To Read Over Coffee
A collection of links from the past few weeks that I think are interesting/amusing/educational/insightful enough to read/watch/listen & think about over a cup of coffee.
Making
I’m obsessed with SewUnravelled’s version of the “Sydney Jacket” by Tessuti Fabrics! I’m broiling now, but definitely want to make this pattern for next fall.
Stitch Prism is handmade jewelry/aeriums/potions/art by Kelly Anne Mifflin – just look at the embroidered art!
Clothing & Fashion
It’s pretty easy to dismiss fashion models & what they do. But what does a model actually do? “What does a model do?” from Coletterie.
John Oliver on fast & cheap fashion is hilarious. But I think you could have already guessed that.
Speaking of fast fashion, a new movie “The True Cost,” looks amazing & I definitely want to see it!
“Beacon’s Closet, Buffalo Exchange, and the Big Business of Selling Your Old Clothes” on racked.com, is a fascinating read on the ins & outs of buying & selling used clothing.
While buzzfeed is generally nothing but a time-suck, “10 Badass People Proving Androgynous Fashion is What You Make it” is absolutely worth a read.
ELLE editor Sally Holmes dressed like Kim Kardashian for a week: Part One – all about the clothing; Part two – all about the hair & makeup routine.
Both ELLE articles are damn good reads, even if you have less than no interest in dressing like Kim Kardashian. I love a good clothing experiment, because I think a good clothing experiment really illuminates how powerful clothing can be in influencing how people (including ourselves) perceive us.
Other
A long article, but with nuanced & depth. “Why Women Talk Less” by Debbie Cameron.
“‘Let’s talk about genre’: Neil Gaiman and Kazuo Ishiguro in conversation” – why are the boundaries between genres so wibbly? and yet, so rigid?
And finally, from BrainPicking “The Value of a Compassionate Lie,” because stories sustain us when reality can’t.
I loved the John Oliver video. Funny, but also very not funny.
http://truecostmovie.com/ gave me shivers. Thank you for sharing this link.
Doesn’t that movie look powerful! And I’m constantly amazed at how humor can be used to discuss topic that can otherwise get heavy & make people defensive.
I agree, about humor. And it made me feel good when he said he s sending them that cheap questionable food! But I was thinking, how will we reach the critical tipping point? For example with fur, nowadays it is not acceptable in many cultures to wear real fur, whereas up until the 80’s if I remember correctly it was. Or second hand smoke for example. People used to be allowed to smoke on airplanes, in restaurants, in movie theaters, etc. But I’m sure many people will continue to shop at those stores. Cognitive dissonance is still there. How will it change?
I think it’s easy to get overwhelmed when talking about massive societal shifts, and changing hundreds or thousands of minds & attitudes (or more), because things only ever change one person at a time. And when the options you see are “help one person or help hundreds of people” it’s easy to do nothing, because if you can’t help hundreds what’s the point of just helping one. But when the options you see are “help one person or do nothing” it becomes a lot easier to help that one person, or do that one thing, or speak up that one time – and it’s easy to forget exactly how quickly one thing can snowball into many.
So, I guess this changes exactly the same way everything else changes – one thing at a time. 🙂