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Emily Ratajowski is knocked up! She got to announce it with a very personal essay on the cover of the digital issue of Vogue. The father of her child is obviously her husband, Sebastian Bear-McClard, and he features heavily in her essay. The essay is about gender and expectations and patriarchy, and it’s sort of cracking me up? I’m not EmRata’s biggest fan or anything, but I don’t think she’s completely vapid. I applaud her for trying to talk about some deeper sh-t other than “pregnancy is all sunshine and roses and spon-con.” You can read her essay here. A few highlights:

On the baby’s gender: When my husband and I tell friends that I’m pregnant, their first question after “Congratulations” is almost always “Do you know what you want?” We like to respond that we won’t know the gender until our child is 18 and that they’ll let us know then. Everyone laughs at this. There is a truth to our line, though, one that hints at possibilities that are much more complex than whatever genitalia our child might be born with: the truth that we ultimately have no idea who—rather than what—is growing inside my belly. Who will this person be? What kind of person will we become parents to? How will they change our lives and who we are? This is a wondrous and terrifying concept, one that renders us both helpless and humbled.

The idea of having a daughter: “To be perfectly honest,” I tell my husband over dinner, “I’m not sure that I even know that I want a girl. I guess I’d just never really thought about having a boy before. ” “I do worry a girl will have a lot to live up to as your daughter,” he replies. “That’s a lot of pressure.” I wince and think of my own mother and her tales of being homecoming queen, the way I knew the word jealous at the age of three (I pronounced it “jealoust,” telling my mother that her female colleagues were “just jealoust” of her), and the early understanding I had of how beauty could equate to power. I prayed for beauty, pinching my nose tightly on either side before falling asleep, willing it to stay small.

She already resents Sebastian: My husband likes to say that “we’re pregnant.” I tell him that while the sentiment is sweet, it’s not entirely true. I resent that his entire family’s DNA is inside of me but that my DNA is not inside him. “It just seems unfair,” I say, and we both laugh. It’s kind of a joke, but just like the remark we make about our child’s gender, there is truth behind it.

[From Vogue]

The rest of the piece is funny too – she talks a lot about how worried she is that she’ll have a boy who will have all the privilege of yet another white man, or that her son might end up playing football. She quotes a mom friend, who told her that she resented the hell out of how peacefully her husband slept during her pregnancy: “There is nothing worse than the undisturbed sleep of a white man in a patriarchal world. It was hard to come to terms with the fact that I was bringing yet another white man into the world. But now I adore him and can’t imagine it any other way.” So, yeah, it doesn’t sound like Emily is going to find out the sex of the baby.

Em did a paparazzi photoshoot outside of her apartment last night too:

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Vogue.

Can you be nostalgic for something that happened only three months ago? Is that old enough? Three months ago out of nowhere Lily James was seen returning with Chris Evans to his hotel in London after partying at a private members club. A few days later they spent some time at a park, eating ice crea…

The Trump administration has done the most to disenfranchise voters across the board. One of the many ways they’ve tried – and probably succeeded – at disenfranchising voters is by dismantling the efficacy of the US Postal Service during a pandemic, a moment when many states were leaning into the absentee or “mail-in ballot” model. The Trump administration effectively slowed down the USPS, and it’s more than possible that many mail-in ballots will take days and weeks longer to arrive at their destination. Some ballots may have been sent and postmarked days before Election Day but arrive days AFTER Election Day. And now the Supreme Court has rejected Wisconsin’s request to count ballots received after Election Day. Brett Kavanaugh wrote the majority opinion.

The Supreme Court on Monday night rejected a pandemic-related request from Democrats and civil rights groups to extend the deadline for counting mail-in ballots received after Election Day in the key battleground state of Wisconsin. The vote was 5 to 3, with the Republican-nominated conservatives in the majority and the Democratic-nominated liberals in dissent. The court’s order showed the deep division within the court about the series of pandemic-related election cases that have come to dominate its agenda.

