Leandra Medine's Blog, page 354

A Money Diary That is Accidentally Also a Food Diary

I’ve never been particularly terrible with finances, but I’ve never been great with them either. As a kid, I had a weekly allowance of $1 (later inflated to $5) for doing the dishes, cleaning up and generally being good. Every once in a while we would go to Target, where I would spend all my money on Swedish Fish and Bratz dolls. In high school, I discovered Starbucks Venti Double Chocolate Chip Frappuccinos and eBay, squandering most of my allowance on sugary drinks and obscure objects like stopwatches and beads. When my parents discovered this habit, they weren’t thrilled. Fortunately, they stepped in and helped me be better with money.

I’m still working on being in charge of my expenses. Since graduating from college a year ago and moving to New York in August, I’ve had no choice but to do the damn thing. I pay my rent and bills, clean my apartment, do my laundry and leave my room at least adequately organized. I’m basically Miss Independent a la Ne-Yo. It feels good.

Below, I’ve chronicled my past week’s expenses and, if my personal alarm bells are any indication, I see a phone call from my dad in the near future, recommending I start tracking my expenses in a spreadsheet. But alas, I did it for the people, for the fans…for Amelia, who asked me to. So I can take it.

Here we go:

I started the day by loading my Metrocard. I’ve been getting a weekly card instead of a monthly because I keep forgetting to sign up for a pre-tax card through work. Ugh.

I’ve committed to bringing my own breakfast because when I buy it every day, my money disappears. I prep a variety of fruits and vegetables in mason jars at night and keep them in the fridge at work. This convinces my coworkers that I’m healthy, but I eat out for lunch almost every day. It gives me an opportunity to get out of the office, stretch my legs and get fresh air. Today I walked to Bite for a sandwich and stopped at CVS for some Lays Mesquite BBQ chips. 

When I finished work, I ran over to Whole Foods. I went there specifically for a box of chocolate croissants, but they only had plain ones, which I bought reluctantly. I also bought cookies, squash (to feel healthy) and Italian soda because I was swayed by the cool bottle. I saved $.10 for bringing my own bags.

The J train is basically defunct after 9:45 pm, so I called a shared Lyft ride and headed over the bridge in silence with my two new friends.

Today my breakfast was pretty typical: croissant, sweet potato, watermelon. I was disappointed with the croissant and felt sad I’d have to eat the same kind for the next week. I’ll return to the mini chocolate croissants next time. For lunch, I impulse bought three pounds of cherries for $5 (fantastic) in Chinatown and then got some spicy noodles from Xi’an Famous Foods because I’m overcoming a cold and I thought it might help. (It did!)

After work, I stopped at my grocery store in Brooklyn to get more fruit and vegetables. For dinner, I made pasta with Alfredo sauce and sauteed onions, squash and chicken.

Today was a pretty uninspiring food day: same breakfast, same lunch spot and same dinner situation. My mom always used to say that when she was a kid in China, her dad would cook the same meal over and over again until they forced him to choose something different. I guess you could say that I’m just honoring tradition.

I eat at the same three spots in Chinatown over and over. I know this because I spend an irrational amount of time checking in on Swarm, the app that I use to document where I’ve been. Currently, three of my top five categories include: Asian restaurants, bubble tea shops and dumpling restaurants. I am truly living my best Asian American life.

For lunch, I ventured outside of my regular haunts, stopping in a bakery to get shumai and wonton noodle soup. So delicious and so reasonably priced. I knew I’d have to stay late at work to finish some projects, so I brought some chicken and pasta from home for dinner and felt like a bonafide adult.

By the time I got to the J subway platform, the booth attendant yelled at me that I just missed the last train. I grunted, shook my fist at the sky and called another shared Lyft ride.

I braved the rain and went to one of my favorite low-key lunch spots for some chicken fried rice, then popped next door to Kung Fu Tea to treat myself to an oolong tea with bubbles. I am addicted to bubble tea and have been trying to stop buying it for financial reasons. Unfortunately it’s watermelon slush season so I don’t see that happening soon.

It felt like a long week, so I deserved to treat myself. I leaned into my suburban childhood nostalgia and went to Outback Steakhouse. It’s an authentic Australian steakhouse…have you heard of it? Before I got there, I stopped at The Home Depot (I love Home Depot) for some supplies, then went to Outback and happily stuffed myself with a whole bread loaf, steak, shrimp and potatoes. High school me would be proud.

My friend and I met at the Union Square Greenmarket because I’m looking to get a cactus. It was raining and when I got to the market, there were no cacti, only loads of flowers. I ended up taking pictures of flowers (free), and purchasing a carrot-oatmeal cookie, which tasted way too healthy.

My friend had already eaten, so instead of going to Dig Inn for lunch, I got Wendy’s. Then we wandered around the park and into Sephora, where I purchased another glitter eyeshadow and an orange nail polish that semi-matches my hair.

After that, we went to a coffee shop where I bought a red/pink tea (good but mostly purchased so we could sit and draw and play Mancala). After a couple of hours, we got ramen. I love ramen. After dinner, we wanted dessert so we headed up to Ktown where I purchased not one, but two nutella taiyaki for myself. My friend got a bubble tea. Asian American living continues.

I wake up late and end up chatting with my parents while I do my laundry. The laundromat is right below my apartment and owned by my landlord, a very illusive man. It’s a very normal place, apart from the fact that it has its own Instagram. My dad asks me why I don’t pay for the laundromat to wash my clothes, but I think that doing it myself really solidifies the fact that I have my life together. Later, I ventured over to Bushwick to check out some thrift stores and bought a couple of skirts. I finished the day by sitting at home and tallying up my purchases for the week.

I feel like this number is supposed to make me feel guilty or ashamed, but I don’t want it to. While it may seem like a lot, these were all choices I made on things that made me happy or full or sustained. I live in Brooklyn in a relatively small room so that I can afford to eat out, go to different places or buy glitter eyeshadow. I definitely have work to do in regards to saving — and parsing necessity from desire — but, as of right now, I think I’m doing a pretty good job at being Miss Independent.

Now, I’ll just wait for my dad to call…

Photos by Edith Young, featuring Moleskine notebook and sketchbook.

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I’ve Limited My Wardrobe to 8 Pieces and It’s…Amazing

I do not care about my style looking concertedly “effortless” in the same way that I really do not care about the racket that is “no-makeup makeup.” The longer I’ve spent as a beauty writer doing horrifying and potentially dangerous things to my skin for a laugh (eyebrow microblading, Fillerinaing, cryotherapying like Yolanda Hadid), the more I’ve realized that that’s where the fun is. I love the idea of my clothes being the least stand out-y element of my physicality. My top knot can be a foot tall if it’s not competing with oversize ruffles or neon color; my dewy face can be dripping orange sweat like a Gatorade commercial if it isn’t in dialogue with, like, a bolo tie.

