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Stop turning Easter into the new Christmas

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Giving your kid a kind-of-large Easter basket is not what I'm referring to. Perhaps as a backlash to the strict religious observation of Easter (which I am all too familiar with, growing up in a fundamental Christian home), parents are taking a hard turn in the opposite direction. They are buying carts full of Easter crap presents — enough to make Santa look like a stingy bastard.

Easter 5

Easter 5

Let's start with exhibit A: In this viral Brooklyn and Bailey Easter Basket Haul video from 2014, you are going to see a lot of things — namely, shorts, necklaces, snacks, bubble bath, candles, candy and so much more.

Easter 1

Easter 1

Exhibit B: In her "What I Got for Easter 2014" video, cutesy teen Taylor opens her massive Easter haul on camera. She scored candy eggs, jewelry, Easter bunny stacking dolls and a fancy squirrel pen with the price tag left on, amongst other treats. Go, Taylor.

Easter 2

Easter 2

Exhibit C: In Megan's "Easter Haul 2014," we watch with bated breath as she unwraps chocolate bunnies, flip-flops, goldfish, candy, candy and more candy.

Easter 3

Easter 3

Exhibit D: In another Megan's "Easter Haul 2013," we see this mini Taylor Swift unwrap enough candy to kill a 3-year-old child.

Easter 4

Easter 4

I rest my case. I think it is wonderful to plan a special holiday celebration for your child, complete with an Easter basket. I was extra excited to pick out Ninja Turtles and Spider-Man Easter baskets for both my sons and to plan an Easter egg hunt.

Kiddie pool

Image: Easter Basket/Kendra Raines

What is hard to swallow is that Easter is going the way of Christmas (which still happens to be my all-time favorite holiday). Parents are buying way more gifts than necessary. Kids are expecting an enormous Easter basket they can brag about to all their friends. Every Easter has to be better than the last — not even the delicious, sugary blood of Peeps can satisfy!

For most families, Easter is a time of togetherness and often a religious holiday, depending on your beliefs. While I'm normally the last person to cry "commercialism" (seeing as I love the atrocity that is Valentine's Day), someone has to say it. If you buy your child 12 dozen chocolate eggs to fill up a kiddie pool or a $400 pair of sunglasses, you've gone too far. Jesus and the Easter Bunny do not approve.

More on Easter

Hollow chocolate Easter eggs
68 Easter treats to give instead of sugar-filled candies
Easter dresses for girls of all ages: How to look great and save money


How Jaffa Cakes won the solar eclipse 2015 without even trying

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Luckily those who prefer to be entertained by what's on their computer screens than in the sky had plenty of eclipse action to look at today. No marketing team worth their salt missed the opportunity to make some money out of this morning's natural phenomenon. However it seems we were in a nostalgic mood, as the most successful campaign appears to be one from 16 years ago when the U.K. last had a total solar eclipse. The Jaffa Cakes ad created for the 1999 eclipse went viral today proving that sometimes the oldies are the goodies.

Jaffa Cakes total eclipse

Jaffa Cakes total eclipse

Video credit: CultOfJaffa's channel/YouTube

These are good, but not as good as Jaffa Cakes: 

innocent drinks

innocent drinks

irn bru

irn bru

EastEnders eclipse

EastEnders eclipse

Mr Kipling

Mr Kipling

Persil

Persil

And, of course, the occasion couldn't have passed without several thousand social media mentions of Bonnie Tyler, who is bound to have seen her bank balance rocket today as the royalties poured in: 

Bonnie Tyler

Bonnie Tyler

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Statistics prove media stereotypes are harmful to boys too ​(INFOGRAPHIC)

Ginger and lime fried chicken is an Asian twist on comfort food

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Crispy fried chicken is always finger-lickin' good, but with this recipe, you will be even more surprised at the aromatic flavor the lime and ginger give. Eat as is, with ketchup, your favorite sauce or even soy sauce, with rice or potatoes. How ever you have it, it will always be that yummy, crispy fried chicken with a lovely Asian twist.

Ginger & lime breaded fried chicken

Ginger and lime breaded fried chicken recipe

Fried chicken is one of the most popular dishes loved worldwide, but this one has an aromatic edge reminiscent of Asian flavors because of the addition of lime and ginger.

Serves 4

Prep time: 10 minutes | Inactive time: 2-12 hours | Cook time: 20 minutes | Total time: 2-12 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 4 chicken thighs
  • 1 lime, zest and juice
  • 1 teaspoon ginger, grated
  • 1-1/2 tablespoons honey
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • Pepper
  • 1 egg
  • Breadcrumbs
  • Sunflower oil (or other kind of oil), for frying

Directions:

  1. In a small bowl, mix the lime zest and juice, ginger, honey, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Adjust the taste if needed.
  2. In a container with a cover, place the chicken thighs side by side, and then pour the marinade on them. Coat the chicken well. Cover the container, and refrigerate overnight or at least 2 hours. If you can, turn the chicken over after a few hours.
  3. After marinating the chicken, discard the marinade.
  4. Prepare 2 bowls — 1 with the egg that is lightly whisked, and the other with the breadcrumbs.
  5. Dip the chicken into the egg, shake off the excess, and then dip it into the bowl of breadcrumbs. Coat well, and shake off the excess.
  6. In a saucepan over medium heat (or deep fryer) with abundant oil for frying, fry both sides of the chicken until golden brown and cooked through.

