Month: February 2021

Categories
Culture

Cicely Tyson on the ‘Power’ of Her 1973 Oscar Nom: ‘That Was My Dream’

The day I learned I’d been nominated for an Oscar, I was filming a small role for a new Black director. Just as I was delivering an important line, I heard laughter on the sidelines of the set. “Don’t they know we’re shooting in here?” I snapped. “What’s the matter with them?” A moment later, a producer walked in. “We’ve just gotten some good news,” he said. I held up my hand. “I don’t want to hear anything,” I told him. “Whatever it is can wait.” When I am working, I show up to do exactly that. All else is a distraction, a disruption to an unfolding moment. The gentleman smiled, shook his head, and left.

The director, who must’ve heard the news that awaited, gave me a strange look before we resumed. We completed the scene, and even on my way out, I wouldn’t let anyone tell me anything. It was upon arriving home, at my agent Haber’s place, that he gave me the exhilarating announcement: I’d been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. “Really?” I said, the living room suddenly swirling out of focus. “Yes!” he yelped. As tears flooded my face, all I could think about were my friend Arthur Mitchell’s words to me: “You’re going to be nominated for an Oscar.” My friend’s what-if had come true.

I don’t care what any actor says, that golden statue matters. It is what we’re all vying for—the ultimate validation from our peers. You empty yourself into a character, you labor hour upon hour to get every single gesture and sentence precise, and you mean to tell me that such an affirmation means nothing to you? It holds tremendous power. When I was just getting into the business, I’d looked on in awe as Sidney Poitier earned that affirmation for his marvelous work in Lilies of the Field, becoming the first Black man to win an Academy Award for Best Actor. That evening, as I watched the ceremony on my old black-and-white RCA set, I said to myself, I’m going to sit in the front at the Oscars one day. That was my dream. But as my career carried me mostly toward stage and television, that hope seemed unlikely. That is why, long before I did Sounder, I’d quietly accepted that the Academy Awards would probably not be part of my path. And yet, lo and behold, here I was, on the verge of taking a seat in that front row I’d envisioned for myself.

cicely tyson, playing rebecca in sounder, has her arms around her on screen son

Cicely Tyson as Rebecca in Sounder.

Stanley Bielecki Movie CollectionGetty Images

My good news was just the beginning. Sounder received a slew of nominations, for Best Picture, Best Writing (Lonne Elder), and Best Actor (I was as delighted for Paul Winfield as I was for myself). The film’s message also reverberated beyond our shores, earning a BAFTA nomination for its score, created by Taj Mahal, who also earned a Grammy for his work. Kevin Hooks, who played my son (and who, in real life, is the son of director and actor Robert Hooks), received a Golden Globe nomination. That awards season also became a landmark recognition of Black talent: Diana Ross was nominated for an Oscar for her role in Lady Sings the Blues, as was screenplay writer Suzanne de Passe. The 1973 nominations for Diana Ross and myself were the first time Black women had been nominated in the Best Actress category since trailblazer Dorothy Dandridge received the honor in 1954 for her role in Carmen Jones.

The morning after the official nomination announcement in Los Angeles, I called my mother in New York. On television, she’d seen how all those white folks had stood and applauded me. “Well?” I said to her. “Well, what?” she said chuckling. “You’d better tell me something,” I said. The line went silent. “I am so proud of you, Sister,” she finally said. I could feel tears brimming and I let them fall, unable to speak because I was so overcome by what I’d longed to hear. If I had not heard those words from my mother, none of this would have made any difference. If she had not been able to participate in the acclaim I was receiving, all of it would’ve felt empty to me.

I, of course, already knew she and my father recognized my work. “Why do you do such sad movies?” my dad once joked after he’d seen me in Brown Girl, Brownstones. Likewise, Mom would often tell me what her friends were always asking her: “Why is she always wearing rags in her movies? Doesn’t she ever dress up?” Though their teasing was an indirect acknowledgment of their pride, I needed my mother, in particular, to voice her validation. She’d been my greatest source of energy, the reason I’d devoted myself so wholly to my work. She had believed I’d go out and become a slut of some kind, had no idea this Hollywood journey could lead me to play a character as honorable as Rebecca. My nomination did more than just prove my mother wrong. After a childhood during which my mother’s opinions drowned out all others, it gave me the last say.

“If I had not heard those words from my mother, none of this would have made any difference.”

I flew my mother to Los Angeles to attend the screening of Sounder. We were seated in the mezzanine, and she was one row behind me. In the dark, just as the curtains parted, she tapped me on the shoulder. “Ed Sullivan is sitting behind me,” she said, pronouncing his last name Sulli-wan, because for whatever reason, West Indians can’t say v’s. For years, she’d never missed The Ed Sullivan Show on Sunday nights. I turned around and whispered to her, “And I am sitting here.” We both snickered, her loudly enough to prompt Ed Sulli-wan to smile in my mother’s direction.

To celebrate Sounder’s cascade of nominations, the studio hosted a splashy New York premiere. I called upon acclaimed fashion designer Bill Whitten to design my dress (years later, Bill would design Michael Jackson’s rhinestone glove to cover the singer’s early signs of vitiligo). “I want to create the kind of gown that Rebecca might have worn if she’d had money,” I told Bill. That sent him in search of the prints and cottons poor colored women would’ve worn in 1933. Using the fabric remnants he found, he pieced together a treasure. The dress, antebellum in style, came with a fancy apron that served as a flower sack. He filled it with cotton balls he’d sent for from down South. It was the most glorious creation. The same woman who braided my hair for the movie created a crown of beautiful cornrows to complement my look. When I strode into the theater that evening, chin lifted, pride on my brow, I showed up in the name of the ancestors whose sweat and sorrow had carried me there.

In the months leading up to the ceremony, the devil got to work doing what he does best: attempting to pit Black women against each other. In the lead-up to the Oscars, one of Diana Ross’s designers tried to keep my dress from being finished by hiring my designer to make suits for the Jackson Five. I don’t know whether Diana knew anything about it, but I heard the whispers. The media, for months, had been playing up the narrative that there was some big competition between the two of us. I refused to feed into that storyline, which was false. I have never been in competition with anybody but myself, and I wanted no part in such unpleasantness. Just Breathing While Black is trouble enough.

A month before the ceremony, the studio sent me overseas on a promotional tour in Europe, my first time in Paris and London. Months before I left town, I’d rubbed elbows with British royalty. Antony Charles Robert Armstrong-Jones, First Earl of Snowdon, was then husband to Princess Margaret and an avid photographer and filmmaker. Lord Snowdon had taken quite an interest in Arthur’s work at Dance Theatre of Harlem. The two began a partnership, with Lord Snowdon investing in the school. Arthur connected me with him, and during one of Lord Snowdon’s trips to New York, he and I met for appetizers and a brief conversation. As we awaited our order, he kept glancing over his left shoulder. How strange, I thought. I wonder if he’s expecting someone. As it turned out, he was on the lookout for the paparazzi, who of course had followed him to the restaurant. Later, on another one of his trips to New York, Lord Snowdon photographed me wearing that Bill Whitten masterpiece of a dress. What a memory.

cicely tyson with suitcases at heathrow airport

Cicely Tyson at England’s Heathrow Airport in February 1973, a month before the Oscars.

George StroudGetty Images

In London, the marveling began with my ride from Heathrow in an enormous black taxi, a Hackney carriage so gargantuan that I could stand up inside of it! In a penthouse suite in the Dorchester Hotel, I spent a half-hour just wandering around the space, gawking at the grandeur of the accommodations, thinking back on those days when my siblings, Emily and Melrose, and I had all been squished together on a rollaway bed in our parents’ living room.

And to think that I now had this sprawling space to myself, in a world where my name was plastered on billboards all over America and Europe. It was nothing short of spectacular. The same was true of my time in the City of Light, where, from my balcony, I gazed in awe at the Eiffel Tower, head held high and preening in the distance.

“When I strode into the theater that evening, chin lifted, pride on my brow, I showed up in the name of the ancestors whose sweat and sorrow had carried me there.”

Back in New York before the ceremony, the surrealism continued. In another head nod to Rebecca, I wanted my hair done in a croquignole, the deep-wave style that would’ve been popular for well-to- do women during the 1930s. “Do you know how to do that style?” I asked my hairstylist Omar. “No,” she said, “but my mother can.” Can you believe that child’s mom came out of retirement just to create my waves? The words thank you fell short of expressing the gratitude I felt. Designer Bill Whitten turned up the luxury by creating a white silk-wool fitted dress, with a touch of grey in it, complete with a heart cut-out, lace-trimmed detail across the décolletage. Gracing each sleeve was a glistening row of tiny gold buttons, with the same buttons stretching down the back. It was absolutely stunning.

When Arthur arrived, dashing in his tuxedo, he escorted me by the arm to the awaiting limo. The evening, for us, marked two celebrations: the Forty-Fifth Academy Awards, and my dear Arthur’s thirty-ninth birthday. The quintet of hosts—Carol Burnett, Michael Caine, Charlton Heston, and Rock Hudson—took the stage at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. My dream was to be in the front row, and there I sat, delighted that my fantasy had come to pass.

