Racked: All Posts by Leslie PriceThe National Shopping, Stores, and Retail Scene Bloghttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52809/32x32.0..png2015-08-03T11:56:05-04:00https://www.racked.com/authors/leslie-price/rss2015-08-03T11:56:05-04:002015-08-03T11:56:05-04:00What a (Robot) Girl Wants
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<p>In the future, there will be robots. Hell, forget about the “future” because robots are all around us. They’re <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2014/6/18/5820282/12-things-that-turned-amazon-into-a-superpower">processing your Amazon orders</a>, <a href="%E2%80%9Dhttp://www.theverge.com/2015/3/26/8294855/telepresence-robots-double-robotics-remote-skype-office%E2%80%9D">helping you telecommute to the office</a>, and even <a href="%E2%80%9Dhttp://www.theverge.com/2015/7/31/9076221/robot-chef-moley-robotics-crab-bisque%E2%80%9D">making crab bisque in your kitchen</a> (well, maybe not <i>your</i> kitchen). Robots are already integrated into our daily routines.</p> <p>Anxiety about robots — specifically, robots so close in design to humans that it might be hard to differentiate flesh from metal — has reached a fever pitch in Hollywood with the introduction of not one, but two humanoid species on both the big and small screens. In both AMC’s excellent new series <i>Humans</i> and this spring’s thought-provoking film <i>Ex Machina</i>, robots bring gender performance, alongside issues of identity and consent, to the foreground. Both the show and the movie feature beautiful feminine robot protagonists and place men in the role of their god-like creators.</p>
<p>In <i>Humans</i>, society has added a new working class: "synths," or synthetics. These human-like androids are everywhere, distinguished only by their bright green eyes and impossibly smooth movements. They take tickets at the train station, pick up litter, harvest fruit and vegetables, and play the role of maid, housekeeper, and nurse. Synths make human life easier and more comfortable, but their presence is discomfiting.</p>
<p>The series, set in London in an alternate present, opens with a dramatic shot—a warehouse full of synths clad in underwear, stripped of identity through both their nudity and their sheer number. The camera pans over them from behind, not revealing faces, until it settles on one synth, who from the outset is clearly unlike the others. While they stand around her, motionless, she raises her head to stare at a light on the ceiling. We see her face. She’s one of many, but she has agency.</p>
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<p><q class="pullquote">Synths make human life easier, but their presence is discomfiting.</q></p>
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<p>This synth (Anita, played by Gemma Chan) is immediately contrasted with the very human Laura Hawkins (Katherine Parkinson). Laura is a lawyer, and her demanding career results in a lot of time away from her family. Her husband, Joe (Tom Goodman-Hill), is left to take care of the couple’s three kids. Joe, unhappy to be cast in the role of caretaker, decides to purchase a synth to do the housework and take care of the children, though he knows this is against Laura’s wishes.</p>
<p>At a slick, Apple-like Synth store, the sentient synth from the show’s opening sequence is delivered to Joe and his youngest child, Sophie (Pixie Davies), in a human-sized garment bag. She’s flawless, with high cheekbones, wide eyes, glossy hair, and a slim frame clad in a simple blue tunic top and trousers.</p>
<p>Laura returns home, and is understandably upset that Joe has gone against her wishes. Joe responds by making Laura feel guilty about her time away from the family — a hint of chauvinism to come.</p>
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<p class="caption"><i>Ex Machina</i>'s Ava. Photo: A24</p>
<p><i>Ex Machina</i> treads similar territory, though in a much more narrow and contained setting and with only a three major players. Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson), a wan, bookish programmer at Bluebook (Google, essentially), wins a work contest. The prize is time alone with the company’s CEO, Nathan (Oscar Isaac), a wildly rich eccentric. Caleb is flown via helicopter over a stunning and vast expanse of trees and mountains, and dropped off in the middle of a field to find his way to Nathan’s isolated high-tech lair.</p>
