This is the free edition of Rich Text, a newsletter about cultural obsessions from your Internet BFFs Emma and Claire. If you like what you see and hear, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Rich Text is a reader-supported project — no ads or sponsors! Coming soon: A subscribers-only episode about Netflix’s batshit new reality dating show “The Ultimatum.”

In the final episodes of the NBC sitcom “The Good Place,” our intrepid ensemble of Bad Place fugitives finally arrive at the real Good Place: an eternity of ease and joy. Almost immediately, they notice that all is not quite right. The denizens of the Good Place, finally delivered unto their eternal reward, are very fucking not okay. They’re happiness-poisoned, so surfeited with fun and relaxation that they’re drowning in their own boredom. They’ve developed anhedonic armor against the relentless pleasure of heaven. The gang of newcomers looks around, shocked and horrified. All this time they’d been hearing about how rapturously wonderful the Good Place was… and this was the reality?

Heather Havrilesky’s new book, “Foreverland: On the Divine Tedium of Marriage,” gives us a similar surprise reveal for a more earthly dream: wedded bliss. That moment of shocking reveal is what made the pages of the New York Times, in an excerpt that catalyzed a massive Twitter storm. “Until Bill has enough coffee,” she writes, “[h]e is exactly the same as a heap of laundry: smelly, inert, almost sentient but not quite.” She also writes of his throat-clearing, his sneezes, his monologues on educational sciences. Marriage, she seems to conclude, “requires turning down the volume on your spouse.” Also, she writes, “he’s still my favorite person.”

Yes, this is what marriage to your favorite person might actually look like — not a rosy fantasia of passionate kisses and ardent speeches and your partner somehow doing and saying everything you’d like at exactly the right moment. It might be sort of a mess, and full of frustrations and disappointments. It might also still be really wonderful, and part of the wonder of it might come through the mess and the frustrations and disappointments. A marriage is a shared project, a puzzle; figuring out, together, how to survive the boring sameness and the human failings can be the most intimate and fulfilling part.

That’s what Havrilesky wanted to write about: not a perfect marriage, and not a broken one, but the gripping drama that takes place in a strong, happy marriage. The kinds of conflicts that are often breezily referred to as “ups and downs,” or with the vague admonition that “marriage takes work.”

We both loved Havrilesky’s book (we’re long-time fans of her advice column, Ask Polly) and were baffled by the backlash to “Foreverland,” so we were thrilled she agreed to join us for a conversation about her book, marriage and long-term partnership, aging and hanging on to your identity as a woman in this society, and why people had such a strong reaction to her book.

This week’s episode is free. For more Rich Text episodes, including podcasts on Love Is Blind, The Gilded Age, and Bridgerton, become a paid subscriber!

We’ve been reading…

Sheila Heti’s “Pure Colour,” a dreamy origin myth and love story.

Also, Lydia Kiesling’s crackerjack essay on Horatio Alger, “Fifty Shades of Grey,” and the weird mix of American ambition and erotic predation that undergirds our culture’s most successful and enduring rags-to-riches fantasies. The disturbing truth she reveals about Alger truly shocked me, though, as she points out, it’s not a secret so much as rarely discussed, and her analysis of his life and work illuminates elements of the billionaire romantic fantasy that have never quite clicked into place for me before. -Claire

Blair McLendon’s New York Times magazine piece on America’s Black billionaires. -Emma

We’ve been watching…

“Minx,” the HBO Max show about a prim feminist (a Vassar grad and tennis club member) who joins forces with a porn mag publisher (played by a swaggering Jake Johnson) after no one else takes an interest in her consciousness-raising magazine, The Matriarchy Awakens. The twist he adds: nude male centerfolds. It’s not groundbreaking — it’s pretty classic uptight-lady-meets-charming-dirtbag material — but it’s well-executed and fun, and the 1970s hair doesn’t hurt. -Claire

All the screeners of “The Ultimatum.” Netflix’s newest reality romance show is a complete mess, but I cannot look away!!!! -Emma

We’ve been listening to…

The bonus episodes of “Biohacked: Family Secrets” on Apple Podcasts, each of which follow someone whose life and identity was upended by a home DNA test. The stories are utterly gripping. -Emma

This week’s bonus episode of Love to See It! I couldn’t make the taping because I was sick, so for this episode, I get to be a fan. Emma went to see The Bachelor Live in New York last weekend, and she recaps the whole bizarre evening with our friend Liviya Kraemer and our old producer Harry Huggins. -Claire

We’ve been buying…

A chelating shampoo, because apparently Jersey City has ridiculously hard water. (Our faucets have the white mineral stains to prove it.) Hard water can build up in your hair and make it dry and brittle — but chelating shampoo is also super drying?? Seems like a conspiracy. Why is it so hard to have hair? Should I just try to install a showerhead filter? My level of handiness is “Ikea dresser assembly.” -Claire

I took advantage of Sephora’s spring sale to get some of my favorites lightly discounted. After months of searching and revamping my makeup routine, I’ve finally landed on a concealer: ILIA True Skin Serum Concealer with Vitamin C. I grabbed two of those — I have been wearing some light concealer under my eyes and on any blemishes on days when I want to look fresh but don’t want to do a full face of makeup. I also grabbed Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray, a tube of Benefit 24-Hour Lamination Effect Brow Gel, and a Beauty Blender sponge, because mine has gotten pretty gross. -Emma

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When “Bridgerton” season 2 dropped a week and a half ago, we couldn’t wait a single day to share our first reaction to the season: where is all the sex? We’re too impatient for a 7 episodes of sexual build-up, and we’re too impatient for a week of reflection before demanding that the creators of this Netflix live-action romance novel give us more horny content. If you missed our quick chat about it, you can find it here. (Also, Claire contributed some thoughts to a fun New York Post article on why some fans wanted more sex, giving her the opportunity to sound completely unhinged. “It should be hornier because I would enjoy that” sounded like a normal thing to say at the time.)

But after a week of reflection, we DO have more thoughts about why we care so passionately about sex scenes – as well as thoughts about how much emotional connection we get to see between our lovers, the season’s many changes from the Julia Quinn novel, whether Anthony is made into too much of a dick and whether Kate’s grief journey is shortchanged, how Edwina is done dirty, how Eloise is done even more dirty, the joy of seeing an Indian heroine taking center stage, the pitfalls of the show’s efforts to build a diverse world out of source material (Quinn’s series) that is unremittingly white and uninterested in questioning the aristocracy or British empire, and the path forward for Penelope after the Lady Whistledown debacle. And despite all the nits we pick, we also tried to extol the parts we loved about this season, which is just as candy-hued and frothy and compellingly acted as season 1.

In this episode, we reference some comments made by the people behind the show about the sex quotient this season, as well as this fantastic article about the history of Indian women in British high society – and how the Sharma ladies in “Bridgerton” both reflect it and cast it in a far rosier hue than reality. Not referenced in this episode, but a fascinating and relevant read: Are the corsets on “Bridgerton” needlessly tight and painful?

Now please bring on season 3: we’re yearning for more Kate and Anthony (happy and domesticated), more Edwina (getting the heart-pounding romance she deserves), a continuation of Eloise’s thoroughly modern dalliance with radical printer Theo (maybe some kissing??), and for the scales to finally fall from Colin’s eyes so he can finally ravish Penelope.

