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Forbes
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Post-Divorce Design: Why Women Are Turning To Pink To Reclaim Their Power
Pink is the new beige Pink is a color most people associate with femininity, makeup, and Barbie, especially the Barbiecore decorating trend. But for many newly divorced women, it's becoming the color of liberation—at least according to a viral Threads post by the co-founder of Fresh Starts Registry, Olivia Howell. Just one sentence long, it has been viewed more than 395000 times: 'No one tells you that starting over means crying at HomeGoods because you can finally buy the pink towels he hated.' While it's clear that this seemingly minor act of buying colorful towels is relatable, its meaning goes far beyond decorating trends. As the co-founder of Fresh Starts Registry (along with her sister, Genevieve Dreizen), Howell is an expert in starting over again. The world's first and only divorce registry provides a way to register for anything and everything a newly-divorced person needs for a fresh start—whether it's floral sheets or that expensive blender her ex-husband vetoed. There's also a free directory of professionals, from home organizers to therapists, who can provide support during this often challenging time. Howell tells me the reaction to her post was surprising. 'It's not that I was explicitly forbidden from buying pink towels or decorating with color, but looking back, I realize I compromised my design aesthetic to fit into the vision of what a good bride and a harmonious partner should be.' She also realized she had been making compromises in her relationship and life that she really didn't want to make for years, starting with her wedding registry. 'I wanted to honor his preference for neutral tones, even though I've always been drawn to bold and bright colors,' she reveals. 'So, we ended up with beige towels with our monogram on them—safe, classic, and admittedly...a bit drab. It wasn't about strict rules; it was more of an unspoken understanding—pink just wasn't part of our home's palette.' While beige towels are a minor compromise, they're reflective of a larger issue. It's not the towels, it's the relationship. Howell's post has received 950 replies so far, many from women sharing their own stories of decorating. From painting their dining rooms pink to blush sofas and bright bedding, many commenters see the color as a symbol of liberation from bad relationships. Threads user, Ashley Blom evevn humorously stated, 'My bedroom after divorce looks like a preteen with an unlimited Five Below budget.' While she didn't provide a photo, it's fair to assume this statement is accurate. One of Hunter's pink bedrooms in Palm Beach. While most of the Threads photos were DIYS, those with larger budgets are also embracing this color. According to interior designer Jennifer Beek Hunter, who is best known for her colorful and feminine, yet gorgeously sophisticated style, both divorcees and bachelorettes are increasingly requesting pink elements in their homes. From wallpaper to paint and bedding, it's a color she works with quite often. 'I think divorced women definitely like to decorate with pink as it is a way to express a newfound freedom and independence.' Hunter explains much like Howell; her clients weren't explicitly forbidden from using the color in the past, but rather, they were hesitant to even suggest it. 'I do not think it was that they were not able to decorate with pink when married, but that they never thought to do it in fear that their husbands would say no. It is as if they didn't even go there. Now, there is no one to answer to, no one to please, but themselves.' Traditionally, pink has been a symbol of femininity, which can be a turn-off. 'The resistance some men have toward pink furniture and decor is deeply rooted in cultural narratives that stretch back generations,' notes Howell. 'This association begins before birth—nurseries are often color-coded pink for girls and blue for boys, setting the expectation that these colors signify gender. From an early age, many boys are taught—implicitly or explicitly—that pink is 'girly,' soft, and therefore less acceptable for them.' Ultimately, the color represents what men shouldn't be. So, having a pink home—even if it's something their partner wants can potentially feel emasculating. 'It's almost like pink serves as a symbol of relinquishing some degree of control or masculinity in their own living space,' says Howell. Oddly, while blue is considered a color for boys, it doesn't hold equal weight as a symbol of masculinity. Most women don't think twice about decorating with blue. It's actually quite a popular choice. Yet some men view pink as a visible marker that they don't have equal influence in the household's aesthetic choices. Love is a pink dresser. Designed by Jennifer Hunter. If a man is happy in his life and relationship, letting his wife buy a pink sofa or choose butterfly bedding shouldn't require a second thought if it's something that will bring her joy. 'When we are unhappy in relationships, we use a lot of ways to show it, and sometimes it shows up as rebellion; if it's a color a wife wants, the husband doesn't, just because she does,' says Bonnie Scott, therapist and founder of Mindful Kindness Counseling. 'And if we follow that line of reasoning, then it becomes symbolic of the ways he's controlling the space, and by extension, his wife.' So, when that relationship ends, out goes the man and the ugly black leather sofa she never really wanted in the first place. 'Many women redecorate as a way to make a space feel reclaimed and fresh. It's nice to be able to use items we like to create the vibe we want and express our style,' explains the therapist. 'So when a woman has left a partner and is setting out into a new phase of life, it's fun to go through the process of experimenting with style while not having to compromise with another person.'
