I remember falling in love with fashion like it was yesterday. First, I noticed a coat that was featured in my Mom’s Vogue magazine. The model was wearing this amazing plum colored plaid coat with brown fur cuffs, collar, and trim (I may be dating myself…) and once I saw it I couldn’t stop staring at it. I didn’t know clothes could be that beautiful. Where did you even get something like that?
Soon afterwards I was at the mall with my Mom while she ran some errands. Walking buy the store windows, I started to notice pieces that I liked and outfits on mannequins that looked good together, and started mentally putting things together for different fictional events and people in my head. I honestly had never thought twice about clothes before. Sure, I liked the occasional dress from Limited Too, or the Mary Kate and Ashley collection at Walmart, but it wasn’t the same. Nothing had really inspired me like this before. All of a sudden it’s like I was seeing a whole new section of life that I hadn’t even known about. How were people not more excited about this?!
Like many teenage girls, I enjoyed going to the mall and shopping with my friends. The potential of a new outfit was exciting and I was always on the hunt. There was just one problem: I usually couldn’t afford the things that I liked (unfortunately, I still deal with this problem). So, in order to find things that I could actually purchase, I became really good at shopping sales. Every shopping trip would either end with my showing off a new purchase to my family and explaining how I had found something for under $10 (a tank top that was originally $25, but then got reduced to $18, and then got placed on the additional 60% off rack, and I had a 15% off coupon) or a consolation Auntie Anne’s pretzel. There were no other outcomes.
After I got to college I started working and earning my own money, and saving a little more aggressively for my closet, but I still wasn’t there yet. No, I couldn’t regularly drop $600 on a pair of shoes (still can’t), but I could occasionally spend $150, and if that $150 was actually a $600 pair that was 75% off… you see where I’m going with this. I’ve put a lot of research into finding all the places you can buy designer goods at a discount.
Keep in mind that just because something is heavily discounted, doesn’t mean you need to get it. I’ve made that mistake more than once, and it’s a waste of hard earned money. But, if you’re on the hunt for a black mini skirt or a good pair of wedges, it doesn’t hurt to check out these places first ;).
Online Outlets
6pm – 6pm is the Zappos online outlet. I usually end up browsing things from most expensive to least expensive and clicking through the initial pages to get to my price range. Otherwise it can be really crowded with items you don’t need to be looking at. I’ve found numerous deals on Michael Kors and Stuart Weitzman shoes in particular here.
The Outnet – The Outnet is the Net-a-Porter online outlet. I know. I. Know.
TJ Maxx – They have a designer section online. I was shocked too.
Nordstrom Rack – Again, sorting from high to low prices will get you straight to the good stuff.
Bluefly– I’m not actually positive they’re an outlet? But they do have a large number of sales.
Joma Shop – This place has discounted watches and jewelry. You can find 80+ percent discounts on brands like Dior and Versace, as well as savings on Bvlgari, Rolex, Cartier, and more.
Flash Sale Websites
Amuze– This site is actually pretty amazing. I’ve seen everything from Celine to Louboutins go on sale here for great prices. Get $25 off your first purchase with the link I provided.
Texas GOP Lawmaker Tony Tinderholt authored the Abolition of Abortion in Texas Act, an anti-choice bill that attempts to completely outlaw and criminalize abortion at any stage in Texas, due to his argument that it would “force” women to be “more personally responsible” with sex, according to Cosmopolitan. Under this law, women who seek abortions and doctors who carry them out would be charged with murder. There would be no exception for rape and incest.
His thought process is that women don't feel like they have to take precautions when it comes to sex because they have a "backup" of "'oh, I can just go get an abortion,'" he told The Texas Observer.
He continued, in an undoubtedly condescending tone towards women, to say that "we both know that consenting adults don’t always think smartly sometimes. But consenting adults need to consider the repercussions of the sexual relationship that they’re gonna have, which is a child."
Texas State Rep. Donna Howard fired back (you go Donna Howard!), telling the Texas Observer, "That is so ignorant to think… that women are somehow irresponsibly deciding that they’re going to go ahead and get pregnant because it’s so easy to get an abortion. And for the Legislature to insert themselves in these decisions… it’s just baffling to me that he could have that lack of compassion and understanding for fellow Texans."
Tinderholt told The Texas Observer that this bill would not ban abortions, but simply change "criminal penal codes and statutes." Hmmm...Sure sounds like it's going to ban abortions, if having one would result in a murder charge!
According to the Texas Observer, the bill’s passage is still up in in the air. But that doesn't make the bill itself any less disturbing. This, along with Trump's reinstatement of the global gag rule and Republican attempts to pass a federal "heartbeat bill," show that women's rights will continue to be attacked under our new presidential administration.
With the final 10 episodes of Freeform's Pretty Little Liars beginning in April, we still have so much hope for our favorite couples. Sure, the mysterious texts from A and all the evil characters and plot twists are great, but how can you not be emotionally invested in the rollercoaster of romance and relationships?
