Friday Five #108

On Love Story, IVF misinformation, sunscreen + more!

Photo by Alex Muromtsev on Unsplash

Hi Friends! I hope you’re having a wonderful week. We’ve had sunshine and seventy-degree weather here in New York, and I feel like I’ve come alive again. It’s wild what sunshine will do to the brain and the spirit. So if you haven’t gotten outside to see the sun and touch some grass, consider this your sign to do so.

The news is still swirling with sadness, vitriol, and one too many falsehoods to count. Like the wise Sharon McMahon says, “you do not need to consume thousands of news articles every week to be an informed citizen.” It can be overwhelming trying to sort through what’s real and what’s not. What’s incendiary for the purposes of getting people to the polls, and what’s concerning for the public at large. If you’re not sure where to start, I’d highly recommend following these journalists/political commentators: Yashar Ali, Emily Amick, Heather Cox Richardson, Sharon McMahon, and Jessica Yellin.

Now let’s get into this week’s Friday Five:

1. The sun is shining! And yes, even though we all know we should wear sunscreen year-round, it’s especially important during these months. I love this skin tint by Supergoop, which gives me a little coverage AND sun protection all in one shot.

2. The GOOD AMERICAN Friends & Family Sale starts today! I live in these black 90s relaxed jeans. They’re comfortable, you can dress them up, or you can dress them down, and they’re magically a perfect length for both boots and sneakers. I might even buy another pair — they’re that good.

3. If you haven’t subscribed to The Monday Pick Me Up by Jen Glantz, I’d urge you to do so. It’s funny, it’s heartwarming, and it’s a healthy dose of inspiration on your Monday morning. She’s a writer and a mom, and she has a CRAZY story about how she started her company, Bridesmaid for Hire. It’ll just make you feel better as you start your week. Or whenever you read it. Basically, it’s my new favorite thing.

4. This piece by Emily Amick,“I Caught a Secret Right-Wing Influence Operation Running In My Feed,” is both necessary and enraging. It’s something I’ve seen too, lately - subtle, fear-mongering messaging that is attacking IVF. I’m not going to summarize this article, as Emily does a brilliant job of laying it all out there. But I will say, as an IVF mother, the way many, many right-wing influencers and the Republican party are preying on couples’ heartaches when they are facing fertility issues is just wrong. IVF and pregnancy are a nuanced, tricky, complicated medical situation, and to act like some influencer peddling their supplements and raw milk knows better than the physicians who have devoted their lives and careers to trying to help people become parents is abhorrent. But read Emily’s article; she says it a lot more eloquently.

5. My husband and I are currently watching Love Story - the story of JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy. I’m a bit of a history nerd, so while I recognize the team took a little bit of creative license, I think the show runners did a beautiful job of capturing the beauty, the joy, and the heartache of what happened to them in a way that, for me, still honors their legacy with class and elegance. Hulu/FX releases a new episode until March 26th - stream them here.

That’s it for this week! If you liked this piece, consider clicking the ♥️ button - it’s a great way to support this work, and help others find their way to this corner of the internet.

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