Welcome toMothership: Parenting stories you actually want to read, whether you're thinking about or passing on kids, from egg-freezing to taking home baby and beyond. Because motherhood is a big if — not when — and it's time we talked about it that way.
After Kerry Washingtongave birth to her second child, a boy named Caleb Kelechi, hitting the gym to sculpt her "post-baby body" was the last thing on her mind. The new mom was happy to take a break from working out after delivering her second child with husband Nnamdi Asomugha on October 5. "My doctor made me take my six weeks off, and I did," Washington, 40 told People this week. "It was really important to me to have that downtime and then start working out slowly, which I’m still doing, I am still slowly getting back into it."
Even still, Washington was worried about contributing to the already-intense pressure news moms feel to lose weight quickly when she saw an incorrect report that she was exercising a week after giving birth. "It was rumored somewhere that I was working out a week or two after he was born and it really upset me, actually," said the Scandal star, who gave birth to daughter Isabelle Amarachi Asomugha, in 2014.
"I never talk about rumors in the media," she continued, "but I was really sad that somebody printed that because I felt like, 'Oh, that makes women feel like they have to start working out’ — like, ‘Oh celebrities work out right away.' And I was like, ‘No way!'"
We agree that this was one tabloid rumor worth clearing up. New moms are under enough stress as it is — you know, being tasked with raising an itty-bitty human and all — and being bombarded with unrealistic "post-baby body" expectations from Hollywood and the media doesn't serve anybody.
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In the mid-2000s, Tinsley Mortimer’s bustling social life would have put her Real Housewife co-stars’ society résumés to shame. In her heyday, Mortimer wasn’t just a socialite. She was a pioneer, shaping a persona out of red carpet events, galas, and a fairy tale romance. But Mortimer didn’t just sit on her fame. Instead, she leveraged her time in the spotlight to fuel her fashion career.
Mortimer was doing what the Kardashians do now: Getting famous by being famous.
So, in order to appreciate her new role in The Real Housewives of New York, you must first get to know her long legacy as a blue-blooded heiress. Find out the twists and turns of her love life, beginning in boarding school in New Jersey and taking a disturbing turn recently in Florida.
The best part? We can hear it all in her own words. In addition to excelling at red carpet events and interior decorating jobs, socialites are great at one thing: Spilling the beans to the press.
Here's a socialite story for the ages.
Season 9 of The Real Housewives of New York premieres on April 5 on Bravo.
She wasn't originally a New Yorker.
Though she’s now a fixture of the Big Apple, this socialite has Southern roots. She was born Tinsley Randolph Mercer in Richmond, Virginia in 1975.
Her lineage stretches back into Founding Father territory: She’s a descendant of Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Patrick Henry.
Angela Pham/BFA/REX/Shutterstock
She had fairy tale love story.
Tinsley met her first husband, Robert “Topper” Mortimer, in 1992, when she was a senior at the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey. According to an interview Mr. Mortimer gave with The New York Times, their first encounter was something straight out of a teen movie. Topper “flirtatiously” threw her into a snowbank and kissed Tinsley, and so a love story for the ages began.
Tinz and Topz secretly eloped at 18, before Tinsley left for college. After the cat got out of the bag, Topper’s father flew him to the Dominican Republic to get the marriage annulled. They remarried in 2002.
Pictured: Topper and Tinsley in 2008.
Steve Eichner/Penske Media/REX/Shutterstock
She was a member of a secret society at Columbia University.
After a year at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Mortimer transferred to Columbia University to be closer to Topper at NYU.
By day, Mortimer worked toward an art history degree. But by night, her main priority was St. Anthony Hall (or St. A’s), the co-ed fraternity comprised of Columbia’s most elite offspring.
Wikimedia Commons
Topper and Tinsley had some legendarily cute habits.
Ah, a couple made in WASP heaven. Tinsley and Topper even had a kissing routine, preserved from their boarding school days.
In an interview with New York magazine, Tinsley said, “At night [at Lawrenceville], when we both had to go back to our dorms, we did this little thing where we’d kiss each other on the eyes, and then on the cheek, and it became something. It became like our protection: If he’d go on a plane without me, or I would — and it started at Lawrenceville, underneath this one tree.”
Pictured: the Mortimers at the New York Botanical Garden's Winter Wonderland Ball in 2006.
Patrick McMullan / Contributor
Topper didn’t get the appeal of Tinsley’s social life.
Unlike Tinsley, Topper didn’t see any allure in stardom. He had some choice words on his wife’s social inclinations.
“It’s not necessarily the type of goal that anybody should strive for, going out every night for the sake of self-promotion and getting their pictures taken,” Mr. Mortimer told The New York Times in 2007, two years before the couple's divorce. “And I mean, these are girls who went to good colleges. You would think they’d have something better to do.”
Pictured: the Mortimers at the Young Fellows Ball at the Frick Collection in 2009.
Patrick McMullan / Contributor
She quit her job to be a full-time socialite.
For a while, Tinsley worked as a beauty editor at Vogue and an events planner for Harrison & Shriftman. But the 9-5 wasn’t suiting her greater aspirations. Around 2002, Tinsley enlisted the help of R. Couri Hay, a society publicist.
After she told Hay, “Couri, all I want to do is be a little socialite,” he recommended she quit her job. After she left her career as a publicist, Hay scored her prime spots aboard event committees at the Museum of Natural History and the Central Park Zoo, and began to pack her schedule.