The court’s conservatives say they must defer to state officials on election decisions made in the largely Republican-run states, and the liberal justices say there is a need for dramatic action by judges to ensure the franchise for endangered voters during an unprecedented time.

“On the scales of both constitutional justice and electoral accuracy, protecting the right to vote in a health crisis outweighs conforming to a deadline created in safer days,” liberal Justice Elena Kagan wrote in dissent.

Conservative Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh answered that Kagan’s “green light to federal courts to rewrite dozens of state election laws around the country over the next two weeks seems to be rooted in a belief that federal judges know better than state legislators about how to run elections during a pandemic.”

The decision was a victory for Republicans and President Trump in a state where he narrowly won in 2016 and polls show him behind this year. While Democrats have embraced mail-in voting, Trump has railed against it.

[From WaPo]

I genuinely believe that in states like Florida, states with a lot of seniors voting by mail, the GOP has taken pains to disenfranchise their own voters too. But they must have data that suggests that they’re doing more to harm Democratic voters or else they wouldn’t be fighting this hard to keep votes from counting. And no, it’s not crazy to illegal to count ballots which were sent and postmarked before Election Day. Jesus. Kavanaugh and the “conservative” justices are just dumbf–k fascists.

Kavanaugh issued what amounts to a veiled threat tonight that the court may need to block states from counting votes after election night. In other words he’s crafted into judicial-speak Trumps demands that the winner has to be known on election night.

— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) October 27, 2020

It’s genuinely terrifying that Kavanaugh wrote this passage. He is abetting Trump’s efforts to delegitimize mail ballots that arrive after Election Day, which are counted in at least 18 states and D.C. It is an ideological and partisan attack on the integrity of the election. https://t.co/RyhCfeiNdY

— Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) October 27, 2020

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Over the years, we’ve gotten mixed information on whether the Duchess of Cambridge is actually a good cook. She’s taken cooking classes before, and it’s been said over the years that she enjoys cooking and God knows, she’s proud of her chutney. But she and William have both downplayed it at times, perhaps in an effort to sound more “middle class.” My general assumption is that Kate does like to cook and bake, and she probably involves the kids too. So here’s my question: did Kate really bake these cupcakes? Or did she buy them and call them her own??

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their family have shown their support for our #PoppyAppeal this year by baking these delicious poppy cakes which were delivered to our care home in Norfolk. @KensingtonRoyal pic.twitter.com/ek2UEhxLHY

— Royal British Legion (@PoppyLegion) October 26, 2020

As you can see, the Cambridges donated cupcakes for the Poppy Appeal, which is where the Royal British Legion organizes food donations to home-care residents. Someone added candy red poppies to the top of the cupcakes. So… were they baked by Kate at Anmer Hall? Or was Nanny Maria up all night, cutting out tiny little red poppy blobs? I keep going back and forth on this! I actually do think they’re handmade by *someone* at Anmer Hall, but I’m open to the idea that Kate was merely the Cupcake Supervisor. Perhaps Carole did them!

Also, Great British Bake-Off peeps… is this now “the way” to do cupcakes? Where I come from, people make sure the entire top of the cupcake is covered in frosting. I hate when I see bare cake with no frosting on top. Those bitches look half-naked! That being said, I like that there’s not a mountain of frosting on the cupcakes. I loathe that, when people pile on three inches of frosting.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.

Dear Gossips, In 2017, Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko was released to critical acclaim, regarded as one of the best books of the year. Roxane Gay named it her favourite book of 2017. In August 2018, after a bidding war involving multiple outlets, Apple acquired the rights to adapt the book to series with sh…

Dear Gossips, In 2017, Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko was released to critical acclaim, regarded as one of the best books of the year. Roxane Gay named it her favourite book of 2017. In August 2018, after a bidding war involving multiple outlets, Apple acquired the rights to adapt the book to series with sh…

I got the stick-on magnifying makeup mirror and I love it. It is jarring to see your face close up at first but it was so much easier to apply eye makeup and tweeze once I got used to it. You do have to train yourself not to pick at your spots. I like how bright it is and that it’s so easy to move while staying fixed to the larger mirror. I also got the set of three kitchen tongs and they’re great for cooking and serving. I’m really pleased with that purchase. Here are some more things I’m looking at on Amazon.

