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Amal and George Clooney Are Having Twins

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You heard right: Amal Clooney, formidably brilliant and impressive human-rights lawyer as well as wife to what's-his-face from ER, is gestating twins.

Yes, the mysterious and willowy Amal Clooney did just steal Queen Beyoncé's baby thunder. Nicely played. We admit it. We didn't see it coming, but this is getting goooood. (*inhaling popcorn with crazy eyes*)

More: Amal, for the love of God, are you pregnant or not?

We don't know about you people, but we're getting a little freaked out by 2017. Please, can we recap?

First, the orange guy with the baby hands and the Twitter addiction.

Second, Beyoncé and her epic announcement that not one, but two, baby Beys are practicing the "Single Ladies" routine within her sacred lady vase. And that photo shoot. Oh dear God in heaven, the photo shoot.

Third, forever-bachelor, no-effing-way-will-I-procreate George Clooney has impregnated his wife.

This massive, gladiator smackdown news was served up on Thursday by cheeky The Talk host Julie Chen, who is now expecting a million-dollar pay raise for getting to be the first person to say, “Beyoncé is not the only superstar expecting twins." Burrrrrrrn.

More: Amal Clooney is fighting terrorists, but no big deal, y'all

Clooney is apparently due in June (according to her breathless new bestie Julie Chen). Julie Chen also told TMZ that the Clooneys are also expecting a boy and a girl, which is the reigning rumor on the gender of the Carter demigods — er, infants.

(And if you don't believe BFF Julie, know that sources did confirm the summer due date to Us Weekly.)

What is this sorcery? What are the chances? Will all four babies bear the mark of the Illuminati? We feel a dark chill slithering up our spines, a deeply unsettling sense of foreboding. How will this play out? Will the couples bond over these twins or will the United States devolve into all-out civil war? No longer blue states and red states, but Carter states and Clooney states?

At the very least, there is totally going to be a birth-off.

Not to brag or anything, but we did have a hunch (along with 40 million other people on the planet) that there might be a mini-human-rights lawyer forming in Clooney's belly. She had all the signs. OK, she had one sign: baggy clothing.

(Important note to our readers: If you are wearing baggy clothing, you are pregnant. It's science. If you don't want to be pregnant, go change. Now. Wasn't that easy?)

What will happen next? At the very least, Bey will not stand for it. Mark our words: Beyoncé will report next week that another pair of twins has been found miraculously gestating inside her left calf muscle. Or in a Glinda the Good Witch-type bubble found floating over their Carter estate. Something has got to give.

You think we're kidding. Just wait. THIS BATTLE OF THE SUPERSTAR TWINS IS NOT OVER. Not by a long shot.


Why a False Alarm Mammogram Can Be More Dangerous Than You Think

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There’s no denying that going in for a mammogram and finding out you have a suspicious lump is nerve-wracking to say the least. Now imagine being told that your suspicious mammogram was actually a false alarm. How likely would you be to show up for your next scheduled screening?

According to a new study out in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, researchers are finding out that women who are told their suspicious mammogram was a false alarm are more likely to delay their next scheduled mammogram or possibly not show up for their next screening at all.

More: 7 Things to Know About the New Groundbreaking Breast Cancer Treatment

"The medical literature suggests the experience of a false positive can cause anxiety, worry, and affect the woman's quality of life," said lead author Firas M. Dabbous, an epidemiologist and researcher at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital near Chicago. "That may deter a woman from coming back."

The study looked at 261,767 women from the Chicago area and found that the likelihood of returning for a subsequent mammogram was higher in women experiencing a TN (true negative) result than women experiencing a FP (false positive) result.

More: Promising New Vaccine Could Use Your Own Cells to Fight Cancer

Dabbous and his co-authors analyzed more than 741,000 mammograms taken between 2001 and 2014. In about 12.3 percent of the cases, there was something suspicious but it turned out to be a false alarm.(Women whose mammograms correctly detected cancer were excluded.) 

During the three years after that initial mammogram, 77.9 percent of the women with a false positive result had a subsequent mammogram compared to 85 percent of the women who had not experienced a false alarm.

"Women with a true negative result were 36 percent more likely to return to screening in the next 36 months compared with women with a false positive result," the team wrote.

The findings suggest "that we need to more actively encourage women who have a false-positive result from a screening mammogram to adhere to routine screening mammography recommendations, because it has been shown to reduce breast cancer mortality," Dabbous said in a journal news release.

More: Breast Cancer in Men Is No Myth — Here's What You Need to Know

How often women should get mammograms has become a controversial topic. However, the fact that breast cancer is a leading killer of U.S. women, with 255,000 women being diagnosed each year and 40,000 women losing their lives to this disease, it’s no wonder that annual mammograms have become a constant in so many women’s lives.

Send Trump a Valentine's Day Message With These Clever Political E-Cards

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What do you want to say to the president on Valentine’s Day? Even if you can't tell (or Tweet) Trump everything that's on your mind, these e-cards created by women's advocacy group Ms. Foundation will help you express your feelings about love (for refugees), marriage (equality) and more.

More: These Ryan Gosling Cookies Are the Ideal Gal-entine's Gift

“President Trump is trying to divide us with racist and sexist policies rooted in fear, but we’re fighting back. Create a Valentine’s Day card to let him know that you believe in love, equality, and justice for all people regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity and we will send it to his office just in time for Valentine’s Day,” the site reads.

trump valentines
Image: ForWomen.org

Choose one of six clever cards with messages that run the gamut from “My body is ALL MINE” to "TEXT ME when you get Mexico to pay for that wall." Once you choose your card, fill out contact information, and choose a specific cause to stand up for. It’s enveloped in red “love trumps hate.” Perfection.

More: When It Comes to Resistance, Criticize Behaviors, Not People

Katy Perry's Giving Off Strong Hillary Clinton Vibes With New Lyric Video

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For anyone who was hoping to live in a bubble for the next four years, ignoring the pretty depressing state of American politics, Katy Perry has a strong message.

More: Katy Perry & Shailene Woodley Call for Support for Standing Rock on Thanksgiving

Her new song, "Chained to the Rhythm," dropped last night, and just to make sure no one missed the message, she also released its music video, complete with on-screen lyrics. The song — which will stick in your head like glue, trust — was co-written by Sia and Skip Marley, who is also featured. And it is not shy about getting political, even though the video doesn't look all that polarizing because it just shows a hamster watching TV and eating tiny foods.

Katy Perry music video for Chained to the Rhythm

Katy Perry music video for Chained to the Rhythm

But the lyrics tell a totally different story. The song starts with "Are we crazy? Living our lives through a lens / Trapped in our white picket fence, like ornaments." One refrain of the song is "So comfortable, we’re living in a bubble, bubble / So comfortable, we cannot see the trouble, trouble." And the chorus calls out the politically disengaged who have been (at least partially) blamed for Trump's rise to power: "So put your rose-colored glasses on / And party on / Turn it up, it’s your favorite song / Dance, dance, dance to the distortion / Turn it up, keep it on repeat / Stumbling around like a wasted zombie."