Pictured: Mortimer at New York Fashion Week in Fall 2006.
Desiree Navarro / Contributor
A prince broke up her marriage.
In 2009, Tinsley's affair with German prince Casimir “Cassi” Wittgenstein-Sayn was the inciting incident that broke up her 17-year-long relationship with Topz. How can old New York oil money compete with royalty?
On their grand tour of Europe, Casimir showed Tinsley his family’s 800-year-old castle on the Rhine. Tinsley got a good review from his mother: "My parents very much enjoyed her company and found her to be a decent girl with great values," Casimir told The Standard.
Dale Mercer, Tinsley’s mother and a big fan of Topz, couldn’t give the same rave review.
“Every mother wants her daughter to marry a man who she KNOWS will love her forever and … who will be an amazing father to their children,” wrote Dale Mercer in an email to New York Magazine. “This IS Topper so, of course, as a mother who adores and wants the best happiness for her daughter, I am crushed by what has happened. I have not given up hope.”
Pictured: Wittgenstein-Sayn and Mortimer in 2009
Topper wanted to save their marriage.
In an email to his friends, Topper wrote, "I know I have involved you guys in our problems and that was wrong. Tinsley is at fault of course but Casi [sic] never gave her a chance to breathe even when I asked him to give us space. He was manipulative and overbearing. I love my wife and we are going to do what we can to salvage this marriage.”
Alas, it was not to be.
Pictured: the Mortimers at the New York Botanical Garden's Winter Wonderland Ball in 2006.
Rabbani and Solimene Photography / Contributor
RHONY won't be her first stint on reality TV.
After the she and Topz divorced in 2009, Tinsley had the freedom to let her socialite spirit fly. Her CW show High Society was pegged as the reality TV answer to Gossip Girl. For eight brief episodes in 2010, the cameras followed a newly divorced Mortimer and her posse as they flitted around New York’s most prestigious events.
Topper, on the other hand, didn’t handle the divorce as well. While Tinsley partied, Topper told New York Magazine that he woke up at 3:25 every morning to “play over and over the reality show his life became.”
She and her mother hashed out their relationship on Dr. Phil.
Following her divorce, Tinsley and her mother had differing opinions on how Tinsley should live her life. Their disagreements are on full display in this Dr. Phil clip.
You won’t believe where she had a cameo.
Mortimer made an uncredited appearance in this strange, strange creation, based on the book The Manny by Holly Peterson.
You can buy her handbags.
In 2007, Mortimer designed a new line of handbags for Samantha Thavasa, a Japanese brand known for recruiting foreign celebrities as bag designers and models. Other celebrities associated with the brand include Beyoncé and Solange Knowles, Paris and Nicky Hilton, and Jennifer Lopez.
Of her time in Japan for the collaboration, Mortimer told The Standard, “The Japanese are very sweet, and actually very respectful. All the girls run up to you and they want the picture taken, and they always do, you know, the peace sign. It's really cute.”
Well, then.
Pictured: Tinsley Mortimer at Samantha Thavasa in New York in 2011.
Patrick McMullan / Contributor
She had a shade of lipstick named after her.
While Mortimer was serving as Dior’s Beauty Ambassador, the company unveiled her very own lipstick shade. It was called Tinsley Pink, and it was as glossy as the magazine covers of Mortimer's dreams.
Pictured: Mortimer at the unveiling of "Tinsley Pink" at Saks Fifth Avenue in 2008.
She has literary inclinations.
In 2012, Mortimer wrote a novel, called Southern Charm. In events loosely resembling her own life, Charleston native Minty Davenport moves to New York after graduation and shoots up the social ladder as the Big Apple's newest "It Girl."
Courtesy of Simon and Schuster
She’s a survivor of domestic abuse.
Years after Topper and the German prince, Tinsley’s dating life took a disturbing turn.
In Palm Beach in 2012, Mortimer met 31-year-old Alexander “Nico” Fanjul, a millionaire whose family owns about 40% of Florida’s sugar production. During the relationship's start, Mortimer told People, " When it was good, it was so good...it was ,I love you more than anything. You are the love of my life.”
But soon, Fanjul became violent. For over two years, Mortimer covered up the abusive aspects of their relationship to the public — though police reports include gruesome acts of smothering, car vandalism, and violence. Mortimer says she feared for her life.
“I had moments of feeling like I wasn’t going to make it,” Mortimer said in 2017, after the relationship concluded. “I was going to be one of those tragic stories you see on TV.”
In 2016, Mortimer made headlines after being arrested for trespassing on his property. Her arrest was the inciting incident for the dissolution of their relationship. “It took the arrest, the mug shot — all those painful things for me to recognize his lack of character,” says Mortimer. “I will never put myself in that situation again.”
Pictured: Mortimer's mugshot in 2016
If you are experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotlineat 1-800-799-7233 or TTY 1-800-787-3224 for confidential support.
Handout / Handout
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After her husband died, fitness trainer Michelle Steinke says, she has one big regret: that she didn't take more photos with him. Though many of us probably wish we had more photos with a loved one after they pass away, Steinke says that she had actively avoided being in photos while he was alive.
In a post to the Facebook page for One Fit Widow, Steinke's website, she opened up about why she wishes she had let go of any of her own hang-ups to capture moments with her late husband.
"I suppose we all have regrets," she wrote. "We shouldn't, but we do. One of my biggest regrets is that I wasn't in many photos. My self-hate and loathing kept me from taking photos of my babies and photos with the man I loved."
