Performative wokeness is probably invading your newsfeed of choice every day. But while girls on Twitter are dragging racist trolls and posting political memes, I bet you don’t pay any attention to the Forever 21 tank top they’re wearing in their profile pictures.
Granted, being woke isn’t really something most people aspire to be. Like, yes, you want to be aware and not be ignorant, but the idea of wokeness just becomes a dick-measuring competition that nobody wins.
If you are going to pride yourself on being the pillar of justice in our society, though, you’d better quit your fast fashion addiction.
See, it doesn’t take a ton of research to figure out that fast fashion is absolutely atrocious for the environment.
“The clothing industry is the second largest polluter in the world…second only to oil,” designer Eileen Fisher said (and kind of exaggerated) in a speech she made two years ago.
To the best of our knowledge, Eileen didn’t have the receipts and there are no official facts and figures to back up this claim. But, her point still stands: fashion leads to tons and tons of pollution.
The thing about fast fashion is that it’s not just harming one industry. In fact, it pretty much touches every resource-based industry in some way or another.
Reporter Alden Wicker wrote for Racked that the fashion industry “touches agriculture (cotton, flax, hemp), animal agriculture (leather, fur, wool, cashmere), petroleum (polyester and other synthetics), forestry (rayon), mining (metal and stones), construction (retail stores), shipping, and, of course, manufacturing.”
That’s a lot of shit. A lot of shit that your $11 bandage dress is taking a toll on.
And unlike deleting your Uber app or putting #resist in your Instagram bio, avoiding fast fashion is actually pretty damn hard — especially if you’re on a budget.
But there are totally options, like buying clothes on re-sell apps like Depop or at stores like Buffalo Exchange. Thrifting is obvi always an option if you don’t mind digging.
On the other hand, you could just allocate your money differently. Instead of buying ten dresses from H&M, you could buy one nice dress from a higher-end brand that doesn’t ruin the environment. Or even just one nice dress from H&M that you know you’ll wear for years instead of throwing away in a month! The point is to be less wasteful. Still, you have to do your research. Just because a brand is expensive doesn’t mean it’s eco-friendly.
We’re not trying to shame anyone. I mean, I’m legit wearing a dress from River Island as I write this. But what we are saying is your shopping habit is probs to def ravaging the environment and contributing to global warming. What if we all paid the same amount of attention to that as we did to, say, tweeting #resist and avoiding factory farmed foods?
It’s easy to ignore it, but it’s better to know what’s up. That way, you’ll think twice before buying another bralette from Zara that you really don’t need, or you’ll at least make plans to buy eco-friendly shit once you get a raise. And do you know what’s great about swearing off (or chilling out on) fast fashion? Way more money and closet space. Plus you’ll maybe see this earth in one piece for a few more years than originally planned!
Between the camera putting on an extra ten pounds and having to stand under one million bright lights that really bring out the shine on that greasy oil slick better known as your forehead, it’s enough to send a beauty notice into meltdown mode.
But have no fear because the Kardashians are here to help.
The Kardashians are literally paid thousands of dollars to look good on television and their makeup artist Joyce Bonelli told NY Mag their biggest secret.
Matte.
“I like to do more matte for HD,” Joyce explained. “I’ve also found that when there’s a nude lip with any bit of coral or pink, those colors get picked up so that it looks like a full-on lip. I like to stay very neutral.”
And when it’s time for the red carpet, after a full day of matte makeup, Joyce explains, “their makeup has set and some of the oil from their skin has even come through, so it looks like perfect skin.”
Goals.
So the next time you find yourself in front of a camera, don’t freak out, just remember your good ole friends the Kardahsians got you covered.
And by your good ole friends the Kardahsians, we also mean a matte foundation.
Well world, it looks like we were wrong about Taylor Swift.
Her total disappearance from the world had nothing to do with her embarrassment over being the poster child for tone deaf celebrities, she was just too busy being in love and didn’t want the world to ruin it.
Praise be to the content gods because Taylor Swift reportedly has a brand new boyfriend – and he straight up looks like a child.
And seeing as he still lives with his mom and dad, you could argue he kind of is one.
He’s a British nobody who’s been in moves you haven’t heard of – like Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk – which starred a lot of people you have heard of – like Kristen Stewart, Steve Martin and Vin Diesel.
He has blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, and a face that screams, I’d look great in khaki shorts on your beachside Rhode Island property.
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As an actor just barely successful enough to have his own Wikipedia page, it’s not all that surprising that according to The Sun, Joe still lives with his mom and dad.
Even though he’s 26-years-old.
Yikes.
Unsurprisingly, Taylor has gone to great lengths to keep this relationship a secret from the press.
“Taylor has flown in via private jets and her security has made it a military-like mission to prevent her from being seen,” a source told The Sun. “She’s been walking around with Joe in London using disguises to keep her identity under wraps. Nobody has a clue they’ve walked past a music superstar – not even her new neighbors.”
Can’t blame a girl for that one.
And according to this source, the two have been dating for months now.
“This isn’t a new couple alert or a secret relationship – the only people this has been a secret to is the media because all of us, Taylor and Joe’s closest friends and their families,” the source explained.
Coincidentally this reveal came just a week after it was announced Calvin Harris and Katy Perry were coming out with a song together.
Or was it?
With Taylor, anything and everything is on the table.
You might already have that perfect swimsuit you were lusting after, but no beach look is complete without a sexy paperback (or eBook download) to keep you entertained and enlightened.
If you’re looking for recommendations that go beyond “Fifty Shades of Grey,” then start with this list. I promise these books will leave you flustered and squirming in your high-cut one-piece.
Kylie Scott has been on the New York Times Bestseller list multiple times for her erotic romance novels, with playful one-word titles like “Lick” and “Dirty” and covers featuring hot muscular dudes with tattooed arms and the right amount of facial hair.
The thing is, though, her books are more than aesthetically pleasing. Kylie writes stories that could actually happen to you, which always makes erotica way hotter. In “Twist,” part of Kylie’s Dive Bar series, the characters are brought together through online dating, how almost everyone meets nowadays. (When was the last time someone told you she met the love of her life tilling land in the Scottish Highlands? Right, I thought so.)
Faithful to the title, this book comes with a twist that threatens to destroy an otherwise perfect romance. It’s also pretty funny, and packed with plenty of sex scenes that’ll make you consider reactivating your Tinder account.
Next on this list is another Times bestseller, about a Venice Beach bunny and bookseller who finds herself in a love triangle between a venture capitalist and a “professional surfer.” If you think this sounds super cliche, at least admit it’s the summer tryst you wish you were having.
Now, I’m not going to lie — there’s a lot of sex in this book. Like, a lot. It starts within the first five pages. But there’s a pretty riveting story here, too. Alessandra also publishes a series of thrillers under the pseudonym A.R. Torre, so you can bet she knows how to write a page-turner. And anyway, you weren’t searching this list for highbrow literature, were you? (If you were, scroll down to #6).
If you haven’t read “Kuntalini,” then you must’ve snoozed through summer ‘16. It was only raved about by every indie and mainstream magazine that matters. Okay, I’m exaggerating. But it was reviewed by AnOther, TANK, and even W, who cleverly dubbed it “yoga erotica.”
To be honest, this book is weird AF. In fact, sometimes it’s downright gross — leftover sweat on a yoga mat gross — and I’m not even talking about the sex scenes. But it’s also the most sex-positive fic you’ll read all summer. It’ll inspire you to flush the toxins out of your life and start fresh; to recognize your realest self and own it. I won’t say much more — the book needs to be read to be believed — but I guarantee you won’t want to pass this up. Part one, alone, will leave you more out of breath than attempting an arched handstand.
We’re all a little guilty of voyeurism. I mean, how many times have you started casually stalking Kylie Jenner’s Instagram feed and found yourself back in 2014? But in Lex Brown’s futuristic novel, set in 2056, this idea is taken to the extreme.