More: When Katy Perry Misses Her BF, She Does What Anyone Would Do: Google His Nudes

When Marley comes into the song, his lyrics are about the resistance movement that has been strengthened since the election by events like the Women's March: "It is my desire / Break down the walls to connect, inspire / Ay, up in your high place, liars / Time is ticking for the empire / The truth they feed is feeble / As so many times before / They greed over the people / They stumbling and fumbling / And we're about to riot / They woke up, they woke up the lions."

There's also some cool symbolism in the video; even though the concept of a hamster eating tiny meals seems pretty innocuous, as one viewer pointed out, the color finishing on the video is very similar to colors that Hillary Clinton wore as she rose to political prowess as first lady in the '90s.

Hillary Clinton in 1995

Hillary Clinton in 1995

Considering how hard Perry campaigned for Clinton before the election, that nod to the former Secretary of State doesn't seem accidental.

Then there's the hamster himself (his name is Mr. Parsons, by the way). He's clearly representative of those politically disengaged nonvoters Perry is singing directly to — his only role in the video is to stuff his tiny hamster face with tiny hamster food and watch another hamster run on a wheel on TV. The only thing he's engaged with is the pointless repetition on the screen, and it's a pretty powerful image, considering it's a video of a hamster.

Of course, with a video as subtly political as this one, not everyone is stoked about the message.

Response tweet to Katy Perry's chained to the rhythm

Response tweet to Katy Perry's chained to the rhythm

Perry is expected to perform "Chained to the Rhythm" at the Grammys on Sunday.

More: Katy Perry Inspires Our New Post-Election Rally Cry

Before you go, check out our slideshow below.

celebs against trump slideshow
Image: FayesVision/WENN.com

What Parents Need to Know About Teen Dating Violence

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One in 3 teens in the U.S. will experience physical, sexual or emotional abuse by someone they’re in a relationship with and 1.5 million teenagers report being in an abusive relationship each year. And 43 percent of dating college women report experiencing abusive dating behaviors.

If those statistics seem staggering, it’s because they are. Dating violence is not about love — it is about power and control. We have a problem that is not being appropriately addressed and the longer it continues, the more damage it is going to do to millions of teenagers each year.

Teen dating violence — also called intimate relationship violence or intimate partner violence among adolescents or adolescent relationship abuse — includes physical, psychological or sexual abuse; harassment; or stalking of any person ages 12 to 18 in the context of a past or present romantic or consensual relationship.

According to LoveIsRespect.org, a website dedicated to helping and educating teens about teen dating violence, "only 33 percent of teens who were in a violent relationship ever told anyone about the abuse.”

And that is why February has become National Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. Since 2006, February has been observed as an important time to raise awareness about the serious issue of dating violence in high schools, colleges and communities across the nation.

More: Teen Dating Isn't What It Used to Be

What you can do to help bring awareness to teen dating violence

Respect Week. Respect Week (Feb. 13-17) is a special way for young people to raise awareness about healthy relationships and dating abuse during Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month in February. Check out this Respect Week guide for ideas on how to raise awareness in your school.

Wear Orange Day. Feb. 14, 2017, is Wear Orange Day, a national day of awareness on which we encourage everyone to wear orange in honor of Teen DV Month. You can wear orange shirts, nail polish, ribbons, jewelry, shoes or anything else you can think of! Tell people why you are wearing orange and post pictures and updates on Instagram and Twitter using the hashtags #Orange4Love and #RespectWeek2017.

Know the facts. The CDC has a fact sheet that explains warning signs as well as strategies to help prevent teen dating violence.

Talk with your kids about dating violence. One of the most important things that parents can do is listen to what our kids are telling us. Try to make most communication constructive rather than critical and have frank, open and nonjudgmental conversations when it comes to sex, dating and domestic violence. It sure isn’t easy, but it’s incredibly important.

More: Domestic Violence Traps Women in More Than Just Bad Relationships

Mandy Moore's Pretty New Home Makes Her Even More Relatable

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We mostly hear about celebrities living in exorbitantly priced apartments or mansions in the Hollywood Hills, but Mandy Moore's new home is on another level. By that, I mean it's (dare I say?) a tasteful, midcentury modern home designed and built by architect R. Harold Zook in 1950.

At 3,551 square feet, it's no humble bungalow, but the $2.56 million, three-bedroom, three-bath home is still a far cry from the elaborate complexes most A-list celebrities call home. The house features floor-to-ceiling windows that let in lots of light and 360-degree sweeping views of Pasadena, California. Inside, there's a breakfast nook, updated kitchen and office space.

More: 8 Vintage-Inspired Pieces That Work in Modern Homes

Mandy Moore New Kitchen
Image: Sean Gordon/Zillow

There's also a centrally located fireplace, which can be enjoyed from several rooms at once.

Mandy Moore Fireplace
Image: Sean Gordon/Zillow

The master bedroom has its own luxurious bathroom, private access to the backyard and a walk-in closet.

Oh, and we can't leave out one of the home's best features — an in-ground pool with mountain views. The whole yard is pretty fabulous, with meandering paths and patios spread over an acre (which is pretty sizable for the Los Angeles area!).

Mandy moore Pool
Image: Sean Gordon/Zillow

I've always thought Moore seemed way more down-to-earth than a lot of other young stars, and her choice of home just seems to confirm that. Here's hoping she's happy in her new midcentury digs — if Season 1 of This Is Us was any indication, she'll need to relax before starting to film another season of the emotionally charged show.

More: The Condo Yolanda Hadid Is Selling Is All of Our #HomeGoals

It's Time to Make That Rosie O'Donnell Rumor a Reality

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Rosie O'Donnell and Saturday Night Live have one really big thing in common: President Donald Trump really, really hates them both.

Donald Trump tweets about Saturday Night Live

Donald Trump tweets about Saturday Night Live

More: A Timeline of Donald Trump & Rosie O'Donnell's 10 Years of Hatred

While SNL has been the subject of more than a few of Trump's late-night Twitter rants, POTUS has insulted O'Donnell during speeches and appearances, usually focusing on her looks and weight. During the first presidential debate, when host Megyn Kelly pointed out that Trump had referred to women he didn't like as "fat pigs, dogs, slobs and disgusting animals," Trump quipped, "Only Rosie O'Donnell," and then continued on to become the president (sigh).

O'Donnell, however, has stood her ground. And now, she's found a new way to get under Trump's skin: by playing White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon on SNL. Seriously, how soon can it happen?

More: Rosie O’Donnell Suggests Donald Trump’s Son Is Autistic

To prove that she'd be perfect for the role, O'Donnell's new Twitter avatar is a photo of her face pasted over Bannon's. Honestly, it's perfect.

Rosie O'Donnell as Steve Bannon
Image: Rosie O'Donnell/Twitter

This follows Melissa McCarthy's debut as White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer on SNL, and while Trump didn't publicly comment on that episode, people close to him said he was annoyed that one of his advisors was played by a woman, saying it made his staff look "weak." Soon after, O'Donnell tweeted that she'd happily take on the role of Bannon.

