July 27, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC This super-fun existential question of what to do when you don’t know what to do with your life is something that many of us of experience at some point (or points). Maybe you find your current career path to be unfulfilling, or you hear the gentle siren of “grad school, grad school” calling to you. Doubting your life choices and wondering whether you should go back to the drawing board is a big, scary, and totally common thing. And, more good news: You don’t have to tackle the conundrum alone. That’s a truth I know all too well: At age 20, I wasn’t invited back to the fashion design program in which I was enrolled in Philadelphia, because I earned D+ in flat pattern over the summer. Despite my unease about the future (okay, let’s call a spade a spade—I couldn’t stop crying), I had already done enough self-reflection to brainstorm a wobbly Plan B, C, and D. And, one day at a bus stop, I helped myself to explaining these plans to a complete stranger. ad_intervals[‘407071_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘407071_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); “I could try to fight to stay in the program, which at this point sounds exhausting; I could switch my major to textile design…” I mused, ticking off the options on my fingers. “Or I could leave the school in shame, go to community college for a year, and maybe get into journalism.” After
Category: Fashion
Is the beauty industry really as diverse as it should be? Let’s check in.
July 26, 2019 at 07:55AM by CWC As part of our 2019 Well+Good Trends, we wrote about the positive shift Fenty had on the fashion industry, and ultimately how it would impact how brands speak to diverse consumers. As we march toward the halfway mark of 2019, however, we have to ask ourselves two questions: How far have we really come? What areas could use a bit more improvement? Let’s start with the wins. We’ve seen the launch of Oribe Highly Textured Collection, gender-neutral makeup from Fluide, a major push from Dr. Barbara Sturm to address the unique needs of darker skin tones in prestige department stores, and more-and-more lines founded by entrepreneurs of color, such as The Lip Bar and Briogeo. However, despite the W’s, issues like natural hair discrimination in the workplace still feel commonplace (though both California and New York recently passed laws against this), and brands continue to come under fire. On the fashion front, Kim Kardashian West feigned naiveté upon the backlash for her culturally insensitive named “Kimono” shape-wear line (P.S. Japan had a message for her), while Canadian-based beauty brand NiteCapCo claimed the team “invented” the bonnet, a long-standing staple within communities of color. ad_intervals[‘409795_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘409795_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’);}); } }, 100); It’s an odd juxtaposition and enough to make one wonder if change truly happening. To dive deeper, I spoke to industry insiders to see how far they feel this progress has brought us in the skin-care, hair-care, and
It’s a sneaker world, we’re all just living in it
July 26, 2019 at 05:00AM by CWC When Serena Williams stepped onto the red carpet at the 2019 Met Gala, it wasn’t her tennis-ball yellow Atelier Versace gown that got people talking. Rather, the most buzz-worthy part of her outfit was the pair of matching Off-White x Nike sneakers peeping out from her dress’ cascading train. In this iconic moment, the message was clear: Sneakers are now officially part of the dress code at every occasion imaginable, including those sanctioned by Anna Wintour. Of course, this is a movement that’s been building since the term “fitness fashion” was coined in the mid-2010s. But since the beginning of this year, anytime-anywhere sneakers seem to have hit a tipping point—a year ago, they may have been considered a trend, whereas now they’re a legitimate wardrobe staple. Walk down any city street in the world right now, and you’ll likely see tons of women wearing sneakers with dresses and midi skirts. (Not just for casual Sunday brunches, but for weddings, work, and first dates, too.) The same will surely be true this fall, if the sneaker-filled autumn/winter 2019 runways are any indication. Expect to see lots of hiking-inspired styles hit when the weather turns cool—we called the rise of “gorpcore” sneakers as part of our 2019 Wellness Trends preview last December, and the global fashion weeks in February proved the prescience of that prediction. ad_intervals[‘410840_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘410840_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’);}); } }, 100); “Cute factor plus comfort factor equals
The demand for “wellness under one roof” means good things for your local gym
