I’d be impressed by anyone who could “Hello, world” in MIPS

Somehow I never got into Barbies, but now I really really really want a Polly Pocket movie

The mechanics are so frustrating …

1. Off-the-shoulder means cold shoulders
2. Off-the-shoulder means limited bra options
3. Off-the shoulder usually limits your arm movement
4. …or you have to be very careful that things don’t slip too far and reveal a nip
5. Mesh and gauze is just right out - pointless fabrics!
6. These super loose and flowy shirts are hard to keep tucked in, so then my side flank gets cold
7. …or if it’s long enough enough to tuck, it results in a balloon of fabric that makes me look pregnant
8. Just to confirm, cause this is still hard for me to wrap my head around … you ACTUALLY find this kind of thing cute?

https://www.everlane.com/products/womens-drapey-square-shirt-kalmata https://www.anthropologie.com/shop/bl-nk-miranda-peasant-blouse2 https://www.anthropologie.com/shop/by-anthropologie-mini-tulle-layer https://www.nordstrom.com/s/off-the-shoulder-top/7476942 https://www.nordstrom.com/s/ceres-off-the-shoulder-satin-blouse/7460847

Whoo boy.

I used to work in the financial industry, specifically in a program geared toward women (trying to make financial services more approachable and inclusive). Much of their published “educational” material is about the harsh financial realities of being a woman, and the writers keep repeating this falsehood … as if the phrase “controlled pay gap” is profanity.

Don’t get me wrong, we should still be mindful of bias. We should acknowledge the pressure on women to take career breaks as caretakers (and, on the flip side, the pressure on men to be primary wage earners). And it’s perfectly valid to question whether pink collar work is undervalued and underpaid because these are traditionally female occupations.

But the women I worked with (most of them VPs in finance) simply preferred to believe that they were underpaid because of their gender. No matter what dollar figure you offered, no matter the industry/company/job role/etc., they would firmly believe that having a penis = 20% pay bump.

Like … that’s not how averages work ??

Ah yes, how could I forget the mesh / gauze / see-through tops and dresses! There’s nothing like buying an article of clothing that requires buying more articles of clothing to go underneath, or fails to provide any warmth or a barrier of any kind.

Thanks for the tip re: tailoring :)

It’s one small thing to be thankful for. At the same time that I started losing my tolerance and drinking went from “yea!” to straight “blech”, sober curious became more of a trend. Any decent bar/restaurant will have a (good!) mocktail or two, and non-alcoholic beer really has lagers and IPAs figured out.

And I don’t feel like there’s any social pressure or scrutiny over what I’m (not) drinking.

I just heard this for the first time … an hour ago? From a Lemmy comment.

It does sound vaguely gross to my ears. Then again, so does the word “frothy” in a way I can’t explain. (But “moist” has never been an issue.)

I had the most amazing papardelle on Saturday! It was also comically slippery and difficult to share (went to an Italian restaurant for date night and got a few plates to split).

And I learned how to pronounce orechiette.

everyone looked like they dressed themselves by stumbling blindly through the discount rack at Gap Kids

I just want to say how much I loved this description and actually chortled. TBF, a google search of “early 2000s fashion” does indeed reveal no end of horrors… But it feels like this was somehow just a celebrity thing? Because we didn’t dress like crazy people at the time. I still think there was something iconic about Keira Knightley’s abs, but we weren’t stepping out of the house like that ;)

Shopping is annoying but still possible

True true! It used to be easy to find styles that resonated, and now I just have to dig a bit deeper.

On the topic of manufacturers, I also read that boxy styles can be a cost-cutting technique. Because it’s easier than tailoring/tucking or making other adjustments when the human form isn’t a simple rectangle.

Size 0 models, too…it’s not just about cultural norms or fat shaming, it’s also laziness. It’s more work to tailor a garment to a curvy figure than a waifish one. (Plus, there’s the simplicity of only having to supply one size.) Which isn’t hating on anyone who happens to be a size 0 or a boxy shape to begin with! :)