Rosie O'Donnell wants to play Steve Bannon on SNL

Rosie O'Donnell wants to play Steve Bannon on SNL

SNL, you're seeing this, right?

More: Rosie O'Donnell Suggests Martial Law Be Used to Stop Trump's Inauguration

Before you go, check out our slideshow below.

Rosie O'Donnell family slideshow
Image: Rosie O'Donnell/Instagram

The One Trick to Feeling Closer and Avoiding Disappointment on Valentine's Day

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If you're planning to celebrate Valentine's Day with a partner, you may have thoughtful cards, expensive restaurant reservations or jewelry on the brain. But here's something else to put at the tippy-top of your V-Day to-do list: having sex. And not just going through the motions or making sure to get 'er done before passing out after a decadent meal — but making time to do it before you go out (or stay in) and celebrate.

The "fuck first" rule, originally coined by relationship guru and podcaster Dan Savage (to my knowledge), may sound basic, but it has some benefits you may not have considered. Beyond being a smart logistical move — you'll have enough energy for a solid romp and avoid restaurant crowds with a later dinner reservation — it can bring you closer emotionally too.

More: Women Care More About Food Than Sex on Valentine's Day

"Generally speaking, people have a lot of disappointment about Valentine's Day," says loveologist and sex educator Wendy Strgar, author of Love That Works: A Guide to Enduring Intimacy. "You think you'll get a gift or a card that makes you feel appreciated or validated in a way that your relationship, maybe, hasn't been able to do on an everyday basis. It's pretty much a recipe for disappointment."

Connecting physically before doing anything else on a romantic holiday or anniversary can help dispel some of the tension and sky-high expectations that some partners have, making both people able to enjoy each other more organically. "It's a way to clear the air and be really present on your date," says Strgar. "You know how if you have sex when you're in a fight and it suddenly becomes a lot easier to talk about tough issues right afterward? Sex helps us immediately accept the other person as they are and the relationship as it is."

More: Valentine's Day May Be Commercialized, But It's Still Important

It can also level the playing field regarding sexual expectations. "Men and women have opposite emotional and sexual mechanisms," says Strgar. "Biologically, women generally need to feel emotionally connected in order to be turned on by their partners, whereas men need to have sex in order to get that feeling of emotional closeness." Whether you're in a relationship with a man or a woman, taking responsibility for your sexuality, your needs and what you need to get off is empowering and healthy. It's something you should be doing regularly, but especially on a day that's focused on love and relationships.

It sounds simple, but tweaking your plans to prioritize getting some action first on Valentine's Day could be the difference between a meh, unmemorable holiday and one that helps you and your S.O. connect deeply and authentically — and have some fun while you're at it.

More: 6 Personality Traits Proven to Help You Find Love


A Quick (but Important) Introduction to Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

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An article by the Daily Mail explored the realities behind pelvic inflammatory disease and just how living through the disease could impact a woman’s life.

More: Is Squirting Just Peeing? A Doctor Answers Your Most Pressing Pelvic Health Questions

The CDC defines PID as “an infection of a woman’s reproductive organs.” In some cases, PID can be caused by an STI, other infections or an IUD insertion. Some of the more long-term effects of PID can be infertility, scarring along fallopian tubes and long-term pain. The likelihood of suffering from long-term effects is directly related to how far along the PID is once it’s initially detected.

More: How to Tell When Pelvic Pain Could Be Ovarian Cancer

“Yes, if PID is diagnosed early, it can be treated,” explains the CDC. “However, treatment won’t undo any damage that has already happened to your reproductive system.”

More: 6 Causes of Vaginal Odor, Because Yes, It Happens to All of Us

For many women, the long-term effects of PID impact emotional health just as much as it does physical health. For instance, Daily Mail author Danielle Newton explains that many women who suffered from PID said that the disease had “negatively impacted the level of intimacy and emotional closeness many women shared with their partner.”

By Vivian Nunez

Originally published on HelloFlo.

Artisan Chocolate Will Forever Change the Way You Look at Candy Bars

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Chocolate is basically the pizza of the sweets world: Even when it's bad it's still pretty good. And while we'd never say no to a good old-fashioned Hershey bar or some Dove minis, artisan chocolate makers are taking things to a whole new obsession-worthy level.

Artisan chocolates are made in smaller batches, which makes them a little bit harder to find — but their rarity kind of just adds to the experience. The thrill of the hunt actually makes the work of artisan chocolate makers taste better.

More: Chocolate Butter Is the New Nutella and We'll Show You How to Make It

If you're looking for some life-changing chocolate that is truly gourmet, check out these brands.

Patric Chocolate

Patric chocolate

Patric chocolate

Patric Chocolate is a small chocolate producer in Columbia, Missouri, that prides themselves on "doing it all from bean to bar to bonbon," according to their Instagram account. Due to their hand-selected beans, their craft chocolates are as complex as the highest-quality wines.

The only hitch with Patric is that their treats are not always readily available, but you can sign up to be on their monthly bar-release newsletter on their website.

Lake Champlain Chocolates

Lake Champlain chocolates

Lake Champlain chocolates

You might have seen a box of Vermont's Lake Champlain Chocolates floating around out there at one point or another — but did you know that Lake Champlain is actually healthy chocolate? Well, as healthy as candy can be, anyway. Lake Champlain is proud to use preservative-free, all-natural ingredients to create a wealth of truffles, hot chocolate mixes and chocolate bars that are kosher as well. Did we mention their Maple Crunches are to die for?

More: An Easy Guide to Making Your Own Gummy Candies

Vosges Chocolate

Vosges

Vosges

Vosges' mission statement is "Peace, Love, and Chocolate," and that's a motto we can really get behind. The company was started by Katrina Markoff in her Chicago apartment and has blossomed into an imaginative, playful vendor devoted to coming up with wild pairings like chocolate and chilies, chocolate and flowers and chocolate and bacon.

"We harness the power of storytelling to open minds, spirits and palates through the medium of esteemed chocolate, inspiring us all to interact with the world in a new and creative way," their website reads.

And boy, do they live up to their words — with creations like the Smokehouse BBQ Potato Chip Bar and Coconut Ash & Banana Super Dark chocolate bar, Vosges is not to be missed.

More: Impress Your S.O. With a Heart-Shaped Brownie Treasure Box on V-Day

Payard

Image: TasteofTennis/Twitter

If you recognize the name, that's because Payard is the creation of legendary confectioner François Payard. His café in New York serves his famous chocolates and cakes, and now you can purchase his creations online to enjoy at home. His amazing truffle selections are not cheap — a 16-piece box will run you $36 — but they are worth every penny.

Christopher Elbow Chocolates

Christopher Elbow chocolates

Christopher Elbow chocolates

Christopher Elbow is an artisan chocolatier based in Kansas City, Missouri. He is a classically trained chef who has worked as a pastry chef for big names like Emeril Lagasse. Now Elbow works like a mad scientist creating everything from bourbon chocolates to melt-in-your-mouth candied fruit squares — and even an amazing variety of drinking chocolates.

What are some of your favorite artisan chocolates?

Artisan chocolate will forever change the way you look at candy bars
Image: SheKnows

Before you go, check out our slideshow below.

