The Week In Recommendations 5.1.25

A chaotic new reality show, a wholesome new makeover show, ballet flats, silk scarves, and London dining.

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 the final season of “You.” An episode about fashion, politics and personal style is coming soon! Rich Text is a reader-supported project.

Over on Love To See It this week, we’re talking about “Farmer Wants A Wife,” “Battle Camp” and “Pretty Woman.”

Civic challenge of the week:

• Call your representatives to continue to put pressure on them to do everything in their power to bring Kilmar Abrego Garcia home from El Salvador, and generally stop Trump’s stated plan to deport and imprison U.S. citizens abroad.

Claire has been reading…

I’ve been continuing to read “Mỹ Documents” by Kevin Nguyen, though I haven’t made much progress thanks to my preschooler’s spring break and the unusually steep amount of full TV seasons we’ve been covering recently. It’s taken me out of my usual reading and doomscrolling routines — and it’s a bit alarming to realize how quickly I feel uninformed about what’s going on if I don’t spend a lot of time on Bluesky and news sites.

A couple disturbing articles I read recently:

“A Mother and Father Were Deported. What Happened to Their Toddler?”, a NYT piece on a family torn apart by the Trump mass deportations. A young immigrant couple was flagged as having possible criminal associations, apparently because of their tattoos. They’ve been detained apart from their two-year-old daughter for months — and under Trump’s new policies, they were labeled members of Tren de Aragua and deported. The child’s father was sent to an El Salvadoran prison; her mother was returned to Venezuela. Their toddler remains in foster care here. Having never spent more than 24 hours away from my toddler, I can’t even imagine the anguish of the parents, and the confusion and likely life-long trauma their child is suffering.

A local news story about an Oklahoma City family who were subjected to an ICE raid despite being citizens, apparently because the warrant was intended for the previous residents of their home. A mother and three daughters were turned out in the rain in their underwear while ICE agents seized their phones, computers, and money — which still haven’t been returned. The news story quotes the woman extensively, and her words will echo in my mind for a long time: “Can you just reprogram yourself and see us as humans, as women? A little bit of mercy. Care a little bit about your fellow human, about your fellow citizen, fellow resident. We bleed too. We work. We bleed just like anybody else bleeds. We’re scared. You could see our faces that we were terrified. What makes you so much more worthier of your peace? What makes you so much more worthier of protecting your children? What makes you so much more worthy of your citizenship? What makes you more worthy of safety? Of being given the right that they took from me to protect my daughters?”

Emma has been reading… 📖

I have a smattering of novels sitting on my side table currently, all of which I will have more substantive thoughts on later after I finish them. But to give you a preview of my spring reading list, it includes:

Jo Piazza

’s tradwife murder mystery “Everyone Is Lying To You,” Hannah Orenstein’s “Maine Characters” about half-sisters who meet for the first time after their father’s death, and Emily Henry’s latest, “Great Big Beautiful Life.”

Claire has been watching… 📺

“Battle Camp,” the competition show in which stars from across the Netflix reality show universe head to a sort of sadistic summer camp to fight it out for $250,000. It’s a chaotic and unsettling show. Winning challenges or votes from other contestants helps you avoid elimination, but the ultimate decision is made by a single spin of a game-show wheel, which introduces a degree of chance that rapidly leads the cast to form a sort of New Age religion based around the intentions of the wheel. They compete in harrowing team challenges and in even more harrowing individual challenges, called “punishments.” Despite this, it’s the social challenges which seem the most terrifying to navigate. We discussed all of it, along with the latest episode of “Farmer Wants A Wife,” over on Love to See It.

I also ripped through the Max docuseries “The Trial of Karen Read” after a few of my friends (both real and parasocial) began talking about it. Read was charged with second-degree murder for allegedly hitting her boyfriend, Boston cop John O’Keefe, with her car and leaving him to die in the cold. But the case has become a media spectacle, as many believe Read is the victim of a police coverup. It really does have everything: mounds of conflicting evidence, long-simmering anger at a police force who act with impunity, and a central suspect who is compelling even when abrasive or unsympathetic — which she frequently, frequently is. At times Read seems obsessed with behaving like an innocent person would, admitting that she’s stressed about saying the words “I did not hit John with my car” in exactly the right tone. But mostly she comes across as bafflingly unconcerned with how insensitive or even incriminating her perky demeanor and blunt comments will appear. (Ultimately, it’s hard for me to believe she’s either guilty or innocent, though it seems much more plausible to me that she accidentally hit O’Keefe with her car than that she intentionally murdered him. Maybe the second trial, currently underway, will bring more clarity!)

Emma has been watching… 📺

I’ve been watching “Wear Whatever The F You Want,” Stacy London and Clint Kelly’s new style-focused docuseries on Prime Video. This show is a follow-up to and a course corrective for their iconic show “What Not To Wear,” which ran on TLC from 2003 until 2013. Stacy and Clint were known for their clear-cut style rules and lovingly blistering critiques. Naturally, “What Not To Wear” was a product of its time, fundamentally steeped in the stringent body policing of the aughts, even as Clint and Stacy assured each of their clients that they were beautiful no matter what. They make it clear in the premiere of “Wear Whatever The F You Want” that they’ve learned and grown: “We finally get to do it right this time,” says Clint. The show feels analogous to what “Queer Eye” is to its predecessor “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.” That is to say that its softer, more affirming, and focuses on individuals who have not had the time or resources or encouragement to live out their style dreams. It’s sweet and heartwarming, while still scratching the itch of a makeover show.