We’ve been reading…

“Foreverland” by Heather Havrilesky, in anticipation of our upcoming chat with her. I’ve been a fan of her writing since discovering Ask Polly on the Awl almost a decade ago, and though she’s taken a bit of a beating for the book’s bluntly funny description of marriage to her husband, I have not been at all surprised or put off by what I’ve found in the book. It’s viciously hilarious, unsparing of herself, her husband, her family, the suburbs, and the concepts of parenthood and marriage themselves. It’s also forgiving and accepting. She embraces the romantic stories she tells about herself and her life, but she also rips them open and turns them inside out to see what the romance is hiding. As someone who is in the marriage trenches (parenting a toddler who is constantly sick while both working full-time), I needed this book. -Claire

In a Bridgerton haze, I started reading “Romancing Mister Bridgerton,” Julia Quinn’s novel about Penelope and Colin. The romance! The sexiness! Swoon! -Emma

We’ve been watching…

“Moana.” The toddler is, in point of fact, home sick as I write this, and has been home sick for four days. (I calculated the other day, and he was out sick or due to a Covid exposure for almost 50 percent of March. February’s rate of absences — 25 percent — looks positively aspirational.) After two years of trying to minimize his screen time, we have become desperate enough to try to actively teach him to watch Disney movies. He doesn’t want to. He wants to run around the apartment, pulling all my books off the shelves and hurling wooden blocks across the room. When the atmosphere in “Moana” turns a bit spooky, he bursts into tears. But, with well-deployed snuggles and additional narration, we’ve convinced him to watch up to 30 minutes at a time. Such a fun movie! Can’t wait to find out what happens once they reach Te Fiti, maybe when he turns three. -Claire

For the first time ever (somehow!!!), I have been watching “Temptation Island.” And oh my goodness. I have QUESTIONS. Mostly… why the fuck would anyone put their relationship through this? Is this show simply a torture device for people who already distrust each other? Why is Hania my new mortal enemy? -Emma

We’ve been listening to…

“What Happened to Sandy Beal,” a podcast reported and hosted by our brilliant ex-colleague Melissa Jeltsen. She reports, with tremendous compassion and insight, on violence against women, and in this podcast, she looks into the cold case of a teenage girl who was found dead of a gunshot wound in 1977. The incident was quickly ruled a suicide by the local police, despite suspicious circumstances — including her recent, troubled romance with a married policeman a decade older. Melissa lets us get to know Sandy deeply, through interviews with her family and glimpses into her diaries, and also turns her lens on the power and relative impunity enjoyed by the cops. -Claire

A big freaking +1 to Claire’s rec of “What Happened to Sandy Beal.” Proud to know Melissa, and the podcast is absolutely gripping. I also really loved the latest episode of Virginia Sole-Smith’s “Burnt Toast,” about the myth of visible abs, and how that false north star can not only enforce chasing the thin ideal, but also create a lot of alienation around practical core work. -Emma

We’ve been buying…

Ughhhh Madewell sweats. Truly back on my bullshit. I feel immense guilt whenever I succumb to the urge to buy overpriced Madewell loungewear (though I snagged this floral sweatshirt and shorts in a site-wide sale, at least). But if I’m honest with myself: the sweats get more wear than anything else in my closet. So I might as well feel good in them, right? During the 50 percent of the month that we’re stuck inside trying to work and parent simultaneously, getting dressed is a mountain I don’t bother climbing. Having some decent sweats already on (from sleeping in them, obv) is what works for me. -Claire

I too succumbed to the call of Madewell and the continuous false hope I will find the perfect jeans!! I bought and ended up loving their Superwide-Leg Jeans in Blaisdell Wash, which come in Petite, Regular and Tall and Plus sizes. They feel somewhat trendy without making me feel like I’m dressing like a teenager. (An excellent sweet spot!) I’ve also been trying to pare down on things I currently have — so I’ve been going through my clothing and putting some good stuff I just no longer wear on Poshmark. -Emma

It’s extremely fitting that, for his latest glistening but somewhat creaky period drama, Julian Fellowes (the creator of “Downton Abbey”) selected Gilded Age New York, the historical stomping ground of obscenely wealthy robber barons and their socially ambitious, upstart wives. Much like our own, it was an era of excess and extravagance made visible, of luxury goods flaunted in order to advertise one’s own wealth and status. The economist Thorstein Veblen, having observed the spending habits of the socialite class during the Gilded Age, coined the term “conspicuous consumption” to describe them. The term “gilded” itself suggests that the order of the day was not exactly value, but the appearance of it — a thin veneer of opulence over something worthless.

Perhaps it would be a bit harsh to describe “The Gilded Age” itself this way, though the comparison does spring to mind. As a show, it’s fascinated with wealth and its visual trappings. We both adored the luxuriant draped satins and swishing bustles, the architectural hairstyles, the lavish interiors, Carrie Coon’s velvety voice, the ball. (Above all, the ball.)

The substance was a bit less flawless. Some elements were gripping, in particular the single-minded but compelling quest of Bertha Russell (Coon) to dominate the New York social scene the way her husband George (Morgan Spector) dominates the railway business, and the journalistic ambitions and hidden heartbreak of Peggy Scott (Denée Benton), the daughter of an affluent Brooklyn family who works as a secretary for a white society matron while pursuing her impractical dreams.

Some of the other key characters failed to add up (the age, personality, and true desires of romantic heroine Marian Brook, played by Louisa Jacobson, somehow remain a mystery), and the dialogue is often threadbare. The plot threads are endless, many of them wispy or dangling, and the perspective can be so contemporary that it’s more jarring than relatable. There aren’t many depths to plumb in the show, especially in the society scene where most of the action takes place.

But a soap is a soap, and it can offer an immense amount of fun. As “The Gilded Age” found its legs, there was plenty of that. And some of the best machinations and set-pieces — like George Russell’s successful attempt to squeeze his business rivals to save his fortune (and ruin theirs), and the tense negotiations between Old New York social maven Mrs. Astor and arriviste Mrs. Russell over invitations to Gladys Russell’s debutante ball — were drawn from real Gilded Age events.

In this week’s pod, we nerd out about some of the historical figures and events behind the characters of the show, dissect our reactions to the key characters and plot points, and discuss how the show explores class and social change during an time much like our own.

We’ve been reading…

“Rethinking Sex: A Provocation” by Christine Emba, a WaPo columnist (and old college friend of mine!). Emba’s book takes on the miseries of today’s heterosexual dating and hookup scene, arguing that while consent is a necessary legal concept, it is insufficient to establishing a sexual ethics that would truly promote the wellbeing of its participants. In part, she argues, the greater sexual freedoms we’ve fought for have left us without a shared understanding of what a mutually comfortable sexual encounter might include. Some thoughtful guardrails, she suggests, might actually increase pleasure, just as basic etiquette can make a dinner party more fun. She talks to women made wretched by an app-fueled dating scene, where consensual but unfulfilling sexual encounters are plentiful and committed relationships seem impossible to secure, and makes a case for embracing a sexual culture not based solely in consent or even enthusiasm, but in mutual care. I haven’t yet finished, so I don’t want to offer half-baked responses, but so far it’s a thoughtful addition to a necessary discourse around what would help more people have more joyful, pleasurable sex. -Claire

I’m still making my way through “The Season,” the book about the social history of the debutante by Kristen Richardson, at Claire’s suggestion. I’m learning so much and having a very throwback-to-college experience of underlining things and making notes in the margins. -Emma

We’ve been watching…

The heaving bosoms of “Bridgerton,” of course! Our pod on the new season is coming next week. -Claire

