The Week In Recommendations 4.2.25

A sharp new satire, "straight studies," and willing spring into existence through fashion. Plus -- the April 5 National Day of Action!

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 podcast was about “Severance” season 2! An episode about Craig Conover and Paige DeSorbo’s breakup — and how it’s all been playing out on “Summer House” and “Southern Charm” — is coming soon! Rich Text is a reader-supported project.

Civic challenge of the week:

• Call your representative and ask that they vote NO on the SAVE Act.

• Call your representative and Senators and demand that they take action to fight back against the defunding of the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences.

• Show up on April 5 for the Hands Off! National Day of Action to protest Trump and Musk’s agenda. There are protests planned for around the country — find one near you.

Claire has been reading…

“Careless People” by Sarah Wynn-Williams, which I finished over the weekend. The back half is full of eye-popping revelations, from alleged sexual misconduct by Joel Kaplan and Sheryl Sandberg to dangerously negligent policies in Myanmar that fueled a genocide against the Rohingya. She also describes blatant, deliberate lies to the public and U.S. government about privacy compromises Facebook chose to make in order to break into the Chinese market, as they closely collaborated with the CCP despite human rights concerns. Though I’ve seen headlines and read news items about Facebook’s foreign policy failures over the years, reading the details — and Wynn-Williams’s insider account of how little the company’s leadership actually cared about the human lives at risk — was still staggering.

One obvious weakness in Wynn-Williams’ authority is that, despite describing years of reckless policies that she was deeply involved with executing, she chose to stay at Facebook. Perhaps in part to address this, she devotes a good portion of the book to explaining her immigration challenges (she is from New Zealand and her husband, a journalist, is English) and health problems. But they are also relevant to her case against Facebook: she argues that it has not only been dangerous for users and destabilizing for societies, but that it is a terrible employer. During her two pregnancies, the company sent her on trips that placed her at risk of contracting Zika or being imprisoned by authoritarian governments. During her second birth, she suffered a rare amniotic fluid embolism and nearly hemorrhaged to death. It took her years to fully recover, as the bleeding didn’t resolve for months, and she spent days after the delivery in a coma. After she returned to work, she was chastised for being insufficiently available to her colleagues during her leave. She describes how uninterested Mark Zuckerberg seemed in the plight of Facebook employees abroad who spent time in jail due to conflicts between his company and their national laws. There’s also an anecdote about a Facebook bot designed to address the problem of sexism at the company by awarding badges to “allies” (in other words, men) that gave me a grim chuckle.

Surely we all know by now that tech companies aren’t going to save us, but it’s good to have a salutary reminder that they don’t even have the slightest interest in doing so.

Emma has been reading… 📖

“If Hetero Relationships Are So Bad, Why Do Women Go Back for More?,” Jessica Bennett’s deep dive into the “straight studies” course that sociologist Jane Ward teaches at UCSB. For Bennett’s The Cut feature, she embeds in Ward’s Critical Heterosexuality Studies class, and reads her 2020 book, “The Tragedy of Heterosexuality.” Ward basically argues that non-straight sexualities have been examined by academics ad nauseam (true), and that heterosexuality and straight culture deserve that same discerning lens turned on them.

Ward, who is married to a woman, is fairly (very?) pessimistic about heterosexuality as an institution. She writes in her book that she has observed that straight culture depends “on a blind acceptance that women and men do not need to hold the other gender in high esteem as much as they need to need each other; … to learn how to compromise and suppress their disappointment.” For change to occur, Ward argues that a critical mass of women need to recognize straight culture’s failings, and choose to either (a) change it in meaningful, collective ways, or (b) choose to leave it.

Claire has been watching… 📺

I’ve been catching up on “Summer House” – and dipping into “Southern Charm” for the first time – to get filled in on the Craig and Paige breakup drama! It’s been bittersweet viewing so far. I had never paid much attention to their relationship before, but I find something about their dynamic very relatable, especially compared with other relationships in the Bravo-verse. They can both be combative dicks, but I see how their spiky humor blends with a real gentleness with each other that is endearing. And yet, I know how it all ends. Meanwhile, watching Shep get curved by Miss Bahamas for an entire group trip to Nassau has been distracting me from my Paige and Craig research. This is television!

Over the last 25 hours, I’ve also been watching my senator, Cory Booker, holding the floor of the Senate with a marathon speech opposing Trump and Musk’s policies. I initially had mixed feelings about the execution (why aren’t senators doing this at moments that truly maximize disruption to the GOP’s legislative agenda?) but as it has pushed into Tuesday and actually forced delays to Senate business, I got pretty into it! He smashed the previous record — a particularly meaningful achievement given that the record was held by Strom Thurmond, who spoke for 24 hours and 18 minutes to oppose the Civil Rights Act. And despite the duration of the speech, it was remarkably cogent and substantive; along with some stirring oratory about our American ideals and the need to rise to the moment, Booker made frequent reference to binders his staff had prepared, reading out testimonials from constituents who have suffered from Trump’s policies. I would love to see Booker and other Senate Democrats build on this energy and throw more sand in the gears going forward. (Note: Yessssssss, dipping in and out of this live on IG gave me *LIFE* -Emma)

Emma has been watching… 📺

“The Studio,” Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s new absolute masterpiece of a satirical comedy series for Apple TV. (There’s a reason that it has a 95% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.) Rogen plays Matt Remick, an exec at fictional studio Continental, who gets promoted after the former studio head Patty (Catherine O’Hara) gets the boot. Matt believes in ~true art~ but is basically immediately compromised as it becomes clear that his job isn’t to make great movies, but to make great money off of shitty IP.

