Hahah this is true!! Maybe it's easier to remember the trends that aged well.

I think of shoulder pads as cringe, but apparently those are making a comeback ... https://www.thelist.com/465500/the-truth-about-whether-or-not-shoulder-pads-are-back-in-style/

"Objective opinion" seems like an oxymoron, no? Did you mean the subjectivity of personal taste?

I didn't think this needed to be said in the context of casual conversation/griping...but no, I don't consider my taste in clothing (or music, or movies, or books, or food) to be objective fact that overrules every other person's perspective.

If I post about how pineapple on pizza is amazing (which it is) and all you pineapple haters are missing out, that doesn't mean I literally believe that everyone with taste buds will enjoy the taste of pineapple on pizza.

This is just my personal reaction to having trouble finding comfortable, flattering clothes beyond athletic attire. And I thought there might be other 30-something-year-old women on the internet with similar frustrations who could offer a pointer or two.

It took me years, but I finally started to appreciate high-waisted jeans after it dawned on me...oh, you can tuck IN the shirt. (I also have wide hips, but most importantly a nickel sensitivity. So getting this layer of fabric between my belly and the top button was a game changer! And allowed for more comfortable sitting haha.)

It's interesting that you mention sewing. I'm not very crafty, but maybe I could find a tailor/seamstress to make the simple kind of summer dress that I find flattering & comfy: a knee-length cylinder of fabric, somewhat form-fitting but not bandage/bodycon-level slinky, with basic straps rather than boho pouf sleeves or fringe or whimsical off-the-shoulder cuts.

P.S. I was also kind of a goth in HS, but less baggy goth and more Shirley Manson/Faith the Vampire Slayer inspired, with a bit of skapunk influence from my peer group. But I'm too lazy to accessorize these days ;) So at home it's 90% athleisure, and in the office it's the traditional business (casual) wardrobe I established ~10 years ago. Only, that's starting to feel too formal, and I'm trying to reclaim an actual sense of style.

Maybe. But I can see the appeal in many other eras and styles that I didn't grow up with and have no business relating to...

Is it "insecure" to want a garment that fits the human form and doesn't bunch / ride up / fall off my shoulders / let in the breeze? This doesn't even have to do with fashion from an aesthetic perspective, it has to do with function and comfort. (Lord knows, I gave up on "glam" fifteen years ago...)

In my last job (which was on a team of all cis women), people shared their pronouns...both singular AND plural (i.e., how they wanted to be referred to in a group). Which is pretty bizarre. Like, what if one person's plural pronoun is "folks" and another's is "friends"...then which term are you supposed to use?

And I came to hate saying "friends" because we weren't friends. It was a soul-sucking corporate gig, and I wasn't part of their mom squad...I never saw them outside of work, and I was always the last to learn about team changes, so let's be real: we aren't friends, we're coworkers. It got creepy being expected to smile and address everyone as "friends"!

FWIW, I have nothing against folks or guys or y'all ;)

Weird headline ... if the motivation is "somebody-other-than-Trump", shouldn't that result in more donations to other Republican candidates? At least until we're through the primaries?

I also wonder how much is from corporate donations and PACs vs. individual donations. Trump is unhinged enough to scare wealthy conservatives...business interests favor stability and the status quo, and the finance industry has a special place in its heart for credit card Joe. (As a twisted bonus, gridlock in Washington is considered good for the stock market.) And if we're measuring in dollars here, the opinion of one CEO or board is going to count thousands of times more than any of our donations.

Millennial woman in New England

I don't think this is true at the moment (with interest rates) or in cities, as a rule. A 2-bedroom apartment rents for $3K but sells for $1M+ where I live in the Boston area, so a mortgage payment would be at least double our rent :(

I'm at the point where I very much want to own a home - emotionally - but it's hard to justify financially.

I'm still friendly with my in-laws, but I will never respect or trust them in quite the same way.

They're very liberal and proud to "believe the science!", always making fun of conservative anti-vaxxers.

And yet, during a major COVID wave, they went bar hopping without telling us (we were all going to a family member's wedding, so my partner and I were trying to be VERY cautious and avoid bringing any germs to this wedding). Then they coughed all night without bothering to test. And once they tested positive, they started googling different countries' COVID policies looking for any guidance that would "let" them go to the wedding. With the bride's 90-year-old grandpa in attendance.

On the plane ride back, I emphasized the importance of wearing N-95s in case we were still contagious ... but as soon as I got up to pee, I realized they were both napping UNMASKED.

But somehow they're not the problem. If only those stupid Trumpies would wear masks, then we wouldn't have a pandemic.

We had an awkward semi-falling out over this at the time. And yet, the next time we visited his family, people were coughing all over the place AGAIN, and no one had tested AGAIN. (This was over the holidays, so I would have been "stuck" there and unable to see my own family if anyone actually had COVID, which thankfully they didn't this time.)

At this point, I've just come to understand and accept it. His parents were always the fun ones - they have people over all the time, they'll cook for you, they can hold their liquor, they'll light up a joint while blasting Grateful Dead. They're also politically vocal and super woke for their age.

But don't expect them to be honest if it might interrupt their fun. Don't rely on them. Because really, they only care about other people when it's either fashionable or convenient.

-Here's the weirdest one: I used to hate the French language (too "mushy"!) and was super excited that my college offered German. I took THREE YEARS of German. Now I've forgotten it all, but I'm really into French and actually considering a French immersion program to get more conversational.

-Also, I used to love loud & stimulating environments (metal shows, night clubs, etc.) while now I appreciate tranquility. Gimme a used bookstore or nature walk any day! I went to a drag brunch recently cause it seemed like the kind of thing I should like as a gay-ish Millennial woman. But it was SO not my thing ... the lights, blaring music, close bodies, and cell phones documenting every second just ruined all the nice/chill things about brunch. And I can't survive an actual concert without earplugs.

-Food-wise, I hated seafood as a kid. Now I love it, including oysters and scallops and octopus and sushi/ceviche of any kind.

Neurotypical here, as far as I know.

No, there is nothing about brushing my teeth that's automatic. At some point during the evening I usually notice fuzzy-feeling teeth, or as I'm nodding off while reading my book will think "oh no, I never brushed my teeth..." There is always some small element of discipline to getting up and doing the thing. But I can usually remember without having to set an alarm or post a sticky note, if that meets your definition of "habit".

Exercise is brutal and IMO, that never gets easier, either. In contrast, I generally have an easier time with mental discipline & focus compared to physical tasks.

Strangely enough, as a (mostly) white Millennial woman, the majority of my peers now claim to have adult-onset/adult-diagnosed ADHD. Maybe this is an accurate diagnosis for some. And even if it's an exaggeration in other cases, who cares, as long as the coping strategies or medication is improving someone's quality of life.

What's sad to me, though, is when the diagnosis becomes an all-consuming identity and an excuse to stop trying altogether, a way to shut out the rest of the world. These women I know who excelled in school and work or had creative hobbies and traveled the world, now they just post mental health memes all day and joke about how it's impossible to get out of bed. And if anyone suggests maybe they TRY getting out of bed and see how it feels to participate in X, Y, Z activity like we used to, then come the accusations that we're clueless NTs who will never understand what it's like to struggle.

And that's just not true. NTs also work hard and struggle at times...that's life. So let's just make sure all these diagnoses are helping and working FOR us rather than AGAINST us. And sometimes forgetting to brush your teeth is just ... forgetting to brush your teeth.

whoopsidoodle!