Weekend Reads for February 22, 2025
What are you doing next Friday, February 28th? I hope it doesn't include spending money. If it does, see if there are any ways to do that spending the day before or after. An economic blackout is scheduled, with no shopping, no pumping gas, and no spending any money except when necessary, and then only by cash to small independent businesses. The cash is so banks and credit card companies are also affected by the blackout.
If you don't think a one-day economic blackout will help, why not try? The Montgomery Bus Boycott made an impact, and boycotts of retailers that have rolled back DEI or are supporting DOGE and Trump have already affected profits (source). It is only one day, and a pretty small sacrifice to hopefully make a bigger statement.
Weekend Reads
A quarter of US shoppers have dumped favorite stores over political stances. (The Guardian)
Ben & Jerry's says parent Unilever mandating silence on Trump. (USA Today)
Airbnb Co-Founder Joe Gebbia Joins Growing DOGE Team Under Elon Musk. (Newsweek)
LOFT has 40% off sitewide; these pull-on twill pants for less than $40 and this simple yet chic throw-on-and-go maxi dress for less than $25, and both are great closet workhorses.
The toughest job in fashion is top designer for a luxury brand. (Wall Street Journal – gift link)
This may be the next t-shirt I buy.
This Irish band has awakened my inner '90s teenager. (Jenny Mag)
Testosterone therapy is trending—for women. Here’s what to know. (Time)
One day, three designers and a New York garment industry in decline. (Washington Post – gift link)
Are we self-segregating on social media? (Dame Magazine)
Come early, leave early: a gen X dance party that ends at 10pm is taking off across the US. (The Guardian)
Ozempic helps people fight urge to drink alcohol in new study. (AP)
14 things to do in your 50s if you’re worried about your dementia risk. (Well + Good)
Why does no one talk about perimenopausal mood swings? (Gloria)
Is cheap cashmere worth buying? We put it to the test. (Washington Post – gift link)
Ten reasons for modest optimism. (Robert Reich)
The Universal Standard Mystery Boxes end this weekend. I know several sold out fast but US added 10 new boxes to the selection! If you haven't shopped Universal Standard before, use code INFS-ALISON10OFF for 10% off sitewide (the code lasts through the end of March).
See/Hear/Read
While I haven't watched a lot of things so far this year, I feel I made up for it the past two weeks. After doing a lot of travel and social activities, I have had time at home where I can curl up on the couch with the fam. What I've been watching:
We watched Season 1 of Severence (Apple TV+) as it happened three years ago. But it has been THREE YEARS since the first season, and when Season 2, Episode 1 came out, we realized we forgot a lot of what was going on. Our daughter came into the room and said she wanted to watch Severence, so we started up with Season 1 with her.
We just finished it Thursday, and I highly recommend if you're into this show, re-watch the first season. You will catch so many things that seemed inconsequential the first go-round, but now help other things make sense.
We're also watching the latest season of Yellowjackets (Showtime/Paramount+), and dang, we love this show. It's so fresh and shocking, and you're on pins and needles waiting for the next episode. Honestly, this is another that may be worth watching previous seasons (or catching up on some details online) so you remember what's going on.
We needed a replacement for Prime Target (we gave up), and after hearing so many rave about it, we began Paradise (Hulu). All the praise is worth it; this is a great show. Starring Sterling K. Brown, you know it's going to be good. Seriously, has that man been bad in anything? He is smart and poised and skilled and sweet and sexy and strong in this role and it just makes me love this actor even more.
I went into Paradise, knowing nothing except that Sterling K. Brown and James Marsden were in it, and the Episode 5 shower scene would make me like Brown even more. Honestly, I think the lack of knowing the plot made watching the show even better. Everything was a surprise, and I had no idea where the story was going to go next.
This has not been an especially violent show, and I like that there are strong roles for teens/young adults and grown women (the three adult women with the biggest roles in the show are 36, 54, and 53 IRL).
Paradise has examples of healthy relationships between romantic partners, family members, coworkers, and friends, yet complex personalities that continue to develop with each episode. And we've caught up and cannot WAIT for the final two episodes to drop.
We decided to watch a new movie this week. Star Trek: Section 31 was free through Showtime/Paramount+ and it stars Michelle Yeoh. My husband was super into Star Trek movies when he was young, and we both love Yeoh, so we started the film. I don't know if we even got in 30 minutes before we turned it off. It is HORRIBLE. Bad acting, bad script, even Michelle Yeoh is terrible. The movie has a 3.8/10 on IMDb and 19% on Rotten Tomatoes. Sounds about right.
For Your Entertainment
I opened YouTube yesterday, and the algorithm placed Sophie Hunter's video for “Cha Cha” first. Lately, the Al Gore Rhythm has been disappointing me, sending me whispering little girls sad about trees. At first glance, I thought Sophie Hunter was another, but I clicked. Oh, daaannnnng, Sophie Hunter is not a whisperer.
Two parts Natasha Lyonne, one part Chappell Roan, a splash of Eminem and Vanessa Bayer's character Laura Parsons from SNL's Weekend Update… Sophie Hunter was a theater kid from New Haven, Connecticut who moved to Brooklyn in 2019, began releasing her music on streaming platforms in 2021, and gained fame thanks to TikTok (her songs “CVNT” and “Mic Check” were popular audio for videos).
I know a lot of you don't click on the music videos, so check out Sophie Hunter on Spotify or your favorite streaming platform. Start with “Mic Check” to hear both her singing and rapping.
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Alison, these reads are SO good! Thanks to you, I’m a Gloria subscriber & look forward to their twice weekly emails. My goodness, the perimenopause rage resonates so much right now. Sometimes I seriously wish we could use the FMLA for perimenopause.
Thank you for talking about the economic blackout. I’ll be participating and will not buy a bunch of stuff the day before either. I am also planning to do my best to participate in the other days/weeks that will be coming up through March and April. Hopefully, a large amount of people will get on board with this.
My shopping habits are certainly changing because of the DEI initiatives being taken away. Target and Amazon have been my go-to for years, so it’s taking me some time to figure out swaps. I am a Costco customer already, and I shop at Kroger, so at least those are accessible options in my area. For so many people in my own rural state and others, there are not many choices. Walmart has ruined countless small businesses. Related to this, I read a post on Threads recently from a former Target employee who talked about how even reducing how much we buy/spend at these places can make a difference. These companies track our spending habits, so if we start shopping less in stores where we’d previously spent a lot, that too can help. Just food for thought.