After putting the nix on retouching, quarterly comparable sales for Aerie were up 9%.
9% for that quarter. The next quarter, Q3 of 2014, up only 3% in comparable sales. But then in the next two quarters? Up 13% and 12%. Coincidence? Maybe. But I like to think it has to do with things like this pic:
Yes, some of these models have what the mainstream already traditionally thinks of as "great" bodies. But for some reason, the usual practice is to airbrush and retouch even THAT.
These photos show that there's no such thing as a "perfect" body; ALL bodies have moments of #realness. And there's nothing wrong with showing that. That's what I love about them and what I love about this campaign.
And to their credit, in case the model bodies don't do it for you, the brand has also posted photos of non-model, everyday women using the hashtag #AerieReal to spotlight the glory that is the unretouched photo on all types of shapes and sizes.
Frankly, no one needs Aerie to tell them that it's OK for them to have a body and to love it without a filter. But if you ask me, more brands could get OUT of the game of body shaming and INTO the game of body positivity like Aerie.
And if Aerie is any example, body positivity is profit positivity.
In 2005 at only 18 years old, Russian rhythmic gymnast Svetlana Putintseva became a world champion, after which she retired and eventually became a mom. Then, in 2011, Putintseva came out of retirement for one special Gala performance.
Little did anyone know that her then two-year-old daughter named Masha would be the key to making that performance so special.
As the story goes, the young child refused to leave her side that night. But rather than stopping the performance, Putintseva did what so many incredible moms do: she masterfully held space for two different identities.
As we see in the video below, Putintseva simply brought Masha onto the dance floor and incorporated her into the routine—holding and comforting her at times, performing impressive moves while she ran around at others…letting it all become a lively, endearing interaction rather than a rote routine. It became something really touching:
Now, a bit of fact-checking as this video has once again started going viral. Despite what many captions say, Putintseva‘s daughter was likely always a planned part of the performance (the tiny leotard is a bit of a giveaway). But that doesn’t really take away from the message behind it: motherhood weaves another soul into one's identity, forever. And one of the biggest lessons it teaches is how to hold someone else steady, all while becoming ourselves.
Every day, moms are engaging in a similar type of “dance”: navigating through the world while guiding and nurturing their little ones. It probably doesn't always feel quite as graceful as what Putintseva put out, and, yet, it is just as beautiful.
Maybe so many thought it was an improvised moment because improvising is a very real parent superpower. That’s certainly the takeaway we get from some of these lovely comments:
“You cannot control life but you can learn to dance with it. 🤍”
"This is beyond beautiful. 🥲"
“If this isn't a metaphor for motherhood. We improvise so much.”
“A mother’s unconditional love 🥹❤️ She just made my whole month.”
“I do this sometimes while deejaying. My daughter comes up so I hit the slicer and let her chop it up. A few chops and she is happy and goes about her business. 🥰”
“I can see my daughter doing this to me soon whenever I get up on stage on perform. She already stares long and hard at me whenever I am onnstage singing. She doesn't take her eyes off me. Sure she would be running up to stand with me when she starts walking 😂😂 i look forward to it tho”
“Sobbing 😭😭😭😭 As a dancer who hasn’t performed since having a kid, this inspires me in so many ways 🥹🥹 So beautiful and it’s clear that she admires her mom so much 🥰”
Though not much is written on Putintseva following this performance, one blog post says that Masha has followed in her footsteps by getting into rhythmic gymnastics. Maybe it all started with this one performance. ❤️
A woman tried a "1940s bedtime routine" and called it a game-changer for her sleep.
The CDC reports that about 15% of adults have trouble sleeping "most days or every day." That number is on the rise, and can be seen in the rapid rise of melatonin usage—up nearly five-fold in the past 20 years or so—and other sleep aids.
There are a lot of modern factors that play a role in difficulty sleeping, from high caffeine consumption to a heavy use of blue-light screens. These, along with high levels of general stress and anxiety, suppress natural melatonin production and make falling and staying asleep a challenge for many people.
One YouTuber decided to take matters into her own hands and try a brand new nighttime routine in order to get better sleep. She borrowed the entire thing from the 1940s.