<p>Caleb’s prize is to administer a Turing Test to Nathan’s creation, a beautiful humanoid named Ava (Alicia Vikander). (If you are unfamiliar with the Turing Test, watch <i>The Imitation Game</i>, for which Benedict Cumberbatch, playing Alan Turing, was nominated for Best Actor). Ava is caged in a glass box, with security cameras streaming her every move to monitors in Caleb and Nathan’s rooms. Unlike the synths, which are equipped with "<a href="%E2%80%9Dhttp://io9.com/why-asimovs-three-laws-of-robotics-cant-protect-us-1553665410%E2%80%9C">Asimov Blocks</a>" to prevent them from harming humanity, she’s under lock and key.</p>
<div class="float-left hang-left"><q class="pullquote">Is this a cautionary tale, or are we watching the emancipation of Ava?</q></div>
<p>Beauty and wardrobe play an important part in humanizing the synths and Ava. Ava connects with Caleb by dressing up for him, hiding her robotic bits in stockings, a dress, and a cropped wig. At the end of the film, she’s pictured wearing a fitted white dress with a peplum waist, heels, and a long-haired wig. In lady drag, she successfully escapes the compound and enters the outside world.</p>
<p>In a flashback sequence in the first episode, viewers see Anita dressed in casual clothing — skinny jeans, hiking boots, a sweater, a jacket, and a backpack slung over her shoulders — as she hikes through the forest with a group of sentient synths. It’s a glimpse of the "true," more human Anita — the Anita with feelings. Costume changes reflect actual changes in her programming: She’s stylish when she’s conscious, but as a standard self-unaware synth, she wears an unremarkable uniform. It's also a choice Anita's making, as it would be easier for her to "pass" as a non-aware robot in her blue tunic. (In this world, uniforms exist to help synths fade into the background as quiet slave labor.) This season’s most explosive twist, the reveal that detective Pete Drummend’s (Neil Maskell) partner Karen Voss (Ruth Bradley) is secretly a synth, is surprising because Karen’s costuming is so good. She looks like a perfectly normal middle-aged woman dressed in slightly frumpy business casual.</p>
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<p class="caption">Niska, a synth in <i>Humans</i>. Photo: AMC</p>
<p>As viewers eventually learn, Ava is not the first AI Nathan has created. In one sickening sequence, Caleb explores Nathan’s bedroom while he’s passed-out drunk. Inside, he finds cabinets full of abandoned android women, strung up like oversize dolls, all shapely, all naked, some damaged and missing limbs. Kyoko (Sonoya Mizuno), first introduced to viewers and Caleb as Nathan’s silent servant, is revealed to also be a robot — one Nathan uses both as a housekeeper and as a sex slave.</p>
<p>On <i>Humans</i>, robots are also used for sex work. Of course they are, you say, because this is a parallel world where men are still running the show (literally, also — the showrunners are both male, as is the series’s original author). Niska (Emily Berrington) is a sister synth to Anita in that they were both gifted consciousness by the same creator. To hide her true identity as a sentient synth, she is confined to a brothel filled with other female robots (this storyline only becomes more depressing when viewers learn of Niska’s past). Niska refuses to turn off her "pain" sensors, trying to endure the abuse until she finally snaps and kills a patron.</p>
<div class="float-right hang-right"><q class="pullquote">Gender is a construct and in this world, it’s constructed by men.</q></div>
<p>That’s disturbing enough, but in a later episode, poor old emasculated family man Joe, who has been eying up Anita since he purchased her, decides to initiate her "Adult" mode after a few glasses of wine. Because we understand that Anita possesses true consciousness, what follows can only be described as rape, the camera lingering on Anita’s expressionless face.</p>