But hindsight, she said, is always 20/20.
"I can tell you now it was stupid," she wrote. "I can tell you my kids loved me regardless of my weight. I can tell you my husband loved me irrespective of my body."
The day he died, she said, all she cared about were the memories they made together — memories that she now realized she wasn't in photos for.
"I can tell you when he was gone and [our kids] started to grow I regretted not being in more photos and loving the life I was living when I was living it," she wrote, recalling that she avoided photos for the sake of not looking the way she wanted to in them.
Now, however, she realizes that "perfection is a myth. Even after I lost 70 pounds and found my fitness, I realized I still was far from perfect."
"You can always work on improving yourself but this moment will never come again," she wrote. "Don't waste it wishing you were more."
Her heartbreaking post makes a powerful point about self-love — while we won't always like the way we look, it's important not to let that doubt get in the way of the things that are important to us. As she wrote, "You are enough, right now, right as you are. Take the photos. Love your life. Don't regret what you can control."
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But even as you absorb the wealth of wisdom SkincareAddiction and its knowledgeable members have to offer, it's crucial to remain alert: This is the internet we’re talking about, and it’s inevitable that you’ll stumble across something that sounds the alarm in your lotion-loving head. If someone writes that the “caveman regimen” saved their skin, for example, don’t assume they’re referring to a legitimate method of treatment you just haven’t heard of yet. They’re not.
The caveman regimen, according to Reddit user Gracilis67, who swears it prevents whiteheads from forming and fades scarring, “means you do not wash your face whatsoever.” You don’t use any other skin products, either. If you want to live the caveman way, you’ll have to kiss your hyaluronic acid serum, your nightly retinol, and your fragrant rose oil goodbye. (No word yet on how the early humans highlighted, so better toss that unicorn powder while you're at it, too.)
This regimen, which is not much of a regimen at all, takes the “less is more” approach to the extreme and gives it a clever name. It’s the Paleo diet of skin care, meant to trick you into believing that the original Homo sapiens had it figured out and that all the innovation and science to come out of the last ten thousand years or so was for naught.
The revelation that there are people in dark corners of the internet taking beauty advice from cavemen is bound to horrify those who wear their 7-step nightly routines like a badge of honor. How could it not? But before you clutch your pearl-infused illuminating cream, hear this: “There is no good data showing that people who wash their faces get less acne than those who don't,” says dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, MD. “Some people who wash regularly get acne, and some who do not may still have clear skin.”
Caveman or contemporary human capable of operating a computer to comment on a web forum, it doesn’t matter: There’s a chance it all just comes down to genetics, diet, and pure dumb luck. That's natural selection at its best.
Easy A, the 2010 film that earned Emma Stone her very first Golden Globe nomination and a special place in all of our hearts, has become something of a cult classic. Not only did it endear Stone to us and her Hollywood peers, it features now-iconic performances from Amanda Bynes and Lisa Kudrow, too. But an eagle-eyed movie buff at BuzzFeed just unearthed a detail from the film that you won't believe you didn't notice all along.
For those unfamiliar with Stone's seminal work, Easy A revolves around her character, Olive Penderghast, pretending to sleep with her high school's more unpopular students. In the process, Penderghast develops a less-than-savory reputation and draws the ire of Bynes' character, Marianne, and the attention of guys like Penn Badgley's Woodchuck Todd (real fictional name!) and Cam Gigandet's Micah. Hilarity ensues — it's an Emma Stone comedy, after all — and everything works out in the end after some self discovery, a pretty smokin' corset-and-pin situation, and many many references to Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter.
What did BuzzFeed writer Ryan Schocket discover that blew his mind? It's clear that Schocket isn't just a movie buff, but also a puzzle master, because he pointed out that Olive Penderghast's last name was a clue to the movie's plot all along. It's an anagram, so if you scramble the letters of "Penderghast" around, you can get "pretend shag." It was right there in front of us, people.
Why the British slang, though? The film's director, Will Gluck, and writer-producer Bert V. Royal are both American. Even the book that the film drew from is by an American author. Well, maybe we can't explain why the anagram had to involve an Austin Powers-esque term for sex, but now that you know, it'll be pretty hard not to notice next time you sit down to Easy A. BTW, if you want to impress your pals — er, chums — and act like you knew all along, we'll never tell.
Related Video:
We Tried Emma Stone's Most Noteworthy Movie Looks
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If you suddenly find your twin sister straddling you while your mom helps splash her pee on your freshly minted jellyfish stings, that family vacation probably flew off the rails a long time ago. From creepy cousins' blood-curdling nighttime screams to death-defying surfing excursions, we've all been on trips that took a tragically catastrophic turn. Luckily, the best way to cope with these disastrous excursions is to laugh them off over a brimming glass of wine, while reenacting the most absurd moments for your bestie.
Join Lucie and Michael as they recount their craziest vaycay horror stories from childhood in the video above. We're not going to lie — Michael's impression of that midnight shriek is giving us some serious goosebumps.
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Sometimes the internet gives you a treat you never knew you needed, and believe me when I say you need to so the kid from Big Little Lies reviewing theater productions vlog-style. Iain Armitage plays Ziggy on the HBO hit, a relatively silent and mysterious young boy who has a good heart, but IRL, he can't keep his mouth shut and we love every second of it.
