Too Wonderful

No prescription access to GLP-1 drugs at low cost monthly subscription is a new workplace benefit I've started to hear about recently. Many folks I know are enthusisatic specially the ones who would not qualify for the prescription because they are not severely overweight. They can now get in on the wonder drug of our times or so they make it sound.

Mayim Bialik published an essay in The Free Press about what happened after she took a single injection of the lowest dose of a synthetic GLP-1. She has a PhD in neuroscience, had researched the drug before starting and knew the pharmacology. She took it not for weight loss but because multiple doctors suggested it might help with health conditions she has been managing for years, Graves' disease, a connective tissue disorder. One shot left her unable to keep down water for weeks. 

Explosive diarrhea, sulfur burps, full-body aching, snatiation (a sneezing reflex triggered by eating), which apparently is a known side effect, but her doctor did not mention. She eventually needed IV fluids. The way she describes her acquaintance loving the clearly horrible side-effects sounds familiar:

I know many women who would not be considered overweight by any reasonable measure but are on these drugs because in Los Angeles anything over a size 4 is considered hefty. One acquaintance was thrilled that her GLP-1 made her so nauseous that she was barely able to eat at all, because it meant the pounds fell away even faster, leaving her thinner and happier than she had ever been. Another friend described the quieting of what those of us with disordered eating call “food noise”—the relentless mental chatter that accompanies every meal.

I've had a couple of women in their 50s and 60s tell that the one of the benefits colonscopy is that helps them lose weight. The actual point of the procedure was glossed over. The situation with GLP-1 sounds a lot like that expect the weight loss benefits continue. These women were not obese either, just not whatever size they have in mind to look physically perfect.

Color Engine

The Zuvi ColorBox is exactly what it sounds like: a home hair-dye machine that mixes primary pigments into any shade you want using color theory, a connected app, and a few cartridges. Instead of picking from a handful of pre-made boxed dyes, you tap a color you love (even from a photo, which is such an amazing use case) and the device dispenses the right mix of red, yellow, blue, and base conditioner to create that custom semi-permanent color right in your bathroom. It’s like a little color lab for your hair.

What makes ColorBox feel both ingenious and blindingly obvious is that the underlying idea: mix three primaries to get thousands of shades has been around in art and design forever. Translating it to hair dye was only a matter of engineering and convenience. It’s the kind of “why didn’t someone do this ages ago?” product that seems inevitable in hindsight: a printer for hair color instead of ink.

The system isn’t just about mixing colors; it’s about creative freedom. Users can save formulas, tweak tones, and try new looks without buying multiple half-used bottles of dye that go to waste. It reduces clutter, gives more control, and lets experimentation feel less risky. All of this is exactly what anyone who’s ever squinted at a drugstore shelf for the right hair color has wanted.

It is not at all clear why this didn’t this happen decades ago. There’s no evidence of a lobby blocking innovation. It's more that the beauty industry long profited from selling fixed-shade bottles and the status quo of “good enough” options. Custom color has been the domain of salons with expensive mixing skills; consumer tech simply hadn’t invaded that space yet. The rise of connected devices and app-driven personalization changed the calculus.

In other words, ColorBox feels like a long-overdue inevitability rather than a disruptive breakthrough. If there was resistance to this idea, it wasn’t science. The comfortable economics of old-school hair-care packaging that didn’t need to change until someone with creativity and technical chops decided to change things up. I've always found this kind of innovation energizing because it proves that relative outsiders to the system can have some of the best ideas just based on common-sense.

Athleisure Fade

I am most definitely not up to speed with what is trending in women's altheisure but have noticed that the younger and more fashionable women in my exercise classes do not wear Lululemon. Its more the preserve of slightly older women which I must say I found confusing until reading this.

Long celebrated for premium leggings and industry-leading margins, the athleisure pioneer thrived by selling directly to consumers and aligning perfectly with the work-from-home aesthetic. But fashion cycles moved on. Tight, logo-free leggings gave way to baggier silhouettes, denim’s resurgence, and trendier rivals like Alo and Vuori. Lululemon apparently did not keep up with evolving consumer tastes and lost its cultural footing.