<p><i>Ex Machina</i> director Alex Garland, when asked about how Ava, <a href="%E2%80%9Dhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/13/ex-machina-review_n_7052284.html%E2%80%9C">described</a> her not as female but as "female presenting." Gender is a construct and in this world, as in <i>Humans</i>, it’s constructed by men. Niska, like Anita, looks like a freaking supermodel. Meanwhile, viewers are also introduced to a "Vera model" synth issued by a healthcare company to care for the elderly; by her looks and behavior, she’s basically Nurse Ratched. Race adds another level of complexity: Is it a coincidence that in both the film and the show, the role of "docile house servant" is played by an Asian woman?</p>
<p>Ava’s escape at the end of <i>Ex Machina</i> and the rape scene in <i>Humans</i> act as emotional Rorschach tests. If you, like Joe, think Anita is essentially a "sex toy," you might just be a misogynist. If you despair at Caleb being outsmarted by the android he was trying to "save," and being locked up and left to die, you might want to rewatch the film and try to see it from Ava’s eyes. Is this a cautionary tale, or are we watching the emancipation of Ava?</p>
<p>Or perhaps <i>Humans</i> and <i>Ex Machina</i> are simply a way for men to work through their discomfort-slash-longing for <a href="%E2%80%9Dhttp://www.all-story.com/issues.cgi?action=show_story&story_id=519%E2%80%9D">sex robots</a>. Shit, you can imagine them thinking. What if I created an incredibly beautiful sex robot to fulfill my every whim, including cooking for me and taking care of my children, and she developed feelings? She might not <i>actually</i> want to have sex with me, in fact, she might kill me. Hm, this robot thing is going to be pretty complicated.</p>
<p>When non-humans act human, it throws things like gender performance and roles into starker relief. In each, clothes are used to disguise and to self-identify; no matter the outfit, it says something about the character and what she wants. What she wants might not be to please you. No wonder everyone's so uncomfortable.</p>
https://www.racked.com/2015/8/3/9088211/humans-ex-machina-sex-robotsLeslie Price2015-07-21T13:37:51-04:002015-07-21T13:37:51-04:00Now Hiring: Racked Seeks Essays and Op-Ed Editor, News Editor, and Fashion Assistant
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<p class="c-entry-disclaimer"><i>Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods">The Goods by Vox</a>. You can also see what we’re up to by <a href="https://vox.com/goods-newsletter">signing up here</a>.</i></p>
<p>There are so many exciting things happening at Racked right now, and we're looking for a few more staffers to help make the magic happen. Specifically, we're hiring an Essays and Op-Ed Editor; a News Editor, and a Fashion Assistant. Interested? Read below for more information and how to apply.</p>
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<h3><span>Essays and Op-Ed Editor</span></h3>
<p>Racked is looking for an editor who will conceptualize, assign, and edit personal essays and op-eds. The ideal candidate is an experienced editor with a stable of talented freelancers who is equally comfortable editing for tone and editing for argument. This position requires a broad knowledge of the industries Racked covers—fashion, retail, beauty, wellness—and a deep understanding of the kinds of debates they engender.</p>
<p><a style="line-height: 1.24;" href="https://boards.greenhouse.io/voxmedia/jobs/80495?gh_jid=80495#.Va5-XipVikp">See the full job listing and how to apply.</a></p>
<h3><span>News Editor</span></h3>
<p>Racked is looking for a full-time news editor to oversee our national news desk. The ideal candidate is an excellent and quick writer/editor with a proven track record of breaking news. This person will own and build out Racked's news program. We are looking for someone who can not only manage a news schedule, but who can also react quickly to breaking news.</p>
<p><a style="line-height: 1.24;" href="https://boards.greenhouse.io/voxmedia/jobs/80495?gh_jid=80495#.Va5-XipVikp"></a></p>
<p><a href="https://boards.greenhouse.io/voxmedia/jobs/44560?gh_jid=44560#.Va54nbc7RSc%20">See the full job listing and how to apply.</a></p>
<h3><span>Fashion Assistant</span></h3>
<p>Racked is looking for a full-time fashion assistant. The right candidate is organized, with strong attention to detail, and a deep knowledge of and love for fashion. You are also a quick, clean writer; savvy when it comes to content that works well on the web; visually-inclined; and have a sense of humor. This is an entry-level job that will involve supporting, pitching, writing, and executing content for our Fashion and Shopping pages.</p>