New York Post
29-04-2025
- Business
- New York Post
This is the most useless phrase to put in an email, expert says: ‘It accomplishes nothing'
'Just checking in' is considered one of the worst phrases to put in an email and etiquette experts are begging you to stop. As reported by Parade, according to modern-day etiquette, boundaries and relationship expert Jenny Dreizen, you might as well be shouting into the void if you're using that wording. 'This is a vague non-statement that is basically the same as saying, 'Pushing this to the top of your inbox,'' Dreizen, the COO and co-founder of Fresh Starts Registry, she told the outlet. Dreizen also explained that it's not doing what you think it is. The phrase, 'just checking in' in an email is all fluff, according to experts. bodnarphoto – ''Just checking in' does not accomplish the task it seemingly needs to, which is to force the issue or expedite the to-do item,' she said. 'When we're using email as communication, we want to be as straightforward and direct as possible. This phrase accomplishes nothing while also coming off vaguely passive-aggressive.' That doesn't mean every email has to be robotic or ruthless, but Dreizen argues that if you want results, you have to be clear. She suggests swapping the fluffy 'just checking in' for something, like: 'Wanted to know how progress was going on [action item].' 'Writing emails to ensure people respond to your questions and/or get things done is an art,' Dreizen explained. Speaking of wanting to get a point across in an email, some employees are shying away from being overly polite in their OOO responses — and are instead telling it how it is. As reported in the Wall Street Journal, 62-year-old chairman and chief investment officer of Ritholtz Wealth Management, Barry Ritholtz has no problem being blunt in his automated replies. 'I am out of the office having way more fun than communicating with you,' his reply says, according to the Journal. 'I will likely forget to email you back.' 'During this time, I will be out of the office, not checking emails, avoiding texts, ignoring Slack, letting calls go to voicemail, off the grid, and generally unreachable. As such, my auto-responder is, well, auto-responding,' the rest of his email read. And while some employees are taking the straightforward approach in their work communication, some female workers are choosing to 'sound like a man' in their emails to get what they want, despite experts warning against it. 'In 2025, we write emails like men and get promoted,' wrote content creator @FeliciaPr1ime in a social media post that garnered over 46,000 views. While this is an empowering statement for many women, ''perpetuating gender stereotypes in the workplace could be 'harmful,'' said Danaya Wilson, CEO of BetterCertify, a professional training company in a report for WorkLife. It's 'better to communicate directly, with brevity, and focus on information exchange, but we don't have to necessarily align this with masculinity anymore,' she added.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Why Americans avoid talking about death — and the hard conversations we should all be having
Death, alas, comes for us all. So why do so many of us avoid discussing it? As USA Today reports, a survey released last year found that an overwhelming majority of Americans (91%) think it's healthy and normal to discuss death and dying — but nearly a third (27%) are uncomfortable actually doing that, and 31% struggle to contemplate their own mortality. (One's comfort level, not surprisingly, increases with age, with Boomers most open to discussing matters of death and Gen Z-ers the most wary.) Additionally, separate research has found that only about a third of people actually make plans for end-of-life care. As one hospice social worker previously told Yahoo Life, that can cause "anxiety and chaos" for those left behind, not to mention a diminished quality of life for the person who is dying. While there's no avoiding the pain of death, experts say that having — and communicating — a firm plan for the eventuality of your death is in everybody's best interests. Here's what they want people to consider. 'American culture avoids talking about death, because it forces people to confront vulnerability and a lack of control,' says Daniel Rinaldi, a therapist with Fresh Starts Registry. 'There's a strong emphasis on youth, productivity and self-sufficiency, which makes discussions about mortality feel uncomfortable or even taboo.' While many people do feel comfortable discussing death, studies suggest that they avoid the topic because they don't want to make others uncomfortable. But Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng, head of ICU at the Ottawa Hospital, says that without these conversations, grieving families are at a loss as to what to do next. They may feel like they are 'giving up' on a loved one when choosing to withdraw care, or they opt for aggressive treatments their loved one may have wanted to avoid, simply because they didn't know their wishes. 'One of the most stressful situations I encounter as an ICU doctor is when families are unaware of their loved one's end-of-life wishes,' he tells Yahoo Life. 'It's a moment filled with uncertainty, guilt and, sometimes, lasting trauma.' Rinaldi adds that communicating our preferences ensures that our wishes are honored and that any burden on our loved ones is eased. 'It may feel uncomfortable, but it's an act of care that brings clarity and peace for everyone involved,' he tells Yahoo Life. There's no predicting what the future holds, but if you had any say, what would your final days look like, and who do you trust most to see that through? 