Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Photographed By Lauren Perlstein.
Today in unsurprising sex-appeal news: British accents have been declared the world's sexiest, according to Time Out's annual global dating survey. This year, Time Out received responses from 11,373 people around the world and used the info to compare the dating scenes of 12 major cities: London, Paris, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Sydney, Melbourne, Tokyo, and Beijing.
Time Out asked responders everything from which foreign accent they find the sexiest to how they feel about single life in their cities to how long they think you should wait before having sex (the average answer was 3.53 dates into a relationship, or in Time Out's words, "after the mains have been cleared and just before the crème brûlée arrives"). A resounding 26.7% affirmed that the "British accent" (whether that means Liverpool or London or even Cardiff, we can't quite say) is the sexiest, with voters in Sydney, New York, and Paris most likely to fall for the Brits' signature dulcet tones. The American accent miraculously took second place in global esteem, followed by Irish, Australian, and French accents.
The French may trail a few others in vocal appeal, but they lay claim to the world's best city for dating: Paris garnered an 83 out of 100 on a scale that measured locals' attitudes toward single living. Melbourne followed with a score of 81, Kuala Lumpur got a score of 74,andBeijing earned a score of 59. Chicago, the most dating-friendly city in the U.S., scored a 58 — so if you're an American single ready to mingle but not quite ready to make an international leap, the Windy City is not a bad place to look for love. See the full results of the Time Out survey in the infographic below.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Image: Courtesy Of Time Out.
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Urban Outfitters is the latest brand to make an inadvertent Holocaust reference in one of its designs. This morning, the Anti-Defamation League released a statement asking Urban Outfitters CEO Richard A. Hayne to pull this tapestry, which is "eerily reminiscent" of the uniform gay men were forced to wear in Nazi concentration camps.
"Whether intentional or not, this gray and white striped pattern and pink triangle combination is deeply offensive and should not be mainstreamed into popular culture, " says ADL national director, Abraham H. Foxman. "We urge Urban Outfitters to immediately remove the product eerily reminiscent of clothing forced upon the victims of the Holocaust from their stores and online." Foxman is himself a Holocaust survivor.
An estimated 100,000 gay men were arrested in Germany between 1933 and 1945. The death rate of those sent to camps was unusually high, largely because these men were subjected to exceptional abuse — at the hands of guards and fellow prisoners alike. Many gay men were used for medical experiments and mutilation as Nazi doctors tried to find a "cure" for homosexuality.
Of course, this is not likely an intentional reference on the part of Urban Outfitters, but it is a glaring oversight in quality control. It's not the first brand to accidentally make a holocaust reference, nor is this the first time Urban Outfitters has made a major design misstep. Regardless of intent, the best thing to do is yank the item off shelves, immediately. As of now, Urban Outfitters has released no comment and the tapestry is still available in stores.
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We're struggling to believe it ourselves: Jennifer Aniston is 46?
Sure enough, the actress is turning another year older today, which is proof positive that we should all stop moaning about aging and just embrace it. The lady's looking good, feeling good, and, you know, came thisclose to an Oscar nomination this year. Bottom line: She's got a lot to celebrate. Maybe go crazy, skip today's yoga session, and double-down on the margaritas, Jen.
In honor of Aniston's birthday, we're busting out another edition of Two Truths and a Lie. Can you suss out which statement is a genuine Jen quote and which is completely made up? It might be trickier than you think. When you've been interviewed as much as the Friends star has, some soundbites seem a little screwy. Don't hate the player — hate the game.
OPENER IMAGE: Jim Smeal/BeImages; designed by Ly Ngo.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
"'The Rachel' was one of the hardest hairstyles to maintain. Me and the blow dryer and the hairbrush weren't meant for each other."
"I actually cried when I first saw myself with 'The Rachel' cut. I hated it."
"I think it was the ugliest haircut I've ever seen. How did that thing have legs?"
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"I put chia seeds on my guacamole to give it a healthy kick."
"When I really wanted to have a cheat day, I had to have a kale chip."
"How I take my eggs depends on my mood. But I always throw a yolk in there — the yolk’s got a bad rap."
Lie from previous slide: "I actually cried when I first saw myself with 'The Rachel' cut. I hated it."
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"I've birthed a lot of things, and I feel like I've mothered many things."
"You may not have a child come out of your vagina, but that doesn't mean you aren't mothering — dogs, friends, friends' children."
"You know Matthew Perry doesn't have kids either, right?"
Lie from previous slide: "I put chia seeds on my guacamole to give it a healthy kick."
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"I really see my life as a roller coaster, with lots of ups and downs. It's like Chutes and Ladders."
"I feel like I've grown up three times. I feel like I've had three different periods of adolescence."
"I've been on too-thin lists. I've been on what-happened-to-her lists."
Lie from previous slide: "You know Matthew Perry doesn't have kids either, right?"
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"I listen to Lady Gaga's 'Paparazzi' and 'Just Dance' when I Spin."
"I still secretly love Backstreet Boys. That's what I jam out to when I go on hikes."
"I made a playlist of all those awesome songs from Jimmy Fallon’s 'History of Rap.'"
Lie from previous slide: "I really see my life as a roller coaster, with lots of ups and downs. It's like Chutes and Ladders."
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"I drink 100 ounces of Smartwater every day."
"I was at a spa one time, and they gave me a little cup of frozen grapes after my mud bath soak or whatever. It was sort of like, 'This is genius.'"
"For every 1,000 crunches I do in the morning, I reward myself with a glass of coconut water."
Lie from previous slide: "I still secretly love Backstreet Boys. That's what I jam out to when I go on hikes."
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"Meditation is the ultimate therapy. It's like taking a Dustbuster to your negative thoughts."
"I have my imaginary dog cone on, so I don't see anything. It just allows for a much more peaceful life."
"Go to therapy. Clean up all of the shit. Clean up all of the toxins and the noise. Understand who you are. Educate yourself on the self."
Lie from previous slide: "For every 1,000 crunches I do in the morning, I reward myself with a glass of coconut water."
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"I adore Vince Vaughn, but I'm not going out with Vince Vaughn. I barely know the guy."
"Vince Vaughn literally brought me back to life. My first gasp of air was a big laugh!"
"Vince Vaughn shed a lot of light on what was happening during Mr. & Mrs. Smith."
Lie from previous slide: "Meditation is the ultimate therapy. It's like taking a Dustbuster to your negative thoughts."
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"I think strip clubs are disgusting."
"My yoga instructor said my stripping scenes were interfering with my practice."
"Strippers just look bored to me. They’re just acting."
Lie from previous slide: "Vince Vaughn shed a lot of light on what was happening during Mr. & Mrs. Smith."
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"We just want to do it when it's perfect, and we're not rushed, and no one is rushing from a job or rushing to a job."
"We already feel married."
"We actually got married last year and just never told anyone."
Lie from previous slide: "My yoga instructor said my stripping scenes were interfering with my practice."
Final lie (no peeking): "We actually got married last year and just never told anyone."
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Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Illustrated by Gabriela Alford
It's the most couples-centric time of year, so we thought we'd focus on the non-partnered among us. More specifically, this one's for all you gainfully employed singles out there. The Grade, a Tinder-esque dating app (with more substance), has recently compiled data on how people's occupations influence their choice of partner and, subsequently, their luck in love. For any firefighters reading this, be aware of something that's probably obvious: Your career has one of the highest "Like" rates overall. Yup, just about everyone wants a piece of you.
Calculated from over 450,000 "Likes" and "Skips" from their users, The Grade's data brought a few surprising findings to light. For example, a computer programmer is most likely to match with someone working as a babysitter or nanny and least likely to connect with a student (odd, since we know a few lovely people who are all of those things at once). Also, Grey's Anatomy might not have been so off-base with its countless steamy on-call scenes, as doctors match best with other doctors (and nurses).
Retail was another highly-rated occupation; everyone from entrepreneurs to police officers to lawyers matched most frequently with people in this industry. Meanwhile, one of the least likely matches seen on the app was between accountants and salespeople, with the implication that the stereotypes associated with those two professions might have some validity — the outgoing salesperson probably won't click with the (supposedly) introverted accountant.
Of course, chemistry, rather than a resumé, should determine whom you ask out this Saturday. Unless, that is, you want to find out for yourself why firefighters have such a good reputation. We certainly won't stop you.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Image: Courtesy of The Grade
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The weird '90s resurgence continues on unabated. What were you really doing during that decade? Admit
it. This is a safe space. You were listening to the Spice Girls. Forget Portlandia and all that throwback
hipster stuff. Sporty, Scary, Posh, and Baby Spice ruled the school.
As if you didn't miss them already, here are four leaked
tracks that you've never heard before! It's not that they're secretly recording
a new album or anything. These are just demos that didn't cut the mustard to
make it onto the third and last Spicy album, Forever.
Put on your headphones and turn it
up really loud — like you're back in seventh grade when Mom would get totally annoyed if she heard you blasting your music instead of doing homework —
when in reality, you're avoiding your boss and constantly dinging inbox. [Cosmopolitan]
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Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Photo: Courtesy of NBC.
Since Friends hit Netflix's streaming service on January 1st, it is estimated that approximately everyone you know has been going home to secretly binge-watch the series at the end of the workday. But, if you're one of the die-hard fans reliving the '90s every night, you may have noticed that something's a little off.
Soon after the release, viewers noticed that a handful of lines and jokes had been cut from almost every episode on Netflix. Sometimes, it's just the end of a sentence, other times it's whole minutes of dialogue between characters. For the most part, the edits lift seamlessly from the episodes, without disrupting story lines. But, for many people who grew up on the series, the missing chunks are obvious and weird.
Reddit took up the cause last month, trying to figure out what exactly happened. Was Netflix airing syndicated episodes? Were these edited for time or quality? The timing issue seems unlikely, since Netflix doesn't have to deal with commercial obligations. And, as for quality? Well, if that were the case, you'd think they'd cut some of the gay jokes and open transphobia, which might have seemed socially acceptable in 1997 but come across as merely dumb and prejudiced now.
