Your New Life Starts, NOW.

Your New Life Starts, NOW – Go(o)d Mornings with CurlyNikki

Go(o)d Morning, beautiful!

Take a while to listen to today’s 5-minute-long check-in and reset from “Go(o)d Mornings with CurlyNikki”!

nikki@curlynikki.com

If you want to help me out, please subscribe, review and share with someone that needs it! Let’s start a new morning routine, a dope self-care ritual, together, TODAY, and everyday weekday morning at 7am ET!

With you in and AS Love,
@curlynikki

**10% of revenue generated from this podcast will be donated to “Showering Love” a non-profit organization that restores good mornings, dignity, hope, and health to people experiencing homelessness by providing showers and other supportive services.

Welcome to Refinery29’s Travel Diaries, a place where we find out the how, the why, and the where people are exploring now that the world is opening up again. In their answers to 29 questions, diarists will reveal their unique — and often a little offbeat — travel habits, stories, and hacks, from their bucket list destinations to their must-have road trip munchies to the wildest thing that ever happened to them while on a vacation. Buckle up, because we’re inviting you along for the ride.

Today, Real Housewife Kathy Hilton tells us about her love of the eggs she can only get on airplanes, must-have skincare products for flights, and where to eat the best meal in Rome.

Name: Kathy Hilton
Age: 62
Occupation: Television personality and philanthropist
Home: Beverly Hills, California
Handle: @kathyhilton

Plane, train, or automobile? I prefer to ride on a plane. I love the hum of the plane, I feel unreachable, and — funny enough — I love airplane food. (Breakfast eggs on a flight are better than any restaurant eggs I have had.)

Beach or mountains? Beach. I am a Pisces; nothing makes me happier than being on water.

What’s your biggest vacation splurge? If it is an option, my favorite splurge is a day out on a boat.

What’s your minibar weakness? Peanut M&Ms and a Coca-Cola.

What is the first big trip you ever took? Europe! Our first stop was London.

Tell us about your best travel experience. Spending Christmas in Maui at the Four Seasons Hotel is my favorite vacation experience. Since the children were little, we would go during the Christmas holiday. I love the smell of the Christmas tree there! We would put little Christmas trees in the rooms for the children and make stockings to give them at the restaurant, Spago, on the first night. The children loved going to the water slides at the Grand Wailea. I can’t wait to continue the tradition with my grandkids.

Tell us about your worst travel experience. Recently, on my way back to L.A. after a trip to Europe, we found out at the airport that a COVID test was required in order to get on the flight to the U.S., and it could not be a quick rapid test. We had been told that our vaccination cards would be enough! There were around 50 people in the same boat as us, all surprised that the COVID test was required. It was a nightmare being at the airport for six hours, but the silver lining was that we had one more magical night in Paris!

What is your favorite place to visit? London. I love it there! The people are so friendly, they have the nicest taxi drivers in the world. The shopping in London is fabulous, and my all-time favorite hotel, Claridges Hotel, is also there. One of my favorite restaurants to visit when I’m in London is Harry’s Bar.

What is your go-to traveling outfit? Juicy sweats, a T-shirt, and All-Bird sneakers. They’re comfy and good for the environment! I also take my Max Mara teddy coat, which doubles as my blanket.

Do you arrive at the airport three hours early? Or 30 minutes before boarding? If it were up to me, I would be there 5 minutes before, but my husband is a stickler, and he would get there 3.5 hours before.

What are your favorite traveling snacks? Potato chips, pretzels, and an airport hotdog.

What’s your favorite part about staying in a hotel? The comfy beds, robes, and hotel slippers.

Where do you want to go next? Back to London.

Where would you travel if it were the end of the world? I would go to New York to see my grandchildren, daughter, and son-in-law. Also, I’m a born-and-raised New Yorker, and I think it’s the most magical city in America.

What’s your most frequent trip? San Francisco! Some of my best friends live there, and we love to visit the Opera and the ballet. There is an annual San Francisco Antique Show that I really enjoy as well! Whenever I am in San Francisco, I never miss going to the Fisherman’s Wharf.

