Weekend Reads for the Start of February

Weekend Reads

Getting strong has never been more popular. How did we get here? (New York Times – gift link)

Can art in the intersection reduce blood in the streets? (Streetcar)

Why your kid is yelling “chicken banana.” (Vox)

I really dig this poster print.

Barbie Honors Opal Lee With a New Inspiring Women Doll. (Black Health Matters)

The latest addition to my arm party.

Can Department Stores Ever Be Fun Again? (New York Times – gift link)

The Campus AI Crisis: Young graduates can’t find jobs. Colleges know they have to do something. But what? (Intelligencer)

Harris relaunches her old ‘Kamala HQ’ account as an online organizing project. (CNN)

The Obama Meme on Truth Social Was Exactly What It Looked Like. (The Atlantic – gift link)

I say I'm over Quince clothes and then they come out with this.

The First Lady’s documentary reveals how she uses her image to deflect from her complicity. (The Cut)

Creator Khaby Lame just sold a stake in his brand for $975 million. (Mashable)

I keep buying lip balms, but I gotta say this one has been the best this winter (and the cheapest!).

A Family of Three in a SoHo Loft Without Walls. (New York Times – gift link)

What It's Really Like to Get a Facelift at 48. (Bazaar)

A role model for how to die. (New York Times – gift link)

Just got these pants and really like them, but the shipping bag got torn open and caught in machinery/damaged them. I think I may exchange them for the green color, but the “collagen” color is also nice. They run TTS.

The Chatbots Appear to Be Organizing. (The Atlantic – gift link)

And for my local yokels looking for a new newspaper to support… may I suggest the independent Baltimore Banner, which just announced expanded coverage of Prince George's County? Right now you can get 6 months for only $1.

Style Inspo & Sale Alert

Wear for the holiday, and wear after: glasses | necklace (I own) | ring | earrings | sweater | pants | bag | lipcolor (I own) | socks | phone case | loafers (I own)

AYR is celebrating its 10th anniversary with 20% off sitewide. I know y'all love this label; the AYR Secret Sauce Jeans were one of the most popular jeans for the Wardrobe Oxygen community last year! This 20% off sale is the biggest AYR has beyond Black Friday. No code needed, discount will show at checkout but shop soon; sale ends on the 8th!

Ruti, another brand that had popular jeans for women over 40 last year, just opened its East Coast flagship on Madison Avenue in NYC. To celebrate, Ruti is offering $40 off purchases. If you can't make it to the Big Apple, no need for FOMO, use code NYC40 at checkout to get your $40 off. Just yesterday I was wearing these jeans from Ruti!

QVC is having a month full of one-day and week-long deals launching each Wednesday. Through the 28th, you can also use code WELCOME15 for $15 off a purchase of $35+. This can be used on some of the sales going on now like the deals on ELEMIS Pro Collagen Cleansing Balm and this L'Occitane Jumbo Hand Cream Duo.

See/Hear/Read

I don't like violent shows, and I don't play video games, so you may be surprised to find I really enjoy the show Fallout; we're into the second season. It is a Prime show; we're enjoying until our subscription runs out this summer. If you have already canceled, you can see the entire first season on YouTube.

So Fallout is based on a video game of the same name, but like The Last Of Us, you don't need to be familiar with the game to understand the show. This show flip-flops between the past, and 200+ years in the future after a nuclear fallout. The past is this alternate universe of the United States that is part mid-century charm and part high-tech sci-fi. And the future? It's grim. Some people survived by staying in vaults underground, some made their way on the surface. Hijinks and graphic violence ensue, and while sometimes I have to cover my eyes, I really do find the show pretty awesome and unique.

Walton Goggins is in it, which is enough for me. He plays someone who was essentially George Clooney in the past and in the present is essentially Clint Eastwood… or maybe John Wayne. One of them, but without a nose and the same accent as Baby Billy. Trust me, it's great.

Ella Purnell, who I recognized from Yellowjackets, is perfectly cast as Lucy; her father is played by Kyle MacLachlan, and you'll see plenty of other familiar faces in both seasons (hello Macaulay Culkin, Sarita Choudhury, Justin Theroux, and many more).

For Your Entertainment

You may have heard this song on social media, maybe you heard it in the trailer for the upcoming series adaptation of Margo's Got Money Troubles. Maybe it's new to you, but it's going to be an earworm. Introducing MEEK with her catchy song and fabulous video for her first single, “Fabulous.”