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My father was an addict – of course I have ‘daddy issues'

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It was Christmas morning, I had made my dad a snow globe. It was little, filled with glitter and plastic confetti. He put it in my mom's hands, frowning, saying he didn’t deserve it.

"Dammit, take it. She made it for you," my mother said, trying to stay hushed. I continued unwrapping gifts. I remember feeling bad, tears welling up in my little brown eyes. Why didn’t he like my gift?

I understand his guilt now. As an adult, accepting a gift you don’t deserve can be humiliating.

I was a daddy’s girl through and through. My mother never tried to make me hate him for what he had done to her over and over, the way he lied and chose a life of substance abuse over her. I’ll never know how she was so strong. She loved him dearly and would have gone to the end of the earth to make him feel loved or to get him help.

People like my father tend to feel sorry for their mistakes, rather than make themselves a better person. My father wanted it to be anyone's fault but his own for landing him in the position he was in. Behind his addiction there was truly a mountain of problems, childhood trauma and abuse. He chose to solve those problems by using.

When my mother was sick with cancer, she fought and fought to keep my father. He was sick too. Except his sickness had no possibility of cure with chemotherapy and radiation. When my mother was dying, he was stealing her pain medication. When she was throwing up in the bathroom, he was drunk. When she was thin and frail and fighting for a marriage, he was robbing a convenience store and going to jail.

More: 9 things we really need to stop congratulating dads for doing

I loved my dad. I still love my dad because he is part of the reason I am here. I loved my dad because he did try at one point. I don’t care much for the man that let his addiction become his number one priority.

I sometimes find myself trapped in a hamster wheel of memories. Like when my mother caught my father drinking out of a vinegar bottle that he'd hidden alcohol in. "Why do you keep doing this?!" She yelled. My father mumbled something about “life isn't easy” and walked out. He was gone for days.

Or when we were watching TV right before my bedtime and he had a seizure in front of me. A withdraw from the drugs he had been on. He had tried to quit cold turkey. I bawled as he came to, disoriented. The next day my mother told me I couldn’t tell anyone about what had happened with my father, she said she was sorry it had happened in front of me. I didn't see my father for years after that.

When my mother’s battle with cancer finally ended, I was eight. My brothers and I were taken to live with my grandmother. My entire family had nothing positive to say about my dad. I began to hate him. I began to resent him for what he had done to us and to my mother.

More: I thought meditation was woo-woo, until it helped me get sober

When I met my father for the first time as an adult, I knew that I could never have the relationship with him that I had craved so badly. He was a man with children he was not a father. As I got to know my dad, I saw a lot of him in myself and in my brothers. My youngest brother had his beautiful blue eyes, my middle brother had his thick wavy hair, I had his tree trunk legs. We all had potential to turn out just like him. It’s a terrifying realization.

But once every so often, I think of my dad and I think of him outside of his addiction. I think of how much I loved him as a child. My father was handsome, hysterical and so charismatic. Everyone that met him really liked him. He truly did love me and my siblings. He loved my mother. He didn’t love himself. He was weak. Substance abuse made him weaker.

Stories of addiction aren’t just made for TV movies. I am one of many children who have seen addiction ruin lives. I have been affected, but it won’t rule me the way it did my father.

More: I fear my husband's surgery will trigger his pain pill addiction

This piece was originally posted on BlogHer.


OUAT’s Snow & Charming face their most brutally heartbreaking curse yet

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One would think that after five seasons of heartache, Snow and Charming would be able to live in peace and harmony. But when the Evil Queen is involved, that certainly isn't going to happen.

More: OUAT’s Evil Queen and Rumple make one fantastically devilish duo

During Sunday's Once Upon a Time, the Evil Queen finally got her revenge on the couple she loathes the most, and it is beyond brutal. At the end of last week's episode, she vowed to get Snow's heart once and for all with help from Rumple. So, the Evil Queen approached Snow and told her that if she and Charming didn't hand over their hearts willingly (remember, Charming has half of Snow's heart, so she wants both halves) within 12 hours, then she would release some type of dark potion on the town.

The potion turned out to be water from the Underworld's River of Lost Souls, which basically kills anything it touches. Yeah, Snowing found themselves in quite the predicament. Either they hand over their hearts, or Storybrooke and its residents die.

At first, they thought they discovered a way to fight her. Blue said that if they found a young, incredibly rare sapling created from the first spark of true love (by the way, we learned it was created by Snowing's first touch of their hands), they may be able to use it to trap the Evil Queen. Let's just say, they found it, but not before the Evil Queen showed up and destroyed it. There went that plan.

The Evil Queen

The Evil Queen

More: OUAT's Hook & Emma really need to stop lying to each other

In the end, Snow and Charming realized what they needed to do. They would hand over their hearts because, no matter what, their love is more powerful than anything the Evil Queen throws their way. Like the good people they are, the two would never let an entire town sacrifice themselves.

Once the Evil Queen took their hearts, she declared that she would not kill either of them but do something far worse instead. She wants to give them her pain of being alone. So, she gave them their hearts back but, of course, there was a catch. Snow fell asleep and entered another sleeping curse. But that wasn't all, because the Evil Queen also made her body disappear and told Charming good luck in finding her.

The good news? Charming ended up finding Snow in the woods and kissed her, and she awoke. The bad news? Charming then fell into a sleeping curse. That's right, Snowing fans: The Evil Queen placed Snow's heart under a sleeping curse, which means that when Snow is awake, Charming is asleep, and vice versa.

At this point in time, they will never be awake at the same time. How heartbreaking is that? The Evil Queen is ruthless, and this curse shows it more than ever. Here's hoping the heroic people of Storybrooke figure out a way to lift this curse, or Snowing may never be together ever again.

More: If Regina dies on OUAT, there's going to be a serious price to pay

Once Upon a Time airs Sundays at 8/7c on ABC.

Before you go, check out our slideshow below.

OUAT Dark One slideshow
Image: Graphics provided by SheKnows; photos provided by ABC

Can Tori Spelling become the new Martha Stewart?

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One kid, let alone five, can be expensive, and the bills are starting to add up for Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott. According to Page Six, in order to make ends meet, Spelling has reportedly already sold a reality show about their life with half a dozen kids (McDermott has a son from his previous marriage.)

More: We tried on Beyoncé's Ivy Park line and here's what we think

All those kids plus a reality crew will make for quite a crowded house, but Spelling is doing what she can to combat money troubles. In January, American Express sued her for nearly $38,000 thanks to an overdue balance. Page Six says Spelling also has plans to use her new show to demonstrate her crafting prowess in order to launch a new spinoff career as a Martha Stewart-type domestic entrepreneur. “She’s hoping that if she can brand herself as a Martha-like figure, that can be a way to make some real money going forward,” a source told Page Six.