What’s your packing style? Definitely over-packing. I usually start packing three or four days before leaving for a trip, and I make sure I have shoes for each outfit, enough comfy things, and that my valuables are packed in my carry-on. Any designer purses, shoes, or bags that I absolutely love and feel are irreplaceable are on the plane with me.

What was your last trip? Europe. We went to Italy, the South of France, and Paris.

What’s your next trip? London, as soon as it is open and we are able to travel safely.

What’s your best travel hack? I bring my pillows and eye mask on the plane with me. I use my Barbara Sturm face cream on the plane, take vitamin C, and hydrate with my favorite moisturizer, Super by U Beauty. I like to have my La Mer spray mist as well if I am feeling dry.

What’s better: solo trips or traveling in groups? We just did a big trip with friends, and it was so much fun, but I do love to be on trips with just my husband and family, too.

What’s a touristy spot that’s actually worth it? Las Vegas has the best restaurants, spas, shows, and shopping. It’s like a playground for adults! I love a Wheel of Fortune slot machine — my daughter Nicky introduced me.

Window, middle, or aisle? Window seat. I like to be tucked in on a flight.

Hotels: splurge or save? Splurge — I like to stay in a nice hotel.

What’s your go-to airplane drink? I make sure to drink as much water as I can.

Domestic or international travel? International travel. Walking into the international terminal with all the duty-free shops is exciting. I personally think long distance flights allow you to catch up on sleep and get work done. I set up an office on those flights!

What’s the best meal you’ve ever eaten while traveling? Lumen Garden in Rome at the St. Regis! The atmosphere is amazing, and you are right in the middle of Italy, eating the best cheeses and wine.

Podcast, audiobook, or playlist? I don’t even know what any of those are… I have heard of them, but wouldn’t know how to do it.

What’s your favorite airplane movie? I am not big on movies, but I usually will watch old Disney children classics like Cinderella.

What’s at the top of your bucket list? Going to a European Christmas market because I collect ornaments and Christmas is my favorite. I am obsessed with Christmas, it is the most fun time of year. I have heard the markets in Germany are amazing!

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Almost 30 years ago, in 1995, two researchers from the University of Mississippi were granted a patent for “the use of turmeric for wound healing.” At that time, turmeric was not known in the U.S. for being a wellness “super-ingredient”; the age of golden oat milk lattes had not yet risen. But, of course, turmeric had been a staple in South Asian countries for centuries, as both a cooking spice and a healing agent. And so India’s Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) challenged the patent, on the grounds that the researchers were attempting to personally capitalize off  traditional cultural knowledge, and therefore didn’t fulfill the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s requirement for novelty or inventiveness. The year-long legal battle cost the CSIR $15,000, but they won, and the patent was revoked in 1997.

This isn’t just about turmeric, though, nor is this type of cultural property theft limited to international appropriation. Thirteen years after becoming a state, New Mexico adopted a new state flag; a simple, impactful design, the flag features a crimson red sun symbol centered on a golden-yellow background. The symbol, though, belonged to the Zia, an Indigenous tribe of the region. Long used by a small sect within the Zia as part of their religious healing practices, the sun symbol was never intended to be distributed widely, even within the Zia’s own community. In fact, it only became more widely known after a piece of pottery featuring the sun symbol was stolen from the Zia and later displayed at a museum, where it inspired the state flag’s design. 

The Zia’s continued fight to protect this sacred symbol has been long and complex; since it has been treated as part of the public domain for so long, the legal options have been limited. In the late-1990s, after decades of New Mexico’s desecration of its sign, the Zia Pueblo asked the state to pay it around $74 million in reimbursement for using the symbol without permission. New Mexico didn’t pay, but The New York Times reported in 2000 that the Pueblo hadn’t expected the state to. The Zia had hoped that their request for reimbursement would put pressure on the state and raise awareness around the issue of Indigenous intellectual property protections — and it has, but the solutions put in place have been imperfect. 

The Times notes that not long after the Zia asked New Mexico for reimbursement, the federal Patent and Trademark Office released a statement acknowledging the issues around protecting Native American insignia. It also created an insignia database to help protect these cultural expressions. But Frank Ettawageshik, the executive director of the United Tribes of Michigan, says databases like this aren’t a viable solution for many Indigenous communities when it comes to protecting their heritage. “Most of that knowledge we can’t put in that database, because it’s secret and sacred,” Ettawageshik says. In fact, it’s possible that the Zia Pueblo would have been unable to put the sun symbol into the USPTO database, but it still deserved to be protected. 

