As with most everything Donald Trump has ever been involved in, the now-president’s 20-year tenure as owner of the Miss Universe Organization was mired in controversy. Former models for Miss Teen USA, which is owned by the organization, recall Trump entering the dressing room while the pageant’s contestants, some as young as 14, were getting undressed; in a 2005 radio conversation with Howard Stern, he boasted of the special privileges he enjoyed in his position, as the only man who could “get away with” going backstage while the women were “standing there with no clothes.” During the 2016 election, 1996 Miss Universe winner Alicia Machado alleged that Trump had taunted her, calling her “Miss Piggy” for gaining weight, and “Miss Housekeeping” because of her Latinx heritage.
Trump’s turbulent stint as the organization’s owner ended in 2015, when NBC, with whom he had entered into a joint venture, ended all business relationships with the Miss Universe Organization following the aspiring politician’s racist rant referring to Mexican immigrants as drug peddlers, rapists, and criminals. But an explosive new book tracing the origins of the POTUS’ “obsession” with Vladimir Putin reveals new alleged details of Trump’s relationship with the contest — and they’re even more troubling than you’d expect.
The first of two excerpts from Michael Isikoff and David Corn's upcoming Russian Roulette: The Inside Story of Putin’s War on America and the Election of Donald Trump, published today by Mother Jones, paints a clear picture of the racist tendencies reportedly exhibited behind-the-scenes by a man whose contract specified that he could ignore the selections of judges, and choose the contestant's finalists himself:
"Frequently, Trump would toss out finalists and replace them with others he preferred. 'If there were too many women of color, he would make changes,' a Miss Universe staffer later noted. Another Miss Universe staffer recalled, 'He often thought a woman was too ethnic or too dark-skinned. He had a particular type of woman he thought was a winner. Others were too ethnic. He liked a type. There was Olivia Culpo, Dayanara Torres [the 1993 winner], and, no surprise, East European women.' On occasion, according to this staffer, Trump would reject a woman 'who had snubbed his advances.'"
When challenging any of Trump's decisions, the other directors of the pageant had a strategy: "If he didn’t like a woman because she looked too ethnic, you could sometimes persuade him by telling him she was a princess and married to a football player," another staffer noted, according to the excerpt, which you can read in full here. Or, when all else fails, just tell him she's a close associate of Putin — if the events depicted in Russian Roulette are any indication, that's all it'll take to patch things right up.
If you're shopping for the YA lover in your life (or if you're a YA lover yourself!), it's time to look beyond the adventures of Katniss Everdeen. YA has only gotten more popular in the years since The Hunger Games came out in 2008. Blockbuster adaptations of stand-alone novels and series like The Fault in Our Stars, The Maze Runner, and Divergent have made YA familiar even to those who haven't picked up a book written for teens since they were a teen themselves. But just because the box office is dominated by dystopian landscapes and John Green doesn't mean that's all YA has to offer.
Recent titles destined to become classics represent all sub-genres. There's everything from historical fiction to magical realism and literary fiction. Here are some recent YA titles that should be at the top of your must-read pile. And feel free to ask anyone who tries to mock you for reading "kids' books" how many times they saw Toy Story 3. Anyone and everyone can enjoy YA.
In this gut-wrenching debut, a trio of diverse teenage narrators cope with life after untimely and unexpected loss. Shay had defined herself by her twin sister; now, her twin sister is gone. Logan, who once loved writing music, now spends his days watching his dead ex-boyfriend's vlogs. Autumn is unmoored without her best friend. They're brought together in interesting ways over their shared love for a band. Given the subject matter, The Beauty That Remains is dark — but it's a necessary and moving exploration of grief.
The Belles, Dhonielle Clayton
The Belles is shaped around a truly thrilling premise. Everyone in Orleans is gray, except for the few exceptionally beautiful individuals, called Belles. They're literally in color. Camellia Beauregard is a Belle — but it's not enough. She wants to become the most elite Belle in the land. Still, as she learns more about being a Belle, she reconsiders whether buying into this system is actually the right thing to do.
Flight Season, Marie F. Marquardt
After a tumultuous first year at Yale, Vivi Flannigan goes home and takes an internship at a hospital in Central Florida. She's still grieving the loss of her father, who died the summer before she left for college. Also at the hospital is TJ Carvalho, who's training to become an RN. The two had met before — but on a night that Vivi tries not to remember. They're both caring for the same patient: A teenager dying of a heart infection who doesn't speak a word of English. There are a lot of balls up in the air, but Marquardt balances them all with dexterity. This book is an affecting exploration of issues like love, loss, and immigration rights.
Caraval, Stephanie Garber
Ready to be swept away into a new world? Caraval begins on the small island on which Scarlett and her sister, Tella, have lived their whole lives under the control of their controlling father. More than anything, Scarlett wants to see Caraval, an annual interactive show. But now that her father is arranged a marriage for her, Scarlett doesn't think she'll have a chance to go. Scarlett and her sister steal away to Caraval — and immediately after getting there, Tella is kidnapped. To Scarlett's horror, finding Tella's location is the end goal of this year's Caraval.
Berserker, Emily Laybourne
Where American Gods meets Godless, you'll find Berserker, a gripping mixture of Norse mythology, the American west, and good ol' growing up. Hanne Hemstad inherited her family's gruesome curse. When someone Hanne loves is in danger, her powers as a Berserker emerge — and she becomes a killing machine. Hanne and her brothers, Stieg and Knut, flee Norway for the American frontier to avoid being brought to trial for Hanne's crimes. There's only one person who can help them, and he's in the middle of the wild West. He also happens to be their uncle.
The Upside of Unrequited, Becky Albertalli
Molly Peskin-Suso has had 26 unrequited crushes over the course of her 17 years. She hasn't ever had her first kiss. Now, she has to watch her twin sister, Cassie, fall in love for the first time.
Wonder, R.J. Palacio
Technically Wonder is a middle-grade book — but people of all ages should read this novel. August Pullman is about to begin his first year of school. Born with severe facial deformities, Auggie had been home-schooled in between the 27 surgeries necessary for medical and cosmetic purposes. Now, he faces his biggest challenge yet: Being accepted for who he is. Wonder has an extraordinary effect on readers. You'll feel kinder for having read it.
The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf, Ambelin Kwaymullina
In post-apocalyptic Australia, a group of children have developed strange powers to control the natural environment around them. The government is rounding up these children, dubbed Illegals, and sending them to detention centers. Ashala Wolf lives in a refuge, but is betrayed by another Illegal and sent for questioning. Who are these kids? Why do they have these powers? And how the heck is Ashala going to get out of this one? We first heard of this book in a Money Diaries entry.
Turtles All the Way Down, John Green
YA superstar John Green drew on his own struggles with crippling anxiety and depression to write this novel. 16-year-old Aza Phillips suffers from an intense form of O.C.D., to the point when she's often unable to focus on anything but her mind's spiral. Green sits with Aza's thoughts — what she calls "light-swallowing wormholes” — for more time than will be comfortable. Yet as a result, you'll walk away from Turtles All the Way Down with a much deeper sense of empathy for those struggling with mental illness.
When Dimple Met Rishi, Sandhya Menon
Dimple Shah's just graduated, and is almost out of her parents' clutches. After this summer, she'll stop hearing all about her mom's schemes to marry her off to the perfect Indian husband. So, Dimple heads off to a pre-college summer program for web developers, without realizing this, too, is part of a match-making scheme.
Rishi Patel is also heading to the same summer program. He's been told his future wife is there, waiting for him. Craving stability and tradition, Rishi's much more on board with the whole notion of arranged marriage.
What'll happen when Dimple meets Rishi? A charming, funny book — that's what.
City of Saints and Thieves, Natalie C. Anderson
After fleeing the Congo as refugees, Tina and her mother think they've found their saving grace in the estate of wealthy Kenyan Roland Greyhill. Her mother is employed as a housekeeper. But when Tina's mother finds that the fortune is actually built on shady business deals and corruption, she's killed.
For the next four years, Tina lives on the streets and works as a thief. She's entirely motivated by revenge, and eventually makes her way back to the Greyhill estate to uncover the truth of her mother's death.
If Birds Fly Back, Carlie Sorosiak
Linny and Sebastian are both haunted by loss, but that's not what brings them together initially. Both are obsessed with the novelist and filmmaker Alvaro Herrero, who just reemerged after a three-year disappearance. As they investigate the great enigma that is Alvaro Herrero, Linny and Sebastian come closer together. The mysteries that hound them — where Linny's sister disappeared to, and who Sebastian's father is — might be uncovered in the process as well.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, Mark Haddon
Welcome to the perspective of 15-year old Christopher John Francis Boone. He knows a lot about a lot of things. He can name all the countries of the world and their capitals, and has memorized a whole lot of prime numbers. Diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, Christopher is not as good at reading emotions, or relating to people.
The action begins when Christopher's neighbor's poodle is killed, and he becomes the prime subject. Christopher applies his logic skills to solving the crime, and ends up uncovering some of the neighborhood's secrets in the process.
Eleanor & Park, Rainbow Rowell
Set over the course of the 1986-1987 school year, Eleanor & Park tracks the course of "true love" between two high-school misfits. But, as Shakespeare said, it never did run smooth. Eleanor & Park captures the frenetic fury of first love, and the realization that love doesn't alway stay.
Ash, Malinda Lo
Who can pass up a though-provoking retelling of a fairy tale? In this retelling of Cinderella, a girl escapes from the torment of her stepmother after she meets an alluring fairy, Sidhean, who will grant her wishes — if she submits to his pact. While she sinks deeper in the fairy world, Ash meets the King's Huntress, a woman named Kaisa. She'll have to choose between Sidhean's fairy promises and a true love right here on earth.
Before I Fall, Lauren Oliver
To continue the morbid theme in teen literature (see: Thirteen Reasons Why), Before I Fall is about a high school Queen Bee trapped in a Groundhog Day- esque purgatory after a car crash. She repeats the same day over and over again until she can change her behavior, and escape the cycle.
Saints and Misfits, S.K. Ali
She's only a sophomore in high school, but Janna Yusuf is already torn between just about a million communities. Her struggles with her Muslim identity come to a head when a) Jeremy, her non-Muslim crush reciprocates her feelings and b) the boy who assaulted her at a party is also a pious and well-respected member of their community.
Uglies, Scott Westerfeld
Before the dystopia craze swept over the landscape of the YA literary scene, there was Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, an unsung hero of science fiction. In this futuristic society, all 16-year-olds are initiated into adulthood through a comprehensive and mandatory surgery that makes them excessively beautiful. Though Tally Youngblood is, at first, eager for the pretty surgery, she gets tied up with a group of people who choose to live on the fringes and abstain from the surgery.
The Hate U Give, Angie Thomas
After witnessing the police shooting of her best friend, 16-year-old Starr Carter is awakened to activism. Starr's previously cordoned-off world begin to collide, as the stress of serving as the only witness to Khalil's shooting and attending a private school begin to collide.
Looking for Alaska, John Green
John Green is a big name in YA; read any of his books, and you'll understand why. This one, his debut, is about a boy who falls hopelessly in love with the pretty, damaged girl across the hall at boarding school — you know, as you do. But what sets this book apart from many in the genre (and from many of Green's other novels) is that the boy eventually realizes she's a real person, not just an actor in his play, and everything gets more complicated from there.
Photo: Courtesy of Speak.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie
Set on the Spokane Indian Reservation, this classic YA novel tells the story of Arnold Spirit Jr., a 14-year-old with dreams of becoming a cartoonist. Junior's life changes when, upon encouragement from a teacher, he decides to attend the all-white public high school in Reardon, Washington, off the reservation. Since the book deals so frankly with the realities of life on the reservation — like alcoholism, poverty, and violence — it's landed on many "banned book" lists. All the more reason to dig in.
Courtesy of Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Falling Into Place, Amy Zhang
Liz Emerson intentionally crashes her car into a tree. In a twilight haze in her hospital bed, Liz's nonlinear flashbacks piece together the short, tragic life of Meridian High's Queen Bee. With its inventive, unconventional structure, this book will especially appeal to fans of Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall.
Courtesy of Harper Collins
Paper Towns, John Green
John Green is a big name in YA; read any of his books, and you'll understand why. This one, which was made into a movie in 2015, perfectly tears down the "manic pixie dream girl " trope.
Photo: Courtesy of Penguin Young Readers Group.
Saving Red, Sonya Sones
Sones' latest novel in verse follows Molly, a high schooler whose chance meeting with a homeless girl pushes her into action for the first time since suffering a family tragedy a year before. Deftly handling the topic of mental illness, the book also features a sweet romance and plenty of humor.
Photo: Courtesy of HarperTeen.
Still Life With Tornado, A.S. King
As Sarah deals with the fall-out of broken friends and an even more fractured family, she's visited by her ten-year-old and twenty-three-year-old self.
Photo: Courtesy of Dutton Books for Young Readers.
This One Summer, Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki
This beautifully illustrated graphic novel follows a preteen girl on her family vacation as she tries to make sense of her evolving sense of self, and her subtly shifting family.