Hannah, who runs the channel Real Vintage Dolls House, shared in a recent video that she had a "non-existent nighttime routine," and decided to try a routine similar to what the average woman would have done in the 1940s.
The 1940s were a time of great fear and consternation. But somehow people slept way better. Photo by Unseen Histories on Unsplash
She explains that the 1940s, of course, were a time of great international strife and rationing for the war effort. But even still, people (women, especially) were expected to keep on top of their hygiene and personal appearance.
Many women at the time, Hannah goes on to say, would actually leave the house to work traditionally male jobs during the war. A woman like Hannah may have worked at a shipyard or factory and then returned to a homemaking and child-rearing role at the end of a long day.
For Hannah's experiment, she began with a bath after working hours. Of course, due to rationing, she could only use five inches of water.
From there, Hannah changes into her "night clothes": A set of silk pajamas with matching robe and house slippers. Extremely cozy.
Fascinatingly, after sitting down to brush her hair after washing, she rubs the strands together between her fingers to test for cleanliness. Women at the time would often wash with soap once every two weeks or so, then do another pass with lemon juice or vinegar to strip away the soap residue. If the hair made a squeaking sound when rubbed together, it meant you did a good job, hence the term "squeaky clean." The vintage 1940s nighttime routine then called for a significant amount of time spent brushing the hair. One hundred brushes was a commonly recommended practice at the time.
Hannah then continues following 1940s protocol and cleans her skin with a cleansing cream, plucks her eyebrows, applies Vaseline to her lips, files her nails, and sets her hair in overnight rollers. Men, for their part (if they weren't at war), would likely be reading the paper or listening to the radio while resting after a long day.
Finally, it's time to wind down. Hannah sets a dim light in her room, bundles up under a blanket, then proceeds to knit and read a book before turning out the light for sleep.
"The bedtime routine of this era was a much more thorough and communal ritual than I'm used to. Centered around rest and basic comforts... evenings were quieter, slower, and focused on family connections."
Hannah says she thinks screens are a big reason people today have trouble sleeping, and the experts agree.
"And that's something that I find really interesting, and is likely a huge reason many of us struggle to go to sleep: Mobile phones and televisions. There weren't any," she says. "With fewer distractions, the emphasis was on comfort and quiet. People would actually settle in for a more peaceful and slower transition to sleep. Which probably meant that they got a better nights sleep. And that was a focus. Getting a good night's rest to prepare for the busy day ahead."
Working on a laptop, scrolling on a phone, or even watching television are extremely common before-bed activities in many parts of the world now. But scientists unanimously agree that these habits are harmful to our sleeping habits.
In 2022, the National Sleep Foundation noted, "Light exposure within two hours of bedtime can be disruptive to one’s sleep cycle. That’s because exposure to blue light at night stimulates your brain into thinking it’s earlier in the day. Your brain slows or stops its release of melatonin, making it harder to fall asleep."
Of course, it's not only the screens. Surveys show that about one third of people don't have a consistent bedtime routine at all, and if they do, it's far shorter than what was common in the 1940s (just 21 minutes on average). The long, thorough, completely analog routine demonstrated by Hannah does a lot more than keep your skin moisturized and your hair looking nice. It gradually unwinds you and allows tension, stress, and anxiety to slowly melt away before you attempt to sleep.
Another vintage YouTuber conducted a similar experiment here:
Phones and televisions have made our lives easier and more enjoyable in many ways, and no one would ever yearn for the days of a violent World War. But the data is clear that people are sleeping worse than ever, so there may be some helpful clues we can take from the past.
We may not be able to completely isolate ourselves from the fast-paced society around us, but it's worth considering if we each can't slow down our nighttime routines. Try less screen time, more self-care, and a gentler, slower transition from go-go-go to deep rest for better sleep.