About a year ago, I became aware of a set of eight Eileen Fisher pieces called The System. The System is a modular wardrobe of highly elegant silhouettes that consists of four pant styles, two shells, a tank and a tank dress. (You know it’s elegant when it’s called a “pant” and not “pants.”) Uniform dressing was pretty hot about a year ago. And women my age — who love to complain about how tired they are — seem to be constantly fantasizing about dressing like an elder Diane Keaton in a Nancy Meyers movie. I’m never tired because I have a lot of free time, and my all-time-favorite Keaton look is when she wears like 35 costume pearl necklaces at once in Because I Said So, but still, I became obsessed with the idea of The System.

I want to make it clear here that I’m not chic. I’m not even well-dressed. But I was looking for a change. I’m usually wearing four too many layers, three too many neckerchiefs, two too many bras. I’m bogged down, and unsure of to whom clothes currently hitting fast-fashion stores are meant to appeal. Women actively proud of their clavicles who work in an office whose dress code necessitates the wearing of pinstripes?

The more I piled on, the more I realized I simply can’t be bothered to keep up. So I tagged out of the game entirely, focused my energies on moisturizing and rooted for everyone else still participating. Enter The System.

The System’s pricy, though (these pants, which are basically nothing on purpose, are $238, for example), so for a year I tried recreating it with Uniqlo to varying levels of accuracy and success. These $19.90 jersey cropped flare wide pants are essentially the same look, just as this $19.90 drape sleeveless blouse can stand in for the $178 Eileen Fisher boxy shell. But the material’s cheaper and I find that some Uniqlo pieces, particularly the brand’s tops, fit me strangely. For some reason, probably because I fetishize expensive things but have no idea how to make any money, I wanted the real thing.

I had a genius idea. What if I tried The System for Man Repeller? Luckily, my editor approved. Even more luckily, Eileen Fisher sent me the eight pieces. After a few touch-and-go moments (the large pants were a touch too large, and I feared that the medium would be a touch too medium), I got to the challenge. I love a self-imposed challenge. Within eight minutes, it stopped being a challenge.

For almost two months straight, I wore The System exclusively. (I guess this is also where I divulge I never washed anything because it’s dry-clean only and I simply can’t be bothered.) Most days, I didn’t even shake The System up. I wore the black Straight Cropped Pant and the black Boxy Shell at least three days a week, usually with my most matronly of Danskos or a pair of woven leather oxfords.

Nobody noticed, as was my plan. I wore The System to school, to my new part-time receptionist job that I am extremely bad at, to meetings and to the single time in that seven-week period that I went to “a bar” with “peers” instead of reading about Disney World secrets on internet forums alone in my bed for three hours at a time, which is my favorite hobby even though I’ve only been once in the last ten years. Guys, Walt’s cryogenically frozen body is not entombed there no matter what rumors you’ve heard!

I loved the look so much that I even considered buying all the pants in white, but decided against it as I have a bad history with period blood and salad dressing.

I’m going to anticipate your two questions here: 1) Did I ever feel a loss of personal identity? No, because I shook it up with varying controversial statement tote bags every couple days. My current favorite is an over-the-shoulder canvas tote from Flying Tiger that says MY ALL TIME FAVOURITE COLOUR IS DEFINITELY BLUE in red print. 2) Why am I endorsing The System when it functions the exact same as a knock-off version that retails at about ⅛ of the price? Because it’s not like Eileen Fisher holds a patent on “black pants” and “white shirt.”

I don’t have an answer to the last one, aside from the fact that sometimes, it’s nice to feel secretly sumptuous, even if nobody else knows. That there is the plain beauty of The System.

Graphic by Maria Jia Ling Pitt; iPhone photos by Claire Carusillo. 

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Net-a-Porter’s Big Sale is Here and I Picked Out All the Best Stuff

I haven’t had my usual cup of coffee yet today. I don’t think I’ll need one. I woke up this morning to an email announcing the inception of Net-a-Porter’s biannual sale and it was basically like receiving three shots of espresso intravenously through my eyeballs. I’ve been on an adrenaline high ever since.

This sale is approximately 200 pages filled with all the cool stuff you’ve already placed into your imaginary shopping cart over the past six months, except suddenly, it’s 50% off.

You have to move quickly, though — hence my adrenaline rush composed of equal parts excitement and panic. A Net-a-Porter sale is not a normal sale. The discounted items rarely languish. In fact, the best things sell out within minutes. Minutes!

No need to worry, however — I (selflessly) volunteered to wade through all 200 pages this morning so I could deliver a distilled edit of the MOST PRIME loot to your doorstep a.k.a laptop or phone or whatever newfangled device you’re using to read these words that I’m typing free of any caffeination beyond the very real energy spike of a mind-blowing sale. In other words, I did the stressful weeding-out for you so you can have your sale and drink your latte, too:

THE BEST TOPS ON SALE

Including this fantastic polka-dot number, which is very similar to the one featured in today’s foam roller story. It looks like something one of Rachel Green’s pre-Monica BFFs would wear to a luncheon and I am fully obsessed with it.

THE BEST BOTTOMS ON SALE

“Best bottoms” is one of the most fun categories I’ve ever had the pleasure of creating, because apparently I am a 12-year-old boy.

THE BEST DRESSES ON SALE

I’ve been ogling this fun Isa Arfen dress ever since I wore it in my track pants styling story. It’s so good and looks even better in person.

THE BEST SHOES ON SALE

These MR by Man Repeller Carrie Bradshaw shoes have been taunting me from my fantasy shopping cart since their launch, and now they’re half the price. Today is wonderful.

THE BEST ACCESSORIES ON SALE

Frost yourselves, ppl!!!

Photos by Edith Young and Krista Anna Lewis.

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Why It’s So Hard to Be an Indie Beauty Brand

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To finance her skincare line Tatcha, Victoria Tsai sold her car and engagement ring, and worked four jobs. Today, Tatcha is stocked in big U.S. retailers like Sephora and Barneys. Tsai was ranked No. 21 on Inc. Magazine‘s 2015 “Inc. 5000 List,” which features the fastest-growing private companies in America. In a beauty industry still dominated by celebrities and big guns like L’Oreal and Estee Lauder, Tsai’s startup story is unique.

Beauty startups face a competitive market worth $60 billion; skincare accounts for the biggest share. To launch, brands have to figure out what they want to formulate and why, and who their consumers are and how to reach them, often on very limited budgets.

