The Atlantic

A new book asks what we might gain if we accepted the way we look. Ilana Masad on Stephanie Fairyington’s “Ugly: A Letter to My Daughter,” and the upsides of defying beauty standards:

The Freedom to Be Ugly

Productivity culture celebrates early rising—but the practice can come with a cost, Liz Krieger wrote in 2025. https://theatln.tc/BYctEgkQ

After becoming a mother, Krieger began waking up early to accommodate her young children’s hectic schedule. In the years since they’ve become teenagers, the habit has stayed.

“But every transformation comes with a price,” she writes. Waking up early means Krieger gets tired long before the rest of her family does, which can mean missing out on crucial moments when families traditionally reconnect after a day apart.

“My fading evening energy has influenced my relationships with everyone: my husband, my friends, my extended family,” Krieger continues.

“By the time the house finally quiets and my husband and I can settle in for a show, I may already be half-asleep. When we go away with friends or other families for a weekend and are firing up a movie, I’m inevitably the one who dips out early, missing not just the end of the film but also the long conversations or games that come after.”

“In optimizing myself for the early hours, I have altered not just my sleep schedule but my emotional availability,” Krieger writes.

At the link, read more about Krieger’s search for finding balance between seizing the tasks of the morning and being present with those around her at night—and what she might gain by staving off sleep.

🎨: Isabella Cotier