Similar complaints about editing arose in 2012, when the series was released on Blu-ray, including significantly shorter episodes than those in the original DVD set. At the time, producer/director Kevin S. Bright explained, "The deleted footage was, frankly, added specifically for one home video release... But, for this, we wanted something that we, the creators, felt represented the show as we always wanted it to be remembered, which is the original NBC broadcast versions."
A number of publications have pointed to this statement as the reasoning behind the shortened Netflix episodes — but, viewers are calling bullshit. A number of the missing lines were not specific to the DVD versions. Anyone with a decent memory who's turned on TBS reruns for background noise or re-watched episodes on a plane might notice the oddly random cuts made on the Netflix episodes.
We reached out to Netflix for comment but the mystery of the missing lines remains. If anyone has a lead, we could not BE anymore curious. (Sorry. Had to.)
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When
Valentine’s Day rolls around, some quality chocolates and a bottle of
bubbly are nice, but, really, we need a bit more to whet our appetites and stoke the flames of love. We’ve all turned to the trusty web to inspire creating a seductive atmosphere or cooking a swanky meal with aphrodisiac ingredients, but it can all be a tad intimidating — not to mention cheesy.
So, we decided to scratch all that, go back to the very
beginning, and wonder about food and Valentine’s Day from perhaps the most
divine vantage point of all. Imagine for a moment that every year on this day,
mythological gods and goddesses of love gather for a gabfest over a
simple but satisfying potluck meal.
Consider these deities live for (and
even embody) pleasure, their offerings would surely be indulgent, including everything from sweet wine to cakes that come from the moon. (Yes, cakes from the MOON! Why not?) While you might think that whipping up food fit for
the gods is too hard to achieve at home, we assure you these recipes are doable
and only a smidgen involved. Love gods are all about living it up, after all, not busting
their butts in the kitchen all day. Read on for all the recipes you’ll need to
have your own god-like Valentine’s Day dinner, and prepare to blow some minds
(and maybe break some hearts). For more Imagined Dinner Parties, including A Witch's Halloween Feast and Santa's Staff Meal, check out Impatient Foodie.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Photographed by Davide Luciano.
Aphrodite (Venus), Goddess Of Love & Beauty: Ambrosia & Aperitivo No
Valentine’s Day dinner would be complete without Aphrodite (AKA Venus), Goddess
of Love and Beauty. While her son Eros (you know him as Cupid) is working his big night,
Aphrodite gets to kick back and share a special wine that is normally reserved
exclusively for the Gods on Mount Olympus, called Ambrosia. Mortals can get a taste by way of supermodel and actress Carole Bouquet’s absolutely
delectable and sweet passito wine, Sangue D’Oro. We also
imagined that Aphrodite would have brought a platter of traditional Greek
finger foods, including herbed olives, spiced honey nuts, and pomegranate.
These hand-delivered bites have a way of drawing attention to your mouth. Just sayin'… Venus' Honey Spiced Nuts Adapted from a James Beard recipe. Ingredients 2 cups halved walnuts 2 tbsp honey 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp ground coriander Sprinkle of cayenne pepper, to taste Salt and ground pepper, to taste Instructions 1. Heat oven to 400°F. Line a baking pan with parchment paper, pour in your walnuts and allow them to toast in the oven for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a pan, heat the honey, cumin, and coriander over high heat. Stir frequently and do not allow the honey to start boiling. Once it’s melted, turn the heat off.
3. Once walnuts are toasted, pull them out of the oven, pour on the honey mixture, and stir well to cover all the nuts. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and cayenne pepper.
4. Put the walnuts in the oven for 3 minutes. Once the time is up, remove and stir frequently while the nuts cool.
5. Add in salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Add more cayenne if you like more spice. Serve. If stored in a cool, dry space, these will keep for 2 to 3 weeks.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Photographed by Davide Luciano.
Rati, Hindu Goddess Of Love: Curry As Rati is a
Hindu goddess, her offering is a completely vegetarian option for the dinner
party. Garlic and onion are usually at the base of curry recipes, but foods
offered to (and, in our imaginations, made by) Hindu gods go without because,
apparently, alliums act as
sexual stimulants and mental suppressants, according to Vedic scriptures and
Ayurvedic medicine. Unless you are a Hindu god or close observer of the Hindu
faith, a couple of cloves of garlic and a yellow onion can (and should) be
added to Rati’s curry recipe. And, um, isn’t the whole point of Valentine’s Day
to “sexually stimulate,” anyway?
Rati's Curry Serves 4 to 5
Ingredients 1 cup basmati rice 3 tbsp ghee 1 1/2 tbsp whole cumin seeds 1 tbsp curry powder 1 1/2 tbsp grated ginger 1 tbsp ground coriander 3/4 tbsp tumeric 3/4 tbsp chili powder (This makes the dish very mildly spicy, so add more if you like heat.) 1 tsp white sugar 2 tbsp tomato paste 2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped 2 cups vegetable broth 2 cups light coconut milk 1 cinnamon stick Salt and pepper, to taste 1 eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes 1 bunch broccolini, cut into florets 1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch thick rounds 1 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed 2 handfuls of baby spinach 2 tbsp lime juice Lime zest Chopped cilantro, to garnish Greek yogurt, to garnish
Instructions 1. Be sure to prep and chop all your vegetables first. This will make life a lot easier and the cooking go a lot smoother.
2. Combine 1 cup of rice with 2 1/4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn down the heat, cover with a tight-fitting lid and allow to cook for about 40 minutes.
3. In a separate pot, melt ghee and add in the cumin seeds, cook until fragrant. Add the chopped eggplant and cook for about 2 minutes.
4. Add in grated ginger and coarsely chopped tomatoes. Cook for about 1 minute.
5. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in all your powdered spices (curry powder, tumeric, coriander, and chili powder). Heat for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Powdered spices can burn easily, so be careful.
6. Stir in sugar and tomato paste; blend together well for about 1 minute.
7. Add in the broth, coconut milk, and cinnamon stick and bring to a boil. Then, add in the carrots, sweet potatoes, and broccolini.
8. Allow the pot to boil and then reduce the heat to medium. Cover and let simmer for 20 to 25 minutes until vegetables are tender.
9. Discard the cinnamon and stir in the chickpeas, spinach, and lime juice and cook until spinach has just wilted. Add salt and pepper to taste.
10. Garnish with cilantro and serve over rice with a dollop of Greek yogurt and lime zest.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Photographed by Davide Luciano.
Yue Lao, Chinese God Of Marriage & Love: Mooncakes Yue Lao, Chinese God of Marriage and Love (AKA The Old Man Under The Moon), ties destined couples together with his red silk cord. Once he connects a couple, legend has it, nothing can sever their union. He is said to live on the moon, so, naturally, we couldn’t resist the idea that he would bring Chinese mooncakes to this imaginary dinner party, even if these delicacies are traditionally enjoyed during the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival.
We asked Yasmina Jacobs of EatMakeCelebrate to reimagine the mooncakes with red bean paste filling. These snowskin mooncakes are a lighter version of the traditional Chinese dessert. They are beautiful and not too sweet. If you are in NYC and making mooncakes feels a little out of your comfort zone, they are available at several bakeries in Chinatown; they're also available online here. Snowskin Mooncakes If you live near an Asian grocery store you can buy all sorts of delightful pastes to use as fillings. Lotus paste is traditional, and green tea and black sesame are two of Yasmina’s favorites. If you don't have that luxury, you can easily make your own red bean paste. It’s painless, and so delicious we could eat this stuff by the spoonful!
Ingredients For The Red Bean Filling 1 cup red beans (Ideally adzuki beans if you can find them.) 1/2 to 1 cup sugar (Adjust the sweetness to your liking.) 1/3 cup solid coconut oil 1 vanilla bean (or 1 tbsp vanilla extract)
For The Mooncake Dough 1 cup glutinous rice flour (If you can find pre-cooked glutinous rice flour use that and skip steps 1 and 2.) 3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar 1/4 cup coconut oil 1/4 cup cold water 2-4 drops rose water (or other flavor/extract) 2 drops red food coloring
Instructions For The Red Bean Filling 1. Rinse the beans and cover them in cold water. Soak them overnight (or at least 4 hours). Drain the beans and put them in a pot. Add enough water to cover the beans by 3 inches or so.
2. Bring to a boil and then drop down to a simmer. Simmer the beans for an hour, adding about 1/2 cup of water every 20 minutes to prevent drying out.
3. After an hour, the beans should be mushy. If they still feel firm, cook for another 20 minutes. Drain the beans.
4. In a food processor or blender, combine the beans, 1/2 cup sugar, and the seeds from 1 vanilla bean (or vanilla extract). Pulse to combine. Taste the mixture and add more sugar if you'd like it sweeter.
5. Add in the coconut oil and blend to combine. Once the mixture has a paste-like consistency, place it in a sealable container. If you used a vanilla bean, add the empty pod to the paste so it can continue to give off flavor.
6. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to a week. Discard the vanilla bean when you are ready to make your mooncakes.
For The Mooncake Dough 1. Glutinous or sweet rice flour needs to be cooked for this recipe, so spread out the flour on a baking sheet. Use a bit more than a cup so you have extra. Bake the flour at 325°F for about 45 minutes. Check on it midway through and stir. The flour will get fragrant and become slightly darker, going from white to a light beige color.
2. If it doesn’t appear to have changed at all, bake for another 15 to 20 minutes. It’s helpful to keep a pinch or two of the uncooked flour near the oven so you can compare the color. Once the flour is cooked through, take it out of the oven and let it come to room temperature.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine the rice flour and sugar. Add in the coconut oil, working it into the dry ingredients with your fingers.
4. In a small bowl or glass, add 2 drops of red food coloring and 3 drops of rose water to very cold water. Feel free to play around with flavors and colors to create a variety of mooncakes! You may not need all the water, so add it one spoonful at a time to the flour, sugar, coconut mixture. Using your hands, mix the ingredients until the dough begins to come together.