If you're biting your nails worrying about the status of fan fave couples like Toby and Spencer, Hanna and Caleb, Aria and Ezra, and Emily and Allison, then you'll definitely want to hear what Marlene King has to say about all of your ships.
In an interview with Variety, we basically get the answer from King herself on which couples will make it through the end together.
“I’m a hopeless romantic. I think that our fans, as much as they’ve enjoyed the mystery of the show, they’ve enjoyed the romance, as well,” King says. “I think the couples that are meant to be together will find their way back together.” Ezria? Spoby? Emison? Haleb?! Which ones does that mean?
Of course, executive producer Oliver Goldstick adds, "I think there are some surprises."
I don't think my little fangirl heart can handle this. Can we just fast forward to April 18th?
You wouldn’t go out with scuffs all over your favorite pair of pumps, would you? Probably not—you’d polish them to make them look as awesome as possible. The same should go for your resume!
We know that with your super-busy collegiette schedule, you have great experiences listed, and now you just have to make the finishing touches—the polish. But what are the quick fixes you can make in order for your resume to go above and beyond?
We talked to Emily Miethner, the founder and CEO of FindSpark, a website that gives young professionals the tools to get a great job or internship, to get the lowdown on a few ways to polish your resume and make it the best it can be.
With great things come a lot of time and effort—we’ve all heard that one before! When it comes to your resume, you need to take your time on it to make sure it comes out perfect.
“To make the biggest difference, you definitely need to put time in,” Miethner says.
As much as you may like to be, you’re not Hermione—you can’t simply wave your wand and create a perfectly written and formatted resume. If there are parts that you did write a little too quickly, make sure you go back and touch them up. Start each bullet point off with an action verb, like “led,” “coordinated” and “developed.” Be sure the skills you choose to highlight from a certain experience are truly the ones you want to emphasize, and make sure they show all that you do!
We’ve all heard before that undergraduate resumes should be limited to only one page, so it’s really important that your one page shows your best possible self to potential employers.
“You want to make it as clear as possible that you’re relevant for the job as quickly as possible,” Miethner says. That means getting rid of work experience that might not necessarily show why you’re a perfect fit for the company.
So your two summers waiting tables at the local diner? Not super necessary on the resume you’re submitting to that investment banking firm. Miethner says that while jobs like these definitely had a purpose, they don’t show immediately why you can contribute to a professional job or internship.
Instead, Miethner suggests cutting out your summer jobso you have more room to expand upon your experiences with the accounting club at your school. Although accounting club isn’t necessarily work experience, it shows your potential employer more immediately that you have the skills to contribute and succeed at the job for which you’re applying. When it comes to putting your work experience on paper, cut out the waitressing and retail jobs—unless they directly relate to the full-time job or internship you’re looking for!
Miether also says you should list your most relevant experiences first. So, when applying to the investment banking firm, you should probably list your experiences with accounting club first and your experiences as the treasurer of your dance team second. Both clubs have given you skills that you can use in investment banking, but accounting club definitely highlights those skills more and should always be listed first.
As much as we love flowery graphics and pretty borders, we don’t really love them on our resumes. Instead, Miethner suggests keeping your layout simple. Don’t go over-the-top with incorporating color or special designs, Miethner says. Instead, make sure that it’s simple and easy to read.
Miethner says choosing between serif and sans serif fonts is important. Sans serif fonts (think of fonts like Arial, Calibri and Helvetica) don’t have those little horizontal lines at the ends of the letters. Serif fonts (think of fonts like Times New Roman and Cambria) do. This font you’re reading now? It’s a serif font. The default font on your Twitter feed? A sans serif font.
Miethner is a fan of the sans serif font for resumes (so Arial, Calibri or Helvetica) because they lend themselves to titles and bolder type. “I think it’s much easier to read a sans serif font than a serif font,” she says. “Most resumes nowadays are read on the screen, and it’s scientifically easier on the eye to read sans serif on a screen.”
Like everything else, color should also be simple. A pop of color in your header can go a long way in making your resume stick out, but make sure you don’t go too crazy—only use one color, and make sure it’s featured in simple accents.
As far as formatting goes, Miethner says, bearing in mind simplicity, you should keep it consistent.
“Whatever format you do choose, you have to stick with it through your entire resume,” Miethner says. “Otherwise, it’s going to get confusing.”
Read over your resume to make sure all formatting choices are made consistently throughout the entire resume: Make sure you keep your titles the same font size, and make the decision if you’re going to use periods at the ends of bullet points or not. Keep track of the use of commas, dashes and semicolons as well. An inconsistent format is not only confusing for the reader, but shows that you were careless—it’s going to make the hiring manager wonder what else you might get careless about!
4. Check your bullet points for accurate information
Nobody likes having to sort through clutter, and simplicity isn’t limited to your font and layout choices—you should keep it simple in your experience descriptions, too! Miethner says you should avoid repeating duties you did for different organizations.