Disappointingly, Bravo’s “Summer House” out-hornied our Regency-era smutty fave “Bridgerton”! But I did watch them both. -Emma

We’ve been listening to…

The same old stuff. It’s been so long since I’ve had time for a good old-fashioned afternoon of house-cleaning that I’m actually behind on most of my podcasts and haven’t started any new ones lately. Just trying to be transparent! -Claire

I caught up on the last two episodes of Jo Piazza’s podcast, Under The Influence. I know I’ve recommended it here before, but I really enjoyed these episodes, about mental health and fertility Instagram/TikTok. Jo manages to do such a skillful job of exploring why these spaces exist in the first place, and how they can both provide relief and support, and do harm. -Emma

We’ve been buying…

These cropped black Luxe Leggings from Girlfriend Collective. I have an old pair in the longer inseam, which I have worn a million times. They’re hands-down my favorite leggings: thick, velvety soft, with the sleekness of a workout legging and the elevated look of an anywhere legging. The only problem: the extra length bagged at my ankles. I was very excited to finally use some Girlfriend points and treat myself to a cropped pair. -Claire

My friend Liv alerted me this week to the fact that comfy shoe brand Aerosoles is having a big heading-into-spring sale. I hadn’t perused the Aerosoles site since I was in my early 20s and trying to purchase sensible office shoes, but to my surprise and delight, they have some really cute stuff! And the sale is *good.* I sprung for these Dada platforms (which are on sale and come in a bunch of great colors) and these Ebba velcro (!!!) sneakers. -Emma

It seems impossible that anyone could want to bring low-rise jeans back.

Right? On that point, we thought we were safe. They require a bikini wax and low-coverage underwear; they feel like they’re perpetually on the brink of slipping off your butt. Sitting down in them, much like sitting down in a hoop skirt, requires a keen sense of spatial awareness and precise, practiced movements. They are designed to present the full, uninterrupted length of your abdomen for public scrutiny. Low-rise jeans were a terrible mistake, of course.

Anyway, as Vogue confirms, they’re back! Along with scarf tops, glittery butterfly clips, shrunken tees, Ed Hardy shirts, and so many other early-aughts trends that were, in our recollection, miserable to grow up under. Generations of adolescents have struggled to master the current fashions and put in a good showing with their peers, but were any other era’s so inherently daunting?

Neither of us missed Y2K fashion; it’s associated with little but middle-school social anxiety and the unbridled fatphobia of the time. But to stay relevant, to feel still young and alive and full of possibility… would we venture back?

In this episode, we briefly discuss vibe shift survival anxiety (remember that discourse? It was a million years ago), and then really dig into our high school fashion memories, our feelings about low-rise jeans, the gendered aspect of the vibe shift and fashion trends, and more!

We’ve been reading…

“Checkout 19” by Claire-Louise Bennett!!! Just read it.

Also, sometimes I like to read literary criticism, when I’m strong enough to do so without sinking into a depression because I almost never write it anymore, and Lauren Oyler has an extremely sharp review of the new Jennifer Egan book Are in Harper’s. Lots of gems in it: “It’s true that being on the internet is a huge waste of time that could be spent reading and writing, plus there’s what it does to language—the way it manufactures clichés through the repetition and imitation it encourages. Yet the desire to waste time is ultimately a human one; it allows us to pretend we have an unlimited supply.” -Claire

I’m still working my way through “Foreverland.” Still really enjoying it and — surprise! — we’re going to have Heather Havrilesky on the pod to discuss it! -Emma

We’ve been watching…

Oh, so many things I’m dying to talk to Emma about. “The Gilded Age”! “The Dropout”! And, most baffling of all, “The Courtship”!!! (We will be covering the latter on Love to See It during the offseason of “The Bachelor” — join us.) -Claire

Truly cannot wait to discuss “The Courtship,” especially its absolutely bonkers ballroom dancing elimination ceremonies. I’ve also been catching up on the “RHOSLC” reunion. -Emma

We’ve been listening to…

Susie’s interview on “The Viall Files,” to get some more insight on the woman who broke “The Bachelor” and put it back together again, sort of. She’s extremely charming and thoughtful in the interview, is justly critical of Clayton but also owns her own mistakes, offers some insight into her mindset going into the fateful fantasy suite conversation, and does her best to make the case that her boyfriend is actually a good dude who is working on himself. -Claire

“Biohacked: Family Secrets,” a new podcast about donor-conceived children and the complicated history and ethical implications of making conception a massive for-profit industry. Like most things under capitalism, the answers are fucking complicated. -Emma

We’ve been buying…

High-waisted shorts that fit me like a glove. I had to size down a couple — Madewell’s sizing is a mess lately — but for once, no waist gap. Summer is coming (in two to three months)!!

I also optimistically resubscribed to Nuuly, hoping for a March and April with some actual outfit opportunities. (Our first date night of 2022, perhaps? My first hangout with a friend since last December? A park jaunt on a day warm enough that I don’t need a fully zipped parka and hat over my clothes?) I learned that Levi’s Ribcage jeans are unforgivingly true to size, unlike most denim brands I’ve worn lately, but otherwise my selections have been winners — though the outfit opportunities have yet to materialize. -Claire

As I said on the podcast, I was recently informed that showing your ankles is now cheugy, so I panic purchased some fun socks from Lele Sadoughi. A dumb purchase? Perhaps. But turns out I really love them? And they look so cute with loafers. At some point I’d like to pair them with formalwear and some platform heels. -Emma

Spoiler alert: This episode contains plot descriptions for each movie discussed. Don’t listen if you don’t want to find out how these (hint) romantic comedies end!

After bathing our brains in intense reality TV drama for the past few weeks — from devouring “Love Is Blind” to taping our eyelids open to make it through the four hours of “The Bachelor” this week (with four more to anticipate this coming week) — we both felt the irresistible urge to retreat to the warm embrace of scripted romantic comedies. The predictability of the formula, and the comfort of being able to expect some human connection and kissing, soothes the soul in troubled times. (In the podcast, Claire refers to “the consolation of genre,” a reference to this great LARB piece on romance novels by Cailey Hall.)

So, this week: a streaming rom-com double feature! We watched “Marry Me,” the glitzy Jennifer Lopez-Owen Wilson vehicle on Peacock, and “I Want You Back,” a cozier romance starring Jenny Slate and Charlie Day on Amazon. We loved the latter (though it needed more kissing) and we found the former boring (though at least we got to see J-Lo perform some high-quality pop songs in concert).

Much has been said about the death of the rom-com, and its resurrection on streaming platforms, and before we dissect these two movies, we discussed the state of the streaming rom-com. Anne Helen Petersen recently interviewed Scott Meslow on Culture Study about his book on the topic, and he offered some sharp insights about the history of the modern rom-com and why it’s so compatible with streaming platforms. Is the relegation of the rom-com to streaming an unmixed blessing? We’re thrilled that they’re getting made in meaningful numbers again, but it’s also hard to see how any but the rare breakout hit (see “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before”) could make a real impression in a saturated streaming marketplace. We also chat about the challenges of casting leads with the right charm and chemistry, and of making rom-coms that feel both escapist and relevant in our modern dating context.

