When Alisha Boe first auditioned for 13 Reasons Why, she was sure she wasn’t right for the part of Jessica Davis, the popular new girl at Liberty High School. “Every time I saw a breakdown for a popular girl [role], they usually went with the blonde, blue-eyed [actors],” Boe tells me over the phone while discussing her newest partnership with Burt’s Bees and the brand’s Change For Nature campaign, which raised $100,000 in donations for the National Geographic Society. “By the time I auditioned [to play Jessica], I was engineered to believe that I wasn’t right for it. But I thought, Why shouldn’t I get it?”

Boe, whose father is Somali and her mother Norwegian, is referring to the fact that Hollywood’s penchant for stereotypical characters has translated to white-washed roles in both movies and TV shows. So landing the role of Jessica on a Netflix teen drama (think Degrassi meets Pretty Little Liars) was a big deal for the actress.

“Getting this part surprised me, but in the best way possible,” says Boe, noting that when she started auditioning at 15, there were no shows that properly portrayed diverse, specifically mixed, families on screen. Now, the industry is making strides to amend that. “I think we deserve to take up the spaces that we haven’t been able to fill in the last 40 years. Playing Jessica means I get to be the person someone else sees themselves reflected in on screen. That means more to me than anything else, because I didn’t have that growing up.” Three years in, and Boe is the series’ breakout star.

A major subplot of season 3 involves Jessica grappling with her sexual assault trauma. Not only does she start a club at school for fellow sexual assault survivors, but she rediscovers her confidence through both emotional and physical transformations: She has an empowering solo sex session with a vibrator, and she gives herself a total hair makeover.

While the latter might not seem very significant to the character’s journey, Boe disagrees. Jessica may still be coping with the reality of her rape, but she’s clearly finished punishing herself for what happened. She embraces several new hairstyles in the third season — all subtle but significant departures from her usual center-parted curls. “Changing Jessica’s hair was a very conscious choice,” says Boe. “The third season was the first time you see Jessica really take on the role of being a survivor, and we wanted to convey that through her hair.” The goal was to show the audience that Jessica was moving forward and taking control of her narrative, empowering her peers in the process (the gold hair cuffs she’s seen wearing a few times do feel like her own personal armor).

13 Reasons Why is now heading into its fourth and final season, which Boe and her costars are filming as we speak. Boe explains that wrapping up the series is making her and the rest of the ensemble cast nostalgic, to say the least. “I started this show when I was 19 and I’m about to turn 23. So, it’s kind of like my college years,” she says. “I’ve grown up with this character. I’ve learned so much and I feel like a different person, but in the best way possible.” Fittingly enough, season 4 will reportedly tackle the characters’ graduation — albeit from high school, not college. Based on Boe’s latest performance, we bet she graduates magna cum laude.

Burt’s Bees will donate $10 to the National Geographic Society for every Change For Nature pledge made. A pledge can be as small as changing one daily habit, like carrying a reusable water bottle instead of plastic or taking shorter showers to converse water. Visit the Burt’s Bees Change For Nature campaign page to make your pledge today.

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The holidays are the perfect time for reflecting, getting inspired, and doing exciting activities with the ones you love. Now, New Yorkers can add an exciting event to their winter bucket list: Refinery29’s 29Rooms.

That’s right — after a successful tour of the Expand Your Reality experience in Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, Toronto, and Washington D.C, 29Rooms will return to Brooklyn this December. Tickets go on sale today.

The Expand Your Reality tour, an immersive festival of creativity and connectivity, will take over 25 Kent Avenue in Brooklyn, New York from December 6-15. It will bring together a kaleidoscope of both local and national, up-and-coming and seasoned creatives — spanning the spectrum of art, entertainment, politics, and style — to give the city a chance to be enchanted and transported. The event is perfect for both first-timers and vets, as the rooms will be a mix of new experiences and returning fan favorites.

“Building upon the momentum of our international tour, New Yorkers can expect some fresh surprise and delightful moments that will provide even more opportunity for interaction and engagement, whether you’re new to the 29Rooms experience or returning for another adventure, ” said Piera Gelardi, Refinery29’s Executive Creative Director and co-founder.

Tickets are available now at 29Rooms.com starting at $25.

There will also be opportunities leading up to the event to win free tickets through Refinery29’s platforms and partners. In the meantime, get a taste of the excitement to come by following 29Rooms on Instagram.

Dates: Friday, December 6 – Sunday, December 15

Time: 10:30AM – 10:30PM
General Admission ticket guarantees access for one 2.5-hour session.

Location: 25 Kent Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11249

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Refinery29 is partnering with Girls Who Code for the #MarchForSisterhood on International Day of the Girl. This is the first-ever all-digital global march. Come back each day this week to learn about why different young women are participating, and join us as we #MarchForSisterhood on any of your social media channels this Friday, October 11, 2019.

When my brother, Ricardo, was in high school, he was shot and killed outside our home in South Central Los Angeles. The day my brother was killed, I lost my hero. I lost my sense of self. I still haven’t been able to escape the anxiety and the trauma that has followed me everyday since. 

This isn’t new for my community. It happens so frequently, it’s been normalized for all of us. But we can’t allow this to happen anymore. Every day gun violence has rocked my community since before I was born. I have attended countless memorials and I have watched while friends lit candles and parents wept for the Black and brown youth we lost. 

I want everyone to understand the circumstances we are asking young people to grow up in. We have to be ready to dodge a bullet while in class, walking home, or just going to visit our loved ones. In schools, we’re made to feel like criminals where we’re supposed to feel empowered. In order to make change, everyone must understand the trauma that stays with me and my classmates. 

And it’s not just gun violence that we’re struggling with. Our neighborhoods are over-policed, our schools are under-funded, and we are targeted through immigration policies. I felt this deeply when my father was deported in 2016. The moment I found out I had lost my father to immigration was so painful; I knew I had to do something. 