After dumping her cheating boyfriend for boning someone else, corporate lawyer and total babe Mia Garner is invited by her stepbrother on a business trip to meet a hot tech CEO with sinister intentions.
I don’t know about you, but so many erotic novels drag on and on, or they’re all porn and no plot. This is a smart book that gets straight to the juicy bits. Lex gives us glimpses into the lives of all her characters — who’s spying on whom doing what. You’ll see Mia get plenty of action, with the CEO and other men and women alike. (Hey, it’s the future — everybody’s bi.)
Hyper-detailed sex scenes make this one a scorcher. Plus, the book is filled with fun little X-rated sketches by the author, inserted at the start of every chapter. That and more will leave you so hot you’ll be clutching your piña colada.
I know what you’re thinking: How the hell is a science book a beach read? Hear me out, though. This book will give you the skills to improve your sex life, which is what really matters anyway. You probably won’t finish it in the time it takes to tan, but hey, that’s cool. Let this one simmer.
Emily Nagoski unveils the newest sex science in super simplistic terms, and sets the record straight about a lot of the questions we still have about sex, like what squirting really is and why it’s def not the same as peeing. Or why some orgasms feel like an earthquake and others kind of just feel … eh. She’ll also reassure you that you’re not as weird and/or tragic as you thought you were, at least physically.
So, on your next trip to the beach, pack this book. Worst-case, its provocative cover might catch the eye of a fuckboy or two. At best, it’ll leave you burning to turn theory into practice. Just don’t get so caught up that you, like, literally burn. Sunburn isn’t sexy.
This list would not be complete if I didn’t include this classic short story collection by the OG of sexual liberation. In the ‘30s, Anais Nin shacked up with Henry Miller (who wrote that other literary porno, “Tropic of Cancer”) for several years while she was in Paris, even though she was married to another guy. She also traveled to California, started dating some Shakespearean actor, and married him while she still had a husband. In other words, she led the kind of life you’ve always wanted to lead, or at least read about: carefree, worldly, and sordid.
Talking about your pubes can be a bit uncomfortable. And defending your choice on whether to wax them or let it all hang out is even more awk because even though it’s your body and you can do what you damn well please, people will still judge you.
But if you low-key want to look as smooth as Rihanna when she did that photoshoot in Brazil for Vogue, here’s what I’m gonna put you on: sugaring.
I was a devout shaver throughout high school, and I can honestly tell you it was the worst. I mean it was like a weekly job, and let’s not even talk about the razor bumps! So I threw my good ol’ Gillette razor in the garbage and moved on to the next thing.
Now we all know what a Brazilian wax is and either it’s your go-to, or you stay far away from it. Anyone that’s ever had a Brazilian wax knows that it hurts like hell. Not only is it painful, but if you have sensitive skin like I do, a Brazilian isn’t great for your skin — it’ll irritate you like crazy. I was about to give up and go natural (or, let’s be real, commit to my razor again), I came across another hair removal technique called sugaring.
Still kind of confused on what sugaring actually was, I decided to just give it a try. I low-key thought it was the same thing as a traditional Brazilian wax with just a prettier name. And just like I would prep for a Brazilian, I let my hair grow out for about four weeks, and made my appointment the day before I planned to go in.
I really prayed that sugaring actually lived up to the hype that I had read about and that I wasn’t just about to waste my money on something because it sounded nice. Not really knowing what to expect I figured I’d just ask everything while I was getting waxed.
“What exactly is sugaring?” I asked as the aesthetician told me to lay back keeping my legs in a butterfly position. She told me that sugaring was an all-natural method of hair removal and that it was basically made out of water, sugar, honey, and sometimes lemon. Before I got to the next question I felt a pull. Shit! I thought to myself. I didn’t even feel her put the wax on. She asked if I was okay, I said yes and 30 minutes later I was freshly waxed, almost bare and newly educated on the sugaring process.
Now unlike regular hot wax, sugar wax isn’t actually hot. It’s applied at body temperature and will not burn your skin. It also sticks only to the hair so when the wax is pulled off, only the hair is being pulled not the skin. This makes it less painful than typical waxing, and more ideal for people with sensitive skin. Your skin is not being irritated as much or even at all.
But there is a problem with this. Since the wax pulls almost no skin off you’re left with dead skin cells on the surface of the skin. It is very important to exfoliate before you go in for any wax. Your waxer may tell you to exfoliate before, but they might not tell you why. I mean it does sound gross. Who wants to hear about dead skin cells…. ever? But exfoliating before will give you better results and it’s cleaner.
You are also not completely bare after your first wax. That smooth, flawless look will come after a couple of sessions, but the difference between the sugaring and the hot wax is that the sugar wax really gets the hair from the root, leaving you with a little peach fuzz (rather than those stubborn stragglers that wouldn’t come out with the hot wax). Think of it like the hair on your face… okay, okay maybe just a tad bit thicker.
Also if your hair is coarse it may take a little longer before you see the results you want. You will have to go often until the hair gets thinner. The thinner the hair, the less you’ll have to get waxed. So instead of every five to six weeks, you may have to go every four weeks.
You may be tempted to shave in-between waxes, but trust me if you slip up and shave, you just set the whole process back. It’s a little disappointing to wait and it seems like a pain at first, but all good things take time right?
Also, the sugar is usually natural — it’s made of water, honey, lemon and of course sugar, and it allegedly doesn’t contain any chemicals, coloring or fragrance. Of course, some salons might sneak some in so you’d better ask and make sure, if that’s important to you.
Bacteria is also something to worry about when considering any type of wax, but with sugaring, they told me it’s almost impossible for bacteria to breed in a tub of sugar. So you don’t have to worry about cross contamination, and since the wax does not pull off the skin leaving it raw, you also don’t have to worry about skin infections. A major plus!
While the end goal is the same with both techniques — a smooth, hairless well you know… — sugaring does way less harm to the skin and is less painful. It lasts longer if you’re consistent with your waxing schedule and after the first couple times. But you won’t be completely bare after your first sugar wax *sighs again*. Sugaring is an alternative if you are looking for other ways to stay groomed down there. Just keep in mind before your first sugar wax to exfoliate, let those pubes grow out, and breathe it will be over before you know it!
Selena Gomez’s music video for “Bad Liar” is dropping tomorrow and from the looks of her latest teaser pic on Instagram, it looks like it might be pretty dark.
Sandwiched in between two videos of diagonal static playing on old as fuuuuuuuuuuuudge televisions, Selena posted a very raw photograph of herself with the caption, “#BadLiar 5.18.”
In the picture she’s curled up on a bed wearing a variety of hospital paraphernalia with a look on her eyes that says, “don’t try me b, I’ve been through things.”
On her arm she’s wearing a plastic hospital bracelet they slap on you as soon as you’re admitted that says “RISK,” a DIY band-aid that probably came after she got blood drawn, and then another bandage around her lower wrist.
It doesn’t take a genius to make the connection then that at least part of the music video for “Bad Liar” will take place in a hospital where Selena Gomez is the patient – or dare we say it, a rehab facility.
Because maybe she’s the bad liar she’s talking about.
Pretending like she’s fine and nothing’s going on with her life when really, she feels like she’s about to have a total breakdown.
It may not be as fun as our conspiracy theory that “Bad Liar” is about Taylor Swift, but it seems a lot more plausible as part of Selena Gomez’s public narrative seeing as how it’s already a part of her public narrative.
There are a lot of secrets to being hot. The best one, of course, is to be born with incredible genes. But there also proactive ways you can make yourself look more hot — which requires some work.
But we recently discovered one really simple way to look hotter: sleep more.
Incredible news, right? And it’s actually backed by science.
Here’s how Business Insider explains it:
In 2010, researchers from Sweden and the Netherlands took photos of people who’d slept for at least eight hours the night before and people who hadn’t slept in 31 hours. Sleep-deprived people were rated as less healthy and less attractive.
