Latest news with #Gen-Xer
Sydney Morning Herald
10-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Sydney Morning Herald
The hardest part about parenting teenagers isn't the awkward conversations, it's this
This story is part of the May 11 edition of Sunday Life. See all 13 stories. My daughter throws back her head, laughing as she sits on the living room floor, her navy sneakers peeking out from under her white tulle petticoat. As we both get stuck into our second piece of birthday cake, I can't stop gazing at my firstborn. How have I become the mother of an 18-year-old? Finishing off the last sweet mouthful of buttercream icing, I recognise that my daughter's laughter and wide smile are still those of the same little girl who'd insist on dressing herself up in layers of princess costumes. What has changed is that the young woman sitting cross-legged in front of me has confidence and a strong sense of self-worth, traits I never had when I was her age. Like me, Allegra loves the fairytale of fashion, and she has spent almost a year planning this birthday outfit. Her long blonde hair covers her face as she leans over to tie up her shoelaces. I look at her pale peach ball gown skirt and black bandeau top, inspired by the work of designer Isaac Mizrahi, and smile. Secretly, as a Gen-Xer, I'm chuffed that a '90s look is considered cool in 2025. However, I haven't been as quiet about reminding Allegra and her friends that I wore it first and know all the words to the George Michael songs they're now obsessed with. I sing the words, 'Freedooooom, I won't let you down ...' and think about how hard I tried to be the perfect mum when my girls were little; something I let go of long ago, when I came to accept that I am good enough as I am. What I'm still struggling with is the letting go that comes as your children get older. What does having a 'grown up' daughter mean? My throat catches when I think about her making her own way in the world. What if I'm not there to catch her? How can I protect her from pain, heartache and sadness? What if I miss the moments of undiluted joy? Who am I without her by my side? It's not long before she wants you to walk behind her in case anyone sees you together, and you do something embarrassing. JESSICA ROWE Motherhood is a series of 'letting goes' that begin the moment you give birth. Suddenly, this little soul that had fluttered inside you is stretching its arms and legs, flailing to get out of the muslin wrap you've spent far too long trying to master before tucking her into the cot. Then she's bolting away from you at the bottom of the slippery-dip because she's not ready to leave the park yet. You let go of your need to get anywhere quickly because you're not allowed to help her get dressed, brush her hair or put on her shoes and socks. It's not long before she wants you to walk behind her in case anyone sees you together, and you do something embarrassing. I revel in being embarrassing! And, as she grows, when the topics of friends, relationships and love come up, it's impossible not to leap in with 'helpful' advice, even if that includes my uninvited views on pornography.
The Age
10-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- The Age
The hardest part about parenting teenagers isn't the awkward conversations, it's this
This story is part of the May 11 edition of Sunday Life. See all 13 stories. My daughter throws back her head, laughing as she sits on the living room floor, her navy sneakers peeking out from under her white tulle petticoat. As we both get stuck into our second piece of birthday cake, I can't stop gazing at my firstborn. How have I become the mother of an 18-year-old? Finishing off the last sweet mouthful of buttercream icing, I recognise that my daughter's laughter and wide smile are still those of the same little girl who'd insist on dressing herself up in layers of princess costumes. What has changed is that the young woman sitting cross-legged in front of me has confidence and a strong sense of self-worth, traits I never had when I was her age. Like me, Allegra loves the fairytale of fashion, and she has spent almost a year planning this birthday outfit. Her long blonde hair covers her face as she leans over to tie up her shoelaces. I look at her pale peach ball gown skirt and black bandeau top, inspired by the work of designer Isaac Mizrahi, and smile. Secretly, as a Gen-Xer, I'm chuffed that a '90s look is considered cool in 2025. However, I haven't been as quiet about reminding Allegra and her friends that I wore it first and know all the words to the George Michael songs they're now obsessed with. I sing the words, 'Freedooooom, I won't let you down ...' and think about how hard I tried to be the perfect mum when my girls were little; something I let go of long ago, when I came to accept that I am good enough as I am. What I'm still struggling with is the letting go that comes as your children get older. What does having a 'grown up' daughter mean? My throat catches when I think about her making her own way in the world. What if I'm not there to catch her? How can I protect her from pain, heartache and sadness? What if I miss the moments of undiluted joy? Who am I without her by my side? It's not long before she wants you to walk behind her in case anyone sees you together, and you do something embarrassing. JESSICA ROWE Motherhood is a series of 'letting goes' that begin the moment you give birth. Suddenly, this little soul that had fluttered inside you is stretching its arms and legs, flailing to get out of the muslin wrap you've spent far too long trying to master before tucking her into the cot. Then she's bolting away from you at the bottom of the slippery-dip because she's not ready to leave the park yet. You let go of your need to get anywhere quickly because you're not allowed to help her get dressed, brush her hair or put on her shoes and socks. It's not long before she wants you to walk behind her in case anyone sees you together, and you do something embarrassing. I revel in being embarrassing! And, as she grows, when the topics of friends, relationships and love come up, it's impossible not to leap in with 'helpful' advice, even if that includes my uninvited views on pornography.