Community Coalition gave me the voice and the tools to take action. Before I joined, I didn’t feel comfortable speaking up for myself or for my community. I didn’t know how to channel my anger to push for change. Now, I organize workshops, work to impact policy, and share my story whenever I can. Becoming a youth leader taught me that now is our time to fight. Enough is enough and we can’t be silent anymore. 

We know that arming teachers doesn’t work. We know that over-policing doesn’t work. We know that zero tolerance policies don’t work. We need real change. We need restorative justice, mental health programs, resources, and more. We want to change the environments that fostered the violence and trauma in our communities in the first place. That’s why this year on Day of the Girl, I’m joining Girls Who Code in the #MarchForSisterhood — to elevate the voices of girls across the world fighting to make a difference. 

Girls are ready to make a change, we’re ready to change our story. Today, we are connected to one another more than ever before and this is our chance to join together for change. We’re bringing our fight online, so we can speak up and show up as a united front by girls, for girls, and about girls. 

I march because I am a youth leader, a survivor, and an activist. I march to uplift my south LA community and my activist sisters. I march because we deserve to be heard, as one voice for change. La lucha sigue. The fight goes on. 

Edna Lizbeth Chavez is a youth organizer from South Central Los Angeles. She is an advocate for many things such as immigration rights, social and educational justice and an ally for many of those that fight for their community.

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CBD is in our lattes, moisturizers, and chocolates, but what about its use in a hospital setting instead of your local café or beauty store? Although more study is needed, research suggests that CBD may have the potential to help relieve certain side effects of chemotherapy.

CBD is short for cannabidiol, which is one of the many compounds found in cannabis and hemp. Unlike tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), it’s non-psychoactive. Manufacturers have found a way to separate CBD from the plants, and the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (aka the Farm Bill) legalized hemp-derived CBD that contains no more than 0.3% THC and is made from hemp grown by licensed producers. (That’s why you’ve seen so many CBD products recently.) But so far, the Food and Drug Administration has only approved one form of CBD: Epidiolex, a drug containing a purified marijuana-derived form of CBD, which is used for preventing seizures caused by rare forms of epilepsy. 

However, medical marijuana — which contains CBD as well as THC and other compounds — has been used by cancer patients for many years. In 1996, California became the first state to legalize marijuana for medical use. And although marijuana is still illegal on a federal level, it’s currently legal for medical use in 33 states — and it’s approved for use by cancer patients in every state in which medical marijuana is legal. (For comparison, medical marijuana is approved for use by patients with Crohn’s disease in only 27 states.) Additionally, the FDA has approved two chemically pure drugs based on marijuana compounds to treat nausea and vomiting in cancer chemotherapy patients. 

A 2016 review of medical marijuana’s use in oncology, published by the American Medical Association journal JAMA Oncology, notes, “Marijuana in oncology may have potential for use as an antiemetic [relieving nausea and vomiting], for refractory cancer pain, and as an antitumor agent. However, much of the data are based on animal data, small trials, or are outdated.” The authors concluded that more research is needed into medical marijuana’s therapeutic use for cancer patients.

There is even less research into CBD’s potential benefits for cancer patients. But still, some studies have been conducted. According to the National Cancer Institute, research indicates that CBD may slow the growth or reduce the risk of recurrence of certain kinds of cancers, including breast cancer; enhance the potency of certain medications; and reduce chemotherapy side effects including vomiting, nausea, and anxiety. However, all these studies are limited, and experts agree that further research is needed to understand just how CBD affects humans. 

The American Cancer Society stresses that cannabis in any form should never be used as a sole form of cancer treatment. In a statement, they urge for more research into the use of cannabinoids for cancer patients and add, “Medical decisions about pain and symptom management should be made between the patient and his or her doctor, balancing evidence of benefit and harm to the patient, the patient’s preferences and values, and any laws and regulations that may apply.”

While CBD is non-psychoactive, it may cause a negative reaction when paired with certain medications. If you are a cancer patient who is interested in trying CBD (or medical marijuana, if it’s legal in your state) to relieve pain or chemotherapy side effects, talk with your doctor about the potential risks, benefits, and legality.

Refinery29 in no way encourages illegal activity and would like to remind its readers that marijuana usage continues to be an offense under Federal Law, regardless of state marijuana laws.

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When Jessica Cisneros was a 20-year-old student with a passion for politics, she interned for Congressman Henry Cuellar, a popular Democrat from Texas. Cuellar shared Cisneros’ heritage (their families were both from Mexico) and hometown (the bordertown of Laredo), and were both outstanding students whose graduate degrees took them away from home. But that’s where their similarities ended. 

Cisneros, now 26, was all about working with the disadvantaged, whose compassion for the underserved would eventually lead her to become an immigration attorney. Cuellar, who just turned 64, built a political career in which he often aligned himself with Republicans. He says it was to get things done, but Cisneros saw it as a betrayal of Democratic values.

Her eyes were opened, she says, when she spent the summer interning in his Washington office.

“I didn’t like what I saw,” Cisnero told Refinery29. Cuellar’s reliance on corporate money and business interests — especially with private prisons and energy companies who perform fracking, who are among Cuellar’s largest contributors — made Cisneros uncomfortable. Moreover, she felt he lacked an interest in the regular people of the district who needed health care and government programs. As a pro-choice woman, Cisneros was very much against his votes that limited abortion rights and reproductive freedom. (NARAL, The National Abortion Rights Action League, gives Cuellar a rating of 15% for his votes from 2016-2018. By contrast Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, of Houston, has a 100% rating.)

“I told myself, ‘One day I’m going to run for Congress.’” 