Photo: Courtesy of First Second.
If I Was Your Girl, Meredith Russo
If I Was Your Girl tells the story of a young transgender woman who wants a new start at a new school without the burden of her past. But as she starts to make friends, she begins to wonders if she'll ever really be close to anyone she's keeping so many secrets from.
Photo: Courtesy of Flatiron Books.
Will Grayson, Will Grayson, John Green & David Levithan
Green and Levithan each write the perspective of a teen named Will Grayson. Though the two Wills couldn't be more different, when they finally meet they're able to change each other's lives for the better.
Photo: Courtesy of Speak.
The Sun Is Also A Star, Nicola Yoon
Yoon's latest novel is already a National Book Award Finalist. The book follows two teenagers who both have believed they don't have the time or inclination to fall in love— until they meet each other.
Photo: Courtesy of Delacorte Press.
Shadowshaper, Daniel Jose Older
Sierra Santiago loves to create murals. But when she notices something very strange happening to the street art in her community, she learns her family history is more complicated, and magical, than she could have ever believed.
Photo: Courtesy of Scholastic.
The Strange And Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, Leslye Walton
The William C. Morris YA Debut Award Finalist explores three generations of women as they find and lose love. It eventually focuses on Ava Lavender, a girl born with wings who was raised apart from so much of the world but still isn't safe from it.
Photo: Courtesy of Candlewick.
Nimona, Noelle Stevenson
The National Book Award finalist follows the adventures of Nimona, an aspiring supervillain (with magical powers, of course) who finds a very reluctant mentor in Lord Ballister Blackheart, a man with a mysterious past. The story is illustrated by popular webcomic creator Noelle Stevenson.
Photo: Courtesy of HarperTeen.
Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda, Becky Albertalli
Simon has never had a boyfriend, but he does have a mysterious e-mail pen pal he can't wait to talk to every day. As their messages become more personal, Simon begins to wonder what a real-life meet-up could lead to.
Photo: Courtesy of Balzer + Bray.
Fangirl, Rainbow Rowell
As Cath goes through her first year of college, the one comforting constant is her fan fiction. Even as her sister pulls away, her relationship with her parents gets more complicated, and her love life becomes, well, suddenly existent, she knows she can go back to the characters she loves. But what happens when her story ends?
Photo: Courtsey of St. Martin's Griffin.
Extraordinary Means, Robyn Schneider
In a not so distant future, drug-resistant TB has become a health crisis — and teens suffering from the illness live in sanatoriums meant to help them recover, and keep them separate from the general population. When Lane first arrives at the Latham House all he can think about is getting better and getting out — until he finds a group of friends that makes him feel like he belongs.
Photo: Courtesy of Katherine Tegen Books.
Unbecoming, Jenny Downham
This multi-generational story explores what it means to do what is expected of you, how relationships can form out of need as well as out of love, and the power of forgiveness.
Photo: Courtesy of David Fickling Books.
The Great American Whatever, Tim Federle
When Quinn's sister was alive, the two were a filmmaking team. They had big dreams and works in progress. With summer winding down, Quinn has to decide if he'll make the most of it, with minor adventures and crushes and maybe returning to screenwriting. Most importantly, he grapples to come to terms with how his sister died and who he'll become without her.
Photo: Courtesy of Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
Highly Illogical Behavior, John Corey Whaley
This novel by Printz Award-winning author John Corey Whaley follows Lisa, a teen so determined to get into a good college, she's willing to drag a fellow teen, unaware, into the psych test study that will serve as her admission essay. The teen in question, Solomon, has stayed home for three years because of his debilitating panic attacks. At first, when a "new friend" shows up on his door, he's suspicious. But as their friendship grows, so does his interest in the outside world.
Photo: Courtesy of Dial Books.
Anna and the Swallow Man, Gavriel Savit
This magical realism novel imagines Poland during World War II through the eyes of a young girl who barely has time to grasp the loss of her father when a new father figure appears — the Swallow Man. While he's not someone she quite understands, she puts her trust in him. And so they set out on a years-long walk and attempt to avoid the constant violence and danger of war.
Photo: Courtesy of Knopf Books for Young Readers.
Exit, Pursued by a Bear, E.K. Johnston
This haunting book about a teenage girl, Hermione, learning to live her life after she's drugged and sexually assaulted, is riveting. A departure from novels like Speak, which follows a young woman who deals with the aftermath of her rape in isolation, Hermione navigates with (almost) never-ending support from all those around her, but she still has to deal with the fear and self-doubt in the wake of her attack.
Photo: Courtesy of Penguin Books.
Denton Little's Death Date, Lance Rubin
Denton Little always knew he was going to die before his high school graduation — in his world, learning your death date is just a part of growing up. He doesn't know how he'll die, but he begins to get an idea when he starts turning purple the day before. However, that turns out to be one of the more normal things to happen to him on the day of his traditional pre-death funeral.
Photo: Courtesy of Knopf Books for Young Readers.
The Truth About Alice, Jennifer Mathieu
A book about a teenager named Alice told from multiple perspectives, this novel offers a truly fascinating look at projecting your issues on someone else and how a teenager's reputation can be completely destroyed by a mob mentality.
Photo: Courtesy of Square Fish.
If I Lie, Corrine Jackson
Quinn has become an outcast in her town overnight for a perceived wrong she didn't actually commit. But a deep friendship and love keeps her from clearing her name, so instead, she has to learn to adapt to living in a community that no longer wants her.
Photo: Courtesy of Simon Pulse.
If You Could Be Mine, Sara Farizan
This is a love story between two teen girls in Iran who always knew they couldn't be together — but always thought, deep down, they could never be separated. As a wedding draws near for one of the teens, her lifelong best friend considers drastic measures to stop it in a country where being gay can get you thrown in jail — or worse.
Photo: Courtesy of Algonquin Young Readers.
Through The Woods, Emily Carroll
A collection of chilling horror stories that focus more on human monsters than creatures with fangs (though there are some fanged creatures — and they will haunt your dreams).
Photo: Courtesy of Margaret K. McElderry Books.
Jasper Jones, Craig Silvey
A 2012 Printz Award Honor book, Jasper Jones is a mystery told from the perspective of a loner teen that is suddenly pulled into the private life of the town outsider.
Photo: Courtesy of Ember.
Paper Valentine, Brenna Yovanoff
Part ghost story, part murder mystery, part love story, the core of Paper Valentine is a lifelong friendship that couldn't end, even in death.
Photo: Courtesy of Razorbill.
Gone, Gone, Gone, Hannah Moskowitz
Moskowitz manages to incorporate the fear in the midst of the D.C. sniper into a story about the aftermath of 9/11 and multiple love stories.
Photo: Courtesy of Simon Pulse.
More Happy Than Not, Adam Silvera
In the future described in More Happy Than Not, you can chose to erase the memories that are too painful to live with. Silvera's teen protagonist believes not even erasing the memory of his father's suicide is worth the possible side effects of the procedure — until he's faced with living with heartbreak.
Photo: Courtesy of Soho Press.
The Diviners, Libba Bray
There is a lot going on in 600-plus page novel by Printz Award-winning author Libba Bray. Set in New York City in the '20s, it introduces you to a teen with supernatural abilities, a flapper with a troubled past, and a boy with a secret even he doesn't fully understand.
Photo: Courtesy of Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
Everything, Everything, Nicola Yoon
A teen with a rare illness that compromises her immune system has spent her whole life in her house, with only her mother and her nurse for company. But when a boy moves in next door, she beings to question if her future has to have the same constraints as her past.
Photo: Courtesy of Delacorte Press.
Grasshopper Jungle, Andrew Smith
Read the book before you see the movie. The story of a teen struggling to figure out his sexuality in the midst of a giant-bug apocalypse is getting a film adaptation from Sony Pictures.
Photo: Courtesy of Speak.
The Cure For Dreaming, Cat Winters
Set in the early 1900s, when American women were still fighting for the right to vote and an independent woman could be seen as a dangerous thing, Olivia tries her best to hide her feminist efforts from her controlling father. A mix of historical fiction and magical realism, Winters creates a believably terrifying portrait of what it meant to be a woman at the turn of the 20th century.
Photo: Courtesy of Harry N. Abrams.
Only Ever Yours, Louise O'Neill
A haunting dystopian novel for fans of The Handmaid's Tale. In a society where girls are raised to be wives, prostitutes, or celibate caregivers, beauty is everything and there's no real romance or love. But there is friendship.
Photo: Courtesy of Quercus.
Dead to Me, Mary McCoy
A Hollywood noir in the same vein as a Raymond Chandler — except that it essentially takes the misogyny of those classic books as its subject. In McCoy's twisty debut, an aspiring girl detective finds her once-disappeared sister in a coma and sets out to find the man who put her there.
Photo: Courtesy of Disney-Hyperion.
Boy Meets Boy, David Levithan
The high school in this book is like a dream land — everybody's free to express themselves however they like, no one judges, the cheerleaders ride motorcycles. The quarterback is also the homecoming queen, and his name is Infinite Darlene. What does it say that a novel about a high school without intolerance feels like magical realism? Well, at the very least it says: Read it. Grown-up life is hard and this novel is the perfect idealized world to escape into when our real one is just too bleak.
Photo: Courtesy of Knopf.
Unteachable, Leah Raeder
The plot is delicious, if easily recognizable: A tough girl accidentally sleeps with her teacher the summer before she realizes he's her teacher. They can't control themselves, rumors begin to spread — you know the rest. But what really elevates this novel (and makes it worthwhile for any adult reader) is the prose. It's so well written, so lyric, and so electrifying that every line will give you a thrill.
Photo: Courtesy of Atria.
We Were Liars, E. Lockhart
A bunch of privileged kids bring a less-privileged friend to their family's private island — and something happens. Things begin to not add up. This book is about inheritance, death, amnesia, and its gripping plot will have you whipping through the pages. Pick up this plot-heavy book along with Lockhart’s The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks (which is all about eponymous Frankie, who tries to break into her boyfriend’s all-male secret society), and you've pretty much got a perfect weekend of reading.
Photo: Courtesy of Delacorte Press.
Monster, Walter Dean Myers
This affecting and all too relevant novel is written as a movie script playing out in an African-American teenager's mind while he's on trial and incarcerated. "Monster" is what the prosecution calls him, but Steven is about as human (flaws and all) as it gets.
Photo: Courtesy of Amistad.
Sabriel, Garth Nix
If you love Game of Thrones, read this. It has as many disturbing themes, and also, it's better. The eponymous character is an 18-year-old necromancer on a quest to rescue her father from the other realm. Nix just finally came out with a new book in the series last year, so there's no better time.
Photo: Courtesy of HarperTeen.
Playlist for the Dead, Michelle Falkoff
Want another ThePerks of Being a Wallflower? Try this, a compelling contemporary novel that manages to incorporate online gaming and communication in a way that feels natural, real, and very, very relevant to anyone living in the modern world. Plus, Falkoff's a lawyer, so you know she's smart; and she went to the prestigious Iowa Writers' Workshop, so you know the prose is good, too.
Photo: Courtesy of HarperTeen.
American Born Chinese, Gene Luen Yang
This powerful and funny graphic novel follows three stories: one of aching outsider Jin Wang; another of popular kid Danny, whose stereotypical Chinese cousin totally ruins his reputation; and er, one about the Monkey King. In the end, it's all about feeling comfortable in your own skin — which is always a good reminder.
Photo: Courtesy of Square Fish.
All the Bright Places, Jennifer Niven
When this book came out, Elle Fanning immediately bought the film rights, if that tells you anything. It features two narrators, one who has undiagnosed bipolar disorder, the other dealing with the death of her sister. The ending is a little too moral, but the writing is so good that you'll want to visit Indiana, which is saying something.
Photo: Courtesy of Knopf.
Beauty Queens, Libba Bray
Okay: A plane containing the 50 Miss Teen Dream Pageant contestants crashes on a deserted island, which turns out to be not exactly deserted. Sound mega campy? Well, it is — in the best way. It's also a crazy, funny, satirical, feminist, Wonderland-mirror version of Lord of the Flies that will entertain you and also (gasp!) leave you thinking.
Photo: Courtesy of Scholastic.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, Benjamin Alire Sáenz
A book about being 15, queer, and of color in the '80s. Not a barn burner like some of the others on this list, but a delicate, lyrical investigation of character, sexuality, and one very important relationship unfolding over one long summer that will stick with you for years.
Photo: Courtesy of Simon & Schuster.
All the Rage, Courtney Summers
The protagonist of this novel is a little like Veronica Mars — an outsider whose truth-telling has cost her everything — except, er, sort of without all of V's redeeming qualities. A searing novel about rape culture with an extremely complicated female character at its heart? Not just good for grown-ups, but necessary.
Photo: Courtesy of St. Martin's Griffin.
The Walls Around Us, Nova Ren Suma
This powerful psychological thriller goes places few YA novels go — a juvenile detention facility, for one, where girls convicted of murder unravel the truth of their pasts. The writing in this one is on fire.
Photo: Courtesy of Algonquin Young Readers.
