And Your Reading Assignments Are…

Hey, guys!  I went on an xoJane reading binge over the weekend, and I thought I’d share a few of my favorite pieces with you.  Be sure to read them carefully; there will be a quiz tomorrow.  You can bring me baked goods for extra credit.

* Trashy is so not my aesthetic, but I loved this “Ode (and Guide to) Trashy Beauty” at xoJane.

(What is my aesthetic, you ask?  How about not-very-sexy librarian plus a heap of earth-crunchy?  The natural aesthetic I like is basically the polar opposite of Kara Nesvig’s trashy, which is probably why I found her piece fun and interesting.  Like, hey, what’s this interesting thing over here?  It makes me want to go give myself a pedicure with my boldest nail polish.)

* An insightful, honest look at thoughtless consumption: “I Hate All My Clothes: How I Fell Victim to Fast Fashion and What I’m Going to Do About It.”  Here’s an excerpt:  “I’ll never give up buying inexpensive clothes—I’m just being really brutal about what makes the cut.  I’m forcing myself to really love something before I bring it home these days.  It’s kind of an awesome challenge.  I am holding the new things I bring into my closet to a very high standard.”  (That’s totally how I shop, by the way, whether at Target or a thrift store.  It works, sometimes a little too well.  The blogger has no clothes!)

There’s also a fantastic line that made me laugh out loud.  I don’t want to spoil it for you, but it’s awesome.  And this is totally how I feel about jeans now: “Would I rather have 2 pairs of great jeans instead of 35 pairs of just so-so jeans?  I’m starting to realize that yes, yes I would.”

* So sweet: “My Male Cat Has Totally Softened Me to the Idea of Having a Son Some Day.”

* Fascinating!  “I Decided to Try Being Totally Honest about My Sucky Life on Facebook.”  I really like this piece for the comments people left.  It’s so interesting to hear how differently people use Facebook.  Me?  I tend to post a bit of everything: friend stuff, feelings, casual invitations, interesting articles and blog posts.  And honestly, other than staying away from TMI about work or sex, I don’t worry too much about what I share.  I just…share.  And enjoy!

* This piece was brilliant.  Simple but brilliant.  (It’s not from xoJane, but I wanted to share it because it’s great.  Consider this a special bonus!)