Who Cares, Make Yourself a Gift Registry

[View on the web]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( Op-Ed [Everyone Should Have a Gift Registry, Not Just Marrieds]( [A woman shopping online]( There are so many great things about weddings: getting to wear a fancy outfit, availing yourself of an open bar, watching people you love or at least tolerate pledging their devotion to each other for all eternity. Sure, they can be expensive and time-consuming and sometimes you have to go to places like Kalamazoo (sorry, Kalamazoo), but on the whole, IMHO, weddings slap. Something that doesn’t get a whole lot of attention, though, is the gift registry, which tends to fall by the wayside of the overall spectacle. But I am here to argue in its favor: Registries can be fun to stalk (“They want HOW MANY napkin rings?”), are strangely intimate glimpses into the future (“They want HOW MANY high chairs?”), and, above all, take the guesswork out of gift-giving. You might not know how to interpret “classy cocktail casual,” but you can sure as heck whip out your debit card to buy one specific vase. In fact, I think everyone — yes, you too — should maintain a semi-public list of everything they want or need at a given moment, regardless of whether they are getting married. These lists would serve innumerable purposes. There are the obvious applications — birthdays, holidays, graduations — as well as the more abstract occasions: breakups, relocations, falling on tough times. Maybe you’re going to a housewarming and don’t want to bring the second-to-least-expensive bottle of wine; maybe your best friend’s ex-boyfriend got to keep all the Pyrex. If everyone had a constantly refreshing registry, one you could find without asking, you’d always know exactly what to get (and you wouldn’t have to worry about being one of three people to show up bearing a tart dish). There are plenty of places to cobble this sort of thing together: [Amazon](, of course, although not everything you want will always be available there, and [Pinterest](, even though there’s no way to mark if something’s been bought. You could probably fake an impending wedding on [Zola](, but that requires a fake date and couple name and I think this practice needs to be wrenched free from its exclusively matrimonial associations. Sites like [MyRegistry]( allow you to create a list for any occasion across a number of retailers, but above all, in order to work, we all need to agree on one single unified platform so that we can find each others’ easily. [Read the rest of the story here>>]( Ad from our sponsor News [Metal Straws Are Cool Now]( [A woman drinking from a metal straw]( Clothes that [look like picnic blankets](, crop tops with [horny fruits]( all over them, bags [made of porch furniture](: These are among the items you’ve probably already seen on the Instagrams of professionally cool people this summer. But none of them can claim to be part of a bonafide international debate, except one: metal straws. The great Straw Wars of 2018 have only just begun, but there have already been celebrity endorsements, proposed citywide bans, and, of course, a hashtag (#StopSucking). And on July 9, [Starbucks announced that it would eliminate its trademark green plastic straws]( over the next year, replacing its cold beverage lid with what is essentially an adult sippy cup. Though the ban on plastic straws is ultimately an effort to make the ocean a safer place for marine life, straws are far from the biggest problem when it comes to plastic pollution — bottles, wrappers, and bags all make up more beach trash than straws. The straw debate also often tends to leave out those with disabilities [who rely on the bendiness of plastic straws in order to drink](. However, the straw itself isn’t really the target here: Psychologists explain that [straw bans are simply acting as a “gateway drug”]( to lessening our usage of other plastics, and to generally get us thinking about the ecological effects of our consumption. Another thing missing from the straw debate: how freaking cool the metal ones look! These days they come in [silver](, [gold](, [rose gold]( (duh), and even [rainbow](. Not only are they all over Instagram, dunked in [fanciful beach drinks that come in coconuts]( or in [artfully displayed chocolate milk bottles](, but as of five weeks ago, they’re also at New York’s New Yorkiest spot for cool fancy ladies, The Wing. (An important side note here is that paper straws, while also less bad for the environment than plastic ones, cost one zillion dollars, last for about five seconds, and make the sipper’s mouth feel like it is covered in damp shreds of paper, which it is. They should never, ever be used.) [Read the rest of the story here >>]( Did a friend forward you this email? [Sign up for the Racked email newsletter](. [MORE GOOD STUFF TO READ TODAY](#) - [J.Crew Teamed Up With Universal Standard on a Plus Collection]( - [Will a Dark-Skinned Actress Ever Play X-Men’s Storm?]( - [Activewear Brands Are Ignoring Plus-Size Women]( - [Meghan Markle Might Have Worn Another Color, but It Is Very Hard to Tell]( - [The Best Influencers Are Babies]( Ad from our sponsor From the Archives A selection from the editors at Racked [two women in dresses] [Breaking Down the Wedding Attire Dress Codes]( How to dress for whatever’s written on the invitation. [Read More]( [wedding]( [Weddings of the 0.01 Percent]( Cristal! Caviar! Chris Martin! How the rich (and sometimes famous) get married. [Read More]( Ad from our sponsor [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Manage your [email preferences]( or [unsubscribe]( to stop receiving emails from Racked. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2016. All rights reserved.