The Raven Boys, Maggie Stiefvater
The story of a girl born to a family of psychics and destined to kill her true love with a kiss. Based on ancient legends, yet unique in its field, this novel is atmospheric, complex, and (for those of you who like to sink into a series) only the first book in The Raven Cycle. Side note: Stiefvater has about the most fun Twitter feed on the planet.
Photo: Courtesy of Scholastic.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie
Alexie excels at just about everything: YA, fiction for adults, poetry, even screenplays. This novel, based in part on Alexie's own experiences in an otherwise all-white school, is powerful and often hilarious. It'll make you want to read everything Alexie's ever written, which wouldn't be a bad thing.
Photo: Courtesy of Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
Weetzie Bat, Francesca Lia Block
A classic of the genre, but not in the boring sense — classic in that this wackadoo story is required reading for everyone. It's a love letter to L.A., youth, and the bizarre, a postmodern fairy tale that will make all your dreams seem sparkly and spit-shined.
Photo: Courtesy of HarperTeen.
I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith
An understated work of brilliance narrated by a 16-year-old aspiring writer and her family living in poverty — but in a castle. Very British, mannered, and witty, but with a bittersweet core you won't soon forget.
Photo: Courtesy of St. Martin's Griffin.
Legend, Marie Lu
This novel, the first in a trilogy, is at the top of the post-apocalyptic thriller heap. Great writing, compelling characters, gripping action —anyone with a pulse will find theirs quickened.
Photo: Courtesy of Speak.
Ship Breaker, Paolo Bacigalupi
Bacigalupi is quickly becoming a household name in adult sci-fi, and he should be a household name in YA sci-fi, too (not that the two are all that different). In this vivid novel, a scavenger searching for usable metals in shipwrecks on the future Gulf Coast finds a survivor in the wreckage who purports to be able to change his life — if he helps her.
Photo: Courtesy of Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
The Book Thief, Markus Zusak
An impressively profound, deliciously lyric Holocaust novel about a young girl who comforts herself during wartime by stealing books. Oh, right, and it's narrated by Death — but that's not as twee as it sounds.
Photo: Courtesy of Knopf.
Silhouette of a Sparrow, Molly Beth Griffin
In this acclaimed novel set in the 1920s, a 16-year-old girl who aspires to be an ornithologist is sent to live with distant family at a resort in Minnesota. She meets a beautiful young flapper and they begin a secret affair. This book is gorgeous inside and out.
Photo: Courtesy of Milkweed Editions.
A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L'Engle
To be fair, this novel was published before we used terms like "YA" and "adult" to refer to novels, but it's pretty regularly classified as YA now. That said, it should definitely be read by everyone. Brilliant, flawed characters questing through time and space! A nerdy girl who wins the day! Puns! It's great.
Photo: Courtesy of Time Quintet.
How I Live Now, Meg Rosoff
In this riveting novel, a teenage girl from present-day Manhattan goes to spend the summer with her cousins at their farmhouse in the English countryside. It's strange and idyllic for a while, with no adults around. But then, an unnamed force attacks and occupies England — and suddenly, it's not so great to be alone anymore.
Photo: Courtesy of Wendy Lamb Books.
Akata Witch, Nnedi Okorafor
This fantasy novel follows a young girl with albinism born in America, but now living in her parents' homeland of Nigeria. After feeling like a constant outsider, finds she has secret powers — she is one of the Leopard People. The framework is familiar enough, but the treatment, writing, and West African myths at play elevate this story into something truly special.
Photo: Courtesy of Viking Books for Young Readers.
I'll Give You the Sun, Jandy Nelson
The two halves of this novel are narrated by estranged fraternal twins Noah and Jude, artists and dreamers and seekers both, who must come to grips with the dissolution of their family — or find a way to mend it. Unique, charming, and lyric, it's no wonder this book is a much-lauded best seller.
Photo: Courtesy of Dial Books.
Jellicoe Road, Melissa Marchetta
Three school factions battle it out every year in a small Australian town — the Cadets, the Townies, and the Jellicoe School kids, whose leader, Taylor Markham, is not only out to secure her territory, but to crack the mystery of the mother who abandoned her. And really, that's the pleasure of this novel — the unraveling of a story complex enough to keep any adult interested.
Photo: Courtesy of HarperTeen.
Bone Gap, Laura Ruby
Original and revelatory, this novel uses multiple perspectives to tell the story of a girl's abduction from the small town of Bone Gap, IL — where everyone knows to stay out of the otherworldly "gaps." In this novel, reality lies down next to fantasy and something else gets up. You'll want to see that something else.
Photo: Courtesy of Blazer + Bray.
Anna Dressed in Blood, Kendare Blake
Cas kills ghosts — but only the ones who are murderous themselves. That is, until he encounters a ghost who captivates him, despite her violence. Gory, scary, and totally unlike anything else out there, this is a must-read for any horror lover.
Photo: Courtesy of Tor Teen.
The Madman's Daughter, Megan Shepherd
Like H. G. Wells? Pick up this novel, told from the perspective of the 16-year-old daughter of Dr. Moreau, who, six years after her father was banished to a remote island for his uncanny experiments, goes off to find him. Strange science, the boundaries of insanity, and yes, a love triangle, ensue.
Photo: Courtesy of Blazer + Bray.
Glory O'Brien's History of the Future, A. S. King
Never has a book about accidentally drinking a petrified bat offered such a frightening, yet believable, account of what the future might bring if people in power continue to try to take rights away from women.
Photo: Courtesy of Little, Brown Books for Young Reader.
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Ladies, dust off those party pantsuits — because this International Women's Day, we're taking things to the next level. Gather your best girls and join us at Madewell's Flagship NYC store on Thursday, February 8 from 6 to 8 p.m. for an event that's sure to be equal parts entertaining and inspiring.
First things first: Pick up a copy (or BYO) of TheLittle Book Of Feminist Saints, an ode to our favorite female icons past and present, for a complimentary signing from author Julia Pierpont. From there, enjoy sips, snacks, and, of course, plenty of shopping. (Looking for an excuse? 25% of all sales of the night will benefit Girls Inc. — a nonprofit sisterhood devoted to empowering girls to be strong, smart, and bold.)
If you can't make it to the event in NYC, don't sweat it: You can stop by any Madewell store from 6 to 8 p.m. to donate 25% of your purchase to Girls Inc. What's more, you can follow along with the fun via Instagram, and then enter here to win a $1K Madewell shopping spree, a signed copy of Pierpont's book, a custom print by illustrator Manjit Thapp, and a $1K donation to Girl's Inc. in your name. Paying it forward and getting what we want? Now that's how women get the job done.
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to legal residents of the 48 contiguous United States (excluding Rhode Island), 18 years or older and over the age of majority in jurisdiction of residence at time of entry. Ends 3/31/2018 at 11:59 p.m. ET. For Official Rules, click here. Void where prohibited.
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At this point, we can’t decide if we like Meghan Markle’s style because it’s so personable or because it’s so accessible, but whatever the reason, it works for her. And we aren’t the only ones who can’t get enough of Prince Harry’s fiancé’s fashion choices. As with everything the future royal wears, similar to the way an item sells out after Kate Middleton wears it, the “Meghan Markle effect” has become very, very real.
On Thursday, the former Suits star spent International Women’s Day with Harry in Birmingham, visiting the Millennium Point co-working space for educational and STEM-related groups to meet with the community. Markle wore a two-tone J.Crew navy coat, an AllSaints knit cream turtleneck, and T by Alexander Wang cropped pants, and accessorized with an Altuzarra handbag. The problem? That J.Crew coat, the most distinguishable piece of the outfit, is completely sold out.
If you still want to try and buy it, we see two options: You can just keep refreshing J.Crew’s product page, hoping the item magically restocks (hey, it’s happened before); or you can click ahead to shop the coats that are similar to the one Markle is wearing — minus the white trim. We suggest the latter.
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We may not have a crystal ball, but the runways in New York come pretty close. Even though it's starting to feel like fast-fashion can almost beat the industry at its own tricks, fashion week is still the first place we see trends take shape before they're available to the masses. And this season at New York Fashion Week, there were more than a few looks we're sure will be showing up at Zaras before you can even say "add to cart."
While some of these must-haves are continuations of trends we're already familiar with, others are less about actual pieces and more about inventive styling combinations. But regardless of how convinced you are, there's no doubt the 11 looks ahead have major potential — they're wearable, replicable, and perhaps most importantly, widely appealing. And knowing how on-point the pieces and styling have been at our favorite fast-fashion retailers lately, we actually can't wait to see what they do with them. Let's just hope they differentiate enough to call the designs their own, eh?
The Sweater-As-A-Scarf Sick of your usual blanket scarf? Us, too. Turns out your boldest sweater does good tied high and tight around your neck, keeping you warm and stylish simultaneously.
Tibi
R13
Creatures of Comfort
The Imminent Return of Leopard It's back, and it's more modern than ever. And though the leopard coat seems to be the item of choice, we're seeing the print take over pants, bags, and so much more.
Miaou
Collina Strada
Tom Ford
(More) Polka Dots Call it the Jacquemus effect, but it seems designers can't get enough of polka dots this season. If you already have some in your closet, embrace it. And if you don't? Time to invest.
Nanushka
Tanya Taylor
Saks Potts
Long Skirt + Tall Boots It may seem counterintuitive, but it's a look we've been seeing all over the runways...and it kind of works.
Tibi
Rosie Assoulin
Zimmermann
The Chic Baked Potato Psychedelic, shiny, and reflective? This fabric may have you looking like a fashion-y piece of tinfoil, but you certainly won't go unnoticed.
Sies Marjan
Maryam Nassir Zadeh
Balmain
Calvin Klein
The Quilted Skirt For a more specific piece we're sure will pop up everywhere, consider the quilted skirt. It feels like you're at home wrapped up in a comfy blanket, but looks like a million bucks.
Prabal Gurung
Dion Lee
Tibi
Spliced Colors Think colorblocking went away? Think again. This season's dresses and coats are spliced in every which way with sections of bold, bright hues.
Adam Selman
Prabal Gurung
Esteban Cortazar
Even Bigger Shoulder Pads We've already seen the return of the '80s power shoulder, but blazers are getting even more dramatic come fall (if that's even possible). These should be fun on the crowded New York City subway.
Marc Jacobs
Calvin Klein 205W39NYC
Vaquera
Checker(board), Mate We've had or fair share of plaids, so we're moving on to a more literal checked pattern that's sure to bring out the Hot Topic in all of us.
Christian Cowan
Maryam Nassir Zadeh
Vaquera
The Sexed-Up Turtleneck Add it to your basics arsenal for layering under blazers. Or if you're feeling brave, wear it all by itself.
Jason Wu
Alexander Wang
Eckhaus Latta
Bows, Bows, & More Bows Dainty ribbons popped up everywhere from hair accessories to sleeve adornments. We're all for a trend that's cute and easy to D.I.Y.
Bevza
3.1 Phillip Lim
Oscar de la Renta
The Belted Coat As A Dress The soon-to-be day-to-night uniform of boss ladies everywhere.
Marni
Antonio Marras
Jacquemus
Silky & Slouchy Comfort over everything (without compromising style, of course).
Bottega Veneta
Marques'Almeida
Roksanda
'80s Prom Finally, your dream dress can be yours — now you just need a school dance to go to.
Saint Laurent
Marni
Natasha Zinko
Clashing Neons Caution: Outfits look best under black light.
Marni
Prada
Missoni
Beautiful, Dark, Twisted Fantasy Is funeral fashion a thing?
Erdem
Marine Serre
Mary Katrantzou
Dripping In Jewels Quite literally.
Attico
Erdem
Huishan Zhang
Wallpaper Florals Some worthwhile inspiration for your next home decorating project.
Zimmermann
Emilia Wickstead
Natasha Zinko
Blending Pastels Like a palette of watercolor paints running together, don't be afraid to mix your watered-down hues.
Sies Marjan
Emilio Pucci
3.1 Phillip Lim
Long Live The Bloutfit Read: The black outfit.
Dolce & Gabbana
MSGM
Saint Laurent
The Fair-Isle Sweater It's just one of those pieces that withstands the test of time.
Prabal Gurung
Michael Kors
Prada
Logo Mania(c) They're baaack.
Fendi
Versace
Balmain
The Leather Look Long, leather silhouettes dominated the runways.
Loewe
Hermès
Alexander McQueen
Teen Angst The youthful, anti-everything vibe was palpable, with pieces that reminded us of ones we wore in high school.
Y Project
Undercover
Balenciaga
Miu Miu
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Watching — and enjoying — most movies these days requires a certain level of suspended disbelief. It's unlikely a human would ever have sex with a fish, or that four teenagers could realistically be transported into a board game (and then turn into Dwayne Johnson). For the sake of entertainment, our logic takes a break in the those moments. But other things — like Jennifer Lawrence's blonde bangs that reveal no evidence of brunette roots in Red Sparrow — are harder to ignore. First, we think, Wow, those highlights are impeccable. Then, the disbelief rolls in.
