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On Tuesday, Oscar-nominated actress Chloë Sevigny revealed that she married Siniša Mačković, the father of her son and art dealer, in a secret ceremony at City Hall in New York City last year. “Married on a Monday. March 9th 2020. Happy one year anniversary my love,” she wrote on Instagram. Alongside the news, Sevigny included the couple’s wedding photo, which shows the then-mom-to-be with a ring on her finger, her arm up on Mačković’s shoulder. For the occasion, Sevigny being Sevigny, didn’t wear a big, white, poofy dress. In fact, she didn’t wear white at all. Rather, the bride wore black. 

Sevigny never does the expected thing, especially when it comes to fashion — she’s been one of New York’s coolest (and most daring) dressers for more than 20 years — so we should have known that her wedding garb would follow suit. The We Are Who We Are star wore a black, long-sleeved, midi-length bodycon dress with matching tights and ankle boots. Her look wasn’t entirely non-traditional, though. She did carry a bouquet of white flowers and accessorized with a white, lace veil. Perhaps it was her “something borrowed.” 

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A post shared by Chloë Sevigny (@chloessevigny)

Keeping with the theme, Mačković, too, wore black — a suit that he paired with a white button-down shirt (sans tie) and platform Mary-Janes, a big footwear trend last year. 

Since the ‘90s, when Sevigny was spotted by an editor at Sassy Magazine, she has touched just about every corner of the fashion industry, from styling and writing her own column in Elle UK to designing collections with Opening Ceremony and Imitation of Christ. Most recently, Sevigny, who’s appeared in runway shows for Miu Miu and Louis Vuitton, walked in Simone Rocha’s fall ‘19 show. But even with all that experience, it’s always been Sevigny’s unique personal style — whether she’s wearing straight-off-the-runway Gucci as maternity wear or a giant bow in her hair to the Oscars after-party — that stands out most. Her non-traditional wedding look is further proof of that. 

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The House of Representatives has just passed the Biden administration’s $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill, meaning that all that’s needed for the American Rescue Plan to go into effect is landing on the president’s desk for signing. The bill will include a $1,400 direct payment to qualifying households, and parents could receive thousands of more dollars in 2021 as part of an expansion of the child tax credit. It will also provide $300/week of extra federal unemployment lasting until September 6, and, importantly, the first $10,200 of received unemployment benefits are tax exempt, which is estimated to save the average American up to $1,020 in taxes. The amount of the earned-income tax credit, one of the most important and helpful tax credits for low- to moderate-income households, has been temporarily increased as well.

How big could the impact of these measures be? Huge, according to a new Urban Institute analysis out today, which found that it could reduce the U.S. poverty rate by a third in 2021, from 13.7% to 8.7%. It arrived at this new estimate based on four provisions of the stimulus bill: extended unemployment benefits, SNAP benefits (also commonly referred to as food stamps), the $1,400 direct payments, and the child tax credit. It’s possible that other parts of the bill could have additional impact on the poverty rate, but the report doesn’t include them in its projection. It says that “the four policies are projected to provide US families with an additional $502 billion in net resources, or an average of about $3,700 per family.”

In February, the Urban Institute released a projection of what the poverty rate would be as things stood then, without another COVID relief bill coming. It projected that the overall U.S. poverty rate would be 13.7%, and the disaggregated rates were 18.1% for Black Americans, 21.9% for Latinx Americans, and 9.6% for white Americans. 

Now, with the American Rescue Plan, the poverty rate is expected to fall to 10.5% for Black people, 13.3% for Latinx people, and 6.4% for white people. That’s a reduction of 42%, 39%, and 34% respectively.

Some of the four policies will have a bigger impact than others. The three-month extension of beefed-up SNAP benefits will likely have the smallest effect, while the direct stimulus payment is expected to have the largest reduction in poverty. On its own, the direct payments are projected to reduce the poverty rate to 10.2%. Just imagine what might happen if the checks were bigger.

The bill will also have an outsize impact on the lowest-income Americans. Not only does the poverty rate look different between Black, Latinx, and white people overall, but the distribution of the degree of poverty varies within these groups too. About 5.1% of Black Americans were projected to experience what’s known as “deep poverty” in 2021, or in other words, having resources less than half of the poverty level. About 5.6% of Latinx Americans were expected to be in deep poverty, as well as about 3.6% of white Americans.

With the American Rescue Plan in effect, the analysis found deep poverty to go down to 3.2% for Black and Latinx people, and 2.5% for white people. Combined, it would mean that the number of people experiencing deep poverty would decrease by a little over one-third — that’s significant. In contrast, the bill would reduce the number of low-income households (for this analysis, that’s people who are below 200% of the poverty threshold) by about 15%.

