I think we can all agree that parenting teens is decidedly not for the faint of heart. Most of us recall our own teen years a little too vividly. For me, vomiting a racing stripe of peach-schnapps puke out the window of a prom limo speeding along at 70 mph is a memory I'd be happy to lose — and an experience I wish very much I had known a way out of. I wound up in far too many bad situations — and my biggest hope as a parent is to help my daughters find a way out when they, too, inevitably wind up in a bad situation.

The X plan is the most caring, empowering tool we’ve heard of for helping your kids stay safe while saving face with peers. If they're going to drive us crazy with their ever-tethered cellphones? Let's put those phones to good use.

More: How Teenagers Are Like Cats

The X plan goes like this: 

Your 15-year-old heads off to a party with friends. If anything at all makes her uncomfortable at the party — alcohol, drugs, sexual harassment, general sense of unease — she knows you’ve got her back minus the grounding.

All she has to do? Text the letter X to you or another trusted adult or an older sibling.

If you’re on the receiving end of the X, you call her phone and run some version of this script:

"Hello?"

"Hey, something’s come up and I have to come and get you right now."

"What happened?"

"I’ll tell you when I get there. Be ready to leave in five minutes. I’m on my way."

Boom. That’s it. Your kid tells her friends that there’s been an emergency at home, she doesn’t know what’s going on, but someone’s coming for her and she’s got to go. Nobody can argue with that.

This safety plan is genius in our book. Your kid goes into any situation with a built-in sense of security. There’s no need for your teen to mortify himself in front of peers. He can blame his quick exit on you, and if a friend wants out too, they can come along as “support” for your kid.

Basically, it’s special ops parenting, the equivalent of a Navy SEAL extraction from enemy turf. Smart, huh?

But here’s the deal — and this is the key part of the plan — your teen can tell you everything or nothing at all. It’s totally up to them. Yeah, we know you’re curious about what went down. We know you’re worried and upset and angry. But you’ve got to shelve it and skip the control-freak act. The X plan only works if your teen knows you’re not going to freak the hell out and lock them in their room until college. It's pretty much the only way to keep the X plan grounded in trust and mutual respect.

But... what if you find your kid rappelling down from a skyscraper with a GoPro in a completely different city, reeking of terror and controlled substances? Can you ask then? Nope, not even then.

More: Teens on Drinking Alcohol

The one thing that you can insist on knowing is if anyone else is in danger or at risk in some way. This is hard stuff to talk about, but it’s necessary. Teach your kids that we have to look out for others who might not have an easy way out or are in over their heads — even if it might create social drama to extract someone else or alert their parents.

It’s a simple plan, and the sheer act of sitting down and discussing an escape plan fosters real openness and trust with your teen (yes, the same one who’s been sneering at you when you ask whether GIF is pronounced “jif” or “gif” with a hard g or when you say "meme" like your French teacher would have). The X plan is a win all around, the way we see it. And when you’re parenting teens, wins can be in pretty short supply.

So have the X talk. Let your kid know that their safety means everything to you — and you’ve got their back, no matter what. It’s a way better gift than a new car. Though they might not figure that out until much, much later. But you'll know.

More: Should We Allow Teens to Drink Under Adult Supervision?

You know those helpful strangers who are always popping up in Facebook stories? (Like the cashier who sings a lullaby to a crying infant... that sort of thing). I need one of those.

Not a singing cashier. I need this lady. The one in a Kansas McDonald's who overheard mother Tiffany Miller begging her 3-year-old to pee before they got back into the car. Well, the 3-year-old was hesitant to do so because she was scared of the toilet flushing while she was on it. (Full disclaimer: I loathe those self-flushing toilets too. I mean, who wants to go to the bathroom while getting sprayed with toilet bowl water?! So I get it, little girl, I get it.) 

More: Stop Telling Me to Predict My Daughter's Tantrums

The mom said she would block the sensor — but this 3-year-old wasn't convinced. Cue kind stranger. In an open letter to the woman on Facebook, the mom said, "You told her you would give her a bracelet if she would go potty for Mommy. She perked up and agreed. I turned to quickly put her on the potty (before she changed her mind). You told her the bracelet would be waiting outside the stall for her. I turned to say thank you, but you were already gone. Outside the stall was a bracelet and a mini Snickers bar."

How much do you love this stranger? She's compassionate, gives away a bracelet plus candy and doesn't even want credit? And when can she show up at my house? My 3-year-old, who is about 85 percent potty trained (that's my own unscientific data), is constantly peeing in his car seat. Does he not care? Does the car seat feel like a toilet? Does he forget that my minivan, constantly trashed by a multitude of children, doesn't need to also smell like pee? I try to get him to pee before we leave the house, but he's always more interested in the flushing mechanism in the back part of the toilet and whether he can get his fingers caught in the heavy lid.

I don't know why he then decides it's A-OK to pee in the car. I've discussed it with him many times, and he doesn't really share his reasoning. So, kind stranger, come to my house each time we are gearing up for a car ride and please reason with my son. He's not that into bracelets but the promise of a new Matchbox car or stuffed animal might just do the trick.

More: If toddlers wrote self-help books, here's what they'd look like

A new report published in the journal of Pediatrics on Monday sends a strong message to parents: You are role models for your children, and actions speak louder than words. So if you use marijuana in front of your teens, they are more likely to use it themselves, regardless of whether you tell them not to.

Many parents use the drug and think it's OK for their kids, but "we would rather not mess around with the developing brain," said Dr. Seth Ammerman, one of authors of the report.

More: 4 Deadly Drugs Your Teen Might Be Consuming Right Under Your Nose

The adolescent brain, particularly the prefrontal cortex areas that control judgment and decision-making, is not fully developed until the early 20s, raising questions about how any substance use may affect the developing brain.