<p><a href="https://boards.greenhouse.io/voxmedia/jobs/80679?gh_jid=80679#.Va5-jypVikp">See the full job listing and how to apply.</a></p>
https://www.racked.com/2015/7/21/9009947/now-hiringLeslie Price2015-07-08T13:34:22-04:002015-07-08T13:34:22-04:00Welcome Rajni Jacques, Racked's New Fashion Editor at Large
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<p class="c-entry-disclaimer"><i>Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods">The Goods by Vox</a>. You can also see what we’re up to by <a href="https://vox.com/goods-newsletter">signing up here</a>.</i></p>
<p>Allow us to introduce Rajni Jacques, Racked's first fashion editor at large. If you've been following fashion for a while, you probably know her name: she was fashion accessories editor at <i>Vibe</i>, fashion features/news director at <i>Nylon</i>, and fashion news editor at <i>Glamour</i>. She also did a stint running public relations at Christian Louboutin, so she knows a thing or two about beautiful shoes.</p>
<p>In this new position, Rajni will oversee all of Racked's fashion, market, and style coverage, working in collaboration with our shopping and style editor Nicola Fumo, our photographer Driely S., and our editorial designer Brittany Holloway-Brown on incredible, beautiful, and really fun fashion editorials and stories.</p>
<p>Needless to say, we are extremely excited to have her. Please join me in welcoming Rajni to the site!</p>
https://www.racked.com/2015/7/8/8907387/rajni-jacquesLeslie Price2015-06-01T09:36:32-04:002015-06-01T09:36:32-04:00Welcome to Racked's Fifth Annual Weddings Week!
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<p class="c-entry-disclaimer"><i>Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods">The Goods by Vox</a>. You can also see what we’re up to by <a href="https://vox.com/goods-newsletter">signing up here</a>.</i></p>
<p>It's time to pass the hor d'oeuvres and pop some champagne, for today we are ushering in Weddings Week, a Racked tradition five years running.</p>
<p>Weddings Week is a time to indulge in all things matrimonial, from the silly to the serious, the frou-frou to the nitty-gritty. This time around, we're bringing you a deep dive into the big business of David's Bridal, the true cost of a DIY wedding, the best new engagement ring designers, and much much more. Stay tuned, and share your own stories with us in the comments.</p>
https://www.racked.com/2015/6/1/8697173/welcome-to-rackeds-fifth-annual-weddings-weekLeslie Price2015-05-29T10:00:02-04:002015-05-29T10:00:02-04:00We're Hiring! Racked Seeks An Engagement Editor
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<p class="c-entry-disclaimer"><i>Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods">The Goods by Vox</a>. You can also see what we’re up to by <a href="https://vox.com/goods-newsletter">signing up here</a>.</i></p>
<p>Racked is on the hunt for a full-time Engagement Editor to run our social team. Is it you? The right person is a strategy-driven Google Analytics whiz who excels at brand-building across platforms. This person will work with senior-level editors with the goal of driving engagement, audience growth, and retention; shape network-wide content for different audiences on all of our various social platforms; supervise a social team; and oversee social strategy across all Racked sites.</p>
<p>We are looking for someone who has a proven track record leveraging data to inform audience development strategies and tactics. This job is based in New York City, and you'll be working from our offices. Pay and benefits package are competitive.</p>
<p>· <a href="https://boards.greenhouse.io/voxmedia/jobs/65549?gh_jid=65549#.VWhixOc7RSc">Full job listing and how to apply</a></p>
https://www.racked.com/2015/5/29/8680465/were-hiring-racked-seeks-an-engagement-editorLeslie Price2015-03-19T17:24:32-04:002015-03-19T17:24:32-04:00Marc by Marc Jacobs to Be Discontinued
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<p class="c-entry-disclaimer"><i>Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods">The Goods by Vox</a>. You can also see what we’re up to by <a href="https://vox.com/goods-newsletter">signing up here</a>.</i></p>
