“Earth Rug” by Vanessa Barragão

Happy New Year!

Jennie came to visit for the first time in over a decade and we had a wonderful time together. We’ve been friends ever since the fourth day of seventh grade (I think it was the fourth day) when she sat next to me at lunch. Jennie was new to the school and I was relatively new, having moved to the district during the previous school year. We were only in-person friends for a few months before my family moved to Michigan; we kept in touch via letter and the weekly letters during college were one of the few things I had to look forward to and nearly the only thing that kept me going. At any rate, it was delightful to have her here and to take her to the Mütter Museum to see the Giant Distended Human Colon.

I’ve also discovered the joy that is Riverdale. It is 50 pounds of plot in a 10 pound bag and I love it.

• We Will See You Now Extraordinary and important essay from Fran Wilde about her experiences with the medical establishment.
• This is How a Woman is Erased From Her Job
• An Elegy for Bette Howland, a Writer Who Was Nearly Forgotten
• Portrait of the Artist as a Single Mom
• Child Bride A fascinating story about the author’s mother and the stories she told.
• If Fashion Startups Value Innovation, Why Are There So Few Plus-Size Options? There is nothing quite like hearing ad after ad for “disruptive” clothing manufacturers on podcasts and knowing that not a single one has extended sizes. But, as at least one commenter on this article pointed out, there are a number of small retailers who make clothes for fat women that are never mentioned in these articles, perhaps because they cater to people who are larger than a size 28. There is a hell of a lot of size-ism within the fat acceptance community from fats who are below that arbitrary size.
• And one of the startups that does make a point of inclusive sizing is Universal Standard and I’ll basically stan for them forever–here’s an essay from one of their founders about how fashion’s obsession with thinness is bad for business: Why Size Is More Than a Number
• Powerful Hollywood Women Unveil Anti-Harassment Action Plan
• “Oh My God, This Is So F—ed Up”: Inside Silicon Valley’s Secretive, Orgiastic, Inner Sanctum One of the bits of the article that jumped out at me: “These sex parties happen so often among the premier V.C. and founder crowd that this isn’t a scandal or even really a secret, I’ve been told; it’s a lifestyle choice.” Needless to say, I’m quite interesting in reading Emily Chang’s Brotopia when it comes out next month.
• This Moment Isn’t (Just) About Sex. It’s Really About Work. “We must regularly remind everyone paying attention that sexual harassment is a crime not simply on the grounds that it is a sexual violation, but because it is a form of discrimination.”

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