"Marijuana is not a benign drug, especially for teens. Their brains are still developing, and marijuana can cause abnormal and unhealthy changes," said Ammerman in an American Academy of Pediatrics news release.

Regular use of pot by kids may contribute to addiction, depression, psychosis, lung problems, memory and attention problems and impaired driving, the AAP said. The report authors noted that research suggests modern marijuana is stronger than it was 20 years ago. They contend this makes overdoses and addiction more likely.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is urging doctors to protect children from the harms of marijuana as the nation becomes increasingly tolerant of the drug's use. Pediatricians are in an influential position to counteract the perception of teenage marijuana use as benign and help spread the word of the dangers.

Parents who use marijuana may not fully realize the problems that their own use may present for their children’s health; the effect that their modeling of recreational use may have on their child, adolescent or young adult; or the risks of ingestion and/or secondhand smoke. That’s why the office setting provides an excellent opportunity for education and counseling to prevent marijuana use as well as to implement brief interventions and referrals if needed.

More: Vaping Teens Came Up With "Dripping," and It's Disgusting

We are terrible people. When we heard that Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel are dealing with the terrible twos, we laughed. (But, you know, in a nice way. We're laughing with you guys, not at you. Because we've totally been there.)

Apparently, Baby TimberBiel — Silas — is already giving them a serious run for their money and won't turn two until April. Silas is clearly a serious force to be reckoned with, which is maybe not surprising considering his dad single-handedly brought all the sexy back, in the whole world. That takes some doing and some pretty impressive genetic code.

More: Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake Are Pretty Cute on Date Night Without Silas

“He does not want the diapers changed,” Timberlake told Entertainment Tonight on the red carpet at the Oscars.  “He’s hitting his terrible twos a little early, so we’re hoping he’ll get out of them a little early.” Heh-heh. That's the spirit! Good luck with that, you guys!

Biel's description of her son was pretty much perfection for all of us who have survived raging toddlers: “He’s doing amazing, but it’s one of those things where you’re like, I love you, but I don’t know if I like you,” she said. OK, Jessica, in that vein, we liked you, but now we love you.

More: Jessica Biel on How She and JT Got Together

We get the feeling these two are very hands-on parents, which is pretty awesome. Timberlake has talked candidly about fatherhood before: “There’s... moments where you’re like, ‘This is really hard and I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.’” 

Our favorite Timberlake dad quote? “Those first eight months felt like those old [Ed Sullivan] shows where people are balancing spinning plates on poles — except if you drop one, they die.” 

Can't stop the spinning. Yup, that pretty much sums up parenthood. Well said, JT.

I've worked in entertainment long enough to consider myself adequately jaded, so you'll forgive me when the first thought that popped into my head when Envelopegate took over the world last night was, "Hm, I wonder if they're just trying to increase viewership."

More: Most Talked-About Looks on the 2017 Oscars Red Carpet

After all, last night's Academy Awards was a 9 year low for viewers, despite Jimmy Kimmel's best attempts to make the show fun by putting Matt Damon down in a host of glorious (and kinda harsh) ways. The cookies falling from the sky and the unsuspecting tourists were also a nice touch. But it doesn't have the grandeur of the VMAs where everyone is trying to one up each other or the Golden Globes where celebrities get notoriously wasted.

The Oscars is, well, traditionally seen as stuffy. Making a mistake like Envelopegate definitely makes the whole show seem less put together, if you will.

And that might have been the whole point.

PricewaterhouseCoopers, who is responsible for the Oscars, is reportedly blaming the envelope mishap on a man named Brian Cullinan, who was in charge of the envelopes for the night, however, it's still unclear how the mixup happened, exactly, since even Cullinan himself said before the Oscars the chance of someone announcing the wrong name would be "so unlikely."

More: Jimmy Kimmel's Donald Trump Tweet Got 4.3K Retweets in Under 1 Minute

Interesting timing, no?

Cullinan has yet to comment on the incident, probably because he's legally bound to silence at this point and simply focusing on not hyperventilating as the world learns his name.

I do feel sorry for the guy. This is no doubt, not the Hollywood notoriety he was hoping for.

Publicity stunt or not, his name will now go down in Oscar history alongside one of the biggest scandals the Academy Awards has ever seen.

More: The Best Part of the Oscars Red Carpet Was Justin Timberlake's Photobombs

Do you think Envelopegate could have been a publicity stunt?

Before you go, check out our slideshow below.

Penn Badgley may have spent most of his career surrounded by Upper East Side glitz and glam, but it turns out he's still more like Dan Humphrey than Blair Waldorf.

More: Chace Crawford is Single, So We Updated His Match.com Profile For Him

Badgley made things official with his beau Domino Kirke in a Brooklyn courthouse on Monday afternoon, according to E! News. The groom wore a sharp navy suit, while Kirke wore a white lace gown with a pastel arrangement of flowers.

The low-key ceremony was attended by the couple's friends and family, including Kirke's sister, Jemima Kirke of Girls fame. It was so casual, in fact, that Jemima opted for jeans!

Domino's other sister, Lola, commented on the casual looks on Instagram.

More: Penn Badgley Calls Gossip Girl DVD An Image of "White Privilege"

"When someone gets married in a courthouse, it's really an open invitation to everyone but the beautiful bride to explore all that fashion has to offer," she wrote. "Here, I try a look simply called 'Pants,' as Cassius goes for 'That Dude from #incubus' and Jemima experiments with 'Off to Therapy!' Congratulations @dominokirke. We love you"

Unlike his high-profile, long-term relationship with Blake Lively up until 2010, Badgley managed to keep his relationship with Kirke much more discreet, which means we don't even know for sure how long these two have been dating let alone when they got engaged.

Us Weekly reports the two have been together since 2014.

Congrats to the happy couple!

Xoxo,

Gossip Girl

(I've always wanted to do that...)

More: 12 Gossip Girl Moments Blake Lively Probably Hopes Her Kid Never Sees

Before you go, check out our slideshow below.