After zooming out, we narrow the scope to lightly recap and critique “Marry Me” and “I Want You Back,” try to figure out what each is saying about modern love, social media and celebrity, discuss why every rom-com in America today is also about professional success, and ask how we can start dressing exactly like Jenny Slate’s character. Hope you enjoy! xo

We’ve been reading…

“Checkout 19” by Claire-Louise Bennett. I adored her previous book, a collection of linked short stories called “Pond,” so I was eagerly anticipating this one. She’s a writer who plunges you deep in the perspective of her idiosyncratic characters, and who revels in evocative words and images; reading it feels like being at sea in someone’s mind, tossed about by their spirals of thought about a crush, a book, a childhood memory, a fascination with the skins of aubergines or an unusual name. -Claire

Also, this incredible piece from Meg Conley’s Homeculture, from which I learned that Charlotte Perkins Gilman (author of the classic short story “The Yellow Wallpaper”) advocated for reinstating slavery so that white women like herself could be fully liberated from domestic labor. Conley researches the history of modern kitchen design — from the Communist iterations to the capitalist ones — and illuminates not only how we arrived at the current American ideal kitchen, built for a showy lifestyle rather than productive work, but also how privileged white women have tried to envision utopian kitchen set-ups that actually relied on the violent exploitation of Black and working-class women. -Claire

“Foreverland,” Heather Havrilesky’s (a.k.a. Ask Polly’s) sharp memoir about the “glorious tedium” of marriage. The response to this book has been a truly mixed bag, and while I find some of her points to be a bit repetitive, especially at the beginning, the honesty and humor with which she approaches longterm commitment is admirable and makes for a really engrossing read. -Emma

We’ve been watching…

“Station Eleven,” slowly. It’s incredible how, despite never going anywhere, Greg and I so rarely feel we have time and energy to watch a single full hour of TV at night, but whenever we get to fit an episode in, it’s a treat. I’m watching “The Gilded Age” solo, planning for future coverage, and it’s a much more ridiculous and soapy experience, but also visually arresting in its sumptuous period-costumed way. -Claire

“The Dropout,” Hulu’s Elizabeth Holmes series. After the disaster that was “Inventing Anna,” I’m really digging “The Dropout,” a scam series that actually has something to say that feels worth interrogating. Also, Amanda Seyfried is fantastic as Holmes. -Emma

We’ve been listening to…

“The Rise and Fall of LulaRoe,” hosted by BuzzFeed reporter Stephanie McNeal. Coincidentally, in her latest episode she interviewed none other than Meg Conley about how the devaluation of care work within a capitalist system makes mothers vulnerable to multi-level marketing schemes like LulaRoe. -Claire

Damn it, Claire! That was gonna be mine too! Oh well, guess you just took one for the team and wrote the blurb for both of us this time. -Emma

We’ve been buying…

A placemat with dinosaurs on it for my toddler. We’re always a bit late to move him up to the big-kid versions of things (he’s 27 months old and the only part of potty training we’ve begun is getting him a training toilet), but we’re finally transitioning him to eating at the table instead of his high-chair tray. Dinosaurs always help.

Also, my quest for easy-on, easy-off sneakers never ends. All the moms I know are wearing Vejas (a sustainable/socially conscious brand manufactured in Brazil), and I noticed one particularly stylish mom friend sporting a pair with Velcro locks. So I bought Vejas with Velcro locks: the Recife style in Pierre Natural. They were a splurge, but honestly, the Velcro experience is amazing. I may never wear lace-up shoes again. -Claire

I have been seduced by yet another TikTok skincare trend. This time it’s called “slugging,” and involves slathering Cetaphil Healing Ointment (which I did purchase explicitly to try this) all over your face to seal in your moisturizer and serums overnight. I thought it might be a disaster on my acne-prone skin, but I was pleasantly surprised by how soft my skin felt the next day! (Warning: If you are a side sleeper like I am, you might find some of the ointment rubbing off on your pillow overnight.)

I also just went on a weekend trip with some girlfriends to Miami and found myself dreaming of chic swim and beach coverups come summertime. So I splurged and bought this crocheted Everything But Water one. I also love this one, which gives a similar effect but at a less splurge-y price point. -Emma

No sooner had the “Love Is Blind” season 2 reunion episode begun than Shake started trolling. “How are y’all feeling?” Nick Lachey asked the group. “I’M NERVOUS ABOUT HOW WE GET EDITED,” blared Shake, who desperately wants everyone to know that he only appeared to be making cruel comments about his fiancée Deepti behind her back because of editing. And also, as he suggests later in the episode, because he’s the only one he’s keeping it real, being honest, and self-consciously playing a villain archetype. Shake packed up every excuse he had and brought it to this reunion.

Everyone onstage reacted with visceral repulsion every time Shake spoke. The groans were audible. “This is a joke,” Deepti whispered frequently. At one point, Vanessa told him that she thought he’d grown after his initial pod meetings, when he seemed to realize that his obsession with finding a tiny, fit blonde was shallow and rooted in his own damage. Shake responded that he was actually going to “double down” on the beginning, and went on to express that the only woman present that he was attracted to was Vanessa. Shake, no one asked.

It was cathartic to see everyone from Shayne to Danielle airing Shake out for his callous treatment of Deepti, and perversely satisfying to see Shake doing himself no favors. But Shake’s obsession with truth-telling — for example, explaining that love isn’t really blind because attraction is important, or pontificating about why Sal and Mallory’s relationship fell apart as if he were posting commentary on Twitter instead of talking directly to two people who understood their own relationship much better than he did — combined with the Lacheys’ lackluster moderating skills to create a reunion that was short on revelations and long on defending the concept of the show.

Shake is an asshole, and a particularly shallow, fatphobic, misogynistic, and status-obsessed guy; he should never have come on this show if appearance is so central to romantic attraction for him, and if he has such narrow criteria. Many people do have the capacity to fall in love primarily based on someone’s mind (ask a sapiosexual, or just stand near one for five minutes) or have a far more capacious range of people they’re attracted to. Shake’s focus on “animalistic attraction” also serves as a cover for his obsession with the status associated with dating an extremely thin, blonde woman. Despite the vulnerable conversations he had with Deepti about his own body insecurities in the pods, he’s not actually interested in unpacking the disgust with fat bodies and the craven desire he has to be seen as worth more because he has a high-status woman on his arm.

He’s also not wrong that physical attraction and chemistry are both important in romantic relationships and not entirely within our control. He’s not even alone; perfectly likable people in both seasons, like Kelly and Mallory, hinted at struggling with that side of the relationship after meeting their fiancés. They just handled it much more sensitively, with consideration for the emotions and dignity of their partners.

But everyone was so eager to shut Shake down, and to distance themselves from his repugnant superficiality, that the hosts and the rest of the cast seemed to align along a virtuous but fantastical premise: that for everyone else in the experiment, love really was completely blind, and that looks had nothing to do with how their engagements played out. It allowed Shake to look, at moments, like he was the only one willing to be honest and real, which only served to provide cover for his true misdeeds. Deepti was the only one to clearly put words to the truth: “It’s okay to not be physically attracted to somebody,” she said. “It’s how you do it and how you say it that’s extremely disrespectful. It’s degrading to women.” Thank you, Deepti!

There was a lot more to discover in this reunion — are Natalie and Shayne back together? why did things fall apart with Mallory and Sal? can Shaina defend calling Shaynatalie “fake”? how is Jarrette making Iyanna feel chosen and like the number one goddess of all time every day? has anything ever happened with Shayne and Shaina? are Kyle and Deepti dating? — and unfortunately, we don’t get clear answers on very much.

