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I Found the Best Jeans For Curvy Women After Years of Disappointment


I’ve always had problems finding jeans that fit right. Even from a young age—when I was stick-thin and in ballet class four times a week—my butt always made it difficult for me to fit comfortably into pants, especially because I grew up in the age of low-rise jeans. And as my body filled out more over time and I put on weight all over, it became clear to me that most of the popular denim brands simply didn’t make jeans for bodies like mine. Thus, I began my journey to hunt down the best jeans for curvy women.

Mind you, by standard sizing measures, I technically fit into the “straight size” category (as opposed to plus size) because I fluctuate between a 12 and 14, or 31 and 32. But because my butt is on the larger side, straight sizes don’t usually work on me. I would always have to size up to get them over my hips and so that my thighs wouldn’t feel like a tourniquet was being wrapped around them—but then I’d always end up with the top being too big. I was constantly battling the seemingly-unfixable waist gap and even if they fit well, they would split awkwardly in my thighs due to them rubbing together and wearing down the seaming. Over many years—and many weight fluctuations that prompted me to try out countless denim brands—I came close to giving up on ever finding the perfect pair of jeans. I was convinced that I was doomed to live a life in dresses and skirts forever.

Then I found DL1961. I’d never heard of it, even though the brand was right under my nose at Nordstrom, Shopbop, and Amazon. I first discovered the brand through its collaboration with beauty influencer Marianna Hewitt and had the chance to try out the Hepburn High Rise Wide Leg pair. To say that my world was forever changed would not be an understatement.

I never knew that jeans could be so comfortable, but still look unbelievably chic and flattering. The high-waisted fit actually comes up past my belly button—something that was missing in literally every other style I tried from different brands—and the fabric has enough give to allow me to sit comfortably without the waistband digging into my stomach. But the best parts? No waist gap and my big ole’ booty looks amazing in them, if I do say so myself. This single pair of jeans has become my gold standard for denim, and they convinced me to give denim another try.

In all honesty, after discovering what I believed to be the perfect pair of pants, I was scared that it was a fluke and that other fits from the brand wouldn’t flatter me as well as the Hepburn did. Thankfully, DL1961 proved me wrong, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the brand offers inclusive sizing both on its site and through a few other retailers.



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The Dixie Chicks Just Released Their First Song in 13 Years


The Dixie Chicks are back to take their rightful place as queens of country rock. With “Gaslighter,” the first single off their upcoming album of the same name, the trio isn’t easing their way back. They’re coming in swinging.

Back in 2003, the industry basically shunned Martie Erwin Maguire, Emily Erwin Robison, and lead singer Natalie Maines after Maines publicly criticized President George W. Bush during a concert in London (she said she was “ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas”). This was not the first time that year they’d drawn the ire of their own peers and audience. A few months prior, they faced major backlash for posing nude on the now-iconic cover of Entertainment Weekly.

The band teased “Gaslighter” with an Instagram of the word’s definition: “a psychological manipulator who seeks to sow seeds of doubt in a targeted individual or in members of a group, making them question their own memory, perception or sanity.” Sound familiar?

If you think we’re over-playing the cause of their shortened career (until recent collabs with Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, of course) or that their political history didn’t have a major impact on the industry, just listen to what Swift had to say about why she hid her own political opinions for years.

“I come from country music. The number one thing they absolutely drill into you as a country artist, and you can ask any other country artist this, is ‘Don’t be like the Dixie Chicks!’” Swift told The Guardian. “I watched country music snuff that candle out. The most amazing group we had, just because they talked about politics. And they were getting death threats. They were made such an example that basically every country artist that came after that, every label tells you, ‘Just do not get involved, no matter what.’”

That story got a happy ending, at least. Taylor Swift started to speak out (check out her documentary Miss Americana for more on that), and the Dixie Chicks were featured on the Lover song “Soon You’ll Get Better.” Now, it’s time for the Dixie Chicks to stand on their own. With “Gaslighter,” the band is making their perfectly harmonized voices heard once again, and nobody is going to stop them. Watch the full video, below:

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(P.S. this song slaps.)