The videos were discovered by Kelly Conaboy at The Hairpin, and honestly, thank god. Let's start with the best one: Cats. Iain had been waiting to see this musical since he was three years old (although, let's just remember, he's eight). And wow, was it worth the wait!
"I don't know why they took it off Broadway for so long," he says in the video. "But I'm darn happy it's back. Well, if we're talking about animals, I'm doggone happy it's back!"
Keep searching, and you'll find even more gems, like the fact that not only did Iain see Hamilton, he saw it before it was cool, when it was still an off-Broadway show at the Public Theater in New York.
"It is one of the most tremendous, amazing, fantastic, better than fantastic shows ever," he cries. If only we had listened to him back then, we would have hopped aboard the Hamilton train early and actually managed to get tickets.
Iain has been on YouTube for four years, but he's been reviewing theater productions since 2011 when he saw his first musical, Hairspray.
While Iain actually gained a bit of internet fame reviewing theater before BLL, that's not the only thing you'll find on his channel. His parents also like to upload videos of the young actor singing songs from the musicals he loves so much, as well as other performances. Here's Iain looking a lot more like Ziggy reciting a passage from Shakespeare's King Lear.
And just because he's busy with Big Little Lies doesn't mean he's stopped doing what he loves. His latest review was just three weeks ago, when he talked about how much he loved Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing at the Signature Theater.
While Big Little Lies may be ending this weekend, at least it looks like Iain will be making these videos for as long as he loves theater — AKA, forever.
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Update: March 31, 2017: Pink, blue, green, and other colorful posts are about to to fill your News Feed. Towards the end of last year, Android users got the option to change the background color of their Facebook posts. According to Mashable, the tool will roll out to iOS and Desktop users by next Thursday, April 13. Expect people to have very strong opinions about the appearance of rainbow brights on their feed.
This piece was originally published on December 19, 2016.
Last February, Facebook brought laughter, love, tears, anger, and surprise to posts with the introduction of emoji reactions. At last, we could do far more than just Like a message. Now, your news feed is getting another huge update.
Starting tomorrow, Android users around the world will be able to add color backgrounds to text-only posts. Other than the standard white, the palette includes yellow, an orangey-red, magenta, a greenish-blue, deep-blue, purple, and gray-black. To use one, just click on the message box, choose your color, type your text, and post as usual.
While the feature is only available for Android right now, iOS users will still be able to see the colorful posts on their news feed and the tool will roll out to iOS and desktops in coming months.
See? 2017 is looking brighter already.
Photo: Courtesy Facebook.
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Today is Transgender Day of Visibility, and at this moment transgender people, their rights, and the discrimination they face are arguably on the average cisgender person's mind more than they've ever been. That's in part thanks to the incredible work of people like Laverne Cox, Gavin Grimm, and the many gender non-conforming people who take to platforms like Instagram and YouTube to share their stories.
But it's also partly due to anti-transgender legislation that continues to be proposed in state after state, most notably the "bathroom bill."
Bathroom bills, like the nickname implies, aim to regulate who can use which public bathroom by making it illegal to use a restroom that does not line up with the sex you were assigned at birth. In other words, transgender men would be forced to use the women's bathroom, transgender women would be forced into the men's, and, presumably, intersex people either have to hold it or pray they can find a gender-inclusive bathroom.
These bills are blatantly discriminatory, and yet they keep popping up. So, in the spirit of staying informed, here's everything you need to know about bathroom bills.
Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New York, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming all introduced bathroom bills in the 2017 legislative session.
Bills are still pending in 13 of those states, 10 of which are considering policies that would affect only public schools, but those in South Dakota, Virginia, and Wyoming have failed.
Two other states, Oklahoma and New Jersey, still have bills pending from the 2016 legislative session.
How many have been passed?
Just one, so far. North Carolina passed a bathroom bill — House Bill 2 — in March of 2016. The state has faced backlash against the law ever since, and passed a bill to repeal HB2 on Thursday.
"For over a year now, House Bill 2 has been a dark cloud hanging over our great state," North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said, according to CNN. "It has stained our reputation. It has discriminated against our people and it has caused great economic harm in many of our communities."
The "economic harm" he mentions is the cancellation of many sporting events and concerts, and companies like PayPal pulling out of plans to build business in the state after the bill was passed — including two concerts Demi Lovato and Nick Jonas were supposed to hold in North Carolina in 2016.
Losing money the state would have gotten from these events is part of the reason the governor signed a measure into law that reverses parts, but not all, of the bathroom bill. While the new law overturns HB2's restrictions on public bathrooms, it also prohibits local governments from passing nondiscrimination laws relating to private employment or public accommodation — meaning that discriminatory legislation still exists for gender non-conforming people in North Carolina.
Whom do bathroom bills affect?
Technically...everyone. If bathroom bills turn into actual laws, they dictate that everyone use the bathroom in accordance with their sex assigned at birth, at least in government buildings like schools and court houses. While privately owned buildings — think restaurants and bars — can make up their own rules about who can use what bathroom, those rules wouldn't protect anyone caught using the "wrong" bathroom if someone were to call the police.
But if they're passed, bathroom bills would clearly be most problematic for anyone who doesn't identify or present within the gender binary. Of course, making bathroom bills into official laws wouldn't mean transgender and gender non-conforming people will suddenly face discrimination in public bathrooms — anyone who doesn't "look" like they belong in the bathroom they use has likely faced this discrimination most of their lives.