July 25, 2019 at 06:03AM by CWC There is a new “gym” on 14th Street in New York City, called Complete, that has three stair-masters, seven elliptical machines, and 10 treadmills. It also has a rooftop garden, a juice bar, a full spa, and a “Himalayan Salt” member’s lounge. The gym, which opened its doors earlier this month, is the latest addition to a new wave of fitness spaces we’re seeing across NYC that want their clients to come in, work out, and stay all day. According to Complete’s owner Alex Reznik, this particular storefront was built to “promote a strong sense of community, and give clients the opportunity to come and spend a big part of their daily life there.” It’s just the beginning in what will be a wave of physical experiences that aim to blur the lines between wellness and everything else that happens in the day. Last fall, we called “wellness under one roof” as one of the biggest trends of 2019, and since then we’ve watched wellness clubs and communities like The Well and Lina open their doors in NYC to give customers spaces where they interact with wellness in a single destination. Now, we’re seeing traditional gyms—like Complete, Equinox, and Life Time—become one-stop destinations for wellness…and life. ad_intervals[‘409717_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘409717_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’);}); } }, 100); Obviously, this comes at a time when at-home and digital fitness technology has gotten smarter—with players like Obé, Mirror, Tonal, and Peloton offering fitness enthusiasts
Nike introduced us to running on air, and the Joyride will show us what it’s like to run on bubbles
July 24, 2019 at 10:00PM by CWC Gird your wallets: Nike is launching a new running shoe line that even I, a non-avid runner, need in my closet. It’s called Nike Joyride, and they are seriously making me reconsider my anti-running tendencies. Nike says running in one of these shoes is like running on bubbles, which is a truly delightful image. I spent approximately one minute running through all the other ways to describe how wearing shoes feels (clouds, Dippin’ Dots, etc.), and can say with finality that “on bubbles” is not only correct, but also how I want every pair of my shoes to feel. The bubble feeling comes from the beads, made from a plastic and rubber copolymer called “TPE,” that are strategically placed in pods in the heel portion of the footbed of the shoes. These create a unique cushion that helps with impact absorption. Nike tested over 150 materials before landing on this one (I’m assuming that their decision-making system involved some sort of bubble ranking), with the whole point being to “give your legs a day off” without, you know, actually taking a day off. ad_intervals[‘410599_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘410599_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’);}); } }, 100); Image: Nike The inspo for these cushiony kicks came from noticing that parks with a paved running course almost always have a parallel path where the grass has been worn down. (This feels vaguely Whitman-esque to me.) That’s because a dirt or grass path is easier on
These 5-minute easy updos are saving us from the hot, hot heat of summer
July 24, 2019 at 05:00PM by CWC The term “summer hair” evokes imagery of free-spirited gals frolicking along a beach with perfectly-textured and tousled locks flowing behind them. The reality, however, tends to be a little less idyllic and a lot more sweaty, especially when it’s hot as Hades plus humidity outside (as it likely is wherever you live at this very moment, and possibly forever in the future #climatecrisis). No matter how much maintenance you’ve engaged in to keep those summer strands from frizzing out, losing their luster, and suffering sun damage, it can be tough to make a look happen rather than have it happen to you, especially when you’re just desperate to get heat-trapping hair off your sticky skin. To aid you in doing just that, I’ve culled some quick-and-dirty—but in a pretty way!—Insta inspo to serve as a guide. From top knots to low ponys, milkmaid braids to space buns, these easy updos take five minutes or less to help summer hair live up to its reputation while preventing you from hospitalization-by-heat-stroke. (Stay hydrated, though.) ad_intervals[‘410190_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘410190_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’);}); } }, 100); It’s gettin’ hot out here, so take up all your hair… I am, gettin’ so hot, I want to put my hair up… 1. TWIN CHIGNONS Few I’m-desperate-to-ventilate-my-neck hairstyles can masquerade as intentional glam quite like this beauty. The flair helps. View this post on Instagram My “it’s too hot for hair today, but I have a lot
Podiatrists are begging you to live by these 5 feet rules for summer
July 24, 2019 at 08:50AM by CWC If there’s a time of year when my feet could be considered “cute,” summer certainly isn’t it. From sweatier-than-usual outdoor runs to stuffing my toes into strappy sandals and beyond-filthy sneakers, one thing’s for sure—I will never, ever be a foot model. And I’ve made my peace with that. They are attached to my body, though, so I asked two leading podiatrist how to keep gross feet from becoming an emergency situation. “Sandal season signifies pedicures, foot beauty, and freedom to toes and feet. However, with that freedom comes a few cautions,” says Doug Tumen, DPM, FACFAS, a board-certified podiatrist based in New York’s Hudson Valley. According to Dr. Tumen, podiatrists’ offices usually receive an influx of patients in the months leading up to Labor Day—and most of those cases are due to either sandals, or summer beauty faux pas. So for the sake of all 10 toes (and all those who spend time in close proximity to them), please tune in for the following podiatrist PSA. ad_intervals[‘410391_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘410391_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’);}); } }, 100); Podiatrists explain how to avoid gross feet throughout sandal season 1. Be selective with your summer shoe selection Believe me, I understand the draw of the flat-as-a-pancake sandals on clearance at Target. But podiatrists are begging (begging!) you to consider your soles before spending eight straight hours in shoes with lousy support. “Not all summer sandals offer good support. Many are thin-soled, flat and