'Near the end of life, many medical decisions involve trade-offs between prioritizing quantity or quality of life,' says Dr. Lindsey Ulin, a palliative care physician at Massachusetts General Hospital. Ulin says there are a few key health decisions to consider and make known to your loved ones, including: Choosing a health care proxy: This is someone who makes medical decisions when you're unable to speak for yourself. Code status: Do you want to receive CPR (with chest compressions and a breathing tube) or allow for a natural death (sometimes referred to as a DNR, which stands for 'Do not resuscitate')? Medical interventions: This may include deciding whether or not you'd want to be placed on a ventilator and/or to receive nutrition artificially through a tube, or if you'd prefer to avoid any uncomfortable intervention. Preferred place of death: If given the option, would you prefer to die at home, in a hospital or in a hospice? Organ donation: If you want to be an organ or tissue donor and aren't already registered, you can learn more here. There are two parts to making arrangements for your death. The first involves deciding what you want done with your body. 'Talk to your loved ones about your preferences for funeral homes and whether you want a burial or cremation,' says Ulin. 'These costs can catch families by surprise, but there are ways to arrange payments ahead of time.' And then there's deciding what happens to your belongings. 'Take time to consider what personal effects, possessions and keepsakes are important to you and how you would like those to be gifted or donated,' adds Dr. Kurt Merkelz, senior vice president and chief medical officer at Compassus. 'In the absence of that type of guidance, and I see this often, it can create stress, conflict and even guilt among the remaining family, as they try to make those decisions at a very difficult time.' You've made your decisions. Now it's best to get it in writing. This is where advanced care (for future health care needs) and estate planning (for assets after death or being incapacitated) with the help of a lawyer come in. 'It's the only way we can ensure we receive the type of care we want and that our wishes will be honored,' Merkelz says of advance care planning. 'Too often, these decisions are put off until we have a loved one who's had an acute episode and we have to make decisions about their care in the hospital or after discharge. If you're the patient, you may not be able to make your wishes known at that moment.' These are the main documents to consider for advance care: Living will: Also known as an advance directive, this document details your choices for end-of-life care, including whether or not you want CPR, tube feeding, dialysis, use of a ventilator and other procedures and medications. It will also include your choices on organ donation and information about your health care proxy. Durable power of attorney for health care (aka medical power of attorney): This names your health care proxy. Ulin says this person should be someone who understands your end-of-life wishes and values in addition to being reliable and reachable by a medical team. POST (Physician Orders for Scope of Treatment Form): Also known as POLST (Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment), this document provides specific information about life-prolonging medical care. 'It's not uncommon for individuals to have both an advance directive and POST,' says Merkelz. In terms of formalizing your wishes in the event of your death, you may choose to create a will, a living trust or both. There are pros and cons to each option; attorney Padideh Jafari, founder and CEO of Jafari Law & Mediation Office, notes that wills are more straightforward documents but involve a probate process that "usually takes a significant amount of time and money." Living trusts, on the other hand, enable direct asset distribution to beneficiaries without the need for probate proceedings, but they must be set up through a lawyer. Ultimately, Jafari sees value in getting both. 'The trust handles major assets, but a will is still needed to address any items outside the trust and appoint guardians for minor children [and pets],' Jafari explains. 'Estate planning becomes more effective when people utilize both trusts and wills, because they fulfill different yet complementary roles.' Jafari says there are a few other legal considerations everyone should think about: Designating a power of attorney: This is someone who will manage your financial affairs when you're unable to do so. HIPAA authorization: This enables selected individuals to access your medical records. Final wishes statement: This can come in the form of a written document, video, etc., with personal messages to your loved ones. It may include instructions for your funeral arrangements and charitable contributions as well. Merkelz recommends The Conversation Project as a handy resource, with guides on communicating your wishes to your loved ones and health care providers. These guides offer various talking points to address, along with the reassurance that this can be an ongoing discussion that treats a delicate topic with care. What's most important is that your preferences are clearly communicated, says Ulin. These conversations may be tricky, she says, but "can help guide your loved ones so they aren't stuck making difficult decisions on your behalf in the dark."