The core customers did not get the excitement they craved from the brand. They expected new categories such as shoes, casualwear, and logo-heavy designs which the brand did not deliver. They also spent far less on marketing than competitors who aggressively court younger shoppers through celebrities and collaborations. Store traffic has fallen sharply in the U.S., growth in China is slowing, and the brand remains heavily exposed to cautious American consumers amid inflation worries. As an outsider to the whole phenomenon, I never understood why wearing this brand was so important that it made sense for Lululemon to sell used leggings but then the illogical premium pricing was part of the appeal to buyers.

Thanks to tariffs, supply-chain exposure to Vietnam and China, rising inventories, there's been a growing reliance on discounting which has eroded the brand’s premium aura. Even worse, its designs are easy to copy, as shown by legal action against Costco’s lookalike products. Once admired and imitated, Lululemon now finds itself squeezed between shifting tastes and macroeconomic headwinds.

Marine Inspiriation

I was at the end of a long line at the cashier's register at my favorite Asian grocery store recently, so I spent my time checking out the offerings in the beauty and personal care section. There was nothing there I recognized, but reading the list of ingredients supposedly required to give one eternally youthful skin was entertaining, to say the least. Salmon sperm did not feature in any of the items, best I can recall, but that has certainly been the big trend of the year past. It started with a celebrity mentioning a "salmon sperm facial" in 2024, and by 2025, the beauty world had fully leaned into the "skincare sushi" movement. Personally, I would much rather eat the salmon, which should logically have some benefits for the skin without the clinical drama. I can hardly wait to see what 2026 will bring.

The treatment, officially known as PDRN (polydeoxyribonucleotide) therapy, uses DNA fragments purified from salmon gonads to jumpstart the skin’s regenerative processes. Because salmon DNA is remarkably similar to our own, it acts like a tiny "instruction manual," telling sluggish human cells to repair themselves, boost collagen, and act more efficient. While the term sounds like a viral gimmick, the science is apparently rooted in regenerative medicine. Dermatologists have used PDRN for years to heal wounds and treat scars, but its transition to the aesthetic mainstream has turned it into the "new snail mucin." I have noticed the number of snail mucin products declining these days; I never got around to trying those either, it was always just idle curiosity. I image the snail slime moment is long past.

For those willing to endure the PDRN procedure, it typically involves a series of tiny injections that leave welt-like bumps on the face for a few days. Apparently, this is considered a small price to pay for the "porcelain skin" results currently dominating social media feeds. I can't help but think that if a person does not expect to have their skin closely inspected in person, the AI filters on video cameras can produce flawlessly smooth skin far more painlessly. However, for the purists, the trend has even led to a wave of "skincare tourists" flying to South Korea for the real deal, as these injections haven't yet received FDA approval in the U.S.

The beauty industry has responded with an explosion of PDRN-infused masks, serums, and creams for at-home use. While these topical versions are more approachable and certainly less painful, experts warn that a surface-level cream can’t fully replicate the deep tissue repair of a professional needle. Ultimately, this represents a broader shift toward "biohacking" our complexions. We are moving away from simple surface-level hydration toward ingredients that claim to work at a cellular level. Whether it's a passing fad or a permanent fixture, the presence of marine DNA in our medicine cabinets proves we’re increasingly comfortable with the bizarre, as long as the results are marketed as undeniable.

Imagined Fake

"Superfake” luxury handbags, counterfeits nearly indistinguishable from genuine products, are upending the economics of the high-end fashion industry per this WSJ story. Unlike previous knockoffs, which were often obviously fake, these bags are created with extreme attention to detail, sometimes using stolen digital templates (tech packs) from brands, and are manufactured in Chinese factories that also operate legitimate businesses. Social media influencers promote these superfakes, normalizing their purchase among younger consumers, who increasingly view buying replicas as a rebellion against luxury markups and industry practices. 

I am no expert on luxury brands but enjoy people watching at airports and such and speculate if the brands they are wearing are real or fake, thinking about what signals might contribute to my assessment one way or the other. What is notable is that I almost always assume its a fake and try to see if there is incontrovertible evidence that it is not. There never is, atleast for an uninformed average person like me. So it really does call into question the social signal value of luxe brands. 

Gen Z and younger shoppers are spending billions less on authentic luxury handbags, driven by both economic pressures and skepticism about the high prices versus actual production costs. Counterfeiters exploit this sentiment, offering near-identical bags for a fraction of the price. often claiming to use the same materials and skilled labor as authentic brands. These sellers operate online through encrypted channels, such as WhatsApp, Telegram, and invite-only social media groups, making enforcement difficult and direct-to-consumer shipments almost impossible for customs officials to intercept.