Move over, Emma Stone, Andrew Garfield has a new relationship for us all to obsess over and this one is all man.

More: Everyone's Emotionally Exhausted After Getting Personally Victimized by the Oscars

Garfield and Dev Patel shared a sweet, sweet embrace last night during an Oscar's commercial break, and it was so beautiful the internet fell in love.

Here's what I imagine they're saying:

Patel: Man, how do you smell so good?

Garfield: Oh, thank you. It's actually just my natural scent.

Patel: I'm going to hug you so I can just get a whiff of that Garfield-ness.

Garfield: Let's be best friends.

More: The Best Part of the Oscars Red Carpet Was Justin Timberlake's Photobombs

In reality, these two were probably bro-ing out about their work this year. Garfield was nominated for Best Actor while Patel was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. Neither won, but that doesn't mean their performances weren't gab worthy.

Their Oscar moment was so passionate, many people thought the two were going to start making out.

I think it's easy to forget how much time all of these actors spend together during award season. It isn't just the award shows themselves, but it's the after parties, the pre-parties, the interviews (they both appeared in the Hollywood Reporter together), the nomination events and studio events. By the time the Oscars roll around, most of them are old friends. They're looking at the front three rows of that audience the way we used to look around at our high school classmates. Old faces.

This may be the first time we've caught Garfield and Patel looking cozy with each other, but I bet it's far from the first time they've gotten chummy. And let's not lie, we're all hoping this isn't the last time we see the bromance come out to play.

More: Most Talked-About Looks on the 2017 Oscars Red Carpet

Before you go, check out our slideshow below.

Remember when The Voice was about, well, voices? If the Season 12 premiere is any indication, it has a promising future as a romantic comedy.

More: Sundance Head Says His Bond With Blake Shelton Helped Him Win The Voice

That's right — Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani have been reunited, and we're in for a ton of PDA.

The couple wasted no time establishing themselves during tonight's episode. They flirted shamelessly, relishing in their ability to finally broadcast their relationship. At one point, Stefani sat on her beau's lap, where she was joined by Alicia Keys. Lucky guy! Poor Adam Levine complained of feeling left out after years of a notorious bromance.

Shelton and Stefani are technically competing against one another, but it's pretty clear that they're ultimately putting up a united front. That could either be a really good or really bad thing for Team Adam and Team Alicia; Shelton and Stefani are bound to make choices that help each other, but they're also so distracted with one another that they might make key mistakes. Or, more likely, romance has not harmed their competitive spirit, and they're both using their attraction to trip one another up.

More: Gwen Stefani Sees You 'Shipping Her and Blake Shelton, and She Loves It

Whether they're madly in love or wisely pressing their advantage as a couple, Shelton and Stefani are causing quite the uproar on social media.

These Twitter haters may be forgetting, however, just how crafty Shelton can be. He wins The Voice again and again, so don't underestimate his gamesmanship. There's a very good chance he and Stefani are playing this up. It remains to be seen whether they're doing so to gain an advantage or whether the producers just think that's what we want to see.

More: Blake Shelton & Gwen Stefani's Helicopter Dates Are So Over the Top

The Gwen-Blake romance is bound to shake up The Voice, but ultimately, we hope the show backs off on the lovey-dovey stuff and focuses on the promising talent. Both Stefani and Shelton have a lot to offer this season's contestants, and we're excited to see how they continue to shape a new generation of artists.

What do you think of all the Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani PDA on The Voice? Tactical advantage or super annoying? Comment and share your opinion below!

Before you go, check out our slideshow below.

These are frightening times for the LGBTQ community. The prospect of having a have a notoriously anti-gay rights man as vice president was bad enough, but hopes of Trump being more tempered have quickly been dashed by the latest executive order on trans bathrooms. LGBTQ individuals and their allies are rightfully worried about the future.

More: 19 Movies About the Gay Rights Movement You Can Stream Right Now

In the midst of all this, it's easy to forget how far we've come, and how much we stand to lose. Just a few decades ago, it was practically unheard of for same-sex partners to walk around holding hands, much less declare their love publicly by getting hitched. Even a peaceful protest could quickly spiral out of control.Yes, this still happens today, and yes, things are far from perfect, but at least today's LGBTQ population enjoys a few protections that were not available in the 1960s and 70s.

The huge changes we've witnessed in recent years were highlighted in the first installment of what promises to be a very inspiring and very sobering mini-series from ABC. Appropriately titled When We Rise, the show highlights the oft-forgotten stories of several brave LGBTQ activists, including Roma Guy and Cleve Jones.

More: Marriage Equality Laws Associated With Drop In LGBTQ Teen Suicide Rate

As with any socially progressive broadcast, When We Rise attracted its fair share of haters, who whined about the "liberal propaganda." A few others appreciated the show's message but decried the makeout scenes and general sexual content. Most, however, deeply appreciated the show's emphasis on love and acceptance — and what the LGBTQ community can accomplish when its various factions band together.

As we look towards a promising future for people of all sexual orientations, it is absolutely imperative that we remember the past, for without it, we are sure to make the mistakes documented in When We Rise again and again. Thank you, When We Rise, for reminding us how much has been sacrificed and how much work we still have to do. This may be a time of upheaval, but as this inspiring show demonstrates, there is reason to be hopeful for a brighter tomorrow.

More: 10 LGBT Organizations That Have Made a Difference

What did you think of When We Rise? Did you find its message of unity and acceptance inspiring? Comment and share your opinion below.

Corinne might be the best Bachelor success story ever, and she didn't even get the final rose.

It's hard to remember back when Corinne first graced us with her presence on our television screen back in January.

But I did not like her.

More: Hold Up, Nick Viall Just Teased Corinne's Fate on The Bachelor

I thought she represented everything bad in The Bachelor: the drunkenness, the swearing, the name-calling, the sexuality. It was all wrong. And totally not Bachelor.

