Weekend Reads for Leaving on a Jet Plane

Weekend Reads

Minnesota Vikings show support for their male cheerleaders amid backlash. (Today)

“Divine Feminine” advice on TikTok is just part of the alt-right pipeline. (Teen Vogue)

Target is the latest company to keep a replaced chief executive around as an “executive chairman.” Does having two top dogs make sense? (New York Times – gift link)

Have you seen these mini Dagnes? I got a mini Dakota to hang off my tote; it's the perfect size to hold my Airpods! BTW ALISON20 gets you 20% off sitewide.

Swimmers ages 62 and up did leg raises and flexed pool noodles during water-aerobics class in Spanish Harlem. (Curbed)

‘Make McCarthy great again.' (The Atlantic)

Managing menses in the Gilded Age. (Menopause: The Inside Info via Substack)

Gird your loins, the latest Stanley x Loveshack Fancy collab is out. Blow your teen's mind with one of these waterbottles as a back-to-school gift.

Nadri saw your interest in this bracelet I have and wear all the time (showers, pool, you name it) and made code ALISON20 for 20% off sitewide!

The dark side of adoption politics in the U.S. (Slate)

Did you catch these in my chic comfy sandal review? I waaaanttttt.

Thank you Janis, for sending this great resource: District of Columbia Crime Rates 1960 – 2019

And in response to an article I shared last weekend: PragerU not taking over for PBS … yet! (Wonkette on Substack)

Sale Alert & Style Inspo

J. Crew summer left me feeling lackluster, but I'm liking what I'm seeing for early fall. Great colors, textures, and prints. Don't be shocked if I have a whole capsule wardrobe inspired by it sometime soon! The skirt, sweater, and t-shirt are J. Crew, the rest are from other retailers around the same price point. Depending on where you live, these are pieces you can start incorporating into your wardrobe now to transition to early fall, and can still work as we get towards the ned of the year.

sweater (XXXS-3X) | jacket (XXS-XXL & petite/tall) | ribbed knit top (XXS-3X) | skirt (XXS-3X) | trousers I own (00-18 & petite) | glasses I own | earrings | necklace I own | bag | sneakers I want

See/Hear/Read

As I mentioned in my recap of our trip to Rehoboth Beach, I bought a paper book to be my beach read. I had picked up some chick lit piece that looked fun, but then my daughter shared that she picked Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll. I had read it, but as an audiobook. My kid, she loves herself some murder and mayhem and I knew she'd love it.

The staff at Browseabout Books noticed her selection, and they began cooing about how much they loved the book, as well as Knoll's previous book, Luckiest Girl Alive. Since my kid liked the first book, I figured she might enjoy the second, so I decided to get Luckiest Girl Alive as my beach read.

I am so glad I did. While initially I despised the protagonist, I was quickly drawn in and understood her. And while I read, I made connections to her and why she sometimes acted the way in which she did, thought a lot about her parents and how they may be different just a decade later in this life, thought about her classmates in high school and how it made me look at my high school existence and that current existence of my daughter.

That being said, it's not some existential read, unless you want it to be. Especially if you can relate to the protagonist in any way, it's worth continuing to read after the story ends, as the author shares some of her own story. As always, I won't go too hard in and possibly spoil it for you; the book IMO was worth reading and now I'm wondering, should I see the movie adaptation or will that ruin it? (The movie stars Mila Kunis and is on Netflix)

For Your Entertainment

I love me some Tyler, the Creator. I think he's a true artist. I was going through recent music videos and shared the one below with my husband and said, “I don't fully get it, but I really like it.” And he said, “Isn't that Tyle,r the Creator's style?” And it is. It doesn't need to be clear; it can be open to interpretation like any work of art. But in typical fashion, I did some research on the latest music video from Tyler, the Creator: “Darling, I.”

Tyler, the Creator came out with the album, CHROMOKOPIA, in 2024, and the album, DON'T TAP THE GLASS, earlier this year. And he has songs from both albums being released. Last month, I shared a Tyler song, and it was from DON'T TAP THE GLASS; “Darling, I” is actually from last year's album. It mixes the vibes and styles and eras of both albums, and I dig it.

Tyler scored some amazing costars in this video: Nia Long, Ayo Edebiri, Willow Smith, and Lauren London. Lionel Boyce (The Bear), skateboarder and rapper Na-Kel Smith, and model Oriane Strohhacker also have cameos. Teezo Touchdown is the artist featured on the song, and the person playing both the bus driver and the cashier. The song samples, “Vivrant Thing (Violator Remix)” by Q-Tip featuring Missy Elliott and Busta Rhymes, and “Drop It Like It's Hot” by Snoop Dogg featuring Pharrell Williams. And in case you also were wondering, Nia Long is 54 and still fierce AF.