Three years later, the researchers went into more detail, and other participants rated the peoplein the photos based on different criteria.
In general, participants said that sleep-deprived people had more “droopy/hanging eyelids, red eyes, dark circles under the eyes, and pale skin” — and even looked sadder than their better-rested counterparts.
Damn, is this not the best news? Sleep is literally free — you can do it anywhere, from a bus to a bench to a bed.
Of course, sometimes it’s not that easy — especially if you’re the insomniac type. Luckily, we’ve already covered how to get your sleep schedule under control if you’re the type to stay up all night staring at your phone.
So next time your friends are trying to get you to stay out until 4 p.m., remind them beauty sleep is actually a real thing. As the always wise and preternaturally well-rested-looking Bethenny Frankel would say:
While stopping by the Zach Sang show, Miley played every twenty-something’s favorite game: fuck, marry, kill.
Only since Miley’s practically a married woman, instead of choosing between different Hollywood hotties, Miley chose between three of her most iconic songs: “The Climb,” “7 Things,” and “Wrecking Ball.”
She chose to marry “The Climb,” fuck “7 Things,” and kill “Wrecking Ball.”
“That’s something you can’t take away, swinging around naked on a wrecking ball lives forever,” Miley explained. “Once you do that in the mass, you know, that I did, it’s forever. I’m never living that down. I will always be the naked girl on the wrecking ball.”
She even went on to boldly proclaim, “That’s my worst nightmare is that being played at my funeral.”
Although to be completely honest, when Miley’s a wrinkly 80-year-old she’ll probably look back on the music video a little more kindly.
In the words of Samantha Jones, she’ll probably let out a satisfied sigh and say, “Damn, I looked hot,” as her army of pig, dog, and pig-dog hybrid children looks on.
When it comes to your love life, the grass is always greener on the other side.
Single girls occasionally wish they had someone to cuddle up with at night when they don’t want to hit the club, and taken girls randomly have cravings for that exciting first-kiss moment with a rando, or just the freedom to do whatever the F they want. Or, simply the desire to sleep alone, ya feel me?
In fact, in honor of anti-cuffing season being in full swing, why not celebrate all the shit that single girls can do that taken girls wish they could do?
We found a Reddit thread where taken girls confessed what they missed the most about being single, and it’ll make every single girl appreciate her independence.
“Sometimes I would like to get dressed without being felt up,” said Reddit user ambertheginger. “It can be fun, but not every time.”
In the beginning of a relationship, it feels awesome that your bae can’t keep his hands off of you. When you’re getting ready for work in the morning and it takes an extra five minutes because someone’s hands are in the way? Not as awesome.
“More free/alone time,” said Reddit user fartingxfarts. “Cuz relationships require time.”
And who has time these days, really?
3. And Solo Places To Be Solo
“Having an apartment to myself,” said Reddit user starfish-and-coffee. “Don’t get me wrong, I love him more than anything, but whenever he’s away for work I kind of revel in being able to just have some total me-time for a couple of days.”
It doesn’t matter if it’s the love of your life, people get annoying when you spend too much time with them!
4. Not Having To Answer To Anyone
“I didn’t have to consider my SO: if I wanted to do something, I did it,” said Reddit user ashmagic487.
This is arguably the major one that every taken girl can relate to. It’s so nice to not have to answer to anyone once you move out of your parents’ house, and getting in a relationship feels like having another parental unit sometimes.
“Yes, I am a very good flirt and I miss sending witty Tinder banter,” said Reddit user Better_Bit. “Somehow it is not as funny when you know how they’ll react.”
Sometimes it’s not even the excitement of making out with somebody new, it’s the excitement of talking to somebody new, even if you know nothing’s going to happen.
6. Not Having To Play Good-Girl For His Fam
“Personal space, not having to meal plan, and not having to deal with his family,” said Reddit user todayonbloopers
Ugh. Dealing with the fam is a major one. With your own relatives, you can kind of be an ass to them, or at least keep to yourself. With bae’s fam, you have to act like a peppy, happy-go-lucky virgin, and it takes a toll on your sanity!
7. Eating Like a College Student
“I miss just grazing for meals,” said Reddit user canadian_maplesyrup. “My husband prefers sit down meals, and we make an effort to turn off the TV, sit at the table, and interact with one another. But when I lived by myself, I would come home from work have a yogurt, then an hour later maybe some veggies and hummus, or a hard boiled egg. I’d just nibble and snack for my evening meal. I look forward to Wednesday nights when he’s got a commitment, no cooking, just grazing. Tonight I will have a yogurt, popcorn and a slice of cheese for dinner!”
This is so random, but also so relatable. Having to plan meals with someone else can be kinda annoying if you’re not on the same page, especially because so many guys aren’t health-conscious in the slightest.
8. Being a Slobby Sad BB
“I miss having a crummy day and not having it negatively impact anyone else,” said Reddit user JennyReason. “If I decide to just leave out all my dirty dishes and not shower and skip my chores because I feel bad, it now inconveniences my spouse, who has to live with that, instead of just me. It makes it harder to let myself off the hook for things on occasion.”
I’m assuming this girl lived alone prior to being married, or was the worst roommate ever. Either way, it does suck when you can’t just sulk without someone trying (and failing) to cheer you up or constantly asking, “what’s wrong?”
9. Starfishing In Bed
“Having the bed to myself,” said Reddit user MadamMoi. “Oh, if I could get my husband to agree to separate beds, life would be bliss!”
Having separate beds doesn’t mean a couple is having troubles, it just means one probably likes cuddling and one hates it.
10. Being a Wanderer
“If anything, maybe I miss the feeling of ‘I can move anywhere at any time,'” said Reddit user hellomarvelousthings. “If I wanted to move, I’d want to include him in that decision tbh.”
This is the worst. It’s like, even if you don’t want to/have to include him in the decision, you do it anyway because you love them. Love’s a bitch sometimes.
Jhené Aiko has been practicing grounding herself since she was a teenager, which might explain why she seems as chill as the other side of the pillow.
Spend a hot second talking to her and you’ll realize that nothing rattles her.
Not her ever-rising profile, not people’s ignorance about her mixed-race heritage, and not even questions about her romantic life.
Even as every song she features on becomes an instant hit, she’s just taking life one day a time – and praying that people stop asking her how to eat the booties like groceries someday.
What are some tips you have for women about embracing and owning their sexuality?
I think just realizing that as a woman you’re powerful. You give life. I don’t want to say you’re stronger than a man, but you’re just as strong, if not stronger because of your emotions and the things that we all put up with. And I think once you start to realize all of the strength of being a woman, you can learn to appreciate there’s really no difference between a man and a woman other than our chromosomes.
And so why should there be this thing about women not expressing their sexuality? There’s really no real reason why we can’t be as confident in our sexuality as a man. It’s just common sense. My advice is just to look in the mirror and realize that, you know, you’re equal to a man and anything a man can do, we’re more than capable of doing. And the things men are not ashamed to do, we shouldn’t be ashamed either.
As your profile keeps rising, how do you manage to stay so low key?
That’s my state of mind. I don’t believe in celebrity worship. I don’t believe in anyone being above anyone else and that’s why a lot of my listeners are just people who will come up to me and have a casual conversation. They’re not screaming, going crazy. I don’t travel with a bodyguard. I’m a regular person just like we all are. I think that’s why it stays low key: because I don’t give in to the hype of anything, not even myself.
Do people ever say ignorant things in front of you about your heritage?
Oh yeah, all the time. I was at the I Heart Radio awards and some man who didn’t know me asked me, “How was China?” Literally, the first words he said to me were, “How was China?”
And I didn’t really get it until I realized, oh, you think I’m Chinese. And I was like, “Oh, I’ve never been, I’m not Chinese.” And then he was kinda like, “Oh no no no, I know,” and like, tried to make up this excuse as to why he would say that.
