Me again (?)

Hey,

If you’re a paying subscriber, this is the second email you’re getting from me today (sorry!). If you’re a free subscriber, hi how are you? I’m here with a question for everyone. I’m still combing through the feedback from my subscriber survey, but some of you said you missed my style writing. Then last week as I was looking through Dear Baby question submissions, I found a few requests for occasion-specific outfit ideas and I thought: Maybe this should be its own newsletter? When I went freelance last year I was very excited to not think or write about style anymore, but of course now I miss it. Just a little! I guess full-time pajamas really do change a girl…

Seems like everyone is on a similar wave. People in New York are getting Dressed for absolutely anything right now, and I think that’s perfect. So instead of sharing a sneak peek of this week’s Dear Baby, I thought I’d do a quick call for style prompts: You send me scenarios for which you want outfit ideas (if you want/give a shit), then I’ll pick some, get dressed, and over-pathologize my choices in a future newsletter. Maybe even next week if my second vaccine shot doesn’t fully lay me out. Are you into it? Feels very 2015-blog but in a fun way. Comments are on baby!

Some prompt examples if you don’t know what I mean:
-You’re going to write all day in the backyard of a cafe and the low is 38 but the high is 72.
-You’re going to a job interview and then a birthday party at Chevy’s in midtown.
-You’re running errands and want to feel cute but it’s going to be hot and you have a full-body rash.

Or actually useful scenarios. Your call. And feel free to upvote ones you support!

Here’s what I wore to buy a vintage dresser in Greenpoint then eat a bad salad in Transmitter Park the other week. But I will try harder than this! (No I do not use Hipstamatic we just got weird film back and this email felt boring without a photo)

If that sounds like nothing you’re remotely interested in, fair enough. Maybe you’re more in the mood to read 5k words? 😬 Here are the questions I answered for Dear Baby this week:

1. I have a terrible habit of lurking on my partner’s ex. Is this as harmless as I’m telling myself it is? If not...how do I STOP? 

2. Any advice regarding being fun versus standing up for what you believe in? I keep getting into arguments with my friends. I don’t think I’m fun anymore.

3. Do you have any financial advice for young professionals? I feel like I’m bad with money and am getting to a point in my life where that needs to change. (Ed note: My answer to this is a full breakdown of how I manage my money.)

4. What is your writing schedule like? Do you plan topics ahead of time?

5. I’ve been blaming all my depressed, unmotivated behavior on the pandemic, but now it’s ending and I still feel the same way. What if I’m stuck like this?

If you’d like to read it, or listen to this week’s podcast episode with Ashley Ford about what it’s like to write a memoir, out Tuesday, you can become a paying subscriber here (and also gain access to the paid archive):

And if that’s not your thing, here’s a chicken being upside-down massaged on Tiktok. If you don’t like that I give up!!!

Hope you have a nice Sunday,
Haley

This month a portion of subscriber proceeds will be redistributed to CAAV, an organization working to build grassroots community power across diverse poor and working class Asian immigrant and refugee communities in New York City.

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