For tons of great recipes, like our I <3 Comfort Food page on Facebook.

More fried chicken recipes

Korean-style crispy chicken
Gluten-free crispy fried chicken with lemon-yogurt dip
Cap'n Crunch chicken tenders

10 Things only gluten-free people understand

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1. Having to explain what gluten is at least 10 times a day to various people.

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and derivatives. It's found primarily in food, but also in bath and beauty products. It's a problem for those who are gluten intolerant or those with celiac disease, about 1 in 133 people.

GIF courtesy of Giphy

2. Searching for a gluten-free certification seal on a package in the grocery store like it's the holy grail.

There are three main certification seals that those with celiac disease seek out. These seals on products in the grocery store show that the company has gone above and beyond, testing their products for gluten and following good manufacturing processes. However, finding these products in a regular grocery store is like going on a treasure hunt!

GIF courtesy of Giphy.

3. Always carrying enough food in your purse to last an entire day.

Sometimes I look in my purse at the end of the day and find complete meals in there! I always try to take a protein bar, a jerky stick and cookies and crackers just in case I get caught somewhere, hungry, without safe food around. I often share this safe food with friends that might not have prepared so well.

GIF courtesy of Giphy.

4. Reading every single label of everything you pick up in the grocery store to make sure it's safe.

A trip to the grocery store can be like going to the library. You see a package you like, you pick it up, and scan the ingredient list and read the manufacturing practices listed on the product. If it's vague, chances are you hit up your iPhone and Google the heck out of it to make sure it's safe. You can spend hours in a grocery store reading.

GIF courtesy of Giphy.

5. Rolling your eyes when you hear that gluten-free is a weight-loss diet.

Gluten-free is not a weight loss diet, repeat, not a weight loss diet! For me, it's a life-saving, medically-necessary diet that I have to be on 24/7 for the rest of my life to make sure my autoimmune disease is under control. There are a lot of fad dieters that think that a gluten-free cookie is somehow magically less caloric than a gluten-full cookie, and it's not true! A cookie is a cookie and a brownie is a brownie. There's no need to go gluten-free unless you need it to feel better for a medical condition like gluten intolerance, celiac, or other medical issues that cause digestive distress or can be helped by inflammatory foods.

GIF courtesy of Giphy.

6. When someone tells you, "it's OK... it's white bread!"

White bread still has gluten. Wheat bread still has gluten. All breads, except for those labeled gluten-free, are full of the magical protein gluten. Trust me, we'll know the difference the second we put it in our mouths.

GIF courtesy of Giphy.

7. Having to explain just how big 20ppm is, and trying to find a metaphor that people can actually understand without getting frustrated.

20 parts of gluten per million is the most a gluten-free product can have in it to be labeled gluten free by the FDA. Imagine 1 million marbles. Now picture 20 of those marbles were white and the rest of the marbles were blue. Those white marbles would be the maximum amount of gluten allowed for those marbles (or crumbs of bread, etc.) to be able to be labeled gluten free. Regarldess of how you explain it to people, it's a very small amount of gluten that's actually allowed in everyday food for it to be labeled gluten-free. Before we blow your mind too much, zero parts per million of gluten is relatively impossible because of how food is grown, manufactured and processed. This is the limit that the FDA put in place to keep us as safe as possible in the wild wild west of packaged goods.

GIF courtesy of Giphy.

8. Having to avoid things when people say, "I think this is safe?" (You can tell it's actually a question mark because of how they inflect their voice at the end of the sentence and how they kind of shrug their shoulders.)

If you don't know if it's 100 percent safe for someone who is gluten-free, don't bother offering it to us. While we appreciate you making something great for us in your home, unless you are careful and take precautions in your own kitchen with how you prepare it and what you prepare it with, we can't take the risk.

GIF courtesy of Giphy.

9. You find out who your real friends are based on how much they respect your need to stay safe.

We know it's kind of annoying that we have a limited choice of restaurants that we feel safe actually dining out at; it's annoying for us too. We know it's hard when we turn down all of those cookies you bake for us; it sucks for us too. But finding real friends who understand this and still love us for what we are, humans (with a wacko immune system), we love you back.

GIF courtesy of Giphy.

10. What it's like to be different from almost everyone you meet, until you meet another gluten-free person that's just like you!

We often feel excluded, unique (not in a good way), and not part of the cool kids' club, until we meet someone who eats just like we do, deals with the same health issues and we finally feel like we're not alone!

GIF courtesy of Giphy.

What else do only gluten-free people understand?

