Friday Open Thread

Oh, what a week. We made it. Some things you might have missed:

A brief history of polka dots.

Weird boyfriends and height differences.

Must good writing be serious?

How to Royal Ascot.

“It felt almost transgressive to think that I could just build the family I wanted on my own.”

Would The Anna Nicole Smith Story by any other independent filmmaker be as sweet?

So you just moved to a city and you’re friendless.

Also, Jia is collecting your mortifying childhood photos from Fourths of July past. Please send them to [email protected] with the subject “FREEDOM.” (Quotation marks optional.) And from last week: You have until midnight to fill out the mapping The Hairpin survey. Happy weekend.

Photo via philrankin/flickr.