On Sunday’s episode of Last Week Tonight, John Oliver called out Donald Trump for continuing to blame the shutdown on Democrats as he went to a Great Gatsby-themed Halloween party at Mar-a-Lago before his administration froze the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) on Nov. 1.
“Yeah, not only is that pretty insulting,” he said. “I’m guessing it’s also pretty infuriating to whatever exhausted high school freshman just wrote a 4,000-word essay about Great Gatsby as a grim meditation on the disillusionment of the American Dream, only for CNN to tell them, ‘You know what? It’s really just a book about rich people partying.’”
Oliver continued, “And for what it’s worth, the actual theme of that event was, and I quote, ‘A Little Party Never Killed Nobody.’ And I guess that is true. Although, it is also true, that as we are all finding out right now, a ‘grand old party’ is capable of killing a whole lot of people, and unfortunately, they don’t seem to give a single marble and gold-encased shit about that.”
The suspension of SNAP benefits to over 42 million Americans by the Trump administration on Nov. 1 has proved to be a political lightning rod during a pretty low-key shutdown. In some of the ugliest examples of the MAGA mindset, the Department of Agriculture has determined in October it can’t use the billions in contingency funds long set aside for SNAP, due to legal considerations.
That decision has led to a series of court challenges by states, cities and others amidst an expected surge at food banks.
Two federal judges this week ruled the administration has to tap into the $6 billion available. However, despite Trump posting late Friday it would be his “honor to provide the funding, just like I did with military and law enforcement pay,” the administration is demanding the courts provide guidance on how to pay out — a process that will still delay SNAP recipients from receiving benefits for weeks in the very best case scenario.
I was in middle school during Tumblr’s prime era of influence. It was a simpler time, listening to Urban Outfitters records on an Urban Outfitters turntable and aspiring to be the most aesthetically pleasing version of yourself. We lived for artsy Instagram posts wearing chevron necklaces, reblogging edits of Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby, and pairing hi-low skirts with Doc Martens. I still have vivid nightmares of black-and-white angsty Tumblr posts captioned with Lorde lyrics.
But, like any social media platform, there were different sides to Tumblr. There was the famed aesthetic side, ruled by angst and filters, but there was also the side ruled by fandoms.
Let me take you way back to 2014 when 5 Seconds of Summer was opening for the hit boy band, One Direction. Your go-to outfit was Converse (or Keds, thanks to Taylor Swift), skinny jeans, and an “I <3 British Boys (and one Irish!)” shirt. The vibe was an inscrutable mix of bohemian, preppy, and a little grunge. Times may have been simpler, but they weren’t more stylish.
But just like the angsty side of Tumblr, this side also considered Urban Outfitters and Free People their fashion meccas. Pretty much all sides of Tumblr were united by their devotion to these two stores. Urban had the band tees and vinyls, Free People had the free-spirited, whimsical pieces that emulated the Lana Del Rey vibe.
And while I’ve grown out of a few of these habits (re: hi-low skirts, chevron), some things never change. I still listen to One Direction as my guilty pleasure (I’m no longer a Louis girl), and I still shop at Free People.
What I love about Free People is that they create an idyllic fashion world of exciting prints, fabrics, and styles. Their clothing is versatile — good for date nights, work days, brunches, lounging, and working out. They’ve grown up with me, and their fashion is always precisely on-trend. They’ve also taught me that you can’t put a price on high-quality clothing.
In the world of Girl Math, Free People gets you the best bang for your buck. I still have FP tank tops and jeans from middle school that have years left of wear. Their clothes even start trends of their own. For example, actress and model Kaia Gerber genuinely The Quilted Dolman Jacket in every color. And the Freya Set has been heavily duped across the fashion market.
While Free People is iconic for the bohemian in you, it’s also famous due to the amount of celebrities who wear it. And these aren’t just brand deals. Celebs, they’re just like us: obsessed with the brand that keeps on giving.
Taylor Swift In Free People
I went to a Free People event last month where they celebrated their winter boot collaboration with Sorel Footwear. They were gushing about how much Swift loved Free People, saying that whenever she goes on vacation, she shops there.
And they’re not lying, thanks to the thousands of Instagram accounts dedicated to what Taylor is wearing in every public appearance. A ton of her clothes are indeed affordable Free People options, which makes her style pretty easy to replicate!
Lately, we’ve been seeing more of Taylor since she’s extremely busy touring the world, dating NFL star Travis Kelce, re-recording her albums, and traversing around New York with her girl gang. This means we’ve gotten to see her in her Free People era and all its glory. Here are some of the best FP moments from Taylor herself:
Yes, I’m sorry, all these iconic flicks came out 10 years ago and you are old. I am, too. But consider an alternate take: These movies stood the test of time and you had the privilege of being around to see them in theaters. Personally I think 2013 was a super strong year for movies, to the extent that getting a list of just 15 was tricky. But here they are, ranked from “very good” to “very, very, very good.”
15. The Purge
(Universal)
Sure, The Purge franchise has its detractors, but you can’t deny the impact it made. The dystopian premise is simple and stark: for one night every year, all crime is legal, including murder. What will the characters do? What would you do? In this first ever Purge film we follow Ethan Hawke’s James and Lena Headey’s Mary as they attempt to get their family to morning alive. That story and this movie spawned a impressive four more Purge movies (to date) plus a TV show!
14. Fruitvale Station
(The Weinstein Company)
Fruitvale Station tells the incredibly important real-life story of Oscar Grant (here played by Michael B. Jordan), who was killed by police in 2009, sparking protests that are now considered a precursor to the Black Lives Matter movement. This was Ryan Coogler’s feature film debut and it deservedly won both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award for a drama film at Sundance. “Every single choice that I made was based off research, and off things people told me about Oscar,” Coogler told The Independent, “because I didn’t want to go out and invent this character out of thin air.”