Image: Mikifinn/Getty Images

The hardest part of shared custody

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But yeah, I totally don't. On the weekends she's away, I should be catching up on laundry, sleep and socializing — but instead, I hear emptiness and the absence of little feet on the staircase. The absence of her life sends me into something that resembles a depression, and all I can seem to manage is binge-watching episodes of 30 Rock and feeling weird.

I feel weird because the whole thing is weird. Her parts and pieces were formed in my womb, her strength was forged from the year we spent breastfeeding and her happy demeanor is only possible because I poured out my life for her. And then she's just freakin' gone for days at a time — a tiny life plucked from my care because her dad and I couldn't get along. It makes no sense. It's weird.

My friends imagine it's great. "You get a whole weekend to yourself," they say. "How wonderful is that?" I know where they're coming from, but the arrangement isn't great so much as it is jolting. Just when I get used to the ebb and flow of our daily lives as a fearless duo, she goes away and I'm left with her absence. Just as quickly as she goes away and I adjust to the quiet and the rest, she returns with her needs and her energy. The push-pull is emotionally exhausting. I both hate to see her go and dread the moment she comes back. What I want more than anything is to have the opportunity to step away for a few hours at a time when she's with me, rather than to send her away for days. I'd like for my "break" from motherhood to be a part of the natural rhythm of my life, rather than a state-mandated and lengthy absence from my child, which causes me to feel as though I'm watching motherhood from the outside looking in.

Custody arrangements aren't exactly to blame. They're the necessary arrangement for parents who have no other options. But man, I wish something could have prepared me for how quickly time would go by as I parented a young child.

More about single motherhood

How to travel alone with your kids without going nuts
Stress busters for single moms
Being a single mom is dangerous for your health

AWKWARD! Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar teach daughter how to kiss (VIDEO)

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The ultraconservative bunch has always been known to keep a tight lid on the relationship romance until the actual wedding day and saving everything, including kissing and hugging, for the actual "I dos." And Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar have also been open about the counseling they give all their kids and their kids' significant others before marriage about a wide variety of topics relating to the next steps in their lives.

More: Jessa Duggar is doing her best to save your sinning soul

Well, things got super awkward when bride-to-be Jessa's parents got to the topic of kissing. Jessa and her fiancé, Ben Seewald, have been open about not wanting to kiss (or do anything more than a "side hug") before their wedding because kissing is clearly a gateway to other "stuff." So when they were getting the normal premarital treatment from the elder Duggars, and the parents decided to show them, physically, how to kiss… it was almost too painful to watch.

"Let me show y'all the best way to kiss here. If you kiss straight-on, your noses hit together — see?" To which I think even the non-kissing Jessa could have responded, "Thanks, Captain Obvious." Instead, she just giggled. Then he continued, "So you have to turn — she turns one way, [I] the other."

Sound advice. But the all-knowing parents don't stop there. Mom Michelle chimes in, "Decide ahead of time — you're going to go that way, that way he'll go this way, whichever way, so you don't get confused."

Jim Bob teaching how to kiss video

Jim Bob teaching how to kiss video

Wouldn't you all have loved to have been a fly on the wall for that conversation between Jim Bob and new bride Michelle back in the day? Yeah, me, too.

More: Jessa Duggar wants to adopt

All of this sage wisdom was dispensed after Jim Bob laid out the facts of life to the young couple, telling them that women, naturally, aren't as physical as men. He said, "Both of you'll like the physical relationship, but for the guy, it will be kind of like the main focus. But for the woman, communicating is the most important thing, and so taking time each day to communicate — that will mean the world to her."

There are so many biased, disguisedly sexist things about this statement that I don't even think I can begin to unravel it.

Of course, it's not that this might not sometimes be the case, but heaven forbid a man be open about his feelings or that a woman want to have sex for pleasure. Men should be as offended by this statement as women, too! Assuming all you want is a physical relationship and communication should be worked on to make your woman happy… how patronizing.

Also, you'd think a family that has 19 children would be more able to talk about physical relationships without giggling and acting like what they are talking about isn't beautiful, natural and normal for adults.

No. Just... no, to this entire conversation.

More: 19 Kids and Counting reveals her battle with bulimia (VIDEO)

These thoughts we all have when we can't fall asleep are so on point (VIDEO)

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Sleep

Sleep

Seriously? What is that thing where you feel like you need to pee all the time when you go to bed and then never really have to pee once you've actually made it to the bathroom? Who wants to start a charity with us to find a cure for that?

This video has the potential to really bring people together by pointing out that we all apparently have the same logic when it comes to bedroom temperature. It seems everyone sticks their legs out the side of their covers to get cool, but no one actually takes the covers off, because that would be a logical thing to do, but we wouldn't feel as secure. The covers will protect us in the event of any kind of natural disaster or robbery, right?

And who can be bothered with checking to see if the door is locked? That involves actually having to get out of bed. We'll probs just check on the door the next inevitable time our bladders play that fun little illusion game with us.