5. Knead the dough for a minute or two. If it feels dry add water as needed, aiming for a soft, malleable consistency — almost like Play-Doh. If the dough feels sticky, cover it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes. 6. Roll the dough into 10 equal-sized rounds (you may have to adjust the number to accommodate the size of your mooncake press).
7. In between 2 sheets of plastic wrap, roll out one of the rounds into a disc. Place some red bean paste in the center of the dough, which is called snowskin; you want to have roughly matching amounts of filling and exterior.
8. Fold the snowskin over the filling and roll it between your hands to smooth out any edges. Place into a floured mooncake press to shape it. If you don't have a press, take your mooncake ball and gently press down to flatten the top and bottom, then use a toothpick, fork, or mold to create a pattern or shape. Refrigerate your completed mooncakes for at least one day to set them before you eat them.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Photographed by Davide Luciano.
Freya, Icelandic Goddess Of Love, Magic, & Divination: Apple Tarts You may be
thinking “Um, hello, apples are so not Valentine’s Day,” and we
would agree. But, unlike many other deities, Norse gods are subject to aging
and can only retain their youth by eating magic apples from the Goddess Idun.
So, we imagined that Freya rode her chariot of
cats over to Idun’s, picked up some of the magic fruits, and baked these
gorgeous apple rose tartlets. Again, we asked Yasmina of EatMakeCelebrate to imagine what these magic apples
would be, and, yes, they are surprisingly easy to make at home.
Freya's Rose Apple Tarts Makes 1 large tart or 4 individual tartlets.
Ingredients For The Pie Dough 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp sugar 1 stick of butter (cut into cubes) 1/3 to 1/4 cup apple cider or juice
For The Pie Filling 2 apples 1 tbsp vanilla extract 3 tbsp sugar Juice and zest of 1 blood orange Juice of half a lemon
Instructions For The Pie Dough 1. In a food processor, combine flour, salt, and
sugar. Add the butter and pulse a few times until incorporated.
2. Slowly add in the juice. You may not need all of
it so start with half and drizzle in a bit more if needed. The dough should come together but it will
still be crumbly.
3. Place the dough onto plastic wrap and form it
into a disc. Wrap it well and refrigerate overnight. For The Pie Filling 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Roll out the chilled dough and place it into the pie pans. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes. You want to make sure the bottom is set but that the dough is not yet browned.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, and blood orange juice.4. Peel 1 apple. You will be using the peel, so peel carefully. Thinly slice both apples.
5. Place the peel and apple slices in the sugar and juice mixture. The blood orange will add flavor, color, and make the apples more vibrant.
6. Assemble the pie by rolling 1/4 of the apple peel into a bud, then add in the apple slices around it, building a rose as you work your way to the exterior of the pie crust.
7. Pour any leftover sugar-juice mixture over the pies before baking them. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes until the pastry is golden.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Photographed by Davide Luciano.
Erzulie-Freda, Voodoo Spirit Of Love: Coconut Rice Pudding Erzulie-Freda is so gorgeous and bewitching
that she has three husbands, which is why she wears three beautiful rings. She
is also known as one of the most generous goddesses and loves everything
luxurious and decadent. As she adores sweet rice (Who doesn’t?) and has
Haitian roots, we imagined she would bring a luscious coconut pudding,
complimented with aphrodisiac vanilla to really get those sparks flying.
Coconut Rice Pudding
Ingredients 1 cup arborio rice 1 13.5 oz can coconut milk 1 16 oz bottle of raw coconut water (We like Harmless Harvest brand.) 1/4 cup sugar 1 whole vanilla bean Tiny pinch of salt 1/4 tsp of ground cinnamon (+ some for dusting) 1 tsp of ground ginger
Instructions 1. Slice open your vanilla bean and use the pointy edge of your knife to scrape out the seeds in the pod. Set aside.
2. Put canned coconut milk, coconut water, and sugar in a pot over heat, stir, and let sugar dissolve.
3. Add and stir in the vanilla seeds, 1 cup Arborio rice, and a pinch of salt.
4. Bring the heat down to simmer, cover, and allow to cook for about 20 to 25 minutes until rice is cooked and most of the liquid is absorbed.
5. Once rice is cooked, add in the ground cinnamon and ground ginger and stir well to mix. Serve warm or cold, dusted with a tiny sprinkle of cinnamon.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Photographed by Davide Luciano.
Qetesh, Ancient Egypitan Goddess Of Sacred Ecstacy & Sexual Pleasure: Kebabs While civilians in ancient Egypt
subsisted on a mostly vegetarian diet, Egyptian gods were offered hearty meals
rich with beef, goose, duck, and pork three times a day. In fact (a little forensic
history for ya!) carbon dating shows that many ancient Egyptian priests died
from coronary heart disease, likely due to the fact that they ate these
rich foods after ritual offerings…often.
Because she clearly has enough to go
around, we imagined that Qetesh would bring a beef kebab covered in traditional
dukkah spices for the Gods' Valentine’s Dinner. And, while dukkah might sound
super-fancy and exotic, fear not — the spices in dukkah can
be easily found at any grocery store. Throw ‘em together and the results are
divine.
Qetesh's Kebab Makes 2
Ingredients 0.85 lbs of sirloin tips (cut into about 1 to 1 1/2-inch cubes) 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1/2 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp coriander Salt and black pepper 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds Bamboo (or metal) skewers
Instructions 1. If you are using bamboo skewers, the very first step is to be sure that you soak them in a glass of water for a few hours, so that they don’t burn when you cook the beef.
2. Combine olive oil, garlic, cumin, coriander, and a pinch of salt; let beef marinate in the fridge in this mixture for an hour or up to 5 hours.
3. Remove the beef from the marinade and grill over a BBQ, or you can also cook them in a 375°F oven for 20 minutes, rotating once at the 10-minute mark. 20 minutes will produce a rare steak, so increase time if you prefer yours more thoroughly cooked. Don’t forget to turn them every 10 minutes!4. While beef is cooking, gently toast the sesame seeds until they are golden brown. When beef is done, sprinkle seeds over entire kebab and serve immediately.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Photographed by Davide Luciano.
This month, we've heard a lot of compelling stories about love. But, what struck us about online-dating tales in particular is how extreme they can be. It seems like you either go on the worst date of your life or tumble into a love-at-first-sight situation. What about the in-between? What about the politics of what to put in a profile? The awkwardness of getting matched with someone you know? For women, looking for a partner online is an intense and sometimes completely weird experience. Here, we've attempted to capture that uncomfortable — and often hilarious — adventure.
Written by Vanessa Golembewski and Christopher Michael Beer; Directed & Edited by Christopher Michael Beer; Produced by Isabel Cafaro; Shot by Kenny Wu; Sound by Max Phillips.
Starring: Vanessa Golembewski, Joe Phillips, Alex Granito, Darin Bresnitz, Ben Wilson, Jo Young, Christopher Michael Beer, Samantha Yu, Leeann Duggan, Marin Moore, James Bruffee, Axel Esquite, Darwin Deleon.
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At this point in the game, you're well aware that there's a movie coming out this weekend that features a lot of sex. You're also likely well aware that the film stars an Irish actor named Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson, the daughter of Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith. If not, well, prepare to get acquainted because Hollywood has found its newest franchise and these names will be around for at least two more installments.
W magazine caught up with Fifty Shades of Grey's director Sam Taylor-Johnson who brought the publication behind the scenes of some of the film's steamiest parts. "The whole book, and the movie, is about control," Taylor-Johnson said. “And, in a sense, the whole process of making the movie also became about control."
Her personal photographs reveal as much. They're a little NSFW, but, again, this is Fifty Shades. Ahead, Taylor-Johnson waxes some poetic on what went into the film.
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“[This] is the best of my stills. Dakota holds all the power."
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"[Here] is Dakota Johnson, naked on the floor."
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"A still from the first lovemaking scene in the movie. There were probably 10 to 15 people in the room. It’s an incredibly intimate shot in an un-intimate setting."
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Check out more behind-the-scene images here and be sure to pick up a copy of W's March 2015 issue when it hits stands.
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If you’ve peeked into Freda Salvador’s S.F.
shop, you’re well aware that footwear isn’t the only thing the cult label's designers,
Megan Papay and Cristina Palomo-Nelson, have on lock. Aside from housing some of the
prettiest soles we’ve seen (the
unofficial It shoe of Bay Area fashion lovers), the quaint Union Street boutique
is one of those retail spaces you want to make your home — filled to the
brim with interesting bric-a-brac, seating, inspiration boards, and more.
The stylish pair recently moved their design studio to
Sausalito, and the new location provides tons of interesting ideas you can use in your own home. Whether you're looking to declutter your workspace or want to douse your living room with personality, let this slideshow guide the way. And, trust us when we warn you: You're going to want to move right in.
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Where the shoe magic happens. An overview shot of the industrial Sausalito studio.
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Feeling inspired? A visual board of recipes, photos, and other pretty ephemera is an easy way to keep organized — and it provides some functional eye candy.
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We love this colorful moment. A vivid vignette can add a pop to any corner of a room.
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Brainstorming session in action.
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Leather hides and delicate skulls create the perfect juxtaposition.
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Don't be afraid to pepper your bookshelves with meaningful tchotchkes — like this vintage foot form.
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Gorgeous calendars and inspiration images line the walls.
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Just because your desk is clutter-free, that doesn't mean it has to be completely bare. Consider adding a colorful, personal touch, like some fresh flowers.
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Looks like something good is brewing over here.
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Karl Lagerfeld is known to love an unexpected/outside-the-box fashion moment. Think expectant brides on the runway and grocery stores that sell Chanel-branded lait. Yet, when it comes to his namesake collection, the designer always relies on a similar palette: all mostly black everything. As someone who notoriously wears B&W only, Mr. Lagerfeld made a very important PSA on
his Instagram this morning: "This season, Karl is Kolor!"