Maryna Kracht launched Mahalo Skin Care in Hawaii three years ago. She knew early on that ingredients would be a huge expense. Mahalo products feature tamanu oil (which has anti-inflammatory properties and can promote cell growth), sea buckthorn oil and aloe vera. Kracht looks to appeal to customers seeking something luxurious and handcrafted. “I want people to feel that this is an artisanal product,” she says.

With a team of four employees, she develops her own formulas. She works with local suppliers in Hawaii, uses organic ingredients and produces her own hydrosols, or distillates, such as rose water.

“I did have savings, but not a lot,” Kracht says. “More than anything, I had to be extremely strategic with every single dollar.” That meant lots of time researching ingredients before spending money on developing anything.

Startups like Mahalo, Tatcha and Zelens buck the trend when it comes to typical beauty product development. “Usually you have brands say, ‘I went to a lab and we worked on this.’ They pick out a formula, change it slightly and put it out there. That’s how most skincare is made,” Tsai says.

Zelens was founded by Marko Lens, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon and skin-cancer expert. “I am the one who spends hours in the lab working on your formulations and experimenting,” Lens says. “My first step is to carefully select ingredients I want to use, look at their safety and efficacy data and then start to incorporate them in the base I formulated.”

Given the up-front expenses, self-funded startups find that money, or lack thereof, is a primary challenge.

“I started Zelens initially with only three products, and without any investment in marketing and PR. I had to invest almost $500,000 USD for the research and development of these three products and a launch in limited number of stores in the UK,” Lens says.

It’d be strange to write a story about indie beauty and not mention Glossier. Founder Emily Weiss managed to secure more than $10 million to launch the brand, a spin-off of her beauty blog Into the Gloss. She raised another $24 million recently for expansion.

By contrast, SkinOwl, which Annie Tevelin launched with two products, took off very slowly. “I started with a logo because that’s what I could afford,” she says. “Then a landing page. If I had the money, I’d spent it on SkinOwl. If I didn’t, we’d be at a standstill.”

Fresh from a layoff, Tevelin was on unemployment and had to use credit cards to support her fledgling business. “It was so scary to put expenses on a credit card for a business that you didn’t even know what going to survive,” she says. Her financial constraints ended up being a blessing in disguise, because they helped her pace the growth of her business.

Tsai, meanwhile, launched Tatcha in 2009 with just a single product (her blotting papers, called Original Aburatorigami Beauty Papers), while hiring scientists and starting product development for a skincare launch that came about two years later. The genesis of the idea came from Tsai’s travels.

After visiting Europe and Asia for work, Tsai ended up in Japan, where she was introduced to geishas. “They had beautiful skin,” she says. “I asked them what they were using.” That question led her to a book of Japanese beauty rituals from the 1800s, which formed the basis of the Tatcha line.

With the help of scientists in Japan, Tsai began developing and testing formulations with ingredients like silk proteins, green tea, rice bran, camellia oil and gold flakes. “The very first round of production came from selling my engagement ring. After that, it took about six months to raise funds for all the other aspects of starting a company,” Tsai says.

Tatcha employs a team of five in Japan and another three in San Francisco who work on formulations, testing and product development. The scientists work with her brand exclusively, and she sources ingredients almost entirely from Japan.

Kracht never resorted to formulating her products for Mahalo in her kitchen, as some natural skincare brands claim to. “I am a stickler for everything being sanitized and making sure we’re up to standards. I had a separate kitchen away from the house where I created a little lab of sorts,” she says.

Good to know, as the cosmetics industry is wildly unregulated. Cosmetic products and ingredients do not require FDA approval before they go to market. There are two laws, the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (FPLA), which regulate cosmetics and labeling, but the FDA leaves it up to companies and individuals to ensure the safety of their products. Consumers, in other words, have to trust that companies will set and follow high standards of safety and quality.

Kracht’s face is the first thing you see on the Mahalo website. She still handmakes her formulas and writes thank-you notes to her customers. “I encounter challenges every day,” she says. “In the very beginning, you’re wearing a hundred different hats. I did everything. It was figuring out the direction of the business.”

To market her brand, the first thing Tsai did was hire a PR agency. She then gathered a list of beauty editors, sent them samples of her blotting papers and waited to hear feedback. “I was on the Today Show a couple weeks from there,” she says.

Tatcha’s success came shortly after, when Takashimaya, the now-shuttered New York City flagship of the Japanese department store, became the first to carry the brand. In late 2015, Sephora became a Tatcha retailer.

Since its launch, Mahalo has gone from production in a small lab in Kracht’s home to a 1,200-square-foot facility with a walk-in fridge. SkinOwl has been growing every year since it launched. “SkinOwl felt like immediate success because we filled a void,” Tevelin says. ‘It’s not easy, it weeds people out very quickly.”

Despite (or maybe because of) what it takes to launch beauty brands, Kracht says it’s startups that are shaking up the industry. “These small beauty brands, mostly women-run, are trying to go up against the Goliaths of the space, but we are doing it with a backbone of five people versus 500.”

Says Tevelin, “There’s a lot more care [taken] in these smaller startup brands, which is why people feel good about spending their money with them.”

Illustrations by Maria Jia Ling Pitt. 

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The Making of ‘Crazy Rich Asians,’ the Movie

Clockwise from top left: Gemma Chan, Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Nora Lum (Awkwafina), Chris Pang, Michelle Yeoh, Ronny Chieng, Sonoya Mizuno

Kevin Kwan’s wildly popular novel, Crazy Rich Asians, is poised to be Hollywood’s newest big-budget book-turned-movie franchise — one that will uniquely spotlight Asian culture. Tess Paras is an actress (CW’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) as well as a writer and activist who often uses comedy as a means to dissect stereotypical representations of Asian Americans in the media. In light of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and the release of Kevin’s newest novel, Rich People Problems, we connected Kevin and Tess to talk shop and discuss the crucial role creators play in shifting society away from a predominantly white, mainstream narrative. They jumped at the chance — be a fly on the wall of their conversation below.

Tess: So, tell me about how Crazy Rich Asians was adapted from a novel into a film. It’s so cinematic to me, the storytelling is so visually rich. Did you envision it being a movie while you were writing it?

Kevin: I really didn’t. I didn’t even think it would ever be published. It was just a labor of love that I was doing for myself, and maybe for some friends to read for their amusement. The fact that it’s come to this point is kind of surreal.

Tess: Who approached you to do the movie? How did that work?

Kevin: It began even before the novel came out. I guess there’s a pipeline between the top publishers and Hollywood. Hollywood agents get briefs of books that are coming out that they think are going to be big. There was advance buzz about it. Studios were already knocking on the door, wanting to have talks and meetings and stuff like that. It all heated up all before the book was released.