More things for you to watch while you're trying to sleep

7 Things only anxious people really understand (VIDEO)
French Bulldog has never been happier than in this ball pit (VIDEO)
Dating a Disney prince isn't all it's cracked up to be (VIDEO) 


Pine Bush High School recites Pledge of Allegiance in Arabic

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The reaction was swift — teachers in classrooms at the New York high school had to move fast to quell the outbursts as students tried to drown out the recitation. It didn't stop there, as kids took to Twitter to sound off, and later that afternoon, the principal apologized via building-wide announcement, which of course just angered those who were in support of Foreign Language Week.

What seemed to be a simple celebration of different languages has instead torn the small town apart, and it now reaches far beyond its borders. A quick look through Twitter shows tweets from both sides… there are those who support the languages used:

Pine Bush support

Pine Bush support

Pledge of Allegiance in Arabic

Pledge of Allegiance in Arabic

And those who thought it was super un-American:

Way to go Pine Bush

Way to go Pine Bush

Terrorist?

Terrorist?

Way to not celebrate diversity, Pine Bush. Some of the comments I've read embarrass me, and I don't live anywhere near New York. Referring to the student body president, whose idea it was to incorporate world languages into the week, one commenter wrote, "Hopefully Zink will be killed in a 'tragic' accident before he is eligible to vote." Another says, "The principal and superintendent should tender their resignations or be fired for permitting this outrage. Disrespects all those that have died defending this country."

It astounds me that people think this is some sort of Islamic indoctrination. What this outrage says is that it's OK to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in other languages unless it's Arabic, yet when Arabic is used, the Pledge should only be recited in English. If that doesn't make sense to you, then you can see why it doesn't make sense to me.

All languages are valid and spoken by real people, even people in America. Raising a stink because a language you don't like was used just makes you look petty, backward and silly. We're better than that.

More parenting in the news

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Ambitious beagle attempts to eat carrots off a moving fan (VIDEO)

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Seriously, why don't we always feed dogs this way? Also, while we're at it, humans. Perhaps I wouldn't always eat everything in my fridge if I had to go through this kind of obstacle to get to it. Food (on a fan) for thought, you know?

While I don't actually know why Maymo's owner decided to tie the carrots to the fan , I do know that it's wildly entertaining to watch him try to get them. And while I've never attempted to eat carrots from a fan (yet), I do know exactly how Maymo feels. Just like me on a Friday afternoon. The weekend is so close that you can almost taste it... but not quite.

So in honor of Friday afternoon, sit back, relax and find out if Maymo ever gets those darn carrots off the fan.

Beagle Carrots Fan

Beagle Carrots Fan

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France rejects ban on super-skinny models but started an important conversation

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While France's Health Minister Marisol Touraine may have had good intentions, she was quoted as saying, "This is an important message to young women, young women who see these models as an aesthetic ideal." The minister should take a realistic look at the bigger picture at hand. Popular media has increasingly sent out more and more mixed messages and put an idealization on thinner body images for women. However, should the blame and, subsequently, the responsibility to make changes be placed on the models themselves?

The fashion industry is a huge part of this problem. If the government lays blame on the models working in this industry, then the real problems facing the industry as a whole will not improve. By passing blame onto the models and not providing any help or resources to the modelling agencies and fashion houses on disordered eating or health at any size, then essentially what the government is doing is sweeping these banned models under the rug and providing increased guilt, shame and anxiety, which can lead to more internalized destructive behaviour. In addition, the BMI is often considered an archaic way to measure health. Using the BMI alone could isolate models who are just naturally thin or exclude others who may actually have a problem yet fall into an average BMI range.

Is there a catch-all solution for the fashion industry and France? To be honest, I'm not entirely sure there is — bodies are complicated. I do know that, on the whole, the industry should be taking steps toward making bodies of all sizes represented in its medium, messaging and campaigns, and they are — ever so slowly. Another thing the industry can and should do is recognize disordered eating and provide help and resources to those in the field. Rather than focusing on size, the fashion industry should focus on health, including both physical and mental. Many things can contribute to how a woman feels about her body, so France can take this opportunity to right the wrongs within the fashion world, and hopefully the rest of the world will follow suit.

More on body image

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Loving my body is a battle, but I will win it without thinspiration
Plus-size model starts campaign to debunk bikini bodies

Holly Madison reveals how awful life was in the Playboy Mansion

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In stark contrast to the fluffy, fun party lifestyle portrayed on the hit show The Girls Next Door, Madison says the reality was much darker.

In the press packet for the book Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny, publisher HarperCollins reveals, "Life inside the notorious Mansion wasn't a dream at all — and quickly became her nightmare. After losing her identity, her sense of self-worth and her hope for the future, Holly found herself sitting alone in a bathtub contemplating suicide."

The book will detail the "oppressive routine of strict rules, manipulation and [her] battles with ambitious, backstabbing bunnies," according to the release.

Supercute book cover for such a dreary tale, though.

Holly Madison book cover

Holly Madison book cover

Madison was the only one of Hefner's three girlfriends on The Girls Next Door — the other two were Kendra Wilkinson and Bridget Marquardt — to share a bedroom with him, and she was desperate to marry him and have children. Hefner was reluctant to wed again, and the pair eventually split in 2009.

