Good sh*t | September 2023
Addicted to editing my closet, table lamps, and Little House on the Prairie
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Shop
Japanese Paper Shade Seashell Lamp - Etsy
ADHD driven fear of “the big light” has me fixated on table lamps and this one is speaks directly to my lil Cancer heart
Ordinary Things Will Be Signs For Us - Sister Corita Kent
I have a penchant for collect cookbooks and photography books and am looking forward to adding this one to my collection.
The Elixer Mixer - Visp
Full disclosure, I was gifted this, but haven been using it and find it simultaneously genius and so painfully obvious I am kicking myself for not inventing. Anyone who’s ever forced down a lumpy protein shake in a regular mixer bottle will rejoice.
New Balance 327 - J. Crew
I won’t be purchasing these as I’m in a fall purge/focusing on wearing the things already in my closet, including shoes, but they do call to me.
Yasmin Mules - Pedro Shoes
Ditto, but ugh, cute!
Trick Mirror - Jia Tolentino
I may be the literal last woman in New York to read this but I finally got around to it and was not disappointed. Big fan of all her writing at The New Yorker too!
High Rise Runaround Pant - Gap
Y’all are SLEEPING on Gap/Old Navy Activewear— these pants are so good. I’m pretty sure I’ve even shared them in this newsletter before but I just bought my second pair in another color and I love. They can be easily dressed up with an oversized sweater on flights when you don’t want to look completely bedraggled but can’t do hard pants or worn to workout/run errands!
PowerSoft 7/8 Cami Bodysuit - Old Navy
I need say no more than this bodysuit was $38. (I got a small, if I had a bigger chest I maybe wouldn’t take something like a cardio dance class in it since the straps aren’t adjustable to avoid wardrobe malfunction, but I taught and took a pilates class in it with no problem and many compliments)
*I may get a commission from the links I share in this newsletter, but I only share products I know and love or am genuinely interested in!
Read
Listening To Taylor Swift In Prison - The New Yorker
Fair warning, you will cry reading this even if you’re not a Swiftie. I highly recommend if you’re a lyrics person, regardless of genre, as it will gut you in the best way. It encapsulates what’s so fun about being a Swiftie, or a fan of anything, really, in that it makes you feel connected to strangers that you seemingly have nothing in common with on paper. I don’t care anymore if this sounds cheesy, it’s cool to care about things!!!
The Five Neurodivergent Love Languages - Shimmer
I’ve never much connected with the classic 5 love languages (I mean, I do love gifts ofc) but the amount of vigorous head nodding I felt reading this article I found after hearing Amanda Montell casually drop the topic on Sounds Like A Cult has given me whiplash. If you’ve ever had to sit through me infodumping about Anne Boleyn, know that it mebooans I love you. If you are or love a neurospicy person, def worth the read!
I Don’t Need To Be A Good Person. Neither Do You. - The New York Times
If you need a mental break from the self-help, self-optimization, personal development, bio hacking, “Huberman husband” hamster wheel, this is a refreshing take.
The Lies In Your Grocery Store - The New Yorker
It is infuriating that diet culture under capitalism not only makes us stress about food but that even in the quest to eat “clean” and “healthy” nonsense food labelling, greenwashing, and all out misinformation makes it feel nearly impossible. A look at a lawyer who takes companies to court for misleading claims!
Creative Money Aesthetics & The Creative Class Starter Kit- The Sociology of Business
If too, am le tired of the terms “quiet luxury” and “stealth wealth”, howeva, from a sociological perspective, as a former professional dancer from the east coast married to a software engineer (and as someone trying to break into UX design myself), I found this delineation between creative money aesthetics, old money aesthetics, and tech money aesthetics, to be spot on. At the end of the day, we all love a costume. All the world’s a stage, baby!
Glossier Changed the Makeup Game. Where Does It Go Next? - Wall Street Journal
“Girl” Trends and the Repackaging of Womanhood - Vox
A must read for fans of hot girl walks, hot girl stomach problems, and girl dinner.
Winning at Mrs. American - In Pursuit of Clean Countertops
My perverse interest in Ballerina Farm has led me to to researching the Mrs. American pageant and let me tell you—however bad you think it is, trust me, it’s SO MUCH WORSE. If you also can’t look away, see also: How Ballerina Farm’s Husband Made Me Start A Newsletter (and subscribe to Sara Petersen’s great Substack)
Having A Kid At The End Of The World - The Cut
TW: climate anxiety if you’re sensitive to that (I get it) but it does end on a hopeful note, I promise.
Listen
One of my core childhood memories is my mom reading the Little House books to me when I was very little, and then re-reading them again on my own. This pod does a fantastic job of paying tribute to Laura Ingalls Wilder cultural impact without sugarcoating over the problematic racist portrayals of Native Americans in her writing. I binged this in 3 days and then spent 90 minutes bidding on Dôen dresses on Poshmark and wondering for the 97th time if I should get serious about learning to sew.
Watch
If you want to be a Marie Kondo girlipop but figuring out what “sparks joy” is as confusing to you as “listen to your body”, stylist Allison Bornstein is for you. She recommends starting with completing the steps in this video, so, naturally, I spent Labor Day Weekend tearing apart my closet. (Plus Violette is the best!)
I don’t even remember where I found this video but mine was blown and it’s a fun reminder.
Save for when you have some time to kill, or play it in the background while cooking or walking as it’s always healthy to be reminded about the importance of art, play, and making in our lives even if you wouldn’t call yourself an Artiste.
Meme Dump
Quick Links
Join my on demand pilates studio with a 10 day free trial
Join my in Brooklyn for IRL mat pilates classes
Join me this October 2nd-8th in Montenegro (!!!) for a pilates, yoga, and sound bath retreat (email me at hi@helenphelanstudio.com for a $300 discount code!)
If you love these emails and appreciate the work that goes into them, please drop a heart or comment at the bottom of this email so I get more reach on Substack, forward this email to a friend, or consider upgrading to a paid subscription and don’t forget to say hi over on Instagram, Tiktok, and Youtube 🙃
I was introduced to your work by Christy Harrison's podcast, and I LOVE this post! So glad to cross paths with you on the internet, and thanks Christy!