Luxury brands have ramped up authentication technologies, like x-ray machines and chemical analysis, but with the quality gap closing, the industry faces new challenges. Some experts argue that counterfeit goods could even act as a gateway for future luxury customers, while others note the real financial impact and threats to brand exclusivity. Despite rising superfake sales, luxury firms’ minimal investment in anti-counterfeit efforts suggests they are not yet taking the problem as seriously as they do in marketing and brand management.

Seeking Repair

I own a pair of  beautiful silk tunics I got from India several years ago and did not have enough time to get altered so they fit me. Once I got back, they went to the far end of my wardrobe waiting for inspiration to strike. In theory, I could do the job myself, it would take time and a lot of patience because this is not something I have much practice with. I made a couple of abortive attempts at the alterations but gave up in frustration. 

This is a great time of year to wear them and I mentioned it to my friend B who lives in London. She told me about M&S Fixed by SOJO. It is apparently a dedicated clothing repair and alterations service launched by Marks & Spencer  in partnership with SOJO, a UK-based, Black woman-owned repair platform. It allows M&S customers to book a range of clothing repairs, such as zip replacements and invisible knitwear mending, through an online hub. Customers can send their M&S garments for repair either via collection (in London) or by post, and receive their restored items back within seven to ten days with prices starting at £5. 

A service like that but not limited to any singular store brand would be so amazing to have in the US. I long believed that JonAnn's should get into this line of work, offer customer affordable tailoring and repair services. They experienced a surge in sales during the early pandemic as consumers took up DIY projects, but this demand faded as life normalized, leaving the company with excess inventory and declining sales, leading to bankruptcy. Too bad they did not harness that burst of energy and enthusiasm from customers while it lasted. 

Minimal Outrage

A lifelong fan on Kholapuri sandals of which I have owned several over the years, I was very disappointed that the design was used by Prada without proper attribution. Yet, this would hardly be the first time, the art and artistry of India has been misappropriated by the West. I love wearing my cotton and silk kurtis, made in India by local artisans, uninfluenced by what the western eye would find "chic".

I am just happy to wear the clothes that are familiar and comfortable to me, there is novelty just being myself while far away from home. I find it both amusing and frustrating to see Indian inspired designs in the local department stores. Nothing about it  feels warm, open and accepting. They had to emasculate what is bold and bright about the spirit of India until it turned bland enough for local levels of tolerance. This is a form of misappropriation and has been going on forever. Prada decided to take things several steps further and hence the outrage.

..designer Aprajita Toor succinctly puts it, “Fashion isn’t just about aesthetics, it’s about ancestry. What’s often missing on global platforms is context, credit, and collaboration. If our heritage adorns international ramps, let it do so with its head held high, its story intact, and its people acknowledged.”

The same reaction is warranted every time, fashion is "borrowed" from India and taken through a full western sanitization process to make it acceptable to the world. But we never express such outrage and take the death by thousand cuts as destiny. To add insult to injury, many of these western adaptations find their way back to India and turn into local staples to the great detriment of what is traditional to India. Then comes the LV Kanjeevaram sarees, following a long line of western logos plastered on random articles of clothing made in India. I wish we'd do better than just copy and paste, add a side of phulkari to the Burberry plaid. 

Fast Fashion

I could easily go several years without buying any new clothing, my wardrobe would be stale and boring but there is enough for everything to not require any purchases. I remind myself of this fact every time I consider getting something new. I wish it were commonplace to wear clothes for years and not just a season. The demise of fast fashion would do the world a lot of good I think. We would be better off paying for quality and workmanship and treating clothes well so we could have use of them for years and decades.

These new trade measures are shaking an increasingly fragile system. Ripple effects of the tariffs are exposing deep vulnerabilities in the unsustainable fast fashion model that has dominated global apparel trade for over two decades. Fashion’s low-cost, high-speed engine depends on a seamless, linear supply chain: produce cheap garments in low-income countries; sell and ship them to the West; Western consumers dispose of them after a few wears. Could this disruption be a chance to reimagine and build a more sustainable global textile trade system?