13. Gravity
(Warner Bros.)
“Life in space is impossible” warns the opening of Gravity. No kidding. This masterpiece from Alfonso Cuarón follows Dr. Ryan Stone (Sanda Bullock) as she fights to survive in space after debris strikes her shuttle. The only other survivor is Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) and he’s determined to get her home. An absolute nail-biter of a movie, but it’s incredibly beautiful too.
12. The World’s End
(Focus Features)
The third film in the Simon Pegg/Nick Frost/Edgar Wright “Cornetto Trilogy.” This one is a little darker than the other two, as it’s really mostly about Pegg’s character’s alcoholism. Oh, and people are being replaced by robots, that’s also a thing that’s going on. Pegg puts in a truly great performance as the addicted, unhappy Gary King here.
11. The Wolf of Wall Street
(Paramount)
Martin Scorsese’s three-hour epic about very bad people doing very bad things. Sex, drugs, crime and live fish-eating are all covered in this movie, which won Leonardo DiCaprio a very well deserved fourth Academy Award nomination. Although he carries the movie, all the cast — which includes Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey, and Margot Robbie in her breakout role — are excellent.
10. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
(Warner Bros.)
I know, I know, I’ve heard it. The Hobbit movies weren’t as good as their predecessors. But on the other hand, what in the world could have been? The original Lord of the Rings movies were masterpieces that can never be repeated. And despite having so much to live up to, The Desolation of Smaug knocked it as far out of the park as it could have possibly gone. It has its flaws but Peter Jackson’s love for the source material shines through.
9. Iron Man 3
(Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Iron Man 3 isn’t remembered as a particularly strong MCU entry, curiously, but I think it holds up very well indeed. The twist involving the Mandarin had me first gasping and then giggling, it was a genuine rug pull that I appreciated very much. It’s nice to look back and remember a time when the MCU was much smaller. There’s not a multiverse in sight here and it’s all the better for it. A movie as compact as one of Tony Stark’s gadgets.
8. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
(Lionsgate)
Another excellent mid-quel that dropped in 2013. Katniss Everdeen goes back into the Games arena and the stakes are even higher this time. The Hunger Games movies may not have had quite the raw power of the books, but they were nonetheless incredible and a whole generation remembers them fondly. Catching Fire gave us introductions to some of the best characters in the series, including Finnick Odair and Johanna Mason, as well as the iconic visual of Katniss’s mockingjay dress.
7. Frozen
(Disney)
All this time and I still can’t let it go. Yes, over-exposure has made many people (even Disney fans) sick to death of Frozen, but it was so good when it first came out. The music was catchy, the storyline was strong, the animation was gorgeous, and the characters were so, so fanfiction-able. It was also probably the last Disney movie to pull off the “you think this character is an ally but they’re really an enemy!” twist with any level of success.
6. 12 Years a Slave
(New Regency Productions)
Steve McQueen’s passion project, 12 Years a Slave was named the Best Picture winner of 2013 and I think most people agree it was a very well-deserved accolade. This extremely disturbing film stuck very closely to the Solomon Northup memoir it was based on and pulled absolutely no punches when it came to depicting the horrors of slavery. It also introduced the wider world to British actor Chiwetel Ejiofor, and made the previously-unknown Lupita Nyong’o an Oscar-winning superstar. The movie industry owes a LOT to this film!
5. Philomena
(The Weinstein Company)
Not one of the “big” films of 2013, just a small and quiet goddamn heartbreaker. Judi Dench plays Philomena Lee, a woman seeking the son she was forced to give up after becoming pregnant out of wedlock. It’s based on a true story, and the real Philomena—now an adoption rights campaigner—had input into it. It’s absolutely an uplifting film, Dench’s performance makes sure of that, but it also sparked an intense rage in me.
4. The Great Gatsby
(Warner Bros.)
My thoughts when news of this movie hit: BAZ LUHRMANN is directing an adaptation of THE GREAT GATSBY? Oh my gosh. With Leonardo DiCaprio and SPIDER-MAN? WHERE DO I SIGN? Yes, I admit that there are some members of the moviegoing public who find Luhrmann’s style grating but I am absolutely not one of them. I love his rollercoaster-like approach to things. This film has a mere 48 percent on Rotten Tomatoes which baffles me to this day, though it did rightly take home the Oscars for Best Costume Design and Best Production Design.
3. Belle
(Searchlight Pictures)
A beautifully understated period drama from Amma Asante, Belle tells the tale of a little-known figure in British history. Dido Elizabeth Belle was the daughter of an enslaved woman and a British officer who ended up being raised by white relatives in an upper-class household, and her story is absolutely one everyone should know. Gugu Mbatha-Raw brings Dido to life beautifully, and I was so happy that she became a huge star after this!
2. Snowpiercer
(The Weinstein Company)
Snowpiercer lived in my head rent-free long after the credits rolled. How to even sum it up? “A terrifying dystopia, on a train, starring Chris Evans as a reluctant cannibal” gets the basics but still doesn’t really sell this masterpiece by constant masterpiece-maker Bong Joon-ho. It’s equal parts brutal and beautiful and I promise you will never forget it.
1. Pacific Rim
(Legendary Pictures)
It is very, very easy to get wrong a film about humans creating giant robots to destroy giant monsters. The ill-advised sequel proved that pretty conclusively. But the original Pacific Rim from Guillermo del Toro is everything cinema should be: colorful, bold, sincere, and just plain loving towards the art of film and indeed humanity in general.