Good luck to Tori — sounds like she’s got a lot on her plate. Maybe if the crafting thing doesn’t work out, she can pull a Beyoncé/Carrie Underwood/Kate Hudson and pursue an athleisure line instead.

More: Why can't we all just be happy for Tori Spelling and her baby news?

Taking photos of people in the locker room isn't just gross, it's assault

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Update, 11:50 a.m. PT, Nov. 7: Playboy Playmate Dani Mathers was formally charged with "invasion of privacy." If convicted, Mathers faces up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. The arraignment is scheduled for Nov. 28.

Original article:

Playboy Playmate Dani Mathers posted a nude photo to her Snapchat story Wednesday night, and people are rightfully furious — not because it was one of her nudes, but that of an unsuspecting woman in the locker room of her gym.

More: Man shames female runner over her 'saggy boobs,' and she gives it right back

"If I can't unsee this, then you can't either," she wrote on the snap that showed a nude woman about 50 feet away from her. She deleted it, but the damage was already done — people screen-shot the photo and started circulating it on the web.

And like every celebrity called out for their shitty behavior, she posted an "apology" on Twitter — an apology for making it public. The posts are now deleted, along with all of her social media accounts, but it talked about how she celebrates women of all shapes and sizes, and she's sorry for body-shaming and blah, blah, blah.

She also posted a Snapchat apology, writing that she was sorry and that "the photo was taken as part of a personal conversation with a girlfriend and because I am new to Snapchat I didn't realize I had posted it, and that was a huge mistake. I know I have upset a lot of people out there but please believe me this is not the type of person that I am. I have never done this before and I will never do this again, you have my word."

Here's the infuriating thing: It's not just body-shaming. Yes, she made fun of this woman's body, but it's much, much more than that.

It's a form of sexual assault, and she should be held accountable by the law.

This woman did not give consent for her photo to be taken clothed, let alone nude in a private locker room. The Video Voyeurism Protection Act, passed in 2004, prohibits "the photographing or videotaping of a naked person without his or her permission in a gym, tanning salon, dressing room or anywhere else where one expects a 'reasonable expectation of privacy.'" Penalties for breaking the law include fines of up to $100,000 to a year in prison.

More: 9 signs your doctor has a big, fat weight bias

Further, this was reportedly taken at a gym in California. State law makes it a misdemeanor crime to "secretly videotape, film, photograph, or record by electronic means, another, identifiable person who may be in a state of full or partial undress, for the purpose of viewing the body of, or the undergarments worn by, that other person, without the consent or knowledge of that other person" in places where privacy is reasonably expected. It carries a penalty of a possible six months in jail, with a $1,000 fine.

Gym selfies that show off your hard work in the gym are undeniably popular — there's a whole industry on Instagram built around them — but it's never, ever OK to take photos or videos that show another person without their permission, let alone post them online. And the locker room? Why is this even a question? No.

Mathers said she plans to apologize to the woman, but the damage is already done. If I were that woman, I'd respond to her apology by serving her with a lawsuit — and possibly a free trip to jail.

More: Don't let an unhealthy body image push you into exercising dangerously

The nasty women at Hillary Clinton rallies are pretty nice

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It was an hour until the keynote speaker at the political rally I was attending in Phoenix, Arizona, was due to appear, and the crowd, many of whom had been waiting for hours already, was jovial. There was the usual happy chanting and banter — and suddenly, the sea of people around me parted.

Through the middle walked a woman in a hijab, carrying her sleeping son.

Now here is where the story can go one of two ways. At the rallies of one of our U.S. presidential candidates, minorities are distinctly persona non grata. A Muslim woman wearing a T-shirt that read "Salam, I come in peace," was kicked out of a Trump rally amid chants of "You have a bomb, you have a bomb." Black protesters have been physically attacked at Trump rallies. A Trump supporter was recently caught on tape screaming, "Jew-S-A!" to the press box at a recent rally. And Trump himself called a black supporter a "thug" and had him removed from a rally, when the man was actually firmly in his camp.

These are but a few of a multitude of racially charged incidents that have occurred at Trump rallies. Luckily, I wasn't at a Trump rally.

I was at a Clinton-Kaine rally, and the sea of people was not parting to berate the Muslim woman carrying her child, but rather to let her through to the front. Everyone was moving out of the way so that she and her child could have a better view.

More: No one respects women more than Donald Trump, except everyone

The Republican rallies of this particular election season have become notorious for their hatred and vitriol. Not so at the Clinton rally I attended. The convention hall was positively vibrating with hope and excitement and a shared sense of optimism and purpose. The crowd was a perfect mix of our country's population: white, black, Asian, Native American, Latino, male, female, gender non-conforming, young, old and in-between.

Two middle school-aged girls rode the escalator in front of me, excitedly chattering about seeing Michelle Obama speak on behalf of the woman who could become our first female president. "Do you know how lucky we are?" one asked the other.

The woman waiting in line with me, who was black, tells me she left her husband alone with their contractor to finish painting their kitchen, even though she laughingly explained he has no idea how to direct the work the way she would herself. "It's worth the risk to support our girl," she said.

More: Celebs have gotten seriously creative while campaigning for Hillary Clinton

The retired couple standing on the convention hall floor directly behind me didn't seem too thrilled about having to stand around for a couple of hours — "how do we get a seat on those bleachers?" they wondered — but they had no problem stepping aside and letting the "young people," as they called them, cut in front for a better vantage point. Then I saw the other way around, the "young people" ushering their elders into spots where they wouldn't feel as crowded.

Michelle Obama speaking at Clinton rally
Image: Image Caroline Goddard (My view of Michelle Obama — hey girl!)

But the real magic happened when Michelle Obama appeared. The queen of the positive message, the originator of "when they go low, we go high" galvanized the crowd into even greater kindnesses. The tall people in the crowd were physically taking the shorter people by the shoulders and moving them to the front so they could see better. Those with longer arms were taking the phones of the vertically challenged around them in order to get better photos and video. The woman in the hijab was ushered even closer as I overheard several people tell her they were so glad she was there.

