Working Girl's Guide #31: holiday gifts for you, Jaguar's ad campaign, and Black Friday records

We’re talking chatbot boyfriends, answering the dreaded “what do you want for Christmas??” question, and Jaguar’s new car.

Let’s get into it.

Looking for a holiday significant other? Some people are turning to A.I.

There’s a growing number of chatbot companion apps out there. Some let you build your ideal friend, partner, mentor, etc., who can then text you throughout the day, send you selfies, or even talk dirty. And according to a study out of MIT, the second most common use for AI systems relationships is sexual in nature, and, uh, I’m freaked out!

Jaguar is here with their new car

If you’ve been following the reaction to Jaguar’s new ad campaign, which notably featured 0 cars and caused quite a stir on the internet, then you might be interested to know that the company has officially released their promised next iteration of electric vehicles. They’re out in two colors: Miami Pink and London Blue, and I’m not a car girl, but to me they look like they’ve copied… everything and just rolled it up into one AI-generated-looking vehicle? Excited to watch the internet backlash on this one!

This year, Black Friday shopping surpassed previous records

Spending hit almost $11 billion on Friday, which is more than 10% higher than last year’s spend, and more than double what we spent in 2017. To put that in perspective, consumers spent about $11.3 million per minute during peak hours, and more than 2/3 of purchases were made from phones.

Spent Thanksgiving in Hawaii with my fam this year, and let me just say I am a huge proponent of swapping extended family and turkey for paradise and consuming my bodyweight in ceviche! Had the best time bullying my brother into doing face masks with me, getting way too competitive in pickleball, and napping by the pool. Am I the annoying coworker who got all tan before Christmas and won’t shut up about it? Of course I am! And that’s why I’ll be suggesting a bunch of all-white fits in today’s installment!

Brown pants are such a hack. They’re more special and dressed up than jeans but just as comfortable. These are from Ref, and I love that they look great with winter white (peep the aforementioned tan), or really anything: thinking monochromatic, or pairing these with a pop of red. Brown is the new black, and I’m here for it!

We’ve talked holiday shopping for your friends/fam/boss, but today let’s get into holiday shopping for yourself. I always feel so awkward when the dreaded “what do you want this year?” question comes up, especially when it’s from anyone outside my immediate family. I don’t want to sound greedy if I ask for something too big, and I also don’t want to seem too specific, but then I end up saying something like “anything you think!” and get a hodge podge of stuff that, honestly, I really don’t need!

So here’s the hack. When your boyfriend’s mom text you, you’re gonna share three options: a thing, an experience, and a giftcard, at a variety of price points, plus a very short description of WHY you want it, so that they can get you something different that serves the same purpose, if they’d prefer.

Feel free to copy/paste and customize!

Thank you so much for thinking of me! If you're looking for ideas, here are a few things that would make me so happy:

[Item 1: an object] – [short reason or why it’s meaningful/fun, e.g., “I’ve been wanting to cook more, and this tool/cookbook/pie plate would be great!”]

[Item 2: an experience] – [brief description if necessary, e.g., “I keep saying I want to learn to draw, and I’ve heard this class is great!”]

[Item 3: a giftcard] – [quick overview, e.g., “this restaurant is right near us, and we go all the time!]

This week on the pod, we’re sharing stories submitted by you, including a screen share hack that resulted in a raise, the witnessing of a coworker stealing a police horse, and more extremes of the corporate experience. If you aren’t careful, listening to this episode without headphones may earn you a one-way ticket to HR. Stay tuned for lively discussions about off-hours message scheduling, leaving the airport during a layover, and piggy backing as a legit mode of transportation. Listen here.

Thanks for reading!