Weekend Reads for the End of June
I am writing this Friday evening after spending almost five hours at the mall with my teen daughter. We visited Nordstrom, Hollister, American Eagle, Abercrombie, Zumiez, H&M, Gap, J. Crew, LOFT, Macy's, Aeropostale, Lucky, Lululemon, and PacSun. She tried on 29 pairs of shorts, five pairs of jeans, seven dresses, and at least a dozen summer tops.
We left with two pairs of fantastically fitting jeans from Lucky and a mediocre short-sleeved button-front gingham top from Hollister. Everything else was utterly hideous.
The fabrics were nasty polyester that looked like shower curtains, or else rough cotton that you knew would shrink and fade with one wash on the cold gentle cycle. Simple tanks and tees that required hand washing and drying flat because they were so delicate and from such terrible materials.
In Hollister, she tried on a top she loved, but it showed a good inch of bra under the arms and didn't cover the straps in back. She was upset thinking it was because her body was curvy, but we went into Lush afterwards, and in there was a teen with a very different shape wearing the same top. And even on her frame, the top exposed her bra under her arms and in back.
In American Eagle, one pair of size 8 shorts was too tight, and with another style, we had to size down to a 4. And neither was designed for a body with a single centimeter difference between the waist and the hips.
In Nordstrom, the quality was so subpar, I felt I was shopping Shein. Fraying hems, uneven leg lengths, dresses as sheer as tissue paper, and everything from polyester or the kind of viscose that wrinkles and puckers if you look at it wrong. Again, she wore anything from a 4 to a 10, a small to a large, yet nothing fit quite right. At 5'6″, almost every single dress and skirt showed half her undergarments if she raised her hands or bent over even slightly. And the midi dresses? Few could be worn with a bra without having at least 75% of it on display.
It was either that, or clothing designed for a much more mature person. It's like when we were growing up, and if we were anything larger than a size 8, we ended up dressing like Mini Corporate America. In 2025, it's either ill-fitting Lolita or Soccer Mom with little in between.
The fellow teens in the mall wore clothes just as ill-fitting. Bike shorts and athletic skorts with oversized t-shirts and off-the-shoulder sweatshirts exposing sports bras. Cheap rayon tops hardly covering their bras or tiny little tanks and tube tops that have incredibly complicated laundry instructions, ensuring they won't survive until Labor Day. These tops were paired with teeny denim shorts that constantly had to be adjusted to not ride up or slide down or else activewear that was either skintight or oversized hanging for dear life from their hips or the curve of their rear.
We go to thrift stores, and it's more of the same. Discarded Old Navy, Shein, and Forever 21, or clothing more appropriate for a person of my age, with very little in between unless one is searching for silkscreened t-shirts, flannels, or bridesmaid dresses.
We shop online, and 99% of what we get has to be returned. Sizing is inconsistent, quality is inconsistent, and as we grown women know from decades of fashion failures, models are not average height or shape and clothes are often pinned or even Photoshopped to alter the fit.
I am not a conservative mom, and I believe all women, young and old, should wear what makes them happy. But these are not happy clothes. These are clothes that make you feel bad about your body, your wallet, those who crafted the clothes, and your sense of style.
If you think shopping right now sucks, that's because it does. It's not you, it's not her, it's not any of us. It's the clothes. And I think the only way to fix the broken apparel system is to stop buying into it. We, the adults, who already have mediocrity in our closets and access to tailors have more ability to do so. For the younger generations, I send them strength, self-confidence, and the creativity to make do with what is available.
On a positive note, we went into Lucky Brand and the jeans fit my daughter so well it was as though they were tailor made. The quality of the denim and the construction was also stellar, and the store had buy one pair of denim get the second 50% off and 40-60% off most everything else. She got a pair of the Mid-Rise Sweet Flare jeans, and a pair of the Low Rise Flare. They come in three inseams and we found the size consistent from wash to wash and style to style.
Weekend Reads
To help preserve her works, Cindy Sherman is offering to destroy and reprint old photographs. (The Art Newspaper)
For the first time, social media overtakes TV as Americans’ top news source. (Nieman Lab)
I bought this tote and love it. The pouch snaps in and out so you can customize it. Sturdy, lightweight, classic, and a great travel bag.
Chin hair, laundry, your opinion: Women in menopause don’t care. (New York Times – gift link)
May I keep my subscription to the horrid New York Times? (Indignity)
I've been using this hand cream for over a month, and I really think it's improving the look of my skin while also hydrating and looking super chic on my nightstand.
Nick Cave says he declined Morrissey’s request to sing ‘silly anti-woke screed’ on new song. (The Guardian)
Inside the scrappy network of volunteers protecting their neighbors from ICE. (Mother Jones)
Not meant for the hottest and most humid days, but I got this dress in petite (I'm 5'3″) and LOVE it. I love the weight, the pockets, the length, the neckline. Cute with sneakers, dressier heels, Birkenstocks, and also cute belted.