But then the weeks progressed.

Right around Week 4, during her first big confrontation with the girls, I realized that not only was Corinne at least a little amusing, she also had some good points. Like, "Girls are haters. I have a bunch of haters here and that's it." And, "We're fighting for a fiancé not a... pickle."

Then the madness with Taylor began. And by Week 5, I realized that I was rooting for Corinne over Taylor because Taylor was a 23 year old who was way out of her league and saying things no 23 year old say in this situation, especially on topics of maturity and emotional intelligence.

By the time that two-on-one date was over, I was kinda in love with Corinne.

I loved her #FirstWorldProblems, and I loved her #RealTalk.

The girls also seemed to grow to love her. More and more, I saw sweet gestures of bonding between all of them. They sympathized with her when she vented about being the only girl left who didn't have a one-on-one date. They listened to her when she talked about Taylor. And they were there for one another after Nick had his momentary meltdown.

Tonight, however, was Corinne's final redemptive moment, and man did that girl sell it. If she really is just doing all of this for the fame and publicity of it than her acting chops are on fleek because I was there with her.

More: Seriously, Hold My Wine — ABC Has Cast Its First Black Bachelorette

She and Raven had a tender moment when Corinne broke down upon finding out she didn't get a rose.

Corinne also kept things super classy with Nick. She even wished him luck in the rest of his journey through her tears and talked about her desire to be a strong, desirable woman.

I honestly wanted Corinne to win the whole season. I think she freaked Nick out with all of her talk of money during hometowns. Even her dad was in on it, talking about providing for Corinne. Aka. Makin' them dolla dolla bills.

More: Seriously, Hold My Wine — ABC Has Cast Its First Black Bachelorette

So Nick and Corinne won't have a happily ever after with Raquel their nanny, but I am actually really hoping to see Corinne on Bachelor in Paradise. And not so I can make fun of her, but so she has another chance to find the man of her dreams because, for goodness sake, that girl deserves it!

What are your thoughts on Corinne at this point in The Bachelor: Love her or leave her?

Bless Jimmy Kimmel's sweet little heart. At least he's out here trying to do the right thing and explain what went down with that pesky Oscars envelope at the end of the Oscars.

More: They Got Us – Oscars Envelopegate May Have Been Planned All Along

Kimmel explained Envelopegate from his perspective on his late night talk show on Monday night and was able to elicit some laughs about the whole crazy event. But it was kind of weird watching Kimmel try and explain away the mishap of the night (and that's really what it was) if only because it felt like he was beating a dead horse with his coverage of the event.

"Clyde threw Bonnie under the bus," Kimmel joked, referring to the iconic roles played by Best Picture presenters Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty. Kimmel also let us in on his mindset while it was all going down. "I'm standing there like an idiot, feeling bad for these guys, but also trying really hard not to laugh, to be honest," which is totally fair because who wouldn't want to laugh away the pain?

By that point in the day, there's has been plenty of coverage about Envelopegate on various news outlets. A PriceWaterhouse Coopers executive canceled an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper right before he was supposed to go on and discussed what happened. Tons of people had taken potshots on Twitter (I'm sure you saw a few floating around) and Facebook. Think-pieces popped up about the politics of the Best Picture Oscar handover from La La Land to Moonlight and who the real hero was. Suddenly, envelopes were the enemy of the nation and we no longer trusted our shared reality. Yikes.

More: Everyone's Emotionally Exhausted After Getting Personally Victimized by the Oscars

Alright, so I'm getting a bit hyperbolic there at the end but the fallout of Envelopegate was insane. It was really the only thing many of us could talk about the morning after the Oscars, which is totally understandable. Kimmel probably did the right thing in trying to cut off some of the awkwardness but in the end, he may have only ended up making things a bit weirder.

More: Andrew Garfield and Dev Patel Had an Oscars Bromance and You Had No Idea

As for me, I'm still madly celebrating Moonlight's win and, well, yeah I'm still watching that crazy Oscars moment on repeat. Can you blame me?

Before you go, check out our slideshow below.

Finola Hughes, who has appeared on the long-running soap opera General Hospital for more than 30 years, recently received an unusual diagnosis — but it wasn’t for her; it was for her character, Anna Devane.

The diagnosis was for a rare blood cancer called polycythemia vera, which is part of a group of rare blood cancers known as myeloproliferative neoplasms.

Hughes said that the writers wanted to give her character a chronic progressive disease that she could continue to live with, and they could address her decisions regarding potential treatment in future storylines. Also, PV isn’t something that has received a lot of publicity, so it also effectively raises awareness of the condition.

More: Melissa Rivers on How You Can Support Eye Health During the Oscars

In order to prepare for the role, Hughes met with a woman with PV, which she said personally affected her.

“I asked to meet with somebody who had it and was introduced to a really inspiriting patient who was diagnosed with it,” Hughes told SheKnows. “She came to my house and we talked — what her day-to-day living is like, what her symptoms are like. This was so I could attempt to understand the condition. It’s a responsibility when you’re given a storyline like this, and I wanted to find out how best to portray this chronic condition now.”

But Hughes wants to do more than raise awareness with her portrayal of a character with PV — she wants to make those who have this and other rare conditions feel less alone.

“When you are diagnosed with a rare blood cancer or any rare disease, it can be very isolating,” she explained. “You may not know anyone else who was ever diagnosed with it. If you can’t or don’t find anyone else being treated, you can feel alone and that there’s no one to share it with. I do feel there’s a lot to be said about connecting with other patients who have been diagnosed.”

More: Finally — Lipstick for Your Labia That Glues You Shut During Your Period

Dr. Ellen K. Ritchie, assistant professor of medicine and a member of the leukemia program at the Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University and the New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York City, told SheKnows that PV actually occurs slightly more in men, but women who have this disease really have a challenge in trying to manage all the of symptoms, especially women in reproductive age.