21 Reasons peanut butter and chocolate is the most heavenly combination
Image: Carolyn Ketchum

Originally published February 2013. Updated February 2017.

People Think Canceling Their Netflix Accounts Will #MakeNetflixGreatAgain

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Remember how liberals are politically correct snowflakes who get offended by everything?

More: 7 Bomb-Drop Revelations From Selena Gomez's Latest Interview

Remember, also, how conservatives get offended by shit like people saying "happy holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" or Starbucks giving them a solid red cup (still don't understand that one, to be honest)? Now, they're offended by Netflix making a TV show about black people. Really.

Netflix has set a date for the premiere of its series Dear White People, and people who have some weird internalized issue with seeing dark skin on TV are predictably freaking the fuck out about it. Some of them are going so far as to delete their Netflix accounts because they've somehow gotten it into their heads that the show is going to "promote white genocide."

Cancelling Netflix accounts because of Dear White Peopl

Cancelling Netflix accounts because of Dear White Peopl

The synopsis is literally this: "Based on the acclaimed indie film, the series satirizes 'post-racial' America as students of color navigate a predominantly white Ivy League college," which sounds exactly zero percent like genocide. In case you need to see for yourself, here's the trailer. Believe it or not, not a single white person is harmed.

Dear White People date anouncement trailer

Dear White People date anouncement trailer

More: 23 Nostalgic Movies Leaving Netflix in February (Like Clueless! Nooo!)

Really, the sheer disconnect from reality makes me wonder if this is legitimate or if that guy is just a master at trolling all of us. Regardless, one of those liberal snowflakes got revenge.

Dear White People Twitter backlash 2

Dear White People Twitter backlash 2

This about sums it up:

Dear White People Twitter backlash 3

Dear White People Twitter backlash 3

Dear White People hits Netflix on April 28, for those of you who aren't offended by the mere presence of black people.

More: We Already Know 18 Things About Stranger Things Season 2

Before you go, check out our slideshow below.

amazon prime slideshow
Image: The CW

GH Star Kirsten Storm Is Feeling the Heat From Fans Over Her Appearance

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It isn’t easy being in the public eye, especially when you are going through personal issues. It seems that General Hospital star Kirsten Storms might be under stress and fans aren’t letting her off the hook.

More: TV Legend Barbara Tarbuck Dies at Age 74

Storms’ recent appearance on the ABC soap has drawn a lot of concern from viewers who think she looks gaunt and unhealthy. On Facebook and Twitter, fans have criticized everything from her hair and makeup to her weight. It can’t be easy to read the negative comments.

GH fans criticize Kirsten Storm

GH fans criticize Kirsten Storm

GH fans criticize Kirsten Storm-2

GH fans criticize Kirsten Storm-2

GH fans criticize Kirsten Storm-3

GH fans criticize Kirsten Storm-3

GH fans criticize Kirsten Storm-4

GH fans criticize Kirsten Storm-4

It’s no secret that Storms had a tough year in 2016. She divorced her husband and former co-star Brandon Barash after almost three years of marriage. The split is amicable, and they often share photos on social media of their co-parenting adventures with daughter Harper Rose, 3.

Storms also took a leave of absence from GH last May after suffering from a stress acne breakout. She was open with her fans about her emotional state at the time.

More: Natalia Livingston Reveals How General Hospital Handled Her TV Rape Scene

"My dr's say my breakouts are due to stress, but shouldn't take too long to get under control (I can say that I'm on the better end of it now),” she wrote on Twitter. “However, it was becoming too difficult for GH to cover up. And we all know in this biz appearance is important.”

Molly Burnett replaced Storms briefly until she was ready to return. In a previous leave of absence, Storms was diagnosed with endometriosis in 2011 and took close to a year to heal. Former Days of Our Lives star Jen Lilley took her place then.

More: Former Y&R Star Michael Muhney Comes Clean About That Sexual Harassment Rumor

For now, Storms has remained silent on the topic of her health. She has not responded to any tweets from fans, either.

Whatever Storms is going through, it is her business, and she can choose to speak up and share her story when she’s ready. In the meantime, GH fans should be supportive of her. She’s doing her best with her ex-husband to create a loving environment for their daughter.

Before you go, check out our slideshow below.

General Hospital slideshow
Image: ABC/Rick Rowell

Dear Body-Shamers: Our Daughters Are Perfect, and So Are We

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Claire is sitting at her white wooden table in her playroom. A small chair is pulled up to its edge, her light-pink teapot and matching cups are lined up in front of her. She wears a pastel striped T-shirt with a ruffled edge on each shoulder and nothing else but a diaper. The curls at the back of her head are still wet from her bath earlier that morning and her bangs are pinned back with a purple bow hair clip.

I wish she knew how perfect she is.

I sit in a chair opposite her and marvel at her complete unawareness of her body and the things she might someday think about it. The things someone else might someday think about it.

Her small, dimpled legs hang over the side of the chair and her rounded belly pokes out from under her shirt. I think about my 15-year-old self standing in the bathroom mirror, lamenting my too-soft tummy. I chipped away at my flaws with an eating disorder that left me counting calories on a small piece of paper I hid inside my dresser drawer. One day, my cousin put his hand around my wrist. “You’re so skinny!” He had no idea that what he meant as an insult felt like validation.

I lean forward and kiss Claire’s cheek. “I love you so much,” I tell her. I think about each and every picture I discarded from my 20s because of my “fat face” or “chubby cheeks.” 

A couple of months after I had Claire, I called my mom and told her I was sorry for ever criticizing my body. “I would just never, ever want Claire to feel the way I did about my body,” I said through tears. “That had to hurt you so much... you thought I was perfect, didn’t you?” 

I find myself constantly saying to Claire, “I love your little body.” 

I love the way she takes a bite of food and says, “Mmmmmmm,” while rubbing her belly. “More” she says, over and over again.

I adore the way she sits in the bath and the rolls on her inner thighs meet. The way she pulls her “piggies” in toward her face and kisses them, hugs them close. The way she walks up to me and kisses my leg, wraps her arms around it and says, “Ooooh!” which is the sound she makes when she really, really loves something.

I want her to always see food as nourishment and her body as something to be valued and other people’s bodies as something to be loved. For herself, not me. Not the boy she someday crushes on. Not the girlfriends whose golden hair or athletic legs she might someday covet. Not the beautiful women in magazines. Not the people who write things on the internet about women.

To Twitter user Angry Hippy, who wrote, “Y’all find this attractive? lmaaoo,” in response to a photo of three United States Olympic female gymnasts in bikinis at the beach: I hope my daughter is one of the people who looks at that photo and aspires to achieve her goals as they have theirs.

To Reed Emerson, who tweeted, “Selena Gomez is trash and fat”: I hope my daughter shakes her head in disgust.

To model Dani Mathers, who posted an Instagram photo of an unsuspecting woman in the shower at the gym. “If I can’t unsee this, then you can’t either!” she wrote. I hope Claire reads that and mourns for the everyday woman who was simply trying to rinse off after a workout.