Just as I Am: A Memoir

bookshop.org

$26.67

But as for the possibility of garnering the gold statue, I had done my back-of-the-napkin math. I’m logical that way, a pragmatist who is always weighing the odds, and in Hollywood politics, those odds were decidedly not in my favor. That same year, Liza Minnelli had been nominated for her role in Cabaret. Her father, Vincente, was a big-time director, which gave her one advantage. Check. Her mother was Judy Garland. Double check. Neither of them had ever earned an Oscar. Triple check. And at the time, Liza was dating Desi Arnaz Jr., son of Desi and Lucille Ball, Hollywood royalty. Quadruple check. Common sense told me that I had no chance amid the schmoozing and vote-securing that goes on in back rooms.

So as I sat near the stage that evening, I relaxed into the joy of just being there, with Arthur to my left and with Rebecca’s spirit dancing on my shoulder. So certain was I that this was Liza’s year, when Gene Hackman said, “And the winner is…,” I turned to Arthur and said, “Liza Minnelli.” Liza made her way up to the stage, tearful and jubilant, and I sat there, palm over my heart, relishing my presence in the arena. This journey of mine, this path so unpredictable, had somehow carried me from 219 East 102nd Street in the slums to the front row of movie magic at Hollywood’s most grand affair. As Liza accepted her award, I’d already received the only prize I have ever truly wanted—the affirmation of the dear woman who gave me birth.

From the book Just as I Am: A Memoir by Cicely Tyson with Michelle Burford. Copyright © 2021 by Cicely Tyson. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers.

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Categories
Fitness

Walmart Expands Vaccine Distribution in 22 States to Reach Underserved Communities

As the COVID-19 vaccine continues its uneven rollout across the country, communities of color and lower-income communities are increasingly being left behind. One major obstacle in many places: a serious lack of access to the doctors, pharmacies, and vaccination centers distributing the shots.

Today, Walmart announced its intention to help confront this concerning pattern. Walmart and Sam’s Club pharmacies are already administering vaccinations through state allocations in 11 states, as well as Washington DC and Puerto Rico. Now, the company plans to expand their efforts, distributing the vaccine in an additional 22 states through the US Federal Retail Pharmacy Program. Starting Feb. 12, over 1,000 Walmart and Sam’s Club pharmacies will begin receiving federal vaccine allocations, the company said, “with an emphasis on locations that reach customers in underserved communities with limited access to health care.”

Walmart said it worked with the CDC and states to identify which stores would participate, looking at population density, demographics, infection rates, and availability of local healthcare resources. It also targeted pharmacies in Medically Underserved Areas (MUA), a designation by the Health Resources and Services Administration meaning that these areas have “too few primary care providers, high infant mortality, high poverty, or a high elderly population.” One example: a Walmart in Brewton, AL, will now be part of the federal vaccine distribution effort because it’s in an MUA and “is the only location to administer the vaccine for 102 miles,” Walmart said.

“Ninety percent of the country lives within 10 miles of a Walmart,” said Cheryl Pegus, MD, MPH, the company’s executive vice president of health and wellness. “We’re at the heart of many rural and underserved communities, and we are committed to providing access to vaccines as groups become eligible.”

Walmart noted that vaccine supply and eligibility depend on state and local guidelines, but that the number of vaccinations should increase every week. You can check the company’s COVID-19 website to see whether your pharmacy is distributing vaccines and to make an appointment, if eligible. And as you wait your turn, remember to keep yourself and others safe by wearing a mask, washing your hands frequently and thoroughly, and continuing to social distance as much as possible.

POPSUGAR aims to give you the most accurate and up-to-date information about the coronavirus, but details and recommendations about this pandemic may have changed since publication. For the latest information on COVID-19, please check out resources from the WHO, the CDC, and local public health departments.

Categories
Beauty

This Vitamin C Serum Helped Even Out My Complexion

Squalane and Vitamin C Dark Spot Serum

biossance.com

$62.00

Every zit or irritated patch I’ve ever had has left behind a dark spot once it heals; and while there’s nothing wrong with having marks, my goal has always been to maintain a more even, radiant complexion. Enter: Biossance Squalane and Vitamin C Dark Spot Serum, a milky, antioxidant-packed formula that I was excited to test out, as the brand claims it can help alleviate dark spots and increase overall radiance with consistent use.

I added the product to both my morning and evening lineup for three weeks and was shocked at the rapid results. Not only did my skin appear brighter and more even in tone, it felt firmer. To find out how this serum got my face to its glorious, glowy state, I spoke with NYC-based dermatologist Hadley King, MD, and cosmetic chemist and entrepreneur David Petrillo.

It left my skin with a soft, satin finish.

I’ve always been wary of serums because they often leave my skin with a slick, shiny residue. This one, however, absorbed quickly as I massaged it in.

Petrillo says this is because the formula uses squalane, the hydrogenated, stable part of squalene (a component of the oil produced by the skin) that has been converted to a saturated oil. He explains that this saturated oil content helps the product penetrate and absorb into the skin more effectively.

My complexion looked brighter and more even.

As mentioned, the most dramatic difference in my complexion was how even it looked. King attributes this effect to kojic acid, a compound found in the formula’s white shiitake mushroom. “Kojic acid is thought to help inhibit melanin production on the surface of treated skin,” she says. The end result: a “lit-from-within,” more consistent skin tone.

The heapings of vitamin C also helped induce this effect. The anti-inflammatory ingredient is known to help reduce the appearance of dark spots and redness.

My skin felt healthier.

The vitamin C made my skin appear plumper and feel firmer after just a week. I admit, I didn’t even realize how flat and dehydrated my skin had become. (I blame it on the harsh weather we’ve been experiencing in NYC.) Consistent use of the serum showed me just how much healthier it could look. Petrillo explains that this effect is due to vitamin C’s reparative properties which is, he says, “important to the synthesis of collagen.”

It can continue to fade existing hyperpigmentation.

While I’m only three weeks into my Biossance journey, the brand claims (based on their clinical reports) that skin can continue to improve for up to 28 weeks. “Given the licorice root extract and [mushroom] extract, this product can continue to brighten and lighten dark spots over time,” Dr. King says. She adds that the sodium hyaluronate (a moisture-retainer) and squalane will continue to support my skin barrier.

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Categories
Women's Fashion

Rihanna and LVMH to Shut Down Fenty Luxury Brand

rihanna

Dimitrios KambourisGetty Images

It’s the end of an era. Nearly two years after debuting her clothing brand Fenty, housed under luxury conglomerate LVMH, Rihanna and LVMH are officially shutting down operations.

Fenty marked the first luxury brand LVMH launched from the ground up since launching Christian Lacroix in 1987. But according to WWD, Fenty’s demise is due largely to the ongoing pandemic and the challenges that arise operating a brand remotely, a luxury one that’s produced in Paris and Italy at that. “Rihanna and LVMH have jointly made the decision to put on hold the RTW activity, based in Europe, pending better conditions,” LVMH shared in a statement to WWD. Travel bans kept the singer stateside, which allowed her to prioritize Fenty Beauty and Fenty Skin as they’re both based in Los Angeles. WWD reports that LVMH views Fenty Skin as a “home run”—which sources predicted pulled in $30 million in e-commerce sales in just four months—and will shift its focus to strengthening Rihanna’s other ventures. The Fenty site will likely go ghost in the next few weeks.

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Business of Fashion reports that another disconnect Fenty faced was securing loyal customers. The luxury line launched as an extension of Rihanna’s own personal style but the brand’s higher-priced items ($300 sunglasses or $800 heels, for example) didn’t pique the interest of fans who are regular shoppers at Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty, Fenty Skin, and Savage X.

That’s not to say LVMH and Rihanna won’t try their hand at another luxury brand in the future. If they did it once, they can do it again.

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Categories
Women's Fashion

Show Yourself Some Love With a Piece From De Lovét

Photography courtesy of De Lovét. GRAPHIC BY KAYLEEN DICUANGCO.

The Canadian brand spreads encouragement with special messages inside its bags.

By
Odessa Paloma Parker

Date February 10, 2021

When she launched her accessories-centric label in 2017, De Lovét founder Loveth Ezeifeka had one mission in mind. The former bank manager “wanted to do more with myself,” she says. “I wanted to start a line that is remarkable; one that focuses on empowering women and inspiring them.”

Ezeifeka, who moved to Canada from Nigeria as a teenager, began working on bag designs and showing them to her banking customers for feedback. The reception was extremely positive, and it motivated her to add another detail to her line’s offerings — an element conceived with the intention of uplifting her community, and one reflective of her own exploration of independence and creative expression.

“When you open the bag[s], there’s an inspirational quote inside,” Ezeifeka says of the sentiments embossed inside her wares which range from boxy top-handle totes to cross-bodies with an artful zig-zagged flap detail, done in a mix of faux and natural leather fabrications. “For example, one says, ‘It doesn’t matter how slow you go as long as you don’t stop.’” After making it through 2020, these inclusions feel especially relevant.