“They have special challenges because treatments can interfere with the timing of pregnancy and the ability to take a pregnancy to term,” Richie said. “Also, women are diagnosed at a younger age. Because the symptoms are relatively common and benign — including headaches, dizziness, night sweats — patients are sometimes slow to go forward and seeing a primary care physician.”

Through her character, Hughes learned that the symptoms of PV can be easily passed off as something common, like dizziness or a migraine headache.

“As women, we’re more likely if we’re managing a home or a job at the same time, we’re more likely to poo-poo these symptoms we have,” Hughes said. “And actually, that’s what my character does. I keep getting these headaches. Women are very likely to do that and not to check with a health care worker.”

More: Meet the Future of Egg Freezing

While PV is typically found in older patients, children and younger adults could also contract it, Ritchie explained. Between 150,000 and 200,000 people in the United States have PV. With these disorders (including other MPNs), your body makes too many blood cells, and the earliest threat is developing a blood clot, Richie said.

For anyone looking to learn more about rare blood diseases like PV, Ritchie recommends visiting VoicesofMPN.com. If you are diagnosed with any MPNs, she recommends seeking out a specialist who treats a lot of patients with blood disorders and coming up with a care plan to best suit your unique needs.

The discussion surrounding the orgasm gap popped up last night in an unexpected place: The Bachelor. During the show, Raven Gates, a 25-year-old boutique owner from Arkansas looked straight into the camera and said "I've never had an orgasm before."

Last week, another study has confirmed what many women have known for some time: Straight women have fewer orgasms than lesbian or bisexual women, proving yet again that we need to stop glorifying penetrative sex.

So, not only does an orgasm gap exist between men and women, but there’s an additional gap between heterosexual women and those with higher Kinsey scale scores. In the study of 52,600 people in the United States, heterosexual men were the most likely to orgasm, coming 95 percent of the time during sexual encounters, followed by gay men (89 percent) and bisexual men (88 percent). Lesbians fared the best among women, orgasming 86 percent of the time.

Then comes the big gap: Bisexual and heterosexual women came 66 and 65 percent of the time, respectively (read: any time men are involved).

The study included penetrative and oral sex as well as manual stimulation.

More: Yes, Your Partner Can Go Down on You During Your Period — And It Can Help With Cramps

In a shock to no woman, the research found that few heterosexual women climaxed through penetrative sex alone. In fact, there was a noticeable pattern between people who had more oral sex having more orgasms in every demographic except straight men.

Women who did orgasm with penetrative sex typically had a sexual encounter that also involved deep kissing, manual genital stimulation and/or oral sex. The authors of the study refer to this as the "Golden Trio," making it sound like a mythical power-force in a young adult fantasy book series rather than something most couples could engage in.

So how can we fix it?

First of all, we need to stop treating penis-in-vagina penetrative sex as the be-all and end-all and prioritizing the sexual pleasure of heterosexual men. We need an overall shift to thinking of sex as something that should be mutually pleasurable and consensual for all parties involved. And we definitely need to stop dismissing women’s bodies as “tricky” or not designed to orgasm — in fact, the clitoris is the only part of any body (male or female) that exists exclusively for pleasure.

More: Pornhub Launches New Sex Ed Site

Yes, our sex ed leaves a lot to be desired and in many cases doesn’t even acknowledge sexual pleasure as a desirable goal of sex (more on that another day), but nothing’s stopping you from learning about your partner’s body or your own. A recent (or really any) edition of the women’s health bible Our Bodies, Our Selves is a good start, as are sites like Scarleteen and content from sex educators like Aida Manduley, Ignacio Rivera, Laci Green and Ericka Hart.

If you haven’t taken sexual pleasure into your own hands, there’s no better time to start and help close the orgasm gap.

More: Our Bodies, Ourselves Takes on International Surrogacy

If you think colorectal cancer is only a problem later in life, think again: a new study found that people born in 1990 have double the risk of colon cancer and quadruple the risk of rectal cancer than those born in 1950.

Published today in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, the study found that now, 3 in 10 people diagnosed with colorectal cancer are under the age of 55.

More: Why I Shared My Colonoscopy on Social Media

Overall, CRC rates have been declining since the 1980s thanks to increased awareness and accessibility to screening. But that hasn’t been the case for people under 50 because screening is not recommended for those at average risk.

Researchers found that after decreasing since 1975, CRC incidence rates increased by 1 percent to 2 percent each year from the mid-1980s through 2013 in adults ages 20 to 39. CRC incidence rates increased for those 40 to 54, but by 0.5 percent to 1 percent each year from the mid-1990s through 2013.

So why does this matter?

Looking at health trends in young people offers us a glimpse into the future health landscape, allowing medical practitioners and public health officials more time to prepare.

"Our finding that colorectal cancer risk for millennials has escalated back to the level of those born in the late 1800s is very sobering," said Rebecca Siegel of the American Cancer Society and lead investigator of the study. "Educational campaigns are needed to alert clinicians and the general public about this increase to help reduce delays in diagnosis, which are so prevalent in young people, but also to encourage healthier eating and more active lifestyles to try to reverse this trend."

More: Colon Cancer Awareness Month: A Perfect Time to Shake Your Family Tree

And why this major increase?

For starters, yes, early-onset CRC is more strongly influenced by genetics than late-onset disease, but the majority of these cases are sporadic. The fact that there was such a dramatic shift in diagnoses made to younger people signals relatively recent societal health behavior changes that would increase risk of CRC. Some of these lifestyle factors associated with CRC risk include body weight, high consumption of processed meat and alcohol, low levels of physical activity and fiber consumption and cigarette smoking.

According to the authors, increasing obesity rates, unhealthy diets and sedentary lifestyles have all contributed to the increase. The good news is that the rise in CRC in young adults could have been even worse if it weren’t for the long-term declines in smoking and alcohol consumption.