<p><a href="http://wwd.com/fashion-news/designer-luxury/hear-marc-by-marc-jacobs-folding-into-jacobs-line-10099553/">Reports are in</a> that Marc by Marc Jacobs, Marc Jacobs's diffusion line that relaunched to lots of fanfare <a href="http://www.racked.com/2014/2/10/7619447/marc-by-marc-jacobs-new-look-inspired-by-power-rangers">last year</a>, will be discontinued as a stand-alone label. Marc by Marc will be folded into an expanded Marc Jacobs, to "encompass a range of merchandise and price points" which will "unify all products with a clarity of voice and aesthetic, and ultimately, to expand the product offerings."</p>
<p>What this means for Marc by Marc's high-profile design team, Katie Hillier and Luella Bartley, is unclear.</p>
https://www.racked.com/2015/3/19/8260155/marc-by-marc-jacobs-to-be-discontinuedLeslie Price2015-03-12T13:04:40-04:002015-03-12T13:04:40-04:00Eating My Way Through a Week of Beyoncé's Vegan Meal Delivery Service
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<p class="c-entry-disclaimer"><i>Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods">The Goods by Vox</a>. You can also see what we’re up to by <a href="https://vox.com/goods-newsletter">signing up here</a>.</i></p>
<p>Last month, Beyoncé announced that she was releasing a vegan meal delivery service. I signed up immediately. Unlike her close friend Gwyneth Paltrow, Beyoncé isn’t exactly known for her diet and fitness regimen—or for making her wellness gurus into celebrities in their own right. Beyoncé’s brand is Beyoncé, not Tracy Anderson or Goop or cookbooks.</p> <p>She has admitted that she isn’t "someone who can go crazy," that she usually has "cereal for breakfast and a salad for lunch and a light dinner," and that on Sundays "allows" herself to have "whatever I want," usually "pizza." From her hospitality rider, it’s clear that she <a href="http://styleblazer.com/190443/beyonce-hospitality-rider-actually-pretty-normal/">enjoys smoothies</a>. But she’s never gotten more specific than that.</p>
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<p><q class="pullquote">The program appealed to the part of me that wishes Soylent wasn’t so gross, because it sounds so convenient.</q></p>
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<p><span>The rare exception came when, in 2013, Beyoncé and husband Jay Z decided to </span><a style="line-height: 1.44; background-color: #ffffff;" href="http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20762485,00.html">go vegan</a><span> for 22 days for Jay’s 44th birthday. Why 22 days? Because, according to Marco Borges, the couple’s personal trainer, "It takes 21 days to make or break a habit and on the 22nd day you've found the way." Borges since founded his own company, 22 Days Nutrition, selling things like Goji Mate Firecracker energy bars and chocolate plant-based protein powder. He’s Beyonc</span><span><span>é</span>’s partner in the vegan meal plan.</span></p>
<p>The program appealed to the part of me that wishes Soylent wasn’t so gross, because it sounds so convenient. It also played right into my celebrity obsession, which in no particular order includes the Olsen twins’ skincare choices, Scott Disick’s <a style="line-height: 1.44; background-color: #ffffff;" href="http://www.racked.com/2015/1/2/7562751/scott-disick-wikipedia">cloudy past</a><span>, the seeming ease at which Kourtney Kardashian births babies, everything Rosie Huntington-Whiteley wears, and the holistic practioners Gwyneth frequents. Other celebrities share these sort of details, Beyoncé doesn’t. This seemed like a rare move for her, and I was curious to see how it was executed. <br></span><span></span></p>
<p><span>22 Days’ plan seemed too good to be true. The meals, delivered fresh once a week, are organic; low in fat, salt and sugar; gluten-free; soy-free; and entirely vegan. There are no preservatives or unpronounceables on the labels. Three plans are offered: one meal per day (lunch or dinner), two meals per day (lunch and dinner), or the whole vegan enchilada (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). 22 Days delivers anywhere within the United States; your week of meals is timed to always arrive on a Friday before 5pm.</span></p>
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<p class="caption">Photo: Alex Ulreich</p>