What I learned recording thousands of hours of teens on their phones. (The Guardian)
Becoming a Bodybuilder at 50 Showed Me That Women Were Never Meant to be Thin. (Time)
Why do hot people want to smell like poop? (Articles of Interest via Substack)
Substack did not see that coming. (AMC All The Time)
Audrey Gelman, the creator of the Wing, is taking another stab at shaping millennial tastes, this time with a pastoral inn — and more hotels on the way. (New York Times – gift link)
Related for those who don't know, I was a member of The Wing DC.
What do the young women of the modern right want? It’s complicated. (Washington Post – gift link)
Reddit in talks to embrace Sam Altman’s iris-scanning Orb to verify users. (Semafor)
My daughter took my black pair; I'm so tempted to get another pair in this color combo.
The community Ozempic stole: As influencers lose weight, their followers feel “abandoned.” (Teen Vogue)
What Katie Sturino wants you to know about her body (and yours, too). (New York Times, gift link)
The hollow men of Hims. (Alex Kesin's Pharmacopoeia via Substack)
FDA approves powerful HIV drug that nearly eliminated spread in clinical trials. (NBC News)
Is MDMA just the thing to perk up a lackluster love life? One fearless couple puts it to the test. (Air Mail)
And thank you to Michelle, who sent me this article. I agree with all except #27, what do you think? (Washington Post – gift link)
Sale Alert & Style Inspo
American Hat Makers has 25% off sitewide through July 9th. Use code USA25 at checkout. I own and recommend this hat if you want something with a bigger brim but still looks right at home sightseeing or at the farmers market.
Ann Taylor is having a Semi-Annual Sale with 50% off all sale styles through 7/3 and through 6/29, $50 off every $100 full-price purchase. If this blazer is available in your size, get it. I have it, it's the perfect throw on with silk, crepe, twill, or wool pants and jeans of any cut.
Athleta is also hosting its Semi-Annual Sale, offering up to 70% off everything at this link. I have and like these shorts in red and am considering picking up a pair in black.
Jenny Bird has 40% off select styles at this link; the sale ends July 1st, and quantities are limited, so don't sit on this deal. If I didn't already own a similar necklace, I'd be buying this one in a heartbeat. These earrings are also pretty badass, and I own and love these hoops in gold. Do I also need them in silver? Silver has always been my favorite and is a big trend in 2025!
M.M.LaFleur launched their Fourth of July Sale early with 25% off all products (some exclusions apply) through July 6th using the code FIREWORKS25 at checkout. I got this blazer & matching pants and love (currently at the tailor for my shortie self) and as you can see on Instagram, I also got and love this dress and matching cardigan (and this shell also matches for even more versatility). FYI, the dress lining is removable so you can layer over colorful slips or even wear as a swim coverup!
See/Hear/Read
The Bear (Hulu) is back. We've only watched the first episode but I am already back into my Bear Lovefest. Don't ruin it for me if you've seen more of the season!
The Gilded Age (HBO) is back. I really don't care who is the head of the household, and I can see the writing on the wall for Gladys. But I will continue to watch because Carrie Coon IMO is stellar.
We began watching Season 2 of Nine Perfect Strangers (Hulu). It's weird, the cast is phenomenal, I will watch anything that Henry Golding and Murray Bartlett are in. I'm a big King Princess fan and have seen her in concert several times, so I'm psyched they have a role this season. Also happy to see Mark Strong and Lena Olin. Again, don't ruin it for me, I have only seen two episodes!
Currently reading Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors. When I finished Mellors' second novel, Blue Sisters, I immediately put myself on the Libby waitlist for this, her first novel. Same audiobook narrator, who has the WORST pronunciation of things and the WORST accents. But I can't get enough and listen to it when doing my makeup, taking a shower, rowing on my Hydrow, walking through the grocery store. About 3/4 the way through.
For Your Entertainment
It was hard not to love Reneé Rapp when she was in The Sex Lives of College Girls (HBO). She brought such humanity and vulnerability to the character and the show was never the same when she left. Mean Girls (2024) was so bad I didn't finish it, but I don't blame Rapp. And I think her music is the fun ridiculous anthem music that made getting ready for nights out in college all the better. Her latest Friday Night song, “Mad,” had its video come out this week, and I'm not mad about it.
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Great weekend reads post. With a daughter who’s 37, I had no idea that shopping for teen clothes is so difficult. My sympathies.
I also loved the Women in Menopause article. Menopause is in the rear view mirror for me, but I can totally identify. Wait until all these women get to my age (73) and see new stratospheric levels of not caring. It’s great!!!
Totally agree with your rant. My daughter finds shopping so defeating. Really annoying to find something cute but with some coverage, then turn it around to see that it’s backless or that there are cutouts in certain places that render it “anti-underwear”. We are not conservative and live in a muggy, hot climate but we would still like to keep our assets supported and covered! Shopping for my daughter became frustrating when she was a pre-teen and has not improved a whole lot through her college years. I wish retailers and manufacturers would do better!