Ezeifeka herself has taken such words to heart, thoughtfully assessing and addressing what her customers are buying ­— and wishing for — throughout the pandemic. In addition to now offering a selection of lounge-y basics like a long-sleeved dress and bodysuit, she says that fans of the brand have asked how it could further give back to those in need of encouragement. The question has inspired her to work on an affordable tote bag design which will launch in coming months, with proceeds going to women’s initiatives in Africa.

“I’ve been listening to the opinions of others in terms of how we can grow our brand,” Ezeifeka notes. She adds that while she misses the close interaction she was able to have with her customers via in-person pop-ups, she’s appreciative of her connection to outlets like Black-owned business-focused e-comm site, Yard + Parish, which carries a selection of pieces by De Lovét.

While for the past year she’s been unable to stay in touch with her customers physically, Ezeifeka strives to maintain their relationship in every way possible — particularly when it comes to stirring up their own ambitions for personal growth. She makes space to post encouraging content on her social media platforms, nodding to her own unexpected journey with the hopes of highlighting, just as her bags do, that no matter what one is facing, tenacity is key.

“What’s keeping me inspired as a Black woman is that when I came to this country, I didn’t come with any expectations,” Ezeifeka says when she reflects on her arrival in Canada with the aim of pursuing higher education. “I didn’t come from luxury; I came here to survive.” But, she acknowledges, she has come so far — building a career first in finance, and now enjoying an entrepreneurial path crafted around caring and creativity. “I know the journey is going to take time, but I know I’m doing [it] right,” she adds. “I’m inspiring people and making the change, and the impossible became possible for me.”

Categories
Culture

Elizabeth Hurley’s Abs Are On Full Display In Multiple Bikini Pics From Her ‘Pretend Vacation’

You’re not the only one who’s sick of being stuck at home: Elizabeth Hurley is, too. And she just came up with a hilariously creative way to get out of the #pandemiclife mindset.

The model and actress, 55, shared on Instagram earlier this week that she’s on a “pretend vacation,: because WTH not? And she’s got puh-lenty of bikini pics to prove it.

“Pretend vacation! I’m so fed up with being at home, I’m pretending I’m away and am living vicariously through my camera roll for the next 10 days #pretendvacation 😘,” The Royals alum wrote alongside a pic of herself goofing off on the beach in a gorgeous tan bikini.

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Of course, that was just the beginning of her pretend vacation. The Austin Powers actress then shared this snap of herself lounging in the sand:

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She followed that up with this video twirling on a beach in the Maldives:

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Then, she posted this pic of herself poolside in India:

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And her most recent Instagram features her rocking a yellow bikini like it’s NBD:

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Basically, Liz is really leaning into this whole pretend vacation thing. The Runaways star always looks so fit and glowy that it can take a sec to realize these are #TBT photos. I mean, hello—this was posted pre-“vacation” and she looks exactly the same:

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Elizabeth doesn’t look that fit by accident—she eats really, really well. She previously told The Cut that you won’t find processed foods on her plate. “I like simple, natural, easy food. I don’t really like food with a lot of chemicals or additives,” she said. “When I’m at home in the country, I always try and eat food that’s grown locally. That goes for meats and vegetables.”

She’s also huge on found fitness. She previously told Women’s Health that she likes to do squats while she brushes her teeth and takes 30-minute walks with her dogs that are “fast enough to get my heart rate up.” She also does yoga and Pilates sometimes.

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The actress also told Extra that she’s really not into working out in the traditional sense, but she’s “very active. I do a lot of exercise, but it’s really the gardening… cutting down a hedge, using my chainsaw to cut down a tree, logging, all of that stuff I do.”

Hmmm, I wonder if she presses pause on those activities during her “pretend vacation” or chalks them up as at-home excursions?

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Categories
Fitness

Experts Explain Why You Might Experience an Uptick in Nightmares While Taking Melatonin

Beautiful black woman lying down in bed sleeping

If you’ve ever had trouble falling asleep at night, chances are someone has recommended that you try melatonin. This over-the-counter supplement can help regulate your sleep-wake cycle when taken about an hour before bed. But while melatonin is popular, it could also have some unintended side effects — and experts generally agree that it isn’t a long-term solution to your sleep problems.

One of the more surprising side effects of taking melatonin? Nightmares. Here’s why they happen — and what you can do to get a more peaceful night’s sleep.

Why Does Melatonin Cause Nightmares?

If you’ve had terrifying dreams while taking melatonin, you’re not alone. Melatonin can help you fall asleep faster, but according to Lisa Medalie, PsyD, a board-certified behavioral sleep medicine specialist and creator of the children’s sleep app DrLullaby, it can also cause you to stay in the deeper stages of sleep longer, which could open the door for more vivid or intense dreams.

“Most people take melatonin because they are experiencing difficulty falling asleep, returning to sleep, or insufficient sleep,” Dr. Medalie told POPSUGAR. If you’re struggling with any of those things, chances are you’re not sleeping long enough to experience periods of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. “If melatonin is helpful and keeps such individuals asleep for longer, they may then actually experience longer and possibly higher-density REM sleep,” Dr. Medalie explained. “With longer bouts of REM from longer sleep periods — and even more likely, with higher-density REM sleep — this allows for the potential of more vivid or intense dream content, as dreams occur during REM sleep.”

Kristen Willeumier, PhD, neuroscientist and author of BioHack Your Brain: How to Boost Cognitive Health, Performance and Power, agreed, citing research that suggests melatonin can normalize REM sleep percentage and REM sleep quality. “While it is currently unclear why melatonin causes nightmares, it is most likely due to its effects on REM sleep, a stage of the sleep cycle when we experience vivid dreams,” Dr. Willeumier told POPSUGAR. “REM sleep is a time when we process our unresolved emotions in support of healthy social and emotional functioning. Dreams are a time when we can be exposed to fear-inducing stimuli (i.e., stress, anxiety, and worry) in a safe environment.”

So, while melatonin itself isn’t necessarily to blame for your nightmares, the deep sleep it allows you to have could be setting the stage for these dreams.

What Should You Do If You’re Experiencing Nightmares?

Everybody has nightmares every now and then, but if you’re experiencing them regularly and they’re affecting the quality of your sleep, you should talk to your doctor.

“In general, if you are taking any OTC or prescription medication that is producing unpleasant side effects, it is appropriate to talk to your doctor about how to safely discontinue,” Dr. Medalie said. She added that regular nightmares can be cause for concern, regardless of whether you’re taking melatonin or some other supplement or medication. “If nightmares occur outside of taking melatonin, they might be a symptom of either post-traumatic stress disorder, or even nightmare disorder,” Dr. Medalie explained. “Those who have a history of trauma may experience flashbacks during sleep (i.e. nightmares), which can cause insomnia, sleep loss, and elevated distress.” In that case, it’s important that the underlying cause be treated.

“If you are experiencing nightmares, the first thing to do would be to determine if they are related to any other existing general health or mental health issue,” Dr. Willeumier said. So, talk to your doctor, who can help get to the root of the problem and suggest a treatment plan, or refer you to a specialist who’s better equipped to help. “Non-pharmacological treatment options include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which focuses on addressing the distorted thoughts, emotions, and behaviors with techniques that help correct the distortions in cognition,” Dr. Willeumier told POPSUGAR. “There are variations of CBT, including image rehearsal therapy, lucid dreaming, sleep dynamic therapy, systemic desensitization, hypnosis, EMDR therapy, and relaxation and rescripting therapy.”

If you suspect melatonin is the sole cause of your nightmares, consider trying some alternative techniques to help you fall asleep at night. Dr. Willeumier recommends establishing a consistent sleep schedule, exercising regularly, refraining from eating three hours prior to sleep, avoiding caffeine-containing foods and beverages after 3 p.m., abstaining from alcohol before bed, dimming the lights in the evenings, using filters to block blue light from computer screens and smartphones, and keeping your bedroom temperature cool (between 60 and 67 degrees).

Again, if these healthy habits aren’t enough to help you get restful sleep, talk to your doctor. The solution may be as simple as incorporating some soothing stress relief activities into your evening routine, or your doctor may prescribe a different medication or therapy to help. But, no matter what, you shouldn’t have to suffer. Good sleep is important, so don’t give up!

Categories
Culture

Kim Kardashian Posts Proof North West, 7, Is a Better Painter Than Most Adults

North West has had many hobbies throughout her short plife, including ballet, small business ownership, piano, and violin. But her mother Kim Kardashian gave the world a glimpse at what may be one of North’s greatest skills so far: her painting ability. Kardashian posted a photo of a landscape painting North did yesterday. Few adults can paint this well:

north west's painting

Instagram

North will turn eight in June. Last year for her birthday, Kim shared a gushy tribute to her oldest child. “‪Happy 7th Birthday to my first born baby North!” she wrote. “I can’t believe you are 7. Crazy how time has flown by so fast like this! You are everything and more than I ever dreamed of! The most stylist creative Gemini performer ever! I love you to your alien planet and back!”