Siegel and the others suggest that we may need to reconsider the recommended age for initiating screenings.

More: Colorectal Cancer: What You Need to Know

Currently, the American Cancer Society suggests that men and women at average risk for CRC start getting screenings at age 50. But the authors of the study point out that 10,400 new cases of CRC were diagnosed in people in their 40s in 2013, with an additional 12,800 cases diagnosed in people in their early 50s — meaning that it might be time for a change in protocol.

"These numbers are similar to the total number of cervical cancers diagnosed, for which we recommend screening for the 95 million women ages 21 to 65 years," said Siegel.

What can do you do to help prevent CRC?

Screening

Ask your doctor about screenings, even if you’re under 50.

Diet

• Limit red and processed meats.
• Eat more vegetables and fruits.
• Eat more fiber.
• Get the recommended levels of calcium and vitamin D.

Lifestyle

• Increase the intensity and amount of your physical activity.
• Don't sit all day long. Get up and move!
• Avoid excess alcohol.
• Don’t smoke.

With such emphasis on hair removal, especially once the weather turns warm, it can be quite frustrating for some who wished they had more hair in certain places… like their eyebrows. Bold, bushy brows have had their spokesmodels throughout the decades — Frida Kahlo, Audrey Hepburn, Brooke Shields, Madonna — and now Hailee Steinfeld, Priyanka Chopra and Lily Collins have us sweating some real brow landscaping.

But what do you do when your garden refuses to grow? Sure, you could grab a brow pencil, brow powder, brow mascara or brow gel — but what if you don’t really know what to do with your arches? Maybe you want to change their shape? Even ’em out? It’s just so time-consuming to perfect your brows, and don’t get us started on midday brow smudging. So embarrassing.

More: Celebrities With the Best Eyebrows

There is, however, another road to perfect arches: eyebrow tattoos. Hear us out. Browhaus, a brow and lash-centric salon, offers the Brow Resurrection procedure, a semi-permanent makeup option to make your brows look naturally filled-in and shaped to perfection — all without the fuss of half a dozen products. Of course, they’re not the only ones offering brow tattoos, but they were one of the first, so we decided to try it out.

First of all, don’t be scared to commit. It’s called Brow Resurrection because it’ll only last you two years — long enough that you don’t have to worry about having to pencil your brows every morning for a long time, but brief enough that if you decide to change your style or you experience any growth spurts with age, you can certainly change your brows along with them. If you’ve never had a tattoo before, there’s nothing to stress about. And if you have, there’s even less. Here’s how it works.

The first part is a brow consultation where you meet with a certified “brow architect” who will draw on the brows you desire with pencil so you can see how the results will look and you can tweak as you please. A numbing cream is applied afterward, once you’re happy with the shape, and left to marinate for 20 minutes. Then your brow architect will gently remove that, and using a micro-blade with about 14 teeny pinpoints, will proceed to gently scratch a vegetable-based ink into your eyebrows following the traced shape. Since the blades are so tiny, they appear just like hairline strokes. Once you’re done, a protective balm that’s enriched with vitamins A and D and lanolin is applied.

But does it hurt? Surprisingly, not at all. The numbing cream is serious stuff. It feels a tiny bit just like you’re getting your brows tweezed — a sensation we can all relate to. Your brow area will be a bit sensitive and for some maybe a bit red right after the procedure (which takes about an hour and a half), but you can pretty much go about your day afterward. The recovery period is discreet too. Browhaus offers a couple of aftercare products: Build, a post-treatment serum with growth factors to help regenerate and heal the skin (and prevent infection), and Fix, a protective balm that’s enriched with lanolin and vitamins, which also “waterproofs” your eyebrows with its petroleum-like consistency. Speaking of which, the trickiest part about semi-permanent makeup on your face is that you can’t let it have prolonged contact with water for a week. So, washing your face is a bit of an ordeal, and showering is a little tricky.

You may notice some flaking as your brow skin naturally scabs and heals, leaving a slightly lighter line than was initially there. Browhaus offers a complimentary tune-up about three months after your Resurrection procedure so your brow architect can fill in any areas that didn’t take as well or any faded bits. Anyone who’s gotten a tattoo will know that it’s itchy as hell when it’s healing, but you can’t scratch it because you could remove the ink along with the scab! Face-pickers, steel yourselves!

In the end, it’s a painless procedure that gives you natural-looking, full and shaped eyebrows for two years — pretty neat, huh? Only catch is that it’s not exactly cheap. Well, tattoos never are, but resurrecting your brows can cost just under a grand at Browhaus. It may be steep (start saving up your acorns now!) but the results are really impressive. And if you break it down by cost per wear, it’s about $1.26 a day for perfect brows two years straight. That’s less than you probably spend on your morning coffee.

More: Expert Tips for the Brows of Your Dreams

By Sable Yong

Originally posted on StyleCaster

The Vampire Diaries series finale is almost here. It's still hard to believe the beloved drama will soon be coming to an end after eight seasons. There are only two episodes left with the penultimate episode airing this Friday, March 3.

More: Will Bonnie Have to Die to Bring Elena Back for TVD's Final Episode?

As the final episode ever approaches, teaser after teaser continue to be released. On Monday, another TVD promo was unveiled and this time it included some Delena action. There have been so many promos teasing Nina Dobrev's return as Elena, but there have been hardly any details revealed.

Obviously, the series is going to be careful about showing too much footage, but they were apparently feeling generous because we can finally watch Elena and Damon reunite after all this time. As you can see below, Elena gets a huge smile across her face, Damon runs to her and they embrace. Did anyone else just get chills? The video also shows Stefan saying, "Welcome back." Welcome back indeed, Elena Gilbert.