The blond bombshell went on to marry Pasquale Rotella and the couple have a daughter together, Rainbow Aurora. Madison's life obviously turned around, and she is enjoying happy days again.

"I’m excited to finally share my story and what I’ve learned from my personal experiences both inside and outside of the Playboy Mansion," Madison told Us Weekly. "I think my stories will surprise people, and I’m looking forward to lifting the veil of mystique and clearing up the misconceptions so often associated with my life."

Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny will be available in bookstores on June 23, 2015.

Couple discovered old home video, proving their marriage was fate

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I'm not ordinarily a believer in soul mates and fate and all of that jazz. But I want all of those things to exist, the way I want heaven to exist. I'm happy to report — for all of my fellow closeted hopeless romantics — this story straight out of Scotch Plains, New Jersey, doesn't require that we try very hard to believe in purpose and destiny.

In 1988, Jourdan Barovick was a 10-year-old girl on a family trip at Sesame Place amusement park who was standing in a bathing suit alongside her mom, waiting for her turn on a water slide. Lo and behold, who should saunter past the Barovick family's home video camera? Her future husband and the father of her three children: Ryan Spencer, who was a 13-year-old boy rocking those huge, '80s glasses we were all forced to wear.

Fast forward 16 years, and Jourdan and Ryan found themselves on a blind date which eventually led to marriage and their lovely family. One evening, the couple was watching old family videos when they came across the Sesame Place tape and realized Ryan was totally hogging up Jourdan's spotlight in that one scene. They were skeptical and kept rewinding the tape over and over again, but sure enough, their paths had crossed way, way, way before they were ever a thought in each other's heads.

How cool is that?

Obviously, there is such a thing as a coincidence, but if a sweet little sign like that one drops on your lap and reaffirms the idea that you were meant to be, you'd have to be nuts not to take it and run.

The Spencers grew up just 45 minutes from each other and say it's possible they were in the same place at the same time on other occasions, but who knows? People go their entire lives never meeting a woman or man who lives around the corner from them. It often feels like the people who enter our lives are there for a reason. We need them. They need us. We were meant to learn from one another, make each laugh, or maybe create one or three amazing children together. Perhaps even the people we loathe in our lives are there for a crucial reason: to challenge us to rise above and be better humans.

Believing in soul mates certain makes life a lot more fun and exciting.

More about soul mates and relationships

I don't believe in soul mates and you shouldn't either
Why your significant other might not be your soul mate
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Latest Scandal speech says what so many women are thinking

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From society's views on our bodies (thank you, guest star Lena Dunham) to what it means to be a woman in business, the show tackled it all in one explosive hour of television.

More: 13 Reasons Scandal's Jake Ballard is our freaking hero (in GIFs)

But the moment that stood out the most for me was Abby's emotional speech to her boyfriend Leo as she writes her potential letter of resignation.

When Leo tries to tell her she doesn't need to quit her job because his life and his past sexual escapades don't affect her, Abby sets him straight.

"Leo, what happens to you happens to me. I'm good at my job, Leo. I am a lion up there. I own that room. I work for it," Abby tells him. "I give a strong briefing. And they write about that. They cover the news. And there are articles about how well I do at my job. But they also write about me. If I wear lipstick, I'm dolled up. If I don't, I've let myself go. They wonder if I'm trying to bring dresses back and they don't like it that I repeat outfits even though I'm on a government salary. They discuss my hair color. There are anonymous blogs that say I'm too skinny. They have a running joke that I'm on a hunger strike until I can be liberated by the Democrats.

Abby continues, "They also write about you. Every article that comes out about me has your name somewhere in it. Because, apparently, there's this rule: In order to mention my name, they also have to report to the world that there's a man who wants me. My work, my accomplishments, my awards... I stand at the most powerful podium in the world, but a story about me ain't a story unless they can report on the fact that I am the girlfriend of D.C. fixer Leo Bergen. Like it validates me."

More: Lena Dunham's Scandal character has a lot of sexy secrets (PHOTOS)

This speech left me, well, speechless in the way Scandal has mastered by now — but not because Abby necessarily spoke to my soul. It put me in check about the realities some women do, in fact, face.

"Do they talk about your clothes?" she asked Leo. "Write about your thighs? There is a difference."

And she's right.

As a 26-year-old single female who writes for a living, I definitely face my fair share of criticism. I have been told more times than I can count that I don't know how to do my job and my stories are crap. But I am lucky, ultimately, because I do maintain a level of anonymity. I am not on a podium reading my articles in front of a hundred critics. I get to sit behind my computer. And no one can see my thighs.

I do believe this is a big distinction between men and women in the political arena and other male-dominated professions, and Abby nailed her speech. Because it is important that we are aware of these unfair stereotypes so we can correct them.

More: Ready for Shondaland Thursdays? Not without our drinking game!

