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Living in Maryland just miles from the D.C. border, many of my friends and neighbors work for the federal government or a company that supports and/or is affected by the federal government.
My job before I left Corporate America to work on Wardrobe Oxygen full-time was at a company that relied on government contracts. I worked there for nine years; eight were 100% funded by government agencies. My job prior to that one was with an company closer to Baltimore than D.C. yet over 50% of the work I performed was on government contracts. Even when I worked in retail, personal styling, and a construction firm, my job was affected by or paid for by the federal government or its employees.
The Weekend After January 28
On January 28th, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) emailed federal employees, requiring them to stop teleworking and return to the office. You can read the email at this link to the OPM site. This includes folks who were hired PrePan specifically as teleworkers, never having an office in the first place. I have friends who live 2+ hours from the nearest office for their agency and now have to go to the office daily without even having a desk.
White House officials have repeatedly stated only 6% of federal employees work onsite. This "fact" is based on an April 2024 survey done by Federal News Network, where only 6,338 responses were gathered. Of the survey respondents, about 30% said they work entirely remotely, 6% work entirely in-person, and 64% work on a hybrid schedule - a mix of in-person and telework.
Federal News Network confirms the study they performed was a "non-scientific survey of respondents who self-reported that they are current federal employees, and who were self-selected." (Source)
Per the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the federal government employs about 2¼ million civilian personnel. () An August 2024 study from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) reports that of the 2.28 million civilians working for the federal government, 54% work fully on-site. Those with permission to telework spend about 61% of their time in the office. ()
This January 28th email from OPM also offered a deferred resignation offer. Again, you can read the email at this OPM site link. If one resigns by February 6th, federal employees "will retain all pay and benefits regardless of [their] daily workload and will be exempted from all applicable in-person work requirements until September 30, 2025."
An OPM spokesperson confirmed that the expectation was that if federal employees replied to the email with the word "Resign," they would be put on paid administrative leave. () The OPM site still states that lump-sum payments of up to $25,000 are permitted for voluntary separation. () House Republicans are considering increasing that cap to $40,000 (), but if not... $25K, or a bit over $3K/month, won't equal the salary of many skilled and specialized federal employees, and there isn't any plan to handle that.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), federal employees comprise around 1.87% of the civilian workforce. (Source) And that number does not include those whose jobs rely on government contracts. When the government downsizes or shuts down, private sector businesses follow suit. These actions will majorly impact the country's economy, affecting all of us, even if we don't live a stone's throw from the Nation's Capital.
Weekend Reads
The emptiness of Ivanka Trump's green Dior suit. (Wearable Art)
How to make the next 4 years vaguely tolerable. (Yes & Yes)
The internet is forever. But also, it isn't. What happens to our culture when websites start to vanish at random? (The Verge; makes me think of over a dozen pieces I've written over the past two decades that no longer exist)
Why Instagram permanently suspended me and how I got my account back. (Diamonds in the Library)
The salty, briny, lemony, garlicky rise of "pick me" foods. (Vox)
What happened to body inclusivity in fashion? (Refinery 29)
From "Girls Gone Wild" to "Your Body, My Choice." (Slate)
Everyone is horny now. (Dazed)
Karine Jean-Pierre, President Biden's barrier-breaking Press Secretary, reveals some truths about her job. (Vanity Fair)
Pamela Anderson gets her flowers-from Martha Stewart. (Elle)
Asking and telling. (Flaming Hydra)
Years after the acquisition and bacterial outbreak, Gwen Whiting is back with a new brand. (The Cut)
The antidote to despair. (Jill Filipovik)
Style Inspo
So, this Tuesday was also my 50th birthday. I celebrated earlier this month in Las Vegas. I didn't buy anything new for the trip outside of luggage locks in case I had to check or lost my carry-on tote. So this weekend, I'm sharing what I would have wished I had in my closet for this trip and one I wish I didn't leave at home to save weight:
What I Wish I Owned to Take to Vegas
I brought my Banana Republic brown print Aurelia maxi dress with me and struggled with what bag to take. I used a black STAUD crossbody I've had for a couple of years, but it's a weird strap length. It worked, and it got the job done with other outfits I wore to Las Vegas, but it wasn't my favorite option.
Along with that, I usually wear this dress dressed up with heeled sandals or dressed down with Birkenstocks, and I didn't love my walking-friendly closed-toe shoe options.
I ended up taking my and these silver flats I got last winter that make me look like a genie but are great the day after a night of bad shoe decisions and a travel-friendly weight. The shelltops won for breakfast at Sadelle's.
I wish I brought a black patent pair of flat booties that felt a bit Scandinavian, a bit retro, a bit menswear. I'd put in some supportive insoles and could have worn them instead of the booties I brought that didn't fit insoles and needed a night off. I wonder how these from Aquatalia would look IRL, and these La Canadiennes intrigue me. My bank account is happy neither comes in wide width.
I also wish I brought darker sneakers. First step in Nevada, I jacked up my shelltops on the red pebbles around the Welcome to Las Vegas sign. Also, I felt they glowed in the casinos and felt kinda try-hard. I really like these in the malbec color, and when looking at Adidas for a cheaper alternative, and then wished I had them (they do look comfy!).
What I Owned and Wished I Brought to Vegas
The one thing I own and wish I had taken was this silver fringy bag from Maje. I kept it in its original packaging until late December because it felt like such a frivolous purchase. I mean, I already have two silver purses: my mirror STAUD Moon and a paperbag style Topshop I've had for years.
It's a silly bag. Delicate silver crackle leather with a little chain strap and a longer chain strap. It's small; it can't hold my phone and a lip product and eyedrops and my little charger all at the same time. And I have perfectly good others that would do. But it just delights the hell out of my high school self.
Instead, I used this sparkly bag from LOFT (gift from the brand) that I had already planned to wear with this outfit. It was also cute (you can see it in this Instagram Reel) but having that fringy Maje would have been fun.
Hear/See/Read
Last weekend, I asked for recommendations for light reads and I thank those who offered suggestions. I'll keep them in mind but I went in a totally different direction and chose Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler, which is the complete opposite of a fluff read, but I am LOVING it.
Parable of the Sower is a 1993 dystopian novel about a young woman named Lauren living in 2020s America. I don't want to share more because I went in with little more than these facts, and in the book, a presidential candidate is running on a platform to "make America great again."
I have no idea why I didn't read it sooner, but I find the audiobook so beautifully read, and the writing is powerful and also accessible. In 11th grade, my I.B. English teacher assigned us The Handmaid's Tale, which transformed me. Parable of the Sower is another book I feel older teens and adults could and should read. Do know this is the first in a series of two books, and the author recommended reading them in order.
FYI, the Libby waitlist was months long for me, but when I went to find it on Audible this week, I found I could download and listen to it for free. I didn't remember ever purchasing it and shared with my sister. Yesterday/Friday, my sister checked her Audible account, and she, too, could download and listen to Parable of the Sower for free.
For Your Entertainment
This 2005 Mountain Goats video was fed to me by the YouTube algorithm, and it's a pretty fitting song for the end of January: "This Year." "This Year" can also be found on and other music services.