The cast either came to play the cartoon villain (Shake), apologize and make nice (Shaina, Mallory, Jarrette, Natalie), demand an apology for stuff we already knew happened (Sal, Kyle, Shayne), or just sit there and beam (Nick, Danielle, Iyanna). The Lacheys prefer not to prod for specifics, and they completely biffed a few VERY obvious follow-ups. At one point, Kyle said his only regret was not proposing to Deepti in the pods, and Nick and Vanessa keep it moving to a new topic rather than asking 1) uhhh, did you two have a romantic connection in the pods??? or 2) ARE YOU DATING HER NOW? We’re begging these people to ask even one useful question.

We taped a quick reaction pod this morning with some more of our thoughts on the reunion fiasco, Shake’s wild Instagram behavior since the finale dropped, and more. Hope you enjoy! xo

We are reading…

I just started an advanced reader copy of Jenny Mollen’s forthcoming novel, “City Of Likes.” I love fiction that comments on influencer culture, and Jenny is just such a sharp and funny and fun writer. So far, I’m very into it! -Emma

Still absolutely loving “The Season,” Kristen Richardson’s history of the debutante, which I think is the perfect preparation for watching the deranged-looking dating show “The Courtship.” -Claire

We are listening to…

Part 1 of “Maintenance Phase’s” two-part series on Jordan Peterson and the absolutely unhinged “carnivore diet” that he and his daughter popularized. -Emma

Deepti and Shaina on “The Viall Files,” where they disclose way more detailed behind-the-scenes info than we got on the reunion. -Claire

We are watching…

“The Dropout,” Hulu’s Elizabeth Holmes series based on the ABC News podcast of the same name. I got press screeners of the first 7 episodes, and so far I’m finding it gripping and sharp. And unlike another scammer show (cough, “Inventing Anna,” cough), “The Dropout” seems like it’s pretty successfully threading the needle of interrogating Holmes’ behavior and situating Theranos within a larger critique of Silicon Valley, while still holding her feet to the fire. -Emma

The third season of the French rom-com series “The Hook-Up Plan,” which finds Elsa and Julio trying to conceive, Charlotte and Max trying to launch his political career, and Antoine and Emilie struggling with both work and parenting. Oh, and everyone is fighting. I do struggle with sequels to rom-coms, because I hate to see my happy endings complicated (that’s not why I watch rom-coms!), so it didn’t give quite the same high as the first season, but the women’s friendships really take center stage and offer just as much pathos and humor. -Claire

We are buying…

I don’t know whether it’s my ongoing makeup renaissance or just weeks and weeks of staring at Rachel Recchia’s lightly laminated brows on “The Bachelor,” but after years of using Glossier’s Boy Brow, I decided to change things up. During a recent trip to Sephora, I was advised to try Benefit Cosmetic’s 24-Hour Brow Setter Clear Brow Gel and to brush my brows up. I wasn’t sure if I could pull it off, but I’ve been doing it for a few weeks now and I’ve been really enjoying the effect. I also love that the brush of this product has two sides, which allows you to go subtler or really get a faux lamination style, sans chemicals. -Emma

A weekly planner. I know…. I already missed 20 percent of the year. But hey, I got my 2022 planner at a steep discount. Organization is really a struggle for me, especially now that we’re no longer part of a newsroom with regular editorial meetings (and now that I have a toddler who is home from daycare maybe 30 percent of the time due to minor illnesses. He was home every day this week but Friday! Again! But I digress). Recently I read that you can make yourself better at personality traits like conscientiousness, maybe, sometimes, so my plan is to set out weekly chunks of time on my Google calendar to do things like handle emails, update social accounts, and planning what I want to write or pod about in the future. Will it work? Will a pretty notebook help? Let’s add a “check in on how becoming more organized is going” event to my calendar for next month, and please share your tips in the comments. -Claire

We all know it’s possible to develop to develop deep, passionate feelings about someone you only know through their voice. It’s called “listening to a podcast.” But would you agree to marry your favorite podcaster, sight unseen?

This is the conceit of “Love Is Blind,” a Netflix reality show about 28 hopeful singles who step into custom-built pods (coincidence? we think not) and speak to each other through an illuminated but completely opaque wall. After a dating period, some couples choose to get engaged, after which they’re able to meet face-to-face, enjoy a honeymoon together in Mexico, and then spend a few weeks living together in their hometown. The grand finale is a legally binding wedding; at the altar, each half of the couple responds “yes” or “no” to the wedding vows to reveal whether they wish to marry the person they met in the pods.

Season 2 of the series just dropped, with the finale — in which we learned which couples would say “I do” in front of all their nearest and dearest — hitting Netflix on Friday.

While season 1 brought us sweet angel babies Lauren and Cameron, as well as irritating but well-matched Barnett and Amber, season 2 had nothing for us but train wrecks. Of the six couples we see get engaged in the pods, at least three seem to actively dislike each other, and most of the ones who like each other aren’t attracted to each other. Their relationships range from “distant but friendly acquaintance” to “drunk hook-up turned chaotic two-month relationship that ends with a screaming match outside a Denny’s.” Nick and Vanessa Lachey, we beg of you: Do not make any of these people get married.

We’ve also gone from a season with essentially one villain — Jessica, aka “Messica,” who got engaged to Mark but couldn’t stop trying to pry Barnett away from Amber — to a season that is roughly half villains, several of whom seem like worse people, fundamentally, than a Jessica who was mostly drunk and spiraling.

Take Shake, who starts his pod experience by asking the women, through thinly disguised questions (“would I have trouble lifting you on my shoulders at a music festival?”), how much they weigh. He seems to have a breakthrough by connecting with Deepti, and through their conversations he processes how he dealt with his own body insecurities by seeking out thin and conventionally hot partners. But once he’s with Deepti in the real world, his superficiality takes over again; soon, he’s sharing his lack of sexual attraction to his fiancée with everyone but her, and in cruelly mocking terms.

Heading into the finale, we were morbidly curious about who would end up legally tying themselves to each other, but not exactly rooting for any of them to take the leap. In this episode, we talk through each couple, from most to least dysfunctional. We also decide whether each person is our enemy (Shake!!!) or our friend (Deeps wlu). Enjoy! xo

We’ve been supporting…

This has been a rough news week. Between virulent anti-trans/anti-gay governing directives and legislation in Texas and Florida, and Putin launching the most significant war Europe has seen in 80 years by invading Ukraine, there has been a lot to feel depressed and scared about. In an effort to feel less useless, we’ve been donating.

Here are some organizations that you can support:

• Transgender Education Network of Texas, which works to lift up the voices of Transgender Texans.

• Allgo, a Texas organization which nurtures and celebrates queer people of color by building, educating, and mobilizing communities toward a just and equitable society.

• Zebra Coalition, a Florida-based network of organizations which provide services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and all youth (LGBTQ+) ages 13 – 24.

• Fiesta Youth, an organization supporting and empowering LGBTQ+ youth in San Antonio, Texas.

• Nova Ukraine, a Ukraine-based nonprofit which provides citizens with food, household and clothing essentials.

• People In Need, which is providing humanitarian aid to over 200,000 people on the ground in Ukraine. They provide food packages, emergency shelter, safe access to drinking water, hygiene items, and coal for heating.