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Kardashian has shared photos of North here and there, chronicling her relationship with her siblings. “💚 My Girls 💚. Swipe to see North trying to teach Chi to make a peace sign. ✌🏼” Kardashian captioned one shot of North with her now three-year-old sister Chicago in September.

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Kardashian last shared a photo of North and Chicago on January 30 from their Turks and Caicos vacation that Kylie Jenner had to celebrate her daughter Stormi Webster’s third birthday early. (There was also a party in L.A., too, despite the county’s prohibition of private gatherings of any size.)

“Girls Trip!” Kardashian wrote. Kardashian’s trip abroad drew controversy given Los Angeles’ surging COVID-19 numbers and the state’s strongly discouragement of non-essential travel. Los Angeles is currently under a safer at home emergency order.

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Fitness

Fitness Fanatics Can’t Get Enough of These 20 Leggings, and You’ll See Why

There’s nothing quite as motivating as new workout clothes to help get your butt moving. When you feel confident, you can take on any challenge your workout routine might throw at you. The cornerstone of any active person’s workout wardrobe? A great pair of leggings. We’ve scoured the internet and found 20 pairs we’d be thrilled to own.

From cute ribbed pairs that are super flattering to lightweight, breathable styles perfect for sweaty activities, there’s a pair everyone will love. Whether you’re someone that prefers to go on a run, commit to a yoga flow, or mix it up with a bit of both, these leggings will move with you. Keep reading to shop our picks!

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Life & Love

When She Says Woman, She Doesn’t Mean Me

When I was 19, I paid my way to San Francisco with pornography. I answered an ad for the cheapest room I could find, and when the girl who lived there asked me, I lied and said I was straight. I didn’t know anyone. Men or boys asked me to go places, and I went. At a party in the fall, I wore tight red pants and no bra. I drank what was handed to me. I fell asleep on a bed and woke up and this boy was fucking me. His smell and skin and my teeth grinding and I was drunk or high, I don’t know which, and I couldn’t move. I could not make him stop. I passed out again and woke up and his body was there on the bed and I inched away and it was so gray, San Francisco was always so gray, always so predawn, and I did not want to jostle anything, gathered my limbs, my fragile center, slipped out to the gray street and the shivering bus and stepped gently on the stairs up into my rented room and washed myself with hot water and drank hot coffee to burn the inside of me and began the work of pretending it had not happened.

That same year, my boss at the coffee shop left me five messages in three days:

“Hey, just wanted to see if you want to go to that show on Friday at Great American Music Hall.”

“Hey you haven’t called me back so just checking in again to see if you want to go, or maybe get a drink.”

We Too

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“Hey you know it’s pretty rude of you to just smile at me like that and then not even call me back.”

“You can’t just be nice to people and then act like it doesn’t mean anything.”

“You think you’re so special but you’re not. You should be more careful.”

At work, he did not mention the phone calls. He watched me. He started scheduling me so that I only worked alone. As I wiped down counters, he stood close to me, holding a clipboard, not looking at me, just keeping his big body next to mine.

In Old Town and in Ocean Beach the cops were always watching us. Were always stopping us in the street. Were always making us empty our pockets and backpacks. We felt them coming and we stiffened, tried to duck around corners, tried to avert our faces. At night, they shone their flashlights into our eyes. Some nights they made us stand in a row. They held photos of missing children up beside our faces. We were not missing.

The boy who raped me had paid to see my naked pictures on the internet. He’d done this with his friends, the group of them together at the computer with someone’s brother’s credit card. I knew this because one of them told me. They told me he wanted to fuck me. This was intended as a compliment. I have tried to imagine what they said to each other in that room, hovered over the screen. I can’t hear them. I come up with nothing.

Sex workers, says Catharine MacKinnon, are “the property of men who buy and sell and rent them.” She says that to rape a sex worker means simply to not pay her.

When men ejaculated on me it did not feel like trauma, it felt like money. Like rent. It was not painful. It was not confusing. I did not hate them. I felt nothing about them. I knew what I was agreeing to. I knew what I would have when I walked away. I knew that I owned myself. That owning myself meant having a way to make my money and walk away. That the walking away, more than anything, was the thing that made this work different.

Sex work, tweeted Ashley Judd, is “body invasion.” It commodifies “girls and women’s orifices.” “Cash,” she says, “is the proof of coercion.”

On March 11, 2019, the New York City chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW-NYC) held a protest on the steps of City Hall, demanding the continued criminalization of sex work. Speakers at NOW’s protest called the decriminalization bill that a group of New York sex workers had been organizing toward the “Pimp Protection Act.”

NOW-NYC’s president said, “Yes, you’ve heard it right, the sex trade could be coming to a neighborhood near you.” New York City, she said, could become the “Las Vegas of the Northeast.” As though sex work were not also illegal in Las Vegas.

Owning myself meant having a way to make my money and walk away.

A small group of sex workers came to counterprotest. They held signs that said, “Sex Workers Against Sex Trafficking.”

The anti-decriminalization protestors stepped in front of them to cover their signs. Speakers said that the sex workers were “ignorant of their own oppression.”

I did not tell anyone that I had been raped. I did not tell anyone and still they said, “What is wrong with you that you allow men to pay to touch you.”

They said, “What happened to you that made you like this?”

I heard these things again and again.

I heard them so often that I feared that they were right, that I had only tricked myself into believing that there was a difference between the things I’d chosen and the things I hadn’t.

In my bed, not sleeping, Adam’s heavy arm over me, my body between him and the wall, I thought: I am broken.

I did not know what I was, and I did not know how to be anything else.

I knew that to become a person that men like Adam could love would mean making myself visibly weak. Would mean performing the kind of weakness that other people could find lovable. Would mean claiming ignorance so they could see me as worthy of being remade.

I knew that the weakness they wanted was nothing like the real weakness inside of me. The real weakness inside of me could only be healed if I trusted my own rules. If I did not give my pain away for other people’s stories.

It was in a porn studio that I first began to feel as though my body was a thing I could love. I did not take the job in order to feel this. I did not even understand it as it was happening. It happened slowly and also all at once. I showed up to shoot and the man that I would be working with asked me, “What are your limits?”

I had no idea what he was talking about.

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“What do you not want to do?” he asked. And on that day, I could not tell him. No one had ever asked me that question before.

“We’ll try some things,” he said, “and you just say ‘red’ if you want to stop.”

So I tried things. Some of them I liked and some of them I didn’t and some of them I didn’t care about one way or another. Every day when I came to shoot, they asked me the same question: “What do you want to do today? What don’t you want to do?”

Eventually, I could answer. I could make a list. This is what I want. This is what I don’t want.

There was a day when I was tied up, suspended in rope in the middle of a warehouse in downtown San Francisco, and a man was hitting me all over my body with a deerskin flogger. I was in midair, ropes pressed into my hips and thighs and chest with measured tension, leather thudding rhythmically against my back and breasts and I felt a kind of elation, a swelling in my center. I felt strong. I felt myself getting stronger. The scene ended, and they lowered me to the ground and they untied the ropes and blood rushed back into my knees and elbows and I felt suddenly clean. I felt whole. More than whole, I felt unbreakable.

They handed me a check, and it did not feel like coercion, it felt like safety. It felt like I had taken something from them.

“It is impossible,” says Andrea Dworkin, “to use a human body in the way women’s bodies are used in prostitution and to have a whole human being at the end of it, or in the middle of it, or close to the beginning of it. . . . And no woman gets whole again later, after.”

In Los Angeles, the days were all the same but also they were all different. I worked. All of us worked. We lived to work. We called it the “porn dorm” and we called it “porno boot camp” and we got up at 5 a.m. and worked until two the following morning. We worked two-a-days and we worked seven days a week and there was not a single day of the year when someone, somewhere, was not making pornography.

The good days and the bad days were overwhelmed by days when everything went as expected. Days when I showed up and laid out my clothes and we chose something and I put my makeup on and took the stills and waited for male talent or waited for the light or waited for the dialogue and did six positions and a pop and took my check and went home. I felt bored more often than I felt anything else. I felt bored and I felt as though the thing I was inside of was invisible to everyone who was not inside of it.

They handed me a check, and it did not feel like coercion, it felt like safety. It felt like I had taken something from them.

When I was not working, I was exhausted. I was more exhausted than I had ever been. Some mornings, when it was time to get up to go to work, I cried.

“You cry now, but you’ll cry when you have no money,” my agent said.

I cried and then I went to work.

The day would be good or it would be bad or it would be neither and I would collect my check and my agent would come and pick us up and take us to Jerry’s Deli and we would eat chicken soup and black and white cookies, and I loved him. I loved these women around me, each of them with their bodies like weapons. I felt as though I did not belong anywhere but there.

