AS THE WORLD screeched to a halt in the middle of March, there was one place where I could still find normality: Instagram. My family was there-my mom sharing her latest artwork; my brother's shots of his new baby-as were my friends, both real and aspirational. (DM me anytime, Chrissy Teigen!) But now I could also find a favorite fitness instructor teaching his usual Saturday barre class on Instagram Live, the stylists from my Brooklyn hair salon posting bang-trim tutorials, and the chefs of many of New York's most beloved restaurants leading IGTV cooking lessons from home kitchens not so different from my own. Almost overnight, the life I used to lead in, well, life, had relocated to Instagram. And that wasn't the only change happening in my Instagram exis-tence. As I temporarily retired work-wear staples like sharp-shouldered blazers and commute-friendly heels, the ads filling my Instagram feed transformed as well. The screen was now bursting with sponsored posts for "plush upstate sweatpants," leggings, and loungewear sets. The shift went far beyond clothing, to new-to-me ads for grocery delivery boxes, work-from-home desks, and DIY manicure sets. And, yes, reader: I clicked.
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