And I’ve had people make racial comments about black people to me not knowing that I am part black, I’ve had people make comments about being Asian to me, not realizing that I’m Asian – or even people not realizing I’m also European. It’s something that I notice every day but I’ve gotten used to the fact that a lot of people still don’t understand the concept of being mixed, you know? So I’m patient with them.
Was the first time you met Big Sean when you did backup vocals on “Beware”?
The first time I met him was at the studio and he sort of like busted into my session. He was like, “Oh I heard you were here, I wanted to meet you. My DJ – DJ Mo Beatz– has been telling me about you. That’s who played me your mixtape.” And then he was like, “Ooh I wanna work on some songs.” And so I worked on a song called “I’m Gonna Be” which was on one of his mixtapes, and that’s the first song that we did together. Then he played some other stuff and he was like, “I want this one, ‘Beware,’ to be my single.” He’s very persistent if he wants you on a song and that’s pretty much how it happened.
That seems like an ideal way to work.
I would just say that me and Sean have been working together for a while and been friends and obviously, when you work closely with someone you begin to understand them. I feel like one of the things I’ve been learning in the books that I read is that love and understanding are the same thing. You can’t understand something and not love it – when you understand something completely, you love it and vice versa. So that’s how me and Sean are. We’ve seen each other with different people as far as relationships and we’ve stayed friends through it all so we just had no choice but to just learn to understand each other and love each other.
Do people still ask about whether or not you’ve finally found someone who can eat the booty like groceries or has that kind of died out by now?
Every now and then someone asks me that, but I’ve started to ignore it for the most part. I mean I get it, it was a standout line, people don’t mean any harm, but I’m a person who likes to move forward. Especially on social media. But it’s dying out, hopefully 2017 we’ll move on from this.
What’s next for you?
I’ve been working on this project for spring 2017, and I’m just really excited because it’s been a few years of me compiling all these different things and taking the time to create something that I feel like is timeless. Like we were talking about earlier, I’m not really into hyping things up. I’d rather downplay things because whether you like it, hate it, or love it, I’m gonna share it anyway. It’s really for my family that I express myself and turn stuff into art because it’s just me expressing myself. So I am excited to share it and to release it so I can move on.
Do you know when you’re thinking about releasing it yet?
I’m thinking as soon as possible, haha.
OTT kimono | Moschino bodysuit | Unravel jeans | Vida Kush choker
L.A. Roxx top | OTT pants
Marc Jacobs dress and shoes | Steampunk Wolf gloves | Vida Kush belt
OTT kimono | DSTM bra | On Aura Tout Vu top | Kaimin skirt
Marcelo Burlon sweatshirt | Kira Goodey boots
L.A. Roxx top, bustier and shorts | OTT kimono | Marc Jacobs shoes
Photography/Creative Direction: Prince and Jacob Fashion Director/ Stylist: Alexandra Mandelkorn Co-Stylist: Ade Samuel Stylist Assistant: Andrea Mehefko Hair: Naima Lewis Makeup: Felicia Latour
Ask a conservative what a women should do when she gets impregnated without planning on it, and he’ll say, “Well, she shouldn’t have had sex.”
Obviously, that’s completely unrealistic and ridiculous, not to mention that in some cases, the now-pregnant woman didn’t want to have sex.
Unfortunately, some people still haven’t realized that denying someone access to an abortion is to deny them the rights to their own body, and potentially bringing a new baby into a world where they can’t be properly cared for.
Luckily, abortion is still currently legal, but conservative states have been trying their best to make getting one impossible. Just because an abortion is legal doesn’t mean that a woman has the funds to afford an abortion, or even a vehicle to drive multiple hours to the only abortion clinic in her state.
One woman asked other women on Reddit to share their stories about being denied abortions. Here they are.
“I found out I was pregnant when I was 19. It was during a rape kit after being assaulted by my boyfriend’s father. I probably should’ve known I was pregnant, but I thought the nausea was the result of drinking and my eating disorder. I cried while in stirrups and the nurse gave me this list of phone numbers to clinics without saying a word. Ultimately I could not afford an abortion on my own and my boyfriend, Will, said he would leave me if I even considered it. He was my everything and I imagined that picturesque American Dream of us being a family.
“Honestly, I hated being pregnant. I hated losing control of my body, I hated the stretch marks, I hated the weight gain. I wasn’t ready and didn’t want that f*cking thing inside me. Will was always drunk and it took a black eye for me to realize there was no family. Fortunately he agreed to give our daughter up for adoption.
“We went through this agency that gave us their ‘family scrapbooks.’ Most of them were weird, but we did find this single woman who fostered shelter dogs, owned her own business, and owned a home by a lake. She looked like my sister and when I met her she was so kind.
“I spent roughly 24 hours with Lydia before I said goodbye. Almost immediately after delivery, seeing her out of me, I said out loud that I couldn’t do this. I held her while she cried, I cried too, I could never give her what she needed.
“Will and I signed the adoption papers in the hospital. The adoptive mother’s mother wanted a picture of us for documentation or whatever. We are both sitting on a hospital couch with forced smiles and tears running down our faces.
“I broke up with Will months later. It was supposed to be an open adoption, but I stopped getting any updates after Lydia’s first birthday. She turns 10 this year. Her mom has a Facebook that posts a new photo of Lydia every couple of years or so and she is so damn happy and pretty. I’ve considered reaching out to her mom on there, but there’s a risk she doesn’t want me involved and I’d just be blocked and never see Lydia again at all. I never want to be pregnant again. I hate being around babies and young children. The whole experience was the worst year of my life and I don’t wish it upon anyone.” – eatkittens
2.
“I was brutally raped by my ex-boyfriend on my 18th birthday and got pregnant. I wanted an abortion, there was no doubt about it. Unfortunately, I couldn’t afford one and at the time I didn’t know there was funding available for my situation. I also didn’t have a car, so would need a ride and all that.
“I asked everyone I knew if I could borrow the money, and nobody would help me out. One friend had the money and was going to lend it to me, but her boyfriend told her he would break up with her if she did (oh, high school).
“Eventually I told my parents and asked them for the money. They said no (and honestly they wouldn’t have been able to afford it even if they wanted) and were weirdly excited about a potential grandkid even though I was still in high school, although my mom did say she would go with me to get the procedure done.
“Somehow, the ex-boyfriend’s parents found out and fucking flipped. They demanded a meeting at their house with me and my parents, where they insisted I go stay with a distant relative, carry the baby to term, and give it away. During this meeting, when I said I wanted an abortion, my mom acted like that was the first time she’d heard that and said she would absolutely not accompany me to something ‘like that.’
“Long story short, under extreme pressure from my parents and no resources of my own, I had the kid and kept him (he’s 10 now). He’s an awesome kid and I love him a lot, but I’ve never truly felt like a mother. He lives with his dad [he sued me for custody and won] and stepmom and two little brothers about five hours away from me. I see him on holidays and a couple times throughout the summer. Don’t get me wrong, I fucking love that kid and he’s awesome, I’ve just never felt like I was cut out to be a mother, and embracing mom life never came naturally to me.
“I’ve felt a lot of shame and guilt about it over the years, but I’m at peace with it now. Feel free to judge me, I won’t be bothered.” – Roger_Klotz_Day
3.
“I was going through a divorce at the time from my spouse having a mental breakdown and ending up in the hospital from trying to commit suicide. He tried cutting his wrists in front of me many times because he said, ‘You hate me so much, maybe this’ll make you happy.’
“I found out I was pregnant shortly after he decided to move everything he owned out of the apartment. I was told from a young age that I was not going to ever be able to have children due to a half formed uterus. I was already starving trying to afford our apartment on only my own money. After I called the Planned Parenthood in my city, I couldn’t afford a medical abortion and still eat, but made too much money to qualify for assistance. So I waited. I picked up as many shifts as I could and saved up a quarter of the money I would need for an abortion from a clinic nearly four hours away. When I made the appointment, I thought I still had a couple weeks left to get the abortion. I made plans for the drive, borrowed my mother in law’s credit card to pay for medical bills and told her I had to have some test for my heart that my insurance wouldn’t pay for even though it was ‘medically necessary.’ (She was a heavily religious baptist. So I lied. She didn’t blame me for anything going on with her son and still treats me like her own daughter almost 7 years later.)
