Recs: 10 things to read, watch, listen.
A list of things I have been consuming lately...
Hello hello,
I haven’t been out much lately, re: pregnancy sickness but it does have its benefits…
LISTEN —
This episode the girlies chat a lot about the tradwife trend and in particular @narasmith and how sometimes content can just be a form of escapism. Grace admitted to daydreaming that it must be nice to have a simple tradwife life that is until she is woken by the reality of her career and the crazy cost of childcare. Isabelle also makes a point by saying she thinks too deeply about the BTS – the actual domestic labour we don’t see in Nara’s videos – the childcare, the 8 hours to make a grilled cheese sandwich, the grocery shopping, and cleaning involved.
The Deep Conflict Between Our Work and Parenting Ideals, The Ezra Klein Show.
This mainly looks into American policies but still insightful none-the-less as Ezra and Caitlin Collins, a sociology professor and author of Making Motherhood Work discuss what parenting looks like globally and why the birthrates are dropping everywhere – and public policy is only part of it, as well as culturally, what it means to be a good mother or good father. Brb moving to Sweden!
READ –
How To Keep Your Personal Style During Pregnancy (And Avoid Maternity Wear), The Undone Journal.
This is a bit of a shameless plug as I, along with Sara Crampton founder of The Undone, Ally May Carey, photographer, designer and all-round creative, and Emrys Cousins founder of Love Well Sourced antique and fine jewellery, share our tips for dressing while pregnant. While also staying mindful of our own personal style as well as thoughts on maternity dressing and sustainability in the fashion industry.
Think Offering Child Care Benefits Is Too Costly? You Could Be Missing the ROI.
This glorious article is what we have been waiting for. Proof. The proof that companies offering childcare benefits are better off, as are their employees. WFH is to me not a really viable solution, as if you’ve ever tried to work from home with a small child or children then you know that you can’t rely on naptime alone and spend most of your day as snack bitch – so this is, I believe a huge step in the right direction. “… according to the findings at these companies, “childcare truly pays for itself,” [Reshma Saujani] says. Up to 86 percent of employee respondents in the report said that these benefits made them more likely to stay at their company. That’s notable, considering the report also found that “retaining as few as 1% of eligible employees can cover the cost of providing childcare benefits for all of those who are eligible within a company,” according to the press release.”
EmRata Is Your Anti-Perfect Messy Bag Muse, By Julia Hobbs British Vogue.
This is a fun piece to read on the messy trend which is a hard relate for me as I have tried and failed at being a neat person. “Exaggerated” is one way to describe the messy-chic phenomenon that unfolded on spring/summer 2024 runways, but I also like “detailed”, “chaotic” and “confessional”.
Top Shelf By Primer Magazine.
Since becoming a parent I have not read nearly as much as I use to and part of that is researching and deciding what to read so when I was researching AFR Fashion Editor, Lauren Sams’ (and who is coming soon to What Mums Wear!) I came across her Top Shelf as well as a a lot of notable others. I highly recommend a peruse if you’re stuck on what to read next.This came recommended as per above. I have only just started reading this but so far I’m enjoying it. Sittenfeld is also the author behind Rodham and American Ex-Wife if that means anything to you. More details to come once I have read more than 30 pages.
WATCH –
As pee the description: “When aristocratic Eddie inherits the family estate, he discovers that it’s home to an enormous weed empire — and its proprietors aren't going anywhere.” Eddie is played by the very handsome, Theo James, who you may recognise from White Lotus and though it’s nothing like White Lotus it is a dark comedy about a very rich and unhinged family, that has given me the giggles and I think is worthy of your time.
Who are you dressing for? Maggie Zhou, TikTok.
This is so spot on for me. Especially as I chat with a lot of women and mothers who feel they don’t know how to dress. In this clip, Maggie points out that a big part of the fashion industry “manufactures desire, creates demand and they make you feel like you are always in deficit of something.” This may have always existed on the pages of a magazine but social media really ramps this up especially with trends.
Aki and Koichi, Instagram.
If you get lost in one thing on the internet, make it this beautiful old and stylish couple who post their outfits of the day. I just can’t help but to smile when I watch them!
Have a recommendation for me? Drop me a DM @jaderachelefox or leave a comment.
Prep is one of my very favorite books ever!