Tess: What was important to you about finding a match for the project? Were there certain tenets where you were like, “They have to have this?” How did you know who you wanted to work with?

Kevin: I had one very simple ask, which was I wanted to be involved in not just the adaptation, but also the creation of this film. I went out to LA and had a few days where it was like a beauty contest, where all these producers came and met with me and basically pitched their hearts out–

Tess: It’s so funny that you call it a “beauty contest,” because to me it feels like dating.

Kevin: Yeah! It was like speed dating. It was incredible to be in a room with these great producers who were interested. I’ve been involved every step of the way in every important creative decision. I had a vote.

We’re filming now. I’m working directly with (director) Jon M. Chu and the team on the ground — from the production designer to the costume designers — and am also in dialogue with the actors who have been coming to me for character notes and stuff like that.

Tess: Sometimes I feel like American consumers of film don’t get that there’s a whole other world out there with a different worldview. That Asian American isn’t the same thing as Asian. This story is not just going to be that stereotypical Asian representation, how Asians have been portrayed in Hollywood films as we know it.

Kevin: Completely different, yeah. That’s exactly why I began writing the book, because I wanted to introduce the West to the concept of the real Asia and contemporary Asia, where people are empowered and their lives don’t revolve around the West at all.

Tess: The word that everyone is throwing around is “diversity.” In diversity of film and diversity of cultures, it’s not just having a token Asian in your movie who plays the sidekick/martial artist/femme fatale. There is diversity within Asian culture: East Asians, South Asians, Pacific Islanders. It’s not a monolith. In Crazy Rich Asians, you have characters and stories referring to mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia, and you delve into where Filipinos are in the whole system of socioeconomic class as well. I can’t wait for folks to see it. I have high hopes that people will realize, “Hey, there’s more than just one type of Asian. There’s diversity within Asian-ness.”

Photo of Kevin Kwan by Stephen Gutierrez.

Kevin: I’m in dialogue with a lot of readers and they — especially the ones in the West — have been blown away by what they’ve read. Not really even about the grandeur and the money and this and that, but the nuances. It’s so new to them. I think it speaks to our education system here in the US and how it’s so myopic and US-focused. When people think of Asia, they think of China, basically. They think China is all of Asia. Actually, a few days ago I was talking to someone, a highly intelligent, educated adult American and I said, “We’re filming in Malaysia now.” This person was like, “How close is that to China?” They thought it was part of China. I literally took out my phone and showed it on the map. I was like, “It’s nowhere close to China. There are five countries on top of Malaysia before you even get to China.”

When Crazy Rich Asians first came out as a book, I would do all these book clubs. So I would be doing book clubs in suburban Texas for rooms of 30 women — white, American, Texan women — and at that time, there was a rumor that there was a producer that was interested in acquiring the film rights, but they wanted to change Rachel [one of the main characters] to an American girl.

Every time I mentioned it to a book club, the women would just scream. They would be irate. They would go, “Oh my God, that’s missing the point completely and why do people in Hollywood just think that all we want to do is see white people on screen? We love this book because it’s about Asia. It’s about Asian characters.” They get it and they love it and they’re hungry for it. They want more of that.

Tess: You’re in a great position, because of the success of the book, to be able to fight for the authenticity of the story. I wonder, why is that not happening now? It upsets me. There are so many conversations that have to take place in the production and development of a film. Why is it that we see these whitewashing controversies happening? Why aren’t people having the harder conversations?

Kevin: I can only speak from my experience and my experience has been one of receptivity, of top producers like Nina Jacobson being committed and loving what we’re trying to do, of Warner Bros. getting behind this movie and being incredibly conscious. They’re so worried about every single actor in this movie. They call me and they’re like, “Will people be upset? Will people be offended if they’re Filipino, or they’re Eurasian?” They care. That’s been my experience with Warner Bros., that they’re trying to get this right.

Tess: That’s great. I wonder why it’s not more like that—

Kevin: It’s the obsession with the bottom line, a big box office. It’s more than just an Asian issue. The Asian issue is a big one, I’m not nullifying that, but independent movies or movies with real stories aren’t being made these days. Everything is a franchise movie. Everything is a Marvel movie. You know what I mean?

When you tell me, “Having someone of a different color can’t open a movie” — that just infuriates me. That we have to use the same 10 actors in every film. That infuriates me.

Tess: There are a couple things converging here. I think what you’re saying is right. We are neglecting our indie film community and neglecting those making authentic, original stories.

Everyone’s always talking about how this generation doesn’t have their Joy Luck Club. I feel like this will be our generation’s Joy Luck Club. I’m sure comparisons have been made.

Kevin: To actually say that is interesting. It’s the first all-Asian cast since The Joy Luck Club. It’s been 26 years since Hollywood did something like this. It’s actually the first mainstream Hollywood movie ever that’s a romantic comedy with two Asian leads or an all-Asian cast, you know?

Tess: As a Filipino actress, I’ve had a couple of “firsts.” They told me that my arc on Grimm on NBC was the first Filipino American storyline on primetime television. I was like, “I made a first!” And now I’m part of the first Filipino family on American network television on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. It’s amazing to be pioneers, but at the same time, it’s a long time coming and we need more.

Kevin: As we began brainstorming, as we began talking about actors, [the studio was] very conscious of wanting to be as ethnically appropriate as possible. They’ve become educated and much more conscious. They were especially concerned because my movie has so many ethnic groups speaking with different accents, in different languages and in different dialect groups.

They wanted to be as faithful as possible to my book and to the characters. We found out as we began casting that there really aren’t enough English-speaking Asian actors out there. This isn’t specific to the movie, but for example, it’s tough to find an English-speaking Chinese actor of Hokkien descent.

Tess: Right.

Book jacket art courtesy of Doubleday/Vintage.

Kevin: We had to make a lot of adjustments. Finding actors between the ages of 25 and 35 for the roles was challenging. We realized it’s because there really is a lack of Asian actors [in the West] of that age. I would say that it’s a cultural issue in America. If you are a good-looking, young Asian American that’s going places, you’re at Harvard Business School or you’re becoming a doctor or a lawyer or you’re working for Google.

Tess: I come from a family of doctors, my parents are both doctors, and I don’t think that they came over here from the Philippines in the ‘70s to be like, “You know what? I hope our daughter goes to NYU and becomes an actress.” That was not the point.

Kevin: Right. There was a bigger pool of actresses from the US, from Australia, from England, from Canada for all the female roles. For the males, we were like, “Oh shit!” We really thought there would be so many more. We had to start thinking outside the box and go, “Okay so you know what? Maybe he’s Korean. Maybe he’s Filipino.” We had to open that up, which was also kind of a revelation for me personally.