“I feel like one mistake people make is if they have similar roles, they can get repetitive bullets,” Miethner says. “Make sure that every bullet shows a different skill or accomplishment.”
Miethner suggests highlighting the different and varying duties you had with different jobs and organizations not only as a way to give yourself more room on your resume, but to keep from wasting the time of the individual reading your resume.
This will also help hiring managers see the really important skills on your resume. Instead of cluttering it with repetitive information, the hiring manager’s eye will be directly drawn toward your bullet point about displaying exemplary knowledge of AP Style as an editor for your school paper or your ability to make price negotiations through your campus programming board. There’s no need to distract them from what you can really do with a bunch of fluff!
Have you ever downloaded a worksheet from a professor and the layout on the page was all wrong? That’s because their version of word processor might be different from yours, so the formatting gets all out of whack when opened on a different computer.
You should take that knowledge and apply it to your resume, too. Save it on the default format (.doc, .docx, etc.), but also save it as a PDF. Saving your resume as a PDF is kind of like saving it as a picture, so there’s no way your formatting can get messed up. When sending documents to a hiring manager, be sure to send him or her both formats and let him or her know that you’ve done that for his or her convenience.
When looking over your resume draft, make sure you hunt down all of those acronyms and spell them out! This will give the hiring manager a better idea of what you’re talking about on your resume and will increase your chances of getting recognized for your accomplishments.
So, if you were a member of your student government association, don’t just list SGA President on your resume. Instead, you should spell out the entire acronym—Student Government Association. The same thing goes with different conferences and competitions you participated in. If you were on your college’s cheerleading team and went to the National Cheerleaders Association Collegiate Championship, don’t just say, “NCA National Champion” on your resume; instead, spell the whole title out.
If you’re anything like us, your resume originally had a file name that was really ambiguous, like “resume,” or something like that. Instead, change it to “[First name] [Last name] resume.”
This not only looks way more professional, but makes your resume a lot more identifiable and easy to find for hiring managers, especially when they’re handling a whole swarm of candidate resumes. Nothing would stink more than getting overlooked for a job because the hiring manager couldn’t locate your resume.
It’s always a great feeling when you go out for the night and everyone compliments your super-cute, shiny pumps. You’re looking flawless, and everyone knows it. You’re going to get that great feeling when you polish your resume, too! Good luck, collegiettes!
Staying in instead of going out is a choice. There’s no reason to feel ashamed for wanting to do so. After a long week, sometimes we just need to recharge our batteries! Here are 22 reasons why Friday nights in your room always trump going out.
1. Free food
Sure, there are no waiters or waitresses waiting on you hand and foot, but there is a fridge full of food. And plot twist, it doesn’t cost you $25 a plate.
2. There’s no chance of embarrassing yourself
You don’t have to worry about tripping over air in front of a bar full of bystanders or not realizing you had something in your teeth the entire night.
3. Your bed
There are no beds at the club. Hell, there are no free seats at the club.
4. No chance of witnessing secondhand embarrassment
Secondhand embarrassment can be just as bad as firsthand. You won’t have to witness your drunken friends making fools out of themselves or be forced to watch a stranger attempt to dance on beat.
5. Wear whatever you want
Why force yourself into pleather pants or a latex crop top when you can just look homeless in an oversized t-shirt and your boyfriend’s basketball shorts?
6. No makeup
Every girl’s face deserves a day where it gets a break from concealer and contouring. Friday nights in are the perfect time for facemasks and cucumbers.
7. No judgment
No company = no manners. You can belch, fart and pick your nose all you want.
8. You don’t have to contain your weirdness
After a full day of acting normal, Friday nights are your time to let loose. Belt out that song you’ve been dying to sing all day, with matching choreography. Make animal noises while you cook dinner. Lay starfish on the living room floor and make air-angels. Do everything you couldn’t do if you were out in public.
9. No waiting in line for the bathroom
You avoid the pee-pee dance and the germs of a public restroom.
10. Slippers > heels
You don’t have to worry about your ankles caving in and betraying you. Your slippers don’t give you blisters, and therefore make you happy.
11. You get to binge-watch television and live vicariously through the rich and fabulous
It’s the perfect activity for when your week sucked and you don’t want to go out and risk it sucking even more.
12. Avoiding a horrible hangover the next day
You can literally feel your body thanking you.
13. Time to read
You’ve been looking for the perfect time to crack open that new novel you got for Christmas and Friday night is the perfect time.
14. Real talks
Small talk has to be one of the worst things associated with going out and meeting new people. When you spend a Friday night in, you can invite over whomever you want. It’s a chance to have a real discussion about anything and everything without having to scream over loud music and competing conversations.
15. Introspection
Friday nights in are the perfect time to take care of YOU. Make your dorm room into a mini spa, reflect on your past week, catch up on the work you’ve fallen behind on, re-evaluate your life plan, and maybe even put some toothpaste on that zit you’ve been resisting to pop all day.