A battery-operated facial hair trimmer that pivots to get hard to reach places

I use the Schick hydrosilk facial shavers about once a week and I also wax my face once a week with SurgiWax. (I use the brazilian formula on my face.) Since I started using the Tendskin I get less breakouts after too. This is a battery operated trimmer by Panasonic that meant to be used dry and comes with a razor and attachments to trim eyebrows. It has over 7,000 ratings and 4.2 stars on ReviewMeta. Women say it leaves their face smooth and call it “Really good for the soft hair on my face! It doesn’t give me razor burn or any irritation whatsoever.” One reviewer says it’s also good for her bikini area “I have used this for 3 years on my ‘feminine area,’ and not once has it cut or nicked me.”

An affordable acacia wood cutting board nice enough to serve off of

I need a new bamboo cutting board because my go-to one is moldy on the edges. I looked through so many listings and most had fake reviews or people said they were splintery. In fact I couldn’t find a bamboo cutting board, but this acacia wood one looks great. It’s only $15 and is so pretty it could double as a serving board. It’s 17” long by 7” wide, although the handle is counted in the length. This has 812 ratings and 4.6 stars on ReviewMeta. People write “It’s sturdy, durable, and overall, it’s very high-quality. It’s the perfect size as well.” “Beautiful cutting board that I can keep handy on my kitchen counter to use on a daily basis” and “amazing price for what you get.”

A cute and affordable long sleeve workout top

I have just a few long sleeve tops and I end up wearing them all fall and winter as they’re great staple pieces. This boat neck workout top by Bestisun has thumb holes and a cut split back. It comes in 14 different colors and in sizes small to x-large and is priced between $17 and $21. It has over 1,000 reviews and 4.3 stars on ReviewMeta. It’s called “cute and comfy” and women like that it’s ventilated in the back. They write “Absolutely love this shirt. I will be ordering other colors.” and “I am a lover of Lulu and Athleta and I am really starting to love some of the amazon brands.” Some people say it runs large so you may want to order a size down.

An anti-aging serum with vitamins C, E and hyaluronic acid

Jeunesse vitamin C serum by Kleem Organics is also formulated with hyaluronic acid and vitamin E. It has over 8,000 ratings and 4.2 stars on Fakespot. Women say that it visibly reduces fine lines and fades dark spots and that they can see the difference since they started using it. “Noticeably brightened my skin in just a few weeks. Have been applying the excess from my face onto the backs of my hands where it’s helped fade age spots.” “It has not taken all my wrinkles away, but it has lessened the depth on my forehead and eye area. A scar on my face had blended so it’s not so noticeable. My pores are smaller and my skin texture is smoother” and “I have very sensitive and acne prone skin, I have tried so may different products and NOTHING works like this.”

Super comfy fitted joggers you’ll want to wear every day

My go-to pants are leggings and I ordered a bunch more to get through the fall and winter. This has not helped me come to terms with the fact that my regular pants do not fit anymore, but I’m giving myself a pass. These women’s juniors jogger pants by LA12ST have pockets. They come in sizes small to x-large and in seven different colors, all under $14! They have over 7,400 ratings, 4.2 stars and a B on Fakespot. They’re said to be very comfortable and not to shrink in the dryer. Reviewers rave about how awesome they are. They say they’re “the comfiest, softest and best ‘lounge’ pants I have ever put on,” “Seriously cannot express how much I love these and do not want to take them off” and “They are buttery soft and have fully functioning pockets. I LOVE these and plan to wear them often.”