I’ve rarely talked about my rape and I’ve rarely talked about violence I’ve experienced while doing sex work. I have not talked about these things because I am afraid. Because I know how stories like mine get told. Because I know exactly how good anti–sex work “feminists” are at carving out the pieces of our stories to make them mean something else, something less complicated and more easily sold. I know how good they are at flattening us, at excavating our experiences to make stories that are only an imitation of the things we’ve lived. I know how good they are at making us no longer human but symbols of this thing they call womanhood. This thing they’ve made that I do not see myself in.

I’m afraid, but also I’m angry. I’m angry that I could not talk about violence without fueling descriptions of me as an object, written by women claiming to be my allies. I have survived violence in sex work and also I have chosen again and again to do this work. I have performed sex and femininity and also I am not a symbol of anyone else’s womanhood. I have been poor enough that sex work seemed like a gift, poor enough that sex work changed my power in the world by giving me the safety that money gives. To say that I needed the money is not the same as saying I could not choose, and to say that I chose is not the same as saying it was always good. I have been harmed in sex work and I have been healed in sex work and I should not have to explain either of those experiences in order to talk about my work as work.

“Women must be heard,” says Ashley Judd. And I know that when she says women, she does not mean me.

Excerpted from the book We Too: Essays on Sex Work and Survival, edited by Natalie West, with Tina Horn. The essay “When She Says Woman, She Does Not Mean Me” Copyright © 2021 by Lorelei Lee. The collection, published by the Feminist Press, is out now.

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Culture

Princess Eugenie Gives Birth to a Baby Boy

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The UK has a new royal baby! Buckingham Palace just confirmed the happy news that Princess Eugenie gave birth to her son this morning at the Portland Hospital in London.

“Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie was safely delivered of a son today, 9th February 2021, at 0855hrs at The Portland Hospital. Jack Brooksbank was present,” reads a statement released this afternoon.

The Palace then went on to share that both mother and baby are in good health following the delivery, and that the little boy weighs 8lbs 1oz.

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Naturally, Jack and Eugenie’s parents and grandparents are excited about the newest member of their family. According to a press release, “The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Duke of York, Sarah, Duchess of York, and Mr and Mrs George Brooksbank have been informed and are delighted with the news.”

The child, whose name has yet to be released publicly, is the ninth great-grandchild for Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh, and the first grandchild for Prince Andrew, and Sarah, Duchess of York.

It’s unclear at this point when a name might be shared publicly; the delay is something of a royal tradition. “The reasoning is perhaps two fold. On one hand there’s a desire to inform the families before a public declaration is made and any new parent appreciates having a little private time to get to know their new addition before the onslaught of announcements,” royals expert Victoria Arbiter previously shared with Town & Country via email before the arrival of Prince Louis.

“Royals, however, also have to consider the great responsibility in naming a new member of the family and I expect they want to be a hundred percent certain of their choice before announcing the name and sealing the baby’s place in history.”

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Fitness

The Best Bathing Suits From Athleta So You Can Just Keep Swimming (and Stay Supported)

While we’re definitely reaching for sweaters over swimsuits these days, are we the only ones eagerly anticipating warmer weather? And, we’re not just talking spring, we’re imagining hot days where it’s possible to stay outside — and even swim — from sunrise to sunset.

Now, we do realize there are still plenty of places around the country where one can take a dip year-round, and surf, paddle, and workout beachside daily (without freezing your tail off). Whether you’re in the former group or the latter, you’re going to want to check out the bathing suits at Athleta. Styles from bikinis to rashguards can be mixed and matched as you wish, and many come in A-DD sizes, too.

Since the only deep dive we can actually do today is into Athleta’s swim department, we gathered up the pieces we’re going use to make our poolside fantasy a reality ASAP. (And, while we’re over here dreaming, we dare you to pick just one.)

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Women's Fashion

Here’s Everything To Know About the Peloton Tread, Launching in Canada Today

Photography courtesy of Peloton.

Running instructor Jess Sims told us how to bring our indoor running game to the next level with the new treadmill.

By
Victoria DiPlacido

Date February 9, 2021

It’s finally here: the long-awaited Peloton Tread is now available in Canada. Can the American company, known for its at-home exercise bike with a months-long waitlist, make a treadmill covetable? If anyone could, we’d bet on them. At the core of Peloton’s success is, yes, its fancy high-end equipment, but also its energetic, hurts-so-good instructor-led classes, from HIIT and bootcamp to cycling and running. The Peloton Tread combines the sleek design the brand is known for with useful functional changes. For instance, it swaps the traditional digital speed and incline buttons for two (highly addictive) knobs that make levelling up your run almost, dare we say, fun. We connected with Peloton superstar instructor Jess Sims to talk about the benefits of running and how to ease back into it, plus why the Peloton Tread completely changes the indoor running game.

Give me the Peloton Tread pitch: why are you excited about it and why should other people be hyped about it too?

My favourite thing about it is the speed and incline knobs. They completely change the game. In class, when I say, “Every time the song says this word, we’re going to add 0.1 to our speed,” it’s so easy to do with that knob. It’s just so user-friendly. It empowers you to go faster and to go higher up on that incline because you know you can take it down as quickly as you put it up.

The other amazing thing is how it makes you feel like you are in a class, which is so important right now when we can’t go to studios. The screen is right there in front of you. It’s so crystal clear that you actually feel like you’re in the room with the instructor. [The instructors are] always looking right into the camera, talking directly to you and motivating you to keep going.

What type of runners is the Tread geared to? Newbies? Ironman racers?

We offer so much content on the Tread. We have walks, we have power walks, we have hikes — and those are at all levels. Then we have a walk plus run, a 50/50 split of walking and running — and those are important. When I talk to anyone who says they hate running because they get so sore, I’m like, okay, well, how long did you run for? And they say 20 minutes. Well, when was the last time you ran? They’ll say, oh, five years ago I used to run every day.

Guess what? In five years, your body has lost its ability to adapt to the impact of running. In order to run long-term and make this a lifestyle, you have to do 30 seconds of jogging, 30 seconds of walking — or 45 seconds on, 45 seconds off — and build yourself up. And that’s exactly what these walk plus run classes deliver. If you’re very, very beginner, it’s going to be a very light jog. If you’re more intermediate, it can be a run.

Once you get into running, all the runs are levelled. There’s beginner, intermediate and advanced. We have 10-minute classes and 60-minute classes, so it really eliminates any excuse or reason as to why you can’t take a class.

On top of all that, we have bootcamp. That’s why we say that our Tread is more than just your typical treadmill, because it’s a full-body piece of equipment. In a bootcamp class, you’re running, then you get off the tread and you go onto your mat and you’re lifting weights, so you get that hybrid.

Peloton Tread, from $3,295, onepeloton.ca. Photography courtesy of Peloton.

How many times a week should someone be running based on their experience?

It depends on your goals and your current fitness level. But in general, for a beginner, I recommend doing walks and walk-plus-runs two to three times a week to start. For intermediate, I would say three times a week starting off with the 20-minute classes. For more advanced runners, like someone who does the Ironman, maybe five times a week. We have tempo runs — which are very important for marathon runners and racers — where you’re running at a very challenging pace for the majority of the class. I would recommend doing a tempo run, an endurance run, some intervals and definitely taking strength classes because we know that helps prevent injury and build the muscles that help you get even faster and stronger.

What are some general tips on running form?

Eyes are always up. Never look down — there’s nothing for you on the ground. Keep your chin parallel to the floor. Shoulders are down, away from your ears. You want to keep your elbows bent at 90 degrees, and you’re going to pump them back and forth, swinging like a pendulum by your side. Imagine that you have ice cream in your hand: you want to have a little bit of tension, but not too much tension where you would crush it.

For your core, you want slight tension. Don’t hold your breath, of course, but think of that [contraction] you would make if someone would sucker punch you in the stomach. Keep your pelvis tucked under – a lot of us accidentally arch our back while we’re running. Pick your knees up and flip your heels up towards your butt. When you’re in a walk, you start on your heel. When you’re in a jog/run, you are more mid-foot. When you’re sprinting, you’re on your forefoot.

What advice would you give someone to get excited about getting back into running?

One thing that I like to say is you don’t have to run, you get to run. Just shifting that perspective. A lot of us, whether or not you’re a former athlete like myself, used to be punished with running. When we shift that experience to this is something that we get to do, it takes the pressure off of ourselves.

And start off doing less: less is more and slower is more. Even if you can go for a sprint right now from here to the next block, it doesn’t mean you should. For someone who is just getting back into it, take your time, understand that it’s a journey and understand that it’s a beautiful thing. It’s a time for you to be alone with your own thoughts, stay super present and not worry about your to-do list.

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Culture

Outlander Season 6: Everything We Know

We’re looking down the barrel of the longest Droughtlander yet, but the beloved cast and crew of Outlander are intent on keeping us apprised of the latest from set (and, er, Zoom) in the meantime.

Below, everything we know about season 6 of the hit Starz series—from what’s going on with pre-production to what to expect for Claire (Caitriona Balfe), Jamie (Sam Heughan), Brianna (Sophie Skelton), and Roger (Richard Rankin) when the show returns.