While the
Kardashian-style alliteration is all too familiar, perhaps his latest muse,
Kendall Jenner, is rubbing off on him, too. In Lagerfeld's spring ’15 campaign,
Jenner returns alongside Sasha Luss, Ming Xi, and Karl favorite Baptiste
Giabiconi. With long locks, fringes, and, most importantly, candy-colored accessories, Kendall and team move about — pose and pout mostly, as we've seen her do before— and also speak in the video while breathing some freshness into the French brand's latest collection.
But, we wouldn't put too much stock in seeing the Kaiser himself sport a pair of bubblegum-pink sunnies any time soon. As bright and bold as the accessories may be, the clothes remain Karl's favorite hue. And, while he exclaims, "There’s nothing better than girls with energy," it's safe to assume that, as far as brights are concerned, he'll keep Kendall around to rep his kolorful side.
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Valentine's Day doesn't exist just to make single people
feel like crap. It can be a celebration of all sorts of lurve, from your best
friends (Galentine's Day!) to yourself. Also, have you seen what restaurants and bars are like out there on V-Day? Ugh,
the worst! You don't want to be those people, anyway.
What you need is a movie
night, complete with feel-good films about interesting people who find happiness
their own way, whether that's baking pies, hanging out with gorillas, taking
off into the woods, starting punk rock riots, or just hanging out with their
besties. These aren't perfect protagonists. Although they do some tough
stuff, they're not "strong" or "fierce" or "badass."
They're human, and every human is worthy of love. That includes you. After all,
if you can't love yourself…
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9 to 5 (1980)
Office life in the '80s was a step up from Mad Men days, but just barely. Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton star as three very different women who realize they're much more powerful teaming up to take down their "sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot" of a boss (Dabney Coleman) than gossiping and back-stabbing each other. Talk about sticking it to the man.
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All About My Mother (1999)
Pedro Almodóvar is known for his laser-sharp insight into female relationships, and this beautiful movie about a woman in mourning will basically wreck you. When Manuela's (Cecilia Roth) son Esteban dies, she goes back to Barcelona to tell Lola, the trans* woman with whom Maneula had Esteban. In her search for Lola, Manuela's life becomes interwoven with the other women she meets, including a pregnant nun played by Penélope Cruz.
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An Unmarried Woman (1978)
Erica (Jill Clayburgh) is thrown for a loop when her husband ditches her for a younger woman. Lucky for her, she's smart as hell, and she's got a gang of awesome friends (including the fabulous Kelly Bishop of Gilmore Girls) to help her get back on her feet and navigate the world of love and lust.
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Auntie Mame (1958)
As Mame, Rosalind Russell is a role model for every glamorous aunt or aunt-like figure in a kid's life. Besides having the most fabulous wardrobe and eccentric adventures, Mame has a motto we could all stand to live by. "Life's a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death!"
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Baby Mama (2008)
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler's real-life best-friendship resulted in this uneven but funny movie about an uptight exec named Kate (Fey) who hires a blue-collar woman named Angie (Poehler) to be her surrogate. Hijinks ensue when Angie and her common-law husband break up and she shows up on Kate's doorstep, looking for a place to crash.
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Beaches (1998)
Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey are the wind beneath each other's wings in this drama about a lifelong friendship between two very different women. Beaches will require at least one box of Kleenex per viewer, more if the viewer was a tween when Beaches came out and/or watched it at sleepovers and then sang "Wind Beneath My Wings" until someone's mom told everyone to quiet down and go to bed, already.
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Broken English (2007)
Zoe Cassavetes wrote and directed this movie that stars Parker Posey as Nora, who is 35 and single, living in NYC. Everyone else is happy and hooked up, but Nora's kind of a mess. She meets a hot French guy (Melvil Poupaud) who is only in town for a few days, but will she take a chance on just, you know, having fun and seeing where things will go? Bonus: Justin Theroux has a cameo as a gross one-night stand, and Cassavetes's own mother, Gena Rowlands, plays Nora's mom.
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Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)
Rosanna Arquette stars as a Jersey housewife named Roberta who is obsessed with a mysterious woman named Susan (Madonna) and the personal ads addressed to her in the local newspaper. A comedy of errors has Roberta mistaken for Susan and on the run from some bad guys while Susan's doing her cool bohemian thing around NYC. Was there anything more glamorously trashy than '80s Madonna? We think not.
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Dirty Girl (2010)
Juno Temple stars as Danielle, the requisite bad girl of her small-town high school, who bonds with Clarke (Jeremy Dozier), a gay teen who's abused by his homophobic father. Together, they ditch Norman, OK, for a road trip to find Danielle's real dad and, you know, themselves.
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Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002)
Mother-daughter drama of the highest order kicks off this intergenerational story about best friends for life, the secrets they keep for each other, and the secrets we keep from each other. Ellen Burstyn, Sandra Bullock, Maggie Smith, Ashley Judd, Shirley Knight, and Fionnula Flanagan make up one rockin' ensemble.
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The First Wives Club (1996)
Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler, and Diane Keaton are in perfect form as three middle-aged women who reunite after the death of a friend. Together, they hatch all sorts of complicated plans to wreak havoc on the lives of the exes, who left them all for younger models. This movie is so cool that Jennifer Lawrence quoted it (with tongue firmly in cheek) at the 2013 Golden Globes.
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Frances Ha (2012)
Greta Gerwig stars as the increasingly messy Frances, whose best friend Sophie (Mickey Sumner) just keeps getting more and more grown-up. Can their relationship hold up under the stress of being a twentysomething? People have a lot of strong feelings about Frances Ha, but love it or loathe it, it's one of the best representations on film of how it feels to break up with your bestie.
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Fried Green Tomatoes (1991)
Okay, so the film version of Fannie Flagg's book is little more platonic than the book, but the ride-or-die relationship between Ruth (Mary-Louise Parker) and Idgie (Mary Stuart Masterson) is unforgettable. The present-day friendship between Evelyn Couch (Kathy Bates) and Ninny Threadgoode (Jessica Tandy) is a transgenerational joy to boot.
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Gas Food Lodging (1992)
Allison Anders directed this indie about a working class mom juggling two daughters and a waitressing gig in a tiny New Mexico town. Dreamy Ione Skye plays the troubled older sister Trudi, who eventually decides to just become a waitress like her mom, and baby Fairuza Balk co-stars as her little sister Shade (of course).
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Ghost World (2001)
Scarlett Johansson and Thora Birch are small town weirdoes who have just graduated from high school in this adaptation of the graphic novel by Daniel Clowes. What starts off as a prank on a local lonely dude named Seymour (Steve Buscemi) ends up changing their friendship forever. Bonus: Enid (Birch) has the coolest outfits and resting bitch face ever.
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Gorillas in the Mist (1988)
Sigourney Weaver stars as the late naturalist Dian Fossey, who ditches everything to study gorillas in Africa. It's fraught with danger, especially when she takes her studies to Rwanda and begins her fight against poaching. Fossey met a tragic end, but her life was one-of-a-kind.
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Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)
Poppy (Sally Hawkins) is ridiculously upbeat and resilient, even for a kindergarten teacher. From the very first scene of her and her gal pals clubbing until the sun rises, you know this is a special movie about a one funny, complicated woman who sees the world in an entirely unique way.
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How To Make An American Quilt (1995)
Winona Ryder is the central character in this film about a grad student, Finn, who goes to spend the summer with her grandmother (Ellen Burstyn) and great aunt (Anne Bancroft). Their quilting group gathers to work on Finn's marriage quilt — Finn is ambivalent about marrying her sweetie, played by Dermot Mulroney — and tell tales from their past. The intensely cool ensemble includes Maya Angelou, Kate Nelligan, Jean Simmons, Lois Smith and Alfre Woodard.
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Kamikaze Girls (2004)
This over-the-top Japanese comedy is about the unlikely friendship between Momoko (Kyoko Fukada), an elegant gothic Lolita, and Ichiko (Anna Tsuchiya), a badass biker babe. In addition to awesome eye candy and a nonsensical plot, Kamikaze Girls is secretly very sweet.
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Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains (1982)
Corinne (Diane Lane) inadvertently starts a punk rock grrrl revolution when she, her sister Tracy (Marin Kanter), and their cousin Jessica (Laura Dern) start getting attention for their kick-butt band the Stains. With fabulous hair and make-up, an inspirational sneer, and the mantra, "We don't put out!" Corinne and her gals inspire female teens around the country.
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Maidentrip (2013)
Laura Dekker was determined to become the youngest person to ever sail around the world alone, and by age 16, she'd accomplished just that. Dekker documented her trip, which she began at 14, with a handheld camera; director Jillian Schlesinger adds in footage of the legal and media scrutiny that accompanied Dekker's controversial voyage.
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Mermaids (1990)
Winona Ryder and Christina Ricci play Cher's daughters. What more do you need? Okay, Cher is a fabulous single mom, Ryder's character is obsessed with nuns even though her family is Jewish, and Ricci's a champion swimmer. Toss in Bob Hoskins as a love interest, and you've got a wonderfully weird '90s movie.
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Obvious Child (2014)
Okay, yes, this is about the aftermath of a breakup and an unintended pregnancy and so on, but the meat of the movie shows fierce love between protagonist Donna Stern (Jenny Slate) and her friends and family. Maybe she'll end up with the guy, and maybe not, but the intimate moments between Donna and best friend Nellie (Gaby Hoffmann), and Donna and her mom Nancy (Polly Draper) are what make this a must-see.
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Party Girl (1995)
For women of a certain age, Parker Posey's good-time girl Mary and her ultra-hip bohemian adventures were nothing short of inspirational. What's cooler than that, though, is when Mary finds herself unexpectedly loving her gig as a librarian. Keep your eyes open for The Lady Bunny and other cool cameos.
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Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997)
Romy (Mira Sorvino) and Michele (Lisa Kudrow) are co-dependent best friends who decide the best way to prepare for their 10-year high school reunion is to make up an entirely preposterous history for themselves and how awesome their lives have been since graduation. Plus, there's an interpretive dance scene you cannot miss.
