Beauty & the beast= American horror
Plus "Refinement is Resistance" with recent Harvard Kennedy School of Government graduate Jason Low.
As the U.S. slides deeper every day into a political coup (see “Elon Musk”), and as the rest of us still wrap our heads around the reality that a slim majority of American fools fell for “Make America Great Again” (again) this past November, it’s critical to remember that 75 million among us did everything we could to stop it from happening.
Yet here we are in a moment that will go down in infamy, post Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Oval Office sit-down with Trump and his merry band of democracy destroyers. The world now wonders which side America sits on, whether the U.S. will soon leave NATO, and why on earth the Trump team upon arrival immediately deleted the page that outlines the history of the U.S. Constitution on the White House website.
So many of us now hold on to the hope that the MAGA voters’ future grandchildren and great grandkids will someday be ashamed of them. Because whatever their rationale, we now all live with the consequences of their actions.
Of late we’ve seen large-scale firings at the FBI, CIA, and DOJ, making the entire world existentially less safe.
But- if like others you’re worried they’ll also crash the stock market- good news! You suddenly have other investment options! Since CNN just reported overnight that “the Trump administration announced yesterday it is considering selling off hundreds of ‘non-core’ federal properties, according to the General Services Administration (GSA). [On offer for potential purchase]: the FBI Headquarters, the departments of Justice, Veterans Affairs, Labor, and Housing and Urban Development; Federal Trade Commission, GSA’s own headquarters, and the Old Post Office” (the former “Trump Hotel DC” that he rented and ran in his first administration). All in all there are 440 posted on the GSA website for sale.
Also this week (and it’s only Wednesday), Trump & Team just imposed tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China. Our friends from the north have retaliated with their own 25% tariffs, and (per the AP) our friends down south will get back to us “this Sunday” in revenge/sorry “response”. China will surely get back at us but good.
So democracy and world peace hang in the balance. On top of that, everything’s about to get much more expensive. All just six weeks into the new regime.
What will you do today to stand up against?
As informed internationalists and global go-getters, we know that it’s imperative to take inventory of the incredible assets that live and breathe within our own ranks. And listen to the thoughts of these men & women for others, patriots standing firm, architects of taking back the power.
So let’s look for the light!
The dispatch: An interview with Jason Low
So please now meet my friend Jason Low, Georgetown University alum and recent graduate of Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, to hear his own thoughts on things.
The first in his family to attend college, Jason lights the world daily as he lifts up others, as a not so secret weapon on our side.
Here he shares with us his thoughts on; “Fashion as Foreign Affairs, Elegance as Advocacy, Grace as Geopolitics, Inclusion as Impeccable, and Refinement as Resistance.”
What are some of your most formative experiences to date?
Georgetown equipped me with the skills to connect my interests and my identities with what I was learning — through contemplation in action. Harvard taught me how to shape these visions into transformative policies.
Who are some of the notable names who you had the opportunity to meet during your time at Harvard’s Kennedy School?
I graduated in May 2023, and during my time there I had the opportunity to listen to talks with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Representative Jim Cooper, and retired Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. “Nothing is agreed to until everything is agreed to” is one of my favorite HKS takeaways.
You make it all look easy with the credentials and accomplishments that you have earned to date. Has it felt as easy as it looks along the way? Or have you also had any set backs along the way?
My journey to date has not felt easy, and it has certainly not been linear!
There have been many challenges along the way and hindsight is always 20/20. My unsolicited advice: don’t pay attention to what others are doing (or not doing). Focus instead on your own path, because it will lead you to the place where everything is possible.
What are your thoughts on the concepts below?
Fashion as Foreign Affairs:
Fashion illuminates customs, values, and beliefs. Fashion is a source of connection that ignites dialogue.
Elegance as Advocacy:
Elegance is being your authentic self, and your authentic self is enough to spark change.
Grace as Geopolitics:
Meet people where they are. Start with a listening and empathetic ear, to reveal shared interest.
Inclusion as Impeccable:
Policymakers must center inclusion in every policy they create. We are not defined by the things that make us distinct- but instead by the ways in which we welcome, empower, and love each other.
Refinement is Resistance:
I choose to think about refinement as clarifying and building on strengths and tactics to achieve important policy goals.
What do you want for yourself — personally and professionally — in the next year?
I’m excited to apply the many lessons learned from The Kennedy School to my career in government. From behavioral nudges, and data-driven public management, to negotiations, and strategic finance, I’m ready to contribute, to create policies that dismantle structural barriers, and empower marginalized communities to thrive.
What do you want for the world in one year?
In the midst of such growing polarization, I want us all to find opportunities to uncover similarities which unite us. To deliver change and transformation. Because none of us can solve the wicked challenges ahead of us alone.
👀 Coming up next week…
Introducing Core Curriculum: Everything You Need to Know I Learned at Vogue
I’ll be sharing my own tales, from once upon a time, of toiling inside the world’s most famous fashion magazine in the 90s, plus the valuable lessons learned from the experience, sometimes in the strangest of places.
My Core Curriculum style guest stars include: Anna Wintour, Ron Galotti (aka the real Mr. Big), “Margit & Helmut: The Legends of Condé Nast’s Lobby Newsstand,” the late Si Newhouse, Sebastian Junger in his younger years, and other colorful characters.
Subscribe so you don’t miss!
The Substacks I’m reading this week:
Politics:
: Staff Writer at the Atlantic and author of Autocracy, Inc, Twilight of Democracy and three history books: Gulag, Iron Curtain, and Red Famine. : “Husband, dad, pilot, Lt. Col in @AirnatlGuard, CNN Senior Political Commentator, former [Republican] Congressman, and founder of Country1st.com”.Fashion:
: Paris-based New Yorker Staff Writer and author of “When in French: Love in a Second Language”. Her “Lettre Recommandée” delivers Franco-Americana with inside perspective from a former outsider.: For his thoughts on fashion, style, and his “notes on fashion history and the current state of the industry.” A substantively stylish read.Am I missing your favorite read? Tell me in the comments!
Thank you so much for the mention!