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Jess Calarco

@jessicacalarco.com
47K followers 2.4K following 10K posts

Sociologist. Author. Professor. Roosevelt Institute Fellow. Expert on families, schools, kids, privilege, and power. Bylines in NYT, WaPo, MSNBC, Atlantic, etc. "Other countries have social safety nets. The US has women." www.jessicacalarco.com

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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 05/10/2026
Kind of beside the point, but I think I understand now why so many dystopian future sci-fi stories feature societies where everyone shaves their heads.
X post from Matt Y, saying "We had a weird panic last week about a new Trump student loan rule that tweaks a Biden student loan rule that updated an Obama student loan rule--all three versions mostly target shitty cosmetology certificates not your precious liberal arts degree."
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 04/10/2026
I think the answer is actually that my husband and I are each half tradwife. Like, I do the baking and the crafting, but he pickles all the veggies from our garden and sews clothes for himself and the kids.
My husband sewing a dress for my older kidMy younger kid in the dinosaur costume my husband sewedThe snake zip Sweatshirt my husband sewed for our younger kidThe two tone zip Sweatshirt my husband made himself
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 04/10/2026
I shared this in the family text thread, and my sister knew just how to put me on blast 😆
Text from my sister, saying "That lace is so pretty! It looks amazing! How do you somehow pull off liberal woman and tradwife simultaneously?🤪"
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 04/10/2026
I think we nailed the mushroom fairy hat.
Top view of mushroom fairy hat with felt dots on red velvetFront view showing the dome shapeFront view showing the chiffon gills and lace trimming
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 04/10/2026
We finished the mushroom fairy hat, and it turned out so good!!!
Front view of the mushroom hat with white felt dots on red velvet with ribbon trimTop viewUnder side view showing the blousy chiffon mushroom "gills"
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 02/10/2026
We are now more than three-quarters of the way through what can only be described, at least news-wise, as a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year.
Embroidered icons representing news stories for each day of the year to this point
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 02/10/2026
Week 39 of my stitch-the-news daily news diary included: A collection of condiments A flooded car A Cornell logo A Hawkeyes logo An empty gas tank A nosediving plane A red Solo cup
Embroidered icons representing:

A collection of condiments for the arrest of University of Wisconsin fraternity members after pledges are assaulted and covered in condiments
A flooded car for storms ravaging the east coast
A Cornell logo for investigations into the University's handling of an assault case
A Hawkeyes logo for Republicans' botched effort to trap Jack Smith in a lie
An empty gas tank for the Trump administration's roll back of fuel economy standards
A nosediving plane for a narrowly avoided crash after a mid-air attack on a FlyDubai plane
A red Solo cup
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 02/10/2026
To process the chaos, I'm spending a few minutes each night stitching a news diary—embroidering tiny icons representing an important story of the day. September offered a break from the blistering heat, but not from the deluge of (often) distressing news.
Embroidered icons representing news stories for each day in September
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 29/09/2026
I teach a 9:30am seminar for first-year undergrads, and this semester, I started bringing snacks to class every day. Nothing fancy--usually just granola bars. But it means students can still get some fuel before class, even if they don't have time for breakfast. Which means more engagement in class.
A stash of snacks, including some clementines and a few different types of granola bars
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 27/09/2026
We're going for the same vibes as the "forest log" cake I made for her birthday last year.
Cake decorated to look like a stump a tree growing in moss with mushrooms growing on and around it
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 27/09/2026
Thanks! And yes, 12 is working on cutting out felt dots to glue on top
12 cutting felt to add
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 27/09/2026
My husband is in charge of machine sewing, so he usually makes the kids' Halloween costumes. But I'm in charge of crafting, so when my 12-year-old asked for a "mushroom fairy hat" this year, I knew that'd be on me. And I was worried. But based on what we have so far, I think it might turn out okay!
My 12-year-old wearing the mushroom fairy hat we built together, using cardboard, batting, stuffing, some sort of gauzy white fabric, red velvet fabric, and lots of hot gluing and staple gunning.The top view of the hat
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 26/09/2026
I forgot to post this yesterday, but Week 38 of my stitch-the-news daily news diary included: An air raid siren A weed A canceled press pass A WB logo A dark TV screen A red carpet A set of footprints
Embroidered icons representing:

An air raid siren for the attacks on Saudi Arabia
A weed for investigations revealing that the EPA allowed Bayer to pick regulations for its dangerous weed killer products 
A canceled press pass for Trump's threats about kicking news outlets out of the White House Press Pool
A WB logo for the finalization of the Paramount merger
A dark TV screen for news outlets banding together in solidarity and refusing to give any video or audio coverage to the president until all the banned news outlets had their access restored
A red carpet for Xi Jinping's state visit
A set of footprints for the walkout of Netanyahu's UN speech
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 24/09/2026
Also: If you want crispy edges and gooey middles, form the dough for each cookie into a cylinder instead of a sphere, and keep the dough super cold until it goes in the oven. That way, the dough doesn't spread as much, and the middle stays super soft.
A tray of homemade chocolate chip cookies
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 24/09/2026
If you give your students cookies, it makes stuffing hundreds of envelopes (with invitations for a class research project) much more fun.
Homemade chocolate chip cookies, coolingA box of envelopes, stuffed and ready to go in the mail
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 23/09/2026
Thanks to those who came out last night to the Middleton Library to learn about Why Rich People Cheat (And Why We Let Them Get Away With It). It was great to have a packed house and such an engaged audience! And thanks to @uwmadison.bsky.social's @uwbadgertalks.bsky.social for supporting the event!
Me, presenting, with the title slide: "Why Do Rich People Cheat?" under the BADGER TALKS logoMe presenting a slide summarizing evidence from research showing the various types of unethical behavior that are disproportionately common among economic elites
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 22/09/2026
They also connected the appeal of the manosphere's anti-feminist rhetoric (and survey data showing that many young men think efforts toward gender equality have gone too far) to what they were learning in another class* about the appeal of racist rhetoric for White people in poverty.
Slide from class today, showing data from a 2025 Ipsos Poll indicating that 57% of Gen-Z men agree with the statement "We have gone so far in  promoting women's equality that we are discriminating against men."
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 21/09/2026
What?!? Why is the goose breaking into my house?!?
Facebook post from the verified account of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
The goose looks through the window. They put the
crowbar under the window and pop it open. They are
breaking and entering. The text reads: The goose
breaks into your home. Swipe right.
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 21/09/2026
Okay, wait, why does the goose have a crowbar?@?!
Facebook post from the verified account of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The goose looks through the window. They are holding
a crowbar. The text reads: The goose loves when
babies are safe. Swipe right.
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 21/09/2026
Okay, so apparently, the goose is mad because your baby is sleeping in a supposedly unsafe sleep space. (Whether or not that's true, I'm not sure how I feel about this goose creeping outside my window).
Facebook post from the verified account of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The goose looks through a bedroom window. There is a
baby in a crib full of pillows and blankets. The text
reads: Sleeping in an unsafe sleep space. Swipe right.
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 21/09/2026
So, apparently, the goose is mad because they found your baby? (Seems kind of weird if you ask me)
Facebook post from the verified account of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The goose looks through a bedroom window. The text
reads, they found your baby. Swipe right.
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 19/09/2026
Bringing new meaning to "snowplow parenting"--spending a rainy Saturday morning raking the piles of turf pellets to smooth out the field for your kid's soccer game.
Me in the brown boots, raking the field with some other parents My rake and all the turf pellet piles
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 19/09/2026
Week 37 of my stitch-the-news daily news diary included: A firefighter helmet A yellow light A map of Ireland A fireworks display An FBI badge on a dog collar An EU flag An UNCHR logo
Embroidered icons representing:

A firefighter helmet for the 9/11 25th anniversary memorial events
A yellow light for tech leaders calling for a slowdown  of AI development
A map of Ireland for Trump's comments about reuniting the country with Northern Ireland
A fireworks display for the revelation that a Russian billionaire paid for Donald Trump Jr.'s wedding festivities 
An FBI badge on a dog collar for Kash Patel's awkward comments about beastiality
An EU flag for Canada being offered associate member status
An UNCHR logo for a UN investigation determining that the US committed war crimes in Iran
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 14/09/2026
I opted for the hedgehog after my last big embroidery project--a cute sloth for my kid's teacher's new baby. The fur was so fun that I wanted to try something similar. And my woodland-creature-obsessed 12-year-old (for whom I also made a forest-theme birthday cake) persuaded me to pick the hedgehog.
Embroidered smiling sloth, sleeping on a branchForest log cakewith fondant mushrooms
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 14/09/2026
For the craft curious: The hedgehog is about 6 inches across. This is my own design, not a pattern. Which means I found a reference image (of a real hedgehog, in this case), then sketched it on canvas, then picked the thread colors, and went from there.
Embroidered hedgehog on linen canvas, with thread painting techniques for realism
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 14/09/2026
My stitch-the-news diary takes up most of my crafting energy these days, but this weekend's road trip from Madison to Detroit and back for my kid's soccer games left me enough down time to finally finish embroidering the hedgehog I started back in May.
Embroidered hedgehog on linen canvas, with thread painting techniques for realism
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 12/09/2026
Week 36 of my stitch-the-news daily news diary included: A semi truck A sperm A new hairdo A map of New Mexico A map of Missouri An envelope stuffed with cash A tennis racket
Embroidered icons representing:

