashout Comedy show and see artists attaining their goals out loud. And I’m so proud of my friends’ accomplishments!
A Little Housekeeping
We all know the hardest part of making art is securing the bag. For the past three years, I’ve been producing Work in Progress all by myself as a free newsletter, only briefly accepting paid subscriptions. While I do not want to put my work behind a paywall, I am looking for financial contributions from readers to support my well-being and upcoming work.
Because this newsletter is fully reader-supported, I’ve come up with a few options for readers to contribute. I will share those in a separate post later this month for better visibility!
If you’ve made it this far, thank you so much for reading my newsletter and supporting small local artists.
Until next month!
xoxo,
Richelle
Can’t wait to hear Richelle’s April updates from the aptly named blog, Work in Progress!