We’ve been reading…

“The Season: A Social History of the Debutante” by Kristen Richardson. As a lover of Jane Austen novels, and Regency romance novels distantly inspired by her biting romantic comedies, I had always been vaguely aware of the shared DNA that linked them to “The Bachelor.” But never having paid much attention to the more recent incarnations of the debutante tradition, the connective tissue between them had been less obvious to me. As soon as I picked up Richardson’s history, however, the ongoing influence of the debutante in American society — its purpose, its form, the values it promoted, the rituals that shaped it — came into sharp focus. Highly recommend. -Claire

Shamefully, I had never read Eve Babitz’s “Sex and Rage.” After she died, I ordered it from Bookshop, and because it was backordered, I just received it. Hot take: Babitz, a great writer. -Emma

We’ve been watching…

“The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window,” a bizarre Netflix series starring Kristen Bell as Anna, a grieving mom who drowns her sorrows in giant glassfuls of red wine and preoccupies herself by watching her neighbors through her upscale suburban window. If you’ve read or seen “The Woman in the Window,” it’s basically that — but a spoof. The show mostly leans more into reproducing the genre elements rather than parodying them, though there are enough goofy moments to make clear, periodically, that it’s not a serious show. It’s almost as if the goal was to intentionally create something camp, a so-bad-it’s-good delight, which I’m leery of. But Bell and the cast are phenomenal, and there are a couple of genuine laughs each episode… plus, I somehow got sucked into caring about the ludicrous “mystery.” There are worse ways to spend a laundry-folding marathon. -Claire

“Love Is Blind: Japan,” because I simply needed more. Is this cause for concern? Probably. -Emma

We’ve been listening to…

“Chameleon,” the Campside Media podcast about the scammer who convinced countless Hollywood strivers that they had just gotten their big break. Typically posing as big-name female producers like Amy Pascal and Debbie Snyder, the scammer would offer up-and-comers in the industry a job on a blockbuster movie filming in Indonesia — but once they arrived, having fronted their own travel expenses with promises of reimbursement, the promised meetings with production would never happen. I remembered reading some news coverage about this years ago, but nothing that cracked the mystery, so when my brother mentioned this podcast, I was intrigued. The first season of the pod, created by Vanessa Grigoriadis and Josh Dean, dives into the details of the scam, and slowly unravels the identity and motivations of the person behind it. -Claire

“Twin Flames,” a new Wondery podcast about Jeff and Shaleia, a young couple who got big on YouTube because of their romantic coaching — specifically their quest to help the lovelorn find their “Twin Flame,” a divine love connection that followers were encouraged to pursue at any cost. The podcast interviews former members of the cult-like community that Jeff and Shaleia formed, and it’s chilling stuff, which exposes how our cultural obsession over the primacy of couples can be harnessed in really dangerous ways. -Emma

We’ve been buying…

My makeup journey continues. This week I dipped my toes further into Kosas and DIBS, and grabbed Kosas’ brand new foundation to try, as well as DIBS’ Lip Definer (I’ve been using their Lip Liner, which doubles as lipstick, and been loving it). -Emma

I’ve been making a number of purchases that didn’t work out lately — Everlane wide-leg jeans that just didn’t fit me right, moisturizer that broke me out, a dress that looked dreamy on the model and pioneer-frumpy on me. Currently I have a sack full of returns to make and a lingering sense of guilt for all the wasted deliveries, and I just want to go back to trying on jeans in store. Here’s something that has worked out, so far: the Mielle Honey & Ginger Styling Gel that my stylist used after my last haircut. It’s a lighter hold than I usually use, but it’s so slippery and moisturizing and smells like a spicy tea. -Claire

The slippery thing about scams, cults, pyramid schemes, grifts: As horrifying as it is to be caught up in one, it can be difficult to explain what makes them any different from the general rules of life under capitalism — especially America’s religiously inflected version, in which hierarchical structures are a given, charismatic personalities are venerated, and wealth is synonymous with moral worth. We all live by those rules. Many of us also rage against them, how living in this society means being exploited by predatory banks, for-profit schools, health insurance companies, venture capitalists — giant corporations that are enriched even as the people they supposedly serve are left sick, miserable, and in debt. The fake-it-until-you-make-it mantra of hustle culture. The obsession with brand-building, getting in on the ground floor, finding some way to claw yourself into an echelon where you’re doing more exploiting than being exploited.

In the pleasurable furor that tends to spring up around audacious scammers like fake German heiress Anna Delvey, one can find oneself chasing the slippery thing around in circles, never getting anywhere. If the scam is just a version of how we all live, then how can it be so wrong? On the other hand, if the way we live sucks, and scams are to blame, how can they be right? Is there a way out of this hell, paved by particularly delightful scammers? Or by valorizing them, are we just finding a new way to worship the fucked-up ethic of getting yours that has produced our shitty status quo?

“Inventing Anna,” a Shonda Rhimes production based on Jessica Pressler’s New York Magazine article, “How Anna Delvey Tricked New York’s Party People,” as well as the life rights of several key players (most notably Anna’s), doesn’t even bother doing much chasing. Instead, it settles into a depiction of Anna (Julia Garner) as a girlboss, a brilliant woman clawing her way through a sexist, xenophobic New York finance milieu, trying to fake it until she made it just like any other startup founder with more vision than money. The show’s antiheroine drops trite lines about how men fail their way to the top, like a 2014 feminist blog; meanwhile, one of the most visible non-wealthy victims of Anna’s grifts is twisted into a pathetic user who got what was coming to her — worse, somehow, than Anna, who is a cool user who deserves Instagram celebrity.

Through the eyes of Anna’s friend, Neff Davis (Alexis Floyd), and the almost starstruck investigative journalist Vivian Kent (Anna Chlumsky), the fake heiress takes shape as a mysterious, charismatic genius, both fragile and admirably strong. Vivian becomes so enmeshed that she’s practically part of the defense team, in a shocking succession of lapses in journalistic ethics. Her colleagues cheer when Anna is found not guilty on several counts. In the end, Anna is seen as worthy because of the sheer nerve of her scams; her victims are seen as unworthy and craven because she deceived them.

Sure, the banks are hardly sympathetic victims. They also aren’t her only victims. But as intoxicating as it is to see a young woman outwitting massive financial institutions, interpretations like “Inventing Anna” only reinscribe the same scam ethos that has made our society such a broken place. She never aspired to siphon wealth and prestige and power away from the top 0.1 percent; she wanted in. She tried to defraud banks for millions of dollars so she could start a high-end, exclusive social club for the super wealthy, both catering to and permanently ensconcing herself in the upper echelons of American robber barons.

It’s not a very inspiring story, in the end. Maybe it is fair to call it girlboss-y. We just thought everyone had realized that was a bad thing.

Emma wrote a great piece on this for MSNBC this week — that and some other background reading are below. Hope you enjoy the pod! xo

Reading List:

How Anna Delvey Tricked New York’s Party People by Jessica Pressler

Netflix's 'Inventing Anna' and the 'girlboss-ification' of Anna Delvey by Emma Gray

False Profit by Chloe Wyma

‘Inventing Anna’ is about a scammer. So why does the show itself feel like a bait and switch? by Inkoo Kang

Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion by Jia Tolentino

My Friend Anna: The True Story of a Fake Heiress by Rachel DeLoache Williams

We’ve been reading…

All of Jezebel’s Horny Week content. This is the Valentine’s Day-related writing and analysis I crave. -Emma

My understanding is that all the hot girls are reading “Vladimir” by Julia May Jonas, so I’m reading “Vladimir” by Julia May Jonas. (Not sure where I got this impression, but I follow my gut.) Narrated by an older female professor at a small liberal arts college who develops a head-spinning infatuation with her new colleague, a hot younger novelist named Vladimir, while her husband faces a spate of allegations of sexual misconduct with his students, the novel delves into campus politics, generational resentment, and the erotic desires and ambitions of a woman who is no longer young enough to have either taken seriously by most people. -Claire