My grandmother had shawls and sarees that my mother recognized from her childhood. They were all very well taken care of, worn occasionally. She had cotton sarees that she bought or were gifted to her during Durga puja that were expected to last her for the year. At the end of the year, many of these would be turned over to a woman who made quilts with old cotton sarees. We could expect to receive one of these saree quilts when we visited and could take them home if we wanted. It took a couple of year's worth of old sarees to make a big quilt. That seems like a good sustainable way to wear clothes. 

Serving Good

I picked up the local newspaper in my hotel room in Delhi when I was there a few months ago and noticed a familiar face as I was flipping through the pages. It was someone I knew in high-school - the smile was the same just on a face that had lived more life since then. D was featured in an interview about saving the artisans who weave silk and cotton sarees in her home state of Maharashtra. She had started a boutique from inside her flat decades ago and now it was a well-known brand, doing great work. D gave her husband a lot of credit for making her dream come true and putting her on the map, could have never done it without him. 

Reading the interview brought to mind scenes from our teens. D was among the most fashionable people in our class. She knew a lot on international cosmetic brands at a time when it was a novelty back home - these brands were not commonly available at stores but she had several relatives who lived abroad and provided access. That might have been the "foreign-made" phase of her life. It gave her a sense of exclusivity in our small town where the average teen had a pretty limited world view. Very few had seen much of India never mind any other country.

We parted ways when we graduated and left to college. I don't think I ever saw or heard from her after that. Her bio in the interview suggested she had worked for a couple of years after college as a flight attendant (which made perfect sense for D), then after marriage she was able to focus on her project to protect traditional Indian weavers. Since I don't have a sense of D's evolution as a person after she became an adult, to me this felt like the flicking of a light-switch in her mind. 

One minute it was all about wanting things that came from afar to really diving into sarees woven by hand in the Indian hinterland. I was glad to see her channel her energy into such good cause. Needless to say D looked like a million bucks in her Sambalpuri cotton saree paired with beautiful silver jewelry. She'd still count as the most fashionable person I know. Some things don't change.

Color Phobia

 Now that we are showing up to the office more often than not, I find that chromophobia is back in force as well. The women around me are dressed exclusively in neutral colors and there is a complete absence of patterns of any kind. A floral printed top is unthinkable. I am that point of my life where I no longer care to blend in and become part of the scenery. It is not as relevant anymore. 

When I was younger, I cared about "looking the part" and that included washing off my accent a bit, slowing my speech until my speech pattern fit into the range of "acceptable" patterns. I am very much about wearing colorful clothes even if that makes me stand out. Some of what I wear are my personal favorites - they were not in fashion when I bought them and are not trending now. They are clothes that look right on me and that's all that matters. Almost always they have colors. It was mentally much harder for me to stick out when I was younger, now I don't care if I do. The reasons why color is such anathema in the west are interesting:

..in Europe, bright colors were seen as a sign of degeneracy and inferiority, and a love of bright color marked one as uncivilized, lacking taste, and "foreign." In England, contemporaries referred to Indian textiles as "rags" or "trash" and scorned their bright colors. As Goethe famously stated, "Men in a state of nature, uncivilized nations, and children have a great fondness for colors in their utmost brightness."

Prejudice against color masks a fear of contamination and corruption by something unknown or unknowable, according to Batchelor. This prejudice continued into the early 20th century. Frank Parsons claimed in 1912 that "Many Latin races, still somewhat primitive in taste, need [red] to meet their temperaments," while J.C.F. Grumbine, a color psychologist in 1921, stressed that "The primary colors of red, yellow, and blue appealed to the elemental and simple minds of the savage."

This belief was often supported by pseudoscientific claims that "savage" people needed stronger stimulation because they had duller senses, which was also used to justify slavery.

I am so glad that I have the simple mind of a savage that responds to the strong stimulation of colors. Gladder yet that I was blessed with the skin-tone that can wear a very wide range of colors comfortably. It would be a shame to waste what nature given me and millions of others like me and try to act classy by giving up color in our daily lives. We don't need to wait for Holi and Diwali to look right.

Main Street

To wear a Birkin bag casually, its price should probably be a single digit percent of your monthly income. In that scenario, a person would be relaxed about their $300,000 bag as they went about their day. In any other scenario the bag and the wearer are a very uncomfortable fit for each other. For everyone else who aspires for that look  and be comfortable, the bag will need to be a fake of some sort. They may not be able to afford one that cannot be distinguished from the real thing. Walmart seems to have responded to a demand in the market for a Birkin "replica" to be loud and proud of its origins while being very budget friendly. The person wearing it is no longer a wannabe, target of disdain from those who can smell the obvious fake from a mile.

