Weekend Reads #295

Fashion is political, whether you like to admit it or not. From the colors Pantone chooses each year to the length of our hemlines or the shape of our eyebrows, fashion is affected by what is happening in the world.

Sneakers are a great example. Sneakers used to be primarily for athletics and casual attire, but now they are seen worn with dresses and skirts and suits. What caused this fashion trend? 9/11. We wanted fashion that wouldn't hold us back. Whether it's escaping a collapsing building or walking miles on a scenic vacation, the sneaker trend is political.

I understand some folks don't agree with my beliefs and some don't like to discuss politics. But politics is in everything we eat, wear, and conduct.

For the past 10 years, I have donated at least 10% of my income from Wardrobe Oxygen to various charitable organizations and mutual aid. For 2024, Wardrobe Oxygen has recurring monthly donations to I Support the Girls, Success in Style, Fisher House Foundation, and my local Meals on Wheels. Several times over the years, I have made additional donations to organizations helping those in great need and will continue to do so.

Since Vice President Harris became the Democratic presidential candidate, I have set up a weekly donation to her campaign in my personal name, but the income I use is from my job here at Wardrobe Oxygen. I will also donate additional money to the campaign based on revenue generated from my flag sweaters article. This is not a new concept; I have personally donated to political campaigns for many years, and since December 2017, the sole income for my household has been from Wardrobe Oxygen.

I am willing to lose followers to stand up for what I believe. I understand if my beliefs are not in line with yours. I would rather have fewer subscribers and readers than hide my beliefs for the almighty dollar. And with that, here are Weekend Reads, which have leaned politically since my very first one in 2018.

Weekend Reads

10 beauty products Simone Biles, Suni Lee, and more Olympians are wearing to compete. (Cosmopolitan)

Health officials urge doctors to address IUD insertion pain. (New York Times – gift link)

Send this to your relative who's worried about Imane Khelif. (Charlotte's Web Thoughts)

Between Two Worlds: Black women and the fight for voting rights. (National Park Service)

Are sandals in the city an insult to the eye or the advent of a digital revolution? (New York Times – gift link)

What are D.C. interns wearing this summer? They’re figuring it out. (Washington Post – gift link)

Is there an AI bubble — and is it about to pop? (Vox)

Embrace your love for romance novels. It's good for you. (Time)

MatPat, the first big YouTuber to successfully exit his company, is lobbying for creators on Capitol Hill. (TechCrunch)

How sprinter Gabby Thomas, other Olympic athletes improve their sleep. (Washington Post – gift link)

While getting on HRT has helped my sleep, the biggest game-changer has been an Eight Sleep pod (mattress cover). We got one a year and a half ago, and we are OBSESSED. No fan, no sound, two sides so each person can choose their temp, and an Autopilot mode that learns your temp habits, adjusts with the room temp, and also adjusts to ensure you get deeper sleep. The included app tracks sleep quality and even how much you snore! We did the interest-free Affirm option, and it is SO money well spent! I'll do a review soon, but in the meantime, I reached out to the company, and they're offering code ALISON for $150 off.

Fine dining is having a love affair with inspirational quotes, as restaurant kitchens display signs to motivate their staff. (New York Times – gift link)

Your air conditioner is lying to you. (The Atlantic)

When the collective taste doesn't include you. (Big Undies; thanks Jax for sending this my way!)

The secret to Debbie Harry's style. (New York Times – gift link)

Public school teachers in the U.S. are woefully underpaid and lack basic supplies for successful and engaging classrooms. Instead of that clearance top or Amazon whachamagig, consider visiting a teacher's wishlist on Amazon. Here is a Google list provided by bag brand Dagne Dover. (Google)

See/Hear/Read

My friend Chelsea Henderson (who used to be a columnist at Wardrobe Oxygen) recently released Glacial: The Inside Story of Climate Politics. If this sounds like a snoozefest, you're wrong. Starting with the Clean Air Act of 1970 and continuing through current day, Henderson created an entertaining pageturner that shares how and why our leaders failed to act on climate change as mounting scientific evidence underscored the urgency to do so.

Chelsea Henderson knows what she's writing about. She's a badass woman here in the D.C. area with more than twenty-five years of experience striking bipartisan compromise on federal energy and environmental policy. Henderson worked on and off Capitol Hill with lawmakers, administration officials, and a broad array of stakeholders from the regulated community to environmentalists. She currently hosts the podcast EcoRight Speaks and also freelance writes on the topics of clean energy and climate change.

You can purchase Glacial: The Inside Story of Climate Politics at Amazon, Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, and East City Bookshop, which hosted an event this past week with Chelsea Henderson and is a great independent bookshop here in D.C. that mails orders across the country.

I got a critically acclaimed audiobook from Libby, I had been on the waitlist for weeks. Same time, I also got a critically acclaimed eBook. I began both… and I just couldn't do it. It's summer and I am feeling hopeful and don't want to be dragged down by mystery and murder and mental health and men. So I began Golden Girl by Elin Hildebrand (yes, I just read Five Star Weekend by the same author).

I am a much calmer driver when hearing details of what was served at a memorial service or the paint color of a bedroom and the men in general are good dudes. After Labor Day, I'll get back into mystery and intrigue and deep thoughts.

Both my husband and I had friends who recommended that we watch Presumed Innocent on Apple TV+. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Ruth Negga, this story felt awfully familiar. I was thinking this felt like a Harrison Ford in the late 80s/early 90s sort of film. That's because it was. (IMDB) But don't stop that from watching because this series is gooood. And casting was perfection.

Each episode ends, and you think, wow Rusty (Gyllenhaal's character) made such a bad decision. Wow, he dug himself into even deeper of a hole. And then the series arcs and you think woah how can things get even worse, wait is there hope, wow that is messy. You're constantly guessing whodunit, and each time you think you figured it out you're wrong.

Be careful, this is a series you can easily binge in a weekend. Considering the weather this week on the East Coast, you may be hunkering down indoors so this may be the perfect storm activity.

We began Lady in the Lake (Max). It is based on the novel of the same name by Laura Lippman. Starring Moses Ingram and Natalie Portman, this takes place in Baltimore in the 1960s. Especially as a Marylander who worked in Baltimore for many years and had relatives in Pikesville, I was grateful to this article on Atlas of Wonders sharing where scenes were filmed.

The first episode felt like it was dragging. It was trying so hard to be artsy and we kept pausing to attend to other things. But once we reached the end of that episode we were hooked. I think we've finished three or four episodes and can't wait to see more.

I didn't read the novel, and I don't know how this goes, but right now I am really into how these two women are living lives in the same area, but their lives are so drastically different. Both are dealing with society holding them back due to being women, one Black and one Jewish. One is trying so hard to do right but the world is pushing her down another path. The other is on what folks would consider the right path but she is doing everything she can to go in a different direction.

I won't get into more, because Lady in the Lake is a series where you will want to discuss it with someone after each episode. Feel free to make threads for any series or movie in the Wardrobe Oxygen community to share your thoughts, or offer them down below in the comments!

For Your Entertainment

I hate starting something with the person's age, but celebrity is hard to maintain the older one gets, especially as a woman. Even more so as a woman singer. And Kate Pierson of B-52s fame is 76. And Pierson is launching a solo album, her first in over a decade, on September 20th. And her voice still sounds amazing. And here is “Evil Love,” the first single from the upcoming album, ‘Radios and Rainbows.'