Hey APW,
WELCOME BACK. Hi! It’s been ages, right? Hello, hello. We had lovely holidays over here, we now have a (very tiny) toddler, and it’s been a very intense week getting back to work. How are things with you?
We’ve been putting our behind the scenes bits and bobs over on Facebook, so join us over there too, and we’ll chat away together.
Welcome Monogamy Wine (& PromisQous)
And now, the exciting APW news for 2014. We’re thrilled to announce that longtime APW partner Monogamy & PromisQous Wine (remember their kickass summer concert series last year?) will be sponsoring our Happy Hours all year long. That means happy hours continue same as they ever were, and we have more money to pay the APW team (cue gratitude explosion, which looks much like a glitter explosion mixed with the sound of laughter).
First, what Monogamy Wine is. Monogamy (and PromisQous) are awesome (and kind of hilarious) wedding wines that you can pick up at just about any local retailer or supermarket. Monogamy is a single grape wine, PromisQous is, you guessed it, a blend. They are also a great company, who we love to work with. So cheers to 2014, and cheers to many a happy hour!
Second, what Monogamy is not. When we were creating the new happy hour graphic, Maddie kept leaving out the fact that Monogamy is wine, not, you know, happy hour’s new philosophy. That resulted in jokes like, “Happy Hour brought to you by: DON’T HAVE SEX WITH OTHER PEOPLE. Except when it’s sponsored by PromisQous. Then all bets are off.” Whoopsy. So, not that.
While We Were Gone
We have about a zillion links for you in the roundup, where we boiled down our favorite picks of the many awesome things that happened on the internet while we were out. But I want to take a particular moment to talk about THIS:
Oh yes, that’s right, J.Crew put out its first ever wedding jumpsuit. #Bridesinpants #Fuckyeah. There have been mixed reviews of this jumpsuit all over the web, but what I have to say is this: I kind of love it (minus the back bows, which are clearly a problem), and am sad to know it probably wouldn’t look good on me because my curves and jumpsuits never quite seem to mix. But mostly? I’m thrilled. I’m thrilled because retailers are listening to us, and getting it. I’m thrilled because I can near guarantee you that J.Crew did this as a bit of a publicity stunt, and it got loads of publicity (not to mention selling out their stock). Which means? More pants for us. If BHLDN doesn’t have pants in their next collection, I’ll eat my hat.
So.
What I’m saying this week is, if you didn’t think thoughtful capitalism could be a force of good in this world, think again. (And/ or, don’t have dinner with me, because I have zero shame about being a women-owned-and-women-staffed-business sort of capitalist, and am damn proud of it.)
Here is to 2014! And here is to a LOT of weekend reading, dig in. It’s your open thread, hop on it!
Cheers!
MEG
Highlights of APW This Week
Life is short. Wear the sequins.
We talked about what worked, and what didn’t, about your holidays.
Happy engagement! Freak out all you like.
Rachel’s super brave post is about the word “root.” What’s your word for 2014?
This brilliant essay from our regular commenter Lady Brett about not being sure about kids, and deciding to foster for her wife.
All I can say is DAMN, you guys brought it all to our budget discussion, and we love you for it.
Planning a wedding, and stuck in the middle of your divorced parents? This one is for you.
Time for a re-education about what bridesmaids are FOR anyway. (And a short defense of the pregnant bridesmaid.)
Looks like a floral centerpiece, but it’s not. It’s a fake! And it looks awesome in any season.
Link Roundup
Didn’t get what you want for Christmas? Well, how about building a fort of feminist pillows?
If you’re up for a long read, Rachel says this article on the role class and expectations of femininity played in the story of Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan is the best thing she’s read in ages.
In the stuff Meg really loved file, Rebecca Mead’s article on Jennifer Weiner, and her defense of women’s commercial lit. As someone who runs a commercial site for women #fuckyeah. (I would argue that the flaw in Mead’s conclusion is comparing women’s commercial lit to literature misses the point of gender double standards. Let’s compare the way women’s and men’s commercial lit is treated, and then we’re getting somewhere.)
That thing where your teenage feminist icon does something really embarrassing. While we were out, Ani DiFranco tried to hold her annual feminist songwriting retreat…at a plantation. In case you (like the rest of us) have no time for her pages long retort, here’s a hilarious summary. (I’m just mortified in this hole over here with sixteen-year-old Meg.)
Relive the forty-six most iconic LGBT moments of 2013.
Champagne: one of the first industries to break the gender barrier.
Fuck Your Stupid Wedding, a single serving Tumblr for those times when Pinterest makes you want to vomit.
Air Canada changed their transfer policies after #surnamegate went viral on Twitter. Score one for non-name changers.
Selfie Olympics. Thank you, internet.
“I have a dream: that people will view a picture like this and not think it’s a big deal.”
CVS is selling handcuffs and Plan-B as a part of their Valentine’s Day display. How open minded of them? (Just kidding, the photo was staged, but it’s still the best ever.)
The New York Times failed horribly at rocket scientist Yvonne Brill’s obituary. However, the resulting hashtag, #NYTwomensobits has quite a few gems.
We must not shut up about how women are treated on the internet. (But the APW staff really wants to have the conversation about how women treat other women online. Over here, men trolling is not our problem.) And to that point: LADIES! LET THE OTHER LADIES BE HAPPY.
“It’s not creepy to talk about what you want from your life, no matter how much other people want to make you believe that. Don’t ever design your life around the need NOT to be That Woman.”
The fascinating origins of almost every Jewish surname. (Except David’s. It’s rare. But he still loved the article.)
Raise your hand if you think Ladies Against Humanity should be the next official Cards Against Humanity expansion. Everyone? Good.
365 days of feminist selfies. Are you in? We’re all in for #selfies month in February.
Thumbnail image by Meg for APW
APW’s 2014 Happy Hour’s are sponsored by Monogamy Wine. Thank you Monogamy for helping make the APW mission possible! if you want to learn more about monogamy (and possibly win birthday treats), head over here and sign up for their newsletter.