We (along with anyone who has ever colored their hair) know that maintaining blonde is a difficult process that can take up half the day. And that's when it's done by a trained professional. Dyeing your head an icy shade of blonde at home is a whole other ballgame — and not something we'd recommend attempting. So you can imagine how difficult it was for those with even a bit of salon knowledge to watch the scene in Red Sparrow in which Lawrence's character, Dominika Egorova, decides to box-dye her hair platinum in the bathroom sink.
Egorova, a former prima ballerina recruited by an elite Russian intelligence branch, has to go lighter in order to seduce one particular male target. But she can't do it alone, so her roommate (also a spy) offers to help by squirting a bottle of bleach directly into her hand before massaging it into Egorova's scalp. Almost instantly, Egorova is the perfect shade of icy blonde. Then, she proceeds to dive into a chlorine-filled pool.
Any professional colorist can tell you that this whole scene breaks every rule in the beauty book. First, going from brunette to blonde requires a double-process treatment to lift your darker color before actually dyeing it a lighter shade. Also, it doesn't just happen in the blink of an eye — it can take around four hours. And once you do bleach your hair, you should never, for any reason other than saving a drowning human, go swimming immediately afterwards — unless you want your hair to turn green.
Naturally, Twitter was quick to point out how inaccurate this part of the film was.
not to spoil the movie for anyone but the most unrealistic thing about red sparrow was when jennifer lawrence’s character went from brunette to blonde in one sitting by using just box hair dye and no gloves pic.twitter.com/cFlZ90Vd4F
"a movie that knows so little about women that Dominika bleaches her long brunette locks with one box of pharmacy hair dye and then GOES SWIMMING" https://t.co/s2en0SXNMW
🤣 🤣 Seriously thought this was just me. I can watch the most out there sci-fi & fantasy without ever batting an eye but I see the whole brunette to blonde from a box & feel immediately ripped back to reality. I embrace you all, fellow hair realists. You are my people now. 🤗
This might seem completely insignificant in the grand scheme of the film, but it's indicative of a larger issue in the industry. As TheVillage Voice puts it, "If you want women to trust that you have made an earnest effort to dissect a woman’s psyche, don’t just assume you know the details." Our solution: Hire a woman to write the screenplay, or at least consult a colorist before making the assumption that going blonde isn't as tedious as watching paint dry — because it most definitely is.
When you can already buy Swarovski-encrusted everything, it was only a matter of time until Swarovski sneakers hit the pavement. New Balance's iconic NB1 574s are celebrating more than three decades of popularity by adding embellished Swarovski crystals to its “N” logo. Dropping March 15, the limited-edition sneaker collaboration between Swarovski and New Balance will feature unique embellishments like pearlized leather accents and embossing on the heel and tongue label.
Available in 12 colors, buyers can select from a range of black, white, and gray tones (in a nod to Gray Day) peppered with exclusive accents. These were created with sparkle in mind, but the sneakers' crystal inclusion is just subtle enough — though if you're more of a "go big or go home" type, each sneaker will come with a pair of optional matching ribbon laces to spruce up the look.
As with all Swarovski-approved products, each sneaker will come with a “Crystals from Swarovski” seal that incorporates a "sophisticated tracking system with a unique identification number to reinforce authenticity." Since the sneakers are adorned in Swarovski crystals, the $300 price tag runs much steeper than the 574's traditional cost. If blinged-out sneakers are on your radar, it's only $100 more than thoseCinderella-inspired Nike sneaks you never got your hands on.
Swarovski's been in the fine crystal game since 1895. After years of collaborating with luxury designers around the world, the brand’s take on a classic sneaker silhouette is just what 2018 ordered. The shoe's a fresh change from the usually upscale products they deliver and marks a turning point for how New Balance is scaling back up the ranks to remain within eyesight of millennials.
The sneakers will be available exclusively on the NB1 customization platform onNewBalance.com
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It's statistically proven that gyms see a spike in new memberships at the beginning of every year, when the expectations of New Year's resolutions bring about ambitious fitness goals and healthy lifestyle changes. But for some of us, it's not our bodies we want to get in fighting shape by the time spring rolls around: It's our hair. Come March, we're jonesing for a new cut that's more refreshing than a green juice — and from the looks of her most recent Instagram, Jessica Alba is on the exact same page.
Alba gave birth to her third child, son Hayes Alba Warren, on New Year's Eve, but it wasn't until yesterday that she decided to shed the post-pregnancy weight — as in, the kind you get when your long, frazzled hair is starting to bring you down. The Honest Company founder took to her Instagram to show fans the before-and-after of a subtle tweak that made a huge difference. "It feels sooo good to shed the pregnancy hair," she wrote. Now, thanks to celebrity hairstylist Chad Wood, Alba is the proud wearer of the mid-length style that's been trending all over Hollywood.
Wood says that the cut itself was an impulse decision, but he and Alba had discussed the transformation beforehand, with a few retro references in mind. "She wanted something fresh and free. She hasn’t cut it since she had her baby, so this was a great way to reinvigorate her style," Wood tells Refinery29. And it's no surprise to anyone that most of the styles they looked at were straight from the '90s: "Some photos she showed me were mid-length but had choppy layers, and we decided we wanted something a little softer," he explains. "We went for one length across with refined edges so that it falls nicely off her face."
If you're considering copying Alba's look, Wood assures us that it's one of the most versatile and effortless styles you can pick right now. Bonus: If you're not totally ready to take the plunge and try that Janelle Monáe-inspired pixie, or Margot Robbie's choppy bob, this length is just middle-of-the-road enough that you'll still feel like you got a haircut without actually missing any of the length.
It could be the fact that the World Cup is mere months away, or maybe it's because wear-them-proud slogans and logomania have reigned supreme over the past few seasons, but it seems that the way to keep cozy right now is by touting a soccer scarf. Couldn't explain the difference between the offside rule and the transfer window? Not to worry: A slew of designers have created wearable pieces that require zero knowledge of the game, meaning there's no danger of being stopped on the street to discuss rumors of Neymar's move to Real Madrid.
As with most of the streetwear-inspired trends we've seen across fashion month, non-soccer soccer scarves came from the streets of Russia, where several years ago teens were first seen in sports scarves from labels like Sputnik 1985. Then, leader of the pack Demna Gvasalia introduced us to the luxury version in Vetements' fall/winter 2015 15 ready-to-wear collection. Now, our favorite style stars — more at home front row at a show than on the sidelines — are wrapping up in bold and bright scarves too.
Veronika Heilbrunner wore an Alexachung number, one of a limited run of burgundy and white scarves reading 'AC FC,' while Susie Lau held her House of Holland red and pink 'SUSIE FUCKING LAU' piece high during London Fashion Week. Holland also showcased more scarf designs at his fall/winter '18 show, paired with lace-up stomping boots and ditsy floral dresses. That's the beauty of this micro-trend — there's no need to sport head-to-toe athleisure when wearing a soccer scarf.
Photo: Christian Vierig/Getty ImagesPhoto: Christian Vierig/Getty Images
Stylist Rachael Wang wore her blue and yellow piece wrapped tightly around her neck with an oversized tweed suit, while others draped their XXL accessories over camel coats. We're wearing this City Intarsia Football Scarf from Urban Outfitters as styled, with a pinstriped shirt and our favorite vinyl trousers, and saving up for Y/Project 's Napoleon-embroidered red, yellow, and black piece to wear with a turtleneck, bomber jacket, and black jeans.
Of course, you could always opt for a piece of Vetements' merch, like this Yellow Hooligan Free Hugs Scarf, complete with wink-y face emoji. Just make sure people don't confuse you with an IRL hooligan — we've heard they're trouble.
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ASOS wants to make it even easier for customers to find what they’re looking for on its website. On Friday, ASOS launched Style Match in the United States, allowing customers to sort through its inventory of more than 85,000 products by simply uploading a photo. According to a press release, shoppers can either take a photo in real time or upload a photo from their camera roll — say, a screenshot of a stylish stranger you have saved on Instagram — and StyleMatch will immediately find similar options available to buy on ASOS.
“We know this is where our customers are and it’s how they interact with us every day, so we’re always looking for mobile-native ways to make their experience even better,” said Andy Berks, ASOS’ digital product director, explaining that most ASOS traffic comes customers on their phones. “Ever since ASOS was founded, we’ve been driven to delight our customers and improve their lives in little ways by using innovation. But our technology has always been in their service, and never just for its own sake.”
This isn’t the first time the company’s shopping improvements have taken the website to a new level. Late last year, the e-tailer introduced Facebook shopping bots for folks in the United Kingdom and France meant to act as a “gifting assistant.” That’s in addition to Ava, the virtual personal assistant who keeps track of sizes and style preferences to narrow down what you’re browsing. Oh, and there was the option ASOS gave its customers to try on pieces before committing, á la Amazon Prime Wardrobe.
ASOS will add 5,000 new items to Style Match each week, so good luck not spending all of your free time on your phone.
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If you've got a Trader Joe's in your neighborhood, chances are it's your go-to supermarket. It's cheap, convenient, and the snacks are unbeatable. It sounds crazy, but I often stand on the checkout line for 30 minutes and then take the subway home with my groceries just so I can have my favorite TJ's products during the week.
When I sent out an office poll about people's favorite items, I quickly found I wasn't the only one who can't get enough of what that grocery store offers. So much, in fact, that I had well over 100 "favorite" products to sort through. After painstakingly whittling down the list, I present you with our top Trader Joe's picks, according to R29 staffers.
Did we miss any of your faves? Shout 'em out in the comments!
Chipotle Toscano Cheese TJ's Toscano cheeses are seasonally-recurring classics — and this spring's edition boasts some major spicy chipotle flavor.
Soy Chorizo TJ's veggie version tastes like the real spicy sausage deal — especially chopped, sautéed, and thrown into our breakfast burritos.
Peanut Butter Pretzels Whether solo or sprinkled on a scoop of ice cream, we can't get enough of these Pennsylvania-made salted pretzels that are packed with creamy peanut butter.
Ranch Seasoned Crispy Chickpeas These crispy little peas are lightly fried in a canola-safflower oil blend and then seasoned with a buttermilk ranch dressing.
Mini Quiche Duo TJ's mini quiche pack gives you the best of both cheesy worlds: a truffle and swiss plus bacon and sautéed onion duo.
Truffle Honey Mustard What's better than honey mustard? Honey mustard with truffle pieces mixed in.
Three Seed Beet Crackers These white corn and beet flour crips are made with a mixture of black sesame, flax, and chia seeds that are dusted in spicy-savory paprika, onion, and sea salt flavor.
Chocolate Coconut Almonds TJ's takes chocolate-covered almonds to the next level by adding in a creamy layer of coconut.
Mini Marshmallows For when normal-sized marshmallows are too big, a pack of these vanilla-y minis will do just the trick.
Sweet Pull-Apart Aloha Rolls What have your pulled pork sandwiches and beef (or veggie) sliders been missing? TJ's fluffy and sweet pull-apart rolls.
Scandinavian Swimmers These soft and chewy gummies are sweet, sea creature-shaped, and naturally colored with fruits and veggies.
1000 Day Gouda Trader Joe's 1000 Day Gouda is a must for gourmet cheese lovers on a budget.
Sliced French Brioche Our french toast game will never be the same again.
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Spread this seasonal specialty on a toasted bagel — or kick things up a notch and use it for frosting a batch of homemade pumpkin bread.
Salt & Pepper Pistachios Sometimes all you need is simply some salt and pepper on a snack to go nuts for it.
White Cheddar Corn Puffs TJ's take on a certain cheesy, corn puff classic is just as crunchy and damn delicious — but with a prettier price point.
Mediterranean Hummus This hummus nails a savory combo of smooth garbanzo beans, crunchy pine nuts, and a zesty mixed-spice topping.
Green Dragon Hot Sauce Made with tomatillos, jalapeños, cilantro, garlic, habaneros, vinegar, and a little lime juice; This TJ's hot sauce classic is tangy, sweet, and spicy.
Organic French Roast Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate TJ's cheap cold brew concentrate is making our Monday morning game strong.
Chocolatey Cats Cookies Forget animal crackers, TJ's Chocolatey Cats Cookies (*Note: For people) are where it's at.
Brownie Crisp Coffee Ice Cream Sandwiches We can't decide what we love most about this sandwich; the brownie or the coffee ice cream?
"This Apple Walks Into A Bar" Cereal Bars TJ's take on a sweet and cinnamon-y apple pie — in breakfast bar form.
Handsome Cut Potato Fries Salty, restaurant-quality fries at your finger tips — thanks, Trader Joe's.
Roasted Plantain Chips Plantains are actually a vegetable — not a banana as we may have previously assumed. But we'll still be dipping this salty-crunchy TJ's chip take in a spoonful of creamy nut butter.
Apple Blossoms Fool your friends with these "fresh baked" apple blossoms — soon to be your freezer's best kept secret.
Kitchen Sink Dunkers Our favorite dunkable TJ's cookies get a kitchen sink makeover with raisins, pecans, and sunflower seeds in addition to the usual chocolate chunks.