Beyond the epic CDs and cartoons, the '90s were also defined by specific scents. Gen Xers and Millennials on Reddit recently discussed the nostalgic smells of the decade—from specific foods like banana-flavored Runts to the distinct scent of roller-rink carpet and classic Bath & Body Works fragrances. Here's what they had to say:
‘90s bath & body works scents WITH the ‘90s label 🥹 the nostalgia hit so hard and I’m so happy #90s #bathandbodyworks
"Cigarettes and this [roller rink] carpet….Ahhhhh memories." - Battlerapschef
"And teen spirit." - UbermachoGuy
"5 year old Runts in the quarter vending machine. Banana." - 9829eisB09E83C
"Cucumber Melon and Camel Lights." - Heatherjjjjjjjj
"This nasty [Glad Country Garden] potpourri spray. I can hear the very specific sound that spray made with its thick *ss pressed button. CHSHHHHH." - abby-rose, Constant-Net-4652, D4FF00
"[Victoria's Secret] Love Spell." - a_solid_6
" McDonald's happy meal toys had a certain smell that I can remember to this day. Probably poison." - ogmoss
"CK one everywhere." - snn1326j
"Clove cigarettes and espresso. Especially for goths." - Lost_Balloon_, Vesper2000
"Let's not forget Drakkar Noir." - Technical-Donut-7354
"Electronics. The smell of cathode ray monitors and TVs, Blockbuster VHS tape boxes, the inside of Nintendo cartridges when you blew the dust out, etc." - oceanicwhitetip
"Fresh vinyl from blowup furniture." - Asterclad
"Herbal Essence." - barcham22
"The 90's had a number of unique smells. Especially if you were a kid. Lots of toys had these weird off gassing smells, like the creepy crawlers set. Sort of a sweet plastic smell. We also had the blessing of grandparents old Christmas decorations that smelled different from the stuff manufactured overseas today. The things our grandparents stored were probably slightly toxic but had a very, very nostalgic energy to them. You could almost smell the past." - TrillDough
"Like dew evaporating off the pavement." - zekerthedog
"Nautica, Cool Water, Hugo Boss, Curve and Polo Sport." - GurrenLagann214
"Apple shampoo, mall food courts, and movie theater popcorn." - thatmattschultz
The smells of our childhood 🥰 #90s #2000s #millennial #nostalgia
"Elizabeth Arden Sunflowers or Gap Grass." - Apprehensive-Stay196
"The smell from traffic…inescapable. Before catalytic converters were regulated you could smell transportation on you. Go stand in a busy covered parking garage and you will get a hint of what the cities smelled like." - h1storyguy
"LEMON PLEDGE!!!!!" - BlackDynamite58990
"I remember many girls almost choking us with their vanilla perfume. God it was sickening." - fettoter84
"Little incense candles inside incense warmers. Bong hits filtered thru a shampoo bottle stuffed with dryer sheets. Ralph Lauren Polo. JOOP! Any cologne/perfume sample from a magazine. Marlboro Lights. Empty Busch Light cans. And the sweet sweet smell of slacking..." - Live_Past_8978
"The inside spine of a plastic VHS tape cover." - canoe4you
"Wet JNCO's and wet barefoot sandals with a mix of Polo or Pear Berry Splash and cigarette smoke." - xxMalVeauXxx
"Fruitopia." - No_Tart686
"Go into a old school bowling alley and that's exactly what 90's smelled like." - ItsBal707
"And Extra chewing gum." - Ill-Emu-1121
"Sbarro pizza in a mall. That weird smell of water from a hose in the heat. Sunblock. The smell of a new Gameboy game." - Eris_Balm
Sounds impossible, right? Well, yes. For starters, it means Bradley earned $234,479 in 2025. While his financial transparency is admirable, that level of income simply isn't a reality for most Americans. In 2025, the average individual income was $53,010, placing Bradley in roughly the top 4% of American earners. When you have the luxury of knowing there's money in the bank, living life to the extreme gets a whole lot easier.
Bradley's methods might sound extreme, but there's something worth paying attention to here. Through sheer discipline and a willingness to live differently than most people, he managed to save more than $200,000 in a single year. His approach won't work for everyone, and honestly, it probably shouldn't. Still, it proves an important point: you have more control over your money than you think.
Here's how Bradley did it, and the specific habits that helped him save nearly 90% of his income.
The moment that changed everything
Bradley's story didn't begin with an impressive income. It started in a place many of us know well: deep financial stress. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, he earned a prestigious degree and diploma, but he also inherited $130,000 in student loan debt. Out of the Institute, his first job paid $12 an hour.
"My student loan payment was almost half of my monthly income, and I had two choices: I could accept defeat and let this be my life forever, or I could make my situation better," he told People.
