The final frontier of adulthood: buying frames

A few months ago, I bought an oversize photograph on the street, from a stranger who was moving to London. It’s a gorgeous image by a [Mexican photographer named Maria Jose Sesma]( — three women staring down the camera in front of a gilded vanity, dressed in vaguely ’80s pastel finery, one holding a dagger — but, embarrassingly, my too-close-second favorite thing about the purchase was that it was already framed. This week, Aditi Shrikant delved into why [custom framing is so much more expensive]( than picking up an 8-by-10 premade frame at Target. I’ve asked this (with more swearing) many times. Check it out. —[Meredith Haggerty](, deputy editor of The Goods Why is framing a picture so expensive? [hanging picture]( Maskot/Getty Images The journey through adulthood is paved with expensive inconveniences one must perform to be considered a functional, responsible grown-up. These inconveniences include scheduling your own dentist appointments, dropping off your dry cleaning, and the less imperative (but just as annoying) obligation to frame all your art. There is something about displaying home decor with a wooden-and-glass box (as opposed to using thumbtacks or sticky putty) that makes it seem more legitimate and, therefore, more “adult.” Historically, a frame has been an architectural feature, meant to preserve a work and integrate it into a room. During the 14th and 15th centuries in Europe, frames were mainly commissioned by churches or wealthy families. It wasn’t until the invention of the camera and photography in the 19th century when the demand for frames by the middle-class proliferated, as [the nonwealthy now had something to frame](. Fast-forward to today: Framing is now a service that communicates “I have my shit together,” and this is partly because it is a notoriously expensive service. [Read the full story on Vox ]( Soon your driver's license might not get you through airport security In a little over a year, anyone who wants to board a domestic flight in the US will need to have a Real ID-compliant license. If this warning sounds familiar, it’s because the Transportation Security Administration has been warning passengers for years that their driver’s licenses may not comply with the new standards. But this time, they say, the deadline is final. [Read the rest of the story here ]( Why so many women see themselves in Daenerys Targaryen If you search [“mother of dragons”]( on Etsy, you get more 17,000 results: tote bags and pins and wine glasses and onesies. [“Khaleesi”](gets you another 10,000, though some of those are actually for Arya Stark merch. On [Pinterest](, the same searches lead to countless instructions on how to craft the perfect Dothraki-inspired braid or execute flawless cosplay. On Tumblr — well, don’t even get Tumblr started. All this devotion and merchandise is dedicated to Daenerys Targaryen, a.k.a. khaleesi, the mother of dragons, would-be queen of the Seven Kingdoms, and holder of a bunch of other impressive titles. Dany, as fans call her, is just one of the several dozen main characters of HBO’s runaway hit Game of Thrones, but even in a world where people go on [GoT-inspired vacations]( and plan[GoT-themed weddings](, the tiny blonde queen is at the forefront of fan obsession [Read the rest of the story here ]( More good stuff to read today - [The best $16 I ever spent: Old Navy pajamas after my husband left]( - [Do celebrities know what they’re doing when they “call someone out” on Twitter?]( - [Amazon says it will roll out one-day Prime shipping]( - [People buy millions of unsafe products every year. Here’s why recalls are harder than they should be.]( - [Wholesale coffee is cheaper than it’s been in years. That’s not good news.]( - [What people don’t get about why planes crash]( Manage your [email preferences](, or [unsubscribe]( to stop receiving emails from Vox Media. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2018. All rights reserved.