Tess: The cast is so cool. You’ve got so many of our favorite Asian American actors, but you’re also bringing in folks that are popular in other markets—

Kevin: Chris Pang, who’s from Australia, Ronny Chieng and Remy Hii, who was on Marco Polo. We’ve managed to create a dream cast. The minute we were able to let go of the fantasy of being completely culturally, ethnically accurate, we could really embrace the diversity of talent that’s out there within the entire Asian actor community.

Tess: I think you can do that when it’s a work of fiction, but at the same time I hear stuff about this other movie coming out where you’re doing revisionist history if you cast a white actor. It’s a different thing. That’s a different conversation.

Kevin: That’s a totally different conversation, yeah.

Tess: That’s why I think the process must be nuanced and case-by-case and specific to the needs of the work and specific to the artistic vision.

Kevin: We had so many hopes that some of the top talent from Asia would be in the film. As we began meeting a lot of these people, though, we just realized that, “You know what? They’re never going to be able to master an American accent. They’re never going to be able to master an Australian-English accent,” because they’ve had no need to. They’ve had amazingly successful careers in Hong Kong, in Thailand, in China, in Korea. They’ve had no need for the Western market.

That speaks to the difference between how talent is nurtured over there as opposed to here. It is a cultural issue.

There are actors and [other] people saying to me on social media, “Make sure Nick takes his shirt off in the film. Make sure Michael has lots of shirtless scenes.” It’s interesting how readers and a lot of Asian Americans want to see the Asian male sexualized, not neutered [as typical] in Western media. That’s a whole other conversation altogether.

Tess: That’s a historical thing that goes back to when Chinese and Filipino farm workers emigrated to the states and white male farmers felt threatened. During the Watsonville Riots in Central California, they killed Filipinos for courting their women and then created a narrative emasculating the Asian American male in order to discourage white women from hooking up with them. That’s something that is not taught in school. They never teach you about the desexualized Asian American male nor the hyper-sexualized Asian American woman.

Kevin: They really don’t.

Tess: That’s why representation matters.

Kevin: I really hope that this movie performs to expectations. It’s so important. It’s become kind of a touchstone for the hopes and dreams for a lot of people, especially creative people. And not only Asian Americans, but people from all over Asia. They want this movie to work because they want to see the floodgates open for more projects that are inclusive, that are diverse, that showcase these different worlds and these different people in a really meaningful way.

[Director] Jon M. Chu wants to inspire the next generation of filmmakers and young actors who are of Asian descent, who can say, “I don’t just have to be a doctor or a lawyer or go get my computer science degree. I’m going to be an actor. I’m going to be a director. I’m going to be a writer.” That’s my hope because unfortunately, we live in a world where success is quantified by money and box office. We do have something to prove — that there’s an audience for this, a hunger for this. It’s my hope that the people who have been so passionate and so behind the books will come in full force to support it.

Book jacket art courtesy of Doubleday/Vintage.

In the US, 80 percent of my readers are Caucasian. It’s still a small percentage that are Asian American. I hope everyone comes out in the way that they would see Four Weddings and a Funeral or Notting Hill or any other romantic comedy. This is just a fun romantic comedy that so happens to have a lot of damn hot Asians in it.

There’s been a tremendous cultural seed change that has happened in the past two years, with the Hollywood whitewashing and things like that and people like you and Constance Wu becoming so vocal and such advocates.

To me, it’s like the Asian American comedians found their voice and they’re not afraid to speak up anymore. I hope it continues and I hope it gets louder and louder and louder.

Tess: Like you said, [we have to keep] creating the stories because there are people voraciously demanding it. There is money out there and people have to see that, “Hey my dollar, as a Filipino American woman, as an Asian American Pacific Islander, is just as green as anybody else’s.”

Kevin: Beyond the dollar, it’s the creativity and the story and the stuff that transcends. Your performances can inspire people. Somewhere out there is a young Filipino girl in the suburbs of Houston or somewhere–

Tess: I get those messages on Facebook and Twitter and my email! Any time that I do, it reminds me that I was lucky that I had Tia Carrere growing up because of Wayne’s World, to have a Hawaiian, Chinese Filipino woman playing a Chinese American. I was like, “Yes. Sign me up. I’ll take it. She sings, she rocks, that’s who I’m going to look up to.” Now, we’ve just got to keep being that for everyone.

Collage by Maria Jia Ling Pitt; photos via Getty Images. Photo of Kevin Kwan by Stephen Gutierrez. Book jacket art courtesy of Doubleday/Vintage. To read the book before the movie, click here for Crazy Rich Asians, here for the China Rich Girlfriend, the sequel, and here for the series’ third book, Rich People Problems.

The post The Making of ‘Crazy Rich Asians,’ the Movie appeared first on Man Repeller.

Erica Williams Simon, Host of ‘The Call,’ Shares Her Life Story

This season on The Call, we’ve produced 10 episodes. 10 weeks. 10 women. 10 amazing stories.

I thought it was time that I finally shared mine.

As I’ve been listening each week to powerful women discuss their journeys, I’ve simultaneously spent a lot of time thinking about my own. I’ve been working on this podcast while also writing my first book, hitting a bookstore near you in spring 2018 (thanks Simon & Schuster!) It’s about understanding the stories and cultural narratives that shape us and hold us back from creating the life and world that we so desperately want to create.

In this week’s deeply personal interview, I’ll finally get around to telling you about who I am and what it has been like to be a young black women on a journey towards self-determination, freedom and social impact.

I’ll talk about how a childhood grounded in religion and shaped by sudden, major loss ultimately led me to a find my own calling. From sitting in meetings at the White House, protesting on Capitol Hill and chatting it up with Bill Maher on HBO to working at the fastest-growing digital media company in U.S. history to having no money and making fake business cards to where I am today — it’s been quite the ride.

I’m sharing it with you for two reasons and two reasons only: 1. If I tell you who I am, maybe we can be friends. (Is that desperate? I legit always want more friends…) and more importantly 2. Because I want you to be inspired by the proof that every single twist and turn we take on this wild and precious life — especially the unexpected ones — can push you right towards where you’re ultimately supposed to be.

You just have to pay attention.

Collage by Maria Jia Ling Pitt. 

The post Erica Williams Simon, Host of ‘The Call,’ Shares Her Life Story appeared first on Man Repeller.

We Volunteered as Tribute: 3 Dramatic Hair Makeovers

In honor of the launch of the new (but same old) Manrepeller.com, we’ll be debuting makeovers all week. First up was yesterday’s makeover-that-wasn’t-a-makeover with Stacy London. Today, hair is on the menu (but please don’t eat it). We’ve also got home, life and style makeovers coming in hot, so if you’re into before-and-afters, do stick around. And if you’re not, please see me after class. We need to talk. Happy makeover week!