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At the Makers Conference, This Year’s Takeaway: Beauty Shouldn’t be a Competitive Sport


Last week international beauty brand SK-II* invited me to attend the 2020 Makers Conference in California as a guest at their expense. I was delighted to accept—not just because I was excited to hear from the incredible women (and men) that Makers, a yearly event highlighting female change makers, had lined up as speakers, but because I was also intrigued by a new campaign that SK-II had just launched called #NoCompetition. Looking ahead to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, SK-II has enlisted up-and-coming athletes and sports legends (including 2016 Glamour Woman of the Year Simone Biles) to celebrate competition on the field, the floor, in the pool, and more—but take competition out of the equation when it comes to how we look, act, and feel.

In SK-II’s estimation, beauty shouldn’t be a competitive sport. That makes perfect sense when we’re thinking about who has the longest eyelashes, the clearest complexion, or the shiniest hair; that kind of competition is toxic and dated. But I hadn’t thought about how beauty competition affects athletes—yet it does. There’s the way the press embraces certain athletes but ignores others. Or when female athletes vie for endorsement deals and might be chosen based on their physical appearance rather than their performance.

Today SK-II has enlisted Biles, swimmer Liu Xiang, surfer Mahina Maeda, and others to continue the fight. As YoeGin Chang, the brand leader of SK-II Japan, explained in her talk at Makers: “Our mission is to help women change destiny by standing up against pressures and expectations that are pushed on us every day. We are saying no to competition in beauty, because it will be all the more beautiful when beauty is no competition.”

Me, getting ready to be inspired. 

In addition to hanging with Chang and the SK-II crew, I spent a lot of time at Makers enthralled with speakers who spoke to this year’s conference theme: Not Done. The fight for true equality isn’t over, is it? The journalist in me was enraptured by Meredith Levien, COO of the New York Times. She led the insurgency in the Times newsroom and is looking closely at the way we get news in today’s culture. Megan Smith, the former chief technology officer of the U.S. and current CEO of Shift7, gave a call to action about using the power of community to lift up innovators. One of those innovators is Bernice Dapaah, founder and CEO of the Ghana Bamboo Bikes Initiative, which uses local, sustainable bamboo to build bikes. Dapaah was one of many speakers who focused on sustainability and environmental issues. All of the environmental activists on stage encouraged every generation to be part of the fight against climate change and to take action in innovative ways.

I’m kind of addicted to forceful female business leaders, and I found one in the CEO of the Dallas Mavericks, Cynt Marshall. What an amazing speaker! As a woman who faced no shortage of misogyny in the corporate world, Marshall spoke about owning her authentic self and the ways all of us can help transform corporate cultures. Her focus at Makers was on her first 100 days with the Mavs, which included physically walking her team out of the building and back into a new values-based culture that prioritized diversity and inclusion.

Another speaker focused on change in the corporate workplace was Erica Chidi Cohen, CEO and cofounder of the well-being brand Loom. She’s an expert on body literacy, which is basically understanding our own sexual and reproductive health, and emphasizes that we need to integrate it into our workplaces and our schedules: She encourages women to make room to talk about periods, fertility challenges, and menopause at work—and to schedule big events, like board meetings and presentations, when they’re at the most energized point in their menstrual cycle. She made it clear that we need to bring men as allies into the conversation, and that we have to drop any shame we feel about our physiology and emotional state when it connects to functioning well as working women.

It wasn’t just the action on stage that inspired me—it was the connectivity I felt with the attendees seated around me. In this safe space, we were able to take a couple of days to envision what we wanted to do and how we were going to do it, examine the places where our work was not yet done and where we have the opportunity to make the greatest impact. SK-II got me started by talking about eradicating competition in the beauty space, but I realized that there should also be #NoCompetition when it comes to the opportunity to excel. We’ve moved away from thinking that there’s only room for one woman to run a company, launch a brand, or win a medal. By the time I walked out of Makers, I really did believe that when we’re playing the game together, we all win.

*SK-II is a Glamour and Condé Nast advertiser. The company underwrote this trip, but the story is my own.



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Demi Lovato Totally Predicted Her Big Super Bowl Moment 10 Years Ago


Last Sunday (January 26), Demi Lovato returned to the Grammys stage in her first live performance since her 2018 overdose. And she followed this up with a performance at yesterday’s Super Bowl, where she sang the national anthem. It was a triumphant moment, for sure, and something Lovato herself knew would happen one of these days.

Her manager, Scooter Braun, was the first to point out that Lovato had tweeted her Super Bowl ambitions almost exactly10 years ago to the day. “10 years later. Dreams do come true. Congrats Demi. See u soon,” he quote tweeted. Lovato’s original post from February 7, 2010 reads, “One day, I’m gonna sing the national anthem at a super bowl. Onnnee dayyy….” (Carrie Underwood sang the national anthem that year ahead of the game between the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints.)