"Now, you might have heard that last week in New Hampshire, I gave a speech," Obama was saying, referring to her response to the video in which Trump can be heard bragging about sexually assaulting women. "And let me just say that since then, my office has been flooded with thousands of letters and emails from folks all across the country. Women of all ages finding the courage to stand up and tell their stories, clearing the cloud of shame that existed for far too long. Parents declaring that our daughters — and our sons — deserve better…

"And let me just tell you, I have been so moved and so humbled by these responses — by the powerful affirmation of our shared values. But what I have not been is surprised. Let me tell you, because this kind of courage and decency and compassion — this is who we are. This is the America that I know."

And at that Hillary Clinton rally, it was the America I knew too.

Before you go, check out our slideshow below.

Celebs who support Trump, Clinton slideshow
Image: Dennis Van Tine/Future Image/TNYF/WENN.com

The 5 most ridiculous things people have said to me about single parenting

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If you haven't been in a particular role yourself, you might be unable to imagine what it's like. How on Earth would you know what it's like to be an astronaut? Or a brain surgeon. Or a circus performer. Or a single parent. In the four years I've spent in that role, which I consider to be as difficult as being a brain surgeon or as exhausting as being a circus performer, I've heard some pretty ridiculous things about co-parenting. Here are a few highlights:

More: Single moms don't get to choose between fun and hard parenting

1. "You're so lucky to have child-free weekends!"

Yes, I am. When my kids are with their father, it's like living in a spa. If being at a spa is the same as doing all the laundry and housework I didn't have time to do during the week because I was too busy doing all the cleaning, all the school runs, all the homework supervision, all the bath times, all the bedtimes and all the things in the world involved in being responsible for two young children. When I've finished said laundry and housework, I might be lucky enough to pour myself a glass of wine before I fall asleep on the sofa at 8.30 p.m. because I haven't had more than six hours of sleep for the last five nights and when I do stop I invariably fall into a comatose state.

2. "Are you good cop or bad cop?"

Are you serious? I'm both. Which is highly confusing for all parties. There is no other adult in our house — cop or non-cop — so I'm everything. Even when I feel like a child myself and just want to curl up on the floor with a blanket and have someone stroke my hair, I have to carry on adulting. That may involve entertaining, peacekeeping, advising, coercing or admonishing in the style of the biggest, baddest cop in the town.

More: Is it really 'normal' for kids to pretend to have sex?

3. "How do you handle the guilt?"

I was handling it just fine until you brought it up. Seriously though, single-parent guilt is a wasted emotion. It is what it is and it's tough enough without being wracked with guilt. Guilt stops you from moving on, and when you end the relationship with your kids' other parent, you have to move on. You have to trust in and own your decision, because what's the alternative? Beating yourself up about something that was more than likely absolutely the right decision? No thanks.

4. "Your kids must love having two Christmases"

They probably do. Or at least, they don't know anything different. They spend Christmas Eve with one parent and Christmas Day with the other, and it switches every year. It works for us, but it's far from ideal. Both myself and their dad are missing out on a massive chunk of Christmas fun with our kids. The last thing on our minds when we split up was, "Hey, at least our kids will get two Christmases from now on!"

5. "Can you babysit my kids tonight?"

I'm all for moms helping each other out. And if I had another adult at home with me every night, I'd be delighted to watch your kids. But in my current single-mom position, that would mean bringing my own kids to your place, otherwise I'd need to get a babysitter for them so that I could babysit yours. And that's just insane. So we'd all come over and my kids would probably keep your kids awake all night and because I hadn't slept for more than six hours for the last five nights, I'd fall asleep on your sofa and the kids would run riot and trash your house. I'm guessing that's not what you had in mind.

More: These celebs may have split but they've got co-parenting figured out

How to slow-smoke ribs in the oven, no grill required

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Let's be real. Grills and smokers take up a ton of room — room that not everyone has. So what's one to do when one lives in a small space without a patio or yard, but still yearns for the taste of delicious smoked ribs?

Make them anyway. Turns out it's a myth that you need bulky outdoor equipment to whip up fall-off-the-bone tender ribs at home. Whether you live in an apartment or weather is just less than ideal for outdoor cooking, home-smoked ribs are just a couple of hours away. Fire up that conventional oven and let's go to town.

More: How to hack your grill into a DIY smoker

How to slow-smoke ribs in the oven

Supplies:

  • Wood chips of your choice
  • Ribs (baby back, St. Louis-style or spare)
  • Sauce or dry rub, as needed
  • Aluminum roasting pan
  • Roasting rack
  • Aluminum foil (and plenty of it)

Directions:

1. Soak your chips

Place your wood chips in a large bowl, covered with water, for a couple of hours. You can choose any kind of chips you like so long as they're strong enough to stand up to the hefty flavors of pork and any sauces you're using.

2. Prepare the ribs

First, let's bust a myth. Taking your meat out early to let it come to room temperature is absolutely unnecessary and in less than 20 minutes may result in a doubling of the surface bacteria. Additionally, according to Dr. Greg Blonder, smoke sticks to cold surfaces more effectively. It's going to get to room temperature more quickly, evenly and safely in the oven anyway.

Oftentimes the ribs you buy will come with the thin membrane on the back still intact. You'll want to remove this. It can be done the day before if desired, but it doesn't take long. Just slit underneath the membrane with a knife until you can get your finger under it, and then use a paper towel (to increase grip) to pull it right off. You can also ask your butcher to do this for you.

There are a lot of ways to prepare your ribs from there, so just follow the rubbing or basting instructions of your recipe. I typically prefer dry preparations when I'm smoking and then add barbecue sauce at the end, but it really is a matter of personal preference.

More: Slow Cooker Sunday: The most tender country-style ribs, no grill required

3. Construct your smoker

Remove all but one of your oven racks, and place the lowest one on the next to lowest rung. Heat the oven to 225 degrees F.

Drain your wood chips, reserving the soaking liquid. Place the chips in the bottom of an aluminum roasting pan in a single layer. Pour just enough of the soaking liquid over the chips to make sure they don't catch fire, but don't drown them. Pour the remaining soaking liquid into a glass measuring cup or heat-safe pitcher with a pour-spout.

Tip: When choosing your aluminum roasting pan, make sure it's small enough to fit into your oven but big enough to fit your rack and catch all the drippings from the ribs. I really recommend going aluminum here, because it will be in the oven for a really long time, which can make a non-disposable pan difficult (if not impossible) to clean.

Place a roasting rack on top of the wood chips, making sure there's plenty of room between the chips and the rack for smoke to build up. I like adjustable baking racks to ensure I can get optimum height. Place your ribs on the rack.

Use your aluminum foil to create a large tent or dome as high as you can get it and still fit in your oven. You want plenty of room for the smoke to build up. Make sure it's wrapped tightly around the edges of the roasting pan so no smoke escapes.