A hydrating eye cream with hyaluronic acid to reduce fine lines

This eye cream by Timeless is said to be gentle, velvety, non-greasy and deeply hydrating. It has hyaluronic acid, algae and something called Matrixyl, which the manufacturer claims is an alternative to Retin-A. It has 4.3 stars, 205 ratings and an A on Fakespot. Women say it does work to reduce wrinkles and that a little goes a long way. They write “Some fine lines have virtually disappeared over the past several weeks,” “My skin seems smoother and the little baby wrinkles that have started to form around my eyes seem to look a little less obvious to me” and “My makeup goes on smoother, my skin looks firmer, and my hooded eyelids look more taut.”

An all-in-one survival tool that would make a great gift

This all-in-one survival tool has a fire starter, compass, paracord and emergency whistle. I’ve been thinking about getting something like this after watching the reality show Alone, where people compete to survive alone in the wilderness. I got the Lifestraw when it was on sale! This would be a great gift for a hiker or just a loved one to keep in their car for peace of mind during harsh winters. You get two for just $13 and there’s a box to check for 10% off. This has over 500 reviews, 4.4 stars and a perfect score on ReviewMeta. People say that it’s easy to start a fire with these and that kids love them too. “Right out of the box I tried it and it worked on the third strike. These are for my husband and my go bags and it’s great knowing they are there if we will need them for anything.”

A certified refurbished KitchenAid mixer for memorable holiday treats

I’m posting this because I want advice – when I looked yesterday a new KitchenAid 6-quart mixer was on sale for $80 off, but now it’s more expensive. I really want one but I’d like it to be cheaper and I don’t know if I need yet another large kitchen appliance. My mom says she loves hers and wishes she got it sooner. I also really want this pasta maker attachment, which is on sale! You can get a certified refurbished one, which is usually the route I go for huge purchases like this, for $300 and I think I may just buy that one. Should I get it, put it off or is there another brand that’s just as good for cheaper? Also I’m watching too many baking shows.

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Hermes Birkin bags have been a major status symbol for as long as I’ve been paying attention to purses, which is 20-plus years. The Birkin bag was made by Hermès chief executive Jean-Louis Dumas in the 1980s for Jane Birkin’s needs. The original Birkin was one size and I think just a handful of colors, but the Birkin bag grew in such popularity so quickly that it was deemed a necessity for all women of any kind of means, and Hermes slowly added more colors and leather types and sizes. Twenty years ago, the wait list for the Birkin was long and women could end up waiting for years. But I think Birkins are more widely available now, especially on the secondary market. As such, the elite status symbol has become more common with ALL kinds of celebrities – Real Housewives, Kardashians, and hip-hop empresses. Cardi B obviously has an extensive Birkin collection, as does Kylie Jenner, Kim Kardashian and tons of other women. The Birkin is still a status symbol, but it has become more of a “new money” status symbol and that’s fine too. There’s nothing wrong with new money.

But Cardi B has heard some of the criticisms. There were apparently some tweets and conversations about how rap stars were devaluing Birkins, or that women like Cardi are rocking fake Birkins. So, Cardi had some sh-t to say.

“I’ve been seeing this tweet right. It had me and it had other female rappers on it. They were talking about if we could get Birkins from the Hermés store and they [were] also saying how we depreciate the value of a Hermés Birkin bag. I find that really interesting because, first thing first, I definitely could get a bag. Actually, I got four bags today from the Hermés store,” the “WAP” rapper, 28, said in the video shared on Instagram. Cardi went on to say that people shouldn’t be questioning if Black women “could get a bag from the Hermés store” because “y’all don’t do this to these white celebrities.”

“So why is it that y’all gotta be asking us? What the f—? It just makes you want to brag like, ‘Bitch do you know who the f— you’re talking to?’ But no, I’m not even going to take it there,” she said.