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The Secret Life of Bees (2008)
Gina Prince-Bythewood (Beyond the Lights, Love & Basketball) directed this coming-of-age tale based on the novel by Sue Monk Kidd. After her mother is killed by her father, Lily (Dakota Fanning) leaves town with her caregiver Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson). She goes to live with the three Boatwright sisters, who teach her all about the secrets of bee-keeping — and more. Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys, and Sophie Okonedo star as August, June, and May Boatwright.
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Tracks (2013)
Mia Wasikowska rocks as real-life explorer Robyn Davidson, who traveled across western Australia in the '70s with four camels and a dog. Although her trip is mostly solitary and internal, Robyn does encounter occasional humans, including an Aboriginal elder named Mr. Eddy, and an American photographer (Adam Driver) who meets with her every few months along the way.
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Waitress (2007)
The late Adrienne Shelly wrote this lovely film about a waitress named Jenna (Keri Russell) who's caught between a rock and a hard place — namely, she's pregnant, married to an oaf, and having an affair with her married doc (Nathan Fillion, y'all!). Her talent for baking delicious pies could be her way out of this mess — along with a little help from her friends, of course.
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Walking and Talking (1996)
Nicole Holofcener has a rare talent for capturing the complex world of female friendship, and this indie with Catherine Keener and Anne Heche is the ne plus ultra of the genre. Amelia (Keener) is left to her own devices when Laura (Heche) gets engaged, and she's not coping too well. Amelia's ill-advised romance with the local video store clerk (Kevin Corrigan, behind painfully thick glasses) is frightfully insightful and painfully funny. And, you can see how NYC once looked, before everything became a Duane Reade.
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Whip It (2009)
The most intense relationship in this dramedy is the one between the Hurl Scouts, a roller derby team in Austin, TX. Small-town misfit Bliss (Ellen Page) finds a new lust for life when she straps on her skates and joins the derby scene, even though it throws a wrench in her relationship with her parents and her best friend Pash (Alia Shawkat). Drew Barrymore, Kristen Wiig, Juliette Lewis, and a host of cool chicks co-star. (Barrymore also directed.)
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Wild (2014)
Based on the memoir by Cheryl Strayed, Wild is the story of a woman who finds herself at the lowest, most confused part of her life, and decides to strap on her hiking boots and head into the woods (and tundra, and desert) to figure out what the hell to do about it. Strayed, played by Reese Witherspoon, is tough, vulnerable, messy, sexy, and smart as hell. Be sure to check out Strayed's podcast with Steve Almond, Dear Sugar Radio, for more tender wisdom.
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Whale Rider (2002)
This coming-of-age tale stars Keisha Castle-Hughes as a young Maori girl named Pai, who is bound and determined to take over as the leader of her tribe despite its patrilineal tradition. Her grandfather Koro currently holds the title, and he's not having any of this girly nonsense, but perhaps — just perhaps — Pai can convince him and the other members of their community that she's exactly the leader they need.
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Here's some excellent news for people who don't get enough sleep (a.k.a. nearly everyone): New research suggests that, yes, a nap will definitely make you feel more awake, and it might also reverse some of the effects of stress.
In the small study, published online this week in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 11 participants between the ages of 25 and 32 (all male, unfortunately) underwent two three-day sessions of sleep testing. On the first night, participants got a baseline eight hours of sleep. Then, the next night, they were restricted to just two hours of shut-eye. The following day, they either got to take two 30-minute naps or had to just stick it out. Then, participants got unlimited sleep the next night. The researchers took urine and saliva samples to measure participants' hormone levels at each stage.
The results showed that participants had higher levels of norepinephrine, a hormone involved in revving up our physiological responses to stress, after the night of limited sleep. But, the levels were normal in participants who'd gotten to nap. Similarly, levels of interleukin-6 (a key component of the immune system that's also involved in regulating many other processes) were significantly lower after the bad night's sleep, but normalized after the 30-minute naps.
Of course, this study involved only a small number of participants, so we can only take the results so far. And, there are a lot of other serious consequences of skipping sleep — especially if it's becoming a habit — that aren't addressed here, and that may require a full eight hours of snooze-time to reverse. Then there's the question of practicality: Even if we truly need it, how many of us can really slip away for a short snooze twice a day? Still, it's nice to be reminded of the truly awesome power of creative nap-taking; we'll take whatever excuse we can get.
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For most of us, Fashion Month means checking runway reports and forecasting next season's trends. But, for these 10 catwalkers, it's four long and busy weeks of castings, catwalks, and coffee. "It's survival of the fittest...literally," says model Drake Burnette. To deal with the madness, when it comes to backstage life, every model has her own set of survival tactics to get her through the shows with her sanity fully intact (and, somehow, without a blemish in sight).
That's why we asked this season's hottest faces to dish on everything from their backstage besties, to their best beauty secrets, to their go-to products. Ahead, get the top tips from our favorite showgirls.
What is your mandatory morning beverage? "PG Tips tea."
What is your favorite juice/food pit stop? "Liquiteria for a smoothie or Pressed Juicery for juice — they ship nationally."
During Fashion Month, what do you never leave the house without? "A book. Right now, I'm reading The Secret History."
What do you use to rejuvenate your hair after a long day of heat-styling? "The Oribe Gold Lust shampoo and conditioner. After that, I don't like to spend time styling my hair, and don't like to add anything that weighs it down, so I use very light moisturizing products. My favorites are Sally Hershberger Hair Hyper Hydration Super Keratin Spray, Revlon Professional Equave Hydro Nutritive Detangling Conditioner, and sometimes I just use Mario Badescu Facial Spray with aloe, herbs, and rosewater in my hair to tame any frizz. Phylia Fulphyl is the real magic tonic that keeps my hair healthy, long, and strong. I drink it every day, and it helps my hair grow despite the abuse it endures from bleach, heat, and excess of products."
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What do you use on your skin at night after a long day of constant makeup application? "A couple drops of Pai BioRegenerate Oil blended with Antonia Burrell Cream Supreme Facial Moisturiser. Aurelia Eye Revitalising Duo for my eyes."
What is your best-kept beauty secret? "Smile!"
What is your must-have Fashion Week beauty survival item? "A great pair of Alaïa heels."
What is your between-shows snack? "Homemade trail mix."
What beauty products are always in your travel bag when you fly?
"Kaia Bamboo Facial Cloths To Go Bag, Pai BioRegenerate Oil, Antonia Burrell Cream Supreme Facial Moisturiser, Aurelia Eye Revitalising Duo. I never travel with makeup on."
Do you wear perfume during the shows? If so, what's your current favorite? "I always have a couple of perfumes on rotation, but right now my favorite is Tom Ford Velvet Orchid."
What is your post-show cleansing routine? "I take nighttime showers, so my makeup comes off with soap and water. I prefer One Love Organics Easy Does It, which is a very gentle face and body foaming cleanser."
What is your mandatory morning beverage? "At home, I usually make coffee. I have a Bialetti coffee press that I use almost every day. I like to add coconut or almond milk to it. If I'm in a rush, I normally stop at Juice Press to grab my favorite juice, Mother Earth."
What is your favorite juice/food pit stop? "During Fashion Week, I like to keep it healthy so I normally stop at Juice Press. But, if I'm in Times Square, the easiest place to go is Pret a Manger. "
During Fashion Month, what do you never leave the house without? "Makeup remover. I've been caught way too many times leaving a show with wild makeup on, and then having no choice but to walk around the city, completely painted. I've learned my lesson the hard way! "
What do you use to rejuvenate your hair after a long day of heat-styling? "I use hair masks. I have one that I love from Christophe Robin, but if I'm in a hotel and am desperate, sometimes I'll just use olive oil. It really does the trick. "
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What do you use on your skin at night after a long day of constant makeup application? "I usually steam my face and use a mask. I have one that's super-quick from Estée Lauder. If I have time, though, I'll often make one. I add honey, avocado, oats, lemon, and apple-cider vinegar. "
What is your best-kept beauty secret? "Living healthily — getting enough sleep and drinking plenty of water. My grandma never smoked or drank, and to this day has incredible skin. She's still a reminder to me that, unfortunately, we will all eventually get the face we deserve! "
What is your must-have Fashion Week beauty survival item? "Bioderma's Crealine to remove makeup. It's hard to find in New York, so I try to stock up while I'm in Milan or Paris. "
What is your between-shows snack? "Fruit or chocolate. I usually need a little sugar boost to keep me going. "
What beauty products are always in your travel bag when you fly? "SK-II masks. They're the best for traveling, and I sometimes will even wear one on a plane. Embarrassing, I know."
Do you wear perfume during the shows? If so, what's your current favorite? "I love the Rodin perfume and also anything by Guerlain. "
What is your post-show cleansing routine? "I remove everything with Bioderma's Crealine. Then, I use [Thayers Original] Witch Hazel as a toner and jojoba oil as a moisturizer. During the winter, I need a little extra moisture so I use a cream from my favorite spa, Ling Skincare."
Bioderma Crealine H2O Micelle Solution, $26.90, available at YesStyle.
What is your mandatory morning beverage? "Fresh-squeezed orange juice and a chai almond latte from The Bean."
What is your favorite juice/food pit stop? "Liquiteria in New York has amazing juices, smoothies, and snacks!"
During Fashion Month, what do you never leave the house without? "A protein bar for snacking, my iPad that has my portfolio on it, ChapStick, and sunglasses."
What do you use to rejuvenate your hair after a long day of heat-styling? "I use Shu Uemura oils and leave-in conditioners, as well as Wella products."
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What do you use on your skin at night after a long day of constant makeup application? "I like Chanel Hydra cream for everyday use, and if my skin is extra-dry, I use Skin Food."
