Tomorrow, I go in for #minimagpie’s c-section (!!!!!!!!!! — all the feelings!!!!!!) and, later today, my beloved mother flies in. Before she arrives, I’m getting myself a blowout just because it’s one of my favorite ways to feel pretty, and I’m nervous, and I wanted to do something luxurious for myself today. I’ve scheduled a BUNCH of amazing content for the next two weeks, so you’ll still be hearing from me, don’t ya worry, little ladies. I’ll also try to pop in with some good news soon.
Thank you, my lovely Magpies, for all of the support and encouragement!
I’ve talked many times about how much I hate blow-drying my hair (some thoughts on what I might do about that here — I’m contemplating everything from a keratin treatment to various blow-dry balms), and I recently remembered hearing about another potential solution: a silk pillowcase. This brand, Slip, is supposed to make the best out there ($79). Apparently, they help extend your blow-out and prevent frizz/breakage. (For something a little more affordable, DryBar also has a $45 silk pillowcase available, and this $16 style from Amazon got strong reviews.)
#Turbothot
The Wall Street Journal recently ran a piece on the demise of Nasty Gal, an online fashion retailer with which you may (or may not!) be familiar, and which was founded by the entrepreneur Sophia Amoruso (I read her memoir, #Girlboss, a few years ago, and thoroughly enjoyed it). I fully recognize that my reaction to this article is over-burdened by my own baggage around founding a business, but I found the thrust of the article frustrating and patronizing–especially the quip by some rando analyst about how “just because you’re a fashion designer doesn’t mean you know how to run a business” (or something along those lines). While the observation is empirically true, and it’s somewhat common knowledge at this point that founders do not typically make the best CEOs once a company has scaled (such a different skillset required!), something about the analysis rubbed me the wrong way. First, while it does seem (based on quotes/comments by employees that worked there, and my own reading-between-the-lines vis a vis the founder’s memoir) that the company suffered from a toxic culture–and, more often than not, organizational dysfunction stems from the top–it seems unfair and even ill-natured to entirely frame the failure of this business as the result of the ineptitude of its founder. Surely there were innumerable occasions for board members and investors (typically one and the same) to step in, advise changes, and, if needed, oust the founder. The latter is not abnormal in the start-up world; I’ve personally met with a handful of founders that have been through this experience. And surely there were other forces at play: changes in fashion trends, changes in customer preferences, changes in the e-commerce landscape over the last few years. Finally, the company was not that old, and it can be incredibly challenging to understand when changes need to be made from a leadership standpoint from within when you’re still in growth mode. (I have worked for three startups, and, believe me: things are blurry and fast-moving from within.) So, it’s reductive and even vindictive (?) to casually write off the bankruptcy of the business as the result of the inexperience of its founder. And I personally cringe at the thought of an analyst who has almost surely never built a business herself being afforded the opportunity to comment on this in a publication as reputable as the WSJ. Bad reporting.
Re-reading this to myself, my biases are clear as day: I’m obviously over-empathizing with the entrepreneur. HA! Hitting a little close to come, I suppose.
What do you think?
Also, for those of you approaching a c-section, one of my readers recommended this candid blog on all things pregnancy (thanks, X!), and I found her account of her c-section incredibly helpful and reassuring.
Congrats and all the best! Such an exciting time for you, hope you enjoy every minute of it 🙂
I did not find a silk pillowcase helped my #strugglelocks, but bedhead has never been a big issue for me. If my hair looks pretty good when I go to bed, it’s fine when I wake up; and the same is true if my hair is a hot mess when I go to sleep. But I’ll be interested to hear about your experience!
My brief thoughts on Sophia Amoruso: I didn’t read #Girlboss (I’m sure I will…eventually), so my opinions of her are really just sort of as an objective outsider…I feel like she created a successful business and then just at the moment it exploded, devoted all of her time and energy towards building her own cult of personality. So for me, her ineptitude wasn’t just that she didn’t have the right skills to run a business of this size, it’s that she was too focused on creating the superficial persona of a #girlboss while letting the business fall into disarray and that’s just embarrassing. I mean, the celebratory release of Nasty Galaxy and then just days later the bankruptcy filing…that’s just a bad look. She’s an entrepreneur, but the business for a long time has been Sophia, not NastyGal. And the stories about the employee culture there… Woof.
First of all, I laughed out loud at the phrase #strugglelocks — OMG! HA! — but good to know about your experience with the ol’ silk pillowcase. It’s so annoying how much info out there can be overhyped. I haven’t yet taken the plunge–I’m still thinking about getting the keratin treatment as a first attempt. We shall see.