More: 7 rules for braising the luscious short ribs of your dreams

4. Cook the ribs

Place the ribs into the oven, being careful to not crush or poke holes in the foil tent. Close the oven, and leave it as long as possible, at least an hour, before checking on the ribs. The more often you check, the more vital smoke will escape. If necessary, add more of the soaking water to the wood chips, but don't drown them. If they dry out, your meat might too. Place the foil back tightly, and return it to the oven. If your recipe calls for basting, try to do the basting and water renewal at the same time.

How long they cook will depend on what kind of ribs you're cooking and how heavy your ribs are, but it's generally a minimum of 2-1/2 to 3 hours, though it could go as long as 6 hours. It's about an hour of cooking per pound of ribs. You can tell they're done when they're pull-off-the-bone succulent and the internal temperature is 180 to 200 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. But some people do like their ribs cooked longer.

More: 10 Dry rub recipes to up your barbecue game

dry rub recipes

Originally published June 2015. Updated November 2016.

Jennifer Aniston says she is not a ‘sad, childless human’

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For some reason, people have decided to brand Jennifer Aniston as a person for whom you should feel sorry. In fact, in recent years, people have made Aniston’s life into a spectator sport. And she is so not feeling it, as she said in a new interview with Marie Claire. For starters, when fresh rumors blazed about an alleged pregnancy over the summer, Aniston took matters into her own hands and wrote an op-ed for The Huffington Post. Why? Because she’d had enough.

“My marital status has been shamed; my divorce status was shamed; my lack of a mate had been shamed; my nipples have been shamed," Aniston told Marie Claire. "It's like, 'Why are we only looking at women through this particular lens of picking us apart? Why are we listening to it?' I just thought: I have worked too hard in this life and this career to be whittled down to a sad, childless human."

She went through a very public divorce from Brad Pitt. She has chosen to not have children thus far. So what? She doesn’t appreciate being painted as a sob story. And Aniston’s message here is powerful: Women can weather divorce and not have children and still be whole and happy — not in spite of their choices, but because of them. After all, she wound up with Justin Theroux, whom she married last year, which wouldn’t have happened had everything in her life stayed static.

Jennifer Aniston happy
Image: WENN

As to Theroux, Aniston said he’s right for her because of the honesty and vulnerability she can bring to the relationship. "Why is he the right person for me? All I know is that I feel completely seen, and adored, in no matter what state," she said. "There's no part of me that I don't feel comfortable showing, exposing. And it brings forth the best part of myself, because I care about him so much. And he's such a good person. It hurts me to think of anything hurting him."

In terms of what’s next, Aniston said that at this point, a role has to be really good for her to take it. "You have to be so madly in love with it and think, I will be so upset if I don't go and play this person… Especially these days, with Justin in Melbourne. It has to be worth it." At the time of the interview, he was filming the last season of The Leftovers in Australia, which wrapped in September.

"This is a time when I'm not completely sure what I'm doing," she said. "I'm at this sort of crossroads trying to figure out what inspires me deep in my core. What used to make me tick is not necessarily making me tick anymore… The most challenging thing right now is trying to find what it is that makes my heart sing."

One thing is for sure: People who pity Aniston definitely do not make her heart sing — or anyone else’s, for that matter. As she put it in The Huffington Post, “We are complete with or without a mate, with or without a child. We get to decide for ourselves what is beautiful when it comes to our bodies.” Boom. Mic down, Aniston.


Heartbreak is coming — Joe Jonas has a Game of Thrones girlfriend

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There's a new celeb romance in the air!

More: Joe Jonas admits that losing his virginity was a total mess — literally

Joe Jonas is reportedly getting very cozy with a certain Game of Thrones star: Sophie Turner. Onlookers spotted — and snapped pics of — the two sitting together at the pre-MTV Europe Music Awards Kings of Leon concert at the Oude Luxor Theater in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on Saturday.

Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner spark new dating rumors 1

Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner spark new dating rumors 1

Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner spark new dating rumors 2

Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner spark new dating rumors 2

One Twitter user, who posted photos of Jonas and Turner cuddling and kissing in the crowd, told People magazine about what she saw.

"They were really close together," Anne Charlotte told the magazine. "I didn’t look very often because I was seated more in front of the room. The two or three times I was watching they were kissing. She was all smiley and he looked really sweet."

She continued, "They seemed pretty comfortable. That’s what surprised me."

More: Joe Jonas should never have commented on Gigi Hadid's new romance

Jonas and Tuner have hung out before this, though not one-on-one. A mutual friend posted a photo on Instagram that showed them rocking their Halloween costumes — Jonas as a Dalmatian and Turner as a sequined bunny — in a group shot.

Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner spark new dating rumors 3

Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner spark new dating rumors 3

Neither of them has said anything about their relationship, and People says their reps didn't return requests for comments. But Turner should probably be ready for this to just be a casual fling, because the magazine reports that a source told them Jonas, who last dated Gigi Hadid until their breakup almost a year ago, is far from ready to settle down.

"She has had a crush on Joe for a while, but Joe isn’t going to be a one-woman guy right now," the insider said.

More: There's no toothbrush in Joe Jonas' video, but there is a hot make-out sesh

Before you go, check out our slideshow below.

Joe Jonas relationships slideshow
Image: FayesVision/WENN

The Big Bang Theory is getting kinky this season

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The Big Bang Theory is getting a little edgier these days.

More: Bernadette is truly the unsung feminist hero of The Big Bang Theory

To be honest, I've only ever seen an episode of the show here and there. And while its humor is definitely over the top, to me, it always seemed like it erred firmly on the side of family-friendly. But is that about to change?

One of the show's stars, Kaley Cuoco, shared a behind-the-scenes look from a recent episode on Instagram, and is it just me, or is this way too kinky to be the family-friendly show I remember?

Kaley Cuoco in full BDSM gear for Big Bang Theory bts

Kaley Cuoco in full BDSM gear for Big Bang Theory bts

More: TBBT star reveals Howard's real-life reaction to Bernadette's pregnancy

The snap shows Cuoco and her co-star, Johnny Galecki, dressed up in full BDSM gear — latex, leather, whips and all. Galecki is wearing a strappy leather harness number paired with actual chaps, while Cuoco is smushed into a super-tight red corset and fishnet tights. From the looks of the background of the shot, they're in a legit dungeon. What is even going on?

"#Bts of last nights @thebigbangtheory__," Cuoco captioned that snap, along with the hashtags "#kaleyspolaroids" and "#corsettook15minstogeton."

