I don’t know how it happened, but 2018 has passed and 2019 is here. Every single week of 2018 felt like a month, and a month felt like three years, but it happened. We made it. #Strutting into 2019 like…
lol jk - onto the substance…
Politics
All eyes are on Justice Brett Kavanaugh, but Chief Justice John Roberts is the one you should be really paying attention to.
What is burnout? Are you burnt-out? How pervasive is feeling burnt-out amongst today’s young adults? This author argues that feeling burnt-out is a condition of today’s society because we’ve been groomed from a young age to be tools of the capitalist system. While you may not agree on the author on everything, I encourage you to give this a read and mull on the ideas she brings up.
This is an article from last year, but a really eye-opening read on the local D.C. heroin epidemic that has been going on for years.
Year in Review: Here is 2018’s most clicked-on stories, per ChartBeat (many of them are political articles).
International
One woman in China has become the leading voice of the #MeToo movement in the country in the face of censorship, reluctant investigators, and laws that can work against the abused.
A really good read on the Iraqi government’s reaction to the ISIS threat. Highly recommend.
Last year, Miss Philippines won Miss Universe—which is a huge deal for the country since they’re very into pageants. On one hand, people celebrated Filipina and Asian beauty being recognized. On the other hand, others pointed out the fact that the winner was not 100 percent Filipina and claimed she was still embodying Western beauty standards.
Culture
What is glitter? This story came out last year but it’s way too good not to include in this newsletter.
A thing called Gamergate happened (even I don’t really have a full picture of what happened there), and gender and video games have been a talking point and a subject of #longreads ever since. Despite the discourse, women are still struggling with sexism in the world of e-sports.
Speaking of feminism: The rising movement left some women behind, one of them being Megan Fox. She deserved better.
Business read: This is an AMAZING read about intellectual property in the fashion industry. I highly recommend it!
We stan Marie Kondo in this house. Here’s her new Netflix show. Here’s a write up about it.
Food and art, what’s not to love? These Asian artists are highlighting their culture by making sculptures of the food that represent their heritage most.
Who were your favorite American Girl dolls? (Mine were Kit and Josefina) Here’s some mock-ups of how they would have decorated their apartments when they were all grown-up.
New Years Resos Corner
Is one of your goals in 2019 to curb your shopping, or be a more eco-friendly buyer? “Sustainable fashion” is a big ole buzz-phrase that I don’t think we’ll see dying anytime soon. One woman chronicled what she learned after she gave up fast fashion.
Fact Check: You’ll often see sustainability bloggers and vloggers talk about how fashion is the 2nd most polluting industry in the world. Fact of the matter is, it isn’t. This piece explains.
Do your resos also include spending less time on you screens and more time living? This website has some amazing tools (you have to scroll all the way down the page) for curbing screen time, making your screen time more productive, and cutting out harmful blue light.
Is another one of your resos to relax more in 2019? Here’s an intriguing read on how baking has become a rising star in the self-care realm.
That’s all folks!
See you guys on the flip!