We’ve been watching…

You know I love a rom-com, so I was really excited about “I Want You Back.” Prime’s new romantic comedy stars Jenny Slate (who is always the most delightful and relatable) and Charlie Day as strangers who both get dumped by their long-term partners and then bond over scheming to break up their exes’s new relationships. It’s not a revelatory movie, but it’s a fun one, and it definitely scratched the itch. Jenny Slate forever! -Emma

“The Tinder Swindler,” to pair with “Inventing Anna.” The Netflix documentary, unlike the scripted series we discussed in the podcast, focuses on the perspective of the victims — especially two young women who were bilked for hundreds of thousands of dollars by the serial grifter Simon Leviev after he developed a romance with one and a close friendship with the other. Though Delvey’s grifts were less interpersonally sophisticated than those of Leviev, who essentially used the massive funds he secured from each woman to fund his shock-and-awe courtship of the next, the parallels are real. His victims were treated as money-grubbing and stupid by many who heard their stories, and meanwhile Leviev is free to build a business and brand on the back of his notoriety. -Claire

We’ve been listening to…

Season 2 of “Under The Influence,” Jo Piazza’s podcast about the wild world of influencers. Season 1 focused on mom influencers, and this season they’re expanding the scope. -Emma

Music! The music kick continues. This week I joined the Spotify defection. A few newsletters ago, I wrote about how the app, which seemed like such a godsend at first, has slowly eroded my music listening habits (or at least enabled my drift away from deep, engaged listening). But the thought of not having access to music seemed anathema, so I signed up for Apple Music premium instead. (I know, I know. Akin to canceling Uber and signing up for Lyft.)

This time, though, I wanted to be more intentional about seeking out good music, not just the earworms I seek out after overhearing them on the radio. I went through and added some of my favorite indie albums — The National, Rilo Kiley, Vampire Weekend, The Weakerthans, Camera Obscura — and then clicked into a suggested album: “Jubilee,” by Japanese Breakfast. I’ve known about the band for years but somehow have never bothered to listen to a single song. I was hooked from the first track, shimmery and lilting and euphoric. I might not yet have a solid library of music I own, but when I’m listening to music I really love, down to my toes, I can envision a future me putting a good record on while I cook dinner, the most seductive dream of bougie pleasure I can conjure. -Claire

We’ve been buying…

Finally had to refill my 3-in-1 Blemish Camouflage from August and Monroe (been using it daily! I love this stuff!).

I also got it into my head that I really needed a pair of flare jeans, the 2022 updated version of the Limited Too jeans I coveted in middle school. Abercrombie has been having some great sales, so I bought these black Ultra High Rise Flare Jeans. -Emma

I am also having seasonal denim anxiety. Finding “mom jeans” that have a high enough rise to sit at my natural waist is proving impossible, but, like the follower I am, I’m getting tired of being in skinny jeans while the youth embrace a fresh new silhouette. This time I’m trying the Everlane Way High Jean and hoping they’re a winner.

The warmish weather late last week also inspired me to order a hydrangea blue version of the olive Jansport fanny pack I’ve been wearing slung across my chest all year. Clear, bright blue is really speaking to me for this spring/summer (or maybe I’m just sick of gray skies). -Claire

In the finale of season 1 of “And Just Like That…”, our gals are in the full swing of their third acts — mid-widowhood, mid-divorce, and of course, mid-happy marriage and motherhood. Carrie, almost a year after Big’s death, needs to decide where to put his ashes to rest, possibly with the aid of Big’s eternal spirit speaking to her through a malfunctioning reading lamp. Miranda finds out, through a semipublic musical number, that Che is moving to L.A. to shoot a pilot (the studio thinks they’re “the new Roseanne”). Charlotte is throwing what she terms a “they mitzvah” for Rock, who could not be less interested, no matter how many hipster sourdough challahs and Dylan’s Candy Bar bars Charlotte buys.

By the end of the episode and the season, the gang has been set asail on their own solo journeys for a time: Carrie is the girl who goes to Paris, Charlotte is the girl who gets uninvited from Paris, and Miranda is the girl who goes to L.A. to spend the summer with her new boo instead of doing a super-cool internship. (And naturally, Carrie starts a solo podcast, and naturally, it’s awful.)

Our new central cast are also off on their own paths: in Nya’s case, mid-marital crisis over the Child Question; in Seema’s, mid-sexy fling with a French club owner; in Che’s, mid-pivot to Hollywood; in LTW’s, well, mid-happy marriage and motherhood.

This finale was (like most of the season) frustratingly disconnected from reality; refreshingly interested in exploring new directions for its old characters, while infuriatingly unwilling to engage with the depth of the conflict these changes would cause; at times cringe; and at times quite delightful. Hari Nef is a treat as Rabbi Jen, who steps in to handle Rock’s disastrous they mitzvah and Carrie’s tiff with Miranda over Paris vs. L.A. with equal aplomb, and the sherbet-hued ensemble Carrie dons to scatter Big’s ashes simply has to be seen to be appreciated.

We dig into all this, plus: What is Carrie’s worst breakup story, actually, and why is it definitely “I got broken up with by a Post-It”? Is the resolution of the Samantha plotline satisfying? When did Carrie get so rich? Is she qualified to give relationship advice via podcast? Would we take a second season? And if so, what do we want to see in it? Hope you enjoy! xo

We’ve been reading…

“My Friend Anna” by Rachel DeLoache Williams, the then-Vanity Fair photo editor who was invited on a lavish Moroccan vacation as a guest of Anna Delvey (née Sorokin) and then stuck with the catastrophically high bill. She’s also a character in the upcoming Netflix series, and the differences in perspective are fascinating, to put it lightly. -Claire

I’ve also been down an Anna Delvey/Sorokin supplementary reading hole ahead of the release of “Inventing Anna,” reading Sorokin’s recent Insider essay (which she wrote from ICE custody) and Williams’ latest piece for AirMail which has some choice criticism for Netflix. I also re-read Jia Tolentino’s 2018 New Yorker essay about our cultural obsession with grifters, and why Anna’s particularly brand of folk hero-like scam was so intoxicating to gawk at. -Emma

We’ve been watching…

“Inventing Anna,” the aforementioned Netflix series on the grifting folk hero Anna Delvey who infiltrated the most elite and moneyed New York circles by claiming to be a connected German heiress. It’s very ripped-from-the-headlines, and the angle is very girl-bossy, and the whole thing feels a bit dated — and surprisingly gray and dour for a show about such a juicy tabloid story. We’ll both have more to say on this soon! -Claire

Anyone who has been following our work and pods knows that I’m not the harshest critic and have a pretty strong stomach for soapy trash of all varietals. However, I have some… FEELINGS, not particularly positive ones, about “Inventing Anna.” Can’t wait to share them when we record next week’s Rich Text episode. -Emma

We’ve been listening to…

The “You’re Wrong About” episode on Tom Cruise’s viral Oprah couch-jump, featuring Willa Paskin. The pod offers some light debunking (though I personally don’t see much difference between seeing someone jump up onto a couch and seeing them give an extra bounce or two once up there); more interesting to me is how it positions the episode as taking place at a moment when the context collapse of Internet virality was just becoming possible, but before the celebrity machine had really cottoned onto it. Paskin points out how safe and warm Oprah’s show and audience — including its very enthusiastic in-studio audience — would have seemed to Cruise, and how that context simply didn’t translate for viewers catching a clip of the weirdest moments later. It’s a really lovely conversation and left me with more knowledge of this watershed moment in Cruise’s career than I ever thought I needed. -Claire