Scandal definitely tackles bold and controversial storylines without hesitation. Take the Ferguson-esque storyline in Season 4, Episode 14, just a few weeks ago. It's not about preaching or spouting old adages of feminism. It's about taking a moment to look at the world from a different perspective. Scandal manages to bring this to people in the comfort of their own homes while also providing excellent characters and storytelling. And the show definitely deserves every ounce of praise it gets.

Watch the whole empowered speech below.

Scandal Abby's Lion speech

Scandal Abby's Lion speech

Do you think Abby nailed it about societal differences between men and women?

12 Of the most subtly infuriating things your kid will ever do to you

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I've been parenting two toddler boys for a little over three years, and I am fully aware that I am slowly going crazy. On the one hand, I know that these are the best years of my life and I'm trying to enjoy every moment. On the other hand, I'm fairly sure my kids know what they are doing when they push my buttons.

Some may call it coincidence, but there are 12 specific times when your child will make your blood boil.

1. Ask the same question 21 times in a row without stopping

Wendy Williams

Image: Giphy

Any parent can tell you — you wait years for your new baby to talk, and when he finally does, he'll never shut up again.

2. Look you straight in the eye as they throw food on the floor

Evil baby

Image: Giphy

My kids are so, so good at this one. Every meal I have cooked from scratch has ended up on the floor as my toddler stares me down from his high chair.

3. Insist on eating only carrots for a week and then suddenly change their mind

Emma Stone

Image: Giphy

Now what am I going to do with 3 pounds of carrots? Carrot cake, anyone?

4. Get sick on your birthday

Ryan Reynolds

Image: Giphy

The one day that is all about me, ruined by a bug passed around at day care.

5. Get you sick on your birthday

Lisa Kudrow

Image: Giphy

Laid up in bed with tissues stuffed in my nose is not how I pictured I would spend most birthdays in my 30s. Thanks a lot, kids.

6. Rub their snotty face on your shirt as they give you a hug

Supernatural

Image: Giphy

How can you be mad when your kids are giving you a hug? It seems even more suspicious when they want to hug you when there isn't any Kleenex around.

7. "Lose" your favorite necklace

Shrug

Image: Giphy

My kids have a penchant for dropping things off the porch. Pretty sure every item I've ever loved is under there right now.

8. Only scream when you are on the phone

Scream

Image: Giphy

Here's the scene: Playing quietly with LEGOs all afternoon until the dentist calls to confirm my appointment. In those 30 seconds, I can't hear myself think.

9. Conveniently forget to tell you about homework, cupcakes or another assignment due that day

Celine Dion

Image: Giphy

Safe to say that there has been no kid in the history of ever who has remembered to tell his parent about a deadline on time. Yes, you'll probably be that mom checking out the day-old baked goods rack at Walmart at 2 a.m. at least once in your life.

10. Accidentally deprogram all of your prime-time shows on the DVR

JLo

Image: Giphy

If you make me miss American Idol one more time, there will be hell to pay.

11. Poop in the bath and splash water on you

Bath time

Image: Giphy

This is one of the most hated things my children have ever done to me. The worst part is, it has happened more than once. The very worst part is, they think it's hilarious.

12. Slip through your arms like a greased pig after you put lotion on them at bath time

Goats

Image: Giphy

Getting both of my sons to bed after oiling them up at bath time has become a superhuman feat. I never imagined that every evening of my parenting life would be spent trying to catch my slippery kids and throw them into bed.

More on parenting

Life on Mars? Weird places women have given birth
The strange double life of being a divorced mom
Preemies are 3 times more likely to develop psychiatric problems


Gigi Hadid's mom reposts a nude photo of her daughter

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She loved them!

More: We applaud Gigi Hadid's body-positive message for the modeling industry (VIDEO)

So much so that she reposted the sexy photo on her own Instagram page.

In the image, Simpson, 18, and Hadid, 19, are completely naked except for a towel they're sharing, which is strategically wrapped around their privates. The two are so close to one another they are practically hugging. Hadid also has a towel in her hair, because why not?

Yolanda Foster Gigi Hadid naked instagram photo

Yolanda Foster Gigi Hadid naked instagram photo

"This was not necessary," one commenter criticized Foster. "I wouldn't want to see my daughter and her boyfriend like that!!"

"This makes me uncomfortable," another posted wrote.

More: Sports Illustrated models dish on Leonardo DiCaprio's personal life

Others were more supportive, with comments like "Absolutely gorgeous" and "Young model love :) So handsome."

As for Foster, she kept her caption sweet and simple with a heart and this description: "'Towel Series' by the extraordinary @MarioTestino @gigihadid @codysimpson #TowelSeries #MarioTestino."

Simpson and Hadid's image is the 69th photographer Mario Testino has captured for the series. Other celebrities who have participated include Ansel Elgort, Lily Aldridge, Sienna Miller, Miley Cyrus and Keira Knightley.

More: 7 Celebs who posed nearly nude for LOVE magazine's advent calendar

Hadid also shared the photo on her Instagram with the caption, "TOWEL SERIES BY MARIO TESTINO x @codysimpson First couple #TowelSeries!! We love you @mariotestino, thank you!!"

