Surround yourself with the right people

Your early twenties are a time to figure out what makes a good friend and what doesn’t. Be honest with yourself and assess if you are a good friend. Do you surround yourself with people whose company you enjoy and people who contribute something to your life, or do you look for people so you can just go out on Friday night?

If you can’t go on a road trip with somebody and still enjoy their presence, maybe their not a true friend. Assess what makes a real friend, and reach out to people as much as possible to sort through the good friends from the bad. If you ask all your “friends” to get a cup of coffee with you individually, you’ll quickly realize who is a true friend, and who is just sticking around for the bar nights.

Focus on what you have, not what you don’t

This is so challenging to incorporate into your life. Of course you’re going to focus on what you don’t have. We’re bombarded with advertisements and celebrities telling us every second of the day that we need to be more like them and happiness lies at the bottom of your shopping bag (speaking of which, check out these awesome styles for the upcoming spring season). 

Every time you’re inclined to buy something, ask yourself, “why do I want this?” If you can’t come up with a good enough reason, don’t buy it. Instead focus on being grateful for what you already have and put that money in your savings account.

Smile more often

Monday morning is the perfect opportunity for this. Want your week to be better? Make friendly conversation with your local Dunkin’ Donuts guy and throw him a friendly smile. Say hello to the taxi driver you encounter and be nice to the people that empty the garbage cans in your office. If you go out of your way to be nice and genuinely care about one person in your life that you don’t usually bother to talk to, I guarantee the quality of your life will improve.  

Be honest with yourself

The only thing worse than lying to other people is lying to yourself. It will almost guarantee you end up lying to others because your own denial and desire for these lies to be true will come out to other people.

We all make mistakes and are unaware of what exactly our egos want. If you lie to yourself and say, “I didn’t do that,” you’re repressing an important part of your identity. Instead, confront your own faults and only then can you work past them.

Live your life for you, not for anybody else

If your future self met you, what would he or she think of you? If your past self met you, what would he or she think of you? Aspire to be a person you admire. If you wrote down the nuts and bolts of your personality and outlined the major things you’re done with your life in the past week, month, or year, what would you think of those things? 

Work to “look good on paper” and impress yourself.

[Featured Image Credit: Emilian Robert Vicol via Flickr]

Sometimes, it’s so hard being at the top of the one percent.

$20 bills really aren’t sufficient for blowing your nose and you would never use Kleenex like the plebeians do. Perhaps Daddy can figure out a way to print softer $20 bills for you to wipe away the tears that happen when you find out you didn’t get enough likes on Instagram. Then, you can SnapChat the pictures to your friends, and you can all cry together.

Professional athletes aren’t just superstars, they’re the jocks of Hollywood. They’ve have just climbed their way to the top as businessmen, they’ve climbed to the top of athletes. And if high school taught us anything, it’s that the popular jock always dates the hottest cheerleader. You wouldn’t find these girls on the sidelines of the game however. They too are at the top in their fields. These attractive ladies are businesswomen, models, and singers and these men are simply lucky to be with them.

You know when you stare at a lava lamp and the world fades out of focus and you’re simply left staring into the wonderful ripples of colorful goo?

Now take this concept and apply it to an app and that’s the design that UX designer Peng Cheng employed. He created a stress relief app called Pause, with the intention of pausing his own anxiety. Cheng said he was suffering from serious depression and anxiety and was forced to take time out and relax for six months, while he recuperated.

In that time, Cheng came up with an idea for an app that forces its user to slow down. It’s partially a game and partially a lava lamp. The game works by having the user focus on slow, concentrated movements, while listening to peaceful sounds. Attempt to play the game while stressed or focusing your mind elsewhere and it simply won’t work.

Hear what the creators of the app had to say:

There seem to be many depressed, and over-stressed people in our world today.

Maybe we could all use Pause, or simply a pause button on life. It’s so easy to get caught in the daily hamster wheel, but if we can learn to pause and live in the moment, we might be a little bit happier as we run on the treadmill of time.