Unsweetened Matcha Green Tea No need to drop $$$ at pricey cafés this summer — just scoop up your matcha from TJ's for 99 cents a can.
Chocolate Babka TJ's babka is the bomb dot com; extra chocolatey with an ooey-gooey interior.
Pepperoni Pizza Mac & Cheese Bowl Two of our favorite comfort dishes combined.
Simply Nutty Bars These snack bars come in three different crave-worthy flavors: dark chocolate, nuts and sea salt; dark chocolate, peanut and almond; and dark chocolate, walnut, peanut, fig and date. Simply take your pick.
Triple Créme Brie At $6.99 a pound, this trifecta of creamy-dreamy brie is a must buy.
Chocolate Chip Dunkers Half chocolate chipper, half chocolate dunker — these cookies make for the perfect milk submerging vessels. Bon voyage!
Everything But The Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend Now true bagel loyalists can everything bagel, everything.
Whole Grain Crispbread A TJ's cracker classic — spread these crispbreads with a hefty smear of brie and fig butter.
Sriracha Seafood Potstickers Seafood plus Sriracha in potsticker form equals TJ's gold.
Soyaki The ultimate power couple of sauces: soy and teriyaki.
Pumpkin Pancake & Waffle Mix Because why make regular old pancakes or waffles when you can make a hot batch of TJ's pumpkin?
Coffee Flour We're thinking of whipping up some coffee chocolate chip cookies, coffee cupcakes, coffee scones, and coffee coffee cake — just to name a few.
Cinnamon Coffee Cake Forget Entenmann's, TJ's crumbly cinnamon coffee cake is where it's at this a.m.
Fig & Olive Crisps These crackers are the perfect combo of savory-sweet — and go well with just about any TJ's cheese (we dig them with the cow's milk blue).
Mango Sorbet The mangos in this sweet sorbet come sourced all the way from down under in North Queensland, Australia.
Speculoos Cookie & Cocoa Swirl Classic TJ's Cookie Butter — plus a chocolatey cocoa swirl.
Belgian Butter Almond Thins Any product described as having "all-butter" is a product we'd like to purchase.
Soy Creamy Cherry Chocolate Chip Non-dairy ice cream lovers rejoice — TJ's "Soy Creamy" is so creamy.
Vanilla Eclairs With Chocolate Fondant There's never a bad time to heat up what is basically a French Boston cream pie doughnut shaped like a deep-fried hot dog.
Oven-Baked Cheese Bites These gluten-free crunchy snacks are packed with a blend of Grana Padano and semi-aged cheese from Italy.
Golden Spiced Milk Chocolate Bar This isn't your OG milk chocolate bar — bite into a hint of spice with crispy crunches of coconut and quinoa.
Black Bean & Jack Cheese Burrito TJ's 10 oz. burrito is packed simply with black beans and Monterey Jack cheese for your accoutrement-ing pleasure (i.e. guacamole, salsa, sour cream, sautéed veggies, etc.).
Buttermilk Pancake Mix You'll never need to make flapjacks from scratch again.
Roasted Garlic & Onion Jam Serve this savory spread with your next charcuterie board — or upgrade any sandwich with a hefty slather.
Garlic & Herb-Stuffed Brie Just when we thought brie cheese couldn't be any more decadent, TJ's stuffs it with garlic and herbs.
Toasted Coconut Cookie Thins TJ's recommends serving these delicate thins with mango sorbet or melted marshmallows sandwiched in between...Yes.
Somewhat Spicy Dill-Flavored Kettle Cooked Chips For those who like a little heat, but can't handle spicy (oh, and love pickles) — these "somewhat" chips have you covered.
Organic Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce & Marinade If you like your BBQ more sweet than tangy, then this Kansas City-style sauce is just what the southern-condiment-doctor ordered.
Nutty Seedy Fruity Bar Chocked full of enough nuts, seeds, and fruits to satisfy our inner squirrels for the winter.
Avocado's Number Guacamole To Go What can only be called the GOAT food invention — portable, individually-sized, guacamole packs.
Peppermint Joe-Joe's Ice Cream Our favorite Joe-Joe's cookies in frosty-mint form.
Molten Macarons Lava cake meets macaron — thus a TJ's frozen dessert star is born.
Partially Popped Popcorn TJ's take on the fan-favorite Pipcorn — with more buttery and sea salty goodness, of course.
Wild King Salmon Jerky Forget beef jerky, salmon jerky is where it's at.
Joe-Joe's We won't say what famous cookie these TJ's treats are based off of — but yes, they are just as delicious.
Cheddar Rocket Crackers These rockets blow Goldfish out of the snacking atmosphere.
Jalapeño & Honey Chevre Talk about sugar and spice — this goat's milk cheese strikes the perfect balance.
Speculoos Cookies These cinnamon-sugary cookies are the perfect dunking apparatus for your beverage of choice.
Traditional Tunisian Harissa You don't need to shop at a specialty store for authentic Harissa — just pop over to TJ's for a jar of this spicy sauce.
Apple Pie Cheddar Cheese For those of you that consider cheese the only food group, this one covers a couple of bases.
3 Cheese Wafers These delightfully thin crackers are packed with cheddar, parmesan, AND mozzarella.
PB&J Bar Keep one of these bars in your bag for any anytime snack.
Sweetened Dried Orange Slices TJ's has a great assortment of dried fruit and we love when there's a new addition to the mix.
Chile Lime Seasoning Blend This spice blend is good on everything. Try it on fish, chicken, or even watermelon!
Mango Sorbet Bon Bons These mini frozen treats hit the spot on a hot, summer day.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Uncured Bacon Jam No explanation needed. We've been putting this new savory product on EVERYTHING.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Raw Almond Butter TJ's raw almond butter is the same price as its regular counterpart, but packs double the flavor.
Unsweetened Instant Oatmeal Because sometimes we want breakfast to start as a blank canvas.
Lemon Meringue Tart Nothing beats a $5 fancy-looking dessert that you can stash in the freezer.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Seafood Paella Seafood paella might seem like the last thing you'd ever want to buy from the frozen foods aisle, but somehow Trader Joe's pulls it off.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's
Sweet Onion & Bacon Vinaigrette We love our veggies, but we love them even more when they're topped with this bacon-y dressing.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's
Hatch Chile Mac & Cheese Trader Joe's frozen mac & cheese options are so good we've got two of them in here. Hatch chiles add a smokey heat to this delectable version.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Milk Chocolate Crisps Chocolate that you can essentially eat like a potato chip? Yes.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Crispy Crunch Chocolate Chip Cookies The only unfortunate thing about these perfectly crisp cookies is that it's really easy to eat 3/4 of the bin without even noticing.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Edamame Hummus Okay, so if we're being honest, we love all of Trader Joe's hummus flavors. The three-layer hummus is genius, right? But we'd never tried edamame hummus before this product, and it's so good.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Mini Dark Chocolate Mint Stars These might actually be our favorite TJ's product. They're only around in the winter for a brief stay on store shelves (they go really quick), but we swear they're better than Thin Mints.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Frozen Black Bean & Cheese Taquitos Anyone else grow up on these? They are the essential after-work or after-school snack, because you can eat a couple or make a meal out of them
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Spicy Chai Tea Latte Mix We're not usually fans of drinks that start as a powder, but this chai latte mix is just as good as what you would buy at your local coffee shop, except you don't have to leave the house.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
BBQ Chicken Pizza All of Trader Joe's frozen pizzas are good, but there's something about BBQ sauce, red onions, and gouda over a doughy crust.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Chile Spiced Mango If we had room, we would have put all of Trader Joe's dried fruit options in this slideshow. They have every single fruit imaginable (where else can you find dried tangerines?!), but these spicy mango pieces are truly something special.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Hold The Cone Mini Ice Cream Cones Perfect for when you just want a little dessert or, you know, a bunch of little desserts.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Speculoos Crunchy Cookie Butter Trader Joe's helped start the cookie butter trend, so it only makes sense that it now carries the product in multiple flavors and forms. However, the original will always be our true favorite.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Unexpected Cheddar Cheese Unexpected is right! This cheddar tastes as if it comes from a fancy cheese shop, but at TJ's it's super-cheap.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Tarte D’Alace Trader Joe's has the best frozen options out there, especially when it comes to apps, and this cheesy flatbread is no exception.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Balsamic Glaze This thick, rich balsamic sauce takes marinades and salad dressings to the next level.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Frozen Tikka Masala We actually prefer the chicken tikka masala, but the paneer and vegan options are great, too. Not only are they delicious, but they're also so much cheaper than takeout.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Cilantro & Chive Yogurt Dip Warning: Once you try this dip, there's no going back to your generic supermarket brand.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Spinach Tortellini Sure, every supermarket sells a version of tortellini, but these guys are ridiculously cheap and they're ready in three minutes, which is more than we can say about 99% of our post-work meals.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Spicy, Smoky, Peach Salsa The name of this salsa says it all, because it really is spicy, smoky, and sweet. It's much more exciting than your typical supermarket options of mild, medium, or spicy.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Gone Bananas! Trader Joe's has no shortage of bite-size treats, but these are perfect when you need something sweet at the end of a long day. Plus, at least you're getting some potassium with that chocolate!
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Organic Silver Dollar Pancakes Pancakes are one of those foods you wouldn't think would freeze well, but once again Trader Joe's proves us wrong. Stacks on stacks on stacks, with no effort whatsoever, sounds pretty good to us.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Gummy Tummies Penguins These are definitely meant for kids, but who can resist an adorable gummy penguin?!
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Green Olive Tapenade We love when condiments can do triple duty as a spread, a marinade, and a dip, and this flavorful marinade does just that.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Mochi Ice Cream All of Trader Joe's mochi flavors are great, but the fact that they made a seasonal pumpkin pie version exemplifies why TJ's is our all-time favorite grocery store.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Savory Thin Mini Crackers Yes, these are just plain crackers, but somehow they are mighty tasty. You'll just have to try them and see.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Candy Cane Joe-Joe's Regular Joe-Joe's are good and all, but these seasonal peppermint-frosting-filled cookies are even better. They're definitely a cult favorite, though, so if you see them, stock up.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Dark Chocolate Speculoos Cookie Butter Cups These are basically the evolved version of peanut butter cups. Try them frozen — trust us.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Chicken Tikka Samosas You can't go wrong when combining two of our favorite Indian food dishes into one essential bite.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Roasted Seaweed Snack It looks simple, but roasted seaweed is one of the best healthy snacks out there. Plus, you can make all kinds of fun "wraps." The possibilities are endless.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Corn and Chile Salsa Another one of our favorite tomato-free salsas. We would eat this with pretty much anything, and it's great as a salad dressing, too.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Frozen Mac & Cheese Mac & cheese is definitely one of our freezer staples, and this version is way better than a stovetop box.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Multi Grain Croissants Croissants are another one of those foods that you wouldn't expect to freeze well, but TJ's has proved us wrong once again.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Cheese And Green Chile Tamales As one R29 staffer aptly explained, "If you steam them for exactly 13 minutes, you will taste the truth."
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Fig Butter We put this stuff on everything.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Chicken Cilantro Mini Wontons Every time we make these, we end up doing double microwave duty because we always want more.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Frozen Quiches We couldn't pick just one frozen quiche to feature, because we love them all.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Pretzel Slims What's better than regular pretzels? Chocolate-covered pretzels, of course! And we love the flat texture of these.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Roasted Gorgonzola Crackers With these crisps, you don't even need cheese to go with your crackers. Although it never hurts to put even more cheese on top.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Parmesan Pastry Pups Just when we thought pigs in a blanket couldn't get any better, TJ's added parmesan.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Greek Honey Yogurt We mix honey into Greek yogurt anyway, so this flavor does the work for us.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Blue Cheese Roasted Pecan Dip It might sound a little odd, but once you try this dip, it'll be your new go-to snack.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Tempting Trail Mix Forget chocolate chips — peanut butter chips make this trail mix crave-worthy.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Triple Ginger Snaps These gingery cookies feel like a holiday party in your mouth.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Fruit Leather These make for a great snack no matter how old you are!
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Spanakopita You really can't go wrong with cheese-and-spinach-stuffed filo dough, and these manage to stay crispy on the outside despite the fact that they're frozen.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
Popcorn In A Pickle Yes, it sounds really weird, but if you're a fan of pickles and popcorn separately, you have to try this seemingly odd snack.
Mini Cinnamon Sugar Churros One of Trader Joe's latest products has quickly become a fan favorite. These mini-churros are a perfect snack to keep stashed in your freezer for anytime you're in need of an impromptu sweet treat.
Photo: Courtesy of Trader Joe's.
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Once in a while, a movie comes along with a breakout star so impressive, you just know they're going to make waves. Mark my words, this year that movie is First Match, and that star is newcomer Elvire Emanuelle.
Emanuelle plays Monique, a teenage girl who's been bounced around Brownsville foster homes, and decides to join the all-boys’ high school wrestling team as way to connect to her father, Darrel (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), recently released from prison. And from the looks of the exclusive trailer above, she rocks it.