The cast is absolutely phenomenal. You get not just Rogen and O’Hara, but also Kathryn Hahn as Continental’s head of marketing, Ike Barinholtz as Remick’s bestie and fellow studio exec, Chase Sui Wonders as Remick’s assistant, and Bryan Cranston as Griffin Mill, Continental’s craven CEO. “The Studio” is a sharp send-up of the entertainment industry, with a side of absolutely incredible cameos. (Um, hello Charlize Theron!) And episode 2, “Oner,” will make your skin crawl in the best way possible.

Claire has been listening to… 🎧

The Straight White American Jesus podcast, which I discovered because the host of Embedded: Alternate Realities was interviewed for a recent episode. Hosts Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller are former evangelical ministers and current religion professors, and they bring this depth of knowledge and personal experience to analyzing Christian nationalist and American evangelical culture and politics. They’re currently in the midst of a series about the new, bizarre evangelical fixation on “toxic empathy,” and they also have some insightful episodes teasing out how this worldview – for example, their specific views on masculine authority and gender roles – seems to be fueling aspects of the MAGA movement and Trump administration.

Emma has been listening to… 🎧

The latest If Books Could Kill episode on Steve Harvey’s 2009 dating advice book for women, “Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man.” I love when Peter and Mike dive into the nitty gritty of debunking scientific claims, but I may love it even more when they’re dunking on terrible, retrograde, gender essentialist dating advice. And, unsurprisingly, Harvey’s book has a TON of it! His main goal seems to be to encourage women to set boundaries, except when not having strong boundaries will benefit their philandering male partners. Great stuff! Feels like a conversation that is depressingly particularly current given the cultural rightward swing.

Claire has been buying… 🛍️

With warm weather approaching, it was only a matter of time until I’d succumb to a beautiful sundress. And it happened. The Christy Dawn Benny dress in noir poppies caught my eye immediately when their spring collection dropped. The painted floral pattern and blanket stitch detailing on the neckline give the dress a touch of retro whimsy, and the shape is easy and billowy without drowning me. (There’s also a matching waist tie if you prefer a cinched look.)

The only dresses that get more wears-per-item than my Hill House dresses are my Dawn dresses from Christy Dawn — the soft cotton and housedress-inspired shape make them perfect for hot days outside — so I’m hoping this will be a new summer staple.

Emma has been buying… 🛍️

As part of our podcast partnership with Revolve, I picked up the Anine Bing Alysha lace bodysuit. It’s such a great elevated basic — great with skirts, jeans, leather pants — and can be dressed up or down across seasons. I wore it out last weekend during NYC’s One Nice Day™ and I’m officially obsessed. I struggle with any version of a ~going out top~ so this is about as close as I’m gonna get. It’s a little bit sexy, a little bit edgy without pushing me too far outside of my sartorial comfort zone.

The full outfit is linked here!

I also ordered these minimalist Italian Leather 70mm Strappy Heels from Quince for summer. They’re a wildly good price, and I’ve seen some fashion people who I really trust review them positively. (See: @fondlosangeles’ luxury sandal video.) They unfortunately will not arrive until June, but since I can wear them from summer into fall, it felt worthwhile.

Claire has been making… 🧶

Sheet pan quesadillas, for a quick dinner. The NYT recipe is basic, but inspired me to try a sprinkle of paprika and cooked frozen corn to my serving. I also threw in sauteed onions and bell peppers, along with some ground beef seasoned with Old El Paso. (Hey, I grew up in the Midwest.) Being able to turn out a whole batch of perfectly crispy, melty quesadillas at the same time is a game-changer for family dinner.

I also made some of our kid-pleasing classics this weekend: blueberry pancakes (I’m still searching for the perfect pancake recipe, but they were fine), and banana oat bars with mini chocolate chips (a huge hit with my son as always).

Emma has been making… 🧶

Coconut rice salmon bowls! I bought some miso salmon filets from the local Japanese market in my neighborhood, cut them into cubes and air fried them in my Wonder Oven. Meanwhile, I made jasmine rice with water and a healthy amount of coconut aminos, which gave the rice a really lovely coconut taste. (I would have used coconut milk instead of water, but I was out.) I added cucumber, avocado, and some spicy mayo and had a perfect dinner!

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