Considering it’s mostly made of dead cells and protein deposits, hair has a surprisingly vice-like grip over our physical identities. Such influence would be intimidating, I’m pretty sure, if it wasn’t also quite comforting. Maybe anything with so much power is a little bit of both. I think that’s why big hair transformations — inconsequential as they may seem — are so scary. They feel life-changing, and maybe even are.

For that reason, as we were approaching makeover week at Man Repeller, we thought it remiss to not do something with hair. It’s hard to think of something better poised to make us over, at least externally. Lucky for us, Suite Caroline, a sunny dreamboat of a salon nestled in Soho and brimming with talented hair whisperers, was game to give three of us any hair makeovers we could dream up. Cue anxiety, but the excited kind.

Two weeks and a lot of deliberation later, Maria, Patty and I exited the Man Repeller office into the winking sun and walked west on Spring Street. We were uncharacteristically quiet, our previous claims of “not being nervous at all” unraveling quickly. It was only an eight minute walk and yet each of us managed to second-guess our decision at least once before it was over. By the time we arrived though, we were back to repeating our practiced, palliative assurances: It would be fine! It’s just hair! Who even cares!

And so into Suite Caroline we went and five hours later — with the help of Tiffani Patchett, Malcolm Cuthbert, Cara Craig and Lena Ott — we emerged anew. Read on to hear about what happened in-between and, because we’re Man Repeller, how all of it made us FEEL.

Haley, Junior Editor

Cut by Tiffani Patchett, color by Malcolm Cuthbert

What was your hair like before and what did you get done?

My hair was dirty blond with grown-out highlights, thick, messy-wavy, parted on the side and cut into an uneven extra-long lob. I liked the sloppy, unkempt thing I had going, but I wanted to chop off some weight, go champagne-y pink and get BANGS. All of which happened exactly as imagined, thanks to Tiffani and Malcolm, whom I now trust completely.

What made you want to make the change?

I’ve been really curious about getting bangs because, due to my hair being so thick, I’m often dealing with getting it out of my face or parting it in a way that makes it look less imposing. I thought bangs might better frame my face, help get my hair out of my face (counter-intuitively) and relieve me of the constant need to mess with it. Also, I love how having bangs makes ponytails and buns look more intentional.

The length was also dragging me down. I kept dreaming of a pink, bang-y bob for summer, even if I couldn’t totally picture it on me. I was conceptually convinced.

How did you feel before? During? After?

On the way over I was having major bang doubts. No one seemed very confident in my choice. It was like I was having to convince people it was a good idea, which felt backwards. My constitutions weakened the more I had to be the sole champion of the idea. The second she did the first bang snip, though, I could tell I loved it. I don’t have very strong facial features — they’re all a little forgettable individually, which is fine — but bangs make them look like they fit together a little more. They’re a face-frame. I remember thinking, I’m keeping bangs forever, about five seconds after I saw them. I hesitated for a second on the color while in the salon — was pink hair super over? — but decided to just go for it since I’d thought about it a lot. And then I was so glad I did. After it was all done I felt so DIFFERENT! (Even if I didn’t look it.) I walked out of there on a cloud.

(My hair post-cut was still a bit wet and not fully settled, you can see the cut a week later here!)

Did having new hair change anything for you? Your attitude, your feelings, the way you dressed, the way you felt you were perceived?

I think having a more intentional-feeling hairstyle has made me see my closet and appearance with new eyes. I’d been going through a little bit of a rut with my closet and had been wearing the same plain, neutral stuff over and over. Suddenly, I wanted to wear more color, new shapes, something fun. It felt cheesy almost. I think people noticed that newfound spirit more than the hair itself. Also, I was right about bangs making my hair easier. I don’t have to tuck it behind my ears or change the part around to shift the weight. It just hangs where I want it, and when I put it up, it feels like a LOOK. I’m so glad I did it! Also, I love Suite Caroline and am now sending everyone I know.

Bangs4ever.

Maria, Visual Assistant

Color by Cara Craig, cut by Tiffani Patchett

What was your hair like before and what did you get done?

I started out with a dark brown bob and wispy bangs and ended with electric-red hair, vampire-red roots and blunt bangs. Cara bleached my entire head to get this color!

What made you want to make the change?

I was scrolling through Instagram one day when this image popped up and I was like, “AHHH!!!!!!” I couldn’t stop thinking about it. But having been golden blonde, platinum blonde, magenta-haired, lavender-haired and ombre’d within the past two years, I thought maybe I should give my scalp (and wallet) a break. Then this opportunity came around and it was all over. I briefly wondered if I could pull off such a crazy orange/red color, but the doubts soon gave way to certainty: I had to do it. As for getting my wispy bangs cut into blunt bangs, that was because the wispy ones made me feel like a toddler. They had to go.

How did you feel before? During? After?

I love experimenting with color and believe hair is wonderful way to express myself and challenge views on identity, race and culture. I was super excited. One thing I pretty quickly regretted, though, was my decision to wash my hair the night before. When I got to the salon and my hair colorist said we’d have to bleach everything, I realized I’d made a big mistake. Bleach hurts more on clean hair, I know from experience. At one point, I got up and started wandering around to keep my mind off of the fire on my scalp, and then sat down and put my head between my legs, desperate for relief. It was bad. I quietly considered shaving my head. The Suite Caroline team was wonderful and got me cold water and snacks, which helped. When Cara said it was time to wash my hair, she was my guardian angel.

The rest was a breeze. Cara dyed my hair in the sink and when I got up and looked, I was blown away. It was AMAZING! Cara is a magical hair genius. The last step was a bang cut from Tiffani. I felt like a million bucks. I love my hair and the way it turned out.

Did having new hair change anything for you? Your attitude, your feelings, the way you dressed, the way you felt you were perceived?

When I was in college, I had long hair that had never been touched because that was the standard of beauty. And as a mixed race Chinese English American, I was concerned with the notion of looking “too Asian.” So I stayed away from red hair dye, short hair, bangs and even wearing my hair in a bun. But then I took a class called “Black Hair Politics” which changed my perspective on the economic, social and political implications of self-expression through hair. It opened my eyes and, when I finally started messing with my hair, I feel like I gained a lot of freedom. I no longer worry about the notion of looking “too Asian,” because the reality is that I am Asian and that is not something to be ashamed of. I’m constantly asked about my ethnicity, race or where I “come from.” It’s a reality of being a person of color and a person of Other. But since having this red hair, I’ve noticed that’s let up a lot. I think because it took away one of the physical indicators of my Asianness. It’s been so interesting.