[Featured Image Credit: millsustwo via Youtube]

Sometimes, the funniest things in life are the simplest.

For example, take this dancing skeleton. Here we find a street performer and a puppet singing a classic old school song.

The puppet is adorable and probably a better dancer than both you and me. He’s nailed his dance moves (or is the skeleton a she?).

After this dancing skeleton video went viral, somebody edited a few seconds of it and discovered this skeletons dance moves will go with literally any song. It works perfectly every single time.

Justin Bieber’s pop songs circa 2015? Yup.

what do you mean? – justin bieber pic.twitter.com/CVVNxDGVR1

— dancing skeleton (@skeletontunes) October 11, 2015

Remember when Zac Efron got angsty and danced his way through a golf course? This guy does..

bet on it – zac efron pic.twitter.com/QHtKNcO6sc

— dancing skeleton (@skeletontunes) October 9, 2015

And speaking of teen angst, remember this high school classic? Skeleton dude remembers.

mr. brightside – the killers pic.twitter.com/VYnjt5SrzQ

— dancing skeleton (@skeletontunes) October 8, 2015

Friday night at the club? Oh yeah….

sandstorm – darude pic.twitter.com/aob33MJZIH

— dancing skeleton (@skeletontunes) October 8, 2015

What about this 2008 dance phenomenon? Nails It!

crank that (soulja boy) – soulja boy tell 'em pic.twitter.com/XsHzg3Pxcj

— dancing skeleton (@skeletontunes) October 10, 2015

The dancing skeleton is going viral on Twitter, and it appears this little Halloween toy is eating up all that attention. The video is little more than a piece of plastic and some good songs. You could even say it lacks flesh and blood. But at its heart, it has a solid skeletune.

Get it?

[Featured Image Credit: Mani Cpfcultrakid via Youtube]

Finding out you’re going to be a parent is an emotional moment for any parent-to-be. Now, imagine what it must be like to find out you’re finally going to be a parent after 17 years of trying.

The couple in the video had all but given up on their dream to be parents after years of trying, and the moment this man finally finds out that he will be a father is truly heartwarming.

This man was getting dinner ready when his wife told him “there’s some stuff in the oven too.”

At first he was confused what his wife was talking about, but his eyes lit up with excitement the moment he realized what his wife was telling him.

After unsuccessfully trying to have a baby for 17 years, he couldn’t contain his emotions as he found out they were finally going to be parents.

Watch the entire video below to see the moving moment this man finds out his wife is pregnant.

Were you touched by this incredible video? Share with us in the comments below.

[Featured image credit: Dana GG]

It was just an ordinary, sunny afternoon when a man came across a fox trying to get at some chickens.

“I’m going to record this, ” he said, “I’ll get so many hits on Youtube (please note, I have no idea what this camera guy was thinking or saying, I’m just assuming that was the thought running through his mind). Little did he know, he was about to strike Internet gold. Unfortunately our ferocious fox was unsuccessful at finding a way into the chicken coop beneath the house. But then, the video posted by MsStcz to Youtube shows the fox getting another idea. Since the chickens were out of reach, the fox turned his attention toward the camera guy, who responded by running for his life.

In a hilarious twist of events, the fox decided to take a swipe at the next-closest chicken.

He probably should have just yelled at the fox, “Swiper, no swiping,” the highly effective tactic Dora taught us to use when resisting a sly fox.

Or, he could have looked to another internet phenomenon for guidance.

Yup, if he had only learned to speak the language of the mysterious beast, he could have politely asked the fox to turn his attention toward other pursuits. Sadly, the videographer and hero of this short film did not speak the language of the fox. It’s okay though, our sources tell us he narrowly escaped with nothing but a bruised ego.

This man probably won’t be getting close to a fox anytime soon:

[Featured Image Credit: Stewart Black via Flickr]

After hearing this story, I’m thinking about having my next birthday having a Kars4Kids theme.