The article about supporting the New York Times these days really hit a sore spot with me. Every weekend I question my subscription to the Sunday issue.
And this is why I’m having a terrible time getting rid of clothing, especially sweaters, that I haven’t worn in a while. If they are still in good condition and still fit, and are relatively unremarkable style-wise, even if not totally on trend, I can’t bring myself to get rid of my 100% merino wool cardigans from Banana Republic circa 2018-2020. Sweaters have so much synthetic garbage in them now.
I have noticed the huge armholes lately, too. Only thing I can think of is that it’s easier to just cut big armholes rather than actually sizing them in proportion to the rest of the top?
The quality of clothing is disgraceful, not to mention so so bad for the planet. Uniqlo makes great clothing, IMHO, tending toward basic and boring. But, with some embellishment (add lace trim, embroidery, etc.) it could be fun for a teen girl. Youtube has so many tutorials about turning a thrifted shirt into a cropped top, or adding embroidery to the pocket of a shirt. Thrifting is great,but finding good quality fabrics is the key. Sewing has a doable learning curve, but iron on tape, hand-sewing ribbon ties or embroidery patches, etc., can be so fun.
I am glad that you were able to find that pair of Lucky Brand jeans that fit your daughter perfectly and were good quality. I found myself cringing as I looked at the clothing you had pictured from store after store. I am not a prudish or conservative person, but as I scrolled through the items pictured, I kept asking myself where it would be appropriate for a teen to wear the huge majority of the items. They were almost all skimpy, showed lots of flesh, and looked cheap.
I am 70. Thankfully my daughters are now middle-aged women and my two grandchildren are boys. I am glad I do not have to shop for a teen-aged girl anymore. I was a teen in the early seventies. We wore skirts and dresses that barely covered our hips. Anything approaching the knees was considered dowdy, even on middle-aged women. All of the moms I knew when I was a kid wore minis. Yet, none of us wore clothing that exposed our bras or barely covered more than a bikini top. I do not understand the current trends. I have seen photo after photo of teen girls at their homecomings or proms wearing dresses that look like colored Ace bandages, or perhaps I should say sausage casings. The dresses are usually strapless and barely go past the girls’ underpants. Why? These dresses, IMHO are sexualizing teen girls. I feel that most of the items in your collages do the same thing. I think it is one thing to show off one’s assets as a young girl – smooth skin without cellulite, a body that may be in better shape than any future decade – and quite another to dress in such a way as to advertise, “I’m available.”
I wish that manufacturers would get the message that teen girls want clothing that is well-constructed, washes well, is age-appropriate, does not look like it is only appropriate for the beach (don’t most teens spend a lot of time at SCHOOL?), and does not scream “look how sexy I am”. Reasonably modest does not have to be frumpy, old-lady, or dowdy.
In the past few years I have found that the trend of skimpy, super short dresses has bled into offerings for more mature women. I wish that manufacturers could understand that women my age (70) have a lot more disposable income than women in their 20s. I will not wear a dress that lands a foot (or more) above my knees. My legs are in great shape – period. I have no age spots, varicose veins, or cellulite. But, I do not feel that “mutton dressing as lamb” is appropriate. I also will not wear baby doll or pinafore tops or dresses. Those are for preschoolers or early elementary schoolers at the max. I fail to see why manufacturers try to foist them on “grown-ass women”, as you would say.
Rant over. Good luck on future attempts to shop for your teen!
I don’t know how teenagers do it. I pray they can survive all the crap that’s out there and make it to adulthood, where we, the parents and elders, will be relying on them to keep humanity going. If any reader has the chance to help a teen — with self esteem, confidence, humor, support, a hug and a smile — please do so!
The clothing is terrible in junior departments. My frame is underdeveloped, no curves, junior sizes fit. I’m a seamstress, her measurements may not be “junior “, usually an underdeveloped teen.
It was interesting to hear what a junior thinks..
Bless you for spending more than $20 on a pair of pants for your teenager.
If she’s interested and you can afford it, clothes that didn’t fit my body were the reason I started sewing clothes. Don’t think out-dated blandness or frilly little girl dresses! There are tons of pattern and fabric options. Just yesterday I saw patterns that would be a suitable duplicates for several of the styles you showed from the teen stores.
The downside is, it’s a long, slow learning curve with lots of frustration along the way.
Other downside is where do you even buy fabric anymore? Joann’s is gone, and it seems like there really aren’t any other great options.
Good stuff today.
Your shopping trip was the mirror image of all of mine, seen from the other end of the age spectrum. I have bought a few things, not worn yet, but when getting ready to go out to a nicer-than-my-usual restaurant last night I ended up, after several changes, in white Eileen Fisher stretch crepe pants (over ten years old), a v-neck, 3/4 sleeve black knit top (Lands End, at least two years old), and white leather Keds from last year. It was a good backdrop for some of my “real” jewelry (not modern, but I don’t care).
I was the best dressed person there.
That isn’t a brag–it’s commentary on how bad the clothes offerings are today.