Staying Apart, Together: Sometimes hibernating feels like a good idea
How is everyone on this cold, snowy Tuesday?
There is a lot of snow across the country today (and more coming this week), from the midwest to California to New York.
Snowstorms, and cold weather in general, always make me feel like I wish I could hibernate. I spend much of winter curled up under a blanket, reading, eating soup and only going outside for short periods of time. And that was before the pandemic hit.
We're in a new, odd moment of our fight against COVID-19. Vaccines are rolling out but slowly and to select groups. There are new variants and surges to worry about. Like every phase of the pandemic, it's scary and stressful and uncertain. Hibernating through the worst parts of this COVID-19 winter is appealing.
Of course, we're don't get the luxury of napping through the hard parts of our lives (and it's important to remember that many in our communities are unhoused during cold fronts, and there are ways to help them). But as we forge through the hard winter months, I'm forgiving myself for reaching for comfort. Warmth, good food, rest, these are basic needs and fulfilling them will help us get through it all.
I'm wishing you all warmth and comfort this week.
Today's beauty routine (or lack thereof)
Before the pandemic, I used to get up two hours before I had to leave for work. That time was spent showering, blow-drying and putting on makeup. I wore business casual everyday, sometimes with heels. But a few weeks into my pandemic work from home routine, I started asking myself a question: Who was the makeup for?
I'm not the only one. My colleague Alia Dastagir spoke with women across the country about how they have changed their beauty routines since normal life has been upended.
USA TODAY heard from dozens of women who shared that despite the pandemic's lockdowns, social restrictions, and mask mandates, the relaxed beauty standards that have accompanied their retreat from public life have been "liberating."
"If there's one thing good that came from this COVID mess, it's that I was able to find myself," Marie Garmon, 41, from Jacksonville, Florida said. "To hell with all of it ... Who are we really doing all of this for? Not myself because I hate that routine."
If the pandemic has offered women any reprieve, it may be from societal expectations around appearance. More are homebound, interacting less, Zooming more, and beauty routines and fashion choices have adapted in kind. ...
When we emerge from this crisis, experts say women will still live in a society that expects them to follow the rules of femininity.
"There's an opening that's created by this retreat from what the world has demanded of women, but it's going to take more than circumstances, it's going to have to take some kind of consciousness-raising to really be able to capitalize on the shift," said Juliet Williams, a professor of gender studies at UCLA.
Read the full story here. And I'd love to hear from you all about how your beauty routines have changed (or not) since the pandemic begin. Email stayingaparttogether@usatoday.com.
Today's reads
Ready for a new trendy treat? "Smashing Hearts" are the new hot cocoa bombs.
Speaking of chocolate, enjoy this gallery of our favorite hot chocolates across the USA.
Kevin Hart spoke with my colleague Sara Moniuszko about what it meant to spend more time with his family during lockdown. "It made me just realize some of the things that I missed, some of the things that I didn’t put as much value on that I probably should.”
This Olympic hopeful talks about surviving COVID-19 and trying to get ready for Tokyo.
Today's pet
Meet one of the best pups I've ever seen.
Double D is the "best chemo pup ever!" says Sally Simpson in Pennsylvania. "She has been by my side for this entire year of chemo through this pandemic. What a year 2020 was! I sure do love this furry little gal."
Double D, you keep up the good work. You make all dogs proud.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sometimes hibernating feels like a good idea