Today, Cisneros is doing just that. After being recruited by progressive political action committee Justice Democrats, she quit her job as an immigration lawyer, moved back to Texas, and began criss-crossing the state calling Cuellar “Trump’s favorite Democrat.” She points out that since Trump’s election, Cuellar has voted in favor of the President’s policies 67% of the time, according to independent outlet CQ Vote Watch. He sided with Republicans to clamp down on “sanctuary cities” that protect undocumented immigrants, and on legislation to quickly deport unaccompanied minors from Central America. He also holds an “A” rating by the National Rifle Association, and is close to Republicans, so much so that some felt he had betrayed the party when he supported incumbent GOP congress member John Carter against a Democratic challenger, MJ Hegar, a female helicopter pilot and decorated war hero, in a close race in Central Texas. She lost by only three points, denying the Texas delegation another Democratic seat in the House. On the hot button issue of impeachment, with more than half of Democrats pushing for action on what they say is President Trump’s abuse of office, Cuellar is among the more cautious members: “If investigations prove that impeachment is the necessary course of action, then I will be forced to act on impeachment proceedings,” he said. “This is not a process that should be taken lightly and any actions should follow the facts and the evidence.”

These actions are contrary to Cisneros’ worldview, and what she considers those of the border communities where they grew up. Now she’s offering Cuellar his first primary challenge since he won office in 2005. Cisneros is one of several progressive, young challengers taking on establishment Democrats across the country, partially galvanized by the success of Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, the Bronx Democrat who defeated the second most powerful Democrat in Congress back in 2018. If Cisneros wins, she’d replace AOC as the youngest woman ever elected to Congress.

But can she pull an AOC-style upset? When Ocasio-Cortez upended Democratic politics by ousting the second most powerful member of the House, Joe Crowley, it was a surprise. But it was also the Bronx, a safe liberal haven within a blue state. This is Texas, where Republicans have controlled the political landscape for decades. No Democrat has been elected to any of the more than two dozen offices that are elected statewide — such as governor, lieutenant governor, U.S. Senate, and agriculture commissioner — since 1994. Latinx voters still tend to cast their ballots for Republicans; Sen. Ted Cruz won 35% of the Latinx vote against Beto O’Rourke in 2018.

“The Latinos in Texas are a little more conservative than Latinos in other states,” said Victoria DeFrancisco Soto, a lecturer and director of civic engagement at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas. On such social issues as abortion rights, gay marriage, and gun ownership, Latinx voters in Texas are more mixed, especially among older voters. “However, young people tend to be more progressive. The Latinx demographic is growing. Seeing the desire for change is normal given the demographic.” 

It’s that demographic that Cisneros is hoping to galvanize. The district is a mix of both progressive Democrats and more traditional Democrats in a region dependent on fossil fuel production and international trade. Laredo is the largest inland port in the nation. There are also large ranching interests in the rural areas where Latino Democrats are also gun rights advocates.

It’s clear that progressives are not shoe-ins there. Certainly, there’s something of a generational divide, but cultural influences from the Catholic church and established economic forces like the banking industry play influential roles. Laredo, founded in 1755, is one of Texas’ oldest cities and is geographically more isolated than other border cities like McAllen and Brownsville. It has been a more conservative enclave than other Hispanic cities, electing lawmakers at the local level who are pro-business.

Additionally, Laredo is not conventionally Latino. Even its main local event to celebrate its community feels different than its neighbors. In contrast to San Antonio, which is famous for its annual Fiesta San Antonio that honors its Tex-Mex culture, Laredo has a month-long celebration of George Washington’s birthday wherein residents dress in colonial garb. Cuellar played the role of the first President in 2014. 

As an advocate for trade and establishing business ties with Mexico, Cuellar has drawn the suspicion of some party members who view him as too close to Republicans. But, he’s also financially supported the Democratic Party — all members of Congress have a certain amount of “dues” they must contribute to the party, and Cuellar is proud that he has already met his threshold of hundreds of thousands of dollars this year.

Cuellar is a close ally of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi even though she’s on the liberal side and he’s on the conservative side of the party. She looks to him as her border expert. This August, Pelosi, Cuellar and other members of Congress traveled to Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras — countries at the center of the immigration debate — and toured a detention facility August 11 in McAllen, just outside Cuellar’s district. 

The 28th district centered in Laredo appears to be a testing ground for what’s possible as demographic changes, especially in suburban areas, turn Texan cities increasingly purple. The district itself features a section of the border with Mexico, including 200 miles of border, and stretches more than 150 miles to the north into the suburbs of San Antonio. Texas districts are gerrymandered by the GOP legislature so that Republicans are favored in the majority of districts, although a certain number are structured for Latinos, which usually favors Democrats. The 28th district, created in 1993, has always been held by Latino Democrats — Cuellar won in 2004 by challenging a Latino Democrat in a divisive primary. (Other parts of the state like Houston and Dallas, for example, elected congressional Democrats in 2018 who ousted long-time Republicans.)

Progressive Democrats are hoping to push the 28th district left, driven by younger voters. Today, 32% of registered voters in Cisneros’s district are between the ages of 18-35, but only 21% of them voted in 2018. Whether or not Cisneros’ message wins will be an indication for how far left Texas’s Latinos are willing to go and that could have huge repercussions for the state.

Though there are still conservative threads in the Hispanic community, Matt Barreto, co-founder and Managing Partner of the polling and research firm Latino Decisions, sees a shift to progressive ideas, especially brought on by the national divisions over immigration and health care. 

“There’s a perpetuation of the myth that South Texas is very conservative,” Cisneros says. But she noticed that during her door-to-door campaigning in her first two months, she’s found receptive audiences to her calls for Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, tuition-free college education, and not taking corporate campaign donations.

There has also been an El Paso effect that has galvanized other young Latinx politicians like Cisneros. Cristina Tzintzún is the founder and executive director of activist Hispanic group the Jolt Initiative, and just announced she’s running against long-time Republican incumbent Senator John Cornyn. Motivated by the targeting of Mexican Americans by a shooter in El Paso who killed 22 on August 3, Tzintzún is the first Latina to run in a Democratic field of four credible contenders.