“I made the drive alone and drove past the line of protestors to the clinic. Had them scream and yell at me from the sidewalks as I walked in. I was frisked and emptied my pockets and left my purse in the car. Abortion clinics are dangerous places. I had to be examined and shown all the requisite materials and listen to the baby’s heartbeat and come back the next day.
“In the examination room I was told I was farther along than I had originally calculated and they could not legally help me.
“My ex-spouse and I ended up giving up the baby through an adoption agency that helped me pay bills and feed me through my eighth and ninth month. The adoption was closed because I already felt like my heart was in pieces and did not want to shatter it loving a baby that could never truly be mine.
“I never saw the adoptive parents or the baby.
“One of the strangest moments in the adoption process is choosing a family. I don’t know any of these people and I didn’t feel qualified to choose who deserved a baby more than any other family. It felt so contrived and I felt like less of a person for playing God with these families even if they never knew I made the decision to pass them over.
“I spent a lot of time in bed when I was not constantly at work. I didn’t really eat well if I ate at all. The adoption agent called me every day to check on me after she noticed how hard of a time I was having. In order to get through the days, I tried to form a routine down to the minute and even watched the same movie every night because it gave me comfort.
“Now thinking back on it, there’s some blank spots. Moments in time where it feels like I just disappeared, but I know I lived through that part in my life.
“The only memory that sticks out sharp is every line in the movie Forrest Gump, but that comes from seeing it close to 180 times.” – Minariku
4.
“I didn’t have the money for an abortion. I was broke, sleeping on my friend’s couches, didn’t have a car or a job. The father (whom I’d been dating for ~2 months), said he’d pay. He didn’t. I was miserable. I had violent morning sickness until I was five months [along], like 7-10x a day, which hindered my ability to find a job.
“The father wanted the child, so adoption wasn’t an option. He was an alcoholic mess, he never would have successfully raised a child on his own. I was still planning to leave the child with him.
“Then I had preeclampsia and a c-section. I didn’t bond with my son at all in the hospital, but he ended up coming home with me to my grandmother’s house. Dad didn’t get paternity leave [so I] had no help. That first night at ‘home’ with my son, I hobbled to him in the middle of the night and fed him and realized this was mine. He was my responsibility, I brought him into the world and needed to be responsible for this little five-pound baby because no one else would.
“He’s six now. He’s low functioning autistic. I still wouldn’t change anything. He’s my main source of happiness in life, as someone who has had clinical depression for over a decade. He’s a sweet, affectionate, bright child and my main motivation to better myself in life.” – someharlot
5.
“I was 17 when an ex showed up for my best friend’s birthday on a shiny new motorcycle. He offered me a ride on it and of course I said yes.
“He told me he was taking me to his friend’s house to hang out. I wasn’t up to it much, but said okay anyways. Little did I know, it was an hour away. It started to get late and I asked him to take me home. He refused. I thought he was joking…he wasn’t. We (unsuccessfully) slept in a park, a football stadium, and around 4 am he snuck me into his parents’ home. (Before you ask, I did not have a phone to call anyone).
“I didn’t want to have sex. I wanted the night to be over. I wanted to go home. We weren’t together. He forced himself on me. I said no. I pushed him off, etc. Nothing worked and I was too tired to fight back anymore. I let him have his way. I was on birth control. That morning I went to get the morning after pill around 10 am.
“Three months later I found out I was pregnant. I was terrified. I wasn’t ready. I wanted an abortion. When I finally told my mom, she said she would disown me if I did. She convinced me not to do it. Plus, I didn’t have the funds.
“She’s five years old now and beautiful. Friday I’m taking her father back to court to get child support and the majority of custody.
“Sometimes I still feel resentment for him taking my life away from me. Others I’m very grateful to have raised such a wonderful little girl.” – ParentingTheDevils
These might seem like extreme cases, and maybe they are, but that doesn’t detract from the fact that this could really happen to anybody under similar circumstances. Sometimes advising someone to “use protection” isn’t enough. If you or someone you know is in a similar predicament, there is a site that provides funding for girls who can’t afford abortions. Many of the women who told their stories wished they had known about it when they were pregnant. And, as always, stay informed ‘lil bbs.
There comes a time in (almost) everyone’s life where they no longer have the willpower or endurance to black out three nights a week.
It’s a bittersweet time, but usually for the best since after college most people will call you an alcoholic for drinking that much every night.
For the most part, after you retire from your heavy-drinking days everything seems to get better. There are no crazy hangovers, you don’t wake up with randos, and you actually make it to work on time. The only thing that gets a little tricky? Figuring out if your drinking friends were just meant to be drinking friends.
Chances are, in your early college days, you made the mistake of turning a nighttime friend into a daytime friend. This happens to the best of us, because you’re just trying to make new friends and it’s a lot easier to do so when you’re drunk on jungle juice in a frat bathroom.
Unfortunately, some of us make these same mistakes when we’re post-grad. Maybe we moved to a new city where we don’t know anyone, or all our old friends moved away, but sometimes we’re just a lil desperate for friends and we’re willing to go to brunch with someone we’ve only met while tipsy.
There’s no shame in it, and it’s better to try to make friends instead of sitting home alone with Netflix every night. But just like a drunken hook-up, drunk friends can look a lot scarier in the daylight. Depending on how psycho they are sober, you can either keep them around for desperate times without getting too close or just ghost completely (as long as you’re sure you’ll never have to see them again).
Sometimes, even your not-totally-just-drinking-friends from college can kind of turn into drinking friends post-grad. You thought you were going to be bridesmaids at each other’s wedding, but then you realized that your only bonding experiences involved getting drunk, waking up hungover and rehashing last night’s stories, or planning drink-centric endeavors together.
Once you take heavy-drinking out of the equation, the friendship seems to fall flat. Perhaps your friendship just seems less lively when you both only have work drama and failed Tinder dates to talk about. Or, in an even worse scenario, perhaps your college friend isn’t ready to grow out of that phase, and she resents you for getting a “real job” while she continues to block her schedule for $2 Tuesdays at McFaddens.
If the latter is your situation, end things now before it gets too ugly. That is unless you want it to end in a semi-drunk phone call where she calls you out for being boring and old and you call her out for living off her parents’ money with no real ambitions.
In the former situation, you’ll probably end up on one of those fun carousels where you make plans, break plans, and say shit like, “Why haven’t I seen you in five months?”
Enjoy it, it’ll make great practice for the 10 other people you’ll endure this with.
It’s a mystery why nobody can ever fess up and say “maybe we’re not friends anymore.” Probably because one of you has a really cool job and the other is hoping to capitalize on it someday or whatever? Who knows.
Whatever your situation, you shouldn’t feel bad about slowly fading away from your drinking friends. Chances are, they feel the same way about the friendship and are happy you’re not clinging on.
Graduating from college – or graduating from the semi-alcoholic stage of your life – is a growing period. That comes with pain, but not the pain of accidentally hooking up with an ugly turd while plastered. Instead, it’s the pain of fading away from people you thought were gonna be your BFFL .
But if you look at a friend breakup the way you look at a relationship ending, you’ll realize that it’s hard to find someone who wants to stick around forever. Some people are only meant to be in your life for a finite period of time, and meant to be replaced by someone even better.
After three long ass years of hype, Twin Peaks is finally coming back this Sunday.
It feels a little surreal, which is fitting seeing as Twin Peaks itself is more than a little surreal.
Anyway, regardless of whether hardcore fans think the new season is all that and a bag of chips or a hot flaming bag of piss, Twin Peaks fashion is about to be EVERYWHERE.