This highlights the fundamental tension between how many native or Indigenous cultures view their own traditional knowledge, genetic resources, and cultural expressions, and how non-Indigenous legal systems treat such resources. “Under the conventional intellectual property system, traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions are generally regarded as being in the public domain, and thus free for anyone to use. Indigenous peoples, local communities, and many countries reject this so-called ‘public domain’ status, arguing that being considered as such opens the door to unwanted misappropriation or misuse,” explains Anna Sinkevich, an Indigenous Fellow at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). 

“The largely oral nature of transmission of these traditional forms of creativity and innovation from one generation to the next adds an additional layer of complexity,” Sinkevich adds. The lack of a written record can make communities that benefit from traditional knowledge more vulnerable to theft or exploitation.

The way the U.S. and many other legal systems view ownership is another point of friction. “In non-Indigenous thought, intellectual knowledge is considered an invention of the human mind. If the human mind gets this beautiful, wonderful idea and makes a widget of some sort, the maker of that widget can get a patent for it and then will be the sole person to profit from any money that’s made from it for a period of time,” Ettawageshik says. 

But, as Sinkevich points out, that way of thinking doesn’t correspond with Indigenous concepts of ownership, which, she explains, reflect the idea that “traditional knowledge is generally regarded as being collectively held, meaning that any rights and interests in it belong to the community rather than an individual member, including in cases where an individual member of a community has developed traditional knowledge.” If a community were to try to apply for a copyright, patent, or other intellectual property protection, “it may be difficult to identify the ‘owner’ of the intellectual property rights,” Sinkevich says. “In addition, it could be the case that more than one community shares the same or similar traditional knowledge or traditional cultural expressions. So even if they were to individually qualify for the protection of their rights, how would you, for example, offer fair and equitable protection to each of these communities separated by modern international borders?”

Another reason communities may not want to seek existing intellectual property protections like a patent is that these eventually expire, and once they do, the property becomes public domain, Ettawageshik says. And again, the knowledge that’s being protected may not have been intended to be part of the public domain or even necessarily profited from in the first place.  

But, even though the current legal system isn’t set up to protect traditional knowledge, traditional cultural expression, and genetic resources, it’s still essential to find a way to properly safeguard these resources. “When traditional knowledge is put in the wrong context by a third party, in particular without the community’s consent, it can be not only offensive to the community but also runs the risk of misrepresenting or distorting the perception of the community and their traditional knowledge,” Sinkevich points out. “From a financial perspective, the lack of protection for traditional knowledge as such can have a negative economic impact on its holders, possibly even preventing them from benefiting from their own traditional knowledge or traditional cultural expressions,” she adds.

Unfortunately, getting the legal system and large corporations to recognize communities’ rights to protect their own traditional knowledge, cultural expressions, and genetic resources has been a struggle for community leaders. Sinkevich says that developing countries are responsible for much of the negotiations done in this area, although many developed countries — especially those with Indigenous populations — have taken part as well, and many countries do have some legal protections or guidelines in place. Organizations such as the Native American Rights Fund are set up to push for legal recognition and protection for Indigenous communities in the U.S., and similar organizations exist internationally. Sinkevich says that the WIPO Secretariat’s Traditional Knowledge Division “facilitates a normative process among Member States, which aims to develop an international legal instrument for the protection of traditional knowledge,” one that addresses “the intersection between the intellectual property system and the concerns of practitioners and custodians of traditional knowledge, traditional cultural expressions, and genetic resources.” 

Ettawageshik has been heavily involved in negotiations with governing bodies, including the U.N., regarding the rights of Indigenous peoples to protect their intellectual property, and the need for international intellectual property law to adequately accommodate the unique collective and temporal nature of Indigenous intellectual property. The work of Indigenous communities and the people intent on protecting the sanctity of traditional knowledge has led to changes that have allowed for actual accountability. In 2016, for example, Urban Outfitters settled with Navajo Nation after the clothing company illegally used the tribe’s name in a collection. 

