How to fold a T-shirt--Martha style

Not to go all Feminine Mystique on you, but ever since I learned how to do the Martha Stewart T-shirt fold (hat tip to Jake), folding T-shirts has been somewhat of a guilty pleasure for me.  There's just something so...satisfying about sitting in front of the DVR with a big stack of freshly washed T-shirts after a long week, and magically transforming them into a pile of perfect little squares. Actually, since I don't wear that many T-shirts, it's usually the boyfriend's shirts that I fold in front of the tube.  But don’t worry too much—he does the laundry; I just fold it.  That’s our division of labor for two reasons: a) I like to fold and b) I am afraid of the basement.

Anyway, I promise that once you learn this folding technique cum magic trick, you'll find some small satisfaction in this task too.  I like to lay out the shirts in a big stack first and then fold them one after the other.  Illustrated instructions here, or click the photo.

We All Need a Guilty Pleasure...or Two

One of my many guilty pleasures happens to be reality television. One of my favorites is The Bachelor. Reading NY Mag's post about last night's premiere got me thinking...I initially scoffed at the premise of the show. 25 women all competing for a husband? Really? I secretly poked fun at my college friends who gushed over the rose ceremonies. And then I watched an episode. I was fascinated by the “I’m just looking for love” shtick, the drama, the sexy one-on-one dates, and eventually I was emotionally invested in the characters…I mean…the contestants…I mean…who or what are they, those women of The Bachelor? In this day and age of women’s independence and equality I watch the show and am overwhelmed by the portrayal of women as beautiful, sexual objects who are desperate for a husband. Sure they throw the “intelligent woman” or “career woman” in the mix, but even they are portrayed as slightly desperate for a man. (Like last night's premiere where the woman who is getting her PhD dresses up in a somewhat skimpy stewardess costume so Jake the pilot would give her a chance at love). They’re all catty and willing to push the other women under the bus just to get the coveted rose (remember Lauren from Jason’s season?? Gossiping about all the other women to make herself look better.) I mean, how can you take these supposedly progressive, modern day women seriously when they say things like, “You can land your plane on my landing strip anytime” while emphasizing their mile-long cleavages? Then the twist—The Bachelorette. Now men are all jumping for the chance to be with the woman. We see the men as competitive, insecure, and at times, vulnerable. Perhaps it evened the playing field a bit and perhaps it is still slightly projecting the woman-needing-a-man-to-be-complete idea into the mind of millions of viewers. It’s all in the eye of the beholder.