Grayson Dobra of Prairieville, Louisiana had the most uniquely themed second birthday party. Grayson didn’t have Buzz Lightyear at his birthday and Elmo didn’t roll through either. Instead Grayson’s mother L’erin Dobra made a cardboard cutout of personal injury lawyer and local Louisiana celebrity Morris Bart.

You know when you see those commercials for local lawyers and their silly jingles get stuck in your head? That’s apparently what happened to Grayson.

“Before he could walk or talk, every time the Morris Bart commercial would come on, he was just fixated,” L’erin told The Acadiana Advocate. “You couldn’t talk to him. You couldn’t do anything with him. He would just sit and stare at the TV. You could call his name, give him a toy. He didn’t care.”

“He just wanted to watch the Bart commercial.”

Grayson was so fascinated by the commercial that some of his very first words centered around it. “Bart” and “Morris” were uttered with the usual slew of first words that babies mutter and Grayson even got Bart Morris’s catchphrase, “one call, that’s all,” stuck in his head.
When Grayson’s birthday rolled around, L’erin called up the attorney’s office, asked for an image to put on the cake and even got personal injury lawyer themed t-shirts.

When Morris Bart himself heard about he two-your-old fan, he was delighted. “It brought a big smile to my face,” he told The Huffington Post, adding, “It’s nice to be embraced in such a flattering way.”

Unsurprisingly, when L’erin called to order a Bart-themed cake from the local Gambino’s Bakery, the employee on the phone thought she meant Bart Simpson. When she received the photo of the Bart who was to appear on the cake and discovered the party theme, the employee said, “OK, that’s a first,” according to The Acadiana Advocate.

So, the next time your child’s birthday comes around, don’t forget to hire a face painter, blow up some balloons, and call your local attorney.

[Featured Image Credit: L’Erin Dobra]

Hold onto your hats! Also, hold onto your ring pops, Furbies, and little red wagon, cause we’re about to take a walk down memory lane. I need all my 90s kids, also my 80s, 70s, and 60s kids to pull on their spectacles and prepare to experience the feels of childhood as we walk with you through the 20 best toys of all time.

Animals understand so much more than we give them credit for.

They have natural instincts to love and care, and the moments they decide to show them are truly remarkable.

When a pregnant woman and her husband made a recent trip to the zoo and visited the orangutans, she had an incredible encounter with one of the animals.

When she pressed her belly against the glass, a male orangutan immediately took notice.

He slowly made his way over to where she was standing…

And kissed her pregnant belly!

It was one of the most beautiful moments imaginable, and her husband caught it all on camera.

This video reiterated the amazing capacity that animals have for love and parental instincts.

It’s also a little heartbreaking, as this majestic animal sits behind glass, rather than out in the wild.

Watch the unbelievable video:

Have you ever experienced anything like this with an animal?

[Featured Image Credit: mirror.co.uk from YouTube- Jay Clarke]

Congrats, you’ve made it to adulthood!

You have your own big boy/girl apartment. You finally live alone and it’s the best thing ever. Sure living with twenty-seven other people in a frat house had its perks, but you’re ready for “real life” to commence.

Before you eagerly plunge into the depths of the real world and living alone, be warned, a few weird things happen when you live on your own.

1. Cleanliness isn’t as important as it used to be.

The only person who cleans anything around here is you. You’re also the only person who cooks anything, or does laundry. When is everybody else going to start picking up their weight. Oh…wait

Pulling your own weight for yourself is actually fairly difficult when it comes to cleaning. Even when you live alone, you never realized just how dirty everything gets all the time. Your roommates and parents may have contributed significantly to the mess in your previous home, but they also cleaned up yours a lot of the time. If it was an even partnership you also cleaned up theirs.

2. Possessions start to gain multiple uses.

For the sole purpose that you don’t want to have to clean 27 forks, knives, and spoons later, you will leave one spoon on the cutting board all week and basically use it for everything from ice cream to cake.

The same philosophy applies for other household items too. It’s also not bizarre for you to do a load of laundry consisting entirely of socks, which you leave in the dryer for one solid week.