In early February, comedian Rhea Butcher, who identifies as genderqueer and uses she/her pronouns, took to Twitter to share her experience in public bathrooms.
I've spent my entire life terrified of public bathrooms 1/
Her words paint a pretty clear picture of the fear and humiliation gender non-conforming people already face in public bathrooms — fear that leads 54% of trans people to either be dehydrated from not drinking anything while they're out or to get kidney and urinary tract infections from trying to hold it for too long, according to research from the UCLA School of Law.
Bathroom laws wouldn't create problems for gender non-conforming people in public restrooms, but they'd certainly add to them. If these bills pass, it won't just be uncomfortable (and sometimes dangerous) for trans people to use public bathrooms — it will be illegal.
Why are we so concerned about bathrooms?
Most arguments for laws regulating bathroom usage claim that allowing "biologically-born men" to use the women's bathroom would pose a threat to cisgender girls and women. The argument is ridiculous when you consider the sheer number of actions the government has taken that threaten women's health and wellness, as pointed out in a video from Seriously.TV.
Like the woman in the video says, there have been no instances of violence from trans women in public bathrooms. But violence against trans women — and especially trans women of color— happens every day, both in the bathroom and out of it. A law forcing transgender women to use the men's bathroom would only add to that violence.
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Have you ever fallen down a shopping rabbit hole? You know, when one awesome brand leads you to another with a similar aesthetic, and then another, and then another? That's basically what happens when we shop onTictail, the easiest platform for discovering emerging brands from around the globe. Every two weeks, we're teaming up with the site to unearth a selection of brands you probably don't know about, but definitely should. Prepare to open aLOTof browser tabs.
Thanks to Zara's irresistibly trendy deals, it's impossible to not pick up the latest dress silhouette or shoe style at a moment's notice. The only problem with this accessibility, of course, is that it's not uncommon to see someone else wearing the exact same thing you are (or at least, wearing something that's sitting in your closet). That's why, we're determined to find similar alternatives at competitive prices. One destination for that is Tictail: The site is stocked with the same minimalist-approved pieces you love at Zara, but they've got a uniqueness that means you won't be seeing it everywhere. And the retailer's head merchandiser Anna Decilveo is here to point out the best picks.
If you, too, have been looking for a way to satisfy your Zara craving without becoming a fashion clone, click on to get to know 10 brands you're sure to love just as much (and that your wallet will love, too).
The Brand:Arethé The Need-To-Know: “Arethé designer Alina makes clothes are that are the perfect combination of timeless and right on-trend. Case in point: this one-shoulder bodysuit that reveals just enough skin to take you from spring to summer and beyond.”
The Brand:Hi Eleven The Need-To-Know: “Mini is the new size for spring, and not just for skirts. This cute-but-ultra-functional black bag is perfectly put-together — but with a wink.”
Hi Eleven Lock Crossbody Bag, $89, available at Tictail.
The Brand:Habey The Need-To-Know: “Thanks to David and Javier of Habey, I’ve finally found a statement earring I never want to take off.”
Habey Red and Nude Earrings, $96, available at Tictail.
The Brand:Nana Ubach The Need-To-Know: “Great for both beach day and bar crawl, these 100% leather mules come in three colors: black, cream, and pale rose. I’ll take one of each, please.”
Nana Ubach Alnitak Black Leather, $95, available at Tictail.
The Brand:Carolina Machado The Need-To-Know: “The perfect complement to those Nana Ubach mules? These cropped eyelet trousers from Portuguese favorite Carolina Machado.”
Carolina Machado Cropped Eyelet Trousers, $134, available at Tictail.
The Brand:Vasuma The Need-To-Know: “I only want to see the world through shades of rose, so these octogonal glasses from Stockholm’s Vasuma are my new go-to for sunny days.”
Vasuma Diamond Light Gold Sun, $257, available at Tictail.
The Brand:Point Blank The Need-To-Know: "Bralettes and bra tops are all the rage this season, and this lipstick red style from UK brand Point Blank is unlike any other I’ve seen.”
The Brand:Ida Klamborn The Need-To-Know: “Ida is my idol. This star tee hits all the right style notes, and works especially well paired with high-waisted white flared denim — a warm weather staple.”
Ida Klamborn Star Top, $112, available at Tictail.
The Brand:Outsiders Division The Need-To-Know: “Hand-painted daisies + classic cotton bucket hat = everyday goals for spring.”
Outsiders Division Daisy Hat, $64, available at Tictail.
The Brand:Desiree Klein The Need-To-Know: “The beauty’s in the details. I love the ruffled bottom on this knitted cotton tank from L.A. style goddess Desiree Klein.”
Desiree Klein Nina Top, $128, available at Tictail.
In a perfect beauty world, the price of products wouldn't dare exceed your ramen noodle budget. Your hair would never fall flat, even in the middle of a Florida summer. And salon owners and staff would create an environment where you always felt respected and celebrated. The harsh reality, however, is that things aren't always as they should be (as evidenced by that horrifying sign posted in a nail salon last week). Which is exactly why beauty entrepreneur Jamie Lopez is taking matters into her own hands.
"I started off as a makeup artist and was highly discriminated against for being a plus-size woman,” Lopez told Yahoo Beauty in an interview. Her solution? Open up her very own shop — a space where plus-sized women (who account for 67% of the U.S. population, but are only represented in 2% of media) could comfortably and confidently get extensions, haircuts, spray tans, manicures, and waxes without fear of discrimination. The full-service Las Vegas salon called Babydoll Beauty Couture will open its doors to the public next month. (Lopez owns another salon by the same name in Los Angeles.)