 “We are now at the point where the fakes are almost identical to the real … where they are almost 99 percent identical.” That was the central theme of a recent video posted by Antonio Linares on his Instagram account, Fake Education. The message echoes a markedly controversial one put forth a couple of years ago by Alibaba founder and chairman Jack Ma, who said, “The problem is the fake products today are of better quality and better price than the real names.”

Speaking to state of counterfeit goods – those that utilize a trademark that is “identical with, or substantially indistinguishable from” a genuine registered trademark and that is used on the same class of goods as the registered mark – Ma elaborated, saying, “They are made in exactly the same factories, with exactly the same raw materials [as authentic goods], but they do not use the names.”

I think it would be nicer if the product remained high quality and reasonably priced without the premium for the brand. If the bag in question was copied faithfully but remained sans brand maybe it would not be such a terrible thing. Once could accuse it of plagiarism but that's about it.

Reward Style

Good read about the intrinsic and external reward models for artists and how it impacts their work and perception of their value as artists. Along the way there is a little diatribe about Shien that I found interesting: 

Shein, the fast fashion leviathan. While other fast fashion brands wait for high-end houses to produce designs they can replicate cheaply, Shein has completely eclipsed the runway, using AI to trawl social media for cues on what to produce next. Shein’s site operates like a casino game, using “dark patterns”—a countdown clock puts a timer on an offer, pop-ups say there’s only one item left in stock, and the scroll of outfits never ends—so you buy now, ask if you want it later.

Shein’s model is dystopic: countless reports detail how it puts its workers in obscene poverty in order to sell a reprieve to consumers who are also moneyless—a saturated plush world lasting as long as the seams in one of their dresses.

Many years ago when Shein was still very new, I tried shopping I few times - for myself and also for J. Some of what i got from there was remarkably nice for the price (which is not to say it was not a terrible outcome for whoever had made the item, they could have been paid closed to nothing for their work). But the rest of what I got from there was just not what I had expected - it was not even about bad quality but there were many points of failure in one item rendering it useless even if quite cheap. After those adventures, I have not returned to to Shien but I still get use of the few items that were good - and its been several years. As a consumer that is great value for money but clearly the model does not work on large scale - I must have had random good luck. 

Assigning Value

Tracking the cost per wear of every article of clothing for several months sounds like a great way to understand if you are spending wisely and getting value. Most things I own have been around in my closet for a very long time. They speak to a significant evolution in my taste and also how I view age-appropriate attire. The clothes that are a good two decades old were great for that time in my life but they do not make sense now. Even if they fit me physically, they bear no relationship to the person I am now and if I put them on, I appear to be wearing clothes that were loaned to me by someone who I have little in common with. 

With shoes, the situation is much worse because I don't wear anything that is remotely uncomfortable. Most of the older shoes that look as good as new are more fashionable than sensible - that phase of my life is long gone. The are a couple of shoes I have worn only three or four times so there is a long way to go before I achieve single-digit cost per wear numbers. But the concept has motivated me to work through my closet to get to the point of the number being so low that giving the item way is the only logical next step - I got more than enough value out if it.  Like the author, I too can gain clarity on what I really use and should buy versus what I imagine I will but don't really

One immediate impact from this analysis was that I came into Christmas 2021 prepared. I had some easy answers to the questions of what I wanted. More medium t-shirts and long sleeve shirts from Everlane and Buck Mason as well as some additions to my sweatpants collection. Knowing how often I wore them made me feel better about buying higher quality items that I normally would never buy.  I am now the proud owner of 3 pairs of Vuori sweatpants/athletic pants/joggers.

Setting Free

 As a desi woman I can't wait for Harris to make a power statement with the sari as this article suggests:

Imagine what else she could bring to her look when the election is behind her. When she stops worrying about winning over voters, she could turn her attention to helping Americans rethink what power looks like. Perhaps she could pay homage to the cultures of her parents. Imagine if Harris showed up one day in a suit made of sari fabric, or a scarf made of Caribbean textiles? This would be more than just a form of self-expression. It would be a testament to America’s boundless opportunity that a child of immigrants could ascend into the highest office of the land.