And to Nathan, who during the Super Bowl on Sunday tweeted to all 35 of his followers, “Tried to enjoy @LadyGaga’s performance, was distracted by the flab on her stomach swinging around”: I hope my daughter feels a stirring in her belly as if he had written it about her.

Because he has. That’s the thing about these women –– we are all these women. My 13-year-old self is Selena Gomez. It is Christmas Day and I stand in my bedroom crying. Every single pair of pants my parents bought me wouldn’t button. Fat, fat, fat.

My sister is the athlete in the photograph, strong and confident. Unwavering. A lean muscle runs down the side of her leg as she hits her running stride around the track. Y’all find this attractive?

My mother is the woman at the gym, trying to find fitness again after she had a hysterectomy and slipped into early menopause, her body shifting in a way that left it feeling heavy and borrowed. I can’t unsee this.

And my daughter? As I watch her, now standing at her play kitchen and making me some broccoli, I see her belly peeking out over her dinosaur-print diaper with “RAWR!” splashed between T-Rex graphics. Flab on her stomach swinging around.

I sneak up behind her and wrap my arms around her. Knowing I only have a few seconds before she wriggles free, I squeeze hard and silently hope her response to the only person she will ever have to answer to, herself, will be exactly like Gaga’s: 

Be you, and be relentlessly you.

Parental Advisory: Do I Have to Talk to My Friend's Toddler?

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Welcome back to Parental Advisory, where I answer all of your social media and IRL parenting etiquette questions. This week, let's talk about parents who put their kids on the phone with their friends (whether their friends like it or not!).

Question: 

Dearest STFU Parents,

My best friend has a toddler, who speaks adorable toddler-ese. It would be even cuter if, every time we spoke on the phone, I didn’t have to talk to him as well.

Let me explain: ever since this kid got out his first word, she’s put him on the phone with me. Every time we talk, at some point during our conversations she’ll say, “Craig [his name is not Craig], do you want to talk to [name redacted]”? And then I’ve had to engage in conversation with a baby. At this stage he can say things like “I got ball!” or “I want cookie!” But let me tell you, it’s a little hard to come up with much to say after that. It’s not like she keeps me on the phone with him for hours, but sometimes I just want to talk to my friend, you know? Yes, he’s cute. Yes, she’s proud of him and his verbal feats. Yes, she’s trapped at home with a toddler and wants someone else to entertain him for a few minutes. I get it. If I only had to converse with him once in a while, even, it would be okay. But every time? Every single time?

This is not even when the toddler interrupts – she’ll literally say, “Craig, do you want to talk to Aunt [Redacted]” and then I have to sit on the phone and listen to a baby breathing at me while I say things like, “Hi, Craig, how are you?” and “Are you playing with your mom?” I think it might be an attempt to get us to bond. Which is very sweet, really. I’m probably being a jerk about this. I don’t actually know why she does it because I feel like if I ask it’s going to have a judgy tone.

Can I say anything, or do I have to keep my mouth shut and chat up li'l Craig until he’s a teenager and doesn’t want to talk to his mom’s dumb friends?

Signed, 

— Aunt [Redacted]

Answer:

It pains me to say this, but you should probably keep your mouth shut and chat up li'l Craig, if only because your options are pretty limited. Sure, you could get passive-aggressive and sarcastically tell your friend that her son explained photosynthesis to you the next time he gets off the phone just to highlight the low level of discourse one has with a toddler — but that's probably not going to get you the results you want. I agree that saying point blank that you're "all set" on chatting with her kid won't win you any friend awards, but beyond that, the only thing you can really do is stop talking to her on the phone altogether, and that doesn't sound like a great plan.

If she's your best friend, it's important to you both to find the time to catch up on the phone, and besides, technology has only made it easier for parents to encourage "forced bonding" between their friends and their kids. [See: last week's column about Snapchat.] If your friend is determined for you to "get to know" her preverbal son (and I'm assuming she and her son don't live in the same city as you do, A.R.), she'll find other means to do so. With FaceTime, Skype, email, text messaging, Facebook, Instagram, etc., parents have a bevy of tools at their disposal if they want to show off their kids or live-broadcast a school play.

There are so many ways parents can force grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends to opt into their children's world that for some, the temptation is too great. They're powerless to stop themselves from sending a daily photo, video or Boomerang, even if they're not sure the recipient watches or cares. They also yearn for their kids to have heartfelt, established relationships with their friends and family, even if those friends and family live far away.

Email
Image: STFU Parents

It's also possible, A.R., that your friend is putting her son on the phone every time you talk because she's teaching him how to use the phone, and you're the "lucky" guinea pig of the day. The good news is that she's not cutting you off in the middle of a story or dismissing your side of the conversation just because her son wants attention. She's waiting for a pause in the conversation to ask him if he wants to talk to you, and while this is annoying because she's asking him if he wants to talk to you and not the other way around — thus, assuming you always want to talk to him — it's better than her acting like the world revolves around her kid and nothing you say matters. Your words and stories and feelings still matter to her; she's just mildly insistent that you become best buddies with her son too.

So in essence, you only stand to gain a "friend" (in her toddler son), and you're not actually losing a friend since she's still the same person she was before becoming a mom. It's a net positive — just a somewhat irksome one since it involves regularly chatting up a 25-pound baby.

Perhaps the worst side effect of this baby talk is that you've likely come to expect it every time you and your friend get on the phone. It might even deter you from calling to say hello (if you're not in the mood to express fake enthusiasm and speak toddler-ese), but do not fret! Toddlers eventually become slightly more interesting, and most important, they learn how to be independent kids. Before you know it, her son will be too preoccupied playing with LEGO to get on the phone, and his mom will probably welcome an extended break from hearing his incessant factoids about dinosaurs or engines or whatever he's obsessing over at the time. You may even grow to appreciate those phone chats with him once they're less frequent and include complete sentences. (Maybe.)

Until then, might I recommend distracting yourself during these chats by squeezing a creepy stress ball that's shaped like a baby's head? No one has to know because no one will be able to see you.

Stress ball
Image: Amazon

Embracing "old school" communication methods still has its perks.

Do YOU have a question about parents on social media? Send whatever is on your mind to stfuparentsblog AT gmail.com!

Feeling Included Transformed My Whole Life — Everyone Deserves That

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When I was eleven, I was short and fat. A girl in my math class told me I smelled. That was the year people realized what popularity was. Some kids were deemed cool and other kids were called losers. At Lakeview Middle School, it was pretty clear which category I belonged to. I wasn’t rich, pretty, athletic, or anything else that matters to a bunch of sixth graders who don’t know anything about the world yet.

Lunch was the worst. In the 6th grade, no one wants to be associated with a loser. They’re afraid that somehow it will infect them and bring down their own tenuous status. No one saved me a seat at lunch. Sometimes there was space for me and sometimes there wasn’t. When the table was full, I ate in the library.

More: Seeing Ohio in the World Series reminds me why I love my home state

In 7th grade, the most popular boy in school asked me out. When I said, “yes” his friends laughed about it loudly at their lunch table. Boys like him didn’t date girls like me.

