vox--2020-10-27--Plants are in demand, but it hasn’t been easy for the stores that sell them

The terrariums sold by the North Carolina-based nursery The Zen Succulent are delicately cultivated in thick glass vases .
In each one , there ’ s a patch of rich brown soil at the bottom , a few rough stones half-buried along the interior , and a sturdy collection of rugged cacti sprouting out of the core .
Megan Cain , who owns both of The Zen Succulent storefronts in Durham and Raleigh , tells me that her terrariums have long been her most popular product .
But in February , as the pandemic shut down borders and threw the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was no longer being imported from China .
Like so many other small business owners , she had to improvise .
And so , throughout spring , Cain sold take-home terrarium-planting kits .
A nation under quarantine could still experience the joys of a plant nursery , so long as they spent the anxious days of lockdown in their kitchen , germinating their own private , indoor garden .
It was one of the many ways Cain tried to keep her business afloat .
In the darkest days of Covid-19 , her total @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were everywhere .
Cain needed to find new sources for her raw materials on the east coast , she built an online ordering system from scratch , and took notes from other retailers to determine her own socially-distanced curbside pickup policy .
Both of her stores are open again , but only for three dates a week , 15 hours total .
Full capacity , it seems , remains a ways off .
In the meantime , her community is grateful to have their neighborhood nursery back .
In 2020 , many Americans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that has introduced The Zen Succulent to a slew of new customers .
It ’ s therapeutic , explains Cain , to keep a plant safe and healthy while we attempt to do the same for ourselves .
We talked about that , as well as what it was like to pivot the nursery ’ s business model to DIY instructionals , and how a lifetime ’ s worth of cleaning up dirt helped prepare her for this moment .
When did the pandemic become a reality for your business ?
It hit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our glass suppliers were not getting what they needed .
When we realized the supply chain was disrupted , because a lot of the glassware as wholesale might come from China , it was like , “ Oh my gosh.
” Our whole business is built on making terrariums for people to give as gifts and ship throughout the country , so without glass we were dead in the water .
We shut down our storefronts voluntarily in mid-March .
That ’ s when we were wondering if students were going back to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the safety of our staff and the community .
As much as we love plants , they aren ’ t essential .
We were down 90 percent in sales during that time .
We didn ’ t have a large online presence , we didn ’ t have an e-commerce system .
We didn ’ t have a delivery system .
Because why would we need those things when we had a storefront ?
So you were being affected by the pandemic as far back as February and January with the supply chain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was on the radar for most Americans .
Covid was definitely more on our radar .
We ’ re not doing a finished product .
We don ’ t purchase items at wholesale prices and sell it to the customer .
We ’ re getting the plants from nurseries , arranging them , and offering our own product .
It was tough .
It has , and that ’ s been because we continue to work with our community .
We ’ re purchasing from people who are on the east coast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ small business that specializes in everything from Christmas trees to ribbons for wreaths .
We ’ ve been purchasing from them , which means that they have a steady supply and that we have a steady supply .
I ’ m very fortunate for that .
How hard was it to get your online ordering system up and running from scratch ?
To be completely honest , it was a tough stretch .
When you ’ re planting greenery , you can ’ t just show one picture of what it would look @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and unique .
We had to go back to our roots .
We started as an online Etsy shop in 2012 , so I had to use the knowledge I cultivated back then , and polish up our website .
We took the glossy images we use on our Instagram and added them to the site .
We looked at what the larger stores were doing and took their cues .
I did hours and hours of research on , like , “ How did Best Buy perfect their curbside pickup ?
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ m going to use that free knowledge .
In the early part of the pandemic , a lot of people were picking up new hobbies .
Did you notice that at all with your business ?
Did you notice an uptick in people putting together their first terrarium ?
People were looking to do things with their hands , or keep their kids busy .
We started virtual workshops , for people who wanted to do something new safely .
When you ’ re working with live greenery , you can see that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you ’ ll be able to see that plant thriving , you can say , “ This is something I made in the pandemic and it ’ s thriving , just like how I ’ m thriving now.
” Did your employees voice any anxieties about going back to work ?
How did you address those ?
We have a small staff at each of our stores .
It was myself and three others .
Since we reopened we brought on some more to help with that transition .
We wanted to stay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the anxieties are centered on how small our stores are .
750 square feet in one , 600 square feet in the other .
So they wanted to make sure that people weren ’ t going to be on top of them at work .
So we installed plexiglass to help keep them insulated .
Another thing is that before Covid , we were open for eight hours a day .
That was an issue , because sometimes customers will walk in because they have nothing else to do .
That ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hours—three days a week , five hours each .
What were some of the unique challenges a plant store had to face during this time , that didn ’ t affect other businesses ?
We deal with dirt , so we ’ re cleaning all the time in general .
But a big stake of our business was a DIY terrarium bar , where customers would come in , sit down , and make a terrarium with us and leave with that design .
That ’ s another thing our workers weren ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that .
We didn ’ t want multiple people using the same tools to make terrariums day in and day out .
One of the things you guys started selling after the shutdown were DIY , take-home terrarium kits .
When you were brainstorming ways to keep money coming into the business while the doors were closed , how did you come up with that idea ?
You know when you look at the fridge to see what you have before you make a dish ?
It was kind of like that .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ saw that we had a certain amount of glassware , a certain number of plants .
We had instructions — I wrote a book called Modern Terrarium Studios — so I know how to lay out the details on how to make a terrarium efficiently .
So I was trying to put those ingredients together .
Also , we have a large Instagram following , so I was able to query those followers to see if they ’ d be interested in a product like that before I put hours and money into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said they loved the idea , and away we went .
Do you think the reopenings of your plant stores added a sense of normalcy to the community ?
A lot of people who come into a store looking for greenery want something for their home .
But in the pandemic , people are looking for something that gives them life .
Something to care for , and maintain , and see that growth .
I can ’ t tell you how many people bought their first plant from us during this time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on television .
Just to be able to say , “ It survived , and so can I.
” During the protests over the summer , there was a real push to support Black-owned businesses .
Did you experience an uptick in commerce during that time ?
Yes for sure .
We ’ re very lucky .
I ’ m a local girl from the community , so people supported us early on anyway .
But with the Black Lives Matter movement , there was so much unrest throughout our city and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out to us , trying to figure out what they can do to help us .
That helped us continue to move our business forward .
Help keep Vox free for all Millions turn to Vox each month to understand what ’ s happening in the news , from the coronavirus crisis to a racial reckoning to what is , quite possibly , the most consequential presidential election of our lifetimes .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resources .
Even when the economy and the news advertising market recovers , your support will be a critical part of sustaining our resource-intensive work .
If you have already contributed , thank you .
If you haven ’ t , please consider helping everyone make sense of an increasingly chaotic world : Contribute today from as little as $ 3 .

The terrariums sold by the North Carolina-based nursery The Zen Succulent are delicately cultivated in thick glass vases. In each one, there’s a patch of rich brown soil at the bottom, a few rough stones half-buried along the interior, and a sturdy collection of rugged cacti sprouting out of the core.
Megan Cain, who owns both of The Zen Succulent storefronts in Durham and Raleigh, tells me that her terrariums have long been her most popular product. But in February, as the pandemic shut down borders and threw the global supply chain into disarray, glassware was no longer being imported from China. Like so many other small business owners, she had to improvise.
And so, throughout spring, Cain sold take-home terrarium-planting kits. A nation under quarantine could still experience the joys of a plant nursery, so long as they spent the anxious days of lockdown in their kitchen, germinating their own private, indoor garden. It was one of the many ways Cain tried to keep her business afloat.