First Match is Olivia Newman's feature directorial debut, based off a short film she wrote and directed while at Columbia University. "At the time, I was really intrigued by the growing number of girls taking up wrestling in high school, and because there still weren’t enough girls to form their own leagues, I began to wonder about the physical and emotional experience of co-ed wrestling," she wrote in an email to Refinery29. "I cast a girl wrestler from Brooklyn to play the lead role, and the friendship we developed over the years, the time I spent at her wrestling practices, and the stories she and her friend shared with me, eventually inspired me to expand the short into a feature and ground it in her neighborhood of Brownsville."
To cast the lead role, Newman set up a nationwide search before coming across Emanuelle's self-submitted audition tape. "On first watch, I knew I’d found our Mo," she said. "And to top it off, she was a natural wrestler, born in Brooklyn and had lived in Brownsville as a child."
Emanuelle's first acting break came when she won the New Time's Best Supporting Actress award for her performance in Eclipsed at the Women's Theatre Project. She made her onscreen feature debut in Adam Shankman's Rock of Ages, in 2012. But judging by her impressive turn in First Match, we may be seeing a lot more of her.
Anchored with impressive supporting performances by Abdul-Mateen II, and Moonlight 's Jharell Jerome, the film follows Mo as she navigates the challenges of being a Black woman in a man's world, while juggling her own personal struggles. Newman said she hopes audiences will relate to Mo's plight, and the lengths she goes to to win her father's love and approval.
But beyond that, Newman hopes that this film will inspire other women to take up unconventional paths. "By turning the lens on a female wrestler’s physical and emotional transformation, I also hope to challenge audiences to see young women in a more multi-dimensional way, thereby opening up the possibilities of more non-traditional roles and paths to self-discovery.”
"First Match" will have its world premiere at SXSW on March 12 before hitting Netflix on March 30.
It was less than five minutes into A Wrinkle In Time that I started crying. It's a vibrant, delightful young adult adventure, so it might sound odd that I would cry over Disney's adaption of the beloved book, originally published in 1962. But in one of the movie's earliest scenes, we meet protagonist Meg Murry, played by 14-year-old Storm Reid. With her glasses, brown skin, big curly hair, and love for learning, she's the prime target for a group of girls led by her Regina George-like next door neighbor, Veronica (Rowan Blanchard). In an instant, that bullying scene took me back to my own middle school experience as the only awkward Black girl in my grade with glasses and frizzy hair. And the realization that this was the first time I'd ever seen my own adolescent experience so clearly reflected on the big screen was so sudden and so poignant, I had no choice other than to let the tears fall, one by one.
I'm a longtime fan of A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle, so when it was first announced in 2010 that Disney was doing a big screen adaptation, I nerded out. And when they then shared in 2016 that Ava DuVernay was directing — the first Black woman to ever direct a $100 million movie — I nerded out doubletime. But it was the casting of Reid as Murry that truly got me obsessed with what this could mean not just for me as a book lover, but moviegoers everywhere. While I have to give props to Disney for creating an array of diverse live-action TV movies throughout my childhood — ranging from Gotta Kick It Up to The Cheetah Girls(remember them?!) — the Blockbuster-level live action movies that came out in my pre-teen era were the likes of Harry Potter and Lord Of The Rings. In other words: Starring boys, with some pretty cool girl characters as sidekicks (shoutout to Hermione!), but never any that looked like myself. And not much has changed since my teen years: In 2016, only 29 percent of on-screen protagonists were women, and just 14 percent of all female on-screen characters were Black.
So a teenaged Black girl leading a major budget movie like this one is no small feat. Especially one that's based on a book with pre-existing descriptions. In L'Engle's A Wrinkle In Time, Meg is a young girl with frizzy hair and freckles. While her race is never explicitly stated, she was typically depicted as white on the book's various covers and also, in the earlier made-for-TV Disney version. That was often the case with many of my favorite books, so DuVernay making the decision to cast a girl who fits many of those same characteristics — lack of self-confidence, frizzy hair — but just so happens to be Black was not only groundbreaking, but inspiring. It made me question myself: Why had I typically envisioned the characters in books as white, unless the author told me otherwise? Why can't any of us simply use our imaginations to make a story look however we want it to — both in the real world, but also in Hollywood?
In an interview with DuVernay and Reid recently at Refinery29 for International Women's Day, the three of us discussed the way we all individually bring characters to life in our own minds — and in DuVernay's case, how that translated to the big screen.
"When I read books, I would put myself in them, so I would just imagine myself doing the things." DuVernay told me. "Even still now, I can watch a music video, like I watch a Nicki Minaj video and put myself in it! That's just my imagination. I know that this is something that's really problematic in terms of an author expressly writing something, and sometimes it leaves people out. Mindy Kaling said something really interesting to me, she said, 'I love sci-fi, I love fantasy, but it was a genre that never loved me back, because I never saw myself in it.' So that's something we're looking to correct in this — that's why there's a little bit of everybody in this film."
Reid, meanwhile, was more like me when it comes to the way we're trained to interpret characters.
"I did the exact opposite. When I read things, I'm a very visual person, so if in the book it says that Meg was a white girl with freckles and crazy hair, that's who she was," she said. "I didn't see myself as her. For me, it has to be said that this character is a Black girl. But once I got the role of Meg it all made sense. It did make sense for a young African-American girl who also has curly hair to be saving the world without superpowers."
One of the most integral parts of this multicultural take on the classic is the fact that Meg's race is never addressed in the movie. Her bi-racial family includes her mother (played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw, herself bi-racial in real life), her kooky scientist father (Chris Pine) who's disappeared into space, and her precocious younger brother, Charles Wallace, adorably portrayed by up-and-comer Deric McCabe. In flashbacks in the early scenes that introduce us to the family, we learn that Charles Wallace is adopted, but it's a quick note, not something that's dwelled upon. Here, DuVernay creates a contemporary take on a familiar story that manages to be inclusive, but also doesn't beat topics like adoption or race over the head. L'Engle's characters are given the breathing room to simply exist, instead of constantly discuss their differences.
One aspect that does get some purposeful yet subtle attention is Meg's hair, which she either wears out or up in a bun with loose curls throughout the movie. At one point, we meet an "evil" version of Meg, who's dressed much sexier and has her hair straight — a version used by a villain to mess with Meg's mind and convince her that certain things would make her "better." But there's clearly an intended deeper message there, because those of us with curly and natural hair have been sent the message that straight hair is better for most of our lives. When Meg denies this faux version of herself, I applauded.
And on two different occasions, Meg's friend slash love interest Calvin (played by the soon-to-be-a-hearthrob Levi Miller) tells Meg that he likes her hair. At the beginning of the movie, she brushes him off. But at the end, when she's gained some confidence and is standing a little taller, she simply says "Thank you." I have never seen a young white boy tell a Black girl with a texture like mine that he liked her hair in a major motion picture. Those moments felt both seminal and groundbreaking, and I told DuVernay as much during our chat. She confirmed that it was very much something she paid special attention to.
"In the book, the character of Meg, who's a Caucasian girl, doesn't like her hair — she thinks her hair is frizzy and ugly," DuVernay says. "So I imagined if Meg is an African-American girl, what would be her issues around hair? I tried to take that into a 2018 mind frame with a different kind of Meg. So it's the same intention that Madeleine L'Engle had, that this girl is awkward and uncomfortable with the way that she looks, but I put a different cultural perspective on it. I think those scenes are really powerful, just to have the validation that what grows out of your head in the way that it does is something you can accept."
So, yes, the tears were indeed flowing and emotions high as I watched this film through the eyes of my 13-year-old self. I was breathless as I witnessed Meg find her way through DuVernay's interpretations of these dreamed up worlds, from the planet of Uriel's rolling green hills and fanciful flowers to Camazotz, the dark-and-eerie home of all things evil — in search of her father, but also herself. She gets some help from the three Mrs: The worldly, quote-loving Mrs. Who, played endearingly by Mindy Kaling; the energetic, wide-eyed Mrs. Whatsit, perfectly portrayed by Reese Witherspoon, and Mrs. Which, the all-knowing mother of wisdom who was basically made for Oprah Winfrey to play.
With their guidance and some hard-learned lessons about believing in herself, Meg blossoms throughout the two-hour tale from a gawky, self-doubting pre-teen to a fearless, badass warrior who can fight darkness with goodness and light. By the end of the story, my heart soared with so much pride for both Meg and Storm that I cheered; after two hours, I felt incredibly invested in and connected to her character. As the credits rolled, I started to feel nostalgic — sad, almost. I had to wonder how my life might have been different if, as a 13-year-old uncool outcast, I had had a movie like this version of A Wrinkle In Time to watch for daily inspiration. At 30, I'm pretty confident and self-assured, but it took me a long time (and many, many hours in the bathroom detangling my big head of curly hair) to learn to love my faults. With this version of A Wrinkle In Time at my fingertips, though — and a young Black Meg soaking up messages about using her faults to guide her — I may have found the courage to shake off my haters and hold my head up high much, much earlier.
Alas, my days as a tween are far behind me. Still, even though I'm now more than twice Meg Murry and Storm Reid's ages, this Meg Murry was someone my 13-year-old self was still craving to see. So beyond the dazzling visuals and irresistible whimsy of A Wrinkle In Time, I believe the most important part of this film is its existence. Because thanks DuVernay and her team, no matter who you are, you will see a little bit of yourself reflected here. And even if you don't, the knowledge that young brown girls can finally, finally see that for themselves is reason to celebrate enough.
A Wrinkle In Time Is In Theaters March 9th. Watch our interview with DuVernay and Reid below.
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Welcome toMoney Diaries, where we're tackling what might be the last taboo facing modern working women: money. We're asking millennials how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period — and we're tracking every last dollar.
Today: a structural engineer working in consulting who makes $48,630 per year and spends some of her paycheck this week on pizza.Editor's note: All prices have been converted to U.S. dollars.
Monthly Expenses Rent: $720 for my share. (I live with three housemates.) Student Loan Payments: None. (I paid off my $33,300 in student loans three years ago.) Utilities, Internet & Cleaning ~$91 Health Insurance: $o. (Doctor's visits and specialists' treatments are covered by my company.) Private Health & Life Insurance: $122 Pension: $202. (My company matches 80% of it.) Phone Bill: $24 PublicTransportation Card: $30 Income Tax: $182. (Interest-free monthly payment of last year's income tax.) Investment: $600, automatically taken out of my savings account to invest in Singapore's Straits Times Index. Savings: ~$730, most of which will go into my Vanguard Index Fund eventually.
Day One
6:50 a.m. — Time to get up. I've been planning to start exercising at home in the mornings, but my boyfriend stayed over last night, so I don't this morning. I rush to get ready for work, as I like to get in early on Mondays. Breakfast is just a glass of almond milk.
8:20 a.m. — I need coffee! My coffee connoisseur colleagues loathe the office coffee, but I don't mind it. I like good coffee, but I don't like to shell out $2-$4 a pop for it, so I recently invested in a single serve French press and signed up for a coffee subscription service that sends me a new blend every few weeks at $14.40 per bag. I make myself a cup.
12:30 p.m. — Lunchtime! It has been quite a stressful morning. I usually eat the same meal for lunch every day and I really don't mind it: a vegetarian wrap from a place near my office, which I eat at my desk. I rarely eat out with my colleagues, except for birthdays or project celebrations. Lunchtime is my "me" time. $5.70
1 p.m. — My BF's birthday is in a week and he already told me what he wants: the latest volume of a manga he's been reading. It was only just released today and no local bookstore is carrying it yet, so I place an order online. Cross my fingers it will arrive before his birthday! $20
9:30 p.m. — Wow, it's been a long and stressful day at work. I have a big deadline at the end of this month, so I will probably work late most nights and won't have much of a social life until then! Most food places are already closed by now, so I go to a supermarket nearby to grab discounted sushi packs from the deli counter for dinner. There's a discount on my favorite Kettle Chips, so I grab those too. My BF is staying over again tonight, so we eat together at my place. Then we hang out with my housemates until it's time to get ready for bed. $11
Daily Total: $36.70
Day Two
7:20 a.m. — No morning exercise either today. I think I need to postpone my morning exercise plan until after the work deadline. Breakfast today is chocolate pistachio milk, which is super yum, and a caramel bun that I share with my BF.
8:30 a.m. — At work, I treat myself to my usual coffee from my French press.
12:30 p.m. — Same vegetarian wrap as yesterday for lunch. I like not having to think about what to eat since it's the same almost every day. (At this point you might have realized that I'm kind of boring.) $5.70
8 p.m. — Still at work, but am getting hungry for dinner. I'm too lazy to walk to any food places out of the office, so I opt for a salad from the salad vending machine (yes, there is such a thing!) at work. I quite like the salads – they are very customizable and replaced daily. I'm getting one with quinoa, spinach, corn, tomatoes, raisins, cheddar cheese, pine nuts, and chicken breast, plus lemon-pepper dressing to go with it. $4.90
9 p.m. — I steal a pack of Oreos from our team's snack table. Not really hungry, just stress-eating!