I can't tell you what went down on that episode, but judging from the comments on the photo, fans seem to have loved it.

"Loved this scene! And Sheldon's reaction! Hahaha! I hope TBBT lasts forever. The gang will still be hilarious when then [sic] are in assisted living together," one commented.

I guess this proves you shouldn't write off a show, even after, what? A decade of seasons?

More: Does anyone else wish Penny's brother was a recurring character on TBBT?

Before you go, check out our slideshow below.

penny big bang theory quotes
Image: CBS

SportsCenter anchor Lindsay Czarniak gave her new baby the sweetest nickname

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Congrats to news anchors Lindsay Czarniak and Craig Melvin, who are parents for a second time!

More: Were Robbie E's baby names inspired by a famous singer-songwriter couple?

SportsCenter anchor Czarniak gave birth to daughter Sybil Ann Melvin on Nov. 5.

Sybil is a Greek name meaning "prophetess," namely a woman who claimed to be able to interpret the wishes of the gods through their oracles. It's a name that was hugely popular in the 1920s and 1930s, but not so much in recent years. However, it may be due for a revival thanks to the youngest Crawley daughter in the hit British TV show Downton Abbey.

Famous Sybils include American Revolutionary War heroine Sybil Ludington, Olympic swimmer Sybil Bauer, Irish fashion designer Sybil Connolly and American silent film actress Sybil Seely, while fictional Sybils feature in Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, the Harry Potter books, TV show The Worst Witch, and popular British sitcom Fawlty Towers.

More: Dark but beautiful baby names for girls

However, it turns out that Czarniak and Melvin's inspiration for the name was something quite different, and the couple's 2-year-old son Delano (aka Del) played a major part in their choice. "Sibby" was the nickname Del used for his sibling while his mom was pregnant, and they all ended up "falling in love with the name."

A week before Sybil arrived, Czarniak showed off the finished nursery on Instagram — we're loving the cherry blossom tree.

Lindsay Czarniak nursery

Lindsay Czarniak nursery

Congratulations to Czarniak, Melvin and young Del on the arrival of their "Sibby."

More: This printable guide is about to solve all your baby-naming squabbles

Calling my son developmentally delayed pretends that he can 'catch up'

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My son is disabled. That is an unpopular term. I'm supposed to say my son has special needs or that he's developmentally delayed. Whenever someone brings this to my attention, I always tell them, "Your child might have special needs, but my son is 8 years old, drools like a sheepdog, beats the shit out of me on occasion, pulls down his pants in the supermarket and pisses on all the cereal. As far as I'm concerned, he's disabled.

More: What it's really like to homeschool my daughter with special needs

I don't mind the term "special needs," but I hate the term "developmentally delayed." It took me three years of relentless searching to finally get a diagnosis and when I did, that's what I was told: My son was developmentally delayed.

Do you know what you think as a mother when you hear that? "Oh thank God, thank God he's not disabled—he's just delayed! I can fix this! Everything that's delayed eventually gets where it needs to be. Trains, buses, planes, you name it, yeah! He's gonna catch up!"

And for me, that was a lie.

Once upon a time, Someone decided that "disabled" was too harsh a term for us young mothers to endure. "We'll make a new term," Someone said. "Something that gives the mothers hope and is a little more politically correct. That way, moms don't leave our office devastated, and we don't have to have these uncomfortable conversations anymore. It's a win-win for all of us," said Someone.

And guess what? Someone was right. It worked. It worked on me. I ate it up like honey on a spoon, and lived on a steady diet of false hope for years. You see, Someone knew that eventually we members of the "Nobody Wants to be a Member of This Club Including Us" Club would eventually figure out for ourselves – that our children were never going to catch up. We'd find our way out of a blissful, intoxicating land called Denial, arrive in an initially devastating place called Resignation.

More: My mental health depends on me sending my son with autism to a care facility

We would resign ourselves to the notion that our children would never get better, only instead of blaming Someone for this, we would blame ourselves. "After all," we'd think, "He's only delayed. If only I'd found the right doctor, if only I had spent more money on private therapy, if only I hadn't put him in that self-contained classroom."

I'm done with that. I declared war against Someone, and started fighting with the only weapon I have: the truth. I'm telling the truth about what it's like to be Kevin's mother, and I've started being honest about every lie I've told myself and the lies that people have told me.

And I started with "developmentally delayed." It may be different for other kids, but my child's not delayed; he's disabled. He's never going to "catch up," no matter how hard I try or how much money I spend. Not ever.

And here's the kicker: There's another place, a place that's even sweeter than Denial because it's real. It's called Acceptance. That's where I live. It took me a while to get here—there were a lot of roadblocks and bumps in the road—but it was worth the journey.

In the land of Acceptance, you don't care that your son is never going to catch up and you call him "disabled," because he is. But even in the land of Acceptance, it will really piss you off when your son pulls down his pants in the grocery store, and pees on the cereal. (It will also piss off the people who work there. Just an FYI.)

More: 5 mistakes I made as a parent of an autistic child that you can avoid

Gal Gadot announces second pregnancy with beautiful photo

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We're sending massive congratulations to actress Gal Gadot and her husband Yaron Versano, who have revealed they are expecting their second child!

More: The 5 most ridiculous things people have said to me about single parenting

The couple, who married in 2008, shared the happy news Sunday on Instagram with a gorgeous black and white photo captioned with the hashtag "#mommyforthesecondtime."

Gal Gadot pregnancy

Gal Gadot pregnancy

Gadot and her husband are already parents to 4-year-old daughter Alma Versano. Earlier this year, she told Ellen DeGeneres how proud she is to play strong role models in the hope that her young daughter will be inspired by her choices.

More: Can Tori Spelling become the new Martha Stewart?

Gadot told DeGeneres that Alma has told her she likes to play with princes instead of princesses because "They always fall asleep and the prince is the one to wake them up and they do nothing," which is why Gadot feels like "the luckiest girl in the world" to play Wonder Woman and give her daughter a female role model.

She also revealed that even superheroes carry a certain amount of mom guilt. "I worry that I should always be doing more and spend more time with Alma even when I'm working. I try to do the best I can," she said.

She also admitted that her husband helped her to put her feelings of guilt into perspective, saying "Gal, think about what kind of a role model you want to be. If you want to show Alma that she can follow her dreams, that's what you should do, and we will figure out the logistics."

Despite the guilt, being a mom is Gadot's greatest accomplishment: "I'm very happy being a mother, and as soon as you begin raising your child, you feel this incredible love and happiness that is different from anything else you've ever experienced."