What is your best-kept beauty secret? "I love my Clarisonic, because it gets out all the dirt and oil from the day. I also hydrate my skin a lot using the same Chanel Hydra cream. Makeup-wise, my favorite thing I've been doing is [lining] the inside of [my] waterline with a cream[-colored] liner rather than black. It makes [my] eyes look brighter."
What is your must-have Fashion Week beauty survival item? "I don't wear much makeup during Fashion Week, as designers like to see us bare-faced. But, my go-to product for after-show makeup removal is Bioderma. It's super-gentle, since our skin gets so much makeup put on and [taken] off! Also, my Bumble and bumble UV and heat protector for hair."
What is your between-shows snack? "I love dried mango from Whole Foods, as well as protein bars from Special K and Luna. I also have chocolate in my bag at all times. I'm a chocoholic!"
What beauty products are always in your travel bag when you fly? "Vaseline, hand cream, ChapStick, and Evian face spray."
Do you wear perfume during the shows? If so, what's your current favorite? "I love perfume, so I have a bunch of different brands ranging from [Giorgio Armani] Acqua di Gioia to Chanel Chance."
What is your post-show cleansing routine? "Bioderma, my Clarisonic, and Skin Food. If I'm really on top of it, I will take an Epsom-salt bath!"
Evian Mineral Water Spray Duo, $14, available at Sephora; Bioderma Crealine H2O Micelle Solution, $26.90, available at YesStyle.
Who is your backstage bestie? "Whoever wants to play 'hide the hairspray' with me."
What is your mandatory morning beverage? "Two of my best mates run a bakery called Mandarina, which is down the street from our house in Xela, Guatemala. Their fresh smoothies [must be] made with some kind of drug, because they are so addictive!"
What is your favorite juice/food pit stop? "When in New York, I try to make it by Maharlika in the East Village. This little Filipino place has the best chicken[-and-yam] waffles around, plus seasonal sangrias so treacherous they make you forget your own mother's maiden name."
During Fashion Month, what do you never leave the house without? "I tend to treat any work-related event like a camping trip. [I bring] food, books, TP, a pillow, and something to start fires with. You'd be amazed at what events unfold in the early morning hours of a fashion-show fitting."
What do you use to rejuvenate your hair after a long day of heat-styling? "In the cool of the evening, I'll smear on a good layer of Burt's Bees Avocado Butter hair mask, and dare my boyfriend to a little guacamole-themed role play."
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What do you use on your skin at night after a long day of constant makeup application? "The only thing I use is Avène Cicalfate. Thick and creamy, full of delicious zinc, easy to come by...and now my choice of words make it sound like something inappropriate."
What is your best-kept beauty secret? "This shouldn't be a secret: Try to forget what you look like. Preserve your body like you would any useful tool, and then spend the rest of your energy exploring the world. When beauty comes unaccompanied by content, it's like a shiny car without an engine — looking great, but going nowhere."
What is your must-have Fashion Week beauty survival item? "A pocket knife. Get rid of those tight elastics before the 'ponytail facelift' becomes permanent — works well in other survival situations, too."
What is your between-shows snack? "No moist, limp muesli bar can take the place of real food in my book. In Paris, I stuff my backpack full of cheese, crackers, grapes, charcuterie, and a good cheap red to share with my fellow 'coat hangers.'"
What beauty products are always in your travel bag when you fly? "Toothbrush. I know I advocated internal beauty a few questions up, but nobody wants to lick your furry teeth. Not even your own tongue."
Do you wear perfume during the shows? If so, what's your current favorite? "I'm too lazy to bother with perfume, so I'll awkwardly rub up against a heavily sprayed fellow model for a minute or two at my first show of the day. In Milan, I just get in the car with my driver and instantly smell of 'Eau d'Italian Man.'"
What is your post-show cleansing routine? "Getting on my motorbike and riding until I can't hear the sound of hair dryers anymore."
What is your mandatory morning beverage? "Glen rooibos tea from South Africa. I ask anyone I know traveling from there to bring me back a fresh stash."
During Fashion Month, what do you never leave the house without? "My phone, lip balm, and a positive attitude."
What do you use to rejuvenate your hair after a long day of heat-styling? "Argan oil and Kérastase Résistance products, especially after washing."
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
What do you use on your skin at night after a long day of constant makeup application? "Coconut oil."
What is your best-kept beauty secret? "Grape-seed extract makes my skin glow. My mother gave me a package of grape-seed supplements to take as part of my daily vitamins, and I realized [they were] making my skin and face more luminous. If there's no grape-seed extract around, I opt for a glass of white wine — somehow, it does the same trick with room for spontaneity."
What is your must-have Fashion Week beauty survival item? "Bioderma and Chanel eye-makeup removers. I find them the most gentle on my skin for makeup removal."
What is your between-shows snack? "Trail mix, fruit, or a bar (Lara, Kind, etc.)."
What beauty products are always in your travel bag when you fly? "Chanel mascara, Embryolisse face moisturizer, and lip balm."
Do you wear perfume during the shows? If so, what's your current favorite? "I do, and rotate between Euphoria by Calvin Klein [and] Code by Armani."
What is your post-show cleansing routine? "Hop on a flight to somewhere warm, and enjoy the freshest produce!"
Bioderma Crealine H2O Micelle Solution, $26.90, available at YesStyle; Chanel Gentle Bi-Phase Eye Makeup Remover, $34, available at Chanel.
What is your favorite juice/food pit stop? "Dimes in Chinatown or Integral Yoga Institute NYC (it's a health-food store) on West 13th."
During Fashion Month, what do you never leave the house without? "A Mason Pearson hair brush and The New Yorker magazine."
What do you use to rejuvenate your hair after a long day of heat-styling? "John Masters Organics Lavender and Avocado Intensive Conditioner."
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
What do you use on your skin at night after a long day of constant makeup application? "Any and all Sunday Riley skin products, especially the Juno oil."
What is your best-kept beauty secret? "Weleda Skin Food. Weleda is an all-natural line made in Germany, and it was carried at my school store when I was growing up — so I’ve been using it forever. It may be the reason people think I’m 19 when I’m actually 29! I see a lot of makeup artists using it now for highlights on the face; it makes the skin look and feel quite lush."
What is your must-have Fashion Week beauty survival item? "Bioderma makeup remover and Weleda Skin Food."
What is your between-shows snack? "Something boring and depressing, like almonds or a tiny sandwich that has been sitting on a catering table for god knows how long."
What beauty products are always in your travel bag when you fly? "Weleda Skin Food and a Mason Pearson hair brush. Essential oils, like Clary Sage and Neroli."
Do you wear perfume during the shows? If so, what's your current favorite? "Nope."
What is your post-show cleansing routine? "I take a shower to expel the many layers of product in my hair. Then, the shower turns into a bath, in which I toss whatever essential oils are laying around, and then I stay in until I am bored and ready to get out."
Bioderma Crealine H2O Micelle Solution, $26.90, available at YesStyle; Weleda Skin Food, $19, available at Weleda.
During Fashion Month, what do you never leave the house without?
"A vintage necklace with a picture of my mom inside it."
What do you use to rejuvenate your hair after a long day of heat-styling? "I use shea butter. It does the trick and leaves my hair rejuvenated."
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What do you use on your skin at night after a long day of constant makeup application? "Calming rice powder from Tatcha."
What is your best-kept beauty secret? "Whenever I have a sun spot or a scar on my face, I apply red lipstick, and then I apply concealer, and blend [them] together. It covers the spots really well."
What is your must-have Fashion Week beauty survival item? "Evian facial spray, to keep me hydrated."
What is your between-shows snack? "Kind granola bar— the one with the little raisins."
What beauty products are always in your travel bag when you fly? "My Ling moisture mask, my Evian facial spray, and Maybelline Baby Lips."
Do you wear perfume during the shows? If so, what's your current favorite? "Flowerbomb by Viktor & Rolf. It's the bomb."
What is your post-show cleansing routine? "Facial. Juice cleanse. Vacation."
What is your mandatory morning beverage? "Sometimes I drink a Perrier sparkling water in the morning, it helps wake me up!"
What is your favorite juice/food pit stop? "I drink a cup of coffee every day! One of my favorite coffee shops is Stumptown Coffee at the Ace Hotel. When I'm around the area, I always have to stop by to get coffee because they have the BEST cappuccino. If you get it just once, you will fall in love!"
During fashion month, what do you never leave the house without? "I bought this little mirror while I was in Seoul, it's tiny and has a very traditional look to it. I always check up my face and hair with this tiny mirror before I go in and meet the client or while I'm backstage."
What do you use to rejuvenate your hair after a long day of heat styling? "I'm used to washing my hair with a deep treatment about twice each week. Doing so continually makes my hair very healthy and glossy."
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What do you use on your skin at night after a long day of constant makeup application? "I usually put a facial mask on before bed a few times a week. If my skin is feeling sensitive, I like to put an aloe gel on my face. It's a good way for soothing damaged, burned, and sensitive skin."
What is your best kept beauty secret? "For me, the most important thing is what I eat. For example, If I ate a lot of fast food, cookies, or drank a lot of alcohol every day, my skin would be very bad! That's why eating healthy food and fruits is my best kept beauty secret. I also like scrubbing my skin once a week with Origins Modern Friction to brighten my skin. And, it's important to exercise to keep your skin and body looking great!"
What is your must-have Fashion Week beauty survival item? "I like to take good care of my skin, it's my number one priority during fashion week. So, instead of makeup products, I look for on-the-go beauty products, like Dr. Jart+ Pore Medic Pore Minish Mist or their BB cream."
What is your in-between show snack? "Granola bars or organic almonds."
What beauty products are always in your travel bag when you fly? "Avène facial mist! I always feel like I'm dry when I'm flying, so I spray a mist to keep my skin hydrated."
Do you wear perfume during the shows? If so, what's your current favorite? "Hermès Jour d'Hermès or Un Jardin Sur Le Nil. I'm using both right now!"