I read. A lot. And volunteered at the nursing home by my house. I developed anxious habits and compulsive behaviors that I still fight to this day.

The first day of 8th grade, God intervened and placed my locker next to a tall girl with long, dyed hair named Amanda. I can’t remember why or how we started talking but Amanda invited me to eat with her friends at lunch. Eventually, her friends became my friends and for the first time in my life, I belonged somewhere.

We were misfits. Too uncool for other groups so we made our own group. We called ourselves “The Rebel Children of Conformity” and even made shirts. We all had one, ironic I know. There was Erika, who was a dancer and made her own clothes. She was free-spirited, too unique and beautiful for the suburbs in Ohio. Tracey, who rode horses and had a trailer in her driveway. Katie who wore all black. Alison, Jenni, Sarah, Erin. We loved Something Corporate and punk shows.

More: At my loneliest I remember that my true love hasn't found me either

In so many ways, inclusivity saved my life. I think I’d be a very different person if Amanda had never talked to me. My loneliness probably would have manifested, at best into insecurity, and at worst into some sort of crippling anger or depression.

It didn’t though because one day in 8th grade Amanda invited me to eat with her friends at lunch. Instead, I grew up into a fairly confident adult with a soft spot for the underdog. More importantly, I was able to become friends with different groups of people. Being excluded as a kid gave me one of the greatest gifts of my life which was the ability to realize that everyone is bringing something to the table. That people are complex, but if you try, most people will give you a reason to love them. Most people just want to be accepted and loved. Inclusivity has become one of the single most defining parts of my personality. It’s the reason I like to host big parties and invite absolutely everyone. It’s the reason I hate exclusive, fancy schmancy bars that make you stand in line for no good reason and turn people away. It’s the reason I went to protest against the Muslim ban.

It’s the reason I’m writing this. We’re at a weird crossroads right now. Not only in the United States but all over the world.

I rewrote this article a million times, trying to explain how this relates to the bigger picture, because it does in so many ways. I failed every time. I’m hoping some writer, more talented than I, will come along and do a better job than I’m doing. I’m worried that my words will be misinterpreted and used out of context. Luckily I’ve learned not to read the comments.

More: I fell into the world of tickling fetishes and secretly loved it

All I can say is that I’m noticing groups based on politics, gender, race, religion, etc. are forming and many of these groups are becoming very exclusionary and closed. There’s a sense of “You’re either on my team or you’re not.” I gotta be honest, that’s scary. Historically speaking, policies that exclude people based on religion, race, etc. haven’t ended well for anyone really. I’m watching people battle on Facebook, spewing out hurtful insults and I wonder how this is manifesting in schools across the country. I wonder if an immigrant fifth-grader in Idaho is now eating in the library alone because no one saved her a seat at lunch. I wonder if a Muslim child is being picked on at recess. I wonder, if in some middle school in New York, a Trump supporter echoing the beliefs of his parents, is being called a “moronic idiot.” I wonder how all of these children will fare and if this will somehow manifest into anger or depression or something worse. Who will these people grow up to be?

Who are we growing up to be?

A few days ago I texted Amanda to tell her I was writing this article and how grateful I was for her friendship. “You always have a seat at my table, kid,” she responded. I smiled first because I knew it was true and then cried because I knew my life played out so differently because of the truth in that statement.

So I’m hoping we can remember to raise our children to be kind and inclusive. I hope that we ourselves remember to be kind and inclusive, though it’s easy to forget when you feel righteous in your anger. I know, I’ve forgotten many times. I’m hoping we all remember how important it might be for someone in the long-run.

And if you have nowhere else to sit, there’s room at my table.


Christina El Moussa Takes Selfie, Gets Accused of Not Living Her Best Life

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Y'all, can Christina El Moussa live her life?

More: Finally, Photos of Christina El Moussa and Her Boyfriend Gary Anderson

Amid her controversial divorce from husband Tarek El Moussa, the Flip or Flop star posted a selfie to Instagram on Thursday. Just a selfie, with a pretty Snapchat filter. She captioned it "#thursdayvibes." We all feel that.

Christina El Moussa accosted by fans for her

Christina El Moussa accosted by fans for her

Except her followers went in. Pretty much immediately, the comment section was filled with concerned fans telling her all about how sad she looks and giving unsolicited advice like whoa about what Christina, a total stranger they see on TV and the internet, should do to become happier.

More: Christina El Moussa is Low-Key Commenting on her Divorce on Instagram

"It's not late to FIX your marriage! It wasn't a flop, it just needs some rehab! Trust me, you two have 2 beautiful reasons to keep trying!!" one wrote. Another chimed in, "Would like to see you rehab your marriage. I think there is hope. Keep fighting the good fight." Another one went so far as to tell Christina to stop dating her current boyfriend: "You look so sad. I would love to see you and Tarek work things out. You had so much chemistry on the show. But you can't date other people and work things out."

The arrogance of these people, though. Christina El Moussa is a grown-ass woman — and a super-successful one, at that — and she deserves to make her decisions about her life without the unsolicited advice of a bunch or strangers.

Or people like some guy named Matthew, who went the total creeper route and commented, "Beautiful beautiful Christina with sad eyes... cheer up I wish I kiss all your troubles away."

Seriously, people? Stop. Just stop.

More: Christina El Moussa Will Play Nice With Tarek on Air Because She Has an End Goal

Before you go, check out our slideshow below.

HGTV scandals slideshow
Image: FayesVision/WENN.com

J.Lo and Drake Are Officially Over, Though It’s Unclear Whether They Ever Began

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It was the relationship that wasn’t: Jennifer Lopez and Drake have officially called it quits, sources say, though it’s not particularly clear that they ever really started up in the first place. Whether their romance was a fauxmance or for real is between DraLo and God, but according to one insider, their little fling “died down a bit,” Us Weekly reports. Another source simply said they’re finished — “for now.”

How soon good things come to an end. A couple of months ago, Drake went to J.Lo’s Vegas show — and posted a pic of himself with Lopez on IG captioned with a proverbial smoking gun: the heart-eyes emoji. Then there was that “intimate” dinner at LA hotspot Delilah with Lopez on the guest list — and in the car with Drake after the shindig.

More: Jennifer Lopez & Drake dating rumors are exactly what we needed to close out this year

Rumors really flew when Lopez and Drake alike posted the exact same pic of themselves snuggled up on a couch, seemingly confirming their love and announcing to the world that they were, indeed, coming out. Then Drake reportedly bought her a $100,000 Tiffany & Co. necklace and transformed an LA church into a high school gymnasium to throw her a prom because apparently he heard she’d never been. “He wanted her to have that experience,” an insider told Us.

DraLo breakup IG 1

DraLo breakup IG 1

Earlier this month, after that weird prom and the equally strange low-lit Instagrams, J.Lo posted an oh-so-‘grammable saying on IG, which fans interpreted as a breakup knell of sorts. “Timing is everything,” it read. “If it’s meant to happen, it will, and for the right reasons."

More: DraLo is for real but Jennifer Lopez isn't trying to make Drake her BF

According to E! News, this may be a temporary cool-off. They "have taken some time apart, not because they don't want to be with each other, just because their schedules started getting insane,” a source said.