Season 6 will largely pull from Diana Gabaldon’s A Breath of Snow and Ashes.

Though season 5 depicted several plot points from book six in the Outlander series, including the death of Stephen Bonnet and a brutal attack on Claire, most of the content of the new season will still come from that installment, A Breath of Snow and Ashes, which tracks the Frasers through the years just preceding the Revolutionary War.

Here’s how publisher Penguin Random House describes it:

The year is 1772, and on the eve of the American Revolution, the long fuse of rebellion has already been lit. Men lie dead in the streets of Boston, and in the backwoods of North Carolina, isolated cabins burn in the forest. With chaos brewing, the governor calls upon Jamie Fraser to unite the backcountry and safeguard the colony for King and Crown. But from his wife Jamie knows that three years hence the shot heard round the world will be fired, and the result will be independence—with those loyal to the King either dead or in exile. And there is also the matter of a tiny clipping from The Wilmington Gazette, dated 1776, which reports Jamie’s death, along with his kin. For once, he hopes, his time-traveling family may be wrong about the future.

Executive producer Maril Davis expanded on this in an August 2020 PaleyFest interview, per Parade:

The original Outlander is my favorite, but A Breath of Snow and Ashes is my second favorite… There is so much for everyone in it. Jamie and Claire, their love deepens; Roger and Brianna, they have their own journey, and something fun and new happens with them. Caitlin O’Ryan, who plays Lizzie, has a great story, and she is such a phenomenal actress. There are just so many exciting things.

Gabaldon has published eight books in the Outlander series so far, with a ninth, Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone, “close” to finished.

There are 12 episodes in the new season.

Just like season 5.

Filming on season 6 has been postponed due to the coronavirus.

On May 3, 2020, Heughan tweeted that season 6 was supposed to start filming that week.

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But pre-production is underway.

The cast of Outlander shared a holiday treat on December 25: a behind-the-scenes look at the show’s costume department, where pre-production work is taking place. Balfe, Heughan, Skelton, and Rankin all make appearances in the three-minute clip and drop hints about the season along the way. “We’re very excited to bring the show to you as soon as possible,” Balfe says.

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“We have to dress a lot of people, because there are many, many more settlers coming to Fraser’s Ridge,” Heughan notes. He also teases a new conflict with Tom Christie, “one of Jamie’s ancient foes” from his Ardsmuir Prison days. “There’s a bit of a power play,” he says.

As for Bree, Skelton says, “We’re gonna see a lot more this season of the modern Brianna…her inventor cap will be on.”

And Balfe contributes an ominous hint: “Things are coming to the Ridge that will even challenge Claire Fraser’s medical knowledge.”

A Breath of Snow and Ashes

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Yes, a war is coming.

That’s one thing we can count on. The Revolutionary Way is on the horizon, and the Frasers will, of course, get swept up in the action.

“I think we’ve always done really [well] with the action sequences,” Heughan told ELLE.com of shooting battle sequences back in May 2020. “Certainly I think it’s one of my stronger points in the show. It’s nice when we get a bit of everything.”

Season 6 will address Claire’s recovery from the traumatic events of the season 5 finale.

The season 5 finale, titled “Never My Love, saw Claire kidnapped and raped by a group of men furious that she inspired their wives to demand agency. “For Claire, this is going to be an ongoing journey of recovery,” Balfe told ELLE.com after the finale aired. “She will probably try to plow on and get back to normality, but I don’t think she’s fully aware of just how difficult, subconsciously and psychologically, that’s going to be for her.”

In the Outlander End of Summer series that aired last September, Heughan expanded where we find the Frasers at the end of the finale: “When we left Season 5, the whole family is fractured,” he said. “They are together but Claire still has some healing to do.”

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Fitness

We’re Gonna Need a Minute After Seeing Chris Hemsworth’s New Strength-Training Move

Welcome back to another edition of “Is Chris Hemsworth a perfect statue of chiseled marble, or a human man?”, today featuring his trainer Luke Zocchi, a fitness expert on Hemsworth’s Centr app, and a fun little piece of equipment called a sled. No, not that kind of sled — in the gym, sleds are these metal contraptions with handles that slide across carpeting. You get to pile on all the weight you want and shove or pull it across the floor to work basically your entire body.

But this is Thor we’re talking about, so of course this isn’t just any old sled workout. Instead of stacking weight plates, Hemsworth was pulling Zocchi, who was just sitting on top of the sled going along for the ride, and like, can we sign up for that job? So, a couple things to point out here. First of all, sleds are known as a way of building strength and power, so no wonder a Marvel superhero is adding them to his routine. Secondly, please note that one sled usually weighs 70 to 90 pounds by itself, so if you stack an entire person on top of that, we’re talking . . . well over 200 pounds that he’s pushing and pulling? Hemsworth is out of breath at the end (panting “so easy” before collapsing on the ground), so that tells you all you need to know about how tough this was. Maybe us mere humans will stick to the weight plates in our next sled workout. Until then, we’ll just go ahead and watch Hemsworth and his shoulders do *gestures* all of that more time.

Categories
Culture

Why Shailene Woodley and Aaron Rodgers Got Engaged So Fast: ‘They Had a Very Intense Connection’

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers shocked the internet when he revealed he had a fiancée just days after reports broke that he was dating actress Shailene Woodley. Now, sources have spoken to People and E!, confirming that yes, the fiancée that Rodgers didn’t name really is Woodley. They also explained why a proposal came so quickly.

When Woodley and Rodgers first started seeing each other hasn’t been specified yet, but they’ve been together at least all fall, according to E!. Rodgers’ breakup with his last girlfriend, Danica Patrick, was reported in July 2020, and Woodley spoke about being single in April 2020.

shailene woodley and aaron rodgers

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A source told E!, “They can’t wait to get married and they want it to happen soon.” That source added that there was a great spark between them, from the very start: “They had a very intense connection from the beginning,” the source said. “They both knew early on that it was something special and different from what they had experienced in other relationships. It’s a quick engagement, but for those that know them, it didn’t come as a surprise.”

People‘s source echoed what E!’s said, stating, “They are very happy together. It’s not surprising he proposed so fast. When you know, you know, right?”

E!’s source spoke a little more about their relationship, which has been long distance at times. “They have spent the entire fall together and lived together throughout,” that source explained. “She is very supportive of his career and embraced his life in Green Bay. Even though she has her own career and life, she wanted to be there with him. Over the next year, they plan to spend some time traveling and enjoying a warmer climate.” E!’s source’s “warmer climate” comments come amid rumors posted on unverified celebrity gossip Instagram DeuxMoi that Woodley was looking at places in Hawaii.

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Fitness

Fitness Fanatics, These 21 Amazon Products Are Editor-Approved

You can buy almost anything on Amazon, and that includes some top-notch fitness products. From healthy snacks to home workout gear and even self-care items, there’s no limit to what you can find on the site. It can be tough to stay motivated sometimes, which is why having certain fitness items in your house is an almost foolproof way to stick to your goals.

Our editors really love shopping on Amazon, and we know firsthand how important great fitness essentials are. These are our 21 favorite Amazon products meant for the wellness warrior. Right now, we’re into reusable water bottles, healthy snacks, and weighted blankets. There’s something for everyone, and all you have to do is add them to your shopping cart.

Categories
Beauty

Do Mood-Altering Glasses Really Work?

In high school, I used to wear my sunglasses during class. Hiding in the back corner of the room, concealed behind my super-dark lensed Ray-Ban Wayfarers, I tried to disappear. I’ve recently taken up the habit again—this time, for a different reason. California-based Futuremood‘s colorful glasses aren’t just for attention. Each style comes outfitted with a pair of halo chrome lenses made exclusively for the brand by 175-year-old German optical company Zeiss.

Studies show that donning these shades can help users change their mood, depending on which color you pick: Green fosters relaxation, yellow enhances focus, red increases energy, and blue will make you feel refreshed. “When light and color go through your eyes, it ends up at the visual cortex in your brain,” says Michael Schaecher, who co-founded the brand with Austin Soldner. “Once this hits the visual cortex, depending on what the light or color signals are, it can activate all kinds of different responses across your body and mind.”

Zeiss didn’t just select random colors to associate different “results” with—humans have been interested in shades and symbolism since Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s Color Theory was published in 1810.

The company spent years fine-tuning the exact shades of their halo chrome lenses to get the maximum benefits. The results are Futuremood’s inaugural drop—which is the first-ever mood-enhancing pair of glasses.