These are the facts of what the American Rescue Plan could do: 16 million people who, at least by the standards of the SPM poverty threshold, are no longer experiencing poverty. It is by no means a perfect bill, but it’s an indicator of how far a single $1,400 cash infusion could go — and yet not a single Republican senator voted for the American Rescue Plan last week, and earlier today we saw House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer correctly predicting “zero Republicans to vote for this bill” in the House.

It’s also important to remember that these numbers are only a projection for 2021. Many provisions of the American Rescue Plan are designed to expire. While Democrats have said that they would like the increased child tax credit to become permanent, the stimulus payment is intended to be a one-time deal, and the extra federal unemployment benefits will also expire by September 2021. Originally, a $15 minimum wage hike was included in this bill, but it has since been removed. This rescue plan is temporary relief, not a cure. The question is, what happens after? Does Congress say, “That’s enough poverty reduction for today I think,” and move on?

It seems clear that poverty in America could be eradicated if we really put our hearts — and tax dollars — into it; that so many people in our country suffer in poverty is a deliberate political choice, and a thoroughly heartless one.

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In his seventh week in office, President Joe Biden is expected to sign the American Rescue Plan Act into effect on Wednesday. The massive piece of legislation will provide direct payments to Americans, extend jobless benefits, and offer financial relief to state and local governments, among a number of other initiatives aimed at boosting the economy and inspiring hope as the U.S. stays on course to move past the coronavirus pandemic.

While many headlines focus on the question at the forefront of everyone’s minds — when stimulus checks will arrive — there are many other important developments in this $1.9 trillion plan that are worth highlighting. Namely, this relief package dedicates considerable funding for an ambitious anti-poverty program and significant benefits for low-income people. 

“It’s a remarkable, historic, transformative piece of legislation which goes a very long way to crushing the virus and solving our economic crisis,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Tuesday. 

Many Republican politicians have attacked the measure as wasteful and excessive; however, most people in the U.S. don’t seem to share their sentiments. A Pew Research Center poll released Tuesday found that 70% of Americans support the relief package.

On Thursday, Biden is scheduled to showcase the bill during a primetime TV address that will also mark one year since the coronavirus prompted nationwide shutdowns. As stimulus checks arrive in the mail, we outlined just a few of the other elements of the COVID relief package.

Funding to help schools reopen

Focusing efforts on getting schools to reopen — including implementing models of social distancing measures, hybrid programs, and prioritizing vaccines for educators — has been near the top of the list of talking points for politicians during the pandemic. Getting students back to in-person classes has been a primary concern for both political parties.

Within the American Rescue Plan, there is $128 billion allotted in grants to state educational agencies, reports NPR, with 90% of it allocated to local education agencies. Another $39 billion in grants has been earmarked for higher education institutions. Nearly $15 billion of the relief funds will be given to the Child Care & Development Block Grant program with the aim of supporting childcare facilities, and a special focus on high-need areas.

A more generous child tax-relief credit

For 2021, the relief bill will temporarily expand the child tax credit. Currently, it is worth up to $2,000 per child under the age of 17. But under this new legislation, the tax credit will be as much as $3,600 for children up to five and $3,000 for children aged six to 17.

The bill would also make the full value of the credit available to low-income people who, currently, are ineligible or receive only a portion of the tax credit. In the second half of this year, this measure will require the federal government to send the credit in the form of an advance payment in periodic installments. It is essentially a guaranteed supplemental income for families with children.

A financial boost for the Affordable Care Act

For those purchasing health insurance through the Affordable Care Act’s marketplace, the bill will temporarily increase subsidies, which means lower monthly premiums and possibly lower copays. This will also help people who have lost jobs keep the health insurance they had through their previous employer by covering the full cost of premiums through a federal program called COBRA. Currently, this program is set to go through in September.

Funding for back rent and rent assistance

Approximately $20 billion will go to state and local governments to help low-income households cover the cost of housing, including back rent, rent assistance, and utility bills. According to CNN, $10 billion would be allotted to help struggling homeowners pay their mortgages, utilities, and property taxes. $5 billion is for assisting those at risk of homelessness. The remaining $5 billion is set aside for emergency housing vouchers for those who are already homeless.

A step toward student loan forgiveness

The idea of forgiving individual student loan debt anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000 has progressively become a more mainstream concept. While it was not included in this bill, there is a very important provision tucked away in the lengthy stimulus package that increases the pressure on Biden to address the student debt crisis by removing one of its most discussed hurdles. The provision states that anyone whose student loans are discharged through 2025 will not face tax consequences, reports Vox.