3. You start doing things naked.

How do you expect anybody else to love you if you aren’t willing to love yourself in all your glorious nakedness. If you pay the rent, then go for it (and even if you don’t, who’s going to stop you).

Cooking naked is cool. Doing yoga naked is cooler. Cooking bacon naked is the fodder of nightmares. You tried that once…once.

4. You begin to talk to yourself

Like…a lot. It may be bordering on schizophrenia or a personality disorder. You never used to do this because what if your roommates heard? But then you got tired of containing the crazy and you started muttering to yourself.

Now, you talk to yourself all the time. Your roommates aren’t around anymore to listen to your problems and neither are your parents. Somebody has to listen to you.

5. Necessities stop being necessary

Thanks to your new budget, things you used to consider essential have simply become preferable. Things are less of a requirement. For example, expensive razors have been replaced with store brand razors and you try to draw out their life as long as possible. Thank goodness the winter is coming.

[Featured Image Credit: BlogSpot]

As we progress through this strange thing called life we have many best friends.

We’ve had the good and the bad best friends. We’ve encountered friends that lifted us to the highest heights and those that have left us feeling lower than low. Through it all, we have one friend, rock, and guru that helps us with the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Our mothers are a blessing that encourage us, advise us, love us, and give us a heaping dose of reality when we need it. We’re so grateful for these wonderful women who’s lives have been devoted to improving ours. This woman is your best confidant and a person who will truly have your best interest in mind.

She’s seen you at your best and your worst.

I’m sure Stacey is a wonderful best friend and you’re extremely grateful she took care of you that night you had fourteen jello shots at Mike’s party (all hail Stacey).

But when you had the flu for fourteen days in middle school, who was it that made you chicken soup then? Your mother saw you through your terrible twos, your bratty preteen phase, and that time you puked in the bathtub (even though the toilet was right there!).

Nobody has seen you through worse and been there for you through better.

She is willing to sacrifice her happiness for yours.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a best friend in the freshman dorms who’d give up their happiness to help you pursue your wildest dreams.

Your mother, however, may have given up a fulfilling career to raise you, sacrificed pieces of her social life, and continues to put your happiness over hers even today.

She wants you to be happy simply because it makes her happy to see you successful. She’ll support the crazy things you do and love you enough to let you make your own mistakes. She’ll even bail you out when you get in too deep. Few forms of love exist like this.

She just gets you.

Every family has its issues and every family has its own special brand of dysfunction and instability (if your family is anything like mine, they produce enough dysfunction to sell at Walmart).

With these issues come patterns of behavior. If that Intro to Psychology class taught us anything, it’s that we inherit these patterns and issues from our parents. Our mothers understand our issues because they are her issues too. She gets why we make the mistakes we do and advises us to avoid making the same mistakes she made.

She genuinely wants to hear about your life.

When these issues surface and you have to deal with them, your mother will want to help you work through them. While listening to your boy drama might sometimes be a burden for your friends, your mom actually wants to know.

It hurts her to see you hurt and she wants to make the pain go away like she used to. Whether it’s through the advice she gives or by simply listening, your mother wants to see you come out unscathed and has invested a lot in your happiness. If you aren’t happy, neither is she and she will often listen to your problems until you resolve them, even if you’re making the same mistake ten times in a row.

She knows when it’s time to give tough love.

Sometimes when you do make the same mistake over and over, she’s willing to tell you like it is. She loves you enough to talk crap to your face and then tell people positive things about you behind your back. It doesn’t get realer than that.

How many people in your life follow that same pattern? It’s likely there aren’t many. Your mother will usually be as real as it gets, and there’s little you could say to each other that would ruin that bond.

She loves you unconditionally.

Remember when you went through that bratty phase and you mouthed off to your mom and called her the b-word. Yeah, hell broke loose that day. She slapped you across the phase and grounded you for three weeks.

As time went on, you got increasingly more resentful, dressed in all black, and for three years told your friends you hated her. I’d like to see any other friendship in your life handle that kind of strain and come out the better as a result.

