The Dressing Room | Vol. 2
Action as the antidote, how to get involved, and why you should bedazzle your Aquaphor
Welcome back to The Dressing Room!!!
I had this whole article written and ready to publish last week and it felt so tone deaf given the events in Minneapolis I decided to scratch the whole thing and start anew. I trust that we can talk about laser hair removal another time!
My feelings over the course of the last week have oscillated from devastation and rage to gratitude and optimism and riding the wave of all of them is emotionally taxing. I’m sure many of you feel the same. Quite simply, it’s a lot.
While my intention for Extra Dressed is to create an online world that’s as indulgent, playful and fun as its name suggests, it would be dishonest of me to ignore some of the other things I am feeling.
So the goal of this week’s Dressing Room is to acknowledge how overwhelming everything feels and rather than sit in that negative energy, offer some ways that we can seek joy and keep our whimsy alive!!!
Action is the antidote & the kids are alright.
I wrote an article over the summer after attending the No Kings Protest that focused on action as the antidote. It remains true! It will always be true! Helplessness is a feeling that we cannot indulge because there’s always going to be a way for you to make a positive difference.
If you’re looking for ways that you can get involved in and/or give back to your community, I encourage you to give it a read ↓
Another resource that my Mom shared with me this week is an app called 5 Calls: Contact Your Congress. It’s a fabulous app and an easy way for you make a political impact. After entering your zip code, the app lets you know which legislators are in your area and provides you with their phone number and a script to read.
PSA: Calling your representative is the most effective way you can influence policy!
“Tweets, Facebook messages, emails, and even letters can easily be discarded or ignored… but a blast of phone calls can seriously disrupt a congressional office.” - Vox Media
Replace your doomscrolling with 5 minutes of phone calls. I promise you will feel better, if only slightly.
I was also deeply inspired by the videos I saw online covering the hundreds of thousands of students who walked out of their classrooms on Friday to protest ICE. These walkouts happened in all corners of the county — from Texas to California to Georgia to Washington to Utah — and seeing all these young people with signs in support of their neighbors filled me with a lot of hope! If you want to get your algorithm onto #HopeTok I suggest you take a peek.
Whimsy in practice = bedazzling Aquaphor
My most viral articles on this app have been about whimsical habits to keep you from spiraling into the darkness. I love that of all my writing, these have garnered the biggest reach! Without parroting the originals too much, whimsy, to me, is intentionally making the everyday more fun and cute. And this looks different for everyone.
Maybe it’s always wearing fuzzy socks at home. Or taking the scenic route home from work every day, even if it takes 10 extra minutes. Or sending your friends snail mail for their birthday and decorating the card.
For me, right now, it’s ~*bedazzling*~.
You know that partin Legally Blonde where Elle says that endorphins make people happy and happy people don’t kill their husbands, they just don’t? That same logic applies to bedazzling. It’s statistically impossible to be sad when you’re gluing rhinestones onto inanimate objects*.
I’ve found that the more random the object, the more whimsy is conjured up in the moment and the longer it lasts. How silly to glue rhinestones on a tube of Aquaphor! How fun to see it glisten and sparkle on your bedside table day after day, night after night!
This level of harmless frivolity adds tangible amounts of joy to my life. If you’re looking for a low-barrier-to-entry craft that will distract your mind, keep you off your phone, and leave you with a sparkly little something… I highly suggest.
*source: me.
The Yes Pile — everything I’m loving lately and think you will, too.
I had a lot of loves this month:
The Uncool by Cameron Crowe is one of the best memoirs I have ever read/listened to! A natural storyteller with a pretty incredible life story to share. You likely already know about his teenage stint as a Rolling Stone reporter for a touring band as it was later adapted it into a screenplay (yes, speaking about Almost Famous). But that’s only scratching the surface. He has hundreds of encounters and experiences with some of the most famous people in the world from David Bowie to The Eagles, but he recounts them with humility and kindness. Could not recommend more!
Saie Dew Bronze Soft Focus Sculpting Liquid Bronzer is sooooo good. I saw a gal on TikTok use it and it blended so effortlessly I was sold on my second watch. It adds warmth and dimension without feeling like you’re wearing a full face of makeup. I also use it as an eyeshadow! My favorite makeup find from the last year.
Everything that Dylan from Uncynical writes is internet gold. I love his mind! I love his words! And giving a SWM (straight white male) an unrequited compliment online is not something I am doing frequently. He deserves it, ok! A lot of his posts are paywalled now (get that bag, babe). But he removed the setting on a couple so
poor peopleeveryone could enjoy them:The prebiotic sodas from Trader Joes are just as good as Poppi. I’m not going to say they’re better because I don’t have enough to go off of, but as someone who drinks a sparkly beverage at least once a day I give them a heavy stamp of approval.
Scallion rotisserie chicken in a bag. The perfect meal to cook for one. I’m so happy when my FYP gives me something that actually changes my life!
Yoga Space, Greenwich Village is my favorite workout studio in downtown Manhattan. I was introduced to it this summer by a friend who frequents their Greenpoint location, but I go to GV since it’s in my neighborhood. The studio itself it gorgeous, the teachers are cool, and there’s a great range of workouts: traditional yoga, mat pilates, sculpt, and stretching, to name a few.
xx Caylee
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I love everything you have to say. Also, many of my book club members are book bedazzling addicts!!
The bedazzling angle is brilliant as an actual coping mechanism. It forces your brain to focus on something tactile and low-stakes, which is way more effective than most self care advice that just feels like another obligation. I've been trying to balance activism with not completely burning out, and small joyful acts like this actualy work. Making your Aquaphor sparkly sounds ridiculous but that's exactly why it probably helps.