More: The #mannequinchallenge: 7 examples of why it rocks

Kim Kardashian West is (or was) thinking about baby No. 3

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Kim Kardashian West still hasn't returned to the public eye following her horrific robbery in Paris.

More: Kim Kardashian West is back on social media — sort of

But a new sneak peek clip from Keeping Up With the Kardashians reveals that before the robbery, she was thinking about having another baby.

Kim Kardashin West is thinking about having another kid

Kim Kardashin West is thinking about having another kid

In the clip, Kardashian West tell her mom, Kris Jenner, who appears shocked at the news, "So I’ve come to the conclusion that I just want to explore surrogacy."

Those who have followed Kardashian West's pregnancies shouldn't be that surprised by the news. She's never been shy about her love and desire to be a mom, but she had a really tough time with both her pregnancies. She had preeclampsia, which causes dangerously high blood pressure, during her first pregnancy, and placenta accreta, which causes the placenta to get too firmly attached to the uterus, during both. During her second pregnancy, she was even warned to be prepared for the possibility that doctors might need to remove her uterus. On top of all of that, she's struggled with fertility issues.

More: Just when we thought Kim Kardashian West was back, she deletes all her new FB posts

So for Kardashian West to have more kids, a surrogate doesn't seem like a terrible idea. Plus, it has the added bonus of allowing her to skip being pregnant, which she has openly admitted she hates.

Episodes of KUWTK that are currently airing were shot before the robbery, though, so it's possible that Kardashian West, who has been keeping a seriously low profile, might have changed her mind or decided to put off trying for another baby. She hasn't yet addressed the robbery on the show, and it's not clear if she ever will.

More: Natalie Portman should be getting a call to play Kim Kardashian West any day now

Before you go, check out our slideshow below.

kim k accomplishments slideshow
Image: Lionsgate

Zac Brown Band's Clay Cook has a son!

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It’s a boy!

Zac Brown Band member Clay Cook and his wife Brooke joyfully welcomed their son Charles Robert Cook into the world on Friday, Nov. 4.

The birth was announced on Zac Brown Band’s Instagram account, and confirmed on both Clay and Brooke’s accounts as well (with adorable pictures of the newborn, of course.)

Baby Cook

Baby Cook

Charlie Cook

Charlie Cook

Look at that face! It's no wonder they're so in love.

Congratulations to the happy family!


Secondary infertility: 6 facts you need to know

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More and more celebrities have been opening up about the personal struggles they faced when trying to get pregnant with their first child. Women like Chrissy Teigen, Giuliana Rancic, and Tyra Banks are helping to reduce some of the stigma that surrounds infertility by speaking openly about their troubles in starting a family.

But less has been said about secondary infertility — when a couple has trouble conceiving after getting pregnant in the past without any problems. That's why we appreciate that actress Molly Sims recently talked about her problems with secondary infertility. In a recent YouTube video, she talked about how she faced some "dark moments" and how much she dreaded calls from her fertility specialist because for so long the news on the other end wasn't good.

Happily, Sims was able to get pregnant again, and is currently expecting her third child. But secondary infertility remains, for many women, a heartbreaking problem that's actually more common than you might imagine. SheKnows reached out to Dr. Erika Munch, a fertility specialist at Texas Fertility Center, and Dr. Rinku Mehta of the Frisco Institute for Reproductive Medicine in Texas to find out everything you need to know about trying for baby No. 2 (or 3!) and when to seek treatment if things aren't happening on their own.

More: The 30 questions you really need to ask your fertility doctor

1. Secondary infertility is not uncommon

"Secondary infertility is at least as common as primary infertility," say Munch. It affects approximately 1 in every 8 couples who are trying to have a baby.

2. Whether or not you have secondary infertility depends on your age and how long you've been trying to conceive

Technically, secondary infertility is when a couple who has become pregnant and given birth in the past without difficulty is unable to conceive and deliver thereafter. But how long before secondary infertility is considered depends on your age. If you're under 35, this means you've tried getting pregnant for 12 months without success. If you're 35 or older, it's 6 months.

And when it comes to infertility, history may repeat itself. "If you had trouble conceiving your first child or needed infertility treatment to achieve a pregnancy in the past, it’s possible that you’ll need treatment again," says Munch.

3. When you should see a doctor depends on your age and medical history

If you have a known fertility issue, then doctors recommend heading in as soon as you're ready to start trying for another pregnancy. If you're under 35, it's recommended that you consult with your doctor after a full year of unprotected sex with no pregnancy. If you're over 35, you only have to try for six months before making the call for an appointment.

4. There are things you and your partner can do to try to prevent secondary infertility issues

Biological issues like irregular ovulation or problems with sperm function or development may always have an impact on your fertility. But if you and your partner have no known problems that could prevent you from conceiving, Mehta suggests looking at your lifestyle. "Maintaining a normal body weight, regular exercise and healthy well balanced diet are all recommended for couples trying to conceive. And poor lifestyle factors such as obesity, smoking, excessive alcohol or drug use can contribute to infertility."

She also points out that when it comes to avoiding secondary infertility, the clock is ticking. "Age of the woman is the single most predictive factor regarding fertility. I would advise women to not wait too long between trying to have children if they were already over age 35 when they conceived the first time."

More: Experts warn against buy-one-get-one-free IVF deal

5. There are lots of treatment options for secondary infertility

If you find yourself unable to get pregnant on your own, don't panic. Just like when a couple has trouble getting pregnant the first time around, there are a ton of treatment options. In fact, the ways primary and secondary infertility are treated are very similar, and your doctor can help tailor a plan that's best for your exact issues. Options include medications to help regulate ovulation, inseminations to help in situations in which poor or low sperm quality is the issue and even in vitro fertilization. Don't worry if it sounds overwhelming. "The vast majority of couples with secondary infertility are successful in achieving another pregnancy; it’s just a matter of how much extra help is needed to get them there," says Munch

6. Treating secondary infertility isn't just physical

Having trouble getting pregnant can be extremely stressful for a couple, especially if conception is something that happened easily for you in the past. It's important to be kind to yourself while coping with secondary infertility, and whether it's talking to a close friend or doing yoga, trying to find healthy ways to relieve your stress. Mehta recommends that couples coping with secondary infertility have honest discussions about their family goals as well. "I always recommend that couples keep open communication between them and be on the same page as far their desires to pursue fertility goes."

More: It hurts me to see pregnant women suffering after a miscarriage

My baby didn’t pass his hearing test — now what?