More: New Vampire Diaries Theory About Elena Is Not Only Crazy, It's Heartbreaking

Even though this particular teaser (and pretty much every single one for the series finale) revolves around Elena's return, we're getting some bad vibes about Bonnie. Since Kai put Elena into the magical coma and linked her life to Bonnie's, it's been clear the only way for Elena to ever wake up is if Bonnie dies.

So far, it doesn't seem like there is any other plausible way for Elena to return other than if her BFF Bon Bon dies. At the last minute, another way to save both Elena and Bonnie could be discovered, but it seems more likely than not that Bonnie will be the character saying goodbye during the final TVD episode.

In the teaser above, Damon and Stefan are in tuxes, which are most likely the ones they wore to Stefan's wedding to Caroline. If that is definitely the case, then that means Elena will return to present day and not sometime in the future after Bonnie has aged and lived a long life. You know what that means? It sure seems like fans better get ready to say goodbye to Bonnie Bennett.

If Stefan and Damon's attire in the latest TVD promo isn't convincing enough, then here are a few other signs that Bonnie is so going to die.

1. Someone will die

According to Entertainment Weekly, someone will die in the TVD series finale. The media outlet was on set for the filming of the final episode and watched a funeral take place. It's one that is emotional enough to cause Elena to cry. As executive producer Julie Plec said, "We wanted to go big, emotionally, with the action, and with the spectacular of it. We were absolutely feeling epic."

Elena could very well be crying over the loss of her BFF. If Bonnie dies, that will surely make for one "big," emotional and "epic" episode.

2. It's the only way for her to be with Enzo

Currently, Bonnie is basically having a relationship with a ghost. Bonnie is so lost without Enzo and her heart continues to ache. Her love for Enzo will never go away and what better way for her to spend the rest of her life with her one true love than by dying? She and Enzo's souls would then be reunited.

This probably wouldn't be the first choice for fans, but TVD more often than not likes to break viewers' hearts. Of course, Enzo could be brought back to life somehow, but we really don't think that will happen.

3. She created an alternate dimension

Do you think this was for no reason at all? After Stefan killed Enzo, Bonnie's grief, sadness and psychic abilities were strong enough for her to create an alternate dimension to keep Enzo safe from the former leader of Hell, Cade. If she dies, Bonnie and Enzo could rest easily together in this hidden dimension. Anything can happen on TVD, right?

4. She can defeat Katherine

Now that it's known Katherine is taking over Hell and coming back for revenge, who better to defeat her than Bonnie? Bonnie just might be able to take down Katherine, save her friends and keep Mystic Falls safe. If that's the case, then that also might mean she will die in the process. Bonnie is exactly the type of person to sacrifice herself to save those she loves.

Who knows if Bonnie will be the one to die, but if she is there is no doubt she won't go down without a fight or without the perfect tribute.

The Vampire Diaries series finale airs Friday, March 10 at 8/7c on The CW.

More: Nina Dobrev Announces Vampire Diaries Exit With 23 Photos and Sweet Message

Before you go, check out our slideshow below.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg may be the oldest liberal justice on the Supreme Court, but that certainly doesn't stop her from being one of the toughest and possibly most fit. And after seeing how this truly awesome woman gets her grueling workouts in, I’m ready to step it up and see if I can handle some of her moves.

Often when the media spotlights a well known persons workout, I tend to give it a glance and quite possibly a yawn and move onto something else. But this workout — with one-legged squats and full push-ups — deserves a second look.

More: Adele Shares Her Seven-Minute Ab Workout

Ginsburg’s workout with Bryant Johnson — a 52-year-old who works in district courthouses and serves as a sergeant first class in the Army Reserves — starts out simply with five minutes on an elliptical. But that’s where the simple stops. After getting her heart pumping and her muscles warm, Ginsburg moves into her intense strength training work.

Ginsburg’s Grueling Workout

*Three sets of 10 to 13 reps of the following exercises (with stretching between sets):

Bench/chest press machine, where she normally loads 70 pounds on the machine (which is more than a lot of women half her age)

Leg curls

Leg presses

Chest flies

Lat pull-downs

Seated rows

Standing rows — an overall, intense and balanced workout.

More: The Best Postpartum Workouts For Each Type of Childbirth

By now, I’m sure my muscles would be screaming and my face dripping with sweat, but it seems that Ginsburg is just getting warmed up. This 83 year old, super fit justice gets down on the floor for another round of exercises:

Standard planks — 30 seconds of standard planks

Side planks — 30 seconds each side

FULL push-ups — she does 10 at a time

Back up on her feet again for legs:

One-legged squats

Squats and arm curls with a exercise ball (ball against the wall and squat followed by arm curls)

Step-ups on an 18-inch platform for balance

And just when you think there can’t possibly be more, Johnson gets Ginsburg ready for the finale. He has her sit on a bench with a medicine ball, stand up, and throw the ball to him. If she can’t do this exercise, Johnson tells her, she’ll need a 24/7 nurse — because that’s the movement you need to use a toilet. But something tells me she won’t be needing that 24/7 nurse anytime soon!

More: The Ruth Bader Ginsberg Coloring Book You Didn't Know You Needed

We really, really want to give Tess Holliday a big hug right now.

The plus-size model and lifestyle guru has an 8-month-old son, Bowie (who's teething), and she is completely exhausted. A brutally candid Instagram post she wrote on Monday has gone viral — and we can really understand why. Our hearts kind of broke a little seeing it.

More: Tess Holliday's new baby's name is just what we expected

Holliday wrote, "This is the reality of being a mom. I've been up since 3 am, & every time I get Bowie to sleep & try to lay him down, he wakes up. He is teething & has no clue I have to work today, & most days I can work 15 hour days, take care of both boys & put some lipstick on & deal with it. Most days I drink my coffee & smile at every little thing he does thinking it's the best thing in the world, but not today. I've been crying for nearly two hours, & I'm crying as I write this. I've reached my limit, exceeded it to be honest."