It’s the perfect pick-me-up to test with the first sheltering-in-place anniversary on the horizon, so I spend a snowy, stressful workday in Brooklyn, giving three different vibes a try and taking notes. Oh, and pictures. Here’s what I thought—and more importantly—how I felt.

futuremood sunglasses

Courtesy

7:32 A.M.: BRIGHT LENSES FOR A BRIGHT MORNING

Aura Zone 100

Futuremood

$175.00

Remember what it was like the first time you drank coffee? Kind of out of control, but also totally excited to get some work done? That’s how I felt just three minutes into wearing these sunny yellow shades, which are supposed to help clear your mind and focus on the task at hand. It makes sense to me—yellow is such a stimulating color, and it’s one I’ve always been drawn to because I love how attention-grabbing it is. After about 30 minutes with the yellow glasses on, I experienced another familiar feeling—that post-coffee crash. In the future, I won’t be wearing these for more than a few minutes at a time.

futuremood

Courtesy

3 P.M. SLUMP: A WALK AROUND THE BLOCK IN ALL RED

AURA BOOST 100

Futuremood
futuremood.com

$100.00

It’s snowing—hard. And watching it through my window is making me so… sleepy. For me, there’s only one way to get over my afternoon drowsiness, so out into the snow, I go. Red is easily the most confusing color when it comes to signaling—it can be sexy, energizing, or scary. Zeiss’ shade of rouge focuses on the first two feelings, and as I walk circles around my Park Slope block and the combination of bright red everything—I mean, wow, the snow is refreshing when you see it all through red lenses—and the fresh air wakes me up.

futuremood glasses

Courtesy

10-ish P.M.: GREEN MASK AND GREEN GLASSES

AURA BLISS 100

Futuremood
futuremood.com

I’ve started putting my phone in a different room while I sleep to stop myself from doomscrolling, so I usually like to read a book to help me wind down. Right now, It’s Hamnet, and I’m multitasking with one of my favorite maskne-fighting masks, Tracie Martyn’s Enzyme Exfoliant. The turquoise mask isn’t just right for a photo opp—it’s super active (there’s kaolin clay, AHAs, and kojic acid inside), so I can only leave it on for about 15 minutes—which is perfect because I can’t read very well with these green glasses on either. It makes sense to me that the green shades are the ones associated with relaxing. There are numerous studies about the calming benefits of the Japanese tradition of shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing. And while these are certainly my favorite aesthetically, I’m not sure that they’re doing anything. After all, I’m already lying down, signaling to my brain it’s time to go to sleep naturally.

A COLORFUL DAY IN REVIEW

Everything about Futuremood’s glasses is fun—they brought joy back into my day and got me excited to get dressed and hop on different Zoom meetings. In my day-to-day, I’m wont to pick up the energizing pair the most because who wouldn’t want a little boost now and then. But when it comes to accessorizing an outfit? I’m delighted I have three great options.

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Culture

Here’s Selena Gomez Serving Looks in PJs and Two Other Great Outfits

Selena Gomez is working on new content, and her stylist Kate Young shared a very generous look at the fashion Gomez will have in it. Young posted three Instagram posts, featuring Gomez in different outfits. The first look, including Gomez in an AZ Factory PJ top, was already featured on her TikTok. Gomez accessorized with a Messika choker.

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Gomez’s second look featured her in a white asymmetrical AZ Factory top and D’Estrëe earrings:

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And her third outfit was simple: Gomez in a black St. John Knits top and Tiffany & Co. gold chain necklace:

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Gomez is currently working on the Hulu comedy Only Murders in the Building in New York City. But the big project she has coming out more imminently is her Spanish EP, REVELACIÓN. That will come out on March 12.

Gomez spoke about the process of creating REVELACIÓN during the pandemic in a newly-released Vevo Footnotes video. According to Billboard, Gomez said the project came together fast. Speaking about her first single “De Una Vez” in particular, Gomez said, “‘De Una Vez’ was one of the first songs I worked on pretty early on. At the time, doing a Spanish project was just an idea being bounced around. Then the rest of the project just kind of happened really quickly and organically.”

Gomez added that she did a lot of work on the album virtually through Zoom. “As for the process, we actually recorded almost the entire EP on Zoom due to COVID.” she admitted. You can watch the full video of her discussing the making of “De Una Vez” below:

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Fitness

We’re Crazy in Love With This Beyoncé Medley Floor Routine From Ragan Smith

Many elements make for a great floor routine — well-executed tumbling passes, eye-catching artistry, and standout music — and Ragan Smith hits all the marks. Smith, a sophomore at the University of Oklahoma, performed a near-perfect floor routine (9.925) at Oklahoma’s Feb. 7 competition against the University of Denver and Temple University (a tri-meet that the Oklahoma Sooners won). She took her routine this season to the next level — and by next level, we mean Bey’s level.

Smith’s routine features a mashup of Beyoncé songs along with choreography that nicely flows in tandem with each recognizable hit track. You’ll hear bits of “Already,” “Run the World (Girls),” “Halo,” “Get Me Bodied,” “Naughty Girl,” “Crazy In Love,” and “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It).” She opens up with an effortless double backflip in a tucked position and finishes with a more difficult double pike.

Smith competed on the world state prior to college. She has been a US national team member six times, was selected as an alternate for the gold-medal-winning women’s Olympic gymnastics team in 2016, and won first all around at the 2017 P&G US National Gymnastics Championships. Watch her full routine above. In our eyes, it is fun when it needs to be; dramatic, too; and, as Queen Bey says, on the verge of flawless.

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Beauty

You Need to Try Dolly Parton’s New Perfume

Mayday, mayday! Dolly Parton is coming out with a new fragrance, and samples of the perfume became available after an ad during the third quarter of Super Bowl LV yesterday.

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With notes of mandarin, pear, jasmine, and patchouli, this scent is housed in a rosy pink bottle with a crystal butterfly adorning the cap and is sure to look smashing on any vanity.

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“Having my own perfume has always been a dream of mine,” says Parton on the brand’s official website. “For as long as I can remember, people have commented on my scent. “What are you wearing?,” “what is that fantastic smell?,” and “where can I get it?” are all questions I have heard daily for more years than I can remember.”

Courtesy of brand

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Parton notes that she has been blending her personal scent for years with a mix of other perfumes, oils, and powders. Now, the icon is ready to share that scent with you.

You can get a sneak preview of the scent by heading to DollyFragrance.com to receive deluxe samples of the perfume for $9.95. This cost can be used as credit towards the purchase of a full-size bottle when it officially launches in July. With a couple of spritzes, we can only hope to go through life with the confidence of Dolly.

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Women's Fashion

Law Roach on Creating That Dress for Zendaya in Malcolm & Marie

Last year, Hollywood glamour came to a halt in the wake of a global pandemic. Gone were the days of couture gracing the elite days after a runway show. Ballgowns made-to-measure for A-listers gliding across the red carpet at a movie premiere ceased to exist. But that didn’t mean dressing up lost its luster—at least not for Law Roach.

The self-proclaimed “image architect” thrives off creative energy, from styling celebrities like Celine Dion, Hunter Schafer, and Zendaya (whom he has been dressing since she was 14) to judging HBO Max’s Legendary. In comparison, his time in quarantine was relatively unproductive. “I did not join TikTok. I did not cook banana bread. I didn’t work out. I did not do anything. People came out of quarantine with new skills and new bodies—that was not me,” he tells ELLE.com over the phone. “When you put somebody in that situation who literally works every day and whose whole life depends on him being creative, [then] not having anything to pour into…that was very, very tough. I am not one of those people that came out of quarantine on top.” But 2021 begs to differ.

With Malcolm and Marie, the Netflix film directed by Sam Levinson, Roach is adding costume designer to his resumé. The charged film was born from the COVID-19 pandemic and written and filmed during the summer of 2020. Roach styles Zendaya for her role as Marie, the girlfriend to rising director Malcolm (played by John David Washington, dressed by Samantha McMillen), and offsets the intensity of the film’s black-and-white palette with glamour dripping off Zendaya’s glistening custom gown.

malcolm marie l r john david washington as malcolm, zendaya as marie dominic millernetflix © 2021

John David Washington and Zendaya star in Malcolm & Marie.

DOMINIC MILLER/NETFLIX © 2021

ELLE.com spoke to Roach about creating the film’s soon-to-be iconic dress via FaceTime and his Black Fashion and Beauty Collective, which aims to support young Black creatives. Read on for more.

How did you feel when you were asked to be part of this film?

I was so flattered. When Zendaya told me Sam wanted to talk to me about being a part of it, I was really, really excited and a bit overwhelmed because I’ve never been part of any of her movies or her TV shows. I always get to do the premiere, all those types of things, which is great. That’s what a lot of our relationship is based on.

How is dressing Zendaya as a person different from dressing Zendaya as Marie?

I think there are some similarities. It’s still Zendaya’s body. It’s still Zendaya’s physicality, which is beautiful. When we do things together, we always create a narrative or a character. There has to be a story behind why the clothes are chosen. Who is she at that moment? It’s always been my job to create that narrative, to bring the pieces to the story. Then she takes them and becomes whoever it is and evokes whatever emotion we decided on. I put that into designing for Marie, too.

Why did you choose that dress style specifically?