“The mass shooting in El Paso targeting Mexicans will mobilize immigrants, new citizens, and US-born Latin people to organize and come out and vote in the next federal elections in unprecedented levels because they realize the stake of elections when openly anti-immigrant candidates are running,” said Ernesto Castañeda, sociology professor at American University.

Cisneros said she saw the reaction to the El Paso shootings right away. “We took it very hard. El Paso is very resonant with our cities,” she said of the border towns in her district. “We have this feeling that it could have happened here.” Cuellar’s refusal to return campaign contributions from the NRA even after the shooting appeared to further galvanize his progressive critics.

Since her announcement, Cisneros has raised $310,000 in the third quarter of 2019. This brings the campaign’s total to over $459,000 raised since her campaign launched in June, a respectable showing for a newcomer, all of which, she emphasizes, came from small-dollar donors. Compare that to Cuellar’s $721,900 that he raised over the first two quarters of this election cycle, over half of which came from political action committees. According to the nonpartisan website opensecrets.org, only $782 came from small donors with contributions under $200. Cuellar has over $3 million cash on hand.

Sergio Mora, a former Webb County Democratic Party chair in Laredo, said that the contest was slow to heat up, but recently, Cisneros got a huge jolt of energy via a surprise endorsement from Elizabeth Warren. “This is huge for Jessica,” Mora said. “It definitely pricked people’s ears up. Elizabeth pulling her on stage was a huge deal.”

“The people of Texas’ 28th district are ready for systematic change and deserve a Democrat that will be on the side of working people; not the side of big money and obstructionist Republicans,” said Warren in her endorsement, a sign that what’s happening in Laredo is relevant on a national scale, and may be indicative of a shift that’s happening more broadly across the country.

“It’s going to be a race,” said Mora about the match-up between the underdog Cisneros and established Cuellar. “She’s working it, and he’s not going to take her for granted.”

Being Latinx in America is no easy thing. Fighting pressures to abandon our culture, traditions, and heritage, we’re carving out a unique identity in America that’s all our own. In a series of essays, reported articles, and stories for Refinery29’s #SomosLatinx, we’ll explore the unique issues that affect the community during Latinx Heritage Month from September 15-October 15.

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For an object with the practical purpose of keeping one’s retinas from scorching at high noon, sunglasses contain shades of meaning. They allow one to see without being seen. They obscure identity — while triggering the instinct to sniff out who, exactly, is behind those oversized square frames. But perhaps their most evocative interpretation is as an instrument of forward-looking, through which one might be able to see beyond the present into a blindingly bright future. 

With this reading as our guide, we brought Gucci’s latest eyewear collection and New York City’s dreamers and doers together in an off-the-cuff collision of style, serendipity, and storytelling. Our methodology: Over the course of two summer days, we scouted some of the city’s highest-traffic areas for unique characters from all over the world, asking them about their hopes and plans for the future. Then, we put together a yearbook of sorts to create a very human snapshot of optimism and doubt, altruism, and self-interest — all in this place, in this exact moment in time. Ahead, meet the class of 2019.

The Defenders

Whether through art, political causes, or their very essences as people from diverse backgrounds, the members of this group direct their energy outward. "As an American-Muslim single mom [born to] military parents, my place in the world is to remind everyone that...no one should be stereotyped," says Fatima Shabbir, 46. "Be kind and open, and you'll be surprised who you'll find right next to you — and how alike you are."

On that day, Shabbir could very well have crossed paths with 18-year-old students Cole Canzano and Alyson Rubin, fast friends who met hours earlier at school orientation; as aspiring auteurs, they both say their callings are to explore the human condition through cinema. Or it could have been Margaret Nattinger, 81, who says her earthly role is "one of gratitude, as the greatest of human virtues." No matter their age, these strangers suggest that, even in these times, there are still those who can look outside the self.

The Explorers

Sometimes, you only have the vague outline of a notion of how you want to spend your life. But not having an exact destination locked into your internal GPS doesn't mean you're directionless. For example, Lesly Madrigal, 23, says she's content, for now, to be a "weird, dark creative." Others say they were drawn to New York by the sense that the city could offer them more than their hometowns, as far-flung as Ukraine or the American South.

These are not necessarily members of another lost generation, but one that's inching towards clarity. And in this town, even if you're blindly fumbling along, there's no better place to find your way.

The Dreamers

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For these individuals, what's to come is decidedly rose-colored. Some anticipate continued, unbridled joy, like 64-year-old Marcela Salazar, who says she already "has fun every day." Meanwhile, 21-year-old Enga Domingue says she "clearly sees" a new age with "women, people of color, and artists" leading the culture. In the end, they hope for the same things we all do: to be free, healthy, successful, understood, and loved. 

But perhaps those with the clearest vision view life from a higher plane — 64-year-old Elaine Singer, when asked what her future looks like through tinted Gucci lenses, responds with the wisdom of the far-sighted. Her answer? "Forever."

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The majority of Demi Lovato‘s more than 15 tattoos carry some kind of deeper significance. The rose on the inside of her index finger was inked in honor of six months of sobriety; the tattoo of her late great-grandmother at 26 years old was added when she herself was 26; and the “me” tattoo she just got on her finger represents that she must always put herself first.

Lovato’s latest tattoo follows her pattern of using ink to pay tribute to those she loves. On Monday, the singer shared that she got a cursive “T” by artist Rafael Valdez on her arm in honor of her friend Thomas Trussell III, who passed away from an overdose this past week.

“A T for Tommy,” she wrote on Instagram. “Love you forever… I’m so grateful for this.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Demi Lovato (@ddlovato) on Oct 14, 2019 at 10:06pm PDT

Lovato first shared the news of Trussell’s tragic death on her Instagram Story last week, posting his picture and writing, “Devastated. Please hold your loved ones tight. Tell them they are special and that you love them.” With this tattoo, Lovato, who’s been open about her own struggle with sobriety, is telling the entire world just how special her friend was.