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When Harry was a baby, I thought I was the best parent ever. He was so laid back; I could take him anywhere — even noisy places that would make other babies cry!

Turns out, I wasn’t a parenting genius. Harry was deaf.

The tests

Every state and territory in the United States now has early hearing detection and intervention programs. Each program is different, but the basics are the same. The initial test can happen as early as a few days after delivery. It’s quick and easy. We did it at a regular checkup when Harry was a week old. Soft sounds were played in his ears, and the ears’ response was measured and recorded.

He didn’t pass.

“Don’t worry,” said the midwife. “The fan in here is noisy, we get lots of false positives. You don’t have to do more testing if you don’t want to.”

But we did. For the next test, we went to a public health unit. To be honest, the main reason we did it was to see our baby with electrodes on his head. Very science-fiction-y — a chance to look inside his tiny mind! Sort of.

Harry did not pass this test, either. “Don’t worry!” they said. Harry was getting over a cold; he was fussy and wouldn’t settle. His hearing was probably fine.

Next step was an audiogram in a soundproof booth at a hospital.

This was not fun. For accurate results, he was supposed to sleep through it. To make sure he slept, I was supposed to keep 3-month-old Harry awake for four solid hours before the test, and not feed him. I remember the bewildered look he gave me as I jostled him awake on the way to the appointment: “What gives, Mom? Most people want their baby to eat and sleep!” He must have thought I was crazy. Or just mean.

Even after failing both screenings, the news that he was deaf was a complete shock. I gave the right answers to all the questions the audiologist asked — “Did you have a ‘normal’ pregnancy? Were you sick?” No and no. “Did you have a ‘normal’ delivery? Does he respond to your voice? Does he babble to himself?” Yes! Of course he does! But the test results were undeniable — he’s deaf.

I cried in the car on the way home.

The choices

When you’re a new parent who hasn’t slept properly in months, making major life decisions isn’t daunting at all, right?

There are two basic options to choose from — hearing technology and speech therapy or learning sign language. We chose to hedge our bets and do both. Just in case.

Then came the choice between hearing aids and cochlear implant surgery. This decision was made for us; Harry did well enough with hearing aids that he didn’t need the surgery. Frankly, I was relieved. I could never even cut his tiny fingernails without panicking about blood loss, so the idea of any kind of surgery was way more than I could handle. Harry has worn hearing aids since he was 4 months old. They wrap behind his ear, with a custom-fit earmold that sticks right inside. He takes them off for sleep. Bonus: You can be as loud as you want, and not worry about waking the baby!

Next stop was the speech-language pathologist. It seemed crazy to take a tiny baby to “speech therapy” when he was too little to speak, but mainly it was for us parents to learn how to help him, make sure he was exposed to lots of language and check his development as he got older.

Harry did "Language Through Play" with a speech-language pathologist for an hour a week for four years. He loved it! From his point of view, it was games and stories. He had difficulty hearing high-frequency sounds like S, F, and Sh (also known as the four-letter-word sounds), so we read a lot of picture books about slippery snakes slithering softly over the sand and Freddy frog catching 54 flies.

We also saw a sign language consultant every week to help our whole family learn American Sign Language. Even though Harry turned out to be a talkative kid, I’m glad we learned ASL. Most hearing aids are not waterproof, so he needs to take them off for swimming and baths. And sometimes they get lost. And occasionally they needed repairs. Once, he swallowed one of his earmolds (on a long weekend, of course). We took him to emergency room in a panic. “Not to worry,” they said. “He’ll pass it in a couple of days, and then you can wash it off and use it again.” Um, gross. We got him a new one instead.

The present

We had lots people tell us our choices were wrong. People can be very passionate about why it’s important to only do speech or only do sign language. I would just nod thoughtfully and say, “Hmm, I’ll have to look into that,” and change the subject. Like any parenting decision, it depends on the needs of the child, and every child is different.

Now, Harry is almost 10. He struggles sometimes with being different and having strangers ask, “What are those things on your ears?” Sometimes it sends him into Hulk-smash mode, which is funny considering that Lou Ferrigno, aka 1970s Hulk, grew up wearing hearing aids too (he got into bodybuilding as a way of dealing with bullies). I was thrilled to find Cece Bell’s award-winning graphic memoir, “El Deafo,” which recounts her experiences growing up deaf. When I gave it to Harry for Christmas, he glanced at it skeptically and moved on to unwrapping the next present. But later that day, I found him reading it. He probably read it three times over the Christmas break.

I read it too. I would still like to see inside his tiny mind somehow. Knowing your kid will have such a vastly different experience of the world is hard to get used to.

5 books that show just how biased science is

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There have been a lot of horrible hashtags on the internet this season, but I wanted to call attention to a particularly colonial one: #ScienceMustFall. Created in reaction to a viral video of panelists at a University of Cape Town panel talking about the need to decolonize science from western modernity, the hashtag mocks the students on the panel and their notion of decolonization. The internet's reaction (which can be summarized with "HAHAHA IDIOTS") is incredibly disheartening to me, given that it’s 2016 and I thought we were all on the same page about “science” being a convex of white power and privilege.

This isn't to say that the scientific method doesn't reap great rewards when used correctly, it's just to say that the mystification of "science" as this Transcendental Harbinger of Truth is just so... sixteenth century. Then I turned on the T.V. and Trump was talking about ripping babies out of women’s wombs and how America was Great once, so I realized that maybe it’s time I put my effort into bumping up the voices that actually deserve to be read on the internet.

More: Finally, an easy way to explain 'yes means yes' consent for sex

Thankfully Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, a theoretical astro-physicist who works as a researcher at UW in Seattle, put together an A+ comprehensive reading list for those interested in re-learning what they thought was true about the ideology of “scientific truths.” Since the holidays are right around the corner (not really) and some of these books are expensive (really), I thought it would be helpful to put together a little bargain shopping list for some of the key texts that she mentions. Because reading books IRL is still cooler than scrolling on your tablet and also if you’ve rolled your eyes more than twice while reading this article, consider yourself in need of some post-colonial truth bombs.

Also, any excuse to read about female cyborgs and medical apartheids.

1.The Eastern Origins of Western by John M. Hobson (Cambridge, £35)

This book is a great place to start, as it lays out a really comprehensive intellectual history of the West – focusing, specifically, on how much the "West" is truly indebted to the "East." His research challenges the assumptions that civilization rose from the West in a vacuum and argues that “each major developmental turning point in Europe” was contingent upon “assimilation of Eastern inventions” which “diffused from the more advanced East” across the global economy. He also argues that the “construction of European identity after 1453 led to imperialism.” So basically: important facts to bring up this year during Thanksgiving. Check out the publisher's cool list of sales and coupons here.