In the darkest days of Covid-19, her total revenue was down 90 percent and roadblocks were everywhere. Cain needed to find new sources for her raw materials on the east coast, she built an online ordering system from scratch, and took notes from other retailers to determine her own socially-distanced curbside pickup policy. Both of her stores are open again, but only for three dates a week, 15 hours total. Full capacity, it seems, remains a ways off.
In the meantime, her community is grateful to have their neighborhood nursery back. In 2020, many Americans are buying their first plant, and that has introduced The Zen Succulent to a slew of new customers. It’s therapeutic, explains Cain, to keep a plant safe and healthy while we attempt to do the same for ourselves. We talked about that, as well as what it was like to pivot the nursery’s business model to DIY instructionals, and how a lifetime’s worth of cleaning up dirt helped prepare her for this moment.
When did the pandemic become a reality for your business?
It hit home for us when we realized that our glass suppliers were not getting what they needed. When we realized the supply chain was disrupted, because a lot of the glassware as wholesale might come from China, it was like, “Oh my gosh.” Our whole business is built on making terrariums for people to give as gifts and ship throughout the country, so without glass we were dead in the water.
We shut down our storefronts voluntarily in mid-March. That’s when we were wondering if students were going back to school or not. It was for the safety of our staff and the community. As much as we love plants, they aren’t essential. We were down 90 percent in sales during that time. We didn’t have a large online presence, we didn’t have an e-commerce system. We didn’t have a delivery system. Because why would we need those things when we had a storefront?
So you were being affected by the pandemic as far back as February and January with the supply chain, which is about a month before it was on the radar for most Americans.
Covid was definitely more on our radar. We’re not doing a finished product. We don’t purchase items at wholesale prices and sell it to the customer. We’re getting the plants from nurseries, arranging them, and offering our own product. It was tough.
Has your glass supply rebounded?
It has, and that’s been because we continue to work with our community. We’re purchasing from people who are on the east coast. We made a callout to a small business that specializes in everything from Christmas trees to ribbons for wreaths. We’ve been purchasing from them, which means that they have a steady supply and that we have a steady supply. I’m very fortunate for that.
How hard was it to get your online ordering system up and running from scratch?
To be completely honest, it was a tough stretch. When you’re planting greenery, you can’t just show one picture of what it would look like, because every plant is different and unique. We had to go back to our roots. We started as an online Etsy shop in 2012, so I had to use the knowledge I cultivated back then, and polish up our website. We took the glossy images we use on our Instagram and added them to the site. We looked at what the larger stores were doing and took their cues. I did hours and hours of research on, like, “How did Best Buy perfect their curbside pickup?” On a shoestring budget, I’m going to use that free knowledge.
In the early part of the pandemic, a lot of people were picking up new hobbies. Did you notice that at all with your business? Did you notice an uptick in people putting together their first terrarium?
People were looking to do things with their hands, or keep their kids busy. We started virtual workshops, for people who wanted to do something new safely. When you’re working with live greenery, you can see that plant grow. Hopefully in the future you’ll be able to see that plant thriving, you can say, “This is something I made in the pandemic and it’s thriving, just like how I’m thriving now.”
Did your employees voice any anxieties about going back to work? How did you address those?
We have a small staff at each of our stores. It was myself and three others. Since we reopened we brought on some more to help with that transition. We wanted to stay transparent the whole time. Some of the anxieties are centered on how small our stores are. 750 square feet in one, 600 square feet in the other.
So they wanted to make sure that people weren’t going to be on top of them at work. So we installed plexiglass to help keep them insulated. Another thing is that before Covid, we were open for eight hours a day. That was an issue, because sometimes customers will walk in because they have nothing else to do. That’s why we’ve kept these limited hours—three days a week, five hours each.
What were some of the unique challenges a plant store had to face during this time, that didn’t affect other businesses?
We deal with dirt, so we’re cleaning all the time in general. But a big stake of our business was a DIY terrarium bar, where customers would come in, sit down, and make a terrarium with us and leave with that design. That’s another thing our workers weren’t comfortable with, so we stopped that. We didn’t want multiple people using the same tools to make terrariums day in and day out.
One of the things you guys started selling after the shutdown were DIY, take-home terrarium kits. When you were brainstorming ways to keep money coming into the business while the doors were closed, how did you come up with that idea?
You know when you look at the fridge to see what you have before you make a dish? It was kind of like that. I looked at our backstock, and saw that we had a certain amount of glassware, a certain number of plants. We had instructions — I wrote a book called Modern Terrarium Studios — so I know how to lay out the details on how to make a terrarium efficiently. So I was trying to put those ingredients together.
Also, we have a large Instagram following, so I was able to query those followers to see if they’d be interested in a product like that before I put hours and money into getting it off the ground. They said they loved the idea, and away we went.
Do you think the reopenings of your plant stores added a sense of normalcy to the community?
A lot of people who come into a store looking for greenery want something for their home. But in the pandemic, people are looking for something that gives them life. Something to care for, and maintain, and see that growth. I can’t tell you how many people bought their first plant from us during this time, because everything else is so bleak on television. Just to be able to say, “It survived, and so can I.”
During the protests over the summer, there was a real push to support Black-owned businesses. Did you experience an uptick in commerce during that time?
Yes for sure. We’re very lucky. I’m a local girl from the community, so people supported us early on anyway. But with the Black Lives Matter movement, there was so much unrest throughout our city and the nation, that we had people reaching out to us, trying to figure out what they can do to help us. That helped us continue to move our business forward.


vox--2020-10-27--How our Google searches have changed in this presidential election

The 2020 election is different from those that have come before in many ways , including the ways in which we ’ re Googling .
Waves of Interest , a new collaboration between Google News Initiative and information design firm Truth & Beauty , looks at how Americans ’ internet searches have changed over the course of five presidential election years , from 2004 to 2020 .
The series of interactive data visualizations looks at the relative popularity of a range of popular political concepts , garnered from search trends as well as Pew Research Center election surveys , across @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s data goes through September and will be updated when each month is complete .
As Google data editor Simon Rogers told Recode earlier this year , “ You ’ re never as honest as you are with your search engine.
” And this year , that honesty has resulted in a snapshot of the biggest concerns and questions Americans have ahead of arguably the most important election of our lifetime .
It also suggests which issues might have more bearing on the election ’ s outcome .
In 2020 , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voting , unemployment , vaccine — relate to the coronavirus pandemic as well as this administration ’ s response .
There ’ s also increased interest in terms like “ fact checking ” that have to do with misinformation , whether that comes from foreign interference or from the president himself .
While some issues , like electoral fraud , are common from election to election , others vary widely by year .
In the last election , the Second Amendment , minimum wage , and affordable housing were big concerns .
( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ version of the visualization . )
Back in 2004 , there was an especially high level of search around same-sex marriage and terrorism .
The visualizations also show where in America these searches are more pronounced , highlighting regional differences over time .
Abortion , for example , is of perennial importance in the Midwest and South .
Gun control has outsized interest in the West , especially in Wyoming , in every election year .
Affordable housing appears to always be just as important in the Northeast as the Southwest .
Earlier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concern nationwide , but lately , it ’ s more prevalent in the Northeast .
These charts present a fascinating window into our major concerns going into each election — and 2020 ’ s concerns are particularly novel .
Nevertheless , we can ’ t predict the future based on what people are searching for .