Photo Credit: Prime Video / Netflix / Canva

I also started watching screeners of “Bad Boy,” a searing Netflix series co-created by Ron Leshem, who also created “Euphoria.” The Hebrew-language show, which drops on May 2, has won a boatload of awards internationally and follows a teenager named Dean who is sent to a brutal juvenile detention center. The show intertwines the story of Dean’s time in juvie and the friendship he forms with fellow inmate Zoro with his present. Twenty years later, he is a rising star comedian whose past comes back to taunt him and haunt him. The series was inspired by Leshem’s time in juvenile detention centers when he was working as an investigative journalist, as well as the real-life story of comedian Daniel Chen, who plays adult Dean and is an EP on the series.

Claire has been listening to… 🎧

Slate’s Decoder Ring recently had a fascinating episode about what happened to the Chicken Soup for the Soul franchise. Like many millennials, I owned and read “Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul” many, many times, but it had been well over a decade since I’d thought about the brand, which seems even more passé than most aughts trends (after all, Uggs and butterfly clips came back.) All the while, Chicken Soup for the Soul was still out there. In June 2024, it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Last year, reporter Amanda Chicago Lewis wrote about the strange journey Chicken Soup for the Soul had gone on in the preceding two decades, and she spoke to Willa Paskin about how the inspirational book company ended up selling packaged foods, becoming a meme stock, and… acquiring DVD rental company Redbox.

Emma has been listening to… 🎧

Ezra Klein’s episode digging into the fundamentally American nature of Trumpism. Klein’s discussion with Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and the author of “Illiberal America: A History” Steven Hahn resists using frameworks like Nazi Germany, Pinochet’s Chile and Mussolini’s Italy to understand the MAGA movement and our current moment, and instead centers the very real moments in American history where we have stood on the brink of the fascist abyss. Klein urges listeners to take the following away from this history lesson: (1) Things can get and have gotten much worse in this nation; and (2) There is a history of being able to claw our way back. I found it both a sobering and heartening listen.

Claire has been buying… 🛍️

Rothy’s Mary Jane square flats in frappe basketweave, a very belated bid at getting on the Mary Jane ballet flat trend. Because of my wide feet and practical needs (As A Busy Mom), I’m very loyal to footwear brands that work for me. Nisolo huaraches and Kizik sneakers are easy to step into and comfy to shlep around in, so I basically buy no other sandals or sneakers. Rothy’s, thanks to their knit uppers, stretch comfortably around my thick-set phalanges — and, dream of dreams, they are machine washable. So while the adorable mesh Mary Janes I kept seeing last summer looked easy to ruin, I thought a Rothy’s version could survive an occasional unexpected trek through the dusty expanses of our local parks. I haven’t road tested them yet, and am a bit worried that the thin strap will prove flimsy, but the look is perfect, from the pale beige color (a perfect spring-to-summer neutral) to the squared toe. I can’t wait to pair them with jeans, linen pants, and dresses.

Plus, one of my absolute favorite brands, Beyond Nine, is having a rare sale, so if you’re interested in some giant linen pants or breezy sets, now is a good time to check them out!

I also keep hearing that the supply chain catastrophe resulting from Trump’s tariffs will soon be hitting consumers, and I’m trying to think of the right things to stockpile or buy ahead to prepare. (It’s very tempting to just focus on buying just one more cute dress so that I will look chic while, I assume, bartering boxes of Annie’s mac and cheese for a carton of eggs.) The vulnerability of products like coffee beans, toilet paper, and wine seems to be unclear, but I don’t see much of a downside to stocking up on shelf-stable goods. It really takes me back to February 2020, when I was quietly building a tower of dried beans, rice, peanut butter and granola bars on our counter. Turned out to be a good decision!

Emma has been buying… 🛍️

I was recently introduced to the UK-based brand With Nothing Underneath, a woman-designed clothing brand that grew out of a gap that designer Pip Durell saw in the market: high-quality, affordable women’s shirting! As someone who is perennially searching for the best basics, I was thrilled when the brand gifted me their classic white oxford oversized shirt. Suffice to say that I am OBSESSED, and have now moved on to buying their matching sets. My favorites include this Boyfriend shirt with matching boxer-style shorts in Silver Stripe, and this perfect gingham set (shirt here, shorts here) for summer.

I also decided on a whim that I was going to dip my toes into being a silk scarf girlie and purchased this beautiful green and blue silk bandana from Madewell. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this scarf, and now I just need to learn how to properly tie it.

Claire has been making… 🧶

Sheet-pan chicken thighs, sweet potatoes, and broccoli (obviously). I never buy bone-in, skin-on thighs because a certain spouse of mine hates cutting meat off the bone, but he recently went on a grocery run and accidentally brought home the dreaded full-bone variety. I relied on Lidey Heuck for a basic oven-roasted thigh recipe, which was simple and delicious. Honestly, leaving on the skin and bone makes chicken thighs almost decadent — the extra flavor and fat gives it so much more oomf. I think I’ve also finally perfected a sheet-pan of cubed roasted sweet potato: 1/2 to 1-inch cubes, tossed with a very generous amount of olive oil, spread evenly over a sheet of parchment paper, and roasted at 400-425 for at least 25 minutes. As long as I follow these guidelines, they come out pillowy soft every time.

Emma has been making… 🧶

Reservations at Isabel, a very delicious, very chic restaurant in the Mayfair neighborhood of London. I’m in London to see my dear friend Katelyn, and she suggested we try this spot. Now that we have, I cannot recommend it more! The interior design is a real vibe, which honestly matters to me more than I care to admit when I’m traveling, and the food was delectable. The gnocchi was my favorite during-dinner bite, and I also loved the desserts we ordered: sticky toffee pudding and the crepes with hazelnut and chocolate filling.

---

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