I tore through “Sweet Bobby,” the Tortoise media podcast about a woman who was elaborately catfished for a decade by her distant cousin. It is a fascinating look into the world of online scams, the psychology behind them, the damage they leave in their wake, and why the shame that surrounds victims so often prevents scammers from being stopped. -Emma

We’ve been buying…

There was a Hill House nap dress drop this week, and I succumbed to the lure of black lace (for weddings??). -Claire

I did it. I got the beautiful lilac tulle Hill House dress (it’s now sold out, but her navy sister isn’t) and it’s simply too pretty to even contemplate returning. My other favorite — and far more practical — buy from the drop was the Samantha Dress in black poplin, which is not sold out! I suspect she will be in my heavy rotation for years to come. -Emma

In episodes 7 to 9 of HBO’s “Sex and the City” reboot “And Just Like That…”, the mid-life crisis season, the crises continue apace. Carrie writes her grief memoir and goes on a tragic date. Charlotte discovers her 15-year-old daughter knows about thirst traps. Miranda has an affair AND a divorce without ever having an on-screen conversation with her teenage son. These three episodes offer only slight attention to details like “plot continuity” and “the number of seasons that pass in three months,” but they’re distractingly action-packed and full of eye candy (hello, Carrie’s old Versace ballgown), as well as some classic scenes of the besties joking about their sex lives. As episode 9 wraps, Miranda and Carrie are in completely different places than they were when the series opened, and Charlotte — well, Charlotte, for now, is on top at last.

And with that, “And Just Like That…” has careened, like a glittering rollercoaster, into its home stretch. Only the season finale remains to tidy away an enormous amount of loose ends, most of them related to our messy queen Miranda (is Brady ever going to have feelings about his parents’ divorce — or, uh, learn about it at all? Has Miranda moved out? Is she still in recovery? What happened in Cleveland? Are she and Che ever going to actually talk about what kind of relationship they can have?) but also related to our other heroines (is Carrie ever going to get back on the merry-go-round, and will she do it with hirsute teacher Peter? Will there be any sort of detente with Samantha? Is Charlotte totally satisfied being a mom and charity board member, or does she want to rejoin the professional art world? Will Nya and André decide about trying for a baby once and for all? Will Seema fall in love? Will LTW ever get a real solo plot? Does Stanford just live in Tokyo forever now, no further questions?).

Next week, we’ll be discussing the finale and looking back at the season as a whole, but for this episode, we discussed the penultimate three episodes in alarming detail. Key topics include Carrie’s yearning for cool, the Che Diaz backlash cycle, doddering Steve, cynic Miranda vs. romantic Miranda, Kristin Davis’s acting, sex-positive parenting, appropriate outfits for house-painting, Nya’s baby ambivalence, how late is too late to be partying on a stoop in NYC, and more!

We’ve been watching…

I love a period piece, so I have been enjoying HBO’s “The Gilded Age,” Julian Fellowes’ new drama set in the 1800s among the elite in New York City. The costumes are sumptuous, Brooklyn is treated like another country, robber barons are building railroads, and everyone who’s anyone lives uptown by the park. (Also, it quite topically features Cynthia Nixon in a prominent role!) -Emma

“Too Hot to Handle” Season 3! I think this actually might be my favorite crew yet, from the Hot Topic fuckboy (has everyone talked about the Hot Topic fuckboy without me?) to the most beautiful friends-to-lovers romance of our time. -Claire

We’ve been reading…

“Miss Me With That” by Rachel Lindsay, of course! The iconic former Bachelorette’s memoir hit bookstores this week, and it’s a rollicking read — she covers her upbringing, her romantic history, the nitty-gritty of her casting experience on “The Bachelor,” and even some mansion gossip.

I’ve also been catching up on some lit world chatter, and most of it right now is about Sean Thor Conroe’s heralded debut “Fuccboi.” The book was given the seal of approval by legendary internet lit publisher Giancarlo DiTrapano of Tyrant Books, who died last April, and reviews have been split between the admiring and the horrified. (As Hanson O’Haver put it for Gawker, “More Like Suckboi.”) Every passage I see from it is mortifying to read; for example, Conroe’s struggling writer narrator reportedly refers to all women as “baes,” including “editor bae” and “ex bae.” Meanwhile, author Sam Pink posted a blog claiming “Fuccboi” is “a complete rip off of my style.” Does the book suck, or is it a faithful rip-off of an actual artist’s work? Can it somehow be both? Art… it’s complicated. -Claire

I have of course found time to read “Miss Me With That.” Rachel Lindsay says early on in her memoir that it’s not going to be your “typical Bachelor book.” She delivers on this promise, and it’s a real fun ride.

I’ve also been reading the second book in Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series, “The Viscount Who Loved Me,” to get myself excited for the second season which is coming out on Netflix in March. Swoon! -Emma

We’ve been listening to…

“Where You Are” from “Moana,” which is my son’s current YouTube favorite. We still haven’t seen “Moana” (he doesn’t have a movie-level attention span yet) but he will demand this song on repeat, and now it is in my head on repeat and probably will be until I die. At least it’s a constant reminder to “find happiness right where I am” (in our small apartment with a high-energy two-year-old who has been in daycare for less than 10 days since the holidays). -Claire

I’ve been a bit under the weather this week — apparently illnesses other than Covid still exist, which is a real indignity — so I’ve been opting for calming music that won’t make my migraines worse. Lots of light jazz. -Emma

We’ve been buying…

Merit makeup, a clean beauty brand which has been advertised relentlessly to me on Instagram but also, recently, recommended on Instagram by writer Esmé Wang, who is so enviably glamorous that I immediately bought two of the products she posted about using for at-home beauty treatments. 

I wrote last week that my skin has been abysmal, and my Glossier routine — which looked so lovely with my fresh summer skin — was not cutting it. I needed something with more coverage that I could do in five minutes (in other words, not a full face of foundation). I got the Minimalist complexion perfecting stick in Dune and use it on my undereyes, around my nose and chin, and over blemishes. It is a bit dry, so it does cling to flaky patches on the face. But if I make sure my skin is fully prepped and very moisturized, it’s a dream: goes on quick, lasts all day and doesn’t make my skin oily whatsoever — it really does look and feel like clean skin once it’s buffed in. I’ve also been loving the Merit mascara, which gives me natural-looking, fluttery length and has quelled my longing to try a lash lift, and the brow pomade, which never smears on application like my Boy Brow. -Claire

Somehow Claire and I seem to consistently be on the same wavelength with our purchases. I don’t know if it’s the winter season or just two years of Pandemic-land, but I’ve been wanting to upgrade my makeup routine. I’ve recently started using creamier products with setting spray, rather than relying so much on the bareMinerals powders and Glossier finishers I’ve been using forever. This is a somewhat shameful confession, but I found myself on Rachael Kirkconnell’s daily makeup tutorial video on my IG Explore page, and decided to check out some of the makeup brands she used. I ended up purchasing a few products from DIBS Beauty, including their Desert Island Duo (a blush/bronzer stick) in Shade 2 — I like that you can use it as blush, bronzer, eyeshadow and lip color! — the No Pressure Lip Liner in Shade 1, and the No Pressure Lip Gloss Topper in pink, which really feels like an upgraded versions of the lip glosses I used to buy at CVS right next to the Wet n’ Wild. -Emma