But perhaps , thanks to the data the search engine is collecting , we can better understand the past .
Help keep Vox free for all Millions turn to Vox each month to understand what ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus crisis to a racial reckoning to what is , quite possibly , the most consequential presidential election of our lifetimes .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
But our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources .
Even when the economy and the news advertising market recovers , your support will be a critical part of sustaining our resource-intensive work .
If you have already contributed , thank you .
If you haven ’ t , please consider @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chaotic world : Contribute today from as little as $ 3 .

The 2020 election is different from those that have come before in many ways, including the ways in which we’re Googling.
Waves of Interest, a new collaboration between Google News Initiative and information design firm Truth & Beauty, looks at how Americans’ internet searches have changed over the course of five presidential election years, from 2004 to 2020. The series of interactive data visualizations looks at the relative popularity of a range of popular political concepts, garnered from search trends as well as Pew Research Center election surveys, across election years. So far, 2020’s data goes through September and will be updated when each month is complete.
As Google data editor Simon Rogers told Recode earlier this year, “You’re never as honest as you are with your search engine.” And this year, that honesty has resulted in a snapshot of the biggest concerns and questions Americans have ahead of arguably the most important election of our lifetime. It also suggests which issues might have more bearing on the election’s outcome.
In 2020, a number of the popular searches — postal voting, unemployment, vaccine — relate to the coronavirus pandemic as well as this administration’s response. There’s also increased interest in terms like “fact checking” that have to do with misinformation, whether that comes from foreign interference or from the president himself.
While some issues, like electoral fraud, are common from election to election, others vary widely by year. In the last election, the Second Amendment, minimum wage, and affordable housing were big concerns. (Visit the site for a more comprehensive version of the visualization.) Back in 2004, there was an especially high level of search around same-sex marriage and terrorism.
The visualizations also show where in America these searches are more pronounced, highlighting regional differences over time. Abortion, for example, is of perennial importance in the Midwest and South. Gun control has outsized interest in the West, especially in Wyoming, in every election year. Affordable housing appears to always be just as important in the Northeast as the Southwest. Earlier this century, health insurance was a concern nationwide, but lately, it’s more prevalent in the Northeast.
These charts present a fascinating window into our major concerns going into each election — and 2020’s concerns are particularly novel. Nevertheless, we can’t predict the future based on what people are searching for. But perhaps, thanks to the data the search engine is collecting, we can better understand the past.


vox--2020-10-27--This week in TikTok: Halloween is still happening ... online

Hello from The Goods ’ twice-weekly newsletter !
On Tuesdays , internet culture reporter Rebecca Jennings uses this space to update you all on what ’ s been going on in the world of TikTok .
Is there something you want to see more of ?
Less of ?
Different of ?
Email rebecca.jennings @ vox.com , and subscribe to The Goods ’ newsletter here .
For a makeup influencer , Halloween is the busiest time of year — it ’ s the time when even regular people attempt the high-concept or intimidatingly intricate looks peddled by professionals , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Which is why when I hop on a Zoom call with TikTok beauty guru Abby Roberts in late September , she ’ s in the middle of painting a sledgehammer to use as a Harley Quinn prop .
“ It ’ s insane !
” she says of the amount of shoots she has planned for the next few weeks .
19-year-old Roberts , whose face I ’ d seen roughly a thousand times on my For You page but whose voice I had never heard ( she ’ s from Leeds , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ northern English accent ) , has skyrocketed to 13 million followers on TikTok and is one its most recognizable stars .
Among her most iconic transformations : Jojo Siwa , Joe Exotic , a T-Rex , Nintendo Mii , and the cowboy emoji , plus a lot of really cool vibey ones that she pairs with her closet full of e-girl fashion staples .
What started as an obsession with beauty YouTubers when she was 11 has now led to a wildly lucrative career working with brands like Charlotte Tilbury and Maybelline .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ like being famous in quarantine , plus Americans ’ obsession with British chav makeup .
( I did , however , forget to ask her for a tutorial on anime cosplay eye makeup , so if anyone has a good one , I need to learn by Saturday ! )
How ’ d you get into makeup ?
Growing up , I was always into art .
When I was 11 , I started watching YouTube videos of all these beauty gurus like NikkieTutorials and Jaclyn Hill , and I wanted to have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my first YouTube video when I was just 11 .
It was me doing my sister ’ s Halloween makeup or something , and it was terrible .
It was so bad , but we were just having fun .
When did you first blow up ?
I became big on Instagram probably two years ago , when I became friends with James Charles .
I ’ d recreate his makeup looks , and that ’ s how he found me on Instagram and shared me on his Instagram story .
I gained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really just took it to that next level .
People love the really crazy and kind of stupid looks , so I turn myself into all sorts of characters like a Teletubby or something .
People love that .
Have you noticed a shift in your own aesthetic from when you started on TikTok ?
There was no aesthetic to begin with !
I was just trying everything , but now I feel like I ’ ve really found my specific style with makeup .
People know what they ’ re getting when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Before TikTok , my style was so boring , and now I ’ m a full-on e-girl with purple hair .
How do you define beauty on TikTok versus beauty on Instagram or YouTube ?
It ’ s a lot less polished and airbrushed than your typical Instagram or YouTube beauty guru .
It ’ s kind of more relatable as well , which is why I really like TikTok .
You ’ re showing all the behind-the-scenes , that side of things .
The style of makeup is more alternative as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on TikTok right now is to put on chav makeup — a really unblended contour , nude lips , and way too much eyeliner .
Is that weird to see , having grown up in the UK ?
I was that person !
I was a chav , that ’ s how I know how to do [ the makeup ] .
It was a huge thing in probably 2014 , just every British girl had no idea how to do makeup .
There weren ’ t a whole lot of tutorials on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kind of all just terrible at it .
Grime music is resurfacing on TikTok , so all the British people find that hilarious , how the Americans have just discovered it because of TikTok .
It ’ s so funny .
How do you separate your TikTok life from your real life ?
Honestly , it ’ s really difficult because you ’ re working and you ’ re on TikTok looking for videos to make , and then you ’ re going to TikTok for fun , but it never really switches @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at what to do next .
But I think it ’ s all about introducing content gradually to your followers .
I was very , very makeup-focused last year to the point where I felt like I was being restricted .
I couldn ’ t post any other content and people wouldn ’ t like it , and it was really difficult for me mentally trying to keep up with doing these intense looks constantly .
So I gradually just introduced my lifestyle and fashion content .
My followers responded really well to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they still like that stuff — and now I ’ m able to enjoy lots of different types of content .
I think it ’ s good to take a step away from it .
I am still good friends with a lot of the people that I went to school with and whenever I feel that online is too much , I just go and spend some time with them and like ground myself , spend time with my family , get back into reality again , take a little break from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advice to someone who wants to get big on beauty TikTok ?
Associate yourself with the right people and try to stay away from the kind of shady characters in this industry .
It ’ s important to make good friends that you can genuinely trust .
Work hard on your content .
Don ’ t become lazy with it just because something is popular .
Stay true to yourself and the type of content that you like to create .
• TikTok will now tell you why your video was removed , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a vague statement about “ breaking community guidelines ” ) .
Good !
• Two weeks ago was influencer hair salon drama , last week it was balloon girl drama : A balloon artist in Texas revealed the price of her custom garlands ( $ 420 ) and when people balked , challenged them to recreate it themselves for cheaper .
Turns out , a lot of them really had the time .
• Alex Hawgood at the Times finally wrote the story I ’ ve been wanting to read for years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” on TikTok to excite their ( mostly female ) followers .
