The Week In Recommendations 1.29.25
The culture that's saving our sanity this week, and where we're looking for guidance.
This is the free edition of Rich Text, a newsletter about cultural obsessions from your Internet BFFs Emma and Claire. If you like what you see and hear, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Our latest subscriber post was about how to stay sane during Trump 2.0., with
. Another episode about “The Traitors” is coming soon. Rich Text is a reader-supported project.
Claire has been reading… 📖
“Mr. Lonely,” a piece from Zoë Hu in the Baffler about Andrew Tate and his isolating, financially exploitative view of masculinity. The influencer, who has been charged with human trafficking and rape, remains a hugely popular content creator, pushing an aspirational form of manhood in which women are merely accessories, tools, and financially exploitable resources men can use to claw their way to the top of the social hierarchy. It’s a bleak read, and captures one of the current schisms in the right’s fragile coalition: the trads vs. the incels and MGTOW.
I’ve been trying to put what we discussed on the podcast last week into practice, though imperfectly: reading about what’s actually happening with the Trump administration and the many crises it’s intentionally setting off in outlets like the NYT or WaPo (compromised as they may be, there are still a lot of good journalists who are still plugging away there). Reading and listening to experts and commentators I trust who can contextualize what’s happening and guide my response. Looking for resources that will guide me on what to actually do, rather than sitting in clenched dread.
I dropped some of the Substacks that I turn to for political context and analysis in the comments of that pod, but here they are again:
- by Hamilton Nolan, who writes about the left and labor
- by Laura Bassett, a politics and culture blog from our amazing former colleague
- , who is now doing a torrent of economic blogging on Substack
Unpopular Front by
, which puts the American right into historical context- , the current home of the old Splinter/Gawker media politics team
- by Lyz Lenz, which takes a feminist angle on conservative politics and the religious right
- by Max Read, a blog about technology, politics, the future, and conspiracy theories
- by Emily Atkin, a climate change publication
- by Judd Legum, which focuses on accountability journalism
I’ve also been looking for ways to build activism into my routine – and to start building a local community. But to start, I’m finding resources that spoonfeed it to me a little bit. The Indivisible action guides, for example, highlight pending legislation and direct you on how to let your senators and representatives know your stance. Pushback at every step can still throw a lot of sand into the gears of fascism.
Emma has been reading… 📖
I’ve also been, like Claire, looking for ways to be useful in this moment. I’ve been so disturbed by the echoes of Nazi Germany we are seeing with this administration. (My poor grandmother has been having panic attack flashbacks to 1939.) In an effort to find practical actions, I’ve also been turning to organizations like Indivisible for guidance. I found their guide on “How You Can be an Immigrant Ally Locally” to be particularly helpful.
And here are some additional politics-focused Substacks that I love:
- by Peter Beinart, a blog about American foreign policy and Israel-Palestine from a progressive Jewish perspective
- by Liz Plank, who gets into the crossover space between culture, politics and gender
Jessica Valenti’s
, which tracks anti-abortion efforts- by Elad Nehorai, who writes about resistance, democracy and good trouble
Bess Kalb always seems to have the words I don’t in
, which includes both earnest and satirical writing- by Jessica Yellin, which makes the news digestible, even when its hideous. (The tagline is: “We give you information, not a panic attack.”)
On a lighter note, I’m making my way through Rebecca Yarros’ “Onyx Storm”! Gimme that sexy dragon war college fantasy story! This book — the third in the series — picks up directly where “Iron Flame” left off. Violet Sorrengail remains a formidable and compelling protagonist, and I cannot wait to see who they cast as her love interest Xaden in the inevitable TV adaptation. I admit that I’m not quite as gripped by “Onyx Storm” as I was by the first two books, but I can’t tell if that’s just because of my Trump-induced anxiety/lack of attention span. However, it is fast-paced and sexy, so I’m obviously going to finish it.
Claire has been watching… 📺
The latest season of “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,” which I’ve been binging furiously over the last couple of weeks. Binging a Housewives show on a delay offers an interesting experience, in which you’re rapidly cycling through a series of alliance shifts, emotional swings, and favorite characters – a journey that, in my experience, you vaguely noticed other people having in their social media posts over the last few months. This season introduced two new main cast members, Bronwyn and Britani. Though they’re quite different, and struck up an immediate feud, I liked them both. Bronwyn seemed smart, straightforward, and a bit quirky, with a delightfully garish personal style. Britani seemed sweet and a bit sheltered, well-meaning and unsure how to navigate either a romance with a playboy Osmond or a friend group full of backbiting vipers. By the end of the season, they were both on my last nerve – and yet I still think they were great additions and look forward to seeing them back next season. Also a great addition? A Mary Cosby who’s back in the main cast and ready to play ball. I saw a side of Mary I didn’t know existed: diplomatic, emotionally vulnerable, and game for group outings and activities… well, most of the time. An excellent season, in my opinion.
Emma has been watching… 📺
Jack Schlossberg’s Instagram stories. I’ve been feeling pretty helpless recently — as I think many of us have been — which has primed me to crave Schlossberg’s slightly troll-y energy. His stories and posts are giving me life and light amongst the very extreme doom and gloom that is everywhere right now. I guess all we can hope for right now is little tiny moments of hope.