It would make it possible for me and my sisters to show up in the Western world in the colors, fabrics and patterns that we love and identify with. I can spend hours browsing beautiful garments from India - they define perfection to my eyes and I know for a fact that I look my best dressed like an Indian woman. That is me being in my own skin, fitting into what was made and designed for me. I have never had the chance to present myself in the way that I feel the best about in America. In western attire something always feels a bit off.

Lately I see younger desi women in my workplace try to be bold with an embroidered phulkari kurti or a Fabindia dress from time to time. I am very proud of them for trying and root for them to go even further - wear a sari to work that was hand-woven by artisans from their home state in India. I wish I had the courage to wear a tant sari to work on a summer day - be myself.

Setting Free

This reflection is a pillar of the Heartcrossings Archive, exploring themes of Sartorial Agency and Professional Authenticity.

Always Perfect

I started to watch God Save My Shoes hoping it might be insightful. In my teens and twenties I was quite shoe-crazy and had many very uncomfortable ones. Ownership of the shoes felt ridiculously good and when I first started working, buying a pair on payday was a form of celebration of independence. Those years are all a haze now but my feet show the wear and tear from that time even though I stopped wearing "stylish" shoes a long time ago and high heels even earlier than that. It has been very much back to basics and mundane. My shoes no longer aim to make any statements of fashion or personality. They only need to serve one purpose - be comfortable enough to walk five miles in. 

The one explanation for why women have this thing for shoes that came from the documentary made good sense to me. When you are trying on clothes or accessories, the process can be quite draining - nothing ever feels right. It's rare to the experience the joy of finding the perfect fit. The mirrors in the dressing room cast a woman in the most unflattering light - I have always wondered about that. Why not have a trick mirror that creates a perception of perfection instead, wouldn't that move the product faster. The shoe does not pose such challenges. A woman does not look bad in any shoe she chooses to wear. That makes the choice infinite. She can feel good about her decision to buy just about anything. The only issue is about practicality and comfort which to many comes much later. 

I can think of some other things that fit that same category - glass bangles (which I had very large collections of and still have plenty lot of). They are always perfect and there is no such thing as a "wrong" glass bangle. So women tend to get a lot of them and replenishing the ones that break along the way.  The bindi is similar too - hard to get wrong and there is nothing that would not work for a specific woman given the right occasion. I had just never connected these things as being related which they might very well be.

Fading Fashion

My oldest, most over-worn jacket is the most trending color of the year it sounds like. I usually wear it when I am working in the yard on a chilly day and after I am done the jacket is often left among the tools and wheel barrow. Maybe its time to give it a whole new lease of life since its still in one piece. My mother used to have a leopard print coat when I was a child which was accompanied by a bag of the same print. 

I remember the smell of mothballs combined with remnants of her favorite perfume, the olive green faux-silk lining of the bag whose zipper was a bit capricious. In winter she would wear her zari-bordered monochrome silk saris with this coat - usually to some special occasion. I liked to see her in the silk and leopard print and thought she looked very fancy. The leopard print fell out of favor a long time ago and I don't recall seeing her coat and bag even in my tweens. If she has preserved them knowing fashion is cyclical, I could have been completely on-trend right now. 

Over the years, I have maintained a bin of clothes that have sentimental value for me but don't wear anymore. Reading this story about a woman who wore the same dress hundred days in a row resonates with me. Whenever I look at my wardrobe, I think about what is the fewest number of items I need to get by and that is not at all a large number for me. Taking that to its logical limit would mean asking the question how long can I keep wearing the same basic outfit until I feel the need for change. 

Both my grandmothers wore handloom white cotton or silk saris with beautiful borders after they became widows. They had maybe dozen such saris in good condition at any point in time. The older ones they wore at home. They looked well put together despite a very monotonous and sparse attire. I could not imagine them wearing anything else though I had seen pictures of them in younger years where they were colorfully attired. Their white sari style never went out of fashion. Each puja they would receive gifts of such saris. Since the inventory of what they had was well known, they always got something with a novel border color and design.