The dress is custom. I worked with Jason Rembert from Aliette, a fellow stylist and great friend. Sam and I went back and forth. It was so organic. He said he wanted us to create a dress that was timeless. That, when people watch this movie 20 years from now, the dress will still be relevant and beautiful. He really wanted to create an iconic piece of fashion. And I was like, “thanks a lot, Sam. That’s a lot of pressure.”

That’s what I conveyed to Aliette. Jason went back and he did some sketches based on things I knew would be flattering to Zendaya—a costume that will help her become sexy, become Marie. One of Sam’s notes was that the dress needed to have movement. The fabric needed to be able to carry light. Jason and I went to the fabric store—on FaceTime, of course.

I think he made three versions of it. I sent those all back. We had a fitting. Then we made notes. We sent some dresses back to Jason with the notes. He did all the alterations. Then the final dress was created. And there you have it.

How would you describe Marie’s style?

I think Marie is a fashion girl. I think Marie also knows she’s beautiful. Marie is very, very, very strong-minded and opinionated. When it comes to fashion, she knows exactly what she wants. She knows how she wants to look. There is a very obvious sex appeal to her, which the stockings lend themselves to.

the 2019 met gala celebrating camp notes on fashion arrivals

Zendaya with Roach, her literal Fairy Godmother, at the Met Gala in May 2019.

Dia DipasupilGetty Images

What was the most challenging part of working on this project? Especially since it was done over video chats?

I think just not being able to physically be there. But, I think as creatives, what we pivot. We are human beings, we’re faced with an obstacle or adversity, then we pivot. We make the best of it. We make what we have work for us.

I think it was also a testament to my creativity. I was able to do it. I wasn’t on set. I wasn’t physically there to see the dresses. It challenged me in a way that I actually enjoyed.

How do you approach each celebrity client differently?

I collaborate with my clients. I always hope I get my way with them. I think one of the best compliments I ever received about my work is that all my clients look like themselves. None of them look alike. They all have their own identity. I think that comes with work. That comes with collaboration. That comes with me really listening and watching, and a lot of research on the client.

What was the most challenging part of 2020 for you?

I think my challenges aren’tt different from anyone else in the world. The beautiful thing about what happened is that we all went through it together. We all went through it. No matter how rich or poor or famous or what your job is, we all went through the exact same thing at the same time. I think we all pretty much shared the same concerns and worries and emotions at the same time.

It is actually a really beautiful thing to see how, as humans, we were able to all virtually hold hands in a way [and] pray for each other to get through it. We were all just trying to get through it. I don’t think my experiences are any different from yours or my friends who were in Milan or Paris or Africa. We were all just going through the same thing. You have to find some type of solace in that.

Can you update us on what’s happening with the Black Fashion and Beauty Collective?

What happened is that we were so excited and so motivated by what was going on in the world that we kind of moved a little too fast. We just put everything on hold for a second and are internally working it out. We want to make sure our mission is spot on [and] we’re able to really make a change when we come back.

What are you most excited about for fashion in 2021?

I’m excited, like everybody is, for things to feel normal. I’m excited that, hopefully, this year we’ll get back to carpets and the chaos of it. The photographers and the glamour and the opulence and all that. When I say us, I mean the fashion industry comes back in a way that is respectful and not tone-deaf. People are also missing the glamour because it’s so aspirational and it makes people feel good. I just want us to come in and back in a way that’s delicate and sensitive. I want us to come back in a way that’s respectful and thoughtful.

But I miss it all. I miss the chaos. I miss the stress. It’s why I got into this business. It’s why I became a stylist.

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Women's Fashion

’90s Supermodel Carolyn Murphy on Being the Face of One of the Longest Beauty Partnerships Ever

Photography by Craig McDean

“I put a lot of pressure on myself to do everything — to be the mother, the father, the breadwinner, to be in the public eye. That pressure can be intense.”

By
Souzan Michael Galway

Date February 8, 2021

The word “iconic” is tossed around with reckless abandon these days, peppered generously throughout social media captions and comments, making it difficult to avoid and nearly impossible to discern the ironic from the genuine. (Was that Twitter exchange between two fast food chains truly iconic? Debatable.) Luckily, every once in a while we’re reminded of those pop culture figures who have stood the test of time and left a lasting impression on their industry. Enter: Carolyn Murphy. The supermodel was named Vogue/VH1 Model of the Year Award in 1998 and has appeared on countless magazine covers and runways throughout her career, which has spanned over 30 years — and counting.

Model Carolyn Murphy
Photography by Steven Meisel

Perhaps her most well-known role is as the fresh face in over 100 (!) Estée Lauder campaigns. This year, Murphy is celebrating her 20th year with the brand, making it one of the longest partnerships in the beauty industry. Iconic, non? To make things even more celebratory, Murphy’s 20-year anniversary just so happens to coincide with the brand’s 75th anniversary. In honour of these milestones, we caught up with Carolyn Murphy to learn about the last 20 years of her career with Estée Lauder.

Is there a particular moment working with the Estée Lauder brand that you’ll never forget?

“Definitely the beginning. I’d just had my daughter and I was still breastfeeding — there was milk everywhere,” she laughs. “When I first got to the office to meet Leonard and Aerin Lauder, it was kind of like a Pretty Woman moment. I had been living on a farm and was definitely out of touch with beauty and fashion so I had on a white button-down, a pair of slacks and flats, no makeup, my hair pulled back. Aerin Lauder pulled me aside and said, ‘You have a couple of hours, maybe go zhuzh up a little more.’ It was said in a way of empowering me and [encouraging] me to have fun with it. So I got my hair done, I got some makeup, and I bought this really sexy outfit and a pair of heels. Then that first shoot that we did for Advanced Night Repair, I was still nursing and my daughter was on set, and I wasn’t feeling my sexiest because I’d just gotten a divorce. I just remember being on set and feeling so beautiful in this beige negligee. When I saw the ad I was like, ‘Wow I didn’t know I could look like that.’ I didn’t know that I could look sexy. Those moments are special.”

Speaking of growing up on a farm, you’re known for your love of nature and animals. How does that influence your work?

“We all have our places of solace and that is it for me,” says Murphy. “Being more of an introvert, and being raised with a reverence for nature, that’s just what makes me feel good. I think we all have a duality to us in some way or another, and a lot of people, especially during the time of COVID, have learned the importance of being in nature. That has been a real luxury for me. Having the job that I do has afforded me to spend more time with my daughter and to be in nature more.”

Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give to your younger self about your industry?

“Relax a bit more and [don’t] try to do it all,” says Murphy. In the past, “I put a lot of pressure on myself to do everything — to be the mother, the father, the breadwinner, to be in the public eye. That pressure can be intense, but I used to feel guilty when I said I needed to take time off. So I would say to my younger self to make sure that I follow my heart and to not [feel the need] to explain myself.”

How has your beauty routine changed during quarantine?

“I have more time on my hands, so I’m experimenting more and indulging more for sure,” says Murphy. “A nightly bath was a real treat [before] but now I’m like ‘OK, it’s that time again.’ Also my daughter and I have our beauty nights on Sundays — I didn’t know this but I guess it’s called ‘self-care Sunday’ — and she’s like ‘Mom, you should probably be taking more pictures and posting when you have your Advanced Night Repair Mask on.’”

Categories
Culture

Angelina Jolie Went Shopping in a Chic Black Wrap Coat With Her Kids Shiloh and Zahara

Angelina Jolie has been photographed out in Los Angeles here and there with her six children throughout the last year, as the actress has quarantined in the city with her family. This weekend, Jolie was seen at the mall with her two oldest daughters, 16-year-old Zahara and 14-year-old Shiloh. Jolie wore a long black wrap coat with a black mask and boots for the occasion.

angelina jolie out shopping with her daughters

NINO, LELEBACKGRID

The sighting comes days after Jolie’s new interview with British Vogue was published, where Jolie spoke about her family’s life during the pandemic and how her teenage children’s milestones have been altered. Shiloh and Zahara have a younger brother and sister, 12-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox, along with two older brothers, 19-year-old Maddox and 17-year-old Pax.

“I think that like most families, we have had this bigger thing happening with the pandemic,” she said. “But of course you also have these life markers. We went into it having just gotten out of the hospital with Zahara [who underwent surgery early last year], and we were so happy she was okay that we entered lockdown in a different state of mind. But, you know, there are also these other markers of life: Pax going into his senior year, but not being able to enjoy all that it is to be a senior; Zahara finally getting her driving license, but she’s taking the test with the driver wrapped in the full outfit with the masks. It’s not how you imagine these moments. But birthdays go on, and I think that for many people, it’s made us all feel very human together. There’s something beautiful about that.”

She added that her kids have been helping her manage the household. “I was never very good at sitting still,” she said when asked about a typical day. “Even though I wanted to have many children and be a mom, I always imagined it kind of like Jane Goodall, traveling in the middle of the jungle somewhere. I didn’t imagine it in that true, traditional sense. I feel like I’m lacking in all the skills to be a traditional stay-at-home mom. I’m managing through it because the children are quite resilient, and they’re helping me, but I’m not good at it at all.”

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