I also started watching the screeners of the first drop of “Love Is Blind” season 8 episodes. And all I can say is… Minneapolis is bringing it 👀 ‼️
Claire has been listening to… 🎧
Dora Jar’s album “No Way to Relax When You Are on Fire,” which I discovered thanks to some social media posts about a petition made by Gracie Abrams fans who were upset that Dora Jar would be opening for Gracie. Apparently some fans were “baffled” and “perplexed” because they “do not recognize her, and with less than two weeks till the tour, it’s virtually impossible to familiarize ourselves with her slow-paced songs.” I’m taking this as a challenge: in less than two weeks, I believe that I can familiarize myself with Dora Jar’s slow-paced songs. (And, as many onlookers have always pointed out, encouraging people to familiarize themselves with the work of a less-famous artist is, like, the whole point of having openers.) More importantly, I really like “No Way to Relax When You Are on Fire.” Her songs are dreamy and quiet, as if she’s singing them into your ear, but that doesn’t mean they’re boring or even necessarily slow. “Timelapse” is giving me Broken Social Scene in the best way, and “Debbie Darling” wouldn’t be out of place on (sorry!) a Taylor Swift album. The title track might be my favorite.
Emma has been listening to… 🎧
Episodes of Paige DeSorbo and Hannah Berner’s chat podcast, “Giggly Squad”… for research! More to come.
Claire has been buying… 🛍️
The lip stain TikTok keeps trying to get everyone to buy, Wonderskin Wonder Blading Lip Stain Masque. Initially I resisted it, because I’d used peel-off lip stains years ago and hadn’t loved the result. But I hate having to reapply all day, so I took a chance on the shade Whimsical. And… it’s great. I had to play around with it a little bit, because my initial results were really saturated, uneven, and too dark around the edges of my lips. My technique: start with smooth, well-moisturized lips, apply in the middle of the lips first, and end by outlining them. Then, almost immediately, wipe off the stain. This gives me a nice, even lip color that isn’t too dark, and it really does last all day. It can get dry and peel, so a clear gloss or balm is a good idea. (Well, now I’ve been pushed over the edge to try this. -Emma)
I also found my dress for Emma’s wedding! (Slightly less important than her dress for her wedding, but I’m excited.) We’re not on the wedding circuit much these days, so I had nothing appropriate that fit anymore. I got frustrated with the first few batches of dresses I tried — Reformation, Sachin & Babi — because they would have required custom tailoring to fit my bust. Fair enough, but I wasn’t in the mood! I splurged on a Dôen dress I’d always fantasized about, the Pamelina in rosso, and it fit perfectly, true to size. I can’t wait to wear it with little black heels and a bright lip.
Emma has been buying… 🛍️
CurrentBody’s Series 2 LED Light Therapy Mask. I’d been wanting to try a red light mask for awhile now. I have hormonal cystic acne, and thus have intermittent breakouts and quite a bit of discoloration from old acne scars. Red light therapy has shown some promise for evening out skin tone and reducing inflammation, plus it’s supposed to be great for fine lines and wrinkles. I’d also seen some skin-fluencers I trust (people with actual dermatology education) talking about the mask. I’ve now been using it for about a month, 5 times a week for 10 minutes at a time, and I… love it? The silicone material makes it really easy to mold the mask to your face shape, and it comes with eye protectors. Plus, I’ve absolutely noticed a difference in my skin! My breakouts have been kept at bay, and my scars a little lighter. CurrentBody kindly offered a 10% off code for Rich Text subscribers! EMMAGRAY at checkout.
I also bought a pair of knockoff mini platform UGGs in chocolate brown. I was finally ready to buy the real thing, but turns out that the color I wanted is out of stock in my size… everywhere? So I did some research and ended up ordering these Cushionaire ones. They arrived two days ago, and I love them! They feel as comfy as the brand name boots, but for half the price. (And they come in half sizes, which as a 7.5-wearer is great for me.)
Claire has been making… 🧶
Nothing new this week! Just our old reliable sheet-pan meals, peanut butter toast with banana, and mugs of apple cinnamon tea to stave off my craving for a fourth cup of coffee in the mid-afternoon.
Emma has been making… 🧶
Wedding and mini-moon plans! We’re about a month out from our wedding, which is… insane? We planned the whole thing in less than a year, and now we’re just trying to put all of the final details in place. This means that a lot of my non-work / non-panicked / non-politics energy has been going towards figuring out logistics and making choices about paper goods. We’re also talking about going away for two or three days during the week after the wedding. Did anyone in the New York area go on a mini-moon after their wedding? If so, where did you go and what did you like or dislike about it? Could use the inspo!
If you liked reading this, click the ❤️ button on this post so more people can discover it on Substack!
Give us feedback or suggest a topic for the pod • Subscribe • Request a free subscription
I appreciate this list of quality news sources to check out. One thing I am always trying to be mindful of (but not always successfully) is diversifying my news sources. Supporting POC writers and journalists not only broadens my perspective on how the events of the world are affecting different groups, but is a form of activism in itself as the current regime seeks to dismantle DEI and silence non-white voices. I don't follow any newsy substacks yet (I mostly follow folks on Insta but am hoping to transition if they do), but Pod Save the People is a good podcast, and Indian Country Today is news source made by Native Americans. I just learned about Capital B, a women led news website featuring Black journalists for the Black community. I'll be researching substack possibilities so I'll share what I discover! I'd love to hear other folks' suggestions as well!
Chop Wood, Carry Water by Jessica Craven is another great substack resource for daily activism ideas. She also sends a Sunday newsletter summarizing the good news of the week - very much needed these days!