If you are struggling with substance abuse, please call the SAMHSA National Helplineat 1-800-662-4357 for free and confidential information.

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The fourth Democratic presidential debate is tonight, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar exclusively shared her pre-debate Spotify playlist with Refinery29. And unlike those of a few other candidates, it features over half female artists.

Earlier this year, The New York Times analyzed the 2020 candidates’ campaign playlists and found that out of all of them, only Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand‘s (who has dropped out of the race) features over half female performers (73%), with artists including Lizzo, TLC, and Beyoncé. Next is Julián Castro with 43%, and then Sen. Kamala Harris at 37%. Sen. Bernie Sanders is at 7% (although his playlist is one of the only to feature a transgender artist, Laura Jane Grace), Trump is at 7% (but who is surprised), and Beto O’Rourke, who likes to walk out to The Clash, has filled his with all-male punk bands.

Presidential candidates frequently get help from staff when making their playlists. But in this case, Klobuchar’s staff says she made it herself, and we have to applaud her for this fresh breath of girl power. The list includes “Bullpen” by rapper Dessa, which Klobuchar likes to use as her walkout song, definitely an attempt to telegraph toughness: “Forget the bull in the china shop / There’s a china doll in the bullpen.” Then there are pep-up anthems like “Tightrope” by Janelle Monáe (you gotta walk on a tightrope to be a woman in politics) and “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga (surely a way of signaling that Trump’s anti-LGBTQ+ stances won’t be tolerated). There’s also, of course, a heavy Minnesota influence, with Dessa, Lizzo, Prince, and Bob Dylan all hailing from Klobuchar’s home state. And, there are some ’60s and ’70s throwbacks to appeal to the Boomers.

Here’s the entire list:

Bullpen – Dessa
Raspberry Beret – Prince
We Take Care of Our Own – Bruce Springsteen
Tightrope – Janelle Monáe
Love is All Around – Joan Jett
Born This Way – Lady Gaga
Best Friend – Sofi Tukker
Big Yellow Taxi – Joni Mitchell
Flowers in Your Hair – The Lumineers
Closer to Fine – Indigo Girls
The Times They Are A Changin’ – Bob Dylan
Girl from the North Country — Bob Dylan
Hallelujah – Jeff Buckley
Fast Car – Tracy Chapman
Runaway Train — Soul Asylum
Hey There Delilah – Plain White T’s
Crowded Table – The Highwomen
Amie – Pure Prairie League
Clouds – Zach Sobiech
This Little Light of Mine – The Steeles
A Dios Le Pido – Juanes
The Room Where It Happens – Hamilton cast
Shining – DJ Khalid, Beyoncé
Everybody – VV Brown
Cut to the Feeling – Carly Rae Jepsen
Like a Girl – Lizzo
Purple Rain – Prince
Somewhere Over the Rainbow – Judy Garland

Finally, no candidate’s playlist is complete without “The Room Where It Happens” from Hamilton. We can honestly imagine Klobuchar lip-synching to it in the mirror as she gets ready to go on-stage, and have no choice but to stan a Hamilton-loving queen.

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As discussions around sustainability and ethical responsibility (at long last!) move to the forefront of the fashion industry, more brands are working to implement lasting, positive change — including Prada. In May, the luxury Godmother of global fashion announced the brand would no longer use fur. And in June, Prada’s 21st century evolution continued apace with the launch of Re-Nylon, an eco-friendly line of iconic bag silhouettes executed in a progressive new nylon, Econyl, a 100% regenerated fiber from fishnets and other nylon excess. The Prada Re-Nylon collection reintroduces six classic styles for men and women: the belt bag, the shoulder bag, a tote, duffle, and two Prada backpacks (our personal picks, btw). The entire collection is produced from environmentally-friendly materials, and features a chic re-interpretation of the signature triangular Prada logo we all know and covet.

“Our ultimate goal will be to convert all Prada virgin nylon into Re-Nylon by the end of 2021,” said Lorenzo Bertelli, Prada Group Head of Marketing and Communications. “This project highlights our continued efforts towards promoting a responsible business. [And,] this collection will allow us to make our contribution and create products without using new resources.”

As part of the launch, the brand will also showcase the cutting-edge processes behind the Re-Nylon through “What We Carry,” a series of videos in partnership with National Geographic. Each of the five episodes will take the viewer through each material that makes up Econyl yarn, revealing the inner workings of the factories and facilities that produce this state-of-the-art, planet-loving fabric.

Refinery29 will exclusively premiere each installment, beginning with a trek to Phoenix, Arizona, home of the very first (yes, really) carpet recycling facility in the U.S. which can recycle up to 16,000 metric tons each year. (For context: Shockingly less than 3% of the 1.6 million tons of carpet discarded in the US each year is recycled.) In the first episode, Prada’s reporter Bonnie Wright and National Geographic Explorer’s Asher Jay show us one of one of the materials that makes up Econyl.

“I have always had great respect for Mrs. Prada’s ability to re-invent the boundaries of fashion, every look at a Prada show is new and inspired,” Wright tells Refinery29. “Prada is known for their iconic use of nylon, and yet they have recognized that systems within fashion, particularly luxury fashion, need to be rethought as our planet takes priority.”

In the second episode, South Sudanese-Australian model Adut Akech returned to Africa for the first time in many years to visit Cameroon to film with Joe Cutler, a National Geographic explorer and freshwater conservationist. Together, they explored another facet of Prada’s Re-Nylon transparent supply chain. The nets found in Lake Ossa (one of Cameroon’s biggest lakes) are recycled and transformed into new Econyl regenerated nylon. “Having this unique role was a really cool experience,” Akech tells Refinery29 of being a Prada reporter. “I got to live one of my childhood dreams of being a news reporter, and it was for a brand I love as well. It’s not everyday that you get that opportunity, so I cherished it a lot. I just hope I did a good enough job!”