He chose the latter. Entering what he describes as "survival mode," Bradley stripped his life down to its barest essentials. There were no financial mentors or wealthy parents to bail him out. Instead, he decided that financial freedom was more valuable than his current comforts.
Years later, that survival mode has evolved into a lifestyle choice. In 2025, despite earning $234,000 from various income streams, he spent just $33,100 to live.
For context, the average American household spends about $6,545 per month, which comes out to approximately $78,535 per year. Of course, that figure reflects household income. If there are two earning adults in a household, that breaks down to about $3,272 per person each month, or $39,268 per year. That's still higher than Bradley's annual spending of $33,100, or about $2,758 per month. And if you could save even $500 a month, wouldn't you?
(For transparency, we're using half of the average household income to approximate individual income in the U.S., according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.)
Step 1: A disciplined approach to groceries
Food is one of the biggest budget busters for families and individuals alike, with Americans spending about 13.7% of their total expenses on food and alcohol. For individuals, that's $5,406 per year, or $451 per month.
In total, Bradley spent just $2,940 on food in 2025.
Broken down, that's about $245 a month, or roughly $60 a week. How the heck does he manage that? A dinner at a nice restaurant can easily cost more than that per person.
The answer is simple. Bradley sticks to a strict routine, cooking all of his meals at home and eating the same simple meals every day. By eliminating variety, he reduces food waste and impulse spending. He knows exactly what he needs, buys only that, and eats every simple bite.
Isn't he a culinary school graduate? Yes. While his diet might seem dull to most, Bradley views it differently. For him, food is fuel, and money saved tastes better than any fancy restaurant meal. In fact, he avoids dining out altogether, calling it "expensive and stupid" if you're trying to save money as aggressively as he does.
Step 2: Car costs are kept to a bare minimum
Anyone who drives knows how quickly car expenses can pile up, from monthly payments and insurance to registration fees and the occasional ticket. Bradley sidesteps most of that by driving an older car he's already paid off and maintaining it carefully. In 2025, his total car-related costs, including oil changes, registration, and a taillight repair, came to just $264.
Insurance is a necessary evil, and Bradley paid $1,014 for the year, or about $85 a month. He notes that he saves money by choosing six-month bundles instead of paying monthly premiums. He also spent roughly $780 on gas. For comparison, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that the average individual spends about $2,148 on gas each year, or roughly $179 a month. Of course, that figure can vary widely depending on where you live.
In total, Bradley spent $2,058 on car-related costs. By driving a paid-off vehicle and using it only when necessary, he's able to keep his transportation expenses low.
Step 3: Traveling the world on a dime?
You might think someone who banks 90% of their income spends weekends in a dark room, eating beans straight from a can. But Bradley actually traveled quite a bit in 2025, taking five trips in total, including a week in London.
The shocker? He spent $1,854 across all five trips.
Pause. Reality check. In 2025, Bradley was also a certified social media superstar, a frugal influencer with 1.5 million followers on TikTok. Without a detailed breakdown of flights, accommodations, and daily expenses, it's hard to tell what was frugal traveling and what was a paid opportunity, like the speaking event he gave (where he was paid but booked the flight and accommodations out-of-pocket).
Bradley's travel advice is harder to scale than his grocery budget, but the principles still hold up. Book flights early or late, whenever the algorithm blinks. Travel in the off-season. Pack snacks. Stay in hostels, or at least skip the hotel minibar. It's not revolutionary, but it works.
It's a nice reminder that living within your means doesn't have to limit your lifestyle.
Here's where Bradley loses most people. To keep his annual electric bill under $600, about $49 a month, he lives like someone prepping for the end times, just without the stockpile of canned beans.
He unplugs everything when it's not in use—yes, even the refrigerator if he's leaving town for a while, contents and all. He washes his hair in the sink to avoid heating a full shower's worth of water. And he refuses to turn on the heat in winter or the air conditioning in summer.
"I think it's amazing," he said. "Basically, I live in the dark."
While this extreme "survival mode" isn't realistic for everyone, especially considering that Bradley lives alone, it underscores his dedication to achieving financial stability, even at the cost of his own physical comfort.