Explained one TikTok star ’ s mother : “ If you are just straight-up straight now , it ’ s not very interesting to these kids.
” • Fill in the blank in the latest “ Teens are doing [ very bizarre thing ] !
” headline .
( Spoiler : They ’ re making each other eat raw oats .
It ’ s fine . )
• How young people are using TikTok to get out the vote .
• @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the awful underbelly of Discord servers devoted to spreading deepfake pornography of TikTok stars .
• Some TikTokers are getting really into a six-and-a-half-hour ambient noise album meant to mimic the experience of dementia .
It ’ s called the Caretaker challenge , named after the artist , and people are filming their reactions .
It does not seem like an enjoyable experience !
Sasha … Obama … on … TikTok ?
!
!
( Her friend deleted the videos , but they ’ re cute and fun and oh god please do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this into some weird scandal . )
Help keep Vox free for all Millions turn to Vox each month to understand what ’ s happening in the news , from the coronavirus crisis to a racial reckoning to what is , quite possibly , the most consequential presidential election of our lifetimes .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
But our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ market recovers , your support will be a critical part of sustaining our resource-intensive work , and helping everyone make sense of an increasingly chaotic world .
Contribute today from as little as $ 3 .

Hello from The Goods’ twice-weekly newsletter! On Tuesdays, internet culture reporter Rebecca Jennings uses this space to update you all on what’s been going on in the world of TikTok. Is there something you want to see more of? Less of? Different of? Email rebecca.jennings@vox.com, and subscribe to The Goods’ newsletter here.
For a makeup influencer, Halloween is the busiest time of year — it’s the time when even regular people attempt the high-concept or intimidatingly intricate looks peddled by professionals, and they’re looking for inspiration. Which is why when I hop on a Zoom call with TikTok beauty guru Abby Roberts in late September, she’s in the middle of painting a sledgehammer to use as a Harley Quinn prop.
“It’s insane!” she says of the amount of shoots she has planned for the next few weeks.
19-year-old Roberts, whose face I’d seen roughly a thousand times on my For You page but whose voice I had never heard (she’s from Leeds, so she’s got a fun northern English accent), has skyrocketed to 13 million followers on TikTok and is one its most recognizable stars. Among her most iconic transformations: Jojo Siwa, Joe Exotic, a T-Rex, Nintendo Mii, and the cowboy emoji, plus a lot of really cool vibey ones that she pairs with her closet full of e-girl fashion staples.
What started as an obsession with beauty YouTubers when she was 11 has now led to a wildly lucrative career working with brands like Charlotte Tilbury and Maybelline under youth entertainment company Kyra. We chatted about what it’s like being famous in quarantine, plus Americans’ obsession with British chav makeup. (I did, however, forget to ask her for a tutorial on anime cosplay eye makeup, so if anyone has a good one, I need to learn by Saturday!)
@abbyrartistry first of september it’s officially almost spooky szn so here’s a draft from last year - who’s excited?! ♬ som original - Ice Lyrics
How’d you get into makeup?
Growing up, I was always into art. When I was 11, I started watching YouTube videos of all these beauty gurus like NikkieTutorials and Jaclyn Hill, and I wanted to have a go myself. So I uploaded my first YouTube video when I was just 11. It was me doing my sister’s Halloween makeup or something, and it was terrible. It was so bad, but we were just having fun.
When did you first blow up?
I became big on Instagram probably two years ago, when I became friends with James Charles. I’d recreate his makeup looks, and that’s how he found me on Instagram and shared me on his Instagram story. I gained maybe 100,000 followers overnight, and TikTok really just took it to that next level.
What typically performs best?
People love the really crazy and kind of stupid looks, so I turn myself into all sorts of characters like a Teletubby or something. People love that.
Have you noticed a shift in your own aesthetic from when you started on TikTok?
There was no aesthetic to begin with! I was just trying everything, but now I feel like I’ve really found my specific style with makeup. People know what they’re getting when they’re coming to my page. Before TikTok, my style was so boring, and now I’m a full-on e-girl with purple hair.
How do you define beauty on TikTok versus beauty on Instagram or YouTube?
It’s a lot less polished and airbrushed than your typical Instagram or YouTube beauty guru. It’s kind of more relatable as well, which is why I really like TikTok. You’re showing all the behind-the-scenes, that side of things. The style of makeup is more alternative as well.
One of the big trends on TikTok right now is to put on chav makeup — a really unblended contour, nude lips, and way too much eyeliner. Is that weird to see, having grown up in the UK?
I was that person! I was a chav, that’s how I know how to do [the makeup]. It was a huge thing in probably 2014, just every British girl had no idea how to do makeup. There weren’t a whole lot of tutorials on YouTube and everything, so we were kind of all just terrible at it. Grime music is resurfacing on TikTok, so all the British people find that hilarious, how the Americans have just discovered it because of TikTok. It’s so funny.
How do you separate your TikTok life from your real life?
Honestly, it’s really difficult because you’re working and you’re on TikTok looking for videos to make, and then you’re going to TikTok for fun, but it never really switches off. You’re always looking at what to do next.
But I think it’s all about introducing content gradually to your followers. I was very, very makeup-focused last year to the point where I felt like I was being restricted. I couldn’t post any other content and people wouldn’t like it, and it was really difficult for me mentally trying to keep up with doing these intense looks constantly. So I gradually just introduced my lifestyle and fashion content. My followers responded really well to it — I was really lucky that they still like that stuff — and now I’m able to enjoy lots of different types of content.
I think it’s good to take a step away from it. I am still good friends with a lot of the people that I went to school with and whenever I feel that online is too much, I just go and spend some time with them and like ground myself, spend time with my family, get back into reality again, take a little break from social media.
What’s your advice to someone who wants to get big on beauty TikTok?
Associate yourself with the right people and try to stay away from the kind of shady characters in this industry. It’s important to make good friends that you can genuinely trust. Work hard on your content. Don’t become lazy with it just because something is popular. Stay true to yourself and the type of content that you like to create.
TikTok in the news
One Last Thing
Sasha … Obama … on … TikTok?!! (Her friend deleted the videos, but they’re cute and fun and oh god please do not let the alt-right try to turn this into some weird scandal.)


vox--2020-10-27--The remote learning center trend, explained

For 15 years , kids came to Amerikick , a martial arts center on a bustling corner of Brooklyn ’ s Park Slope , for karate lessons , learning how to kick , chop , and bow in the center ’ s spacious upstairs studio .
But in 2020 , they come for something a little different : school .
With New York City schools operating on a hybrid model that brings kids into classrooms just two or three days a week , Amerikick was hearing from working parents — especially those who were teachers themselves — that they needed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during their remote days .
So over the summer , staff decided to transform the space into a distance learning center , where students could come to work on their online classes in a supervised environment .
Turning a karate studio into a space for remote school during a pandemic required a few adjustments .
“ We outlined the mat with red tape in boxes ” to make sure desks were 6 feet apart , Ada Vargas , Amerikick ’ s program director , told Vox .
The studio also installed hand sanitizer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warmer touches , like bulletin boards for each student .
“ They decorate it and make it their own , to kind of make them feel a little bit easier about things going on , ” Vargas said .
And , naturally , each student gets their own Amerikick-branded mask .
While Amerikick ’ s pivot to distance learning may sound unusual , it ’ s not unique .
Around the country , businesses and nonprofits from dance studios to summer camps are becoming what some call “ supportive learning centers , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extracurricular enrichment for kids whose schools are fully or partially remote due to Covid-19 .