16. You get a break from people
Between school and your part-time job, you’re constantly interacting with people. It can get tiring. Everyone needs an opportunity to bask in the peace and quietness of their room every once and a while.
17. Bras are optional
Whoever invented them hated womankind, and whoever made them a social requirement deserves to be thrown into a hunger game (…just kidding…).
18. You don’t have to share your alcohol
We all have that one friend who never buys any alcohol and then expects to mooch off of you the entire night. Well, they don’t have to be invited to your Friday night in, now do they?
19. You get to explore the weird side of YouTube
Sometimes it can be hard to find, but once you’re in deep enough, it’s there and boy is it entertaining. Odd trailers for movies you’ve never even heard of, strange challenges and Ice JJ Fish protégées. You name it, it’s there.
20. You get to choose what music you dance to
Why go to a club just to wait until the very end of the night to finally hear the song you’ve been waiting to dance to all night? You can play it straight away on your laptop and dance the night away, just saying…
21. No stress about how you’re getting home
Because guess what? You’re already home!
22. You’re saving money
Have you ever sat down and calculated all of the money you would save if you just stayed home and Netflixed? Just doing that alone will be enough to convince you to hibernate in your room for the rest of the winter, trust us.
Before current Bachelor Nick Viall made himself at home within the franchise, appearing on the show four times, Bachelor Nation’s biggest scandal was when Bachelor Jason Mesnick chose runner-up Molly Malaney over his initial pick Melissa Rycroft…on live TV. Although things ended up fine for both sides—Jason and Molly are now married and have a daughter, and Melissa is also married with kids—the controversy is back in the news because apparently, Jason has a bone to pick with Ellen DeGeneres. Um, what?
Refinery29 reports that Jason mentions in his upcoming memoir an awkward rift with Ellen that arose during his post-final rose press tour. In a preview of the book, Jason writes that he was afraid to stand up to show producers when they began encouraging him to keep up a relationship with Melissa so she would have others’ sympathy when he broke up with her and be a likable Bachelorette (a position she didn’t even get). “When I go back to it, I wish I would have stood my ground and never did anything that was against my morals or hurt anyone,” Jason reveals.
When Jason visited The Bachelor’s go-to talk show host Jimmy Kimmel after choosing Molly, the two took time off air for Jimmy to give Jason “advice” for his appearance on Ellen the next day. Because anyone who watches the show as faithfully as Jimmy is automatically qualified to give advice to a stranger, right?
“He said, and I’m paraphrasing, 'Ellen is going to really attack you because she needs to do it for her audience,'” Jason shares. “'Here’s what I would say if I were you, based on your experience…' And so I took his advice and I went on Ellen and was just like, 'Look, I don’t really know anything about this industry. I’m just trying to be myself.'”
“Ellen was kind of harsh…but I remember that between takes on commercials she said something like, ‘I know how this show works. Don’t worry about it. I’m just kind of doing my thing,’” Jason writes. “So she had to lash into me based on TV stuff, but when the camera stops rolling, she says, ‘Don’t worry, it’s all for TV.’ It was just one of those things where I thought why can’t we have an honest conversation where the truth is the same as when the cameras are rolling as when they’re not rolling?”
Taking the time to call out Ellen doesn’t really put Jason’s book in a positive light, but I guess any news about him means remembering a simpler time in Bachelor Nation—you know, before Corinne was the only real reason to watch the show.
Lin-Manuel Miranda is truly a momma's boy at heart. After getting the news that he received his first Oscar nomination—Moana's "How Far I'll Go" is up for Best Original Song—his only concern was finding his mother a dress. Why? Because he promised her a seat at the Oscars.
"We gotta get my mom a dress. I've promised her she was coming with me to the Oscars since I was 10," Miranda says.
It's super sweet that Lin-Manuel is honoring his promise to his mom and even sweeter that she's his first priority during a very exciting time. "Obviously the first priority, is getting my mom looking nice. I can wear any old penguin suit."
Congrats on the nomination, and we look forward to spotting you and your wonderful date on the red carpet!
As the entertainment industry says goodbye to yet another television icon in Mary Tyler Moore, many are celebrating her life and legacy. Her strong and independent character on '70s sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show inspired many women in entertainment and young girls that grew up with the show, one being Michelle Obama.
The show was based on Moore's character and her friends living the single life and experiencing trials at work and home during the 1970s. During an interview with Variety, Michelle described how Moore's character changed her way of thinking in regards to career and marriage.
“She was one of the few single working women depicted on television at the time,” Obama said. “She wasn’t married. She wasn’t looking to get married. At no point did the series end in a happy ending with her finding a husband — which seemed to be the course you had to take as a woman. But she sort of bucked that. She worked in a newsroom, she had a tough boss, and she stood up to him. She had close friends, never bemoaning the fact that she was a single. She was very proud and comfortable in that role."
She continued, “I was probably 10 or 11 when I saw that, and sort of started thinking, ‘You know what? Marriage is an option. Having a family is an option. And going to school and getting your education and building your career is another really viable option that can lead to happiness and fulfillment."