What is your post-show cleansing routine? "First, I find an eye makeup remover and use cotton pads to remove eyeliner, shadow, and mascara. Then, I like to use Bioderma to take the rest of my makeup off since it's very easy to use and it quickly removes makeup from the face and lips. After I'm done removing my makeup, I always use a great moisturizer to keep my skin looking fresh."
What is your mandatory morning beverage? "Milk! In New York I'm always buying Organic Valley 1% milk."
What is your favorite juice/food pit stop? "Whole Foods, they have everything!"
During Fashion Month, what do you never leave the house without? "Chewing gum, which I bring with me from Poland."
What do you use to rejuvenate your hair after a long day of heat styling? "Redken shampoo and conditioner, plus Hair Butter Silk to keep my red hair looking healthy."
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
What do you use on your skin at night after a long day of constant makeup application? "I use a lot of AA Oceanic products which are from Poland...I love their night cream!"
What is your best kept beauty secret? "I don't really have one, just eating healthy and taking care of your body also from the inside."
What is your must-have Fashion Week beauty survival item? "Concealer for all those nights I'm not getting enough sleep!"
What is your in-between show snack? "Almonds, fruits, and Evolution fruit & nut bars."
What beauty products are always in your travel bag when you fly? "Lip balm and hand cream from L'Occitane."
Do you wear perfume during the shows? If so, what's your current favorite? "Not always, but if I do then I use Manifesto by Yves Saint Laurent."
What is your post-show cleansing routine? "Not wearing makeup at all for the next few months — only for photo shoots!"
Who is your backstage bestie? "Depends who's there...I have a large circle of Fashion Week friends. We all see each other so much that it’s a large group!"
What is your mandatory morning beverage? "It's definitely coffee — I have an Nespresso machine at home and I love it!"
What is your Favorite juice/food pit stop? "Juice Press is always a good option."
During Fashion Month, what do you never leave the house without? "My phone, of course. You cannot survive without it!! Everything else, I can manage without."
What do you use to rejuvenate your hair after a long day of heat styling? "Shampoo and deep conditioner treatment. I try to air dry [my hair] instead of using a blowdryer."
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
What do you use on your skin at night after a long day of constant makeup application? "I got this cream I buy back in Serbia called panthenol — it’s my number one for keeping my skin in good condition during Fashion Month."
What is your best kept beauty secret? "It's not a secret but SLEEP is the best way to keep glowing and healthy."
What is your must-have Fashion Week beauty survival item? "YSL's Touche Eclat will help out with any imperfections."
What is your in-between show snack? "Anything I feel at that moment — can be from fruits to Snickers, it really depends on how the day is going. I try to go for healthy choices, but sometimes I give in to my sweet tooth craving."
What beauty products are always in your travel bag when you fly? "I always have to take shower oil for showers! Makes your skin so much smoother and silkier than gel. "
Do you wear perfume during the shows? If so, what's your current favorite? "I do, Bvlgari Jasmin Noir."
What is your post-show cleansing routine? "Lots of sleep and getting back to a normal routine — working out and eating home cooked food."
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
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Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Photographed By Dan McCoy.
Much ink has been spilt over the risks of Christian- and Ana-wannabes engaging in BDSM-inspired sex without proper education. Now, it appears that ill-informed bondage isn't the only sexual consequence of Fifty Shades of Grey's popularity. Over the past eight years, hospital visits necessitated by sex-toy injuries have about doubled, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, with a huge increase following the release of the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy over 2011 and 2012.
As The Washington Post reports, the CPSC collects anonymized data on ER visits and what causes them, with a focus on injuries caused by consumer products, including "massage devices and vibrators." Sex toys fall into that category, but so do things like massage chairs and back-scratchers — and so the Post disregarded the 20% of "massage/vibrator" injuries caused by non-sex toys and looked specifically at bedroom mishaps.
So, what happens when playtime goes wrong? Since 2005, 83% of sex-toy injuries that have required hospital visits have also required "foreign body removals" (not the kind of foreign body attached to a seductive accent). Of the patients admitted for sex-toy injuries, 58% are males with a median age of 44; the median age of females admitted for these injuries is 30. The oldest woman treated at an ER for a sex-toy injury was 67; the oldest man was 85 (we salute you, adventurous seniors, but please try to be more safe).
The data makes clear that the proliferation and expanding mainstream acceptance of sex toys must be accompanied by education on their use. Thankfully, no sex-toy-caused deaths have been reported — let's hope this will remain true in the wake of the experimentation that's bound to follow the release of the Fifty Shades movie. Because really, is there anything more awkward than explaining to a stranger what exactly it is you can't remove from which orifice?
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Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Courtesy: PINP/AAT Kings/Spotlight/Rex/REX USA
Yes, these penguins are wearing tiny, colorful sweaters.
They look nicer and better designed than some sweaters we've received as
gifts from well-meaning relatives. Wait — there's more. Australia's oldest
man knitted these little penguins sweaters with his 109-year-old hands. And, they're actually called little penguins. Officially.
Alfred "Alfie" Date already knew his way around a
pair of knitting needles when some nurses recruited him to knit sweaters for
little penguins. This penguin-clothing mission was created by Phillip Island's
Penguin Foundation in case the critters were caught in an oil spill; the
sweaters will protect their feathers. According to the foundation, little penguins only
live in southern Australia and New Zealand, and they have a divorce rate
somewhere between 18 and 50%. Those fancy jumpers make them hard to resist.
"The two girls [nurses] come in to me and say 'We
believe you can knit.'" Sure enough, he's been knitting for about 80 years,
and he just couldn't turn down the request. "The girls who used to work
for me, they'll tell you I'm a sucker. I can't say no," Date told
Australia's Nine News. He also still knits items for humans, of course.
The little penguins are totally stocked up on sweaters now,
according to the Penguin Foundation. However, if you're feeling restless and
want to donate your time and skill to worthwhile causes, there are a bunch of
charities that provide everything from hats to the homeless to security blankets for animals
in shelters. [Mashable]
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Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Photo: Courtesy of Comedy Central.
It’s official: Jon Stewart will be saying so long to The Daily Show later this year. While we’re sure Comedy Central will find an equally venerable host to replace him eventually, Stewart’s legacy will endure in our hearts.
Over the years, there have been countless times when Stewart's comedic take on the news felt like the only one that made sense — and in the old boys' club of nighttime anchors, he's made it clear that he’s on the side of women’s rights and against anything that gets in the way of upholding them. In honor of his impending farewell, we pulled together eight of our favorite feminist segments from The Daily Show.
1. On cat-calling:
In this segment, Stewart responds to that old gem that the real victims of sexism are men (whose true manly selves are squelched by P.C. ladies) in the very best way — with scathing parody. 2. On how unsafe and unsupported women really are at college: "Are colleges trying to incentivize sexual assault?” Stewart asks after playing a news clip detailing punishments students receive after committing sexual assault, which included things like having temporary suspension or having to write a book report. “You know what the rest of us call it when we get 30 days off and get to read a book? Vacation. Clearly universities are not making their campuses safe for women."
3. On Chelsea Clinton's pregnancy: "We begin tonight with breaking news...from the inside of another human being!" That’s how Stewart kicks off this installment of "The Broads Must Be Crazy" and a convo about Chelsea Clinton’s pregnancy — as well a discussion about how members of the media ask women wildly inappropriate questions that they would never in a million years ask a man.
4. On Sean Hannity (and a bunch of other men) having a "birth control panel":
Stewart calls out Sean Hannity for hosting a panel about birth control and women’s reproductive health care that he hasn't invited any women to join. He then addresses all the points the panel’s "Vagina Ideologues" make — including, but not limited to, a comparison between universal health care and Naziism.
5. On a bunch of Catholic men trying to restrict birth control:
Calling out the church has never been off limits for Stewart. In response to the uproar among Catholics about the requirement to include contraceptive coverage in insurance plans, he says, mocking resistant clergymen: "We are men of god! That money cannot be used for contraception! That money has been set aside for…out of court altar boy settlements and of course some priest relocation."
6. On Virginia’s transvaginal ultrasound bill: Ever hear of the Punanny State? Maybe not, because Stewart made it up. This segment about it focuses on Virginia’s transvaginal ultrasound bill — and just how intrusive it really is (he’s actually at a loss for a joke at one point).
7. On male politicians talking about "women's emotional outbursts":
Women are usually the ones accused of being too emotional at work, but Stewart pulled together a pretty impressive group of male legislators weeping it out on the company dime (and on film, no less!).
8. On the new voting bloc: women.
In the lead-up to a recent election, the Beltway press discovered that women made up an important voting bloc. They dealt with this by convening giant panels of men to discuss it. Stewart, for a moment, seemed to be the only member of the media who understood how absurd this was.
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Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage.
The media’s portrayal of female friendships is frustratingly simple. Women are either strategic friend collectors, gathering others into the fold for image management or professional advancement, or they're enemies. It's a reductive dichotomy that's also extremely disappointing.
Three days before the Grammys, Us Weekly published an article with the headline "Grammys 2015: Show Organizers Making Sure Taylor Swift Doesn't Cross Paths With Katy Perry, John Mayer." After the show on Sunday night, the tabloid published a story about what viewers didn’t see on TV that lured readers in with details about a Swift/Perry confrontation.
"The two frenemies were dangerously close to one another at the Grammys,"Us wrote. "According to eyewitnesses, Perry walked directly past Swift's seat during the show. The 'Style' singer avoided a confrontation by staying glued to her cell phone — keeping her eyes on her screen, typing away and not looking up as Perry brushed past her. Insiders add that Perry did clap for Swift when she took the stage to present the award for Best New Artist, but that was apparently the extent of goodwill between the pair."
That story pretty much sums up the media narrative of Taylor Swift and Katy Perry's relationship over the past few months. Swift supposedly made a dig at Perry in her September Rolling Stone cover story, and the entire dismantling of their relationship crumbled from there. Sources and eyewitnesses told news outlets that Perry was planning a targeted dig at Swift during her Super Bowl performance. After the halftime show had passed, sites like Hollywood Life grasped at straws for evidence that such a visual burn had actually taken place. Apparently, it had: The high-waisted polka-dot swimsuits Perry’s backup dancers wore during "California Gurls" were supposedly evocative of the suit Swift wore a few summers ago.