<p><span>And the pricing is great. For a seven days at two meals per day, 22 Days was charging $161 (plus shipping). Competitors in the space such as </span><a style="line-height: 1.44; background-color: #ffffff;" href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1514733&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sakaralife.com%2F&referrer=racked.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.racked.com%2F2015%2F3%2F12%2F8199439%2Fbeyonce-22-days-review" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Sakara Life</a><span> charge $285 for </span><i style="line-height: 1.44;">five</i><span> days of organic lunch and dinner meal delivery. "Farm to table" meal delivery program </span><a style="line-height: 1.44; background-color: #ffffff;" href="http://paleta.com/">Paleta</a><span> costs around $266 for lunch and dinner for a full week (with each meal priced a la carte at $19). 22 Days seemed like a bargain in comparison. </span></p>
<p><span>That the meals arrive all at once, and not multiple times per week, explains some of the savings. My week came in an oversize cardboard box straight from Chino Hills, California. Within, meals were nestled in a recyclable plastic cooler between reusable ice packs. I had 14 meals to plow through; 22 Days also threw in a bonus Pineapple Chocolate Chip Wonder bar. Each meal was packaged in a BPA-free, microwavable plastic tray (also recyclable), but 22 Days encourages clients to take the food out of the container and heat on the stove, or in an oven.</span></p>
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<p><q class="pullquote">This kind of eating does not come as a shock to me. </q></p>
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<p>The first 22 Days meal I enjoyed was Sicilian Sun Dried Tomato and Cauliflower pasta. Just like Nonna used to make back in the homeland. It didn’t look like too much in the plastic container, but after dutifully scraping it into an oven-safe pan to heat for about 20 minutes, I devoured it. If you are the type to police ingredient lists, you’ll be pleased to know that this one was carefully considered and free of all the cheap culinary crutches commonly used to boost taste and cut cost. My Sicilian pasta was comprised of brown rice pasta, tomato paste, cauliflower, kale, zucchini, eggplant, sundried tomatoes, oregano, thyme, granulated garlic, onion, parsley, paprika, sweet basil, nutritional yeast, garlic, sea salt, and black pepper—all organic. It was quite delicious.</p>
<p>This kind of eating does not come as a shock to me. This is not one of those, "I can’t believe I survived it" stories. I sit squarely in the bullseye of 22 Days’ target audience, having spent years (on and off) vegan, and having done real time on a Gwyneth-approved <a style="line-height: 1.44; background-color: #ffffff;" href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1514733&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cleanprogram.com%2F&referrer=racked.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.racked.com%2F2015%2F3%2F12%2F8199439%2Fbeyonce-22-days-review" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">elimination diet</a><span>. 22 Days’ meals didn’t feel like deprivation to me, but as someone with a healthy appetite, I found it took approximately one-and-a-half Beyonc</span><span><span><span>é</span></span> meals to fully sate me. Twice, I ate two in a row and both times, it was a mistake.</span></p>
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<p class="caption">Photo: Alex Ulreich</p>
<p>If you have trouble with legumes, you might want to steer clear of this program. Many meals leaned heavily on lentils or beans; none were lacking in fiber. Each had a distinctly "scratch-made" feel to it—not, of course, by Guy Fieri’s <a style="line-height: 1.44; background-color: #ffffff;" href="http://www.guyfieri.com/tvshows/ddd/ddd13/ep-5-scratch-made-classics/">definition</a><span>. These were meals that you’d construct on a Sunday, in a huge vat, and then parcel out during the week. That is, if you had the time and energy, if you weren’t trying to power through life as a boss lady trying to "run this motha." <br><br>Because oil and salt are scant, 22 Days thoughtfully contributes savoriness through things like ginger, coconut aminos, paprika, turmeric, cumin, and nutritional yeast. That I added salt to almost every dish, like a real cheater, has less to do with the quality of the flavor profiles and more to do with my own daily overuse.</span></p>