These centers can offer a much-needed lifeline to parents at a time when many — especially moms — are being forced to choose between keeping their jobs and caring for their kids .
Meanwhile , offering distance learning services could help some small businesses stay afloat in uncertain times .
But businesses like Amerikick can ’ t solve America ’ s child care and education crisis all on their own .
For one thing , unlike schools , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which means the quality of support kids get may vary widely , Elliot Haspel , a child care policy expert and the author of Crawling Behind : America ’ s Child Care Crisis and How to Fix It , told Vox .
And while nationwide data on the number of new learning centers is sparse , there certainly aren ’ t enough to fill the enormous need with millions of American kids not yet back to school full time .
Nor are their fees — which range from free for some nonprofits to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ camps — affordable for every family .
Still , for those who can access them , the centers may offer something many families have struggled to find during this time of isolation : a community to support them and their kids .
“ We want our kids to look back on this time and not think , ‘ That was the worst semester , doing virtual learning , ’ ” Julia Warren , executive director of Celebrate !
RVA , a nonprofit that operates a learning center in Virginia , told Vox , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was really hard , but I got to go this really special space that made it as fun as possible.
’ ” For some families who can ’ t afford pods , learning centers are filling the gaps This fall , thousands of schools around the country began the school year either fully remote or on a hybrid schedule that had kids in school buildings only part of the day or week .
Overall , about 38 percent of districts — including most of the nation ’ s largest — were either @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of parents in the same untenable position they occupied in the spring : expected to care for their kids and supervise virtual learning while also somehow doing their jobs .
Some parents have been able to form “ pods ” to share child care and homeschooling duties , with affluent families even hiring teachers to educate their kids at home at a cost of up to $ 100,000 per year .
But most people can ’ t afford that price tag — and even less formal , parent-led pods are out of reach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know others in their area or whose work schedules don ’ t allow them to pitch in on child care .
Some cities have responded by opening their own learning hubs , often with priority given to low-income families .
But there typically aren ’ t enough city-run sites to serve all kids who are doing remote or hybrid learning .
New York City , for example , announced in summer that it would provide free child care for 100,000 students , less than 10 percent of the city ’ s school-age population @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of businesses and nonprofits are filling the gap , opening up their storefronts to offer socially distanced spaces where kids can log in to their online classes , with supervision and help from adults on staff .
Such supportive learning centers have “ sort of become a cottage industry ” in recent months , Haspel said .
They include a dance studio in Islip , New York ; sleepaway camps in New Hampshire and Wisconsin ; and even private schools in California that have reopened as camps in order to be classified as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a franchise with locations around the country , is offering distance learning at its New Jersey studios as well as in Brooklyn .
“ We ’ re trying to help the community and the parents out , ” Vargas said .
At Amerikick , kids ages 5 to 12 can come in for distance learning from 8 am to 3 pm on days when they ’ re out of school buildings , with extended hours available if parents need them .
Students each attend online classes at their own school , but Amerikick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ log in at the right time and complete their assignments .
And during breaks , staff help the kids get moving by playing socially distanced games like Simon Says — or by practicing martial arts .
“ Our style , we do acrobatics , ” Vargas said .
“ There ’ s a lot of kicking and punching and rolling and fun stuff like that.
” Amerikick ’ s distance learning program costs $ 65 per day , or a lower rate if parents pay by the month .
Some nonprofits , however @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to those in need .
Celebrate !
RVA , for example , was established in 2013 to throw birthday parties for low-income kids in Richmond , Virginia .
But when the pandemic hit and schools closed down , “ We were hearing from families who were just desperate for help ” with child care , Warren said .
“ We just decided to make a pivot because we had the space , and we knew that our kids needed it more than anything.
” Celebrate opened its space for distance learning on September @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , all attending free of charge .
The nonprofit is part of a coalition of groups in the area that are trying to provide care and support to kids whose parents can ’ t afford to pay for it .
For Celebrate , offering distance learning “ was the most loving and joyful thing to do to support the kids and their families , ” Warren said .
Offering distance learning could also help small businesses While learning centers fill an important niche for families , they could also help some small businesses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when many former offerings — indoor dance classes , for example — aren ’ t possible .
For Amerikick , which also offers online and outdoor karate classes , distance learning wasn ’ t a business decision , Vargas said .
But with many school buildings closed , the time is ripe for youth-oriented businesses to make their services available for students , whether it ’ s operating a learning center or offering enrichment classes remotely , Ty Lewis , CEO of the nonprofit Educationally Speaking Center for Learning , told Vox .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ tap into your gifts and offer whatever you ’ re offering , ” Lewis said .
“ If you ’ re a dance teacher , a karate teacher , robotics , coding , this is an amazing time to do it.
” For businesses and other organizations considering opening learning centers , many say the most important consideration is safety .
“ Just follow the science , ” advises Richard “ Woody ” Woodstein , owner and director of Camp Robin Hood in Freedom , New Hampshire , which operated a five-week session @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Whatever you think you need to do , do more to keep everybody safe , ” he told Vox .
“ If you can do that , then kids can be kids.
” After safety , though , the biggest question about supportive learning centers is quality .
While large organizations like the YMCA have trained staff and a long track record of offering child care and supervision , smaller businesses and groups may be less prepared for the challenges , Haspel said .
“ Are they able to help a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bad day and throwing a tantrum ?
” he asked .
“ Are they able to help a student who ’ s really struggling with reading or with math ?
That ’ s not as clear.
” Parents looking to enroll their kids in learning centers should come prepared with questions , experts say .
First , they should ask about pandemic precautions — questions like how many children are enrolled and whether social distancing is observed , Lewis said .
Beyond that , they should consider asking what ’ s offered beyond @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my child with instruction during the day ?
What are some activities that you ’ re going to offer them ?
Will they have repeated breaks so that they can move away from the screen ?
” And while some families may find centers that check all their boxes , they ’ re far from a full solution to the shortage of child care during the pandemic .
For that , “ we need a whole lot more money flowing into the system , ” Haspel said .
Experts agree that the child @ @ @ @ @ @ @ billion to stabilize it through the pandemic and into the future , but so far , provisions to provide the money have stalled in the Republican-controlled Senate .
Still , some individual centers are seeing successes , especially in a time when many students around the country are struggling with remote learning .
Absenteeism has been a huge problem during the pandemic , with about two in five Richmond students chronically absent from school , Warren said .
But at Celebrate , “ we have not seen any child absent unexcused , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ short time the center has been open , the students have made big strides academically .
The youngest , in pre-kindergarten , came to Celebrate not knowing many of her letters .
But “ she can now identify and match uppercase and lowercase letters , she can spell words , she knows sight words , she can put sentences together , she can add , ” Warren said .
“ We ’ ve just seen incredible growth in our kids , ” she added , “ and we ’ re just really proud @ @ @ @ @ @ @ able to accomplish.
” Help keep Vox free for all Millions turn to Vox each month to understand what ’ s happening in the news , from the coronavirus crisis to a racial reckoning to what is , quite possibly , the most consequential presidential election of our lifetimes .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
But our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources .
Even when the economy and the news advertising market recovers , your support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our resource-intensive work .
If you have already contributed , thank you .
If you haven ’ t , please consider helping everyone make sense of an increasingly chaotic world : Contribute today from as little as $ 3 .

For 15 years, kids came to Amerikick, a martial arts center on a bustling corner of Brooklyn’s Park Slope, for karate lessons, learning how to kick, chop, and bow in the center’s spacious upstairs studio.
