Our Third Annual Zelda Awards!
It's been a year! That is factually true. Before we roll into 2023 we're bringing you our third—can you believe?—annual Zelda Awards full of our favourite media picks to fill those long dark winter days (we did not enjoy falling back).
But first, if you need a refresher, please read about the history of the Zelda Awards at this link, and check out last year's Zelda Awards!
Without further ado, here are your winners for the 2022 picks.
Design Work We Loved This Year
Ashna's picks: Nadasink on Instagram, Muslim Futures from the superrrnetwork, and Hanan's animated dance series.
Hayley's picks: The Feminist Food Journal.
Favourite Pop Culture Moments of the Year
Ashna's picks: When Jack Harlow said "love ya" to Emma Chamberlain at the Met Gala, Maren Morris calling out transphobia.
Hayley's picks: Julia Fox in general, Don't Worry Darling at the Venice Film Festival, Guillermo Del Toro's Instagram account, Louis Theroux on Chicken Shop Dates (and the resulting viral "Jiggle Jiggle" song, followed up closely by the "I Love Corn" song—it has the juice!).
Favourite Movies of the Year
Ashna's picks: Everything Everywhere All at Once, Bros, Turning Red (seeing the street I live on animated, so magical!), The Swimmers.
Hayley's picks: Aftersun (my favourite! So beautiful, seek this out if you can), Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, The Worst Person in the World, Barbarian, X, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Nope, Catherine Called Birdy, Prey, Titane (technically a 2021 movie but didn't get a chance to watch it until this year!).
Favourite Directors of the Year
Ashna's picks: Domee Shi, Baz Luhrmann, Karzan Kader.
Hayley's picks: Charlotte Wells, Aitch Alberto, The Daniels, Sarah Polley, Jordan Peele, Rian Johnson, Julia Ducournau.
Favourite Television of the Year
Ashna's picks: You, Never Have I Ever, Bridgerton (literally inspired me to go to the Queen's ball in DC!), Stranger Things, Minx, Black Bird, Business Proposal, How I Met Your Father.
Hayley's picks: Severance, Bad Sisters, Pachinko, Reservation Dogs, The English, 1899, Abbott Elementary, Mo, A League of Their Own, Sandman, Derry Girls, The Bear, Our Flag Means Death, What We Do In The Shadows, Starstruck, Never Have I Ever, Heartbreak High, The Righteous Gemstones, Somebody Somehwere, The Dropout, Industry, Guillermo Del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities, Heartstopper. And I watched all seven seasons of Mad Men (I'm late to this one) in a month which is a totally normal, not at all concerning thing to do!
Favourite Albums of the Year
Ashna's picks: Ugh, those feels again by Snoh Aalegra, Heartstrings by Leighton Meester.
Hayley's picks: SOS by SZA, Crash by Charli XCX, Dance Fever by Florence and the Machine.
Favourite Podcasts of the Year
Ashna's picks: The Machine Kills, Bot Populi, The Digital Sisterhood.
Hayley's picks: The Trojan Hose Affair (by Serial), The Always Sunny Podcast, Too Scary Didn't Watch, The Bechdel Cast (as always!), and of course, WEE Talks.
Favourite Reads of the Year
Ashna's picks: Of course, Hayley's piece on the monstrous feminine. Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential, and Meg Conley's brilliant feminist design analysis of kitchens.
Hayley's picks: Circe by Madeline Miller, Salt Slow by Julia Armfield, and anything Angelica Jade Bastién writes. I also loved Ashna's piece on the gendered labour of email writing.
Favourite Self-Care Practices of the Year
Ashna's picks: Lavender incense, Emily Mariko's salmon recipe, trying new donut places in Toronto, reading Bourdain, people watching on my balcony, thrifting, tall ice water in a mason jar.
Hayley's picks: Baking recipes from Dessert Person by Claire Saffitz, going on long walks, online window shopping, fancy ginger ale, kimchi grilled cheese, lots of comfort watches, so many crosswords, Oreo thins.
If you’re looking for any extra cozy content this winter, also check out The Anti-Heroine Media Guide to Comfort TV and The Anti-Heroine Media Galentine’s Day Watch List. On the other hand, if you'd rather something a little more gruesome check out our updated Feminist Horror Watchlist.