Other expenses
Let's fill out the rest of Bradley's expenses:
Gym: His lowest annual expense was his gym membership, which cost just $120 for the year, or $10 a month, because he "refuses to pay more."
Haircuts: Six throughout the year, totaling $130, or about $22 per cut.
Internet: $552 per year, or $46 a month.
Home inspection: "And I almost bought a house this year!" he shared. That home inspection cost him $695.
Friends, fun, and dates: $567 per year, or about $47.25 a month, roughly $12 a week.
Gift giving: A wonderful place to spend extra money. $1,080 for the year. Bradley shares that he bought his mom Coldplay tickets, paid for his sister to get her nails done, and replaced the fireplace doors in his mom's home for Christmas.
Donations: "I started donating earlier this year to work on my relationship with money," he said. His donations totaled $1,248 for the year.
Taxes: "I owed $8,219 in taxes for the 2024 season."
Rent: Like most Americans, rent was Bradley's largest expense, totaling $9,800 for the year, or about $816 per month. That's a true achievement, considering he lives in New York City.
Bradley's remarkable work ethic and commitment to his lifestyle may be his strongest attributes. Remember that top 4% income bracket? Bradley isn't just saving. He's hustling, too. Hemanages 10 diverse income streams, including content creation, brand partnerships, financial coaching, and more.
Despite his significant income, he avoids "lifestyle creep" by refusing to upgrade his apartment unnecessarily, buy a new car, or dine at luxury restaurants.
A breakdown of Bradley's annual expenses. Photo credit: Bing
A quick analysis of Bradley's 2025 finances shows that his exceptionally high savings rate, roughly 86% of his income, reflects strong financial discipline and cost-effective management.
Rent, his biggest fixed expense, remains well below what he could afford, whether by careful design or by choosing to live somewhere most people wouldn't. The home inspection fee also suggests he's eyeing real estate and searching for smart investments.
The numbers tell the story plainly. Bradley keeps his fixed costs low, spends money only on what truly matters to him, and saves the rest. There's no fancy apartment, no new car, and no creep toward a more expensive lifestyle just because he can afford it. It's discipline, yes, but it's also strategy, the kind that builds wealth rather than merely earning it.
It's not deprivation. It's freedom.
It would be easy to dismiss Bradley's lifestyle, with its cold apartment and repetitive meals, as miserable. But Bradley genuinely believes the sacrifices are worth it, and he lights up when discussing his bank account.
"For me, 'treating myself' means watching my bank account grow," he said.
It's gratitude, plain and simple. When temptation hits, say in mid-July, when the apartment feels like a brick oven and the A/C unit sits there taunting him, he thinks back to what it felt like to be underwater. The sleepless nights. The pit in his stomach every time a bill arrived. The way debt made him feel small. Compared to that, a bowl of oatmeal tastes just fine.
Creating your own version of financial peace
Bradley knows his approach isn't for everyone. He's single, hyper-focused, and willing to live like a monk if it means hitting his financial goals. If he had a partner or kids, he admitted he'd dial it back. After all, no one wants to explain to their spouse why the refrigerator is unplugged again.
The takeaway here isn't about living in the dark or eating the same meal every day. It's about knowing exactly where your money goes. Bradley can pull up his spending down to the dollar because he tracks it. Most of us couldn't do that even if someone offered us a hundred bucks on the spot. We swipe, we tap, we subscribe, and we assume it'll all work out. It usually doesn't.
Start by questioning the expenses you've normalized. That gym membership you haven't used since February. The streaming service you forgot you had until the charge hit. The new car when your current one runs fine. Pick one category—groceries, transportation, housing, whatever bleeds the most—and get serious about it. Not miserable. Just deliberate.
You don't need to save 86% of your income or completely transform your life. But doesn't saving 10% or 20% of your earnings, and actually knowing where your money is going, sound nice?
Spin Doctors' Chris Barron delighted car-rental employees with an impromptu version of "Two Princes."
Securing a rental car is usually, at best, a boring and tedious process—not usually the kind of thing you’d want to livestream or film for posterity. But that’s probably because you’ve never waited in line for your compact Sedan next to the singer of a popular alt-rock band. Chris Barron, singer of Spin Doctors, went viral on Instagram for an impromptu performance at the Enterprise Rent-A-Car at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. It was a jovial acoustic version of the band’s 1991 classic "Two Princes," and the Internet loved every second of it.