Vogue’s gonna write about it, Teen Vogue’s gonna write about it, and the list could – and will – go on and on and on.
So before you get the wrong idea of what Twin Peaks fashion looks like, why don’t you let us tell you how it’s really done.
Ladies, get our your pencils – unless you have a voice-activated recorder like Special Agent Cooper, in which case, say hello to Diane for us.
The Pacific Northwest is chilly af. In Twin Peaks, there’s a sweater for every occasion.
Whether you wanna look pouty:
Mysterious af:
or thotty n naughty:
No matter what the message, you’ll say it even better if you’re wearing a sweater.
If you like those sweaters, you’ll want to buy this one here.
Plaid
Nothing says, “Hi, I’m from a podunk town where people like to secretly run around killing each other and pimping out girls to be straight up prostitutes,” like a hearty dose of plaid in your sartorial diet.
This includes plaid shirts:
Paid skirts:
and even plaid bathrobes:
Matching gun and dumbass boyfriend sold separately.
Madeline Lauer is a soulful brunette babe with dreamy vocals and lovesick lyrics. Her IG features ample feminist art, her understated cool-girl style, and dope pics of Grace Jones. Today she exclusively drops her new video “Come Around” with Galore. Read on as Madeline discusses her experience loving someone that wouldn’t stick around and how she turned it into her latest track.
So tell us about “Come Around”!
“Come Around” is essentially about someone I wanted, but couldn’t fully have. He would tease a monogamous relationship by spending so much intimate time with me but then suddenly disappear for weeks. I say in the song “when you come [back] around, are you still mine?” In the video, I really wanted to portray the intense connection I felt between us. I hired an actor to play him, and when the director called “action,” we tried to hold nothing back. I showed my friends the final cut of the video and they all said, “It looks like you two are really in love.” I was so happy I achieved what looks like a real intense chemistry.
Where are you from? How do you think that has influenced your sound and vision as an artist?
I grew up in a suburb right outside of Columbus, Ohio, called Dublin. Growing up, my father listened to a lot of James Taylor and The Beatles. He would sing their songs to us practically every night before bed. I think constantly having those types of catchy melodies flooding our house surely influenced my love for pop music as a pre-teen. As I got older my musical palette changed into a slightly more soulful one but the melodies I write tend to imitate those popular tunes.
What kind of topics do you cover in your music?
I learned in my teen years that I fall hard for people. I am always the first to say “I love you” and I am highly affectionate. In order to control my excitements, I started writing them down freehand-style in a journal so they could get out of my head. I revisit those journal entries when approaching new songs. I also write about the changes I am constantly going through while becoming who I want to be. In such a politically messed up industry like this one, a young woman can find herself grasping for her morals while trying to get ahead.
We love your IG. What’s your statement behind posting female nudity?
It is out of pure appreciation. To me, a woman’s body is the most sacred and imperative vessel on the planet. What it is able to achieve and the strength it can endure is mind blowing to me. I don’t know why more women aren’t celebrating other women’s bodies the way that I do.
What artists would you love to collaborate with?
Miguel, Schoolboy Q, and Anderson .Paak are my top three right now.
Any beauty products or tips you’re living for?
I love this question because I’m obsessed with finding and trying new beauty products and recommending them to my friends. Kylie Lip Kits are a new obsession for sure. I can eat a cheeseburger without it coming off. I also love the brand Glossier. However, my favorite beauty tip that I swear by is castor oil. I put a quarter sized amount in my shampoo every time I wash, and I promise my hair has never been longer, shinier, or stronger in my life. Just try it and see for yourself.
There are few people who would say no to the opportunity to be Insta-famous.
Sure, people might assume you’re vain and obsessed with social media, but like, you’d also practically get paid to post selfies.
And unlike being famous for an old-school talent or skill, being Insta-famous is something that anyone can achieve if they dedicate enough time, effort, and growth-hacking skills.
Basically, there’s a theory going around among ‘grammers that Instagram has changed its algorithm — which wouldn’t even be crazy, because they’ve done it in the past.
Believers in this theory assume Instagram is making it more difficult for people to “hack” their way to Insta-fame. They believe Instagram hopes people will pay for promotion on their posts instead, much like the Facebook model.
This is totally plausible, since Facebook now owns Instagram and they’ve been slowly adopting features from each other for the past few months.
The whole ease of the pods was that you could directly send your post to your pod group message and rake in likes from fellow pod members. But now people are worried Instagram is flagging people who send their photos repeatedly in DMs. Instead, pod members are now trying new ways, like posting screen shots of their latest post, or simply messaging the group and telling them, “I just posted.”
Another possible way Instagram is halting the Insta-famous dreams of bloggers everywhere is by “shadow-banning” hashtags.
WTF does that mean? Well, lots of bloggers have a certain set of hashtags they use on their posts so they can copy and paste instead of writing them out each and every time. Hashtags might look thirsty, but there’s no doubt they work. Plus, if you put them in the comments instead of the caption, nobody really sees them once you get other comments.
The only problem is, shadow banning allegedly blocks your photo from being viewed under a searched hashtag if you’ve routinely used that hashtag before, therefore limiting your post’s reach to your followers and nobody else.
So basically, your choice is to come up with new hashtags each time you post (and who has the time?), or use your old hashtags that might not work anymore. Bummer.
But the thing is, neither of these rumors has been proven. So, it could be that they’ve really done nothing and people are just getting low engagement cuz their posts aren’t as good. Or, Instagram could’ve done something totally different that nobody’s caught onto yet.
Either way, it’s not good for any wannabe influencer, and it’s leaving bloggers quaking in their boots.
Best of luck, little bb’s, it’s a hard world out there!
Kylie Griffiths is British it girl goals. She’s a branding kween and creative director who’s also made it her mission to get as many London babes as possible onto surfboards. Here, she takes us through her latest London Girls Surf Club (LGSC) venture, plus shares the beachy eye candy any surf trip provides!
Surfing and the city are not a natural mix. Growing up in London surrounded by concrete, the thought of surfing never crossed my mind.
I was a late bloomer to surfing only getting into it well into my twenties due to an impromptu surf lesson down in Newquay one summer, and I’ve never looked back. After the initial fear of “OH GOD I’M GOING TO DIE,” I soon realised I was I hooked. I was dragging my board down to the beach at 7 a.m., raring to go. Surfing had me hooked, I was googling best surf spots, I was buying board boots, I was researching the best wax, and I was no longer scared of the ocean!
There is something incredibly tranquil about the ocean, I’ve always been quite manic, I think that’s the curse of a city girl, always on the go, on the phone, or running around, and when you are surfing you can’t be. You are truly in the moment and you have to focus on just those few minutes (or you will almost certainly fall off).
So, London Girls Surf Club was born. I wanted to share my love for the sea with my fellow land locked ladies, and the response was ace. We jumped in a mini bus down to Croyde and hit the road. If you want to join in the fun on your own, here are some handy tips.
Always find a girl pal to help you carry your board, those things are heavy, especially a foamy!
Just keep smiling! It’s like everything, some days you’ll have bad days and somedays you’ll feel like Kelly Slater but just keep at it and don’t let those bad days get you down.
Find a surf gang. It’s great surfing solo but it’s even better when you hit the waves with your pals. That was one of the best things about this trip, supporting each other and encouraging one another to get bigger and better waves!
Get up and early and stay up late – for me being a beginner I was always a little scared of getting in the pros’ ways, so I try and get up at 6 a.m. to get out before the crowds, or stay out for a sunset session. There’s nothing more amazing than watching the sun go down whilst sitting on your board.
Keep an eye on your pals. There are all sorts of hazards when you’re surfing so if you go out as a group keep an eye out for each other!