Memorize the “four pack” to make your burpees over-the-top effective
July 24, 2019 at 06:45AM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLBImHhCXSw] Finally nail the perfect burpee form—watch how it’s done, here. To me, I dread doing burpees as much as I dread getting a Pap smear. They both suck, but I gotta do them once in a while for the sake of my health. (Too dramatic? Just right? LMK.) Anyways, we can pretty much all agree that burpees are a workout move that nobody really likes doing. Even some trainers don’t like ’em. But, still, there’s a high chance you’re going to be instructed to knock some out if you’re in some sort of HIIT class. As you try getting through them, though, there are a lotta ways you can do them incorrectly, which makes them even harder, not to mention makes you more prone to injury. ad_intervals[‘410279_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘410279_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’);}); } }, 100); “Burpees are really hard and nobody really likes to do them, and there’s a lot that can go wrong in a burpee,” says Charlee Atkins, fitness trainer, in Well+Good’s latest episode of The Right Way. When you’re doing them incorrectly, you’re falling flat onto the floor and scrambling to get back up. When you think about it, a burpee is actually a perfect combination of four different exercises: a jump, a squat, a plank, and a push-up, or as I like to call ’em, the “four pack”. Here are Atkins’ tips for nailing it: Strong but soft jump: With your head aligned with your
How one media executive overcame imposter syndrome by repurposing a swear jar
July 24, 2019 at 05:00AM by CWC A friend and I recently created what we’ve come to call our “You Are Beautiful (in Every Single Way)” Jar. It’s an old flower vase with a marker-drawn label, and it’s currently filled with dollar bills (and one glaring $20). We came up with the idea after one of our typical volleys of self-flagellating call-and-response, which usually go something like this: Friend 1: Ugh, I look so fat today. Friend 2: Stop it, no you don’t. Friend 1: Sorry, sorry. [beat] But I do. I look fat. Good friends will call you out when you are unkind to yourself—and not just in regards to how you say you look. Maybe you reflexively label your ideas as stupid. Maybe you doubt your decisions. Maybe you worry long after the fact about the way you handled yourself during a social interaction. Maybe (actually, make that a ‘probably,’ especially if you are a woman) overcoming imposter syndrome feels impossible, thanks to a constant fear of being exposed as a fraud despite the evidence everywhere that you are not. ad_intervals[‘409344_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘409344_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); My friend and I decided to monetize our self-sabotage in hopes that by forcing ourselves to pay for the action, we’d start to change our thought process and begin overcoming imposter syndrome. Think of it as a kind of cognitive behavioral therapy, but instead of curse words or bad behavior (à la the Douchebag Jar
The 3 absolute worst things you can do for your posture, according to a chiropractor
July 23, 2019 at 12:40PM by CWC All throughout the day, there are certain things I try to keep at the top of my mind for the sake of my health: Drink water, have good posture, and take breaks to look at photos of my puppy. All equally important. But the one I consistently have trouble doing is… not sitting or walking around as if I’m Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh. (He’s a big-time sloucher, in case you forgot.) Besides putting a Post-it note in front of my face reminding me to put my shoulders back and my chin up, I’m looking for some legit advice on making sure I am a properly upright being. So I went straight to the source: a chiropractor, aka the guy who deals with the fallout of having bad posture way too often. We could all use these tips, because our spine goes through the ringer thanks to sitting at a desk all day. Keep scrolling for the three worst things you can do for your posture, according to a chiropractor. ad_intervals[‘410193_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘410193_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’);}); } }, 100); 1. Stare at screens Chances are you’ve heard of “tech neck,” because it’s essentially an epidemic these days—just count how many people you almost run into on the street because they’re staring down at their phones. “Most people who spend 10 hours a day on their computer at work do it again as soon as they get home—very few people shut it off,” says