But in 2020, they come for something a little different: school.
With New York City schools operating on a hybrid model that brings kids into classrooms just two or three days a week, Amerikick was hearing from working parents — especially those who were teachers themselves — that they needed a safe place to send their kids during their remote days. So over the summer, staff decided to transform the space into a distance learning center, where students could come to work on their online classes in a supervised environment.
Turning a karate studio into a space for remote school during a pandemic required a few adjustments. “We outlined the mat with red tape in boxes” to make sure desks were 6 feet apart, Ada Vargas, Amerikick’s program director, told Vox. The studio also installed hand sanitizer stations throughout, as well as some warmer touches, like bulletin boards for each student. “They decorate it and make it their own, to kind of make them feel a little bit easier about things going on,” Vargas said.
And, naturally, each student gets their own Amerikick-branded mask.
While Amerikick’s pivot to distance learning may sound unusual, it’s not unique. Around the country, businesses and nonprofits from dance studios to summer camps are becoming what some call “supportive learning centers,” offering supervision, wifi, and sometimes extracurricular enrichment for kids whose schools are fully or partially remote due to Covid-19. These centers can offer a much-needed lifeline to parents at a time when many — especially moms — are being forced to choose between keeping their jobs and caring for their kids. Meanwhile, offering distance learning services could help some small businesses stay afloat in uncertain times.
But businesses like Amerikick can’t solve America’s child care and education crisis all on their own. For one thing, unlike schools, these centers are often entirely unregulated, which means the quality of support kids get may vary widely, Elliot Haspel, a child care policy expert and the author of Crawling Behind: America’s Child Care Crisis and How to Fix It, told Vox. And while nationwide data on the number of new learning centers is sparse, there certainly aren’t enough to fill the enormous need with millions of American kids not yet back to school full time. Nor are their fees — which range from free for some nonprofits to thousands of dollars per session for some camps — affordable for every family.
Still, for those who can access them, the centers may offer something many families have struggled to find during this time of isolation: a community to support them and their kids.
“We want our kids to look back on this time and not think, ‘That was the worst semester, doing virtual learning,’” Julia Warren, executive director of Celebrate! RVA, a nonprofit that operates a learning center in Virginia, told Vox, “but rather, ‘Wow, it was really hard, but I got to go this really special space that made it as fun as possible.’”
For some families who can’t afford pods, learning centers are filling the gaps
This fall, thousands of schools around the country began the school year either fully remote or on a hybrid schedule that had kids in school buildings only part of the day or week. Overall, about 38 percent of districts — including most of the nation’s largest — were either remote or hybrid. That left millions of parents in the same untenable position they occupied in the spring: expected to care for their kids and supervise virtual learning while also somehow doing their jobs.
Some parents have been able to form “pods” to share child care and homeschooling duties, with affluent families even hiring teachers to educate their kids at home at a cost of up to $100,000 per year. But most people can’t afford that price tag — and even less formal, parent-led pods are out of reach for many families who don’t know others in their area or whose work schedules don’t allow them to pitch in on child care.
Some cities have responded by opening their own learning hubs, often with priority given to low-income families. But there typically aren’t enough city-run sites to serve all kids who are doing remote or hybrid learning. New York City, for example, announced in summer that it would provide free child care for 100,000 students, less than 10 percent of the city’s school-age population.
And now, an increasing number of businesses and nonprofits are filling the gap, opening up their storefronts to offer socially distanced spaces where kids can log in to their online classes, with supervision and help from adults on staff. Such supportive learning centers have “sort of become a cottage industry” in recent months, Haspel said.
They include a dance studio in Islip, New York; sleepaway camps in New Hampshire and Wisconsin; and even private schools in California that have reopened as camps in order to be classified as essential businesses. Meanwhile, Amerikick, a franchise with locations around the country, is offering distance learning at its New Jersey studios as well as in Brooklyn.
“We’re trying to help the community and the parents out,” Vargas said.
At Amerikick, kids ages 5 to 12 can come in for distance learning from 8 am to 3 pm on days when they’re out of school buildings, with extended hours available if parents need them. Students each attend online classes at their own school, but Amerikick hired a teacher to make sure they log in at the right time and complete their assignments. And during breaks, staff help the kids get moving by playing socially distanced games like Simon Says — or by practicing martial arts.
“Our style, we do acrobatics,” Vargas said. “There’s a lot of kicking and punching and rolling and fun stuff like that.”
Amerikick’s distance learning program costs $65 per day, or a lower rate if parents pay by the month. Some nonprofits, however, are offering similar services for free to those in need.
Celebrate! RVA, for example, was established in 2013 to throw birthday parties for low-income kids in Richmond, Virginia. But when the pandemic hit and schools closed down, “We were hearing from families who were just desperate for help” with child care, Warren said. “We just decided to make a pivot because we had the space, and we knew that our kids needed it more than anything.”
Celebrate opened its space for distance learning on September 4, and today has 12 students, all attending free of charge. The nonprofit is part of a coalition of groups in the area that are trying to provide care and support to kids whose parents can’t afford to pay for it. For Celebrate, offering distance learning “was the most loving and joyful thing to do to support the kids and their families,” Warren said.
Offering distance learning could also help small businesses
While learning centers fill an important niche for families, they could also help some small businesses keep the lights on during a time when many former offerings — indoor dance classes, for example — aren’t possible.
For Amerikick, which also offers online and outdoor karate classes, distance learning wasn’t a business decision, Vargas said. But with many school buildings closed, the time is ripe for youth-oriented businesses to make their services available for students, whether it’s operating a learning center or offering enrichment classes remotely, Ty Lewis, CEO of the nonprofit Educationally Speaking Center for Learning, told Vox.
“This is the best time to tap into your gifts and offer whatever you’re offering,” Lewis said. “If you’re a dance teacher, a karate teacher, robotics, coding, this is an amazing time to do it.”
For businesses and other organizations considering opening learning centers, many say the most important consideration is safety. “Just follow the science,” advises Richard “Woody” Woodstein, owner and director of Camp Robin Hood in Freedom, New Hampshire, which operated a five-week session this fall for students doing distance learning. “Whatever you think you need to do, do more to keep everybody safe,” he told Vox. “If you can do that, then kids can be kids.”
After safety, though, the biggest question about supportive learning centers is quality. While large organizations like the YMCA have trained staff and a long track record of offering child care and supervision, smaller businesses and groups may be less prepared for the challenges, Haspel said. “Are they able to help a first grader who’s having a bad day and throwing a tantrum?” he asked. “Are they able to help a student who’s really struggling with reading or with math? That’s not as clear.”
Parents looking to enroll their kids in learning centers should come prepared with questions, experts say. First, they should ask about pandemic precautions — questions like how many children are enrolled and whether social distancing is observed, Lewis said. Beyond that, they should consider asking what’s offered beyond just supervision: “Can you assist my child with instruction during the day? What are some activities that you’re going to offer them? Will they have repeated breaks so that they can move away from the screen?”
And while some families may find centers that check all their boxes, they’re far from a full solution to the shortage of child care during the pandemic. For that, “we need a whole lot more money flowing into the system,” Haspel said. Experts agree that the child care industry needs at least $50 billion to stabilize it through the pandemic and into the future, but so far, provisions to provide the money have stalled in the Republican-controlled Senate.