CBC
24-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Small Achievable Goals's costume designer on the show's sexy mid-life style — and most iconic looks
For Nicole Manek, great costume design isn't just about technical expertise — it's about having an understanding of an actor's physicality, presence and character-building process. And when it came to creating the looks for CBC's new comedy series Small Achievable Goals, she had a wealth of experience to draw from. Manek's partnership with comedians and showrunners Meredith MacNeill and Jennifer Whalen began on the Baroness Von Sketch Show and has since blossomed into what she describes as "a psychic costume connection." This helped Manek and fellow costume designer Anya Taraboulsy craft a wardrobe for Small Achievable Goals that supports the storytelling — and is also quite fabulous. Like the best on-screen fashion, the looks in Small Achievable Goals are rooted in reality but dialed up just enough to feel iconic. CBC Life recently caught up with Manek to discuss her approach to the new workplace comedy, plus some of the most memorable looks in the series. She also shared the real-life inspiration behind Kris and Julie's wardrobes, and the TV magic behind that (deeply relatable) hot flash–drenched blouse. This interview has been edited and condensed. I'm interested in your first steps as a costume designer. Where did you find your initial wardrobe inspiration for the main characters in Small Achievable Goals? I do try to draw from real people for inspiration, because I think it's just the most accessible way to start the conversation with actors and producers and directors. So for Kris, she's an influencer. But then what does that look like to be in the influencer space in mid-life, but sort of like trying to feel more youthful? It felt Kardashian-esque to us. It felt Nicole Richie … but missing the mark. Kris would be like, "Oh, I love the way Nicole Richie dresses." But she never quite got it. She just took it to a slightly trashier place — she never got the classy part. She doesn't have the restraint of Nicole Richie. She's really thinking about what other people who she wants to emulate are wearing, and she's trying to mirror that. And what about Julie? What was your real-life inspiration for her? Julie is sort of that grown-up Gen-Xer who bought the "right" pieces. She's really practical and smart, and she has good style. And she's slowly accumulated great pieces that she's kept folding into her wardrobe. I did take some inspiration from the creative director of J. Crew [Olympia Gayot]. She's got great style; it's preppy, but in a way that's so palatable through a rock and roll lens, which is Julie. Clothing plays a key role in magnifying Kris and Julie's experiences of menopause and perimenopause. I'm thinking of the hot flash–soaked, see-through blouse — how did you create this look that's so relatable to so many people? Yeah. I mean, the wet shirt, it's TV magic, right? But it was the point of huge discussion and huge preparation for that fitting. We had probably 12 different shirts to try on. And we wet them all because we really didn't want to tell that story of when you have that hot flash and you're really soaked — we wanted to see it. And it was important that that shirt was just right. It was really important to Jen [Whalen], and there was a lot of talk about the way it goes from being put together at the beginning — and this hopeful moment and this hopeful day — to the way it comes apart. And that rack of white outfits for Kris to wear in the photo shoot. I mean, that period-stain incident just seems like a stress dream that people are gonna start having after watching that episode. How did you decide on the hero dress? So the idea was that someone younger — and a little clued out to the problems of menopause — picked these dresses. We've all been in those moments where someone wants us to wear something that they think is cool, where we're like, "Oh my god, this is so terrible." So that's what we wanted to capture for Kris — that it really wasn't her style, but it was something that a younger stylist thought was her style. Even with these more comical looks sprinkled in, you kept Kris and Julie looking very sexy and really amazing throughout the series. That's not always the case when women over 30 are portrayed on TV — there tends to be an invisibility factor. Meredith [MacNeill] did really want to explore this idea that Kris dresses for the male gaze. [This] part of her menopause journey is that she's very horny and she really wants dates. So I think that sexiness comes from that. Kris is actually putting herself out there and trying to be sexy in her own way. Whereas with Julie … when you just dress however you want, and you are just so cool, it just looks amazing. I think the key to this phase of life — which I'm also in — is just really doing what you want, wearing exactly what feels comfortable to you … rejecting that idea of age-appropriateness that's just so boring and not real. A lot of women who are in a similar time of their lives will see themselves in these characters. What inspiration do you think they can pull from these looks? I think the key to this phase of life — which I'm also in — is just really doing what you want, wearing exactly what feels comfortable to you … rejecting that idea of age-appropriateness that's just so boring and not real. To get through this time, you should just do whatever you need to do to feel great. If that's wearing a rock tee and crappy jogging pants, do it. And if it's putting on the smallest, tightest dress from Reformation, you should do that too. But be prepared to take it off when you get hot.