Don’t be scared. Fear is your WORST enemy if you are surfing and one of the hardest things to shake off. When you see a huge wave coming towards you it’s impossible to not feel scared but try and own it. You need to learn to overcome your fear to improve so set yourself small goals to overcome each day, be it that you’re going to jump up quicker, learn to duck dive, little steps will help you conquer your fear.
Sounds simple, but just enjoy it. You’re in the water for fun, so smile and just have FUN! Oh and don’t drop in on anybody. That’s a big no no.
Pantone, what’s good? If you think greenery green is the color of the year, you are dead wrong. Millennial pink is gaining so much buzz as the color of the first quarter, and the color that’s going to be popping all summer long will be millennial blue. Before I go on, what exactly IS millenial blue?
Similar to millennial pink, millennial blue ranges from a delicate shade of baby to a mature dusty hue. While its girlier sibling color is not easily photographable, millennial blue reads beautifully under the light and it makes any outfit feel fresh.
Blue may be traditionally seen as a boy’s color, which makes it all the more subversive for your thottiest attire.
Can’t be bothered to dress up for brunch while being hungover as fuck? Your girl got you covered: instead of the usual white tee, try on a dusty blue iteration. Seriously, it’s gonna be so sick when you pair it with blue jeans and hoop earrings.
Before you pull a Kim Kardashian on your Insta Stories, don’t forget to think about what you need to wear on your first date! Instead of pulling out your basic black bodycon dress, try this ultra femme blue one. Believe me, it’s the perfect opportunity to rub in your newly purchased highlighter ALL over your shoulders and boobs! (P.S. I do that!) If you wanna seduce your crush, put that freakum dress on so that they can put all the other chicks to the side.
Katy Perry may be problematic af with her faux wokeness, but I’ll forgive her on the basis that she’s got great taste in shoes. Seriously, they’re so “melt in your mouth kinda lovin'” that I LITERALLY crave these cute fluffy sandals! You can dress ’em up in so many ways that I cannot imagine the infinite outfit combos!!
Your favorite accessories brand SKINNYDIP never fails to impress you with its cute holographic palm tree bag! While unique designs tend to be priced higher than your average plain jane solids, this holo purse is at the price of two drinks at Catch. Seriously, talk about a hardcore bargain! If you ever get spotted at Gov Ball wearing this, you are going to be a street style star.
Although it’s been 20 years since we last saw Romy and Michele at their high school reunion, channel their vibe with a slinky slip dress. Thanks to its short hemline and bra-unfriendly criss-cross straps, this dress from Privacy Please x Revolve is something you need to have in your closet!
Okie dokes, when was the last time you actually wore a wig? As summer is the season to experiment with crazy hair colors, no opportunity is better than your family’s Memorial Day BBQ. Send your relatives into a shock with this super cute silver gray baby blue ombre wig. It’s SO Kylie Jenner, but at the same time, it’s super pastel grunge. Keep this klassy with a nude lip and a cat eye when you see your fam.
Stoked for your summer internship? If you are, please give yourself another pat on the back. As you are learning the ropes of the corporate ladder, always anticipate your superiors and coworkers shoving you down with their business cards. To relieve your stuffed wallet, the head geniuses at Pop and Suki answered your prayers to create the sleekest card case. Not only can this hold your business cards, you can push in your credit card as well!
Bummed about not having enough money to treat yourself on a pair of Fenty x Puma sneaker heels? Public Desire knows what you are looking for. Sleek, sexy and sporty, these heels can literally match with everything from your boyfriend jeans to your denim mini. Even if the silhouette looks dated, it’s so 2017 when you grab drinks with your girlfriends at the Jane Hotel (or Chateau Marmont if you’re in L.A.) in a minidress and ripped denim jacket.
Forget about your black Ray-Ban Wayfarers. Instead of rocking the Tom Cruise pair, channel your inner bad bish with a pair of baby blues. The color may not scream “BADASS,” but remember, you’ll be no bedgy. Believe me, it’s going to help you up your Insta game when you try on these cat eyes.
When hotter climes call for skimpier outfits, it’s so easy to sit there and ditch your bra. If you are not ready to free the nipple, trade your VS push-up for a bralette. This soft cup creation from Hanky Panky will keep your girls lifted as you go out in the sheerest tops and tees!
At midnight, Selena announced that both the audio and the video for “Bad Liar” were free to enjoy exclusively on Spotify, which means she probably made a massive deal with the streaming service, which means lots of money in Sele’s pocket.
Good for her. Being a celebrity is expensive.
While Selena’s hardly the first artist to make their new song a Spotify exclusive, Spotify isn’t exactly known for being a music video streaming service. This is reportedly its first music video premiere ever — and there’s a good reason for it.
Spotify sucks at playing music videos.
Or at least it sucks at playing Selena’s music video.
Maybe it was a part of the contract, but the only way you can watch “Bad Liar” right now is by watching a very, very, VERY small version of it.
By which we don’t mean you can only watch clips of it, we mean the music video itself is small.
Like we’re talking just slightly larger than an avatar small.
Although if you scroll up, which Spotify doesn’t tell you is even an option, you’ll be taken to a slightly larger version of the music video that looks like this:
Full screen is not an option – this is as large as it gets.
And if you watch it on your phone, Spotify won’t let you take screenshots. Just try it – they’ll come up as a blank screen, like this.
And on top of all that, you not only need a Spotify membership to watch the video. You also have to have the Spotify app on your computer. We’ve tried to play it in browser mode and it just doesn’t work.
It’s possible that Spotify botched the world premiere of Selena’s new video due to tech glitches, but there’s also a chance Selena wanted it this way.
Because just like how she teased “Bad Liar” to the world for a week now, this tiny music video is also a tease.
It doesn’t matter if you watch it multiple times, it’ll still just make you want to watch the full size version as soon as it’s available.
Since Selena already whetted our appetites for content, when she releases the music video on Vevo in a few hours or a few days, the people will flock to it.
And at the end of the day, if you’re a musician launching new material, you want people to be foaming at the mouth to take in your new content on as many platforms as humanly possible. Mostly because that’s what’ll get you the most money.
So even though this premiere is kinda wack, it’ll probably turn out to be a shrewd business strategy on Selena’s part.
And Christina is still on fire. She dropped by the Galore LA office to pose in killer lingerie with a pussycat, and sat down to talk with us about being boy crazy. Enjoy.
What are three words you would use to describe yourself?
Crazy, fun, sexy.
You started your career at only 19 years old when you signed with Def Jam. How has that influenced who you are?
Its made me privy to the business and given me such great experience. This was a time before social media when touring was huge. Def Jam was the hottest label and it was a dream come true.
Anything you’d want girls reading to know about boys or sex?
Don’t be shy.
How has growing up Cuban American shaped who you are?
I have a lot to be proud of. My family were once immigrants and they always showed us that they set out to have a better life and did and I always want to instill that in my life as well as my daughter.
Were your parents strict about boys?
Yes and no. Depends on the situation. They taught me respect and to honor myself and I made wise decisions based on that.
Have there been challenges in your life as a Latina woman?
The challenges were early on when there were less rules, but I have managed to create jobs for myself as a Latina woman.
How have your life experiences influenced your music?
Absolutely! I created a whole EP about it’s called 4U.
Does your music describe you or more of an alter-ego of you?
My music describes me.
What do you love to sing about?
I love to sing about having a good time, love, makeups and breakups, and being a boss ass bitch!
Are you currently working on more music?
Yes, I most definitely am! I want to take my music to the clubs. Stuff you can dance to in Ibiza. International music.
“OMG have you heard there’s a MALE ROMPER? HAR HAR HAR! HOW INSANE! Who would EVER wear that?!”
I’ve heard about 90 variations of this on my social media feeds and in my iMessages over the past few days. You see, there’s a Kickstarter right now raising money for RompHim, which is — you guessed it — a romper for men.
The Kickstarter went viral and has already trounced its goal of $10,000 about 25 times over. It’s gotten credulous press coverage everywhere from GQ to CNN and now, despite my best efforts to ignore it, Galore.