10:50 p.m. — I am so fatigued that I don't think I can carry on working. I might be the last person in the office. I finally call a cab and head home. I have some Kettle chips, shower, and get ready for bed. ($6 expensed)
Daily Total: $10.60
Day Three
7:30 a.m. — I sleep in longer than usual because I'm exhausted from working overtime yesterday. I check my Fitbit and apparently only got around five hours of sleep last night, so I anticipate that today will be rough.
8 a.m. — For breakfast I have a glass of chocolate pistachio milk again.
8:45 a.m. — There was a train disruption, so I arrive at work later that expected. Can't be bothered to make my own brew today, so I have a cup of office coffee. I check my emails and remember that I have to get a senior colleague to sign my application form for the Young Engineer of the Year award that our Marketing department persuaded me to apply to. I feel like I don't fit the bill, but hey, I'll try my luck! I'll find out next month if I get shortlisted.
12:45 p.m. — I am meeting a university friend for lunch who I haven't seen in a while. I suggest a poke place near my work, and we each have spicy salmon poke with broccoli. She insists on paying when the bill comes, so I treat her to coffee at a nearby joint afterwards. I get myself a decaf latte (I need sleep tonight), and she orders a skinny flat white. It's always fun to catch up with old friends and find out what they are up to now! $8.50
1:45 p.m. — A colleague offers me a Swiss roll slice. I can never resist cake, so I gladly take it even though I'm still full from lunch.
4 p.m. — Grab a cab to an offsite meeting with a client. I think it'll be a long one. ($8.70 expensed)
9:30 p.m. — See, what did I tell you? The project director from the client side wanted us to run through all the draft tender queries with him, hence why we finished late. It is raining outside and my laptop has run out of battery, so I go home instead of back to the office. A project manager from the client side offers some of us a ride. I thank him and ask to be dropped at a mall near my place so that I can get dinner.
9:45 p.m. — Only fast food chains are open at this hour. I was considering getting KFC for dinner, but I see that they don't sell the Spicy Sichuan Special anymore! I go to 7-Eleven instead and get a microwave-ready kimchi fried rice. I guess this will do. $3.40
10 p.m. — Walk home to my place and my pants and shoes get soaked in the rain. I eat my food while reading mindless articles on Buzzfeed and then continue to work for a bit.
11:20 p.m. — I shower and aim to get to bed by midnight for some much-needed sleep.
Daily Total: $11.90
Day Four
7:30 a.m. — Wake up relatively late again. I get ready, have my usual chocolate pistachio milk for breakfast, and dash to work.
8:30 a.m. — Another coffee from work. I've only just noticed how strong the office coffee is, as I instantly feel like an Energizer Bunny after I finish my cup. Ready to crack my brain for another challenging day.
12:30 p.m. — Lunch is another vegetarian wrap that I eat quietly at my desk. I received a reimbursement check of $300 from my insurance company yesterday, so I use my lunchtime to deposit it at my bank's check deposit box. $5.70
9 p.m. — After a long day of work, I am considering either staying even later at the office or instead going to get an additional birthday present for my BF. Most shops in Singapore close at 10, so if I leave now, I'll be able to make it. My BF and I normally extra-spoil each other on birthdays, so I have quite a generous annual gift budget. He wants a bean bag chair from Muji, so I head over there. My BF texts to ask if I have already left work and if he can stay over. I tell him "no" so that I can keep the gift hidden from him!
9:30 p.m. — The bean bag is out of stock! And I'm told that it won't be back in stores for a while. I'm afraid I won't have any presents for my BF to open on his actual birthday because the manga won't be there in time. Panicked, I head to the nearby Crate and Barrel to see if they sell any bean bags, but they don't. I give up and head home. I should have done my gift shopping earlier!
10 p.m. — I text my BF that he can still come over if he wants to. I go to 7-Eleven again and pick up a microwave-ready black pepper chicken leg and a pack of ready-to-eat onsen eggs. $4.70
10:30 p.m. — BF arrives at my place. I feel too guilty about the birthday present thing and tell him that I won't have presents for him in time for his actual birthday. He assures me that it's okay and that all he wants for his birthday is to cook a pie with me (we already discussed making Hairy Bakers' beef pie recipe). I feel so grateful, but still very guilty.
Daily Total: $10.40
Day Five
6:50 a.m. — Wake up early today to finish some work. BF is still sleeping so I try not to wake him.
8 a.m. — Office coffee again because I've given up.
12:30 p.m. — Another vegetarian wrap for lunch. Apparently I have enough stamps on my loyalty card (not that hard if you get the same thing from the same place almost every day), so I only have to pay $0.50 for my lunch today. Small win! $0.50
8 p.m. — Leave work today after sending important emails. I was planning to stay later to finish more work, but my BF texted to say that he might have to work tomorrow (since he has to travel to Hong Kong next week for a conference) and I want to see him. I decide that I will continue my work tomorrow instead. Today is the earliest that I am leaving work in a while, which I take as a win!
8:30 p.m. — I thought I'd try to look for the bean bag at another Muji store a few MRT stops away just to try my luck, but of course they don't have any in stock there either, so I reluctantly put my name on a waitlist. I tell them that I might change my mind if the item arrives too late and ask if they can hold payment until collection date. They agree!
8:45 p.m. — In preparation for this weekend's beef pie, I go to an upscale supermarket in the mall to survey the meat selection. Then I text some friends and my housemates to invite them to my BF's birthday celebration.
9 p.m. — On my way home, I pick up a spicy barramundi miso jjigae soup with bread from a nearby spot. I have enough reward points on my member card to redeem a free soup, so dinner is free! I live for days like this – an almost free lunch and a free dinner!
1 a.m. — I stay up late doing dances in my room to hit my daily steps goal. My insurance has a program where if you hit a certain amount of steps within a week, you can get a voucher for $7.60 that you can use at a supermarket chain or Starbucks or as credit on Uber. I'm still not close to my weekly target so far, so I try to get in as many steps as I can tonight. I'm not going to lose that sweet $7.60!
Daily Total: $0.50
Day Six
8:30 a.m. — Get up.
10 a.m. — Arive at the office. I serve myself a cup of coffee before starting work. I need to get as much done as possible today.
1:30 p.m. — Get a spicy poke bowl with broccoli again for lunch. $8.30
3:30 p.m. — I think I'm done for today! I go to the mall near my place to get what I need for the birthday celebration tomorrow.
4 p.m. — I have $3.80 insurance voucher that will be expiring soon, so I drop by a supermarket in the mall and get a refillable pack of hand wash plus my favorite high-end sweet potato chips in the discount aisle (they're expiring in two weeks, but that won't be a problem!). Total comes out to be $4.40 but my voucher covers most of it. $0.60
4:30 p.m. — I order a chocolate cake from a local artisanal chocolate specialist in the same mall that I will pick up and pay for tomorrow.
5 p.m. — I plan to get giant number balloons for tomorrow, but the shop assistant advises me to get them a few hours before the event to make sure they're at maximum perkiness. They're $18.20 each, so the total will be $36.40 for two. Since I know I'll be busy cooking tomorrow, I text my friend to ask for help and she kindly agrees to pick them up for me (and pay for them) tomorrow. I buy some nice-looking candles before heading home. $5.70
5:30 p.m. — Feeling pretty lazy while I wait for my BF to be done with his work so that we can go on a dinner date.
6:30 p.m. — BF texts to say that he might need to stay late at work, so I cancel our dinner reservation and we decide that he will get us takeout later instead. I have grapes as a snack to ward off hunger until then.
8:45 p.m. — BF finally texts that he will be leaving work soon! My housemate joins us and we order chicken rice. Dinner is BF's treat for me, so my housemate settles the dinner monies with him.
9:30 p.m. — We finally get to eat, thank goodness! BF informs me that he might need to work tomorrow so we might not have enough time to make pie *sad face*. I suggest ordering food for the party instead. We spend the night watching the first episode of Black Lightning with my housemate before going to bed.
Daily Total: $14.60
Day Seven
9:30 a.m. — Have a cup of coffee for breakfast.
1 p.m. — Go to the nearby mall to get my winter coat dry cleaned. (I have postponed cleaning it since my Christmas trip to visit my BF's family in London last December!) $15.20
2 p.m. — I get wardrobe freshener, facial cotton, body lotion, and laundry detergent at the supermarket. I use two of my insurance vouchers, so I get $7.60 off. $8.10
3 p.m. — Pick up the birthday cake that I ordered yesterday. They got the first letter of my BF's name wrong! But luckily the skillful pastry chef easily fixes it. $26
3:15 p.m. — Vegan chili soup with a bread roll for lunch today. $5.70
4 p.m. — I have to get in 12,500 steps today to meet my weekly goal! I'm feeling too lazy to walk outside so I search for dance cardio workout videos on YouTube and dance my heart out until I reach 12,500! My friend texts to say that she found a party supply shop that sells cheaper balloons than the ones I found, and she kindly picks some up.
5:30 p.m. — Two of my other housemates are back home, and my BF texts that he's leaving work soon. I order pizza for dinner for the seven of us – my treat. There's a discount deal at the pizza place for four 11-inch pizzas and two starters. I place the order on Deliveroo for the food to be delivered at 6:30. $63.50
6:30 p.m. — BF is here, yay! My friend texts that she'll be late but we start eating.
8 p.m. — We watch a movie that literally starts with a birthday celebration scene where everyone sings Happy Birthday song (a complete coincidence), so we take this opportunity to whip out the surprise birthday cake! One of my housemates sneakily requests to pause the movie by excusing himself to get drinks in the kitchen. I quickly excuse myself to the kitchen as well to prepare the cake and candles. Another housemate turns all the lights off and I emerge from the kitchen with the cake! Everyone sings and my BF smiles from ear to ear. We take photos, BF blows out the candle, and I serve the cake. We resume the movie and spend the rest of the night drinking gin and tonics. I pay my friend back for the balloons. $27.30
12 a.m. — BF stays over and I sing him "Happy Birthday" right at midnight before we snuggle and fall asleep.
Daily Total: $145.80
Money Diaries are meant to reflect individual women's experiences and do not necessarily reflect Refinery29's point of view. Refinery29 in no way encourages illegal activity or harmful behavior.
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“Let life happen to you. Believe me: life is in the right, always” — Rainer Maria Rilke
Shannon Washington has it all: The career, the life, everything. She's a successful creative director who has worked with several of your favorite beauty brands. She also made time to co-found Feminist Enough, a storytelling project which gives a fresh voice to women of color and modern feminist ideals, powered by video and social media. On LinkedIn her career seems perfect, but just like with all social media, it only tells a small part of the story.
In this episode of The Failure Project, Washington shares the rest of the story, not just the highlights. She talks about what her journey was really like.
Washington walks us through what it was like to be a first-generation college student who finds out part way through her degree that pre-med isn’t going to work out; what it was like to lose her scholarships and convince her mom that getting a creative degree would all work out; what it was like to get fired from her first job. With time and perspective, Washington has come to realize that it was those very failures that have made her who she is. It opened the doors for the life she has now.
So what's Washington’s advice when you are in that moment feeling like a failure? “Throw on some mascara and Cardi B, and figure that shit out.” Watch the video above for more of her advice.
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Look, finding the perfect gift for your special someone is not easy — no matter how hard you try. That's why, when we stumbled across one particular ask for help on Reddit's Makeup Addiction thread, we were charmed.
Turns out, the user was looking for a Beauty and the Beast -inspired makeup palette as a gift for his beauty-addicted significant other. According to the post, the couple is obsessed with Disney, and he wanted to give his boo a Belle-themed product. And he definitely came to the right place: Within minutes, the comment section was blowing up with recommendations.
The original post has since been removed but, in the spirit of gift-giving, we've compiled a list of all our favorite Disney beauty buys. Reddit user, if you're reading this, this one's for you.
For the true Disney fiend, Inglot offers the chance to design your own palette. Go for yellows, browns, and blues to create a Beauty and the Beast palette, or shades of blues and greens for a Little Mermaid collection. The palette pictured comes courtesy of another Reddit user, who fashioned the colors after Disney's Tarzan.
Inglot Freedom System Palette, $7, available at Inglot.
Photo: via Oatmeal_Addict/Imgur.
This Minnie Mouse-inspired palette by Sephora was already a major deal — the kit included 20 gorgeous shades for $45 — but now, you can snag it for $27.
Sephora Collection Disney Minnie Beauty Eyeshadow Palette, $27, available at Sephora.
Loved Alice in Wonderland? It doesn't get more adorable than this palette inspired by the movie. With 20 exclusive shades — from bright forest-green to punchy pink — the box will send you down the best kind of rabbit hole.
Urban Decay Alice Through the Looking Glass Eyeshadow Palette, $60, available at Sephora.
Princess Ariel would be so proud to own these makeup brushes, which even come with a shell case that doubles as a purse. Though it's a U.K.-based brand, it does ship to the U.S.
You are not going to want to let this Frozen -themed compact mirror go, because anytime you flip it open, you'll feel a special sort of whimsy.
Sephora Disney Collection Elsa and Anna Compact Mirror, $32, available at Sephora.
If you're into the sparkly, princess-y side of Disney, this gilded paste is a guaranteed win.