Also, my style is an amalgamation of art critic/child/eccentric world-traveled grandma, and this hair color has helped me underline that. It feels so deliberate yet nonsensical choice, which I love.

Patty, Head of Revenue

Color by Lena Ott, cut by Tiffani Patchett

What was your hair like before and what did you get done?

My hair was medium-length, wavy and dark brown with some grays. Not a stitch of dye save for a lone bleached streak behind my left ear that I’ve lovingly colored green for two years.

I went RED and got a blunt lob.

What made you want to make the change?

I decided to go red after the earnest urgings of Haley and Shari, who did not peer pressure me! Really, that was it. And maybe Mercury being in retrograde…

How did you feel before? During? After?

The red suggestion piqued my curiosity because it was something I had never considered before. And, at the end of the day, my natural color is so dark that I can always dye it back, right? When the do-or-dye (sorry) day arrived, I was pretty anxious and did a poor job of pretending to have my shit together. Luckily I had time to gather myself because the whole process took about six hours — the cut, one lightening process, one coloring process and two rounds of highlights. My hair got a LOT of love from Lena and the whole Suite Caroline team.

Immediately after, I felt like I was undercover or something. It was fun and weird. I texted my friend Tal more selfies than any other human being would tolerate and told her I was pretty much an edgy Nicole Kidman now. By day two, I had come down from the “I’m in disguise”/”fringe Nicole Kidman” high and felt surprisingly calm and refreshed.

Did having new hair change anything for you? Your attitude, your feelings, the way you dressed, the way you felt you were perceived?

I think with my red hair and blunt cut I feel more exposed, like I’ve shed a security blanket that I always assumed I would carry around forever. Now that I’m not, I’m having fun exploring the new space that release creates. I rearranged all of the art in my apartment. I’m wearing lip color and loving it (with darker hair it always looked so Snow White). I’ve been spending more time in the morning getting dressed because I want to, and I have been leaning into more structured outfits that make me feel strong and feminine (basically just things that I have to actually steam before wearing them). How am I perceived? I don’t really know. Probably as the constant make-a-change-and-then-grow-into-it, work-in-progress that I am. Or as Nicole Kidman.

Special thanks to Suite Caroline.

Photos by Edith Young.

The post We Volunteered as Tribute: 3 Dramatic Hair Makeovers appeared first on Man Repeller.

Here For the Right Reasons: The Bachelorette Season 13 Premiere Recap

Ladies and gentleman of the jury, the facts are these:

Fact: I am 100% here for Rachel Lindsay. Prior to the premiere, she revealed that, spoiler alert, she is “very much engaged” to a guy from the season. I’m so excited for her, though I admit it’s a bit anticlimactic. It’s like Trump tweeting “I am very much impeached.” But whatever, suspense is so 2016.

Fact: I am 100% here for The Bachelorette. It’s totally unrealistic, sadistic, not woke in the least and totally addictive. Do I get nervous at the rose ceremony? Every time.

Fact: I am super psyched, to use a reality show staple phrase, “to go on this journey of a lifetime” with you.

Here’s what’s in my pockets:

I believe in love. Like Nora Ephron love, Fitz and Olivia making jam love, Wall-E roaming the universe love.
I believe in reality TV love. I mean, do people actually fall in love on television? Probably not. But I’ll buy it anyway. Sometimes you want a real Coach bag and sometimes you want to buy a cheap knockoff that fell off a truck. Sometimes I am a trash panda.
I’m not about using race as a gimmick. Rachel is the first black Bachelorette and the producers have made much ballyhoo about it. Personally, I think it’s too little too late, but I can’t change that. I can’t change anything, actually, because I’m sitting here on my bed drinking prosecco, but I will yell at the TV if they start to treat her race as a problem she needs to deal with.
I think most of these dudes are going to be sociopaths.

Opening Statement

When we meet Rachel, a lawyer, she has to pretend to be doing law stuff in some sort of Judge Joe Brown community theater set and it’s hilarious. It looks like a commercial for someone who “collects no fee unless we win.” I want more for her. Later, Josiah, a prosecutor, will have to give a fake closing argument in front of a jury box filled with Central Casting extras. Why is this show like this?

I was LIVING for the scene where they brought back other women from last season’s Bachelor. You know, the women who are not Rachel Lindsay? All of these women who didn’t end up being the Bachelorette are SO HAPPY for Rachel and SO HAPPY to be back at the ranch even though it’s SO WEIRD and they are DEFINITELY NOT seething with envy or DAY DRUNK AND FURIOUS.

Evidence

Jack Stone has the whitest teeth I’ve ever seen. He’s a lawyer in Dallas who likes to wander through planned communities soulfully.

Mohit loves his family and does Bollywood dance and I’m immediately smitten. He also knows how to wear the hell out of a blue suit. Unfortunately, he gets unreasonably drunk and starts stumbling around like a sophomore at last call. I have a secret theory that the ones who get accidentally drunk on these shows are actually the nice ones. Maybe it’s because I am still an RA feeling too much compassion for nerds who don’t understand how Long Island iced teas work. But there’s a certain guilelessness to getting schwasted on the first night. Just me?

Lucas is a disaster and I cannot believe I have to talk about him. His montage is weird mix of “Things The Miz Would Do” and “Jokes an 11-Year-Old Would Tell You.” It’s highly disturbing. He has a… catchphrase? That is basically him screaming “Whaboom” for no real reason. He’s a mess. He tried it.

Blake E.’s body is RIGHT but he’s a sex maniac. He immediately tells us how high his testosterone is, how great his penis is and how much he had sex in his last relationship. He also mentions that sex isn’t the only thing he’s interested in. “You have to spend the other 23 and a half hours of a day with someone,” he says, indicating that sex with Blake E. takes a half hour. So pencil that in or whatever. Also, he brings an entire marching band to make his first (actually second) impression, which is definitely not compensating for the size of any of his appendages or anything.

Josiah makes a “reasonable doubt” pun and says “see you later litigator,” so I’m both giddy and miserable.

Bryan is swarthy and selling his Colombianness hard. He’s also 37-years-old (though he could easily pass for 27) and ready to LOCK IT DOWN. He literally attacks her face in a one of those kisses, which sounds like a scene from Alien: Covenant. This earns him the first impression rose. They seal it with a kiss and Mohit, who is drinking water (thankfully) and watching, screams like a kid who walked in on his parents having sex.

Dean told Rachel “I want to go black and never go back.” And who doesn’t want to be reminded that a person sees you solely as a racial experience that they can tour at their leisure? I think he doesn’t mean any harm, but I think we’re past the point where that’s okay. Agree/disagree?