Typically, debt cancellation is considered taxable income meaning that if all of a sudden, $50,000 of an individual’s student loans were forgiven, it would come up on their taxes as if they earned an additional $50,000 that year. With this commonly argued point out of the way, it appears as though the path is being paved for more progress on student loan forgiveness.

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Maybe it's the Queen's Gambit effect or the long-awaited segue into picnic season, but we've seen the checkerboard print popping up in fashion trend reports like never before.

Like preppy gingham's cooler sister (and maybe a second cousin to plaid), the squared checkerboard print is a little edgier, hearkening back to the Vans you wore in the early '00s. Plus, it takes on a racing-flag sporty kind of vibe when styled into the current accessory de jour: a manicure.

Heading into pre-spring, we've noticed so many nail artists have pulled inspiration from the checkerboard print. Whether it's classic black and white or a bright and springy colorway, scroll through to see our favorite takes on the trend.

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With nearly 900,000 followers, Majid Padellan (known as @mmpadellan, Brooklyn Dad Defiant, or just Brooklyn Dad) is one of Twitter’s most vocal supporters of Joe Biden. It comes with some confusion, though, as the account prides itself on being a whistleblower and steadfast liberal. But during the past election cycle, Padellan received backlash from leftists for, among other things, urging Bernie Sanders to drop out of the presidential race and discrediting Tara Reade‘s allegations of sexual assault. Now, he’s facing renewed backlash amid revelations that he accepted tens of thousands in donations from a Democratic PAC.

On Tuesday, several tweets began circulating with evidence that Really American, a pro-Biden PAC, paid Brooklyn Dad nearly $60,000 in 2020. In his bio, he says that he works for the PAC as a “senior advisor,” but many users began arguing that major Democratic donors are paying him to espouse certain opinions and theories with his large following.

Behold, the receipts:

Brooklyn Dad being a paid Dem op is pretty unsurprising, it absolutely does pay to have/promote shitty political opinions in America. pic.twitter.com/ByYZFYXaq9

— Polyamorous Tantric Sex Guru (@BethLynch2020) March 9, 2021

There’s a difference between acknowledging you’re a senior advisor to a PAC and disclosing that you’re being 💡paid to influence American voters on social media. Every tweet & the profile should include a *Paid Advertisement disclaimer.

— SƙყɛɖῳɛƖƖɛʀ (@Pamacious) March 10, 2021

There are also the inevitable jokes about Brooklyn Dad getting paid to tweet comments on the Bidens’ sex life and strange critiques of Phoebe Bridgers’ recent SNL performance. He was also mocked for likening Dr. Jill Biden to a “mommy.”

Brooklyn Dad Defiant being a paid Democratic operative is awesome. someone was like “here’s $50k, you need to make a post about how you’re absolutely terrified of Phoebe Bridgers and the news”

— Ape’s Delight (@ByYourLogic) March 9, 2021

Finding out Brooklyn Dad has been getting paid 6 figures to bash on Bernie and tweet about his wife calling Jill Biden “mommy” absolutely ruined my day while not surprising me in the least

— Lauren McKenzie (@TheMcKenziest) March 9, 2021

Since Biden took office, Padellan has continuously tweeted out his support for the new administration and defended the president from criticism surrounding the rollout of stimulus checks, the fact that he hasn’t yet held a solo press conference, and more.

Some don’t think this is at all controversial news: public figures and influencers are often paid to share certain content on social media, and Brooklyn Dad’s supporters argue that his job with Really American is no different. “Am I the only one who doesn’t give a shit if Brooklyn Dad (and all the others on both sides of the fence) get paid to share their opinions?” one user wrote. “Isn’t that the goal of all influencers?” 

However, influencers typically disclose when they’re getting paid to promote a product or service. According to his website, Padellan’s account was born of a “passion for sharing his thoughts and knowledge, and for truth-talking whilst rebuking nay-sayers, about the U.S. political climate and its key and corrupt figures.” No matter what, exactly, Brooklyn Dad is being paid to do, critics argue that his lack of transparency calls this aim into question.

The controversy’s grimmest implication, of course, relates to Brooklyn Dad’s most questionable tweets: his criticisms of Reade, and his since-deleted suggestions that Governor Andrew Cuomo, who has been accused of sexual harassment, might be the victim of a smear campaign.

Although Padellan often rightfully calls out Donald Trump and the GOP for their abusive policies and personal behavior, he’s been criticized for failing to hold other Democrats accountable for the same things. Brooklyn Dad hasn’t directly responded to the backlash, but he has retweeted several posts defending his right to be compensated for his work. Refinery29 has reached out to Padellan for comment. 

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I don’t know if you noticed, but I took down the travel category on my main menu last year.