Second, WOW – really appreciated your smart analysis of Amoruso and her business. I totally agree that she spent a lot of (too much of?) her energy on personal PR — I mean, the fact that she came out with a book when she did says something, right? There’s a part of me that wonders whether some of it was sophisticated marketing–i.e., she discovered that NastyGal customers were into the image of a rebellious, unconventional female founder (it does kind of jibe with the style of her clothing in a way), and she thought she could acquire new customers through a massively popular book. But then there’s a part of me that thinks it’s probably just good old-fashioned self-worship.
At any rate, thanks for pushing me to think a bit more about this!
FINALLY, thanks for the kind well-wishes. As I write this, she is laying next to me in her bassinet and I can’t even believe it. It’s the best.
A couple of things:
1) in the US, the husband doesn’t come in until after the spinal, etc and the surgery is well underway (generally speaking)
2) you may feel “like you can’t breathe”. Let your anesthesiologist know but– if you can move your fingers, this could be a normal variation (they may just sit you up).
3) “you may feel a little pressure” is code for A LOT OF PRESSURE (even with the perfect spinal!)
4) let them know early if you’re going to throw up! It happens.
Bunny! These were such great tips/notes. Though I’m just responding now, I read them before going in to deliver #minimagpie, and they gave me a lot of peace of mind/helped me set expectations. Seriously, THANK YOU!!!
So glad you’re finding it helpful. I have the OOSilk pillowcase and bought one for my husband. I haven’t had them long, but they’re pilling a little. I’m not sure what makes the Slip one special, maybe it’s a tiny bit thicker. I’m considering getting one if Sephora does their sale in April. The biggest thing I’ve noticed is they stay cool longer than cotton or bamboo.
Congrats and all the best! Such an exciting time for you, hope you enjoy every minute of it 🙂
I did not find a silk pillowcase helped my #strugglelocks, but bedhead has never been a big issue for me. If my hair looks pretty good when I go to bed, it’s fine when I wake up; and the same is true if my hair is a hot mess when I go to sleep. But I’ll be interested to hear about your experience!
My brief thoughts on Sophia Amoruso: I didn’t read #Girlboss (I’m sure I will…eventually), so my opinions of her are really just sort of as an objective outsider…I feel like she created a successful business and then just at the moment it exploded, devoted all of her time and energy towards building her own cult of personality. So for me, her ineptitude wasn’t just that she didn’t have the right skills to run a business of this size, it’s that she was too focused on creating the superficial persona of a #girlboss while letting the business fall into disarray and that’s just embarrassing. I mean, the celebratory release of Nasty Galaxy and then just days later the bankruptcy filing…that’s just a bad look. She’s an entrepreneur, but the business for a long time has been Sophia, not NastyGal. And the stories about the employee culture there… Woof.
First of all, I laughed out loud at the phrase #strugglelocks — OMG! HA! — but good to know about your experience with the ol’ silk pillowcase. It’s so annoying how much info out there can be overhyped. I haven’t yet taken the plunge–I’m still thinking about getting the keratin treatment as a first attempt. We shall see.
Second, WOW – really appreciated your smart analysis of Amoruso and her business. I totally agree that she spent a lot of (too much of?) her energy on personal PR — I mean, the fact that she came out with a book when she did says something, right? There’s a part of me that wonders whether some of it was sophisticated marketing–i.e., she discovered that NastyGal customers were into the image of a rebellious, unconventional female founder (it does kind of jibe with the style of her clothing in a way), and she thought she could acquire new customers through a massively popular book. But then there’s a part of me that thinks it’s probably just good old-fashioned self-worship.
At any rate, thanks for pushing me to think a bit more about this!
FINALLY, thanks for the kind well-wishes. As I write this, she is laying next to me in her bassinet and I can’t even believe it. It’s the best.
Good luck tomorrow! xx
Thanks MK!!! Your good wishes were so appreciated.
Congrats and can’t wait to hear more!
A couple of things:
1) in the US, the husband doesn’t come in until after the spinal, etc and the surgery is well underway (generally speaking)
2) you may feel “like you can’t breathe”. Let your anesthesiologist know but– if you can move your fingers, this could be a normal variation (they may just sit you up).
3) “you may feel a little pressure” is code for A LOT OF PRESSURE (even with the perfect spinal!)
4) let them know early if you’re going to throw up! It happens.
You will do great!!!
Bunny! These were such great tips/notes. Though I’m just responding now, I read them before going in to deliver #minimagpie, and they gave me a lot of peace of mind/helped me set expectations. Seriously, THANK YOU!!!
So glad you’re finding it helpful. I have the OOSilk pillowcase and bought one for my husband. I haven’t had them long, but they’re pilling a little. I’m not sure what makes the Slip one special, maybe it’s a tiny bit thicker. I’m considering getting one if Sephora does their sale in April. The biggest thing I’ve noticed is they stay cool longer than cotton or bamboo.
Oh and good luck!
Thanks, Xena! Good to know about those pillowcases! xx