The clip opens abruptly, with Barron strumming and singing the chorus. John Hampson of the band Nine Days, best remembered for their 2000 single "Absolutely (Story of a Girl)," films the clip and harmonizes nearby. It’s lovely to see Barron beaming—according to Setlist.fm, Spin Doctors have played this song 740 times, but that doesn’t seem to have diminished his joy for it. Equally great is the response from the Enterprise workers happily recording with their phones. (Kudos to the employee on our right, who dances and claps along.)
"They clearly don’t know that I’m the dude from Spin Doctors"
Upworthy reached out to Barron, who offered some backstory of this "organic" human moment. On December 13, 2025, he played an unplugged "Story of a Song" show alongside Hampson, Brian Vander Ark (The Verve Pipe) and J.R. Richards (Dishwalla) in Des Plaines, Illinois, but his flight wound up canceled due to weather conditions. "We got to the airport, and the new flight got delayed until 7 that night," Barron says. "[Hampson and I] looked at each other like, 'This flight’s not gonna happen.' Both of us are very seasoned travelers, old-school road dogs. We’re like, 'Let’s rent a car and drive. Let’s make it to Pittsburgh tonight and grab a hotel.'" After sorting out baggage, they headed down to Enterprise, which was empty except for four employees. When the workers saw the guitar cases, they asked the musicians to play a song.
"I just pull out my guitar and start playing 'Two Princes,'" he says. "They all pull their phones out, and John pulls his phone out. They’re clearly like, 'Wow, this guy is good, but they also clearly don’t know that I’m the dude from Spin Doctors.'" When he stepped away for a second, Hampson gave the workers that extra info: "They’re all like, 'Wait, that's the guy?'" Barron adds with a laugh. "I come out of the bathroom, and they all want to take pictures." The vibes was "all smiles"—plus, Barron's travel hunch was right: "We get to Pennsylvania at 1 a.m. and look at our phones, and at that flight had been canceled, so we definitely wouldn’t have gotten out that day. The next morning at 10 a.m.—about 24 hours after John and I decided to pull the plug and get it in a rental car—I was sitting on the couch with my cat at home. [Laughs.]"
"Love the one gentleman not recording it! Living in the moment!"
The video blew up on Instagram, with hundreds of people praising both the performance and the sweetness of this random encounter. Some celebrities and musical peers even weighed in, including singer-songwriter Lisa Loeb, who responded with a simple, "Yeah!" Here are some more great comments, including more than a couple rental-car jokes:
"I’m a firm believer this is one of the greatest songs ever made."
"I was getting ready to say damn this dude did a good job with this cover until I noticed it was the spindoctors page 😂👏🔥. One of my favorite songs growing up"
"Not me being like oh my God this is a great cover only to realize it’s you. Happy holidays, indeed."
"Feels like a complimentary upgrade to me"
"Most perfectly crafted pop rock song of the 90’s"
"I’m sorry sir but we still cannot upgrade your Kia Forte"
“'That’s great, but sir, you’re still going to need to purchase comprehensive coverage.'"
"Making the most of the situation! 👏"
"This song is forever in my shower-singing repertoire"
"This is just… fun. Life needs more of this."
"Real artists will play even the smallest of stadiums"
"Love the one gentleman not recording it! Living in the moment!"
Virality, it should be noted, was never on Barron's wish list: "I really don’t think in terms of viral-video stuff," he says. "I’m not that generation. I’m a 20th-century guy. I was born in 1968. But John was like, 'We should post this. I bet it would take off.’ [The video is] very organic. It’s very analog. It’s a real moment that somebody captured."
"Two Princes" was one of two major hits from Spin Doctors’ debut LP, 1991’s Pocket Full of Kryptonite, along with "Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong." The former song hit No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal. But the band is still going—they’ve released five more albums over the years, including their most recent, 2013’s If the River Was Whiskey, and they have tour dates scheduled throughout 2026, including a run with Blues Traveler and Gin Blossoms.
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The 1940s were a time of great fear and consternation. But somehow people slept way better. Photo by 
A breakdown of Bradley's annual expenses. Photo credit: Bing