Long Lasting

A couple of days ago, while waiting at the grocery checkout line I was clicking through a Buzzfeed piece that I came across. The topic I chanced upon was how Sarah Jessica Parker buys clothes. I might as well have taken an interest in how Martians cook dinner. This person and her clothing is so out of my realm that inspiration from a Martian recipe might have been more relatable. But I read on and learned that she buys new items of clothing rather rarely and when she does she asks herself if the piece she is considering is one she would want to wear 10-15 years out. Suddenly, I found myself relating to someone whose way of life is infinitely removed from mine. Couple of thoughts crossed my mind when I read this. 

The first - it is a great idea and one I fully agree with. The second - it would be hard to execute on for the average person for multiple reasons. Clothes that someone like me would consider reasonably priced and even on the high end are no longer made to last. I have clothes from my childhood that are as good as new - J wore them as a baby and they have been put away for the next generation. My father bought them on his business trips abroad but they were items a very middle class person could afford. Today, such items simply do not exist at the kind of price point. So owing a piece that will stand the test of time is out of reach for the average person. 

Then comes the ravages of time - physical and mental. There are many items in my wardrobe from two decades ago that I still like and still fit me - but they no longer feel right. I don't feel like myself when I wear them because the person who bought them unrecognizably different from who I am now. I believe this kind of harsh transformation is also the realm of the average person who has to cope with a lot without the endless resources of the rich. So while her idea is laudable, I don't think it is meant for folks like me. 

Clothes Horse

I was shopping online for some clothes and noticed how many of the models in the pictures were clearly AI generated. That did not make any significant difference to my shopping experience. Ultimately, human or not, the fit of the item will never be a given until I try it on. There is a threat to the modeling business due to AI. As always there are two sides to the story. The impact to the human models is negative

 ..we human models have worked really hard to have our stories heard and our authentic experiences considered, and we’ve fought to change the perception that we are just a sample size or a prop for clothes. We’ve mobilized in groups, such as the Model Mafia network that I am a part of, to advocate for social issues and push back on exclusivity in the fashion industry. In some cases our activism has even cost us jobs. But now that we are finally starting to see changes in the industry, digital models can just land the jobs that we took risks for. Or worse, brands can just create CGIs that champion causes instead of actually having to invest in those causes themselves.

On the other hand, all those young women pursuing an impossible ideal of beauty and suffering from body image issues might have a positive outcome. If the vast majority if not all models are AI generated, it is likely that women will not view that look as a ideal to aspire for. By being completely and verifiably unreal, it becomes unworthy of competition. Maybe women will learn to love how they look, their uniqueness complete with flaws and blemishes. 

Privacy Design

Loved this story about privacy by design. Deploying fashion against facial recognition software is wonderfully creative- born out of a rather simple idea:

..merge fashion design and computer science to create something you can wear every day to protect your data. Coming up with the idea was the easy part. To turn it into reality they first had to find — and later design — the right “adversarial algorithms” to help them create images that would fool facial recognition software. 

It would be nice to have make-up that looks nice and normal on the face but creates a blur for the software. There is already the concept of anti-surveillance makeup but the nicer trick would be for ordinary looking makeup to have a ace up its sleeve and show a pixelated view of your face to the camera. As more ways are created to chip away at our privacy, it would not be surprising to see labels like privacy by design, anti-surveillance and such on the labels of unexpected things - like clothing and makeup

Wrong Hair

I read about the Dove CROWN Act the same afternoon as I was squirming while on video because my hair did not sit quite right compared to other that of other women who were on the call. I have long forgotten that my hair was once considered beautiful and I received a lot of compliments for it. That was back in India and ofcourse I was way younger. Adjusted to age, my hair is still nice. I think deep down I understand this to be a fact - it is not such a big surprise, Indian women do have the best hair in the world. So why do I feel so unsettled each time I am on video and something is every so slightly off with my naturally wavy hair that I don't like to use any products on. 

I don't want to change anything about it - don't want my hair to look like someone else's hair. I love what I have but each day it brings me some low level of anxiety around other people who don't have my kind of hair. I have a lot of sympathy for any woman whose hair is viewed as distracting. I see mine as a bit of distracting and unprofessional in comparison with the baseline hair that is common in this country's average workplace setting. I expect that others view it the same way and there is a value judgement attached to it. Each time I use a flat iron on my hair, I feel like a sell-out and also ugly. That flat straight conforming hair is not what God intended for me and it simply does not look right. I need to become an uglier version of myself in order to fit better and that has not stopped hurting with over two decades of practice.