She speaks the truth. Mary Tyler Moore will surely be missed, but it's clear her impact will last far beyond her lifetime.
It's hard to believe it's been 15 years since Nicholas Sparks first took us on a walk down Remember lane. We would forever be in love with Landon Carter and Jamie Sullivan after watching A Walk to Remember. Shane West and Mandy Moore made it the iconic romantic drama that it is, and if you're a Sparks fan, this movie was, and probably still is, one of your faves.
To celebrate the 15-year anniversary of the film, West and Moore took to Twitter to reminisce with fans in a Twitter chat. When one asked Moore about a possible reunion, her reply instantly got the internet excited.
Those who have seen the film will remember that Mandy's character—SPOILER ALERT—dies at the end, leaving little chance of a sequel. So we're not quite sure how an on-screen reunion would work.
Shane suggested that revisiting the commentary would be fun.
I remember the commentary being pretty fun. Doing it over again would be a blast https://t.co/HHjPUye0d6
It's safe to say fans would love any sort of reunion the cast can make happen. So can we all agree that it's an absolute must at this point? I mean, Mandy has our hopes up now. She can't let us down.
It's no secret that chick flicks are responsible for some true cinematic masterpieces and quotable one-liners ("I can't go to Taco Bell, I'm on an all carb diet!"), but they've also blessed the world with timeless fashion inspiration for decades to come.
While chick flicks don't usually win any Academy awards for costume design, there's no doubt that iconic outfits like all of the amazing plaid in Clueless or the elegant yellow gown from How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days have become engrained in pop culture history forever.
Take a look at some of our favorite iconic chick flick outfits from the '90s to now:
1. Clueless: Cher's Yellow Plaid
This outfit proves that there's no such thing as too much plaid.
2. Mean Girls: Regina's Purple Bra
Regina's confidence is #goals.
3. The Notebook: Allie's Blue Dress
Is there a more iconic moment in romance movie history? Nope.
4. She's All That: Laney's Red Dress
FPJ's face says it all-Laney looks stunning in her post-makeover mini dress.
5. Poetic Justice: Justice's Jersey
Justice is killing every aspect of this outfit—from the hat to the oversized Atlantis jersey.
6. Sex and The City: Samantha's Color Blocking
Only Sam can take something so flashy and make it look chic. With her confidence, she can pull off even the wildest outfits.
7. Heathers: Veronica's Kimono
Who would've thought to pair the gorgeous navy and florals of this satin kimono with a button-down and gray sweatshirt? It shouldn't work... but it does, and I want every part of it hanging in my closet.
8. Pretty Woman: Vivian's Red Gown
Who could forget when Vivian walks out in this classic red gown looking like the superstar she is? Even the diamond necklace paled in comparison to Julia Roberts' contagious smile.
9. Think Like a Man: Lauren's Skirt Suit
Taraji P. Henson's profesh AF skirt suit serves up some serious Olivia Pope vibes.
10. 10 Things I Hate About You:Bianca's Two-Piece Prom Dress
President Donald Trump signed two executive orders Wednesday at the Department of Homeland Security to begin construction of a wall along the border and strip federal funding from sanctuary cities, BuzzFeed News reports.
The wall was one of Trump’s most oft-repeated promises on the campaign trail. “This will stem the flow of drugs, crime, illegal immigration into the United States and, yes, one way or another, as the president has said before, Mexico will pay for it,” Press Secretary Sean Spicer said. Notice that he didn't offer specifics in how or when Mexico would pay for the wall. In fact, Mexican President Enrique Nieto has canceled an upcoming meeting with Trump over the order, and said Mexico will under no circumstances be paying for any wall.
Vicente Fox Quesada, a former president of Mexico, sparked a viral hashtag when he tweeted, "Sean Spicer, I've said this to @realDonaldTrump and now I'll tell you: Mexico is not going to pay for that fucking wall. #FuckingWall".
Sean Spicer, I've said this to @realDonaldTrump and now I'll tell you: Mexico is not going to pay for that fucking wall. #FuckingWall
In an interview with ABC’s David Muir, Trump said that the construction of the wall would begin within months and repeated again that Mexico would reimburse the United States for the wall.
Spicer said that the executive orders will “create more detention agreements along the southern border to make it easier and cheaper to detain and return [undocumented immigrants] to their country of origin,” and will focus on “enhancing public safety in the interior of the United States” by stripping federal funds from sanctuary cities, BuzzFeed reports.
Officials who support sanctuary cities were quick to denounce the executive orders, with many arguing that they will defy the orders.
“We’re going to defend all of our people regardless of where they come from, regardless of their immigration status,” Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York said, according to The New York Times.
But Trump has another scheme for how to deal with cities that won't comply. According to another report from BuzzFeed, President Trump plans to publish a weekly list of crimes committed by undocumented immigrants in cities that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. The list is supposedly going to make everyone aware of how dangerous sanctuary cities are, but the Trump campaign has a long history of misrepresenting crime statistics in order to push a certain agenda.