The third episode in the series takes viewers to Mahana Bay, deep in the ocean, off the coast of New Zealand where 640,000 tons of fishing nets are dumped each year. Together, Australian actor and Prada reporter Alex Fitzalan — along with National Geographic Explorer, Asha de Vos, a Sri Lankan marine biologist fellow Rob Wilson, co-founder of Ghost Fishing New Zealand, and a group of volunteers — partnered together to remove harmful ghost nets from the sea bed as part of the Healthy Seas initiative. Once removed, the nets will be transferred to a textile yarn plant in Europe where it will be de-polymerized together with other nylon waste and recreated as Econyl regenerated nylon and woven into Prada Re-Nylon, used for the new Re-Nylon capsule collection.

Then, in the fourth edition of the series, Prada reporter Wei Daxun, a Chinese actor, traveled with National Geographic Explorer photojournalist Hannah Reyes to visit Parawin in Ganzhou City, a clothing factory. This is the first factory to recycle textile cuttings into Econyl regenerated nylon, which is then woven into Prada Re-Nylon.

Finally, the series wraps with Prada reporter Amanda Gorman, the inaugural US Youth Poet Laureate whose work celebrates community and social change, and engineer and architect Arthur Huang, a trailblazer and National Geographic Explorer who focuses on the idea of upcycling waste into new forms. Together, they journey to Slovenia, which has recently become a hub of a new regenerative and sustainable industry, with 40,000 tons of material recycled annually. It is also home of Aquafil’s production plant for Econyl, established in the city of Ljubljana. This episode shows some of the more intricate chemical recycling process of depolymerisation, used to transforming tons of collected waste into virgin quality, pioneering new Econyl yarn.

Now that’s what we call a brand new bag.

Watch the final episode of “What We Carry” below, and stay tuned for future installments.

This article was originally published June 26, 2019.

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Just a few weeks ago, Britney Spears, one of pop culture’s most iconic blondes, shocked the world by going brunette.

As is the Spears way, she showed off some new dark chocolate brown hair in a video on Instagram, writing, “Yes, my sister inspired me to go dark.”

And while she’s experimented with different shades of brown since then, Spears has now decided that, actually, the dark side wasn’t for her. On Tuesday night, Spears showed her fans that she’s back to blonde once more, posting yet another candid video on Instagram. This time, she’s wearing her signature bright-blonde hair with smoky roots.

“So maybe blondes do have more fun,” she wrote. “It’s not professional Hollywood hair and makeup… but hey it’s real.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Britney Spears (@britneyspears) on Oct 15, 2019 at 4:42pm PDT

Spears has been much more open about her hair changes in the past few months. Back in June, she posted a whole video about her own summer hair makeover, complete with new extensions and highlights, and in September, she posted her new dark brown hair. Perhaps Spears is gearing up for a second career as a beauty influencer? All we have to say is: Please keep the hair content coming, Britney.

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Welcome to Money Diaries, where we’re tackling what might be the last taboo facing modern working women: money. We’re asking millennials how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period — and we’re tracking every last dollar.

Today: a development specialist working at a nonprofit who makes $52,000 per year and spends some of her money this week on cookies.

Occupation: Development Specialist
Industry: Nonprofit
Age: 29
Location: Eastern South Dakota
Salary: $52,000 ($48,000 day job + ~$4,000 from side hustle)
Paycheck Amount (bi-weekly): $1,347 (post-tax, minus all deductions, including donations) + $200-$500 monthly from side hustle

Monthly Expenses
Mortgage: $700 (my half of mortgage, insurance, and utilities for a three-bedroom, two-bathroom house that my fiancé owns)
Student Loans: $450 (I have about $25,000 in total)
Gym: $48
Car Lease: $280
Netflix/Hulu: $24 (I pay for these, my fiancé pays for HBO)
Subscriptions: $19 every two months (Ipsy and Billie)
Health/vision/dental/HSA Contribution: $132
Car Insurance: $600 (paid twice annually)
Phone: $0 (on my family plan still — gotta give the readers something to comment on)
401(k): 4% of my salary, matched by my employer
Savings: $100 + whatever I may from my side hustle

Day One

7:25 a.m. — I wake up to the dog’s tail slapping me in the face while she tries to wake up my fiance, J. He eventually gets up to let her outside and feed her and the cat, then he comes back to bed. We both scroll through our phones for a few minutes and then fall back asleep.

9:30 a.m. — Whoops. I definitely did not mean to sleep in this late. Sundays are the only days where I don’t work at all, so I purposefully aim to be a little lazy every Sunday, but this is a bit excessive. I get up, eat some cinnamon toast with jam and black coffee for breakfast, and then J. and I head to Menards to get stain for our fence and fertilizer to prepare our lawn for winter. I pay for the supplies out of our joint account, which we both contribute to equally and covers the mortgage, utilities, groceries, and house projects like this. It comes to $27.23 for my half. $27.23

10:45 a.m. — We stain our fence while the dog sunbathes in the yard. When we’re finished, we realize we don’t have any mineral spirits to clean the brushes or sprayer we used to stain. Back in the car, this time to Fleet Farm. We manage to get out of there with only mineral spirits, which J. pays for ($10). At home, I head inside to make lunch — turkey, bacon, avocado wraps, and grapes. We eat, and then I deep clean the kitchen and both bathrooms while J. mows and fertilizes the lawn.

3:30 p.m. — J. and I take the dog to an off-leash park with trails for a run. I have always been active, but in recent years my endurance has not been what it used to be as the result of me not doing as much cardio. We’ll be going on our honeymoon next summer and I want to be in better condition for that so I can keep up on any high-altitude hikes we go on, which means I’ve recently started running more. My goal for today was to run 1.25 miles without stopping or walking, and I run 1.8! If I keep adding a quarter of a mile a week, I’ll be up to 10 miles by the time we’re on our honeymoon.