“Stealing this from @scooterbraun. Dreams really do come true y’all. ?????,” Lovato captioned a photo of the tweet on Instagram.

She also posted a clip of her performance, writing, “A dream come true ?? Thank you for having me today @nfl!! ? The #SBLIV visual album is up now and benefits will be going towards @inspirechange.”

Demi Lovato has been on the road to recovery since suffering an overdose in July 2018—and has been very open and honest about her struggles. “I have always been transparent about my journey with addiction,” she said on Instagram in August of that year. “What I’ve learned is that this illness is not something that disappears or fades with time.” After her Grammys performance, she wrote, “What an unbelievable night. My first time back on stage in almost 2 years. So emotional for me. Thank you all for the love, support and for sharing this moment with me. I love you all. ?”

Here’s to another night of making your dreams come true, Demi.



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Give Yourself the Gift of Staying in on New Year’s Eve


We’re living in a renaissance of fancy sheets and cutting-edge mattresses. Nearly every hour of entertainment ever recorded is streamable. New Year’s Eve is a day away, and between scented candle culture and smoke alarms, it’s easier than ever to light a fire inside your house without risking death. Coziness is queen.

As the last days of 2019 are upon us, the question is not “Should you stay home on New Year’s Eve?” but rather—Why does anyone ever go out on New Year’s Eve?

In the coldest, darkest time of the year, humans feel compelled to manufacture light. We set off fireworks, string twinkle lights, light candles, build bonfires, throw sparklers, hang disco balls, and peer into each other’s eyes. Everything in nature is dead, but we’re not, and we want physical proof that we’re vital and alive and staring down another year together.

We go to parties, bars and clubs on December 31 seeking that feeling of the relief and ecstasy at being alive. But the sense comfort, safety, and joy that come from staying in on New Year’s Eve is just as fitting. The main activities of New Year’s Eve: drinking, thinking about stuff, and waiting, actually do not demand that you leave your house. You can, of course. But just know—you don’t have to.

Inside: radiators, candles, blankets, $12.99 wine from Trader Joe’s.
Outside: Seventeen-dollar mixed drinks, a sticky-looking man-boy named Kyle who sidles up to you and says, “You seem feisty!”

Inside: People you invited, music you chose, toilets whose cleanliness you can vouch for personally.
Outside: A woman in a sequined mini sits on a curb sobbing, pausing to hiccup.

“I actually usually stay at home because I find the expectation of the night too overwhelming,” says Nicole, a 29-year-old who lives in the UK. “The fact that everybody is out and trying to find the perfect party is really anxiety inducing for me.” Instead, she’ll drink, dance, and watch the ball drop at home, with family. “Sounds boring maybe, but at least I know I won’t be fighting my anxiety in overcrowded spaces,” she says. “And at the end of the day I am spending it with people I love in a chill way.”



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Selena Gomez  Performs Live for the First Time in Two Years at the 2019 AMAs


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Gomez had taken some time out of the public eye in recent years. While she wasn’t releasing new movies or music, she focused on producing show like 13 Reasons Why, lending her voice to movies like Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, and giving awesome toasts at her friend’s weddings. But earlier this fall, the singer stepped back into the spotlight, dropping back-to-back singles signaling a return to her musical roots.

Fans immediately surmised that both songs were about Gomez’s tumultuous relationship with Justin Bieber. While Gomez has not mentioned Bieber by name while promoting the new song, she has been getting super candid about her exes.

“Yeah, I think, you know, I’m really grateful too because I’ve actually experienced that [exes moving on to another relationship quickly] a million times before,” she said when speaking to Ryan Seacrest. “And that’s the unfortunate part about what I do. So it’s all very real to me, and I’m sure it’s just entertainment for other people, but I think I had become numb to it, and it would be stupid of me if I didn’t acknowledge what I had felt because it would be inauthentic, and that’s everything I claim to be and do.”

“These two songs were me wrapping up a chapter in a pretty little bow, and the rest of the album is just all about where I am now and where I’m going so, in my opinion, these are great songs, but I’ve saved the best for later,” Gomez added.

The singer recently announced that the full, as-yet-untitled album will be released on January 10, 2020.



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