Captivations is a monthly feature with links, stories, and news that captivated me.
Hello!
Anyone else
Will Marie Kondo Slow Down Fast Fashion?
I hope so. Marie Kondo’s Netflix show about tidying up has people wondering how their homes got so cluttered in the first place, posing the question about how much they’re spending on retail. This article explains more. I hope this makes people more conscious about the excess they are buying and remember things they throw out or donate don’t magically disintegrate. It eventually ends up in a landfill.
Cultural Appropriation vs. Cultural Appreciation
I’ve touched on this subject several times on my blog because it’s important, widely misunderstood, and sometimes tricky to decipher. Maybe this article will help.
The Scars
Where are the survivors of school shootings now? This article shows the physical and mental
Challenges Form Habits
Want to form a habit? The Spar app allows you to make it a competition with your friends. I can see people challenging each other to do 30 squats daily or drinking eight glasses of water. You must post photos and videos to show you’ve completed the task and you’ll be putting real money on the line!
True Fans
This article highlights something I and many other bloggers and influencers struggle with these days. How do you build an audience in a cluttered world focused on metrics? This quote summarizes it well:
“If you’re serious about finding 1000 true fans for your work, you need to stop confusing attention with accomplishment and make a shift from metrics to meaning. This is not an easy shift because as a society we are programmed to seek out status. And more is the ultimate indicator of status: more followers, more money, more traffic.”
How you can help? Give validation and feedback. Enjoy a blogger’s post? Leave a comment, share it with others, or send a message. We may be creating for ourselves but it’s nice to know content resonates with readers.
Bra Fairy
One organization I support is I Support the Girls. This organization provides feminine hygiene products and bras to people in need. These may sound like small items but they’re often overlooked. In Austin, it’s mainly given to homeless and local organizations like domestic violence shelters. Recently, the organization aided women affected by the shutdown – from new moms to families with daughters. Check out this article.
Gentrification
It’s easy to point our finger at “the man” for changing our neighborhoods, raising prices, and essentially pushing current residents out. It’s a tricky subject. People are not trying to “ruin” a neighborhood or city on purpose. Progress and growth have consequences. This article gives some tips about how to be conscious of these changing communities. What do you think?
Is Austin Progressive?
This interview reminds me that racism exists everywhere, even in a seemingly progressive and liberal city like Austin. There will always be people with unjustified or unconscious prejudice because of how they were raised, their limited personal experiences, or just not understanding.
How Fancy Water Bottles Became a 21st-Century Status Symbol
The title of this article from The Atlantic made me laugh. It’s true – these fancy water bottles are everywhere! The water bottle says a lot about a person, from how environmentally conscious or how healthy he/she is. It’s also the perfect Instagram prop to show how much you work out. 😉 Not judging – I’m pretty sure we have a few “fancy” water bottles in our house.
Repreve
Looking to be more environmentally friendly? Check out the brands that use Repreve – a company that provides recycled content to other companies to make products. Many of these companies make clothing.
The Best-Selling Cookbook Critics Didn’t Like
This is so interesting to me. Magnolia Table by Joanna Gaines, star of the show “Fixer Upper” and co-founder/owner of the empire in Waco, was the number one selling cookbook last year. Not only that, it was the number two best-selling book of the year behind Michelle Obama’s autobiography Becoming. Yet, most media across the U.S. dismissed it for “best cookbook” lists because they didn’t think it was good. It goes to show how loyal fans can be, even if the product is lacking. This article
New Kate Spade Collection
I knew David Spade was Kate Spade’s brother-in-law but didn’t know Rachel Brosnahan, lead actress of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (highly recommend this Amazon show), was her niece. Rachel is in new ads for the new Kate Spade Collection Frances Valentine.
Kids’ Lives Documented on the Internet
We’re in a time where their parents have documented the whole lives of their kids on social media and they’re old enough to see it. Can you imagine searching yourself and finding every detail of your life, including your parent’s commentary, for all to see? This article from The Atlantic details what that’s like. It’s sometimes strange and scary how public our lives are!
Legendary Michelle Yeoh
Crazy Rich Asians
How Self-Compassionate are You?
You may treat yourself to nice things but what do you say to yourself daily? At an event for The Kindness Campaign, I found myself in front of the Magic Mirror. It asked me what I typically say to myself when I look in the mirror. Truthfully, it’s usually things that are wrong with me physically, things I want to fix. Our daily habits and our thoughts alter our personalities. Having that experience, reading this article, and taking the quiz in the article reminded me that I should be more compassionate to myself.
The Kindness Campaign is a non-profit in Austin working to change the narrative to stop bullying. Their school programs help build the foundation for impressionable kids, reminding them of their worth. The interactive curriculum encourages discussion and reflection. We need this organization and programs like this for everyone! No matter what age, it’s powerful to come back to our own worth.
What’s got you captivated lately?
You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Bloglovin’. You can also subscribe to the exclusive email list.
You might also like