On the opposite end of the spectrum are the quickly assembling female tribes of Hollywood. Groups form around one alpha celebrity like Kendall Jenner, Cara Delevingne, or Beyoncé, and their coterie of friends are added one by one to form glossy, colorful rings around them. They're publicly introduced in tabloids with language that's evocative of a gallery curator adding another rare painting to a collection in order to enhance all of the individual works as a whole and show them off to the public. In other words, a new friend is often portrayed as a PR move and a chance for professional gain for everyone involved.
Why is the media portrayal of female friendships so black and white? "I think most of the media doesn't want to portray women as the complex people that they are," Rosalind Wiseman, the author of Queen Bees and Wannabes (the book on which Mean Girls was based), says. "They think it will sell way more or have more eyes on the page if they simplify women down to bitches or fake manipulators.Obviously, women do buy the concepts, and it's a self-fulfilling cycle where no one is forced to take responsibility for what they do (no matter how small their part) that contributes to this mess. And, it's to all [of] our downfalls. The more we look like this, the easier it is to dismiss what we say and do."
Wiseman raises an interesting point. Over and over again, the media tries to slot women into these one-dimensional roles. In the fascinating 2012 documentary Sellebrity, about the commodification of celebrity culture, tabloid editors reveal how blatantly they massage what's happening in stars' lives so that they can become characters in the narrative arcs these tabloids need to tell in order to sell more and more magazines (or generate more clicks online). The drama continues to unfold in a serial fashion, and readers get hooked.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Photo: Courtesy of OK!.
In the Jennifer Aniston-Angelina Jolie-Brad Pitt story, for example, Aniston was painted as the victim and the jilted wife. Jolie was the seductress and the other woman. Pitt was almost extraneous as the male. The media mainly wanted to pit Aniston and Jolie against one another, and even though it's been almost a decade, the victim/sad spinster narrative still pervades stories about Jennifer Aniston. Never mind that she,s engaged and has stated many times that she's very happy.
The media consistently reduces women to conniving friend-collectors or as locked in an eternal underhanded cat fight. To Wiseman's point, once a celebrity has been slotted into a certain role, it becomes a self-perpetuating prophecy and cycle that repeats itself over and over. The public never tires of stories that Taylor Swift is on the outs with another female celebrity. Due to the way her friend-collecting is portrayed in the media — sample language, "Adding another famous face to her friendship roster" — we find ourselves defaulting to cynicism when she describes her ever-expanding friend group in interviews. Take, for example, the story she told Rolling Stone about how she came to be friends with Lena Dunham.
"Swift met Dunham in 2012, after she watched Girls and became obsessed. She went on Twitter to follow Dunham, and coincidentally saw that Dunham had just tweeted admiringly about Swift. 'I was really scared she was being ironic, but I decided to follow her anyway, just in case. Within five minutes I had a direct message from her. Let me see if I still have it.' She spends a minute scrolling through her phone. 'I still have it! She said, 'I am so excited about the prospect of being friends with you that I added the adjective best in front of it.' 'The idea that you like my show is so thrilling, and I can't wait to lavish you with praise in person.'"
Even Rolling Stone couldn’t be objective about Swift's growing number of famous BFFs. The magazine ran a sidebar with that interview called "Taylor Swift’s Inner Circle: Sizing Up Her Famous Friends." The first line: "Taylor Swift collects friends like Pokemon." It then ranked the celebrities who frequently show up on Swift's Instagram feed from most to least famous and by cool factor, suggesting the strategic partnerships being formed by these associations.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Photo: Via @taylorswift.
On BuzzFeed, Anne Helen Petersen took the dissection of Swift's menagerie one step further. In a piece from January 2015 called "The Genius of Taylor Swift’s Friend Collection," she wrote, "Swift has spent the last two years 'making friendship fun.' But her choice of Instagram girlfriends is also an incredibly savvy image maintenance strategy." According to Petersen, Swift's recent focus on female friendship being magic is a targeted way to change the conversation about the singer that dominated headlines for the past few years. She'd been linked to too many men "and seemingly written songs about all of them," and it was time to reclaim her story. This time around, it was going to be about close female bonds and sisterhood.
The only problem is that Swift can't entirely bury her past, which is exactly what the media dredges up when incidents like the "feud" with Katy Perry emerge. Swift and Perry can't simply be two quasi-coworkers in the same cutthroat industry who simply don't care for one another. No, that's not interesting enough to make headlines. There needs to be a fight over a man (in this case John Mayer) or backup dancer poaching, which is what Perry's Super Bowl bathing suit stunt supposedly addressed.
Neither singer has directly confirmed her dislike of the other, but the ever-image-conscious Swift knew that rumors were circulating in the tabs. She couldn't let John Mayer's name become a part of the narrative; not after she'd refocused her life around her female friends. So, she addressed the situation her Rolling Stone interview:
"Swift's focus on sisterhood cuts both ways, because when another woman crosses her, she's equally fierce about hitting back. The angriest song on 1989 is called 'Bad Blood,' and it's about another female artist Swift declines to name. 'For years, I wasn't sure if we were friends or not. She would come up to me at awards shows and say something and walk away and I would think, 'Are we friends, or did she just give me the harshest insult of my life?'"
Swift also hinted at a professional dust-up that left her believing that the two were "just straight-up enemies." Again, she didn't actually identify who this person was, but Swift's comments gave her the strategic upper hand in future media narratives about her rivalry with Perry, who in this description could be easily slotted into the Regina George role to Swift’s Cady Heron.
Lest this seem like a Taylor Swift-specific issue, let's play a little game of word association. We'll just list pairs of female celebrities, and you can take a second to slot in what you've heard about them in relation to one another.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Photo: Via @beyonce.
Selena Gomez & Demi Lovato
Beyoncé & Kim Kardashian
Gwyneth Paltrow & Martha Stewart
Paris Hilton & Nicole Richie
Nicki Minaj & Mariah Carey
Hilary Duff & Lindsay Lohan
Christina Aguilera & Britney Spears
Rihanna & Beyoncé
Ariana Grande & Victoria Justice
Katie Holmes & Busy Philipps
For many of those pairs, the two are merely contemporaries in the same industry. Yes, some of them have had personal or professional problems in the past. The media is quick to flip that ampersand into a deadly "verses," but their personal problems with each other aren't really the public's business. As for their professional relationships, the way they act toward one another in a work setting could do a lot in terms of educating younger women how to conduct themselves should they ever find themselves forced to interact with disagreeable coworkers.
"It's why I do what I do with girls," Wiseman tells us. "Not focus on mean girls, but to empower girls to hold themselves and others accountable."
Female friendships are not a PR move. Taylor Swift might simply be friends with Lorde because they're both creative women who forged their own way in the music industry at an incredibly young age. We may never be able to completely change how the media pits women against one another or paints famous female friends as being born out of strategic curation for image control. What we can do is not buy into the narrative. Sometimes a polka-dot bikini worn during the Super Bowl hafltime show is just a bathing suit.
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Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Photo: David Giesbrecht for Netflix.
The date has been seared into our memory since we received Netflix's monthly update of new additions for this month. February 27...February 27...February 27. We even set a calendar reminder about it and contemplated taking a sick day.
Well, it's apparently time to cancel all of that planning. Thundercats (and Underwoods) are offically GO. Netflix just went and pulled a Beyoncé — releasing the third season of House of Cards in one fell swoop more than two weeks ahead of time.
Don't believe us? Drop whatever you're currently doing and go on Netflix. As of right now, you'll be able to start streaming season 3. Here's visual confirmation if that's more your style.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Photo: Via Netflix.
Honestly, we can't believe we're still at work right now when House of Cards season 3 has been gifted unto the world earlier than planned. Of course, this changes everything about how we'll be spending the weekend. Thank you Netflix, for the greatest Valentine's Day gift of all.
This is Washington. There's always a leak. All 13 episodes will launch February 27.
OH WAIT JUST KIDDING...it's already gone. So glad we could bring you this live update of the cruelest 10 minutes of our lives. Netflix giveth, and Netflix taketh. What a precarious house of cards, our feeble mortal coils. Was this whole thing just a metaphor for life?
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Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Photo: Matt Baron/BEImages.
You know those interviews you come across in which the participants throw around nuggets of wisdom left and right, and that you just wish you could have been a fly on the wall for? The Violet Grey interview with Carmen Ejogo — conducted by none other than Oprah Winfrey — definitely falls into this category. Because, when two talented and successful women sit down to have a conversation, the world listens reads. The ladies — both of whom starred in Selma (Oprah co-produced it as well) — touched on topics from what the best nights of their lives would be to what Ejogo learned from playing Coretta Scott King.
Our favorite moment from the talk was, naturally, beauty-related. When Winfrey inquires whether Ejogo is a bath or shower kind of woman, the actress reveals that she prefers the former (on occasion, she's even taken three or four baths in a day) — and loves herself some lavender essential oils. Winfrey goes on to divulge her own bath obsession, saying she "will not take a bath without some kind of bubbles." She even found a very special lavender oil while in Provence because, well, she's Oprah.
"I was in Provence last summer, antiquing [Ed. note: as one does], and found this pure oil that they harvest [from] the lavender fields," she recalls. "I have a gallon of it that I transfer to different bottles by my bathtub. It's an art form for me, bathing." She says bubbles are another vital component of her bath ritual and that, as a kid, she would use Ivory liquid soap and Joy dishwashing detergent to avoid having to clean the tub afterward. We didn't think it was possible, but this may have caused us to love mama O even more than before.
Head over to Violet Grey to read the interview in its entirety — and don't miss Ejogo's thoughtful explanation of how her definition of beauty has changed over time. (Violet Grey)
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Photographed By Lauren Perlstein.
Photographed By Lauren Perlstein.
Image: Courtesy Of Time Out.