Cecillia Wang, deputy legal director of the ACLU, told BuzzFeed, “It’s basically a fear tactic. The weekly list is part and parcel of Trump’s efforts to intimidate and coerce cities, counties, and states.”
George Orwell’s 1984 is about a dystopian society full of government surveillance and propaganda, and you may vaguely remember reading it in high school. Well, a lot of people are thinking that now's a good time to revisit the classic—according to The New York Times, the novel has seen a surge in sales in the last few days, leading the publisher to print thousands of new copies.
Craig Burke, publicity director at Penguin USA, told the Times that the rise “started over the weekend and hit hyperactive on Tuesday and Wednesday morning.” The book has now reached a 9,500 percent increase in sales, and as of Thursday evening it was still the No. 1 bestseller on Amazon.
The rise in sales may be related (surprise!) to Donald Trump’s inauguration and its aftermath, especially Kellyanne Conway’s "alternative facts" comment on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” When "Meet the Press" host Chuck Todd confronted Conway about the size of Trump's inauguration crowd, which photographic evidence showed was much smaller than Obama's in 2009, Conway said she had "alternative facts" on that. Many described that comment as "Orwellian" and drew comparisons to the novel, CNN Money reports.
1984 has also gained new popularity in other countries as well, with the novel seeing a 20 percent increase in sales in Great Britain and Australia, Jess Harrison, a London-based editor at Penguin Books, told the Times.
Other novels, such as It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis (about an American dictator) and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (another piece of dystopian fiction), have also risen on best-seller lists, CNN reports. Seeing a pattern here?
Professor Stefan Collini, who teaches intellectual history and is an expert on Orwell at the University of Cambridge, said that readers “see a natural parallel between [1984] and the way Mr. Trump and his staff have distorted facts.”
Awesome—people are now turning to dystopian fiction to figure out how to act in today's world. Guess that's where we are now!
Enrique Pena Nieto, Mexico’s president, has canceled his upcoming visit to Washington. According to The New York Times, the decision came as a result of President Donald Trump’s order to construct the border wall he touted throughout his campaign.
Tension between the two leaders had, essentially, existed long before Trump took office. However, since his inauguration on Jan. 20, it has come to a head. The Washington Post reports that Trump put pen to paper on Wednesday, signing an executive order to proceed with his plans to develop a physical barrier along the Mexican border. Although Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan and Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have referenced plans to gather the billions of dollars needed to build the wall, Trump continues to insist that Mexico will, ultimately, foot the bill. His latest idea is a 20 percent tax on Mexican imports.
But Mexico is none too impressed by this logic—and the nation refuses to comply. Just one day after the order was signed, Pena Nieto called off the meeting he and Trump had scheduled for this Tuesday. He tweeted the announcement to his followers.
Esta mañana hemos informado a la Casa Blanca que no asistiré a la reunión de trabajo programada para el próximo martes con el @POTUS.
Because a story’s not a story without two sides, Trump was quick to share his take on the situation. As the Washington Post points out, our current POTUS believes the choice was mutual.
“The president of Mexico and myself have agreed to cancel our planned meeting,” Trump told those in attendance at a GOP policy retreat in Philadelphia on Thursday. “Unless Mexico is going to treat the United States fairly, with respect, such a meeting would be fruitless.”
So Mexico’s the unfair member of this relationship? Interesting.
Well-known book publishing company Simon & Schuster made headlines a couple weeks ago and not for a good reason. Threshold Editions, a division of Simon & Schuster, offered racist Twitter troll Milo Yiannopoulos a $250,000 book deal.
Twitter users trended hashtags shaming Simon & Schuster for supporting a person that is synonymous with hate and controversy. The neo-Nazi does not even have a Twitter account, after being removed for harassing comedian Leslie Jones with racist tweets. Still, the company is standing behind its decision. Simon & Schuster released a statement that said, “We have always published books by a wide range of authors with greatly varying, and frequently controversial opinions.”
Well, feminist author Roxane Gay decided she no longer wanted to be associated with a company that would defend Yiannopoulos. When reports about the deal became public, Gay pulled her upcoming book from Simon & Schuster. In an interview with Buzzfeed, the Bad Feminist author explains her actions. “I was supposed to turn the book in this month and I kept thinking about how egregious it is to give someone like Milo a platform for his blunt, inelegant hate and provocation…I just couldn’t bring myself to turn the book in.”
Gay stressed that she does recognize freedom of speech, but that does not mean the publishing company has to give an offensive person a large platform to voice his ignorant messages.
“And to be clear, this isn’t about censorship. Milo has every right to say what he wants to say, however distasteful I and many others find it to be," she says. "He doesn’t have a right to have a book published by a major publisher but he has, in some bizarre twist of fate, been afforded that privilege. So be it. I’m not interested in doing business with a publisher willing to grant him that privilege. I am also fortunate enough to be in a position to make this decision.”
