The Reading List: November 9, 2019

Shannon

As someone who had bangs too many times in the aughts, I was delighted by this investigation from The Cut about the mid-aughts pouf. Think: Marisa Cooper, Ashley Tisdale, Hilary Duff, Ashlee Simpson. See: me trying to get my unflattering 2008 side bangs out of the way. Also, this quote from one of the Cut writers: “My hair is very straight and the only way I could ever get volume in it was to bump.”

Please enjoy this history of the most ubiquitous scent of the past 5 years.

It’s no secret that we’re fans of Chanel Miller’s, so I loved this conversation between her and Evan Rachel Wood about the aftermath of sexual assault (via Harper’s Bazaar). I loved that Wood spoke to “Surviving R. Kelly” and how well the documentary did at describing how abuse happens and how a person can drown in it without realizing.

This isn’t an article, but I’d just like to say that I recently bought cult beauty favorite Biologique Recherche P50 and now I finally know why it’s such a cult favorite. It’s a balancing exfoliator with some strong ingredients and probably isn’t for you if you have sensitive skin. But if you don’t, apply some to my favorite bougie Shiseido cotton pads and swipe it over cleansed skin at night (start every other night), and get ready for radiant skin.

Moira

Like Shannon, I wore the pouf from 2006-2008. I have a Steel Magnolias-like commitment to hair volume, and have always had bangs, so it served its purpose. I’m ambivalent about its return—volume at the crown is extremely flattering, but also Snooki sported a pouf—so check back in and see if I’m rocking one in a few months.

At some point I’ll probably talk more here about my experience as a ballet dancer, but this article in The Cut really spoke to me (though it’s about an elite runner.) The obsession with weight, as though it’s the only thing standing between you and success, is something that will stay with me for the rest of my life. The things Mary Cain’s coaches say might sound extreme, but I can attest that they are completely quotidian in ballet. It’s hard to feel ok about myself as a healthy adult when I’m about thirty pounds higher than my lowest weight (at which I was still called fat and lazy, and was sexualized because no matter my weight, I will always have huge boobs). I don’t know the answer to all of this, but we have to stop normalizing verbal abuse in elite athletics/performing arts. This quote just ripped me apart: “When you have these kinds of good girls,” said another former Nike runner, “girls who are good at following directions to the point of excelling, you’ll find a system that’s happy to take them. And it’s rife with abuse.”

Are doctors underestimating the pain of IUD insertion? Short answer: yes.

EE wasn’t kidding about those Amazon Celine dupes.

Elizabeth

First, I would just like to note that I never had a pouf. Ever. And I feel confident saying that I never will.

Earlier this week, instead of freaking out over Kentucky and Virginia election returns, I was peer pressured by a friend to watch the absolutely terrible but can’t look away live-ish version of “The Little Mermaid” on ABC. It was one of my favorite movies as a kid, and Disney just…ruined it. The best part, to me, was John Stamos breaking character and claiming he could have played Prince Arnold (or Eric, whatevs Uncle Jesse). Vulture definitely gets it right here.

This is a stressful time of year for many people (it’s dark so earlyyyyy), and one of my stress relievers is watching those Tasty cooking videos that pop up every so often on Facebook. Recently, I have fallen down the rabbit hole of the Bon Appetit “Gourmet Makes” test kitchen videos, and I loved this ranking of them. (My favorite is honestly “Skittles” if you’re looking for a good starting point. Similarly, this round up of holiday baking shows was exactly what I needed this week. Confession: I’ve already started watching them.

I have stayed in Airbnbs all over the world, and I am a believer in the system. That said, this nationwide scam uncovered by this reporter (because she was a victim!) was horrifying. Why do some people just want to watch the world burn?

One of my top three favorite movies is “Mighty Ducks 2” (top ten definitely includes “Miracle”), I live in a town with a pro hockey team, and my ex-boyfriend (yes, we’re still friendly) is a hockey referee, so I consider myself to be at least a bandwagon hockey fan. I am also horrified by the scale of hockey injuries, and the number of professionals wandering around without teeth is still startling. I have given you way too much information to explain why I loved this article: The Ugly, Gory, Bloody Secret Life of NHL dentists.

I have been a blog reader since I needed to procrastinate in the library during law school, and Nat the Fat Rat was one of the first ones I read — I remember being fascinated with her mormonism, her struggles with fertility, her time as a law school spouse. Then all of a sudden, everything changed — she got divorced, she left the church, and she (largely) left the internet. This article at Elle was fascinating, and it’s just a reminder that everything on the internet is curated. Except for us. You get us, poufs and all.