Hadid and Simpson have been dating on and off for about two years. They were most recently spotted together soaking up some sun in Miami last week during the Victoria's Secret Spring Break bash.

Do you think the photos are uber-sexy or uncomfortable? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.

10 Questions your hairdresser wishes you would ask

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Chances are your hair stylist would love to contribute a lot more to your consultation by tapping into his or her wealth of hair knowledge, opinions and advice, but they may also be reluctant to lead the dialogue completely.

In short, your hairdresser is so much more than just a person who cuts and/or colors your hair. They are also a valuable resource of hair expertise, advice and tips. Instead of just telling them what you want, why not try asking them the following questions:

1. If you could really do anything to my hair, what would you do?

2. What is your long term vision for my hair?

3. Would you recommend I get bangs?

4. What hair color would look best with my hair cut?

5. Where should I part my hair?

6. How would you like to style my haircut today?

7. What is your favorite hair product to use lately?

8. Is my hair as healthy as it could be? What else can I do to improve its condition?

9. How often should I be coming in to keep my hair looking fresh?

10. How can I replicate this hairstyle at home?

Asking these questions will lead to better consultations and will allow you to utilize your hairdresser's full experience and expertise. You don't need to commit to every single thing they recommend but I do guarantee your improved consultation will leave you with better results!

In this picture I am consulting my client Heidi Goar at Salon SCK in New York City.

Gone but not forgotten: Mrs. Doubtfire still has something to teach us as adults

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To be honest, I’d been avoiding watching any Robin Williams movies since his death. He was such an integral part of my cultural education, the thought of seeing his talented face on screen now that he’s gone was just really sad for me. But there I was, getting carried away by Williams’ effervescent vocal stylings, physical humor and twinkling eyes, and the movie whisked me away just like it used to, all the way to that climactic dinner table scene where Mrs. Doubtfire finally gets unmasked and Miranda Hillard's brain short-circuits.

More: Zelda Williams is struggling to return to a happy life after Dad (VIDEO)

But this time, as I watched that dinner scene unfold, the nostalgia faded away and something akin to horror crept in, because it suddenly hit me how screwed up the emotional punch that Mrs. Doubtfire (aka Daniel Hillard, aka the craziest ex-husband ever) visits upon his ex-wife truly is. I mean, in any other genre film, this would be abundantly clear. But because we’re in comedy land (and because Robin Williams is a comedic genius), the character's good intentions and jokes makes us root for him even as his wife experiences a completely understandable meltdown of epic proportions.

Which leads me to this: although Mrs. Doubtfire is one of the funniest, most endearing and ultimately sweet-messaged movies of all time, the basic premise of a man crawling into a false skin in order to work his way into the home (and hearts) of others isn't sweet — it's damned creepy.

And eerily familiar.

I mean, as I sat there, mouth agape at how totally effed up the premise of this movie really is, it hit me: I may not have an ex-husband hiding in a fat suit in my kitchen, but I have totally been Mrs. Doubtfire’d before.

I’ll bet I’m not the only one, either.

My Mrs. Doubtfire was an alcoholic suffering from OCD who liked to tell me I should learn how to stop pissing him off so that he didn't need to say hurtful things to me anymore.

More: Mrs. Doubtfire home set on fire — check out the damage

But that’s not who he was when I met him. No — when I met him, he was taking court-mandated meditation classes and going to weekly AA meetings (all due to his second recently acquired DUI). I didn't know any of that, though. All I knew was that this man-giant with a super-handsome chin was polite, sensitive and down to treat me with care.

But that was all just because he had his "suit" on — the “I’m a good guy” suit that more and more guys seem to be wearing these days.

The only problem was, as the months passed and it became obvious he’d hooked me, that this handsome, funny and seeming sweetheart of a man began to leave pieces of his suit behind, revealing a mega-mean mess beneath.

Which is when I began a slow-motion Sally Fields mind-melt of my own, as I tried to reconcile the shouting giant looming over me in my kitchen with the sweet guy I’d met at my bestie’s birthday bash six short months ago.

How could the same guy who wooed me with movies in the park and romantic candlelit dinners be yelling at me now because he didn't like the way I blew my nose? My attempts to “understand” him were fruitless because, beneath his Mrs. Doubtfire-style veneer of good humor and intelligence, there lived a completely irrational being; there was nothing more to understand than this, yet it took months of counseling and numerous other fights before I would have that epiphany.

And now I wonder how many other women meet and fall in love with these suited-up men pretending to be the spit-polished, absolute best version of themselves, only to be left dumbstruck when the dudes punch through the proverbial latex and deposit a whole lot of ugly at their feet.

It makes your head spin.

More: 9 Red flags your guy is "gaslighting" you and what to do

I recently got off the phone with a very dear friend in LA who is dating her own Mrs. Doubtfire. He’s in love with her one moment, talking about starting a family and all the other “forever” things a gal dreams about, and then the next moment, he’s accusing her of lying to him about getting mugged in a bid to make him feel bad about not letting her park in his space when she stays over at his apartment. WTF?

