Here are my favorite reads recently!

Letter for Lauren: June Shape Up from Lauren Conrad.com

A lot of people are over being politically correct all the time, but Lauren and her staff have made the decision to stop using “skinny” to describe the goal of working out.

“Starting this month, we’ll be banning any body shaming terms from the site, and replacing them with words like “fit” “toned,” and “healthy.” We try do to this for the most part anyway, but now we’re making it official! The word skinny will now be reserved for skinny jeans. My editorial team and I had a long talk about it, and we want to make sure that the focus is on being fit as opposed to a number on the scale. Every body is created differently—and healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes.”

Lauren is such a big source of lifestyle inspiration to so many people that I know; having her point out that no body is created equal and that working out shouldn’t be about getting slim is going to be huge for so many people.

10 Tips for Mastering Instagram by Krista Robertson

I’ve read Krista’s blog for a hot minute (anyone else remember when she was Southern Shopaholic?). She’s expanded so much and really come into her own which has been so crazy fun to watch. Krista’s tips are all worthy of a read but this one really spoke to me.

“This may seem like a no brainer, but you’d be surprised. I know I’ve been guilty of this and I’m hoping I’m not alone. There are days when I just don’t have anything to post. To make sure I don’t have radio silence online I’ll just throw up a shot that I know is just okay and not really all that great. Well, when you know it’s not that great, your readers do too. You’ll get some unfollows, not as many likes and very little engagement. Now who wants that?”

Having readers that are engaged is the biggest thing for me; what fun is Instagram if you’re just talking to yourself? Publishing content that you’re proud of and can speak on is important across the board.

Why We Hold Onto Anger and Resentment by Megan Wyatt

I can hold onto a grudge for years. Seriously. If it were a skill I could list on my resume that would be great.

“By holding on, you might still be searching for closure, and needing an apology from someone, again, or for the first time. You want to arrive at the moment with all the baggage in hand, to make sure they understand all the weight you have been carrying around. Seeking validation for your suffering, acknowledgment, and to be reassured, yes, indeed, you really were hurt.”

Letting go of past wrongs and mistakes is something I have to constantly be mindful of working on; it’s just my personality. Megan talks about break ups and friendships ending and I seriously was sitting in front of my laptop like, “YIKES THIS IS ME!” The truth is, I’m 100% a sensitive soul. You know that time you joked about me taking forever to get through school? My feelings were hurt. When you talked about me posting on Instagram too much? Still think about it today. When you were planning your wedding and couldn’t take my calls or texts for two months? I’m still not over it.

I’m a vengeful little thing but I’m trying really hard to be better about it.

GAP closing a quarter of its stores by Ashley Lutz of Business Insider

Okay, probably not as interesting to other peeps, but working retail makes me interested in what’s going on in the retail world.

“Big apparel brands are grappling with shoppers who increasingly want deeply discounted clothes over classic logos and status.

As Americans shell out for items like iPhones and Netflix, they are increasingly unwilling to pay full price for sweaters and jeans.”

The nature of retail is changing so quickly with e-commerce taking off and the increase in sales at outlet centers. Even more interesting, some companies are really pursuing factory and outlet sales by increasing the number of factory stores and even going beyond; Express has raised eyebrows and attention from competitors by placing several Express Factory stores in full-line malls.

What news articles have had your attention recently?

xo, Nicole