DraLo breakup IG 2

DraLo breakup IG 2

"J.Lo and Drake are still talking, so people should know they are not in any means angry or that some incident happened,” the insider continued. “It mainly had to do with timing. They have just cooled things off a bit and it's not as fast as it was in the beginning. They very well may go to dinner tomorrow or in a month. They are in each other’s lives, just doing their own thing now."

And there you have it. R.I.P., DraLo. We hardly knew ye.

More: Rihanna allegedly thinks Drake is just using Jennifer Lopez for revenge

The Way Taylor Swift Prevents Her Music From Leaking Is Some Real James Bond Shit

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In today's digital age, it's hardly even surprising anymore when people hack celebs and leak their personal information. Taylor Swift, however, has been remarkably immune to all of that, and since she's the reigning queen of carefully curating a PR-approved image at all times, it's hardly surprising that she's one of the few celebs who always seem to escape having any of their songs leak. Still, that doesn't mean we're not curious about how she does it.

More: Tom Hiddleston Reaches New Levels of Earnestness in Interview About Taylor Swift

Enter Ed Sheeran, and bless him for being one of Swift's besties — and taking advantage of that fact by sharing her secrets so we can finally know.

The biggest secret to Swift's success at leak prevention, he says? Keeping her songs out of the cloud.

"She would never send new songs, no," Sheeran said. "I hear them, but it has to be with her."

More: Taylor Swift Spent the Day After Christmas with a 96-Year-Old Man

And if Swift needs someone to hear a song and they can't get to her, she actually hires someone to personally transport a locked briefcase containing a device to that person so they can listen to her new music.

"I remember when I did a song with her for her album. I was in San Francisco, and they sent someone with a locked briefcase with an iPad and one song on it, and they flew to San Francisco and played the song I've done with her," Sheeran said. "And they asked if I like it and I was like, 'Yeah,' and then they took it back. That's how I hear it."

That sounds like maybe a little extreme, but if it's working, power to her.

More: 15 Savage Celebrity Clapbacks, From Selena Gomez to Serena Williams

Before you go, check out our slideshow below.

Taylor Swift pickup lines
Image: Judy Eddy/WENN

Lilly Singh on Silencing Self-doubt, Influencing Fans, and Loving 'the Rock'

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Lilly Singh is badass and someone who's been missing from my YouTube-sheltered life all these years.

I'll be honest. I'm not hip. Sure, I guess I'm technically a millennial, but I don't get the YouTube generation. I don't watch YouTube videos (unless they involve adorable animals doing adorable things). I don't know YouTube stars. YouTube culture just ain't my thang. Don't @ me. (Or do. I won't see it. I also hate Twitter.)

But Singh — who also answers to the name "Superwoman" — is someone I've recently been introduced to and have come to care about. With more than 11 million subscribers on YouTube (freaking 11 million, people), 2 million followers on Twitter, notable film credits on her resume and a book in the works, her career has just begun.

My first introduction to Singh was at the 2017 MAKERS Conference, where she spoke about her strategy for success, aka shunning the "back-up plan."

"This idea of having back-up plans is ingrained into us to make us believe that that's the smart thing to do, but I'm here today to only have a Plan A and to eff a Plan B," she said. Singh went on to tell this group of more than 400 women how she focused her energy on her main goal: to make YouTube videos and to make a living doing it.

"I started treating my career as if it was a guarantee, see, because I thought, OK, if things get difficult and things don't work out, I'm not gonna think I have a Plan B, which is grad school, or Plan C, which is an office job. I'm just gonna have a Plan A, a Plan A 2.0, a Plan A 3.0, and that's what I'm going to do. Because entertainment and YouTube are always going to be my Plan A. The only thing that's going to change is my technique and my strategy."

Pretty good career advice, right? People always tell us we can do anything we set our minds to. Well, maybe the real trick is setting our minds to only doing that one thing and refusing to consider failure.

Luckily, we didn't only get Singh's less-than-10-minute spiel. We got to sit down with her to properly peel back the layers that make Singh "Superwoman."

SheKnows: Have you had any hard days while living in Los Angeles and pursuing your dreams? What did that look like, and how did you motivate yourself to keep pushing on?

Lilly Singh: Yeah. It was probably pretty soon after moving to LA. I had just moved away from my family, I was totally alone, didn’t know anywhere, didn’t know directions, didn’t understand traffic. And I got thrusted into pilot season to audition. I was driving to an audition, and I couldn’t figure out the parking or the traffic situation, and I was super stressed. And I walked into this audition, and it wasn’t the most welcoming atmosphere. I bombed the audition, and the guy was giving me such a hard time just to get through security and get off the lot. And I literally was waiting for someone to pull up my car, I was sitting on the curb like, "Why am I here? This is not for me. I am not cut out for this. I miss home, I miss my family" — and this is actually a really special story, because I was on the curb, literally crying, and a car pulls up, and they’re like, "Superwoman?" And it’s a car full of my fans that are like, "Oh, my God!"

Literally, my fans came to my rescue and saved the day. They were like, "What’s wrong?" and I was like, "I’m having a bad day." And then they were just telling me all the difference I’d made in their lives, and I was like, wow, this has never happened before, this is a sign from the universe. That day, I was super doubting myself and if I was even cut out to live this life, but then the fans came to my rescue. And I think we all have those moments, but every failure is necessary, especially in the entertainment industry.

Lily Singh gif

Image: Giphy

SKYou do so many things — you're a vlogger, a comedian, an actress, a writer — and you're so successful at them all. What’s the next chapter for you?

LS: The next chapter is 50 chapters in my book. This year, one of my main priorities is releasing my book, How to Be a Bawse. It comes out March 28. It’s so important to me because obviously, as a digital creator, there’s been so much pressure to write a book because so many of my peers have done it. I’ve been very adamant about saying, "No! I don’t want to release a book just for the sake of writing a book. I’m going to write a book when I feel like I have something to say in a book." And now I do feel like I have something to say. The book is a guide on how to not just survive life but to conquer it. And it’s based on my life experiences, all the people I’ve met, all the things I’ve learned from those people, being in the weird situations that I get in. Like, dressed as my mom kissing Seth Rogen — that’s a thing that happened. There’s things I’ve learned along the way, and it’s not merchandise. It’s something I believe in, and it’s something I think will help people. So that’s my focus for this year.

More: 7 Things to Know About YouTube Star Lilly Singh

SK: Can you name one person who has really inspired you?

LS: I mean, there’s a lot of chapters on Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson because he’s been such a mentor to me through my career. There are some chapters about Selena Gomez, there’s some about Kunal Nayyar, who’s Raj on The Big Bang Theory. All the people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting — Michelle Obama and whatnot. But even people like my mom or my friends, people I’ve met in meetings or even people I’ve met where I’m like, "Ooh, I don’t wanna be like that." Lessons I’ve extracted from all the awesome experiences I’ve had.

Lilly Singh Selena Gomez gif
Image: Giphy

SK: I think for girls right now, a lot of people are battling that self-doubt. What’s something you tell yourself when you’re feeling self-doubt?