5 p.m. — After showering, we go to Walmart. With the absolute best of intentions, J. washed our pillows this weekend, but apparently our pillows were NOT meant for the washer and dryer. They are now totally lumpy and misshapen and smell like burnt rubber. We desperately need new ones. We pick out two cheap king size pillows and two nicer cooling memory foam pillows that are $49 each. This is more than I ever thought I would spend on a pillow, but as J. reminds me, this is something we have to sleep on every night. Along with some miscellaneous groceries, our total comes to $174.76. I pay and J. Venmos me for half. $87.38

6 p.m. — At home, I pay a doctor’s bill ($151.13, paid with my HSA — included in expenses above) and heat up dinner of chicken in a sundried tomato cream sauce with roast potatoes and green beans, and then we sit down to watch Isn’t It Romantic together. It’s….not a great movie.

8 np.m. — We get into bed with our new pillows (totally worth it) and watch the newest episode of The Good Place. J. falls asleep as soon as it is over, but I watch a few episodes of 30 Rock before going to sleep around 9:30.

Daily Total: $114.61

Day Two

6:30 a.m. — I finally get out of bed after cuddling with the dog for a solid 10 minutes. I do my morning skincare (Pixi Rose Cream Cleanser, Pixi Rose Tonic toner, and SPF moisturizer mixed with Clarisea Radical Rosehip Oil). My makeup routine is simple: blush, highlighter, eyeliner, and mascara. For breakfast, I drink black coffee and scramble two eggs with cheese, broccoli, peppers, and onions. I make two turkey wraps — one for me to take to work and one for J. (he comes home to eat lunch most days). I also grab a bag of grapes, and then I’m out the door and at work by 8:15 a.m.

1 p.m. — I finally get around to eating my lunch. I don’t even have that much work to do today, but one of my coworkers needed a sounding board/some advice/a vent session regarding some ongoing people problems in our office. I eat at my desk and then run to Office Depot to buy labels and flash drives we need for work ($85.12 on my company card).

4 p.m. — I’m out of work to do, so I head home. My job has definite busy and slow seasons and right now is painfully slow. I’m fortunate that (within reason) I am able to leave early on days when the workload is light. I planned to take the dog for a walk when I get home, but it looks like J. took her to work with him for the afternoon. I go to the gym instead and do a core and lower body workout followed by some time on the Stairmaster.

5:45 p.m. — Home from the gym. I eat the same dinner as last night and then shower. I get a text from my future sister-in-law inviting me to a girls’ night next week with all the cousins from one side of the family. I like my future SIL, but I’ve never spent much time with the cousins. I have pretty bad social anxiety and the thought of going makes me super nervous, but these people are going to be my family and I’d like to be closer to them, so I tell her I’d love to go.

7 p.m. — I have the urge to bake, so I make giant chocolate chip cookies, then watch an episode of Succession. We’re in bed by 8:30 and lights out by 9:30.

Daily Total: $0

Day Three

4:55 a.m. — I have to work my side hustle for a bit before work today, so I’m up extra early. I make coffee, do my skincare and makeup, eat some cinnamon toast, and head out.

7:15 a.m. — I finish up at my side hustle and head back home for a second breakfast of a scrambled egg with veggies. I quickly make lunch for myself and J., run a straightener through my hair, change into work clothes, and take off.

12 p.m. — I would have thought my TWO breakfasts would keep me full a bit longer, but here I am, tummy rumbling, eating lunch already. While I’m eating, one of coworkers, who I really love, updates me that they didn’t get the job they had recently interviewed for. I’m super bummed for them. I let them know that I’m expecting a similar call this week. A couple of weeks ago I had a second-round interview at a company, but I haven’t heard anything yet, so I’m assuming it’s a no. I love the work I do, but I’ve been really disillusioned with the leadership lately, which has made me seriously question my future here. At the same time, I have four months of paid sick leave built up, and it’s hard to walk away from that and start over knowing that a baby is in the two-year plan.

3:15 p.m. — A recruiter from a job I interviewed for last spring calls; they have another opening and want to know if I would be interested in interviewing. I take this phone call as a sign and tell her yes, I’m absolutely interested. I have to mail some things for work at the post office (this is my least favorite part of my job), so I leave for the day a little before 4. Postage is $28.50, paid on my company card. On the way I home, I stop at the grocery store to pick up green beans, potatoes, chicken, and turkey. I pay with our joint account ($7.40 for my half). At home, I cook up the green beans and potatoes. J. gets home right when they’re done, so I heat up some chicken and we eat dinner together. After dinner, we take the dog for a walk and go to Walmart (I swear we don’t usually go to Walmart this much) for pepper and nasal strips (joint account, $11.13 for my half). I also order trash bags on Amazon ($12.70). $31.23

7:45 p.m. — It’s going to be an early night. I get ready for bed and watch The Great British Baking Show before lights out at 9.

Daily Total: $31.23

Day Four

6:45 a.m. — Same old breakfast, same old routine, same old job.

12 p.m. — I eat lunch at my desk and then run home to throw some chicken in the crockpot for dinner tonight.

4:30 p.m. — Even for a slow week, today is remarkably boring. I have a gift card to World Market and they’re having a sale on wine, so I leave work and stop on the way home to pick up a bottle of merlot and a bottle of rosé ($27.79 covered by the gift card). J. had to go out of town for work today and won’t be home until late, which means it’s just me and the animals tonight. I play fetch with the dog and pick up poop in the backyard for a bit, then crack open the merlot and eat dinner.

6:30 p.m. — I wash my face with Murad clarifying cleanser, tone with The Ordinary glycolic acid, put on a sheet mask with tea tree oil and aloe vera, and follow up with The Ordinary Niacinamide and zinc serum and a salicylic acid moisturizer. I watch more of The Great British Baking Show and log in to check the status of my application for the job I interviewed for a couple weeks ago. It says my application is still being considered, but I don’t have high hopes.