More: Fitness expert calls Tess Holliday "unhealthy"

Holliday was People's first size 22 model and is an outspoken advocate for all-size beauty. We know she's one tough cookie — who's cultivated very thick skin to deal with idiot body-shamers — but we really appreciate her sharing her vulnerability when it comes to motherhood. Her raw, honest voice is important for other moms to hear, and that tearful face in the mirror is one we all recognize, for sure. Those baby days (especially the teething) are no joke.

Holliday also wrote about motherhood taking a toll on her self-esteem, saying, "My confidence has taken a blow with this birth & it wasn't until this morning I realized why. The pressure of "looking good" for a living is too much today. When your face is breaking out from the hormones of breastfeeding + total exhaustion from lack of sleep, bags under your eyes, patchy red skin & to top it off no energy to work out or leave my bed.. how do you do it? How do you feel confident in your skin & feel like you aren't letting the client down by showing up exhausted & disheveled? Yes, I chose a career based on my looks & I'm the first one to say that beauty isn't what should drive you, it's certainly not what motivates me. As a working mom in an industry that's as critical as mine, where is the line? The balance? The compassion? Is any career understanding when you show up at negative 10% because your kids wouldn't let you sleep & you want to hide under your covers & cry? Not many. I hope one day that changes & society views mothers as the flawed human beings we are that are just trying to keep our shit together like everyone else. #effyourbeautystandards #workingmoms #disruptperfectmomsyndrome"

It's rare to find a mom in the public eye willing to talk about the realities of parenting and the impossibility of combining kids and career without rough patches that make you wonder why the hell you ever thought you could pull this off. So we hear you, Tess, loud and clear, and we appreciate the no-BS reality.

The couple who infamously taught the world that "conscious uncoupling" was an alternative to straight-up divorce still hasn't managed to consciously uncouple quite all the way. Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin split three years ago and finally signed their divorce papers last year. But there's one detail that even they can't easily uncouple: their Tribeca penthouse.

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The apartment was first put on the market last year for more than $14 million. Later, the price was dropped to just under $13 million, and in November, the property was just taken off the market. Now it's listed again at the deeply discounted price of $9.995 million. What a steal! (Maybe — I actually don't know anything about real estate so maybe it's not.) Paltrow reportedly bought the place in 2007 for just over $5 million, but real estate prices have def gone up since then and now it has the allure of being the former home of ~celebrities~ so just under $10 mil really doesn't seem unreasonable.

That price apparently includes all of the apartment's furnishings, which were clearly picked out by Paltrow because they involve things like a porch swing hanging from the living room ceiling.

Weird furniture aside, it's a penthouse apartment with 11-foot ceilings, three bedrooms, three and a half baths, French doors and a fenced terrace that's bigger than my last apartment. That seems like some solid real estate in NYC.

In addition to dropping the price and changing realtors, Paltrow showed pics of the apartment on her lifestyle website, Goop, asking her readers to pony up and buy the last vestige of her relationship with Martin, but no dice.

More: Chris Martin Would Still Take a Bullet for Gwyneth Paltrow (Her Words, Not Ours)

Before you go, check out our slideshow below.

Ladies, are you getting yours? Research shows that only 57 percent of women orgasm with their partner during sex.

Comparatively, their partners are reported to orgasm 95 percent of the time. Talk about unfairness in the bedroom. Despite our access to information and sex topics growing less taboo every day, there is still a weird, uncomfortable agent that still exists for many people when it comes to discussing climax.

The female orgasm has a perpetual reputation as an enigma, and many men and women still don’t understand the truth about “squirting.” The male orgasm is widely still considered the “end point” of sex or the sole goal, and it’s partly because the lines of communication regarding sexual intercourse and foreplay are winding, dark and twisted. For many it’s easier to remain silent rather than open up and directly have a conversation about what they want. But it’s time we start talking about the big “O.” After all, vulnerability and communication are the only way for you and your partner to get there.

More: 20 sext messages no one is disappointed to receive

Be the one to initiate

The conversation, not the romp in the sack. (Well, actually, that too if that’s something you want to do!) Start by opening yourself up to rejection — aka getting vulnerable — and working on widening those lines of communication. Say something to your partner like, “I’d like to explore more ways to experience orgasms during sex. Are you game?”

Set an intention

The goal of sex doesn’t always have to be a male climax every single time. Sometimes the goal can be pure intimacy or amazing foreplay, trying something new or a female orgasm. Set your intention out loud before having sex so there’s no unnecessary pressure. If you and your partner are looking to experiment in a safe environment, then voice that so you’re both able to try new encounters without the looming pressure of a male orgasm to make the experience “worth it.”

Exchange five things

It’s time to get even more vocal. Start by telling your partner, “Five things I love about our sex are…” and go into details about the things your partner does that work for you. Then ask your partner to give you five things too. Communicating what you both already like will help open new doors for discovering more things you both like.

More: How couples turned around their sexless marriage

Talk about sex when you’re not having sex

Talk about sex in the shower or during breakfast or after sex or while you’re in your work cubicle by sending a text. “I absolutely loved when you…” Keeping those lines open even when you’re not naked keeps you both metaphorically naked with each other and establishes a strong link. It signifies to both you and your partner that talking about orgasms and sex isn’t awkward, that it’s always on the table and it’s nothing to be embarrassed about.

Return the favor

Make your orgasm exploration about both of you. If your partner is going above and beyond (by going down and beyond!), then make sure your partner feels your gratitude. Return the favor by always keeping open lines of communication regarding what he or she wants too. If your partner tries something on you, ask if he or she would like you to reciprocate. By exploring your sexuality together, you’re both upping your chances at experiencing some pretty amazing orgasms and also strengthening your relationship as a couple.

More: 6 things you never knew menopause could do to your vagina

How do you talk about orgasms with your partner? Tell us your tips and experiences in the comments below.

By Stephanie Osmanski

Originally published on HelloFlo.