And yet, the problem with the Mrs. Doubtfire type is that his costume is so believable, his accent so polished, his dance moves so rehearsed, that you don’t realize what he is until it’s too late for a clean break.

Which makes for a slow crawl to the finish line.

The selfish and manipulative man at the center makes you think the marathon is worth it by convincing you he’s some kind of work in progress, only to leave you in a blubbering heap as he slowly peels back the mask to prove that the “work” is you and what's in progress is the destruction of your psyche.

More: Getting "ghosted" is one of the worst parts of dating

When I think back to those heart-wrenching days with my Mrs. D, I remember being overcome with self-doubt, anger, fear and confusion. Thankfully, I have a support network that was able to help me finally see that the man I fell in love with didn’t actually exist — at least, not in the form in which he had introduced himself to me.

Instead, I’d fallen in love with a costume, and once I saw the guy within, I had a choice: I could try to love his ugly interior in the hope that one day his "suit" would win out over the real him, or I could cut and run.

Fortunately, I cut and run.

But I never forgot the lesson.

Now, strangely enough, whenever I watch Mrs. Doubtfire, I’ll remember it.

Jon Stewart crucifies Fox for their "terrible" Ferguson coverage (VIDEO)

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More: Jon Stewart single-handedly takes on Fox News and their lies (VIDEO)

The Daily Show aptly titled the clip "Mighty Morphin Position Changers."

And Stewart quickly cuts to the chase, bashing Fox News for failing to report on the DOJ report that revealed widespread racism throughout the Ferguson police department, despite Fox being a 24-hour news channel.

Instead Fox anchors, according to Stewart, decided to leave out that information so they could further their biased coverage.

"The lesson Fox News is getting at is very clear. Wouldn't it be nice if people who jumped to conclusions and peddled a false, divisive, anger-stoking narrative had to apologize for misleading America?" Stewart asked with a dry look that did leaps and bounds to call out Fox News' hypocrisy.

More: Stephen Colbert gives girls the best advice ever (VIDEO)

Stewart then moved on to Fox's inadequate coverage of Benghazi, saying, "They demand accountability for anger and divisiveness whilst holding themselves entirely unaccountable for their anger and divisiveness."

"For two years, they [Fox News] used Benghazi as shorthand, as a symbol for the whole concept of a corrupt, lying, tyrannical — possibly murderous — Obama White House," Stewart concludes. "Kind of like other people used 'Hands Up Don't Shoot' as a symbol for systemic racism. There's really only one difference between the two phenomena: systemic racism actually exists."

As Stewart always does in his rants, clips of Fox News reporters disseminating their "tsunami of misinformation" are peppered throughout, which only serve to further prove Stewart's point that the information is disturbingly one-sided.

More: Is Jon Stewart leaving The Daily Show for NBC Nightly News?

And yet there is no accountability for these narratives except from other journalists — in this case, Stewart.

Watch the clip below.

Jon Stewart Mighty Morphin Position Changers

Jon Stewart Mighty Morphin Position Changers

Avoid baby names your child will grow to hate

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Let's start with hipster baby names. Hipsters are an educated bunch who dress weird and balk at convention. Their desire to stand apart from the norm leads them to bestow names such as Gulliver, Enoch and Briseida on their innocent offspring. C'mon… isn't childhood hard enough?

Next on the list are gender-blurred baby names. There is a growing trend among celebs (which means that regular folk will soon follow suit) to give boy names to girls. While a woman named Ryan, James or Wyatt might command positive attention, a little girl with a boy's name may encounter nothing but bullying. Na, na, na, na, na, you have a boy name! It's a tough way to grow up.

Duggar-style baby names are not recommended. Jim-Bob and Michelle gave every single one of their children a J name. Ugh. Parents may think it's cute, but alliteration takes away some of each child's individuality. (And if you have a ton of kids, you get to a point where you run out of good same-letter options. Jinger, anyone?) 

Speaking of Duggars, we recommend that you steer clear of pop culture baby names entirely. Naming your child Katniss or Haymitch because you're a fan of The Hunger Games is messed up. Giving your daughter a K name in honor of the Kardashian clan is hardly doing her a favor. Remember, what's popular today will not be when your baby is a teenager or an adult.

Infamous baby names are not encouraged either. Don't call your twins Bonnie and Clyde. Avoid bad guy names like Caligula, Osama or Muammar. And please don't do what Heath and Deborah Campbell of New Jersey did — they named their Adolf Hitler Campbell, JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell and Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie Campbell. Yeah, it's a free country, but…

Baby names with unique spellings are another bad idea. In 2013 alone, the Social Security Administration recorded at least nine different spellings of Aidan. Naming your daughter Hayleighe will make her stand out among the other Haleys, but in a not-so-good way. Do you really want your child to spend a lifetime correcting people on the spelling of her name?

More baby names

Unique baby names not in the top 1,000
Top baby names from A to Z
The best and worst celebrity baby names of 2014

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