Still, some individual centers are seeing successes, especially in a time when many students around the country are struggling with remote learning. Absenteeism has been a huge problem during the pandemic, with about two in five Richmond students chronically absent from school, Warren said. But at Celebrate, “we have not seen any child absent unexcused,” she said.
And even in the short time the center has been open, the students have made big strides academically. The youngest, in pre-kindergarten, came to Celebrate not knowing many of her letters. But “she can now identify and match uppercase and lowercase letters, she can spell words, she knows sight words, she can put sentences together, she can add,” Warren said.
“We’ve just seen incredible growth in our kids,” she added, “and we’re just really proud of all that they’ve been able to accomplish.”


vox--2020-10-27--What philosopher Peter Singer has learned in 45 years of advocating for animals

Forty-five years ago , Australian philosopher Peter Singer published the book Animal Liberation .
The arguments it made — that animals can suffer ; that it is morally wrong to inflict extraordinary suffering upon them ; and that we consequently have to rethink our farming and food systems — are ones that many consumers today will have heard .
At the time , however , Singer ’ s perspective was a deeply unusual one .
There were animal advocacy groups , certainly , but they tended to focus on the plight of abandoned pet animals , like cats and dogs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the plight of farmed animals ( more on this below ) .
In a 1999 New Yorker profile , journalist Michael Specter wrote that Singer “ gave birth to the animal-rights movement.
” Singer ’ s book , activist Ingrid Newkirk wrote , “ was a philosophical bombshell .
It forever changed the conversation about our treatment of animals .
It made people — myself included — change what we ate , what we wore , and how we perceived animals.
” Simply put , the animal welfare movement would not be where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ book .
Now , 45 years later , he ’ s revisiting the topic in a new book — a collection of his essays called Why Vegan ?
, released for sale in the US last week .
I spoke with Singer about the history of the animal welfare movement , what progress we ’ ve made since Animal Liberation came out , and what it will take to change the world he ’ s been criticizing for nearly half a century now .
This transcript has been edited for clarity and brevity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for caring about animals 45 years ago .
What has changed ?
A lot has changed , really .
There has been a huge amount of change in awareness .
Quite frankly , there is an animal movement now , which is concerned about all animals , not just about dogs and cats and horses .
And there really wasn ’ t in 1975 .
It ’ s not that there weren ’ t sort of tiny organizations .
There were so many vivisection organizations [ which work to combat the practice of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But in terms of farm animals , there was really nothing going on .
There was a small organization called Compassion in World Farming in the UK when I got into it , which is now a sort of quite large global organization .
But it was run by one guy out of his home , I think , at the time , and there was no legislation to protect the welfare of farm animals .
Now , the entire European Union has prohibited some of the worst forms of confinement that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so has the state of California .
And I think six or seven other states in the US also have legislation protecting farm animals .
So that ’ s a big change .
Then there ’ s a huge change in the availability of vegetarian and vegan food .
Nobody would have known what vegan meant in 1975 .
There was this very small British organization that was founded in the late ’ 40s , called the Vegan Society .
That was probably pretty much all of the vegans in the UK .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
There ’ s been a huge growth of awareness — organizations like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals , to courses in animal law being taught at Harvard .
There was none of that happening at all [ in 1975 ] .
So that ’ s an immense amount of change .
But there hasn ’ t been nearly enough change in the way we treat animals .
There ’ s change , maybe , in people ’ s interest in the issue and how we think about it , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ground , and in some ways getting worse , right ?
Because we have more automation , we have more technology .
We ’ ve bred birds differently .
Yeah , the breeding of chickens in particular is a really bad aspect of it .
They grow faster , they put on weight faster , and they seem to be in more pain just standing up now .
That ’ s one difference , which you ’ ve written about .
The other thing that I would say is — it isn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of other countries are more prosperous .
That ’ s great because there are fewer people in extreme poverty .
But there are also hundreds of millions more people wanting to eat meat , [ previously ] unable to afford to eat meat .
And China , in particular , has no national laws about animal welfare at all .
The multiplying factory farms , what conditions the animals undergo — they ’ re pretty terrible .
When you go to China , you see [ animal abuses ] that are pretty horrible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the US .
I ’ m also curious about the philosophy side of this .
Are the arguments that you put forward 45 years ago still what you see as some of the strongest arguments for animals ?
I think the arguments that I put forward in 1975 are still the basic arguments , which seemed to me the most cogent .
So what happened after I wrote Animal Liberation is that a number of different philosophers use different approaches .
[ American philosopher ] Tom Regan ’ s animal rights argument , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the literature beforehand , not in the form that Tom put it in , and a variety of other different views .
[ Regan argues that from a Kantian perspective , at least some animals have intrinsic rights as humans do , because they are what he called “ subjects-of-a-life.
” ] So there is more pluralism about different approaches , philosophically , that lead to somewhat similar conclusions .
But I remain a consequentialist .
[ There are ] rights-based approaches — for those who like that approach ... [ they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s a good thing .
Martha Nussbaum ’ s capabilities approach comes to a similar conclusion as well .
[ Nussbaum ’ s approach argues that ethics should be focused on the freedom to achieve well-being , and understood in terms of how many real opportunities to do that someone has . ]
I have seen it said that animals mattering , and being of moral significance — and accordingly , factory farming being very bad — is something of a rare area of agreement in moral philosophy .
Yeah , absolutely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some of the points , like Roger Scruton , who died recently , was a conservative , British philosopher .
Some sort of religious bent , I think , because he talked about [ how ] we should have piety towards animals .
He certainly continued to eat them , and even champion eating them , but he certainly opposed factory farming .
I ’ m curious what you see as the strongest , simply put argument for being vegan .
I think that it removes you completely from complicity in practices that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and killing of animals for food .
There are more complicated arguments about whether you ’ re justified in bringing animals into existence who would not otherwise have existed and have a good life , about animals raised in suitable conditions and humanely killed .
So you know , there are arguments for defending some forms of animal consumption .
I don ’ t know what the impact of that is on attitudes to animals and whether it reinforces the idea that animals are still things for us to use .
Strictly speaking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t think that bivalves — mussels and clams — I don ’ t think they can suffer , so I eat them .
I would certainly eat cellular-based meat , once it was available .
And I ’ m not really strict about avoiding free-range eggs .
That ’ s been one of the struggles in our family , finding eggs that we are confident come from chickens who were well-treated .
Yes , that ’ s right .
I think it ’ s somewhat easier to get genuinely free-range eggs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than in big American cities anyway .
It ’ s not always that easy to sort out which are labeled free range , but actually kept in big warehouses with small patches where they can go outside .
In Australia they report the stocking density .
In 2020 , of course , there ’ s lots of old arguments about animal farming that are still relevant .
But there ’ s also some new sorts of concerns on everybody ’ s horizon — like the potential for pandemics and the potential for contributing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the collection is a 2020 essay about the origins of the coronavirus pandemic , flu , and whatnot .
It talks about wet markets , and the combination of cruelty and health risk that involves .
When I published Animal Liberation , I was focused entirely on the animal aspect of it .
Then , during the ’ 80s , I became aware of the climate change issue , and of the role of animal production in that .
So there was a second major argument for avoiding animal products .
When @ @ @ @ @ @ @ become vegan in the last few years , I find climate has played quite a significant role .
And then in recent years , I ’ ve become aware of the risk of pandemics coming out of factory farming .
So what I say in the book is — there ’ s now this third reason : animals , climate , pandemics .
Sign up for the Future Perfect newsletter .
Twice a week , you ’ ll get a roundup of ideas and solutions for tackling our biggest challenges : improving public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , easing catastrophic risks , and — to put it simply — getting better at doing good .