Roxane Gay’s actions are honorable and justified. Hopefully Simon & Schuster will eventually acknowledge its error in judgment.
Is it just me or is Kat Von D spitting straight fire this month? She launched so much new makeup that we don't even have time to process it. The tattoo artist is coming out with a new blotting powder compact to complete her Lock-It line. If it's anything like her Lock-It concealer and foundation, I'm here for it!
On Instagram, Kat showed off a prototype for a wax-seal-inspired handle mirror to match the Lock-It blotting powder compact, and asked her fans if they'd want it. LOL Kat is that a real question?
Patrick J. Adams, lead actor on the hit television show Suits and husband to Troian Bellisario, faced an awkward question from a Reddit user during a recent AMA.
Adams’ costar on the USA series, Meghan Markle, is currently dating Prince Harry. Well, one Reddit user thought it would be appropriate to ask about her relationship with the Royal.
The person inquired, “What's it like making out on-screen with the potentially future princess of England?”
But Adams had the best response: “The same as it was before she was potentially a future princess of England.”
So sassy, so perfect. If you're a fan of Adams (seriously, who isn't?), we suggest you check out the whole Reddit AMA thread to find out more about his recent marriage and acting projects.
Get in loser, we’re going shopping… for socks! Foot Cardigan is introducing a line of Mean Girls-inspired socks that will satisfy your inner middle school preteen self, as well as your current, sort of grown up self (because, let's be honest, that movie is enjoyable at any age).
On February 1, these adorable socks will make an even better debut than Cady Heron did when she joined the Plastics.
The socks will be available individually for $13 each, or as part of a monthly subscription for $11 each. How fun would it be to receive two pairs of Mean Girls socks in the mail every month? I would definitely enjoy it more than my monthly credit card bill. With the subscription, you receive two exclusive pairs every month that are not available for individual purchase…. so you can really be the groolest kid around.
These socks are all inspired by your favourite quotes, scenes and characters from the iconic movie, because who doesn’t want to walk around with toaster strudel and a cafeteria map on their feet?
Scrolling through Pinterest, Tumblr and even Facebook can give you some awesome ideas about your next tattoo. But since a tattoo is with you for life, you want to get something that represents something important to you and isn’t just a trend. Here are some ideas to help you through your next pre-tattoo parlor brainstorming session!
1. Minimalist
If you plan on working in a conservative workplace in the future, or just aren’t one of those people who enjoys huge, colorful tattoos, try something small with a big meaning.
Jamie Kravitz, a senior at Emerson College says, “As a writer, I wanted something that would represent my love for words, but I also wanted something small and simple. I decided to get quotation marks on my wrist in Times New Roman.”
A simple symbol, shape or number can hold so much importance, and it can be easily covered or even be something secret that only you know about!
Getting your favorite flower as your next tattoo can represent your childhood, pay tribute to a family member or simply make your body more beautiful than it already is.
“I got a hibiscus flower for personal reasons and went to a tattoo artist who specializes in flowers, in order for it to be the best,” says Isabel Calkins, a junior at NYU. “I think that if your tattoo has meaning or if you find it beautiful, cliché is only something others can call it.”
Flowers may seem basic, but there’s a reason a lot of people get them instead of trendy pieces: they never go out of style. Flowers also let you play around with color and size, so you can choose whether or not you want a statement pieces or small piece.
3. Traveler
What your traveling experiences have meant to you can’t always be conveyed through great Instagram photos or the stories you tell when you get back. Paying tribute to one or a few of your favorite countries by getting a tattoo that represents your time abroad can take you down memory lane or spark an interesting story.
“When I studied abroad, I got the German word ‘Fernweh’ tattooed on the side of my foot. Fernweh means an ache for distant places, sort of like ‘wanderlust’ in English,” says Lauren Wingo, a graduate of Marymount University. “Germany was the first country I ever visited and learning the language, I was obsessed with the beauty and realness of that word.”
If a word isn’t what you had in mind, think about landmarks you visited, animals and pieces of nature that stood out or a mini map of the city or country. If you want something more simple but still profound, try getting the coordinates of your hometown, your favorite place or country!
Similar to the traveler, nature lovers often have a lot of experiences that they can’t represent in just photos and stories. Maybe it’s a national park, a hiking trail or a wonder of the world, but honoring Mother Nature through a tattoo is the way to go if you’re constantly strapping on your hiking boots.
“I had an internship in Denver, CO. I lived there for 11 weeks, worked and explored the beautiful state I had the privilege of living in for a short time. I fell in love with the mountains and the city,” said LuAnna Gerdemann. “A friend of mine was going to get a tattoo, and I went along with her to schedule her appointment. Within the 10 minute walk to the tattoo shop, I was contemplating getting a tattoo of the mountains. I had finally found something I was passionate enough about, so I said why not, just do it!”
Mountain peaks are great and can be as simple or as detailed as you want them to be! Plus when you’re too old to go hiking or adventuring one day, you can look at your tattoo and remember your time outdoors.
