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By the wonderful Grace Farris.
P.S. Staying-in tops and pandemic hair.
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Love this illustration, although I’ve found a lot of Quarantine memes talking about not wearing a bra – and I’m really curious as to how many women are actually wearing bras that are so uncomfortable that they would rather not wear them?!
But i’m definitely in (and in my bra) for the Willie Nelson braids!
Thank you Grace Farris! It is going to be difficult to return to the office not only because I’ve enjoyed leisurely mornings with coffee on the back patio while tiptoeing into the workday, the relative absence of nonsense emails that take up so much time at the office, and because time has felt like my OWN in a way I haven’t experienced since graduate school, but also for the days, weeks, and months of going braless! I don’t even know where my bras are at this point!? They’ve vanished somewhere in my house. Clearly they are “non-essential” at this point…
My favorite part has been my very recent realization that I DETEST home workouts. So I’m just not doing them. I’ll do yoga, I’ll go for walks, runs, whatever, but I REFUSE to do one more workout with a million reps, dripping sweat all over my carpet, trying not to pound too hard so the downstairs neighbors won’t get mad. If I gain a lil weight, so be it!
I’ve been paranoid about my fitness for the last year, since I got engaged and started “prepping” my body for the wedding. Part of that was really great, I got very muscular and learned a lot about myself, but I’m relieved that I no longer feel like a failure if I’m not in the gym 6+ hours every week. I can be just as happy with a higher body fat percentage.
I don’t need masks or makeup to hide blemishes – without wearing makeup everyday my skin has been nearly spot-free. It’s been a personal perk of quarantine for me.
OMG, those braids were my uniform in college until a crush told me I looked like Willie Nelson, haha.
One perk that I am loving: light traffic. At times, practically no traffic! So wonderful! The sun seems brighter without all of the smog. Everything is quieter. Commute time reduced. I hope when this is all over, there is a more permanent move toward WFH, at least 3 or 4 days a week.
So much comfort food! Another worry for my health! Ugh.
Dear Cup of Jo….as much as I think Willie Nelson is a great guy, please do NOT call the braids that way. The two thin braids look is a hairstyle that has been worn for many years by Andean women and it has special significance (married women wear two braids, single women wear one). More seriously, andean women often resort to ditching the braids and their beautiful traditional outfits in the city to seem more “modern” (and to avoid discrimination). https://llilasbensonmagazine.org/2017/08/28/making-beauty-the-wearing-of-polleras-in-the-andean-altiplano/ While two braids is a lovely and practical way to style long hair, at least recognize their long history.
I really don’t wish to sound rude and English is not my first language, si forgive me if this comes across wrong somehow, but two thin braids with the hair separated in the middle are, as a quick research has confirmed, traditionally typical for girls and unmarried women in many, many cultures, including Switzerland, Austria, Tyrol and Germany, where I am from. Everybody I know has pictures of their grandmothers as young women with exactly these braids. As I said, I didn’t want to say anything wrong and did a quick google and wikipedia search and in many cultures, going from two to one braid is a rite of passage into adulthood, apparently. So I sincerely am convinced that this is not a disservice to Andean women. It was interesting to learn about braids around the world though, so there is that.
It’s a very old Russian tradition for married women to wear one braid and unmarried women to wear two, too! The two braids were normally wrapped around the head. I mean of course to comment that braiding is by no means culturally specific to the Peruvian Andes. As far as I know the oldest artifacts depicting hair braiding come from what is now Europe.
Interesting comments. The point is, seeing that two braids is a traditional hairstyle with a long history, and with different meanings associated with length, decorations, styling, etc, I think it is wrong to name them after a white man (nothing against Willie Nelson himself, though).
Perk #4: Not having to herd three kids out the door most mornings! Life is pretty chill these days in that sense, at least.
HA! I thought I was the only one doing Willie Nelson braids!
If so many of us enjoy them in secret, how did we decide that they weren’t appropriate for daily life BCV? Clearly that’s part of society that needs to change!
Yes! I’ve been wearing braids most days and wonder, why does this have to be only for children? It is so pretty, so practical, so easy!
I’ve always considered braids as the de facto hairdo for women (with long hair at least) who care for children or do any kind of manual labor. Hair down just gets in the way otherwise. I wear them a lot – childcare, yoga, doula work, gardening, hiking and just general ease of life. As much as I love Willie Nelson though, I think of them as Ina May Gaskin braids.
I’m rediscovering so many great chip flavors like sour cream and onion Pringles. BBQ Kettle chips are also amazing and disappear within 48 hours.
Haha, did the comfort food thing the first week or two but otherwise can’t relate.
Just braided my hair into pigtails for the first time in a decade. Thanks!
Love this! Willie Nelson Braids team here!!
I’ve had my hair in a pixie cut or a bob for the last seven years and just got it to my shoulders for the first time in forever, so I’m VERY EXCITED about the braids. Braids for days.
Imagine what would happen if we were allowed to be comfortable in our bodies as much as we wanted, even when other people were around. Maybe this is the start of that world, where women don’t have to perform as much.
I so totally agree!!! Not shaving, not wearing makeup, enjoying my body in whatever clothes feel comfortable seems like a good way to live.
I put curl cream and texture spray in my hair yesterday for the first time in two months and my loving husband told me in bed that night that he missed my smell and hated the fake way my hair smelled. He loves me without the daily fuss and so do my kids. Why do I feel like the rest of the world treats me so differently with or without makeup? It’s almost like I don’t feel as visible in public unless I’m made up. Makes me really think hard about what I do to please others!
This hits too close to home- currently braless with super hot Willie Nelson braids. Did I mention that I ate brownies out of the pan for breakfast?!?
You are doing quarantine RIGHT, Amanda!
Haha! Yes, “comfort food bonanza” has been my go-to perk!
I must say, I love that no one can see my breakouts (even if some of them do seem to be mask induced).
In for the Willie Nelson braids!
Now I’m questioning cutting my hair. I could really go for some Willie braids right about now.
I would also add:
Quality time with my pets
MUCH shorter commute ;)
More time to try new recipes
But oh how I long to hug my friends again…
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