Now you know your mother your mother did the things she did from a place of love and because she genuinely wants to see you be the best version of yourself. She’s the best friend you’ve ever had and you owe her the world.

[Featured Image Credit: Elite Daily]

For most dogs, an afternoon ride in the car is pure tail-wagging ecstasy, however, for this dog, a car ride is a frightening experience.

The only way Tommy the dog can relax is if his owner, Adam Douglas, holds his paw. Watch below to see Tommy’s hysterical reaction when Adam attempts to let go.

On an afternoon drive, Tommy insisted that his hand was held the whole way, and even swiped his owner’s arm from the steering wheel.

Tommy was only happy and relaxed when Adam held his paw tightly.

When Adam tried to let go, this adorable dog clung to his arm.

Watch the entire video below to see what happens when this dog’s owner tries to let go of his paw.

Does your dog act funny in the car? Share with us in the comments below.

[Featured image credit: Adam Douglas]

There are some foods that are so damaging to our health that complete avoidance would be a good idea.

Labels like ‘sugar-free,’ ‘low-fat,’ ‘low-calorie’ and ‘low-carb’ are just some of the indications that what you’re eating may not be as healthy as you think it is. 

That’s why it always pays to look at the ingredients, and pay close attention to the ingredient that they are ‘filling-in’ when they say the food is low-fat. In this case, there’s probably an abundance of sugar to make the low-fat food taste good again.

Don’t let the marketing fool you.

1. Margarine 

Once thought to be healthier than butter, margarine actually is full of trans fat, which coats your arteries and ups your cholesterol. You are better off sticking with real butter, as long as it’s in moderation.

2. Light yogurt

When all the fat is removed, sugar is added back to the yogurt to make it taste good again. Adding fruit or honey to plain, Greek yogurt is a better option, and a delicious snack. 

3. Hot dogs and other processed sandwich meats

These lower quality cuts of meat are full of chemical flavorings, nitrites, dyes, and a ton of sodium. Your best bet is to look for nitrite-free sausages and make your own sandwich meat by cooking some chicken or turkey and slicing it thinly. 

4. Processed cheese

If you see cheese in slices wrapped in plastic or in sprayable cans, it’s hardly cheese. It actually shouldn’t even be allowed to be labeled as cheese. Stick to real, fresh cheese, and stay away from ‘plastic’ ones.

5. Multi-grain bread

While it sounds and looks healthy, it’s really not. Multi-grain bread is white bread with some grains in it. And as you know, white bread lacks nutrients and contains enriched flower. What you want instead is whole wheat bread (whole wheat should be the first ingredient listed). 

6. Fast food salads

As long as you’re not ordering a burger with fries right? Wrong. Some fast food salads pack in more calories and fat than a burger and fries, with all the toppings. Do some research before assuming that the healthy menu options live up to their name. Or make your own salad and choose a vinegar-based dressing. 

7. Fast food french fries

Speaking of fries, when McDonald’s released the ingredients in their french fries, people were shocked to find out that there were 17 on the list. Do your health a favor and make your own fries with just a few simple ingredients. That way you can have the taste of fries, while still keeping your health in mind. 

8. Microwave popcorn

The imitation butter flavor includes PFOA, which has been linked to certain cancers and infertility. It’s much safer and cheaper to make your own microwave popcorn in a brown lunch bag, using a touch of real butter. 

9. Sugary sodas

With soda, you’re basically drinking empty calories. Sugary sodas provide a lot of high fructose corn syrup and with no nutritional value. Wouldn’t you rather eat real food if you’re consuming this many calories? Or even try a fruit infused water as a substitution. 

10. Artificial sweeteners

These are so much sweeter than regular sugar, which leads to increased sugar cravings. Artificial sweeteners also have links to neurological problems and cancer. Natural sweeteners like honey or real maple syrup are great alternatives. 

[Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock]

Here is some major Halloween-inspired makeup for you.

All created by the incredible special effects makeup artist from the UK, Natasha Morley.

While you may not have seen her work until now, you should know who she is.