Ettawageshik says that protecting cultures’ traditional knowledge, and specifically protecting Indigenous intellectual property, is not about making sure no one outside of Indigenous communities can use it: “When you’re talking about protecting indigenous knowledge… it’s also what we’re willing to share.” But not all Indigenous or traditional knowledge is meant to be disseminated in that way, and in an ideal world, Ettawageshik says that “people would respect Indigenous knowledge and not abuse that relationship.” The world is far from ideal, but this is a baseline everyone is capable of practicing — as is being more conscious about why a golden latte isn’t just another wellness trend.

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Outfit Details:

Outfit Details:
Alexa Chung Dress (top version here), Loeffler Randall Bag, Chloe Sandals, Heritage Jewelry NYC Necklace

This season has already introduced an abundance of unique, beautiful prints and patterns that makes me look forward to autumn. Some blend patterns in unusual combinations but include a rich fall palette to tie it all together. I love the fresh approach to traditional block print, plaid, embroidery, paisley, checks, stripes, floral, and lace pieces to wear and pair with other new favorite fall styles. Below I’ve pulled together a selection of ideas inspired by this season’s best patterns plays.

Pleated Plaid Bow Clutch

This pleated plaid clutch is a fun accessory to add texture and a unique touch to everyday outfits for fall.

Mosaic Print Midi Dress

A simple dresses like this mosaic pull-over design in seasonal colors is a perfect choice for early fall when the weather is still a bit warm.

Printed Sneakers

For a change of pace, slip on these retro leather sneakers in a 70’s inspired floral block print to wear with the simplest or busiest fall styles.

The post Fresh Fall Patterns appeared first on Julia Berolzheimer.

I first started getting emails about “fighting the COVID-15,” or pandemic weight gain, more than a year ago, at the beginning of May 2020. God, how I hoped it would be a fleeting buzzword, but the “quarantine 15” content kept coming. Companies like Pepperidge Farm and Prego were seeing higher sales, and people were absolutely losing their shit about the consumption of so-called “unwholesome” processed foods. In my eyes, these messages were harmful — and there were bigger (Gold)fish to fry — particularly amid the first wave of a pandemic that would go on to infect millions and kill more than 583,000 people in the U.S. 

But the phrase took off and has even found a new life recently, as we come out of the pandemic. Weight loss companies have begun ramping up their promises to help you lose the quarantine 15 (a “play” on the toxic and problematic concept of the “freshman 15”). 

The messaging about end-of-pandemic weight loss isn’t just coming from ads, but also memes and mainstream media. Articles that shame folks for gaining weight over what was the worst and most stressful year of many people’s lives have been common lately. “While some spent the year of the pandemic creating healthy meals or riding their Pelotons for hours, many others managed their anxiety and boredom through less healthy means,” The New York Times wrote this week. “They spent the pandemic sitting on their couches, wearing baggy sweatsuits, drinking chardonnay and munching on Cheetos.” Not only did this create a binary where there needn’t be one (you can obviously enjoy Peloton and drinking wine and eating Cheetos; or you can do both at the same time! People contain multitudes, as folks on Twitter pointed out), it also perpetuated a culture that judges people, women specifically, for their weight and snack choices. (The journalist who wrote the article hasn’t responded to Refinery29’s request for comment.) 

why is the NYT so obsessed with shaming women who gained weight during the pandemic pic.twitter.com/paQAFfdVa3

— Emma Gray (@emmaladyrose) May 11, 2021

“My reaction to the COVID-15 is, ‘Oh, here we go again,’” says Joy Cox, PhD, a body acceptance advocate, program development analyst at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, and co-founder of the fitness app Jabbie. “This is a new iteration of an old thing, which is rooted in unrealistic beauty standards and diet culture… Particularly among women, how you look makes a big difference, culturally, and it’s attached to your body. We value smaller, thinner bodies more, is what this is saying.”

“People have been navigating life as best they can, and it seems so unimportant to place the emphasis on weight gain during these unprecedented times,” says Chelsea M. Kronengold, MA, associate director of communications at the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA). In fact, doing so is harmful even in non-pandemic times, she adds. And the more we drill down on weight loss as we head into “hot vax summer,” the more our anxiety about reemerging post-vaccine may morph into body-related concerns. This may prompt people to try crash diets, and in some cases could lead to more disordered eating, which we already know thrives in isolation, Kronengold says. 

