Considering the current state of affairs, the best gifts for the women in our lives are the ones that let them mentally clock out for a bit. The world is on fire—literally and figuratively. Human rights are being stripped away; the climate is in free fall. Some days, I’ll catch myself staring at the sky and think, I wish I could hitch a ride to space, but of course, that fantasy has been ruined too. If the remarkable woman in your life is exhausted by the headlines, by the slow-motion collapse of democracy, by the sheer audacity of men in power, or perhaps just the overall state of humanity, she deserves a unique gift that offers more than just distraction. She frankly needs a portal to another reality, but since that’s not possible just yet (to my knowledge), a temporary escape will have to do.
Skip the gift cards and scented candles, I’ve rounded up the best gifts for women surviving the dystopian quest that is 2025. You can’t buy her a ticket to an exoplanet (yet), but you can wrap up a TheraFace depuffing wand ($149) or a Deco Gravity Bong ($88) to make life on Earth slightly more bearable.
Be sure to check out our other gift guides, too, like the Best Housewarming Gifts, Gifts for Moms, and Best Travel Gifts.
Updated April 2025: I’ve added the Biird Namii clitoral stimulator, the Litter Robot 4, and the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer.
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Photograph: Williams Sonoma
A Smart Chef
Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer, Noir
If I have to feed myself, I want a kitchen appliance that does most of my labor. The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Noir is that appliance. She’s goth. She’s gorgeous. She air-fries, slow-cooks, and bakes with zero complaints. There are 11 preset functions, to be exact. I don’t know what all of them do, and I don’t care, because she knows. I don’t want to think about settings, and with Breville’s Element iQ system, which auto-adjusts temperature for precision cooking, I don’t have to. There’s even an app, which I didn’t download, because I’m busy. For an extra $100, you can splurge on the Joule Oven Air Fryer Pro (8/10, WIRED Recommends), our Best Upgrade Air Fryer pick—but I’d argue it’s not the Noir.
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Photograph: Whisker
For the Cat Lady Who’s Scooped Enough
Whisker Litter-Robot 4
If I could outsource every task on Earth to a robot, I would—and that’s why I’m an owner of the Litter-Robot 4. After your cat goes, it waits a bit, then tumbles the litter to sift out the clumps, which drop into a hidden waste drawer below. It even syncs to an app that tracks how often your cat(s) go, how much they weigh, and whether the waste drawer is full. It is expensive. It does struggle to tell my two cats apart, but it’s trying its best. And, I’ve had some issues with leaking, but customer service has been super responsive. I’ll take that over manually scooping poop ever again.