5. Artsy
Take a break from your next masterpiece or novel of the century and pay tribute to your passions. Honoring your awesome writing skills or your Picasso-esque painting skills in a tattoo can keep you focused on your goals and remind you of what you love.
Micki Wagner, a junior at the University of Missouri-Columbia got a tattoo that shows her love for writing. “I chose a typewriter because I love that romantic, old-school idea of what a writer should be,” she says. “I've always had a fascination with typewriters too. I just love the way they look and the way they sound. There's something so classic and beautiful about them.”
Think outside of the box when paying tribute to your craft, do some research into retro tools people used back in the day to write, paint, sew or do makeup! If you want something more detailed, look into retro ads for products you find yourself using while producing art and see if any of them fit your style.
Getting a tattoo can be a big commitment and the more unique, the better. Tattoos can be artwork within in themselves, or be simple yet pack a big meaning. The best way to get a unique tattoo that fits you perfectly, do a lot of research outside of your social media networks. This may require you to be creative and sketch out your next piece of ink. So, start brainstorming, schedule an appointment and get a tattoo that’s important to you!
The opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
Throughout the campaign Donald Trump intensified fears for many minority groups. He ran a campaign based on fear-mongering, and appealed to a large group: white people who feel like they haven’t been heard since Mr. Obama’s election. His proposed ideologies threatened women’s rights, immigration, climate change, globalization and more. After winning the election, Trump showed his thin skin was there to stay, denouncing anybody that criticized him and attempting to tarnish their reputation with lies. He seemed to be home every night at 11:30pm ready to hate watch Alec Baldwin’s impersonation of him, so he could tweet (falsely) about how Saturday Night Live’s ratings are “so low.” They have at least one new viewer.
.@NBCNews is bad but Saturday Night Live is the worst of NBC. Not funny, cast is terrible, always a complete hit job. Really bad television!
None of this has changed since Trump's move into the White House. My biggest fear about a Trump Presidency was that America’s democracy would be threatened. As Sean Spicer walked up to his podium on Saturday night and blatantly lied to all of America about the audience size of the inauguration, my fears had never felt more real. Under his boss' orders, Spicer “offered alternative facts” (aka lies) to an entire country and tried to make us question something everybody saw with their own eyes. While doing this, he also tried to make clear to the press that they were guests in the White House and this access can easily be revoked. This follows the pattern that was shown through the entirety of the campaign, Trump only cares about himself and has no qualms about threatening first amendment rights. We’ve elected a leader who feels the need to defend his actions or words that don't garner him praise, with lies and disrespect for others. Just as there were no repercussions for him not disclosing his tax returns, or admitting to sexually assaulting women, there have yet to be repercussions for lying to his entire country and threatening the freedom of the press. Republicans seem to be too concerned with taking advantage of this presidency to boost their own agenda to stand up for basic human rights. I’d like to see what would happen if Trump were threatening the right to bear arms instead of the right to free speech.
The day after his inauguration, Trump was rejected by an entire gender. The Women’s March demonstrated (worldwide) how many people are willing to stand up to fight for women’s rights and minority rights and fundamental civil rights that are at stake. What has Trump done since? He’s signed an executive order that stops all funding for our international development agencies to provide abortion services or counseling to women in underdeveloped countries. He signed another order that could allow the Keystone Pipeline to come to life, and another one officially removing the U.S. from the Trans Pacific Partnership.
It hasn’t even been a full week and this new administration has wasted no time in trying to keep the hateful promises that were brought up during the campaign. The most important thing to them is undoing all of Obama's legacy, good or bad. It’s only been a few days and the future looks bleak AF.
If you thought Hillary Clinton was the only politician facing digital concerns, then get a load of this: many of President Donald Trump’s senior staff members had their own private email accounts. Newsweek reports that, until Wednesday, Kellyanne Conway, Jared Kushner, Sean Spicer and Steve Bannon were still linked to addresses tied to a Republican National Committee email system.
According to Newsweek, it’s not against the law for a staff member to maintain a separate political email account while in the White House. Doing so actually helps to draw a distinction between conversations related to politics and those pertaining to work that happens within the White House. Unfortunately for Trump’s troupe, though, the events of 2016 cast this practice as highly controversial.
Remember when Trump wanted to “lock up” Clinton? The chant (along with the tweets, proposed investigations and overall aggression) was inspired by her use of a private email server during her time as Secretary of State. Had Conway, Kushner, Spicer and Bannon kept their private email accounts, they would have run the risk of barking up the same tree that threw shade at Clinton’s run for president.
Additionally, the deleted accounts existed on rnchq.org. This is the same system former president George W. Bush’s administration was accused of using to skirt disclosure requirements that would have forced the reveal of secret information. As Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington Director Melanie Sloan said in 2007, “they [the Bush administration] don’t want anyone ever to be able to come back and see what was going on behind the scenes.”
The accounts may be gone, but the Android remains. According to Cosmopolitan, Trump is still using an unsecure personal cell phone that’s just begging to be hacked.