LS: The best way to battle fear is with courage. You have to look at the opposite of fear: Fear is scared of courage. I think, especially in this time in the world, there is very much a choice between fear and courage, and we all have to pick the courageous route. That is the only thing that will work — and making your voices heard. Finding like-minded people is very important. It’s hard to be a happy meal in a room full of sad people. You’ll never find a happy meal in a sad place. Surround yourself with like-minded, strong people, use your voices and choose courage over fear.

More: 9 Funny Women on YouTube You Need to Subscribe to Today

SK: I imagine it can be pretty draining being a public figure. Is there ever a time you ever need to shut everyone out and have some alone time?

LS: Yes! I mean, you’re right, it is super difficult. I won’t play that down. I do two videos a week on my main channel and daily vlogs, so it’s a lot. But my team knows, I’m a super spiritual person, so every now and then I’ll say, "Everyone, get out of my room because I need 15 minutes by myself to just sit alone." I have a chapter in my book called "Pause," and basically, the idea is one of the ways to be successful is to reflect back on your successes and everything you’ve achieved. And you can’t do that if you’re still going, going, going, going. So one of the keys to being successful is to pause and reflect on everything you’ve accomplished so you can use that fuel to keep accomplishing more. Pausing is a big part of my days.

Lilly Singh gif
Image: Giphy

SKObviously, you speak a lot to depression and spirituality and how you were raised. Why do you think activism is important, especially for those who have a platform?

LS: I’m kind of twofold on this. On one end, I would never want to change myself to be someone I’m not. I would never say, "I’m going to do these things in a video to be a role model so people make me a role model." I want to be myself. I don’t want to go crazy pretending to be someone all the time. But at the same time, if I have the ability to influence people, and we have X amount of energy in the day, it’s not even our option anymore — it’s our duty to do something positive in the world. I think there’s so many things happening, whether it’s gender inequality or immigration, there’s just so many issues happening around the world where not doing anything makes you guilty. I feel like you have to use your energy, you have to use your resources to help those who don’t have a voice. Whereas back in the day, you could say, "I didn’t know about this. What was I supposed to do? One person can’t make a difference." No, like, none of that’s valid. You can make a difference, and you do have a voice.

More: Lilly Singh Nabs Spot on Forbes' 30 Under 30 List

SK: What are your tips for girls or women who are trying to find their voice and they’re not certain or confident in what it may be?

LS: Yeah, that’s totally cool. Everyone finds their voice at different times in their life. I found my voice when I started doing YouTube videos, and that’s when I was pretty old, to be honest. I think it’s about exploration. I think it’s about trying new things, meeting new people, and also, it’s about borrowing inspiration from other people. Because I still have those moments where I’m like, "Oh my God, I’m a loser, what am I doing?" I will schedule inspiration. I will be like, "For the next hour, I will watch the Beyoncé documentary. I will meet inspirational people, read a book, watch an interview, whatever it is." I think you have to proactively seek out things that inspire you and consume as much of those things as possible.

Lilly Singh Jimmy Fallon gif
Image: Giphy

SK: What are some sources of inspiration that you regularly go back to?

LS: I’m a big believer of having a vision board, so I have a vision board, and that’s motivating because it shows me all the things I have accomplished and all the things I still want to accomplish. That’s a big one. I also watch interviews specifically of people discussing the challenges and adversities they’ve faced. I would tell anyone, pick the person you love the most, the musician, the actor, public figure, whatever, and watch a bunch of their interviews and find ones where they talk about all the times they’ve failed, all the times they weren’t good enough, and watch those on the regular. It’s a very unique type of inspiration. It’s almost like spiritual jumper cables for your inner drive.

SK: So, who’s your person?

LS: My person is the Rock, like I said. I also watch a lot of interviews with Selena because she’s been in the public eye for so long and she’s dealt with a lot of critique that I believe is unwarranted, but maybe that’s just me being a fangirl. I also reflect back on my mom’s journey, someone who was an immigrant to Canada and came not knowing anything and figured it out tremendously. I reflect back on that a lot.

Lilly Singh and The Rock at Moana premiere

Lilly Singh and The Rock at Moana premiere

SKOkay, for real, last question. What is something the Rock has taught you that’s made the biggest difference?

LS: One was before I went on tour, he texted me a very long text and said, "Hey, I just wanted to give you tips for your tour. People are gonna be spreading you very thin, you’re gonna have a lot of shows back-to-back, you’re gonna do a lot of interviews, but the person who will take the best care of you is yourself. You have to take care of yourself." That’s something I really needed to hear because I’m a yes person. I say yes to a billion things, and when you’re exhausted and you’re not having fun doing things, you will not do them as well. It’s important for you to take care of yourself. And he was the only one who was real enough to say that to me. The second thing is during his PCA awards, when he won, he said to everyone who was there, "It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice." And he practices what he preaches completely. He’s just so successful and the nicest person ever.

What's your life mantra? Share it with us in the comments below!

MAKERS is a storytelling platform for the trailblazing women of today and tomorrow. For more information, visit their site here.

Madonna Adopts 4-Year-Old Sisters

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2017 is definitely shaping up to be the year of the twins. But this might be our favorite twin story so far. Sorry, Bey and Amal!

Unless you've been dead or trapped under a bus or something, you know that rumors have been swirling for a few weeks that Madonna had adopted twin 4-year-old girls from an orphanage in Malawi. She denied the rumors at first, but we had a hunch there had to be a story here, because twins, twins, twins are in the air. Can you smell the baby powder? The milk breath? Get into the groove, guys.

This week, Madonna confirmed both the adoption and the names of her newly adopted twin daughters in several very sweet Instagram posts (Madge, you secret softie, you).

More: Madonna is the inspiration behind our New Year's resolutions

Madonna posted a heart-melting pic of herself and her daughters — adorable 4-year-old twins from Mchinji, Malawi — but at first didn’t reveal their names: “I am overjoyed that they are now part of our family. I am deeply grateful to all those in Malawi who helped make this possible, and I ask the media please to respect our privacy during this transition time.” 

Madonna Twins Insta

Madonna Twins Insta

But the proud mom couldn’t help herself (look, we were going to give you all the privacy, Madonna, we were) and released more info about her beautiful new daughters, including their names and their background: “There are 650 Orphans at Home of Hope where Estere and Stelle have lived for 4 years since they were 5 days old…Raising Malawi has been working with HOH for over 10 years since I met my son David there. If you would like to get involved by volunteering or donations go to RaisingMalawi.org. Every little bit helps!!!"

More: Madonna and son Rocco on the rocks?

(We love that Madonna kept the girls' names — we're kind of hoping Estere and Stelle will shoot to the top of 2018 baby girl names, because oh the prettiness.) 

Madonna has already adopted two children from the country Malawi: David Banda in 2006 and Mercy James in 2009. That brings her family to a half dozen (her other children are Lourdes and Rocco). Impressive, Lady M. Just pretty please post your playdates with Bey and Amal and their kids on Instagram. We kinda can't wait.

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