In addition to a friendly, well-trained staff and welcoming space, Babydoll Beauty Couture has practical features that are sadly unavailable at many other salons, like waxing benches that can hold up to 600 pounds, and pedicure chairs that support up to 800 pounds and comfortably accommodate women with up to 85-inch hips, Yahoo Beauty reports.
"I was inspired by there being no place I could get my nails or hair done in Vegas that would accommodate my needs as a plus-size woman, and I decided it was time to make some changes for the plus-size women of the world," she said.
We hope that one day, everyone can walk into a beauty salon and feel included. But in the meantime, we'll gladly applaud the entrepreneurs who are paving the way for body positivity and inclusion in the service space. Everyone else: Take notes.
Netflix recently developed Hermes, a proficiency test for captions translators. The goal? Find subtitle translators who understand the nuances of the English language. We do, after all, have over 4,000 idioms that make absolutely no sense to people who aren't proficient in American English. "Barking up the wrong tree," "beat around the bush," "break a leg," "hit the sack"...we say some pretty weird stuff.
The company supports over 20 languages — many of which aren't dubbed — so subtitles are how many foreign viewers watch films and TV shows that are originally in English. The point of Hermes, as Engadget reports, is to identify people who won't translate "Smashing Pumpkins" to "pumpkin puree" (a pretty perfect example).
Currently Netflix outsources subtitle translation to third-party services, so it's hard to maintain an across the board quality standard. In its post announcing the launch of Hermes, Netflix said it took a "Hollywood meets Silicon Valley" approach to solving this problem.
Hermes tests translators' ability to correctly "translate idiomatic phrases into their target language," finding translations that are "culturally accurate." After taking the tests, each captioner will be assigned an H-Number that designates their skill level. This is how Netflix will determine what types of movies they will caption.
"Perhaps they consider themselves a horror aficionado, but they excel at subtitling romantic comedies -- theoretically, we can make this match so they're able to do their best quality work," Netflix says.
Since Netflix launched Hermes two weeks ago, thousands of people around the world have already completed the test (covering every represented language). "We’re quickly approaching an inflection point where English won’t be the primary viewing experience on Netflix, and Hermes allows us to better vet the individuals doing this very important work so members can enjoy their favorite TV shows and movies in their language," according to the statement from Netflix.
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The red carpet at the Los Angeles premiere of 13 Reasons Why on Tuesday was dotted with an unusual nail polish color: blue. Selena Gomez, executive producer of the new Netflix show, sported the shade along with a handful of the stars, including Michelle Ang (above), Mandy Teefey, and Amy Hargreaves. So, why the unusual manicure coordination? It's all about the show, of course.
13 Reasons Why, based off Jay Asher's 2007 YA novel, is about putting together the events that led to a young girl named Hannah (Katherine Langford) taking her own life. A teenage boy named Clay (Dylan Minnette) receives a package with 13 audio tapes in it, which were recorded by Hannah to explain, from her perspective, the experiences that led to the last day of her life. She numbered those tapes with a nail polish that is — yup, you guessed it — blue.
The exact shade is called Endless Blue from Sinful Colors, according to Harper's Bazaar(Nail artist Tom Bachiks shared a close-up of Gomez's perfect manicure on Instagram, below). On the show, that bottle of nail polish makes small but meaningful appearances later on. There's also the fact, of course, that blue has long been traditionally associated with feelings of sadness ("having the blues") and depression, in certain contexts.
If you haven't started the series yet, we highly recommend it. (Catch up here with our Binge Club recaps.) It's emotionally affecting, and definitely not easy viewing. (Hannah's suicide scene is particularly shocking.) It's an important story, sensitively told; in general, 13 Reasons Why does a good job of grappling with the serious issues of depression and suicide at its center.
All of which is to say: to see the stars of the show (and Gomez) pay a small but thoughtful tribute to the story off-screen in this unexpected, eye-catching way is touching.
If you are thinking about suicide, please call theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or the Suicide Crisis Line at 1-800-784-2433.
Mandy Teefey Photo: David Buchan/REX/Shutterstock.Amy HargreavesPhoto: David Livingston/Getty Images.
A good period drama is one of our favorite forms of escapism. The combination of love, betrayal, power, and — meticulous, gorgeous — costumes never ceases to help us forget about our real-world problems (or lack thereof). That's why we love when a new one comes along that promises to indulge our taste for melodrama.
The White Princess tells the story of the marriage between Elizabeth of York and Henry VII and the subsequent rifts that threaten to tear their kingdom apart. In other words, the new Starz series has it all — and we're ready for it. In fact, we're hosting an exclusive screening of the premiere, followed by an after-party and girl-power-themed panel featuring stars Jodie Comer and Jacob Collins-Levy, as well as show-runner, executive producer, and writer Emma Frost — which we'll also be streaming on Facebook Live, so everyone can join in on the fantasy-filled fun.
All you have to do is RSVP here to attend the screening on April 5 at the Metrograph theater at 7 Ludlow Street in New York City. Complimentary bites and drinks will be served, followed by a post-viewing soirée worthy of a monarch. So if crowns, cocktails, and canapés are your thing, we'll see you there.
