👋🏼 Hey ladies!

Welcome to Bodytalk, where we discuss the realities of women’s health, culture, and more. This is our space: To unpack the double standards, to confront the misinformation, and to open up about the things we’ve been told are “TMI”.

We have a theme here: In 2026, it’s impossible to ignore the fact that we’re way less social than we used to be. Big parties have left the chat — and while people will tell you that they’d much prefer to cancel plans and lie in bed with a face mask on, I think the 2016 nostalgia trend speaks for itself. We miss the good old days (and, more importantly, the fun late nights).

When we think about all the factors that have changed the social scene, we have to take the big stuff into account (the pandemic!), but also the little stuff. And that’s what we’re doing this week: Looking at the “admin night” trend and the state of drinking alcohol in 2026 to unpack larger trends in the realm of socialization.

Anyway, let’s chat 🗣️

Have you come across the term "admin night?". If not, a quick breakdown: Admin night refers to casual get-togethers where friends hang out and tackle their life and household admin work — think scheduling appointments, paying bills, sending emails — together.

This is gaining traction for several reasons: One, it allows people to see their friends more, which is always a plus in our book. Two, it helps people stay accountable, put their heads down, and get stuff done. Friendship and household admin are two things that can easily fall to the bottom on our list of priorities (when competing with work, parenting, caregiving, fitness, etc), and this trend allows people to carve out time for both in one fell swoop.

Some people say this is particularly beneficial for people with ADHD, thanks to the practice of "body doubling", which is a productivity strategy for people with the condition. 

According to materials from Cleveland Clinic, body doubling occurs when you complete a task in the presence of another person, and it's a form of external executive functioning. Since ADHD affects the part of the brain that oversees executive functioning, adding another person in close proximity to you can help create a more focused environment.

Listen, we're all for this. Read more.

🔎 Ask Clara: What are the benefits of female friendship?

Representation matters — especially for kids.

Take it from someone who never saw myself represented in the pop culture that reigned when I was growing up: Kids who don’t see themselves reflected anywhere can easily start to feel like they don’t belong, or even that they are unworthy.

That’s why, despite some of the controversy around it, we’re cheering over the news that Barbie has partnered with ASAN (Autistic Self-Advocacy Network) to create a Barbie doll with autism. 

Now, I know what you’re thinking. Autism is a complex, often invisible condition. How can that be represented with a doll? And the thing is, it simply can’t represent every girl with autism, but it can do something.

According to a post announcing this release, the Barbie has elements that represent some things people with autism may relate to: She wears noise-cancelling headphones, which some people with autism rely on to reduce sensory overload, and carries a fidget spinner, which may be a familiar sensory outlet for people with autism.

The Barbie also has a shifted gaze (as people with autism may struggle to make direct eye contact), wears a dress that represents sensory-sensitive clothing, and carries a Augmentative and Alternative Communication tablet, which some people use as a communication tool.

This is especially beneficial because so often in our cultural depictions of autism, we see boys — and that isn’t just a representation thing; it goes deeper. Read more.

 🔎 Ask Clara: What is the gender health care gap?

Seven years ago, I decided to quit my full–time job and embrace self-employment. I was doing the stay-at-home mom thing (far and away the hardest job I’ve ever had) while also doing the freelance-business-solopreneur thing…and realizing that I could set my own goals and create my own benchmarks of success was both liberating…and wildly overwhelming.

For me, those benchmarks looked like a monthly income goal. Most months, I exceed the goal. But last year, I fell short of it in both November and December.

And…I didn’t beat myself up about it. Hear me out: I think this moment actually made me view a lifelong “weakness” of mine through a whole new lens.

I have never been a competitive person. I’m not exceptionally driven. I don’t bulldoze my way to opportunities at the expense of my peace, my relationships, or my rest. I guess you could say I’m a little soft. A type C girlie living in a world that consistently rewards type A perfectionism...and makes women feel like without it, they'll never succeed. 

I’ve always viewed my softness as my greatest failing. I wish I could be the type of person who could be so singularly focused on every goal, nothing stands a chance of getting in the way of them. But…I’m not.

The reason I didn’t meet my goals? Read more.

🔎 Ask Clara: What does burnout look like in women?

Happy dry January to all those who observe! Interestingly, a month that has become culturally associated with alcohol abstinence has become a month full of conversation about the future of drinking. This is timely: The Trump administration just dropped longtime health recommendations that adults should have no more than two drinks per day.

On my feeds, I see people opting out of dry January and similar challenges. They're vowing to drink more in 2026 — many are sharing a GQ article featuring the headline "Why My 2026 Resolution is to Start Drinking Again". In the article, a health journalist writes of going sober — not because he had a dependency on booze, but because he had too much information about the health impact of alcohol.

But he experienced what many others face when they drop the drinks: They socialize less, perhaps they even feel less at ease in social settings. I think a lot of people are having similar realizations: They ditched alcohol, then realized that what they needed wasn't complete sobriety, but a rest and reevaluation of their relationship with it. 

I have so many thoughts on this. On the one hand, I don't love how "all or nothing" we've become. As a person who turns down booze in favor of water (okay, FINE, Diet Coke), I used to feel like a little bit of an oddball when I was out and about and turned down a drink. People would look at me like I had five heads. Alcohol was such a vital piece of the social fabric, and that always felt a little problematic to me. At the same time, the swift "all alcohol is terrible always" ethos that caught hold in the past year or two also felt a little extreme. Read more.

🔎 Ask Clara: What are the dangers of drinking?