Sociopaths:

Jonathan, 31, who tickles her. TICKLES HER. Call Homeland Security.
Alex. Just trust me. Read his interview questions on the ABC site. His three worst traits are that he’s “Selfish, unemotional, unapologetic.” He once ate a live salamander. He’s a MONSTER. In his video package, he’s seen working out and also reading a book and also solving a Rubik’s Cube, all of which are things Patrick Bateman would do. Also, he brings a vacuum of some sort because he’s on the “clean-up crew.” Also, he is a sociopath. Trust me.
Adam, who brings “Adam Jr.” a creepy doll who looks like Mike Myers with a Richard Spencer haircut. The producers, after a lot of party drugs, set AJ up with his own confessional (IN FRENCH) and a plotline. Honey, this show is already off the rails.
Lucas. OBVIOUSLY. But Rachel is surprisingly game for Lucas’ shenanigans. She actually seems to humor him. Enjoy him? What am I missing?

Verdicts

First of all, I’m not totally convinced that the experience of walking into a room with 27 semi-drunk dudes who are trying to get your attention is actually pleasant.

Also, can you imagine the awkwardness of having to hug every dude you turn down goodbye one-by-one?

Secondly, there is something about Rachel that is so grounded and yet so completely sells the wild, unreasonable hope of this whole endeavor.

Lastly, the only reason to keep Lucas around is to set up more tense-jawed conflicts with Blake E. Lucas is a perfect foil for the tightly wound sex maniac.

Deserved Their Roses: Peter, Will, Jack, Jamey (hot but unexceptional), Iggy, Eric, DeMario, Kenny, Dean, Matt, Anthony (hot but unexceptional), Brady, Josiah, Diggy, Fred, Adam, Blake E.

Should Not Have Gotten Roses: Jonathan (NOPE), Bryce (he gave transphobic answers in his interview and his head is shaped like a square and it’s disturbing), Alex (I’m telling you, he’s dangerous), Lee, Lucas (Wha-BOY BYE)

Should Have Gotten Roses But Didn’t: Grant, Kyle (he brought her baked goods and he is a tasty snack himself)

Who I’m Rooting For: Kenny, Bryan, Fred

Let’s deliberate in the comments!

Photographs by Paul Hebert via Disney ABC Press. 

The post Here For the Right Reasons: The Bachelorette Season 13 Premiere Recap appeared first on Man Repeller.

How to Use a Foam Roller and Look Chic as Fuq

Foam rolling — where you place a cylindrical block of foam on a hard, flat surface and then rub various body parts against it to loosen tight muscles — is huge among denizens of the fitness community. But here’s the thing: foam rolling (or self-mayofascial release, say it out loud) is also an effective and affordable way to achieve a deep-tissue massage. Which most people — evangelists of sitting and eating as opposed to boxing and cycling — can appreciate.

But how do you foam roll? What do you foam roll? And can you do it while dressed in ready-to-wear? With the expert advisement of Ariel Foxman, a trainer with S10 who is really good at rolling out his calves; our friend Svetlana, a model from Russia; and lots of clothes both from my closet and not, I have set out to answer the hardest-hitting question of them all with a resounding yes.

1. Rolling Out Your Back in Prada

[image error]Prada pants and shirt

Place the foam roller on the floor, lay against it and begin shimmying from side to side as if trying to dance while horizontal. This technique is particularly effective for people who spend the majority of their day hunched over desks. It helps with blood circulation and to relieve that insufferable tightness that makes your shoulders crack. (Just me?)

2. Roll Out Your Hips & Glutes in Rosie Assoulin

Rosie Assoulin dress, Only Hearts jumpsuit

For this exercise, you’ll want to sit on your sit bones (not the official term for this body part, but let’s go with it) first with your right ankle over the left knee to expose your left glute. Roll back and forth, back and forth, like a baby being rocked inside her carriage. You should do this 10 to 15 times on one side and then switch the crossing of your legs and hit up the right glute. When you get up, you’ll feel like Gumby.

3. Roll Out Your Quads in Maryam Nassir Zadeh

[image error]Maryam Nassir Zadeh bodysuit, The Vampire’s Wife skirt, Safsafu earrings

This pose is the most compromising, but also the most satisfying. You’re going to lay the foam roll horizontally and then attack it, stomach down, like it is your bedroom partner. Then, bend your right knee and make sure the roller is attacking your left quad (basically the front of your thigh). If it feels like your leg is being burned from inside out, congratulations! You’re doing it right. Now repeat on the other side pls.

4. Roll Out Your Inner Thigh in Jacquemus

Jacquemus top via Farfetch.com, Nike leggings

Now you’re going to put on a polka-dot top, tell everyone Sharon Stone wore it once and then pair it with red leggings because you’re the real Carrie Bradshaw and your inner thighs need to loosen up, dammit. The construction of this pose is not very different from exhibit three, but the onus is on you to move the roller from under the straight leg, placing it neatly beneath the one that is bent. Now sway from groin to knee and cry, sway and cry.

5. Roll Out Your Calf Because Heels 

Céline top, Dolce & Gabbana skirt

Which of the following shoes do you think Svetlana wore with this outfit?

Trick question! She wore none of them, but I wore these, and let me tell you: When I was done (walking five blocks to work, then from the bathroom to my desk at least six times over the course of the day), my calves were so tight that I may as well have hung Going Out of Business signs on them. I didn’t do that because how do you wear a sign on your legs and also, even if I could figure that out, I couldn’t find any signs that were small enough, but never mind all of that because I just did backside push ups and got all the tension up and out of them calves.

Success.

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Modeled by Svetlana Mukhina of Silent Models NY, follow her on Instagram @svetlanamukhina. Foam rolling instruction by Ariel Foxie, follow him on Instagram @_arielfox. Photos and GIFs by Edith Young.

The post How to Use a Foam Roller and Look Chic as Fuq appeared first on Man Repeller.

Is the Jenna Lyons Aesthetic Infiltrating Cannes?

Jenna Lyons didn’t make it to Cannes, but her black-tie aesthetic did. Or at least that’s what popped into my head while I consumed six “Best Of” red-carpet roundups in succession. Sure, there have been plenty of standard-fare princess gowns with ubiquitous sweetheart necklines, but, among the typical red-carpet garb, numerous acts of black-tie rebellion are afoot — which just so happens to be the aforementioned Ms. Lyons’ calling card. Has her legendary penchant for challenging red-carpet norms with fully fun additions à la denim jackets, cargo vests, puffy ballet skirts and button-down shirts finally trickled upward to the ranks of Hollywood’s elite? Let’s break down the evidence.

Susan Sarandon en #cannes2017