Kristin Kirkpatrick, MS, RD, a dietitian from Cleveland Clinic, isn’t necessarily against the phrase, though. She says some patients may feel reassured by the term. “They have had a ‘See, I’m not the only one who gained weight’ approach,” she says. But many of the other experts I spoke with stressed that the term’s capacity to cause harm surpasses any possible advantages.

The pandemic has accelerated fatphobia and fat-shaming, especially once reports began to draw links between weight and COVID-19 complications. Terms like “quarantine 15” are inherently shaming, and “you absolutely cannot shame anyone into losing weight… and weight isn’t necessarily an indicator of health anyway,” Kronengold says.

“I’m curious how experiencing weight stigma — which we know leads to healthcare avoidance, fewer preventative and diagnostic tests, poorer quality of healthcare, and weight-cycling history, which leads to a variety of adverse health outcomes — influences that perceived risk [of more severe COVID-19],” notes Kimmie Singh, MS, RD.

Experts also told me that the quarantine 15 rhetoric drives an unhelpful narrative about the body. “Not only is it fatphobic and implies that having a fat body is something to be actively avoided… but it also implies that trying to control your body size is a worthy goal, when, in reality, we know that focusing on weight loss tends to lead to weight regain and disordered eating,” Singh says. “We know diets fail, and when you put that much pressure to lose weight on a group of people after this trauma?” Her question is rhetorical, but her point is clear: It can lead to serious struggle. 

“There are biological, genetic, and environmental factors that are all at play that may influence someone to develop an eating disorder or to relapse, and some are more likely than other people [to develop disordered eating] when they come across this type of messaging and cultural pressure,” Kronengold adds. “For many people who have, are susceptible to, or are recovering from an eating disorder, they’re already having an internal dialogue with themselves about the fact that they need to lose weight, and all of these cultural pressures that we always hear but have been extra loud during this time, these external voices are confirming what the eating disorder is telling them, and it’s extra harmful.” 

All this comes at a time when eating disorder behaviors are already on the rise. NEDA’s helpline has seen a 54% increase in volume throughout the pandemic, Kronengold says. She expects that as more posts and news come out about losing weight gained in quarantine, more people will suffer. 

While we wish everyone would just let the idea of the quarantine 15 die out already, it may not. If you feel mentally capable of calling out messaging like this when you see it, it can be beneficial, but choose your battles and assess your bandwidth before you do, Dr. Cox says. And if it brings up difficult or triggering emotions, it’s important to protect yourself first. 

Dr. Cox recommends editing your social media feed to avoid messaging like this. “Be mindful of what you allow on your newsfeed,” she says. Facebook has a function that lets you “hide all ads” from specific advertisers, and Instagram lets you “hide” and report ads. If people you follow are posting about weight loss or constantly tossing up before and after photos, it’s okay to unfollow them, or at least hide their posts. 

She also recommends when you hear this messaging or begin feeling body-related anxiety, to “reframe your focus, and not home in on the idea of ‘image’ as ‘function.’ Remember that your body has brought you through this pandemic.” In other words: Try to focus on being grateful for what your body has done for you, and more broadly for the new experiences we’re able to have again. “I have a younger and older sister, we all live in different states,” Dr. Cox says. “After being separated for so long, the last thing I was concerned about was how wide my hips had become. I was just excited to see them. When you begin to focus on things that have a bit more substance and value, that’s helpful.” 

In the end, Dr. Cox says that during this time of transformation and change, it’s important to practice self-compassion, and remember that you’re a force for making it through the past year. “Whether you’ve gained or lost weight during COVID, you are enough the way that you are,” she says. “Our bodies, they make up just one piece of who we are as individuals. We bring so much to the table, whether that be our intelligence or capabilities. My hope is that people [won’t] limit themselves just based on their image, how they present in the world, or based on a standard that somebody else has set as to how you should show up in the world. We’re so much more than what we see in the mirror, and that’s something to reflect on as we’re transitioning back into our daily lives post-pandemic.” 

If you are struggling with an eating disorder and are in need of support, please call the National Eating Disorders Association Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. For a 24-hour crisis line, text “NEDA” to 741741. 

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