I discovered Jessi Klein from a Moth podcast about attending her sister's wedding in Disney World and drunkely hitting on a furry "cast member." It was really funny and, while not exactly relatable, you could still see where she was coming from. The Disney story is included in Klein's book of autobriographical essays. Similarly to how I felt about What Are You Doing Here? I was expecting an autobiography, rather than, in this case, comedy stories, but I still enjoyed reading them. I see Klein as a an exaggeration of myself. She's smarter, funnier, younger, more in touch with and ready to act upon her desires, and, courtesy of the the Bar Method, has a firmer butt.
Despite her firm butt, she's still bothered by the unattainability of "tawny scrawny lion-maned" Victoria's Secret models and wants off their mailing list, a feat that also seems unattainable. Klein wonders, "Do the Obamas get a Victoria's Secret catalog at the White House still addressed to 'Jimmy Carter or current resident?'"
Like Klein, I found myself stressing out more than I expected to about my wedding dress. She went further than I did into the crazy, though, and for about five minutes considered spening $10K on a dress. She discovered, "This was the first moment I started to realize that some larger problem was boiling to the surface, that this wasn't just about the dress, but rather a deep cauldron of self-doubt in my own taste--and not just my own taste, but my entire self." Getting married can make one a little bonkers/call your entire life into question. Or maybe it's just being in your late thirties and not looking like you're in your twenties anymore.
Once she's a mother, Klein finds herself diva-fying, but it's when she's up for an Emmy (she's the head writer on Inside Amy Schumer), so it seems legit, even if by that point you can no longer relate to her nearly as well. She's got money and success, and is a little meaner than at the beginning of the collection. Maybe I should relate to that. I'm a little meaner than I was at the beginning of my collection, too.