When addressing the comment about Black rappers making the Birkin bag less elusive than it once was, Cardi said she has actually helped do the opposite. “Another thing is that they’re saying we’re depreciating the value,” she said. “Actually, we add value because when we mention brands in hip-hop, s— go up.” She referenced her hit single “Bodak Yellow,” which referenced designer Christian Louboutin. “When ‘Bodak Yellow’ came out you could actually Google that their sales went up 1000+%.” Similarly, the star’s famous lyric, “I like those Balenciagas / The ones that look like socks” from her song “I Like It Like That” contributed to a spike in Balenciaga sales. “That s— went up too and that’s why they worked with me this year. Like hip-hop, we start trends,” Cardi said. “When y’all say that we devalue s—, no we actually add value.”

Cardi also slammed people who question whether a designer handbag is real or fake when they see a Black or Hispanic woman carrying it. “And another thing is, why when a Black girl, why when a Hispanic girl [has] a bag you have to question it? ‘Oh is it fake?’ or ‘She’s a scammer’ or ‘She’s f—ing a n—— for it,’” the star said. “There’s a lot of boss-ass bitches out here. There’s bitches that’s getting money out here.”

But most importantly, Cardi wanted her fans to know that if they can’t afford a designer purse, they shouldn’t feel pressure from the world to go out and buy one. “Let me tell you something: if you’re a regular girl you don’t gotta break your neck to have a Birkin. A Birkin don’t make you…” Whether dressed head-to-toe in a designer label or not, Cardi said you can still be “swaggy as f—.” She added: “They makes that fashion with the Zara and the H&M amazingly. So don’t ever feel like you gotta compare yourself. Don’t compare yourself to nobody [on] the internet. This internet s— is fake… You still a bad f—ing bitch. Period.”

[From People]

I love what Cardi says here. And no, Cardi isn’t devaluing the Birkin, she’s actually promoting the bag to a new generation of consumers. The only think I’d like to add is that I genuinely believe that Hermes has been quietly making more and more Birkins every year, because truly, I remember those wait-lists and I remember how rich bitches could never get their hands on Birkins, and now Cardi can just pop into the Hermes shop and pick up four of them? Quietly flooding the market is what’s devaluing Birkins, if they are in fact being devalued.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Cardi B (@iamcardib) on Oct 25, 2020 at 8:13pm PDT

Photos courtesy of Cardi’s Instagram, Backgrid.

I’ll be honest: I’ve been suspicious about how little “breaking news” there is in the final weeks of the election cycle. The past two weekends have been very quiet – “quiet” for the Trump era – and the current “big stories” dominating the 24-hour newscycle are actual stories affecting all of us, like the terrible coronavirus numbers, or the tanking economy, or how all of the Trumpers are f–king awful. Speaking of, with one week to go before Election Day, Donald Trump’s go-to guy, the guy who runs the White House singlehandedly, chose to talk about how poor Black people are poor because they want to be that way, because if they had any sense, they would have just inherited money and access from daddy. This is what Jared Kushner said yesterday during a live interview on Fox News:

White House adviser Jared Kushner described Black America’s issues with inequality and racism in the country as “complaining,” during an interview Monday on “Fox & Friends.”

“The thing we’ve seen in the Black community, which is mostly Democrat,” he said, “is that President Trump’s policies are the policies that can help people break out of the problems that they’re complaining about, but he can’t want them to be successful more than they want to be successful.”

[From NBC News]

It’s hard for someone to pick themselves up by their bootstraps when a cop’s knee is on their neck. It’s hard to boil all Black issues down to criminal justice reform too, because every time Donald Trump and Jared Kushner do that, what they’re telling the Black community is that all Black folks are criminals and this alone is the issue that most affects them. It’s also difficult for Jared Kushner, an actual slumlord who was too stupid to get into Harvard without his daddy donating a huge amount of money, to speak about Black issues without falling demon-face-first into his own privilege. So, basically, Donald Trump’s right-hand man, the guy in charge of the campaign AND the White House, is telling Black folks that they’re too lazy to be successful.