Natasha uses her incredible talent to transform into her favorite characters from comic books and video games. Some of her makeup is so elaborate that it makes her natural beauty completely unrecognizable.

She has become Groot, D’Vorah, Barbie, Predator, Dragon and dozens more.

Check out some of her amazing work that will be sure to inspire you for Halloween!

Lion

D’Vorah Mortal Kombat

Storm possessed by an alien spider

Resting bitch face barbie

Dragon

Queen of the Arachnids

Reptile

Monster

Groot

Silent Nurse

Poison Ivy

Spiderman

Cracked

[Featured Image Credit: Natasha Morley Facebook- HelloNat]

Damien Waters just reinvented the wheels in the best way possible.

Damien Walters is a world renowned freerunner, stuntman and gymnast. He is also a genius that just created the worlds best slip n’ slide. You thought it was perfect before, but you had no idea just how good it gets.

Remember the good ol’ days of childhood, when you’d find a plastic sheet, cover it with soap and water, and create the best childhood game?

These guys found Airtrack mats, covered them with soap and water, and made what appears to be the world’s first slip and bounce.

Not unlike this place attempting to land on a wet runway:

I’m not a gymnast (I can barely stand on solid ground, let alone flip on a balance beam), so I’m not entirely sure what AirTrack mats are used for. It appears however that they are used for gymnasts to practice with at home. They’re inflatable and easy to store. Also, when you cover them with soap and water the results are epic.

See for yourself:

These well-toned men know how to gain views:

The video has already racked up 45,000 views of their soapy, glistening, well-trained bodies. They slide and slip across the mats while the toss, tumble, and flip. To their very slippery bodies, the only thing we can say is um….more please!

[Featured Image Credit: Damien Walters via Youtube]

“Halloween is the one night a year a girl can dress like a total slut and get away with it.”

I’ve found myself following this rule on occasion. I’ve worn thigh-high stockings, heels, a short skirt, a bra, and some form of animal ears (how original). I’d even post the photos here, but my Mom reads my writing.

I haven’t dressed like a stereotypical slut in quite a few years. However, as Halloween approaches yet again, I am left to wonder: why is Halloween the one night a year women can get away with dressing like “sluts” and why do so many women follow the “Halloween slut rule?”

Dressing promiscuously is the costume

Just because we’re wearing animal ears doesn’t mean we’re dressed up as a cat. We’re dressing up as a slut dressed up as a cat and taking our new persona for a walk.

If the whole premise of Halloween is to be something you’re not, then what better to be than something society forbids? “Slutty” women are often looked down upon. She’s asking for it, she’s trying too hard, and look at how she throws herself at him are all ways we shame women who choose to be promiscuous.

We wonder what would happen if we dressed slutty too

If I walked around with nothing but lingerie and some form of animal ears, how would the world react to me?

Halloween allows us to indulge this curiosity and find out. We have a tendency to judge other women almost as harshly as we judge ourselves.

The world is pretty upset at the moment with how women choose to dress. They tell us “you have to reveal a lot to be liked, but if you reveal too much, you are a shameful slut.”

They tell us, “you must wear makeup to express yourself, but if you wear too much, you care about your appearance more than you should.”

They sexualize us and then shame us for sexualizing ourselves. So Halloween gives us a free pass to try on our slutty selves and see how it feels, and we discover…

It gives us confidence

As it turns out, when you dress like a harlot the world reacts differently to you–but not as differently as you react to you. Wearing tight black fishnets and high heels is empowering. It feels really good to look in the mirror and think, “Damn, I’d do me!”

Confidence often comes with wearing promiscuous costumes. We gain confidence not only from our own reflection, we also get confidence from our friends. “Wow, babe, you look so effin’ hot,” sometimes means more when it comes from Jenna than when it comes from Jason.

We also feel confidence from how men react to us

How do men act toward us when we wear a tight black cat costume as opposed to simply wearing jeans and a t-shirt? Halloween gives us a free pass to test this question and press social norms. It gives us the chance to try on a different side of ourselves, see how we feel about it, and watch how other people react to it.

