The Week In Recommendations 4.5.23

A debut novel perfect for reality romance fans, throwback sneakers, and cozy maternity pants.

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 podcast was about episodes 6-8 of “Love Is Blind” season 4. Rich Text is a reader-supported project — no ads or sponsors!

We’ve been reading…

“The One” by Julia Argy, a novel set during the filming of a “Bachelor”-style dating reality show called “The One.” It alternates between the perspective of Emily, a contestant designated a “wifey” by production, and Miranda, the veteran producer who is determined to shepherd her to a win. While workaholic Miranda stays laser-focused on manipulating Emily and the lead, Dylan, into delivering her the bonus given to the producer of the winning contestant, Emily — a young woman from a sheltered, religious background and a barely nascent sense of what she wants for her own life — navigates an alien landscape in which normal human behavior seems to be distorted by cameras and hidden machinations. The other women groom and cuddle each other, form close friendships, and occasionally launch into full-scale conflict with disorientingly little warning. The lead is so generically handsome, scripted and remote that dates with him are more opportunities to perform desirability for him than to access his inner self. As a novel, it’s not quite as daring of a work as I hoped — perhaps a bit bland and thin in its writing and characterization. But she does at moments capture the almost sci-fi uncanniness of the “Bachelor” concept and environment, and even provides a hint of wish fulfillment by the end. -Claire

I’ve been making my way through James Beard Award-nominated writer Rax King’s book of essays on lowbrow culture, accurately titled “Tacky: Love Letters To The Worst Culture We Have To Offer.” This book feels really on brand for my particular interests, and I love that King dares to take seriously things like the legacy of Samantha Jones, warm vanilla sugar scent, Creed and “Jersey Shore.” The writing is irreverent and emotional. Just perfect. -Emma

We’ve been watching…

“Queen’s Court” on Peacock, a recommendation from lovely reader Kayla! It’s a reality dating show hosted by Holly Robinson Peete and Rodney Peete, featuring three 40-something celebrity “queens”: R&B singer Nivea, singer and personality Tamar Braxton, and reality star Evelyn Lozada. The women meet a series of suitors — also older than the usual reality dating show demo — and try to sift through red flags like “calls himself Gatsby and never lets anyone else fit a word in edgewise” and “has a newborn child with another woman but is here instead of helping.” Watching this alongside Fox reality show “Farmer Wants a Wife,” one is struck by two things: 1) life is a rich tapestry, and 2) it is a huge asset to a reality show to have contestants with discernible personalities. Tamar, Evelyn, and Nivea are all distinct in their styles, their interests, and their ways of expressing themself, but they can all deliver a priceless quip or reaction shot, and they’re all looking for the same thing: a nice, mature, respectful man who will be a good partner. Is that so much to ask?? -Claire

“Yellowjackets” season 2 has an absolute chokehold on me. It’s devastatingly dark, and yet it’s so good that me, an absolute TV and movie BABY, cannot stop watching. I’m glad that by episode two, the writers decided to get the whole cannibalism thing out of the way. Because the show was never actually about that. Instead, it is an exploration of trauma, the way that it can calcify over time, and a testament to the idea that healing is not linear and that there is salvation in friendship. Cannot wait to see how this season brings its various storylines together. We’ll definitely be doing a pod about it when the season ends. -Emma

We’ve been listening to…

The original “Murdaugh Murders Podcast,” hosted by local South Carolinian investigative journalist Mandy Matney. I have consumed quite a bit of national media about Alex Murdaugh and the corruption of the Murdaugh family, but it truly is a different level of understanding when you listen to a podcast hosted by a local journalist who is embedded in the community and has been investigating this family and all of the adjacent cases (the boat crash, the murder of Stephen Smith, the death of Gloria Satterfield, the murders of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh) for years. Matney is a bit dry in her delivery, but she has the expertise and depth of reporting to back her up. It’s a great reminder of just how important local journalism is when it comes to holding the powerful accountable, and why it’s such a shame that so many local outlets have evaporated. -Emma

A while back, I followed Avery Trufelman’s “Articles of Interest” podcast because Emma was raving about her series on the history of preppy fashion. But I never remember to hit play on an episode until I saw a new one pop up in my feed: “The Clueless Closet,” an exploration of the idea of a digital, outfit-matching closet app that has captured so many tweens' hearts since 1995. Why does this closet not exist yet? Or does it? In just 35 minutes, Trufelman unpacks where Amy Hecklering got the idea for the rotating clothes-racks and computer application in the original movie, how the set designer brought it to life, how generations of fashionistas and techies have invented the closet app for real — and why it has never fulfilled our “Clueless” fantasy of a tech-fueled fashion nirvana. -Claire

We’ve been buying…

Adidas Gazelles. I have been seeing these sneakers all over TikTok (and Brooklyn) for months now, and when I saw that Foot Locker had the men’s navy in a small enough size for my foot, I snagged them. They’re so comfortable, pair great with a midi skirt or jeans, and are a part of the fashion of my youth that doesn’t make me recoil with latent trauma. Bring on the ‘90s/’00s nostalgia by way of flat, basic, durable footwear. Obsessed. -Emma

For months, writing this portion of the newsletter was a minefield because I was primarily buying maternity clothes — and I was trying to play it cool! (Yes, pregnancy is why I gave up on pants and started wearing only leggings and giant sweaters several months back.) Now, at last, I can start to unleash my recommendations!

My first pregnancy, I relied heavily on Rent the Runway, so I didn’t have much to pull from my drawers this time around. Plus, I bought a LOT of high-waisted leggings and sweats over the last three years, and they almost immediately stopped fitting. (Did you know the second time around you might start showing, like, immediately? So fun!) Loungewear was obviously the most pressing need, since I work from home. And that is how I became a devotee of Storq, a pre/during/post-pregnancy brand that makes the softest, stretchiest sweats and ribbed pants I’ve ever worn. My favorite pieces are the Foundation sweatshirt, pants, and shorts in gray and the Cozy Rib flared pants in toast and black, which are so absurdly comfy that I am constantly rotating between them. The pants (like all Storq’s clothes) claim to be wearable before, during, and after pregnancy; in practice, I found that the pants that fit perfectly now were a bit too big around the waist to stay up before my bump popped. But they are otherwise perfect. I wear the sweats almost every day (with laundry breaks), and the flared pants are just elevated enough to take from the couch to a coffee date. -Claire

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