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For those of us who are serious about our desserts, choosing what sweet treat to eat can feel like we’re trying to pick a favorite child. Okay, it’s not quite that dramatic. Still, the decision between cookie, cupcake, and brownie can be a bit challenging because every single one is just so good. Well, leave it to fellow dessert devotees to figure out how to get around ever having to decide again. The folks over at Hostess just released a cookie version of one of the company’s most iconic desserts.
We first came across this good news while scrolling through Junk Food Aisle’s Instagram feed. Yesterday, the junk food sleuths posted a photo of what at first glimpse looked like just a regular box of Hostess Cupcakes. Upon more careful inspection, we realized these were actually Hostess Bake Shop Cupcake Cookies. That’s right, over the next few weeks, Hostess will be rolling out not just these cookies, but a whole line of brand-new Bake Shop sweets.
In addition to Hostess Cupcake Cookies, we’ll soon be able to buy vamped up versions of Twinkies and Ding Dongs. Very shortly after Junk Food Aisle posted the first pic, the account followed up with two more. One featured a box of Hostess Bake Shop Twinkies, which are dipped in chocolate and decorated with rainbow sprinkles and a lovely drizzle of white chocolate. The final treats are the Hostess Bake Shop Triple Fudge Ding Dongs.
We'll soon start seeing these variations of classic Hostess snacks at Costco, King Kullen, Vons, Safeway, and Albertsons. That means no more heartbreaking dessert decisions.
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At what point does a nail design stop being wearable and become purely conceptual, a thing to be looked at and appreciated from a safe distance but never actually applied? That’s the question we’ve been asking ourselves for a while now, as we watch nail art “trend” after nail art “trend” make headlines for its wild and crazy take on the humble manicure.
Like gold wire nails — they’re pretty to look at, but how would you avoid pulling your hair while trying to put it in a half-up bun? And weed manis — so cool, but good luck explaining that to a TSA agent when you’re getting ready to board an international flight. Those aren’t even the most outrageous examples of taking nail art to the next level, either.
Ahead, we’ve taken some of the wildest manicures to happen to social media and ranked them on a scale of “totally reasonable” to “why does this exist?” To be clear, we stand by our belief that beauty is in the eye (or nail polish bottle) of the beholder…but sometimes there’s no denying the fact that things got weird.
#10: Geode nails
The problem (if you could really call it that) with geode nails is that, when viewed out of context, it resembles a purple, sparkly vagina. But it's not! It's a geode accent nail, and it's cute. (But if you're still looking for vagina nail art, we got you.)
#9: Weed nails
Used strategically, a little bit of low-quality marijuana might just have a place in the world of nail art, provided you live in Maine, Massachusetts, California, Alaska, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, or Colorado. (We hope it's low-quality, at least. Otherwise, what a waste.)
Nice, in theory, but its lumpy, bumpy texture — like the ridges of a real-life seashell — may not translate to one's thumbs very well.
#6: Snow globe nails
Snow globe nails do make for an entrancing Boomerang, but taking the trend to everyday life is a different Instagram Story entirely.
#5: Furry nails
While relatively tame in comparison to more... involved nail art, furry nails have been voted most likely to cause a visceral reaction and send a chill down your spine.
#4: Bubble nails
Speaking of lumpy, bumpy texture, bubble nails are created by using a ball of acrylic as a base that's then molded into a dome-like shape. Our beauty mantra is of the "you do you" variety, so if your bubble nails make you happy, then by all means. Just be careful trying to slice an onion or put your contacts in.
#3: Vampire fang nails
So long, so spiky, so literally-how-would-you-even-do-anything-with-those-on.
#2: Animal bone nails
No animals were harmed in the making of this nail art, but yes — the bones are real. A manicurist at Finger Bang nail salon in Portland used real mouse and vole skeletons to create the morbid look.
#1: Scorpion nails
It's not just that it's hard to understand why anyone would want their fingernails to look like those lollipops you got on school field trips — it's that by implanting them in your nails, you're risking exposure to the scorpion's venom, too. Now that's taking "killer nail art" to a new level.
Honorable mention: Denny’s nails
Is it wrong that we kind of wish this was a thing? It's simultaneously both the most convenient and inconvenient nail art of all time — and a stroke of genius by Denny's social media marketing team. (Not #spon, just love snacks.)
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When you're in a beauty rut, it's a little like looking in your closet and seeing absolutely nothing to wear. Sure, you have the bones to create a killer look — a bold liner here, a bottle of texture spray there — but sometimes you just need a boost of inspiration. That's why we createdShort Cuts, a series of quick, easy-to-follow videos meant to educate, empower, and excite the beauty nerds in all of us. Whether you're looking to learn something new or to refresh your current routine, there's a Short Cut for you.
There are a handful of tried-and-true makeup tricks we always fall back on when we need to fake a well-rested face — a swipe of white on the waterline, a hint of shimmer on the inner corners, or layer of concealer across our undereyes. They're practical techniques, yes, but they're not a whole lot of fun.
That's where silver comes into play. Not only does the iridescent shade moonlight as a pop of color, but the high-impact shimmer will instantly brighten the complexion, making it possible for you to trick the world into believing you really got eight hours of beauty sleep. See the effect in action, along with our favorite silver shadows, in the slides ahead.
The look couldn't be easier to achieve. Simply pack a generous layer of silver eyeshadow onto your lid and blend the color into your crease. Then finish off with a few coats of black mascara to define your eyes.