Help keep Vox free for all Millions turn to Vox each month to understand what ’ s happening in the news , from the coronavirus crisis to a racial reckoning to what is , quite possibly , the most consequential presidential election of our lifetimes .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
But our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources @ @ @ @ @ @ @ news advertising market recovers , your support will be a critical part of sustaining our resource-intensive work .
If you have already contributed , thank you .
If you haven ’ t , please consider helping everyone make sense of an increasingly chaotic world : Contribute today from as little as $ 3 .

Forty-five years ago, Australian philosopher Peter Singer published the book Animal Liberation. The arguments it made — that animals can suffer; that it is morally wrong to inflict extraordinary suffering upon them; and that we consequently have to rethink our farming and food systems — are ones that many consumers today will have heard.
At the time, however, Singer’s perspective was a deeply unusual one. There were animal advocacy groups, certainly, but they tended to focus on the plight of abandoned pet animals, like cats and dogs, with no major organization working on the plight of farmed animals (more on this below).
In a 1999 New Yorker profile, journalist Michael Specter wrote that Singer “gave birth to the animal-rights movement.” Singer’s book, activist Ingrid Newkirk wrote, “was a philosophical bombshell. It forever changed the conversation about our treatment of animals. It made people — myself included — change what we ate, what we wore, and how we perceived animals.” Simply put, the animal welfare movement would not be where it is today without Singer and his book.
Now, 45 years later, he’s revisiting the topic in a new book — a collection of his essays called Why Vegan?, released for sale in the US last week. I spoke with Singer about the history of the animal welfare movement, what progress we’ve made since Animal Liberation came out, and what it will take to change the world he’s been criticizing for nearly half a century now.
This transcript has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Kelsey Piper
You first wrote about the case for caring about animals 45 years ago. What has changed?
Peter Singer
A lot has changed, really. There has been a huge amount of change in awareness. Quite frankly, there is an animal movement now, which is concerned about all animals, not just about dogs and cats and horses.
And there really wasn’t in 1975. It’s not that there weren’t sort of tiny organizations. There were so many vivisection organizations [which work to combat the practice of animal vivisection for research], actually. But in terms of farm animals, there was really nothing going on. There was a small organization called Compassion in World Farming in the UK when I got into it, which is now a sort of quite large global organization. But it was run by one guy out of his home, I think, at the time, and there was no legislation to protect the welfare of farm animals.
Now, the entire European Union has prohibited some of the worst forms of confinement that I described in Animal Liberation. And so has the state of California. And I think six or seven other states in the US also have legislation protecting farm animals. So that’s a big change.
Then there’s a huge change in the availability of vegetarian and vegan food. Nobody would have known what vegan meant in 1975. There was this very small British organization that was founded in the late ’40s, called the Vegan Society. That was probably pretty much all of the vegans in the UK. And virtually none in the US either. There’s been a huge growth of awareness — organizations like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, to courses in animal law being taught at Harvard. There was none of that happening at all [in 1975].
So that’s an immense amount of change. But there hasn’t been nearly enough change in the way we treat animals.
Kelsey Piper
There’s change, maybe, in people’s interest in the issue and how we think about it, but still a pretty bad situation on the ground, and in some ways getting worse, right? Because we have more automation, we have more technology. We’ve bred birds differently.
Peter Singer
Yeah, the breeding of chickens in particular is a really bad aspect of it. They grow faster, they put on weight faster, and they seem to be in more pain just standing up now. That’s one difference, which you’ve written about.
The other thing that I would say is — it isn’t bad that China and a lot of other countries are more prosperous. That’s great because there are fewer people in extreme poverty. But there are also hundreds of millions more people wanting to eat meat, [previously] unable to afford to eat meat. And China, in particular, has no national laws about animal welfare at all. The multiplying factory farms, what conditions the animals undergo — they’re pretty terrible. When you go to China, you see [animal abuses] that are pretty horrible you wouldn’t see here in the US.
Kelsey Piper
I’m also curious about the philosophy side of this. Are the arguments that you put forward 45 years ago still what you see as some of the strongest arguments for animals?
Peter Singer
I think the arguments that I put forward in 1975 are still the basic arguments, which seemed to me the most cogent. So what happened after I wrote Animal Liberation is that a number of different philosophers use different approaches. [American philosopher] Tom Regan’s animal rights argument, for example, wasn’t really in the literature beforehand, not in the form that Tom put it in, and a variety of other different views. [Regan argues that from a Kantian perspective, at least some animals have intrinsic rights as humans do, because they are what he called “subjects-of-a-life.”]
So there is more pluralism about different approaches, philosophically, that lead to somewhat similar conclusions. But I remain a consequentialist. [There are] rights-based approaches — for those who like that approach ... [they] are out there, and that’s a good thing. Martha Nussbaum’s capabilities approach comes to a similar conclusion as well. [Nussbaum’s approach argues that ethics should be focused on the freedom to achieve well-being, and understood in terms of how many real opportunities to do that someone has.]
Kelsey Piper
I have seen it said that animals mattering, and being of moral significance — and accordingly, factory farming being very bad — is something of a rare area of agreement in moral philosophy.
Peter Singer
Yeah, absolutely. And even people who disagree on some of the points, like Roger Scruton, who died recently, was a conservative, British philosopher. Some sort of religious bent, I think, because he talked about [how] we should have piety towards animals. He certainly continued to eat them, and even champion eating them, but he certainly opposed factory farming.
Kelsey Piper
I’m curious what you see as the strongest, simply put argument for being vegan.
Peter Singer
I think that it removes you completely from complicity in practices that are not morally defensible about the raising and killing of animals for food.
There are more complicated arguments about whether you’re justified in bringing animals into existence who would not otherwise have existed and have a good life, about animals raised in suitable conditions and humanely killed. So you know, there are arguments for defending some forms of animal consumption. I don’t know what the impact of that is on attitudes to animals and whether it reinforces the idea that animals are still things for us to use.
Kelsey Piper
Are you personally vegan?
Peter Singer
Strictly speaking, no. For example, I don’t think that bivalves — mussels and clams — I don’t think they can suffer, so I eat them. I would certainly eat cellular-based meat, once it was available. And I’m not really strict about avoiding free-range eggs.
Kelsey Piper
That’s been one of the struggles in our family, finding eggs that we are confident come from chickens who were well-treated.
Peter Singer
Yes, that’s right. I think it’s somewhat easier to get genuinely free-range eggs in Australia [where Singer lives] than in big American cities anyway. It’s not always that easy to sort out which are labeled free range, but actually kept in big warehouses with small patches where they can go outside. In Australia they report the stocking density.
Kelsey Piper
In 2020, of course, there’s lots of old arguments about animal farming that are still relevant. But there’s also some new sorts of concerns on everybody’s horizon — like the potential for pandemics and the potential for contributing to climate change.
Peter Singer
The last essay in the collection is a 2020 essay about the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, flu, and whatnot. It talks about wet markets, and the combination of cruelty and health risk that involves.
When I published Animal Liberation, I was focused entirely on the animal aspect of it. Then, during the ’80s, I became aware of the climate change issue, and of the role of animal production in that. So there was a second major argument for avoiding animal products. When I talk to people who’ve become vegan in the last few years, I find climate has played quite a significant role.
And then in recent years, I’ve become aware of the risk of pandemics coming out of factory farming. So what I say in the book is — there’s now this third reason: animals, climate, pandemics.
Related The next pandemic could come from factory farms
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