A semi truck for record high diesel prices
A sperm for the Trump administration's decision to defund research on infant and maternal morality in favor of research on low sperm counts/motility, since apparently the latter is a more important "root cause" of birth rate decline
A new hairdo for Trump's suddenly brown locks
A map of New Mexico for Trump's threat to rename it New America 
A map of Missouri for battles over the state's electoral maps
An envelope stuffed with cash for Trump's attempt to bribe voters by promising $5000 cash for anyone who votes Republican in the midterms
A tennis racket for Coco Gauff's purple racket in the US Open semi final
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 11/09/2026
It's been a heckuva day (see previous post re: busted laptop), but at least the sky is glorious.
A calm lake at sunset, with pink and purple clouds and deep green pines reflecting in the lake
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 07/09/2026
The life of a sports sibling.
My 9-year-old, wearing a neon banana hat, lounging in a blow up chair, eating a hot dog, drinking a slushie, and watching a show on a tablet, using a camp chair for shade.
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 06/09/2026
So, it's a lot of camera equipment to schlep around, but it means you can get photos like these.
One of my 12-year-old's teammates jumping ridiculously high and blasting a headerMy 12-year-old maneuvering around a couple of defendersMy 12-year-old battling another player for a ball along the sideline
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 05/09/2026
His commitment is made even more impressive by the fact that the real-feel is 102F and it's likely at least 10 degrees hotter on the turf.
Weather for Bettendorf, Iowa, showing an extreme heat warning with 89F and a real-feel of 102
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 05/09/2026
My husband takes his (parent volunteer) job as team photographer very seriously.
Dan, bent over, looking through a camera on a tripod, with another camera and super long lens, plus camera bag, slung over his back.
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 05/09/2026
I did forget to post this yesterday, but here's Week 35 of my stitch-the-news daily news diary, which included: A flag of Nepal A set of Tibetan prayer flags A Google Maps logo An Army logo A wedding cake A Patagonia logo A Ms. Magazine logo
Embroidered icons representing:

A flag of Nepal for the devastating flash flood
A set of Tibetan prayer flags for efforts to recover thousands lost in the flood
A Google Maps logo for the company's capitulation to Trump on Lake Ontario
An Army logo for the Army Secretary's resignation over a feud with Hegseth
A wedding cake for the US attack on an Iranian wedding party
A Patagonia logo for the company's lawsuit against the administration over destructible or the environment 
A Ms. Magazine logo for the death of Gloria Steinem
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 03/09/2026
In case you need a visual reminder, we're 2/3 of the way through a year that, at least news-wise, has already felt like at least six. #stitch-the-news
A pie-shaped calendar, with wedges for each month, and tiny icons embroidered to represent a major news story of each day. Filled in through August.
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 01/09/2026
Snuggle selfies at the bus stop on the first day of school. (You can probably tell by the hair which one of us isn't starting the semester today).
My 9-year-old giving me a big hug.
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 01/09/2026
To process the chaos, I'm spending a few minutes each night stitching a news diary—embroidering tiny icons representing an important story of the day. August was a bit oppressive, both in the weather and the political sense...
Circular calendar with pie-wedges marked for each month and embroidered icons stitched representing a new story for each day of the year
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 01/09/2026
Sewn in solidarity from Wisconsin ❤️
Embroidered illustration of a glass of water, labeled in green "NO ICE"
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 30/08/2026
Little House in the Big Woods was one of my favorites growing up—less for the story than for its descriptions of processes like curing meat and making maple syrup. So it feels fitting that I now live in Wisconsin and spend weekends* doing things like canning apple butter made from trees in my yard.
2 pint jars and 3 half pint jars of apple butter, cooling after coming out of the canning pot
Apples from our trees. It's not a standard variety. But it works well for pies and apple butter. Though it's prone to apple scab (which isn't pretty but isn't a big deal--it's basically the "spots on my apples" Joni Mitchell sings about).
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 30/08/2026
Last gasps of summer.
Sun setting behind a field of wildflowers
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 29/08/2026
My 12-year-old has a tendency to leave projects unfinished, but I think these doodles she started on her bedroom walls actually look super cool with a mix of pencil and acrylic paint pen.
Drawing of leaves floating in the wind, with one colored in green and yellow and one in red and orange and the other four just pencilDrawing of a tree and roots along the side of a switch plate. With the pencil and roots in pencil and grass in green
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 29/08/2026
I almost forgot to post today, but Week 34 of my stitch-the-news daily news diary included: A printer A race car A mailbox A Canadian flag A guitar A pair of eyes A great lake
An embroidered calendar with stitched icons for a news story each day, including:

A printer for the discourse around Trump's aide, Natalie Harp
A race car for Trump's Formula One race in DC
A mailbox for the Supreme Court decision allowing Trump to go ahead with restrictions on mail voting
A Canadian flag for Trump's escalation of the tariff war with our northern neighbor, along with the Prime Minister's not-backing-down response 
A guitar for the death of the brilliant singer, songwriter, actress, advocate, and all around good human, Dolly Parton
A pair of eyes for the death of the wickedly funny, bravely independent, and brilliantly irreverent Tim Curry
A great lake for Trump's announcement that he would be renaming Lake Ontario the Lake of America
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 29/08/2026
My 12-year-old helped me make pizza for pizza night and insisted on using *all* the veggie toppings.
Homemade sourdough pizza with buffalo mozzarella, artichoke hearts, olives, roasted garlic, roasted yellow peppers, roasted red onions, and basil from the garden.
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 25/08/2026
Look, if I could lower the amount stress in my life, I probably wouldn't have shingles right now.
Mayo Clinic page on Shingles:

Self care
Taking a cool bath or using cool, wet
compresses on your blisters may help
relieve the itching and pain.And, if
possible, try to lower the amount of
stress in your life,
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 25/08/2026
Maybe. Though, in that case, she's also running the Department of Education accounts.
Facebook post from US Department of Education, featuring Sesame Street characters.
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 25/08/2026
What I want to know: Is the administration intentionally daring big corporations (Scholastic in this case) to sue for copyright violations? Or are the 20-somethings running their socials so steeped in meme culture and AI slop that they don't realize this isn't (legally, let alone morally) okay?
Facebook post from the White House official account, saying "Please let this be a normal field trip," with an image of the Magic Schoolbus, labeled "The Magic Deportation Bus."
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 25/08/2026
As if this administration wasn't already doing enough to terrorize children, it's now using beloved cartoon characters to promote its deportation campaign.
Facebook post from the White House official account, saying "Please let this be a normal field trip," with an image of the Magic Schoolbus, labeled "The Magic Deportation Bus."
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 23/08/2026
Thankfully, I remembered to pack something a little more soothing to do for myself.
My current embroidery project (other than the stitch-the-news daily news diary): a cute and mostly realistic looking hedgehog.
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 23/08/2026
Apple season in the Calarco house continues with a batch of homemade (and homegrown) apple streusel muffins with vanilla glaze on top.
Clockwise from top left:
Apples from the trees in our yard
My 12-year-old helping me scoop batter into muffin cups
Muffins cooling
Muffins with glaze on top
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 22/08/2026
I like a lot of crumb topping, but I also like to make sure there are plenty of apples. So, the key for me is to bake the whole thing on baking sheet, in case bits start falling off. Here's the crumb on mine before it baked down:
Unbaked crumb top pie
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 22/08/2026
April to July is cake season in the Calarco house, but August takes us into apple season. So, we're kicking things off with a homemade and homegrown crumb-top apple pie.
Clockwise from top left:

Apples from the trees in our yard
Homemade pie crust, rolled and fluted
Apples chopped, seasoned, and stuffed into the unbaked pie
Baked pie, with a buttery, sugary crumb top instead of a top crust
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