Lemonhead Gildebeest, $22, available at Lemonhead.
If you've ever had the urge to soak in a cherry-scented bath inspired by Minnie Mouse, here's your chance. Thanks to Hot Topic, you can now find Disney-themed bath bombs of the famous mouse, along with Stitch of Lilo & Stitch fame and the enchanted rose from Beauty & The Beast.
Disney Minnie Mouse Bath Bomb, $9.90, available at Hot Topic.
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Photo: Courtesy of .
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If you have a vagina, chances are, you also have a fair share of questions about what exactly goes on down there. Asking those questions out loud — whether with friends or during a gyno appointment — might seem embarrassing at first, but the reality is, a lot of the things we find ourselves stressing about are totally normal.
In partnership with Vagisil, we set out to address the most common worries women have about their vaginas, from appearance to discharge, with help from Dr. Nicole Bullock, a Texas-based Ob/Gyn. "Don't be afraid of your vagina. It's okay to look at your vulva and see your anatomy," she tells Refinery29. Talking with your doctor is always encouraged: "As gynecologists, we've seen and heard stories," so rest assured no conversation is off limits, Dr. Bullock says.
Click through for a crash course on all things vaginas, including what doctors suggest is important to keep in mind when embracing your body's natural functions.
Odor
First things first: Every vagina has an odor. “I tell patients that they are the ones most sensitive to their own smell,” Dr. Bullock tells Refinery29. “Healthy” odors vary per person, she says, but “a ‘fishy’ smell is often a sign of infection — most commonly bacterial vaginosis.”
“A combination of symptoms will tip you off to infection,” Dr. Bullock adds. “Color, smell, and skin changes, like burning or itching, can all give clues as to what is ‘normal’ or ‘not normal.’” Changes in your diet could also be the culprit, including “how much you are drinking and what foods you are eating,” so it’s important to stay mindful.
Illustrated by Cachete Jack.
Discharge
Finding a damp spot in your underwear can be alarming (or, at the very least, uncomfortable). But this too is nothing to worry about.
After you have a period, estrogen and progesterone levels are low, meaning the vagina is typically dry with little to no discharge, Dr. Bullock says. Once a new cycle ramps up, estrogen increases, which in turn increases the production of clear-white mucus or discharge. During ovulation, discharge is clear and sticky. After ovulation, progesterone increases, which makes the discharge a thicker, white consistency.
Still, it’s important to remember that cycles aren’t always the same, and, likewise, “not every person’s discharge is the same,” Dr. Bullock notes. “Hormonal birth control will typically affect vaginal discharge, sometimes to the point of causing symptomatic vaginal dryness.” Keeping track of your periods will help you become aware of changes.
Discharges that are thick and cottage-cheese-like or watery with a grayish-green tint are associated with a yeast infection and bacterial vaginosis, respectively. Both can be easily treated with medication. If you haven’t experienced relief after two weeks and there’s a known exposure to an STD or STI such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, or trichomoniasis, seek professional care as soon as possible.
Illustrated by Cachete Jack.
Appearance
Similar to other body parts, the vulva — which is the most external female genitalia — looks different on everyone. Like your shoe size or breast size, “variations are totally normal” when it comes to labia size, Dr. Bullock says. “The only concern for the vulva is if the majora or minora are long enough to cause chafing, dryness, or discomfort.” Under those circumstances, contact your doctor who can then discuss possible solutions.
If you’re concerned about having a “loose vagina,” don’t be — it’s neither a real medical term nor a concern. “The vagina is quite elastic and quite accommodating,” Dr. Bullock says. “We all know it expands to allow for tampons, sex, birth control devices, and, of course, babies.” Although elasticity can decrease after giving birth or with age, according to Dr. Bullock, less elasticity does not mean your vagina’s broken.
Illustrated by Cachete Jack.
Pubic Hair
Being hairy shouldn’t be scary. In fact, pubic hair serves a great purpose: “decreasing friction during sex,” Dr. Bullock says. A recent study even suggests it can decrease the risk of sexually transmitted infections by creating a physical barrier, although evidence is often self-reported.
Moreover, contrary to popular belief, there’s no real health benefit to grooming, according to Dr. Bullock. If you do choose to groom, just be careful. Dr. Bullock’s advice? “Use professional services [and] sharp razors.”
Illustrated by Cachete Jack.
Dryness
According to Dr. Bullock, “vaginal dryness is usually the result of a change or shift in hormones.” A dry vagina should only be a concern if it causes other problems, like burning and painful intercourse, or interferes with normal life in any way. “Dryness can be treated with hormones, other medications, or over-the-counter vaginal moisturizers,” Dr. Bullock tells Refinery29.
Vagisil ProHydrate Moisturizing Gel is a hyaluronic-acid-based moisturizer that offers relief for dryness that feels natural. Each single-use, pre-filled applicator is easy to insert, and the unique gel formula coats the vaginal wall to provide moisture.
Illustrated by Cachete Jack.
Ingrown Hairs
The small red bumps caused by shaving, aka razor burn, are “typically self-limiting, meaning they usually resolve on their own, although they may return with every shave or wax,” Dr. Bullock says. An ingrown hair, on the other hand, “will present as one isolated red bump [that’s] sometimes tender,” she continues. To prevent them, exfoliate regularly with a wet washcloth and always shave in the same direction as your hair grows — never against the grain.
Illustrated by Cachete Jack.
Queefing
“I hate this word,” Dr. Bullock says. “It’s air escaping the vagina.” Queefing normally happens after sex and sometimes after exercising. While it may be shocking, it’s important that you “remember the vagina is a canal. Air can get trapped in there. With a position change or increased abdominal pressure like a cough, air escapes. It’s totally normal.”
Illustrated by Cachete Jack.
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Lucky for Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century, space buns are still having a major moment in 2018. But just because Zenon is from the future doesn't mean she could've predicted what was coming next for her signature style. This week, the interstellar updo got a Disney-inspired makeover and we're already anticipating it will be the most popular hairstyle at every festival this summer. The folks over at Opening Ceremony, who hosted the brand's spring show at Disneyland this week, are calling them "Mickey Mouse buns" — but they're space buns all the same. Here's what you need to know about getting the look, created by the show's lead hairstylist Holli Smith.
“We felt we couldn’t miss the opportunity to do the ear thing," Smith explains to Refinery29, referencing the show's Disney inspiration. And if you think the style looks easy enough to copy at home, you're not wrong. Smith didn't want the mouse reference to be too obvious, so she opted for a look that felt more natural, "in a way that the girl did it herself." Smith adds that the higher the bun, the cooler it looks.
Ready to try it yourself? Smith suggests spritzing a thickening spray (she used Bumble's) from your roots to your ends before reaching for a texturizing salt spray. The combination of the two will make it easier for the buns to stay in place for hours of dancing in a mosh pit. Start each bun as a tight, high ponytail on each side, then backcomb the hair. Twist the ponytail clockwise, wrap it around at least once (depending on your length and texture), and tuck it under itself. Pin the style into place and don't worry about little flyaways or loose pieces — you don't want this to look too perfect. Oh, and save your red-and-white shorts for another time... you're going to see Beyoncé, not Toontown.
In a land of hundred dollar makeup palettes and $50 lipsticks, there could have been plenty of bank-breaking beauty trends at Paris Fashion Week. Instead, we were pleasantly surprised to see that French girls were making major statements with accessories that cost no more than $5: bobby pins. We spotted them on long hair and short hair alike, either tucked away behind an ear or deliberately stacked in a neat little row.
The pins have resurfaced in the states, too — and on a variety of textures and lengths, including Bebe Rexha's bob and Laverne Cox's long curls. There's no shortage of ways to wear them. Check out our favorites, ahead.
Forget camouflaging your bobby pins — go for bright, contrasting colors to bring them center stage.
Photographed by Walking Canucks.
This criss-cross halo, as seen on Prissy Torres, is an easy way to tame flyaways (or hide your greasy roots when you don't feel like shampooing).
Photo: Via @maneaddicts.
Laverne Cox wore hers in a similar pattern, created by hairstylist Ursula Stephen.
Photo: Via @ursulastephen.
Stephen swapped her bobby pins for U-shaped pins to create this rad fishscale effect on Bebe Rexha.
Photo: Via @ursulastephen.
A mini row of clips makes a major statement without looking like you tried too hard.
Photographed by Walking Canucks.
There's no need to use an excessive amount of edge control — just cocktail your favorite oil and curling cream to slick back a section of your hair, and assemble your pins into a "hashtag" like Lebo.
Photo: Via @tsokungwoman.
You can also add a subtle hint of glimmer by rocking bedazzled bobbies. Our personal faves are these gemstone ones from Jen Atkin's Chloe + Isabel collaboration.
Photographed by Walking Canucks.
And last but not least, Stephen (who's clearly the princess of pins) demonstrates yet another innovative way to wear them: to decorate a chignon or French twist.
Photo: Via @ursulastephen.
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Illinois state Rep. Litesa Wallace doesn't mince words when she addresses the reason holding women of color back from running for office: Money.
"There's an economic challenge for women of color to enter into politics," she told Refinery29. "We need the economic policies that will help bring us parity. But because we often run under the existing policies, there's very few of us who are able to break those barriers and become lawmakers."
"It takes us a lot of time and a lot of resources to be a successful candidate," she said. "It's very challenging to take on running for office when your own personal finances are very limited, and they are limited because of policies that have allowed race and gender disparities to exist."
Wallace is an outspoken progressive. She's currently running for lieutenant governor of Illinois, sharing the ballot with gubernatorial candidate Daniel Biss. If the duo wins, she would be the first Black woman elected to statewide office and the first Black lieutenant governor in the history of the state. But as passionate as Wallace comes across, the reality is that this lawmaker didn't originally set out to be in politics.
In fact, her heart was elsewhere just seven years ago: Wallace had always wanted to combine human services and higher education — which is why she had pursued several graduate degrees. While looking for a part-time job that would give her the flexibility to write her dissertation in 2011, she was hired by state Rep. Chuck Jefferson in the 67th District. She graduated in 2013 and started to look for a job that would allow her to pursue the path she always wanted.
But then, Jefferson retired in 2014 and Wallace realized that it was important for someone like her — a single Black mother, a domestic violence survivor, someone who as a graduate student had relied on the state's childcare assistance program — to have a seat at the table. She applied to be Jefferson's replacement and ended up being appointed to finish his term. Since then, she's been elected to the seat twice.
"I learned along the way with him and other lawmakers just how important it is advocating for policy for people who don’t have access to policy makers, for communities like my own that are marginalized. Because we're not voiceless — we're silenced," she said.
Biss and Wallace's platform embodies the idea of amplifying the voices of people without a seat at the table: They're championing policies such as universal childcare and healthcare, paid family leave, expanding voting rights, reforming the property tax system, and fixing the Illinois' school funding system. Of course, their progressive values show a shift in the types of policies the Democratic party stands for.
How much talent could be have in the halls of our state capitol and other elected offices all across the nation that we can't tap into because those women don't have the support they need?
For Wallace, that change is necessary. She said, "Are we going to continue to be middle-of-the-road, moderate Democrats? Where some things work for some communities and other communities continue to be left out? Or are we going to inform the party and move it in a more progressive direction, where everyone is included?"
Wallace said she has pushed so hard during her time as a state representative for policies that benefit everyone, and plans to do the same if elected as lieutenant governor, because she wants the world to be a better place for her children.
"Being a mother is what drives me to do the things that I do, so I can provided a better future for her son and foster son," she said. "That's what gives me the energy and the motivation."
But she also recognized she deals with a lot of "mom guilt" because her role as a lawmaker, and now her campaign, takes her away from her children. When we spoke, she was in Springfield for the legislative session, while her sons were at home in Rockford — something that often weighs on her mind. Thankfully, she has a support system including her mother, sister, and extended family to help her take care of them — but she knows that's not the case for a lot of women.
"If I didn't have that support, I'm absolutely certain I would not be able to be a lawmaker. And that's true for a lot of women," she said. "How much talent could we have in the halls of our state capitol and other elected offices all across the nation that we can't tap into because those women don't have the support they need?"
Wallace stressed that not having that talent means we're missing important voices in the conversation when enacting policy. She said that people of all backgrounds should be in the room, because their experiences add value to the process of creating legislation.
"Having lived certain circumstances helps in our fight for policies that make it okay for women to do what they need to do to balance work and family," she said. "And that's very true for other issues as well: You have people that have lived with disabilities and, if they're able to be there as lawmakers, that changes what disability policies look like. Or people who have survived various forms of health issues, that changes the type of healthcare policies we put out there."
She added, "For them, policy is not theoretical. It's real and it impacts their lives. They understand it and will advocate for issues in a way that other people can't. Empathy only goes so far."
2018 will see anunprecedented number of female candidatesin ballots across the country. More than 500 womenare currently runningfor the House, Senate, or governorships — and that's without taking into account the number of candidates vying for local and statewide seats. Refinery29 is committed to spotlight female candidates, but particularly women of color, who have risen up to the challenge to say: "It's our turn."