Daily Total: $0

Day Five

4:30 a.m. — Another early wake up, this time to go to the gym before work for an upper body workout and some squat-run treadmill intervals. After the gym I get ready for work, eat my breakfast, make lunch for J. and myself and then leave for work.

9:45 a.m. — My brother texts asking what he should wear to my wedding (my father died when I was young, so my brother will be walking me down the aisle). We are planning a super small, super informal ceremony and dinner, so I tell him that I don’t really care as long as it’s clean and doesn’t have any holes in it. I keep referring to our wedding as “one step up from a courthouse wedding” and telling people the theme is practical. Money was definitely a factor in our decision to have a low-key affair, but even more so we were motivated by the fact that we’re both introverts who dislike being the center of attention. We’re fortunate to have family who lives on acreage, saving us a ton of money on a venue. By keeping the wedding simple and the guest list small (~45), we should be able to keep the total price under $1,000-$1,500. My mother generously gave us $500 to help, and we’ll cover the rest ourselves.

12 p.m. — Lunch at my desk, the same turkey wrap and grapes I’ve been eating all week. I also finally return the call from my dentist and set up an appointment for next week.

4:15 p.m. — Done for the day. Yesterday, it was 70 degrees and sunny. Today, it is 37 and raining. 🙁 I have to work my side hustle until late tonight, so I stop on the way home and pick up a snack (Clif Bar and a hot chocolate) ($3.08). I snuggle with the cat and dog for a bit before changing and then going to my second job. $3.08

8:45 p.m. — Home from work and debating the merits of a cheese quesadilla vs. a chocolate chip cookie for dinner. In the end, I choose both. After my super nutritious dinner, I do my nighttime skincare routine and watch a few episodes of 30 Rock in bed before going to sleep.

Daily Total: $3.08

Day Six

6:45 a.m. — Wake up and do my normal routine. We’re out of eggs, cinnamon toast, and ingredients for wraps (thankfully tomorrow is grocery day). Looks like I’ll be buying breakfast and lunch today. On the way to work, I stop at my absolute favorite bagel spot and get a cinnamon sugar bagel with pumpkin cream cheese. $2.50

11 a.m. — J. texts to see if I want to go to the new taco buffet for lunch at 11:30. I’m still pretty full from my bagel, and think 11:30 is entirely too early for lunch (especially at a buffet!), but I tell him yes anyway. We take turns paying for dates, and this time J. pays. I make more than J. does, but not a lot more, so ever since we moved in together two years ago, we’ve found splitting bills and groceries 50/50 and taking turns paying for dates is the best arrangement. We have some time to kill before J. has to go back to work, so we wander around Scheels. Amazingly, neither of us buy anything. The recruiter from the job I had applied for a few months back calls me again to schedule an interview for next week. This position is with a great company with a lot of room for growth and new opportunities.

4:30 p.m. — I leave work and drive home in the snow. It’s way too early for this.

6 p.m. — It may be 30 degrees and snowing, but it’s never too cold for Dairy Queen. We haven’t had dinner yet, so in addition to mini blizzards, I get a cheeseburger and J. gets cheese curds. I pay ($16.30). Back at home we snuggle on the couch and watch Between Two Ferns: The Movie. $16.30

8:30 p.m. — We watch the latest episode of The Good Place in bed and then read until lights out around 10.

Daily Total: $18.80

Day Seven

7:45 a.m. — I wake up and lay in bed reading the news for a while before I actually get up. I get ready for work at my side hustle. On the way to work, I grab a Lenny & Larry’s Complete Cookie since we’re still out of breakfast food at home. $2.44

11:15 a.m. — Home! It feels really good to be done with work for the weekend. I eat chicken and veggies for lunch and then go grocery shopping with J. We get ingredients for omelettes, bbq chicken salad, and Greek meatball pitas, plus granola, strawberries, veggies and dip, soda and energy drink for J., crockpot liners, and almond milk. The total is $114.94, paid for out of our joint account. $57.47

1 p.m. — J. helps put the groceries away and then I cut up veggies and cook breakfast sausage for J. to use in omelettes this week. I also put some chicken in the crockpot with bbq sauce and beer to shred for salads, and then do my weekly deep clean of the kitchen and living room while listening to The Good Place: The Podcast (I’m obsessed with this show). There are a lot of things about our relationship that are non-traditional, but the way we split household duties isn’t one of them. I do all the cooking, meal planning, and deep cleaning, and J. takes care of the yard, takes out the trash, and shovels snow. We both do dishes and laundry.

4:45 p.m. — J. interrupts my time on the couch with popcorn and Netflix to suggest we go get a beer. We pack up the pup and head to a dog-friendly bar downtown. We’ve only taken our dog to a restaurant one other time, so I’m a little nervous about how she will behave, but she is actually an angel. We each start off with a beer, and even though we didn’t plan to eat, the flatbreads look irresistible at only $9. We order one to share and J. gets another beer. The total comes to $32.50 with tip, and I pay. $32.50

6:30 p.m. — At home, I take the chicken out of the crockpot, shred it, and mix it with bbq sauce for our salads this week. I make a bbq ranch dressing as well. (You didn’t really think you were going to make it through a Midwest diary without a single ranch dressing mention, did you?) J. and I spend the rest of the night on the couch watching Late Night (I adore Mindy Kaling).

8:30 p.m. — It’s before 9 on a Saturday night and we’re in bed watching a documentary about Idaho (which might be the most introverted sentence I’ve ever written). Lights out at 9:30.

Daily Total: $92.41

Money Diaries are meant to reflect individual women’s experiences and do not necessarily reflect Refinery29’s point of view. Refinery29 in no way encourages illegal activity or harmful behavior.

The first step to getting your financial life in order is tracking what you spend — to try on your own, check out our guide to managing your money every day. For more money diaries, click here.

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