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<p><q class="pullquote">I felt actual sadness when I unwrapped the last two offerings, Cozy Winter Squash Quinoa and Trios Mec Mushroom Lentils. </q></p>
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<p>The food didn’t come with much instruction, aside from basic heating information. A welcome letter included with the delivery explained that you can "create the combination that works best for you." There was also a little pamphlet with an illustrated "vegan challenge workout" that consists of cardio, squats, burpees, push-ups, reverse dips, planks, and side planks.</p>
<p><span>I had timed my meal week to a particularly stressful period at work. We were </span><a style="line-height: 1.44; background-color: #ffffff;" href="http://www.racked.com/2015/2/10/8009513/racked-relaunch">relaunching our website</a><span>, and I knew I would have less time than usual to devote to foraging for lunch in midtown Manhattan. Some people might choose a program like 22 Days for weight loss, or for "cleansing," but I found it was mostly an amazing convenience. I genuinely enjoyed my meals—so much so that I felt actual sadness when I unwrapped the last two offerings, Cozy Winter Squash Quinoa and Trios Mec Mushroom Lentils.</span></p>
<p><span>"Beyoncé wouldn’t attach her name to anything sub-par," my husband weighed in as he sampled my lentils. I have to agree. For someone as controlling of her image as she is, I don’t imagine she would sign off on just </span><i style="line-height: 1.44;">any</i><span> meal delivery service. (Insert "Flawless" joke here.) <br></span></p>
<p><span>Beyoncé, like all humans, is aging. She probably doesn’t want to tour forever. And while she’s already made plenty of money, I assume she’s considering back-up revenue streams to eventually replace performing. In other words, while 22 Days is convenient for us, the consumers, it's also presumably convenient for her, too. If this is indeed the first step in her development of a Goop-like lifestyle empire, I’m on board. Until then, I’ll humbly accept this offering of quinoa, vegetables, lentils, and rice pasta.</span></p>
https://www.racked.com/2015/3/12/8199439/beyonce-22-days-reviewLeslie Price2015-03-10T10:11:56-04:002015-03-10T10:11:56-04:00Two Grown-Ass Women Take on the Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge
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<p class="c-entry-disclaimer"><i>Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods">The Goods by Vox</a>. You can also see what we’re up to by <a href="https://vox.com/goods-newsletter">signing up here</a>.</i></p>
<p>For a few years, Kylie Jenner, youngest daughter of Kris and Bruce Jenner, flew under the radar. But thanks to the power of social media, she is invisible no more. Kylie has her own hair extensions line, and has become famous for carefully-orchestrated photos showcasing her suddenly pouty, oversize lips, attributed to wizardly makeup application rather than needles.</p>
<p>Can two less-skilled women capture this look? If a crop top falls in the woods, and no one Instagrams it, does it make a sound? The answer to both of those questions is "no." Enjoy our second-to-last episode of 'Try Hards,' and tune in next Tuesday at 10am for the final installment!</p>
<p>Watch more!</p>
<p><a href="http://www.racked.com/2015/2/10/7988101/try-hards-baby-bump">Episode 1</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.racked.com/2015/2/17/8051247/try-hards-episode-two-the-ladies-take-their-coffee-with-butter">Episode 2</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.racked.com/2015/2/24/8099553/witch-beauty-srsly-try-hards">Episode 3</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.racked.com/2015/3/3/7981841/try-hards-mindfulness-srsly">Episode 4</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.racked.com/2015/3/17/8230757/ayahuasca-try-hards">Episode 6</a></p>
https://www.racked.com/2015/3/10/8182069/two-grown-ass-women-take-on-the-kylie-jenner-lip-challengeLeslie PriceRacked Video2015-03-09T12:41:14-04:002015-03-09T12:41:14-04:00Join Racked at SXSW For the Only Fashion Panel That's Not About Wearables