More: Feminist artists who are celebrating women's sexuality

2. Whose Science? Whose Knowledge?: Thinking from Women’s Lives by Sandra Harding (AbeBooks, $22)

A follow-up book to Harding's first, The Science Question in Feminism, this newest book “conducts a compelling analysis of feminist theories on the philosophical problem of how we know what we know." A must-read for anyone interested in the connections between social context and scientific knowledge — particularly as it relates to patriarchy. Plus, a 50% off deal at ABE books.

3. Hating Empire Properly: The Two Indies and the Limits of Enlightenment Anticolonialism by Sunil M. Agnani (ResearchGate, $23)

Winner of the 2014 Harry Levin prize, Hating Empire Properly thinks through the eighteenth-century imagination of geography and identity. With a focus on the colonial spaces of the Enlightenment, Agnani investigates the historical limits of key radical and conservative writers. His ultimate proposition? To "inhabit a dominant form of reason as a way forward for the critique of both empire and Enlightenment." Yep, a whole lot of Benjamin will be referenced in this text. That's a good thing. Available on Amazon, with free shipping.

4. Simians, Cyborgs, and Women by Donna Haraway (Barnes and Noble, $25)

This groundbreaking work by Haraway offers a powerful collection of essays that get deep into the connection between the odd threesome of simians, cyborgs, and women. The connection? "A great destabilizing place in Western evolutionary technology and biology." If ever you wanted to look at the cyborg as a site of "immense possibility for modern feminists" then this is the text for you. Get it for 20% off at Barnes and Noble.

5. Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present by Harriet Washington (Amazon, $12)

The double standard in the world of medical ethics is hard to ignore: when men complain of side effects from birth control pills, the trials stop. When women do, they just find different women. This comprehensive book by Harriet Washington looks into the American medical establishment's long sordid history of using African-Americans as unwitting human guinea pigs. From Thomas Jefferson's early uses of untested smallpox vaccines to Columbia University's controversial drug experiments in the 1990's, this book clarifies what folks mean when they use the term "Scientific racism." On sale at Alabris books.

More: 5 Dystopian books that are too close to reality for comfort

Order and pay for your McDonald's via mobile — it's almost a Christmas miracle

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Have you all been good girls and boys? Because it looks like a lot of you are getting your wish. McDonald's is launching a mobile order-and-pay app in 2017. They're rolling it out in the U.S. next year, plus in select international markets. And by 2018, it should be available worldwide.

More: 12 fried chicken truth bombs laid by Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party

So you have this to look forward to, McDonald's fans. Soon you'll be able to order and pay for that McDonald's breakfast without waiting in line or maybe even talking with a human being. Not that talking with human beings is an onerous task. It's just that sometimes, you're hangry, and wouldn't it be nice if you could just grab your bag and go?

More: Leftover chili recipes that prove it's even better the next day

McDonald's will be joining the likes of Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, Domino's and Taco Bell, which have launched wildly popular order-and-pay apps.

Before you go, check out our slideshow below.

Food Porn Friday: 20 times french fries literally gave us life
Image: staarlife/Instagram

We talked to Jada Pinkett Smith about being a real nasty women

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Most of us have never seen an election year like this one. On the plus side, we have our first major party female presidential candidate. On the flip side, though, the leanings of the opposing party have cast a pall not only over this historic milestone for women, but also on the narrative surrounding women's rights.

More: Urban Dictionary's definition of 'nasty woman' probably isn't Donald Trump-approved

If there is a silver lining, though, it is that women are stepping up to claim the mantel of the "nasty women" in stride.

It is a term slung during the debates that was intended to hit its target as a pejorative — but that's not what happened. Instead, women everywhere stood up in our feminine power and said, "If that's what being a nasty woman looks like, count me in."

While catching up with Jada Pinkett Smith in honor of her summer blockbuster Bad Moms being released on Blu-Ray and DVD, I suggest she is what being a nasty women looks like. Audacious, authentic and strong, she is the epitome of the expression.

Fortunately, she takes it for the compliment it is intended. She gets it. And more than that, she owns it. I want to know how she arrived at that place of self-love and understanding, and she's game to explain how she came to embrace being the nasty women we all know and love.

More: Jada Pinkett Smith on marriage: Break the rules and discover a whole new world

"I think for me, I understand that people have their own dreams and people have their own fears that we can't allow them to put on us," she said. "I don't judge myself by the broken reflection in other people's eyes, because we all know everybody's out here struggling and that everybody doesn't have necessarily the most clear perspective — and that everybody's operating out of fear."

It's in making room for our own humanity that we come into the essence of our nasty womanhood.

"We just have to have the courage to be OK when we make mistakes. It's not going to kill you. I've made tons of them. I fall, I get up, I brush myself off, I learn from them and I step forward. And I don't step forward in thinking, 'Oh, I'm not going to fall into another pit.' I step forward going, 'I just don't want to fall into the same pit.' It'll be a different one," Pinkett Smith said, laughing. "But if it is the same one, then I'll keep falling into it until I learn not to do it anymore. We have got to just stop feeling as though we have to be perfect. We're not!"

It was in shedding that affectation of perfection that Pinkett Smith says she began to realize people were going to think what they wanted to think about her and say what they wanted to say about her no matter what. Not because those things are true, but because they are a reflection of how those people feel. That's for them to sort through, not you.

All it takes is courage, she underscores.

"We have to have the courage to be who we are. That's it. I just got to the point where I was like, hey, the other way is just too painful," she said. "I thought, 'You know what? If I'm going to take the pain, I'm going to take the pain being who the hell I am. I'd rather that that pain any day. I'd rather sit there and cry over who I am versus sitting there and bawling over who I'm not. I'll take the pain of being who I am.' As soon as I started doing that, it just got less and less and less painful."

More: Bad Moms is striking a nerve, but Mila Kunis can't take all the credit

The other major pitfall standing in the way of women embracing themselves and becoming the nasty women they were born to be is our need to be liked, Pinkett Smith points out.

"I know that's a hard one," she admitted. "But when you want to be liked, that's a trap. That'll get you trapped every time. Because here's the thing people respect: when you have the courage to not need to be liked. People respect somebody who can live their truth. They might not like it, but they respect it. "

Don't forget to pick up your copy of Bad Moms, now out on digital HD and Blu-Ray from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.

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