Jared Kushner on the Black community: “President Trump’s policies are the policies that can help people break out of the problems that they’re complaining about, but he can’t want them to be successful more than that they want to be successful.” pic.twitter.com/SX9vWiAfag

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 26, 2020

“It’s disgusting to see internet trolls taking Senior Advisor Jared Kushner out of context as they try to distract from President Trump’s undeniable record of accomplishment for the black community,” @PressSec Kayleigh McEnany.

She cites criminal justice reform, HBCU funding.

— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) October 26, 2020

Never forget that Jared Kushner dumped a national testing plan early on in the pandemic because he thought COVID-19 was only affecting blue states. That’s genocide.

Kushner should be in prison right now.

— Andrea Junker ® (@Strandjunker) October 26, 2020

You have to hand it to Jared Kushner, because that’s the only way he’s ever achieved or accomplished anything his whole life.

— Josh Gondelman (@joshgondelman) October 26, 2020

You cannot blame Jared Kushner for holding antiquated opinions because he is the ghost of a sickly Victorian child and therefore a product of his time. Have some sympathy for the poor, undead, racist ghoul. Honestly.

— R. Eric Thomas (@oureric) October 26, 2020

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red and Backgrid.

As we continue to discuss, Robert Lacey’s Battle of Brothers: William and Harry – The Inside Story of a Family in Tumult might actually end up reframing the conversation around Prince Harry, Prince William and the Sussexit. While Lacey often talks out of both sides of his mouth, he has maintained throughout that the crux of all the drama was always between Harry and William and NOT Kate and Meghan. Which most of us have known this whole time. If the brothers had been able to get along, I genuinely think that Kate and Meghan’s fragile peace probably would have held. Kate actually liked the fact that Meghan was her protocol-breaking foil, the proverbial darkness to Kate’s “perfect future queen” lightness. Plus, Kate enjoyed the competition and she enjoyed copying Meghan. Lacey spoke about the duchesses’ relationship with Best Life:

As part of his wide-ranging interview with Best Life, Lacey revealed, “Catherine and Meghan are great pragmatists. They got on much better than people gave them credit for.” In his book, he notes the women may not have been “best buddy material,” but says that “each was far too canny to make an enemy of a prospective sister-in-law—it only made sense to be friends.”

Despite their differences, the duchesses shared an important commonality as outsiders marrying into royalty that, according to Lacey, allowed them to appreciate and understand each other’s strengths in a way that was never really conveyed by the tabloids. “They both have a healthy respect for each other alongside great loyalty to their respective partners,” he told Best Life.

Still, Lacey explained, the “emotional squabbles,” like the much-reported battle over the bridesmaids’ tights at Meghan’s wedding (Kate felt the girls should follow tradition and wear them, while the bride insisted they go bare-legged) gave the media plenty of fodder. “Meghan clearly ‘won,’” said Lacey. “The press resorted to stereotypes [about Meghan and Kate] to avoid the fear of the truth [about William and Harry].”

The stories of the dust-ups between the duchesses continued, despite their best efforts to keep up appearances—even up until that very last day when the former “Fab Four” came together in March for Commonwealth Day services at Westminster Abbey, marking the Sussexes’ final appearance as senior royals. While waiting for Queen Elizabeth to arrive, Meghan flashed her megawatt smile for the cameras and Kate chatted easily with Sophie Wessex. “Every time the women got together, they knew how to put on a good performance,” said Lacey. “Kate is just as good an actress as Meghan.”

[From Best Life]

Yeah, I agree? Meghan and Kate were always able to put in appearances with each other and I’m sure Kate loved the idea that she was being positioned as “the peacemaker.” That being said, Kate implicitly and explicitly threw Meghan to the wolves. It wasn’t Buckingham Palace or Clarence House insisting on that f–king “Meghan made Kate cry!” story. Kate wanted everyone to know that Meghan makes white women cry white tears. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Kate in particular was behind several of the bigger tabloid stories about Meghan.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, WENN.