Man do I miss travel. I miss the flights, the food, the smells of checking in to a clean hotel and I even miss the bustling cities filled with traffic and bumping in to strangers. I miss the inspiration I drew from my trips and the days I would lost inside a temple, a park or a conversation with a local.

It just pained me to even think about travel during 2020. So, I simply reconfigured our lives by taking the topic completely off the table. To give you frame of reference, prior to the pandemic we would travel 2-3 times per month on average. I understand this is insane for most people, but it was very much a part of our job, our lives and our way of living.

Yesterday I spoke with one of my favorite travel PR firms, Laura Davidson, about the landscape of luxury travel in particular. I took a poll on Instagram and 88% of my followers said they would love to hear my thoughts the topic.

So, here are a few key take aways from our discussion.

Please note that this post is not intended in any way to strike up a debate about whether or not it is considered “safe” to be traveling during 2021. I am not saying that you should or should not be traveling. This is simply a forecasting post for when and if you choose to take a trip in 2021, what trends I’m thinking are on the horizon.  If this post feel triggering to you at all, I invite you to not read it.

Optics Count

The reality is that people have been traveling a lot sooner than they are sharing on their Facebook, Instagram and other social media channels. I have a lot of friends and people in my life who have been secretly taking trips and not posting about them. From an optics perspective, as influencers start to travel in 2021, I think they need to be very cautious and careful about how and when they are sharing these trips. People will make mistakes, they’re only human, but in the defense of a lot of social media influencers and bloggers, this is a huge part of how we make an income. I would suggest not entirely flashing your trip in the face of your readers. Sensitivity is key. I also think that sharing how different the experience is now, versus a year ago, will be interesting for many people to see as they are considering trips.

The majority of the world is still not in a position to be traveling. I would also suggest giving your community the option to subscribe or unsubscribe to your travels this year. Seeing a photo of someone on a beach can be very triggering for a lot of people right now. But as the world starts to slowly reopen, I do believe that influencers will begin to travel as early as this spring. That might feel a little too soon to their “followers”. But I can also confidently say that “influencers” are usually a few months ahead of most trends. So while you might not feel 100% ready to take a trip, you might start to think about it in the summer or fall. Travel is coming back – it just might not look the same.

 

Hotels vs. Home Rentals

I personally feel like people are going to want to stay in hotels {nice ones}. 2021 feels like it will be the year of revenge travel where people say “screw it, I deserve a hotel with room service and house keeping.” We’ve all been cooped up in a house for the past year {and then some}, so I can definitely see a return of the hotel economy. With that said, for people traveling with children and for those who are still struggling with Covid PTSD, the home rental option is a very safe and more accessible route.

Closer Destinations

For east coasters, I expect more Bahamas and BVI’s and for west coasters, I could see more trips to Cabo and Hawaii happening in 2021. In a nutshell, I think travel seekers will be sticking to designations a bit closer to home that require either an easy drive OR one non-stop flight.

Filling Your Cup

It’s interesting: At the beginning of the pandemic I thought to myself that once the world started to put its pieces back together that I would immediately begin planning all of my great bucket list trips. Japan, India and Fiji were all places on my list that I thought about. But now as we slowly step our way out of the pandemic, the kind of trip that I’m really craving includes a glass of wine and bowl of pasta {Italy} or a warm beach {Mexico}. I’ve been really day dreaming about destinations that I have already traveled to, which feels strange. However when I spoke with the Laura Davidson team and my fellow friends, they all said they felt the same way.

I believe that a lot of travelers will go back to a destination that feels familiar to them. I think it’s because there’s a sense of security in knowing where you are going, the hotel you will stay at and what that vacation feels like. It’s less of a gamble and risk of trying a new place that might not necessarily check all of the boxes that you are craving after a year of hell. You know what you are in for, and you deserve it.

Healing Experiences

Last but definitely not least, I think that our travel experiences will be redefined by offering more of a self healing approach to activities and less thrill seeking day-to-day adventures. For example, I don’t know about you, but I am not really in the mood to go on a crazy rock climbing, bungee jumping trip right now. I am desperately craving a mind, body and soul heal from the PTSD that has occurred from Covid. We all need to nourish ourselves right now and I think an amazing way to do so, if you are able and feel comfortable, is through travel. I think we can expect to see more healing experiences such as morning meditation, beach yoga, painting classes or a cooking class. I think that travelers will be looking for experiences that they can take back home with them, to extend the life and feeling from a trip.

Travel allows us time in our lives to hold space for ourselves. It’s a pause. It’s inspiring. It’s uplifting. And It’s down right fun! To me, travel reinvigorates the soul and I don’t know about you, but I am very eager and excited to get back on the map.

Will you be planning any trips this year? Share where you are thinking of going in the comments below! Or if you have traveled recently, please share your insight about that experience below. 

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