This liquid shadow from Maybelline isn't just pigmented and long-lasting — it's also super easy to apply, thanks to the handy doe-foot applicator.
Maybelline Color Tattoo Eye Chrome in Silver Spark, $7.99, available at Ulta Beauty.
Use the silver shade in this trio solo or define your eyes even further by smudging the black "crease" shade onto your upper and lower lashlines.
Wet n Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Trio in Don't Steal My Thunder, $2.99, available at Wet n Wild.
This shadow may not look like much in the pan, but when applied to the lids, it transforms into a beautiful silver hue with undertones of blue and purple.
Makeup Geek Foiled Eyeshadow in High Wire, $10, available at Makeup Geek.
Mama June is ready for her closeup — whether we're here for it or not.
The reality star whose real name is June Shannon has been undergoing a somewhat concerning but inarguably transformative weight loss on WE's seven-episode reality show, Mama June: From Not To Hot and the time has come for her big reveal. We've seen her family's jaws drop at the very sight of her, but we haven't seen what, exactly, warranted such dramatic reactions — until now.
Shannon reveals the results of her intense diet, exercise, and surgery regimen exclusively to People magazine, and she appears in many ways "unrecognizable," just as the show promised. Daughter Honey Boo Boo, who had reservations from the get-go and just last week admitted that she's "really scared that I’m not even going to recognize who she is," now has nothing but excitement to share, telling the magazine "She looks great. I'm really proud of her." During the penultimate episode of the show, which aired last night, Honey Boo Boo even said her mom now “looked like Marilyn Monroe.”
Some pictures from tonight's episode I hope yall enjoyed the journey with me the season finale will b next week it will b crazy #MamaJunepic.twitter.com/hjc2oO0NBa
Shannon began the series at 354 lbs with the goal of fitting into a size four dress, and though her motivations for doing so aren't ideal — Mama June wanted to lose weight as "revenge" on her soon-to-be-remarried ex, Sugar Bear — the results appear to be just what she desired. Last month, her niece Amber surprised her with a slinky, red "revenge dress" to wear to Sugar Bear's wedding, and now, Mama June's wearing the garment not only to her ex's nuptials but also to debut her new body to the world.
Mama June reportedly underwent multiple surgeries, including a sleeve gastrectomy (a procedure which removes a large portion of the stomach by cutting and stapling the organ into a small tube shape) and breast augmentation. She also underwent a skin removal surgery to get rid of the excess skin that remained after her dramatic weight loss, and, according to People, received a new set of veneers.
Any concerns about the motivations for her transformation aside, Mama June, who insists she paid for all the surgeries herself, is thrilled with the results. "The transformation has been probably one of the hardest things that I’ve went through in my whole entire life," she told Refinery29. "But actually it’s well, well worth it.”
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Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow training might come in handy pretty soon. The actor, who is promoting the new live-action adaptation of the anime classic Ghost in the Shell, told CBS News that she might dabble in politics after this whole action hero thing settles down. While backflips and international espionage may be impressive additions to her résumé, we think that voters are probably more interested in what she has to say than how many bad guys she can mow down.
Johansson expressed her interest in running for local office during an interview on Good Morning America, saying that right now isn't the perfect time, since she has a young daughter and a multi-film contract with Marvel.
"But eventually, maybe if my daughter was older, and I could totally focus myself on something like that, I think it could be interesting," Johansson told host Michael Strahan.
For anyone wondering just how far she could go, know that Johansson was born and raised in Manhattan. So, in theory, she could start at the local level in NYC and work her way up. We're talking all the way up to the White House if she wanted to. That's further than Hollywood star-turned-politician Arnold Schwarzenegger could have since the requirements for president include being 35 years of age, a resident within the United States for 14 years and a "natural born citizen."
Johansson hasn't been quiet about her politics, either. She spoke during the Women's March on Washington and poked fun at the current administration during her time hosting Saturday Night Live. She even told Seth Myers that she's taking self-defense classes because an interviewer asked her if she could beat him up. It seems that women's issues would be paramount in Johansson's policy, so how soon can we cast our votes?
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If you love to travel — specifically, air travel — as much as you love your significant other, you will soon be able to make it official by saying "I do" inside of an airplane.
And no, we're not talking about exchanging vows on the tarmac before sneaking off to quietly elope, a la Amanda Seyfried. We're talking about a full-fledged wedding ceremony, complete with guests and as many bridesmaids as you can con into donning those universally reviled dresses, taking place inside of an empty Boeing 767.
McGowan bought the plane last year for his transportation themed park in County Sligo, Ireland, which also includes ten double decker buses, three trains, four boats, and eight taxi cabs. (Think wedding guest accommodations!) But soon after purchasing the plane, McGowan told Travel+ Leisure, he began receiving multiple inquiries from couples wanting to either get married in the plane itself, or simply come by to take photographs with it, and inspiration struck. He is now building a mock terminal building beside the plane that can accommodate up to 200 people for a reception, and depending upon the timing of its completion, couples may be able to get married in the cockpit of the Boeing 767 as early as April of next year.
“We’ve had plenty of interest, emails and phone calls from couples here, in the UK and the US who are looking for something different," McGowan told The Irish Sun. “I’m putting back 20 of the economy seats so we’ll be able to seat 20 people in there, give them an educational tour and you’ll also be able to get married if you want."
To those who opt for this unexpected new wedding trend, we can only say, may your marriages take flight.
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