#stirringsofconsciousness

It’s not unusual to see Betty Cooper standing outside of Archie’s house. She lives next door; they’re friends. It’s a beautiful, sunny summer day – one that even Jughead can admit should be spent outdoors, even as he plans to spend the afternoon holed up in Archie’s bedroom playing video games.

No, what’s unusual is the fact that she’s got an enormous pair of binoculars pressed to her face, pointed in the direction of the cul-de-sac down the street, where police tape has been strung up around the perimeter of a house with green shutters. Two cop cars are parked outside, but there’s only one officer in sight, leaning against the hood of his car, smoking a cigarette.

A familiar sensation tickles at the base of Jughead’s skull – he’s intrigued. “What’s going on?”

Startled, Betty bumps the binoculars against her brow, and then drops them. They don’t go far, as she’s got the strap slung around her neck. “Ow!”

“Sorry.” Jughead stops beside her on the sidewalk. “What are you doing?”

“Investigating.”

Jughead looks at Betty, and then back at the taped-off house. “All the way from here?”

“Are you here to see Archie?” she asks, ignoring the question. “He just got a pizza delivered, you should go inside before he eats it all.”

His stomach grumbles at the mere mention of food. All he’d had to eat for lunch was scrambled eggs, which was also what he’d eaten for breakfast – his mom had worked a double shift last night and hadn’t had time to go grocery shopping. He’d let Jellybean have the last of the frozen waffles.

Yet every bone in his body is inexplicably screaming at him to stay out here with Betty.

“Archie can’t eat a whole pizza.” And even if he does, there will inevitably be another frozen one he can just pop in the oven – Archie’s dad has kept the freezer well-stocked ever since Mrs. Andrews moved to Chicago at the beginning of the year. “Tell me more about…” He gestures broadly at the house. “This.”

Betty stares at him for a moment, and then the firm line of her mouth softens, as though she’s recognized a kindred spirit. “I don’t know what happened,” she admits. “We just heard sirens going by about a half hour ago, and then a bunch of cops went into the house.”

Jughead’s brain buzzes with possibility. “D’you think it could have been, like…a murder?”

“That’s what I said!” Betty’s face lights up with excitement, and something about it makes Jughead’s stomach feel weird and fluttery. Probably just the fact that there might be an actual mystery brewing a half-block away from where they stand. Or the fact that he really is hungry. “Archie said I was being overdramatic.” She rolls her eyes.

“Can I see?” He holds out a hand for the binoculars, and Betty obliges, tugging the strap over her head. As she does, he gets a whiff of her scent: sunscreen and soap and something vaguely floral. It’s pleasant.

Jughead studies the house for a minute or so before turning back to her. “Do they have a fence around their backyard, or does it just run into the woods back there?”

A slow smile creeps over her face. “I’m not sure.”

He hands the binoculars back with a shrug. “Only one way to find out.”

“What about your pizza?”

“I like it better cold, anyway.” Jughead nods towards the edge of the forest behind them. “Adventure awaits.”

I didn't ask for this power; it chose me.

(It's been known to scare some pretty good men too. 😉)

Well, let’s not assume that I am not also an Old lol.

But anyway: yes, high-waisted pants have been very trendy the last few years (maybe as early as the late 00s/early 10s? I can’t remember.) Betty’s been wearing mid- to high-rise jeans since season one. What makes a rise mid vs. high kind of depends on the designer and the wearer’s body, but let’s say that a low-rise generally has an inseam of 8 or less inches. 

What’s different in season 3 is that she’s suddenly also wearing a lot of crop tops (also very trendy, but more recently so), and thus the cut of her natural waist and where her jeans hit is, ahem, naturally more visible as a result. 

My understanding is that low-rise jeans are due to come back into popularity, but the universe can pry my high-waist pants from my cold, dead hands, and I think Lili Reinhart would agree (she calls them hip-huggers in that interview, but take note she’s referring specifically to the 00s low-rise style of flared jeans, versus the more 70s-esque trend of high-rise flares Betty Cooper wears frequently in s3, as we know.)

Is Betty trendy, hmmmmmm. I’m gonna punt this one. I touch a bit on Betty’s s3 clothing experimentations in some upcoming posts, but I’m still coming to some conclusions on what to think about her choices and what they mean for her character. 

Cheryl and Veronica are also often show wearing skirts and shorts that sit high on the waist! They so infrequently wear pants though, so perhaps it’s hard to notice. Toni possibly does too, but Vanessa Morgan is so mini it’s hard to tell. (Friend of a friend recently met Camila Mendes on a plane and described her also as very wee, so many tiny humans on this show.) 

And YES I agree re: Eleanor Shellstrop in s3-onwards of The Good Place. SO many embellished collars and crewnecks, SO emblematic of s1-2 Betty.

(Did Ms. Reinhart ‘borrow’ this tee from the s3 set or just get her own, who’s to say? But Eleanor wears it too lol.)

if Isaac Bashevis SInger wrote fic is quite an endorsement, I might have to read

Reeeeeeeeead it! It’s short and so fucking beautiful. No familiarity with the source material required (in my opinion). I’ve read it an embarrassing amount of times. @stirringsofconsciousness is probably exhausted by me now.

honestly...this feels right. the level of fangirling i have reached over the last several years means no one in fandom should be intimidated by me whatsoever l o l.