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<p class="c-entry-disclaimer"><i>Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods">The Goods by Vox</a>. You can also see what we’re up to by <a href="https://vox.com/goods-newsletter">signing up here</a>.</i></p>
<p>Women spend the majority of consumer dollars worldwide and in the United States, we populate the majority of fashion jobs. But we aren't calling the shots at the very top of the industry. This <a href="http://schedule.sxsw.com/2015/events/event_IAP43225">Saturday at SXSW</a>, join Racked and a panel of female leaders in fashion, shopping, and beauty as we discuss how that can change.</p>
<p>According to <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1514733&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nielsen.com%2Fus%2Fen%2Finsights%2Fnews%2F2009%2Fbelow-the-topline-womens-growing-economic-power.html&referrer=racked.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.racked.com%2F2015%2F3%2F9%2F8161629%2Fracked-sxsw-panel" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Nielsen</a>, "Almost all income growth in the U.S. over the past 15 or 20 years has come from women." Per a <a href="http://www.catalyst.org/knowledge/buying-power">study</a> by Boston Consulting Group, women "control $12 trillion of the overall $18.4 trillion in global consumer spending." In 2009, <i>Harvard Business Review</i> <a href="http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.newonline.org/resource/resmgr/women_2020/new_women2020.pdf">found</a> that, "In aggregate, women represent a growth market bigger than China and India combined—more than twice as big, in fact." Keeping those numbers in mind, it seems like madness that of S&P 500 retail companies, women <a href="http://www.catalyst.org/knowledge/women-sp-500-retail-trade-0">hold</a> 54.8% of all jobs but <i>only 5.4% of CEO positions and 9.9% of board seats</i>.</p>
<p>Our panelists have all found success with women-run companies. Weighing in are Yael Aflalo, founder and CEO of <a href="https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=nOD%2FrLJHOac&mid=40090&u1=racked&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thereformation.com%2F" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Reformation</a>; Tina Craig, founder and CEO of <a href="http://www.snobessentials.com/">Snob Global Media</a>; and Hayley Barna, co-founder and co-CEO of <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1514733&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.birchbox.com%2F&referrer=racked.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.racked.com%2F2015%2F3%2F9%2F8161629%2Fracked-sxsw-panel" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Birchbox</a>. They'll be telling us what the industry at large can learn from their career paths, and how best to cater to today's women.</p>
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<p><b>What Fashion Can Learn from Female-Led Companies</b></p>
<p>Saturday, March 14 from 9:30am to 10:30<br> JW Marriott, Room 206, 110 E 2nd Street</p>
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https://www.racked.com/2015/3/9/8161629/racked-sxsw-panelLeslie Price2015-03-05T16:01:14-05:002015-03-05T16:01:14-05:00Join Us! We're Searching for a Growth Editor
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<p class="c-entry-disclaimer"><i>Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods">The Goods by Vox</a>. You can also see what we’re up to by <a href="https://vox.com/goods-newsletter">signing up here</a>.</i></p>
<p>Racked seeks a Growth Editor to join our expanding editorial team. The right person is a Google Analytics whiz who enjoys nothing more than immersing her or himself in data. You have solid analytical and problem-solving skills, and are comfortable working with statistics and data mining. This person will work with senior-level editors with the goal of driving engagement, audience growth, and retention. Does this sound like you? <a href="https://boards.greenhouse.io/voxmedia/jobs/47198?gh_jid=47198#.VNljHnY7RSc">Click here for the full job listing and how to apply.</a></p>
https://www.racked.com/2015/3/5/8157633/join-us-were-searching-for-a-growth-editorLeslie Price