People are losing their shit over the idea that someone, somewhere, would earnestly wear a male romper. And I really didn’t want to add to the cacophony of shock and awe over the concept, because I don’t think it’s a real concept. RompHim was clearly a novelty item from the jump.
But consumers and reporters are treating it like a product that people are actually interested in. The idea is that some bros would wear this without irony. And because guys in feminine-inspired clothing is considered a ridiculous concept, the thought is that these earnest bros deserve to be mocked. And people love to mock bros. Hence, RompHim has gone viral.
But here’s the thing. The only real answer to the question “Who would wear this?” is “people who want to make fun of people who would wear it.” And I don’t think those people exist.
It’s kind of like ugly Christmas sweaters. People who wear them are ostensibly doing it ironically — but there’s effectively no such thing as a person who wears ugly Christmas sweaters unironically anymore, so the joke has no punchline.
It’s obvious the creators of RompHim want to convince you there’s a legitimate customer for the male romper. The Kickstarter is designed to make you think this is a totally earnest project. It even asks, “Why wasn’t there anything out there that allowed guys to be more stylish and fun without also sacrificing comfort, fit, and versatility?”
Come on, these guys are full of shit! Even on women, rompers are neither stylish nor fun at this point. But still, everyone’s taking the bait and getting a kick out of the concept that men would genuinely want to wear rompers.
Even CNN fell for it. “The one-piece clothing item preferred by babies and women at outdoor concerts has officially hit the male fashion mainstream,” the site proclaimed, which frankly makes me nervous about their political coverage.
Because the male romper has not hit the male fashion mainstream. No one was ever going to wear a RompHim seriously. This has been a jokey novelty item from the jump, and your surprise and outrage over the concept of male rompers completely misses that point.
RompHim is basically the same as “meggings” were a few years ago. Conan O’Brien made the concept of “man jeggings” go viral by wearing them on his show. Again, the “joke” was that someone (e.g., a guys’ guy like Conan) would wear something so stupid (e.g., feminine). I’m not even gonna go into the blatant sexism of finding a man in women’s clothing inherently laughable. That’s a completely different topic. But RompHim and meggings both make fun of someone who just doesn’t actually exist: a straight, bro-ey guy who wears a romper or leggings without realizing people will think he looks dumb.
The fact that RompHim was never supposed to be serious has completely gone over the heads of almost everyone who’s covered it. Even GQ asserts that RompHim’s “wild popularity is evidence that the American man’s thirst for comfortable clothing and convenience may never be quenched.” Sure, GQ’s probably being tongue-in-cheek about this, but the people making RompHim spread like wildfire on social media are not.
Because this isn’t about thirst for comfortable clothing and convenience. It’s about the American bro’s thirst for novelty items that you could buy at Spencer’s Gifts. The four founders created RompHim as a college project, for god’s sake, and they admitted as much to GQ! This was never supposed to be a real product that people wanted — it was always supposed to be a viral stunt.
This isn’t to say that people aren’t going to buy and wear RompHim. But they’re all going to do it as a joke, like those stupid Christmas tuxes you can buy at JC Penney. The thing about products like RompHim and ugly Christmas apparel is that there’s no there there. The “humor” comes from making fun of people who’d wear such a thing in earnest. But those people don’t exist!
Again: the product’s virality is all due to people mocking the idea that someone would actually want it. But that’s a totally false premise. And now, people are going to buy RompHims as a joke, but the joke has no punchline because no one is actually buying a male romper for utility.
By the way, it’s already inspired a corporate copycat. Reebok just announced its own pretend-serious male romper. Similar to the RompHim Kickstarter, Reebok’s press release is dead-ass serious. They are acting like they’re fulfilling actual customer demand for a male romper, in hopes that people buy their $89 (!) iteration just to mock the concept of wanting a male romper.
Soon, male rompers will be available everywhere and your “funny” cousin will definitely be rocking one at the Fourth of July cookout. One thing that won’t happen is people buying male rompers in earnest because they like the style. This is a novelty item that exists to mock people who’d buy it seriously, but those people don’t even exist. And everyone’s falling for it anyway.
This is not the first time my social feeds have been invaded by a product going mega-viral based on a false premise, and it won’t be the last. All of the fanfare over these male rompers reminds me of the work of my old editor, Ryan Holiday.
Ryan was Tucker Max’s publicist during the “I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell” days. He basically helped rocket Tucker to the best-seller list by creating fake controversy surrounding Tucker’s book, and whipping people — and the media — into a frenzy based on how awful Tucker was.
It might sound like I’m bashing Ryan by saying that stuff, but I’m not. His goal was to make people hate Tucker so much he got famous, resulting in a landslide of free press for his book (and his subsequent movie). There truly is no such thing as bad publicity.
Ryan totally admits his tactics in his book, “Trust Me, I’m Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator,” and divulges all his secrets. Ryan is a pro at manipulating the media — especially online media — into talking about whatever he wants them to talk about.
Gawker loathed him for this, which — no shade to Gawker, may it rest in peace — says a lot about how good he was at it.
When I was still working under Ryan at the Observer, he tracked down the guy behind “Ship Your Enemies Glitter.” Do you remember “Ship Your Enemies Glitter”? Similar to RompHim, it was a Kickstarter project with no actual product behind it — just a jokey premise with viral potential.
And SYEG did, in fact, go viral. People were just tickled by the idea that someone, somewhere, would ship their enemy a tube of glitter so that it exploded all over said enemy when they opened it. The only problem: no one had ever actually done it. The project raised $85,000 based solely on viral hype, and the owner sold the company before he ever shipped a single glitter tube. The product literally didn’t exist! It was just a Kickstarter page.
It’s pretty clear that RompHim is coasting on the same hype as SYEG. People are freaking out over the fact that a guy would wear a romper in earnest, but, as I mentioned before almostno one would.
The fact that you find the concept of male rompers silly is beside the point. There’s no doubt in my mind that the designers behind this product always knew it was stupid. That’s why they designed it — not as an actual product that people would earnestly love and find use for, but as a novelty product similar to ugly Christmas sweaters.
I reached out to Ryan this morning, and he was on the same page as me.
“I think it’s hard for people to understand that the absurdity, and stupidity of the idea is precisely why it’s getting so much attention,” he said over email. “Interesting Kickstarters have been covered to death, boring or lame Kickstarters aren’t worthy of coverage — so the media essentially creates a market for ridiculously bad ideas.”
He also pointed out that the fact that you’re all losing your shit over RompHim is reminiscent of the exhaustive coverage of Trump’s every utterance during the 2016 election cycle, which some say helped him win.
While you’re laughing at them,” Ryan says, “they’re laughing all the way to the bank.”
He also shared my disbelief over news outlets covering RompHim as if it’s a real thing, but offered a v literary explanation.
“I guess that goes to Upton Sinclair’s line that it’s hard to get someone to see something when their salary depends on them not understanding it,” he said. “If you see it as trolling, you don’t get to write about it, you don’t get to condescendingly mock it on social media either.”
Writers cover it as if it’s real, everyone keeps talking about it more and more, and people want to buy the male romper to make fun of the imaginary guys who like rompers.
So why is it making me so mad, besides the fact that I just downed a venti cold brew and that always gets me a little more irritable than usual? I guess it’s just annoyance at people’s inability to see through ploys like RompHim. It’s so obviously been a publicity stunt from the jump. It bugs me that it’s so easy for that to fly over people’s heads. No one would seriously wear a male romper, but the general public clung to the concept and posted all about it on social media to make fun of a person who doesn’t exist.
Like, really guys, all it takes to convince you that there’s an earnest male-romper-wanting public was a Kickstarter full of photos of models being paid to wear rompers? Ugh, so depressing.
Anyway, I can’t wait for this summer to be full of the bro-iest guys I know wearing male rompers “as a joke.” But please, someone, for the love of god, tell me: who’s the joke actually on?