All these factors contribute to our confidence, but there is one final important piece.

Why are YOU wearing the costume?

Each of us have different personalities and all of us draw confidence from different things. We all recognize that the style we choose makes a statement about ourselves.

A man dressing in head-to-toe black with purple lipstick knows he is making a different statement than the the man who wears fratty polos and a backwards baseball cap.

When you choose to “slut it up” on Halloween (if this is what you choose), I encourage you to question why you do it. If you want to try on the persona of a promiscuous woman and see how it feels, then go for it. You’ll probably learn something about yourself in the process.

If you feel you NEED to dress promiscuously on Halloween, question why you feel this way

You have more going for you than just your boobs. You have an intellect, a personality, and a hundred other specific traits tailored only to you. If you struggle with having confidence while also dressing in average clothes, maybe the issues run deeper than the runs in your stockings.

Don’t dress promiscuously because Mean Girls, actual mean girls, or stupid boys want you to dress that way. If you do choose to dress slutty on Halloween (or any other day of the year) make sure you do it solely for yourself, question your motives, and make sure you are happy with them.

Keep the weather in mind

Coming from past experience, I can tell you it’s hard to enjoy your night while you’re shivering in the backyard of a frat house with your heels stuck in the grass. If you’re daring to go baring on all Hallows Eve, remember the weather, ladies.

When I see a girl shivering in a short skirt or aching in high heels, I wonder why she’s doing it. Your own comfort should take priority over what people think of you.

If you really are shivering with aching feet, question why you’re putting yourself through this. Is it to feel good about yourself, or do you only feel good about yourself when you are flaunting it all? Remember, the best way to attract positive attention is to have a positive attitude about yourself.

If you want to try on a slutty persona for an evening go for it. If you don’t want to dress slutty, don’t let people pressure you into it. Whatever the case, be safe, stay warm…

And don’t forget your animal ears!

[Featured Image Credit: Mean Girls]

The months after welcoming a baby into the world should be some of the happiest in your life, but for many women, it’s the complete opposite.

About 19 percent of new moms suffer from postpartum depression, and celebrities are not exempt. Hayden Panettiere is the most recent member of Hollywood to speak about her struggle with the disorder, and hopes that by sharing her experience, other women will know they’re not alone.

Take a look at these 10 stars who battles postpartum depression, and are using their experience to shed light on the issue.

10. Gwyneth Paltrow

“I felt like a zombie. I couldn’t access my heart. I couldn’t access my emotions. I couldn’t connect. It was terrible. It was the exact opposite of what had happened when Apple was born. . . . I couldn’t believe it wasn’t the same. I just thought it meant I was a terrible mother and a terrible person.”

9. Kendra Wilkinson

“After giving birth, I never brushed my hair, my teeth, or took a shower. I looked in the mirror one day and was really depressed. I thought, ‘Look at me!’ I had this glamorous life in LA, and now [in Indianapolis], I didn’t.”

8. Alanis Morissette

“The degree and intensity of my post-natal depression shocked me. I am predisposed to depression, but what surprised me this time was the physical pain. I hadn’t realized the depths to which you can ache — limbs, back, torso, head, everything hurt — and it went on for 15 months. I felt as if I was covered in tar and everything took 50 times more effort than normal.”

7. Bryce Dallas Howard

“My house was a mess. I believed I was a terrible dog owner. I was certain I was an awful actress; I dreaded a film I was scheduled to shoot only a few weeks after the birth because I could barely focus enough to read the script. And worst of all, I definitely felt I was a rotten mother—not a bad one, a rotten one. Because the truth was, every time I looked at my son, I wanted to disappear.”

6. Lisa Rinna

“It’s very, very scary and vulnerable. . . . I made Harry [Hamlin] hide all the sharp knives and take the gun out of the house. . . . Now how horrific is that? I wanted to share it because I think women are so shamed by this and feel so horrible. . . . I found help and got through it.”

5. Amanda Peet

“And now I want to be honest about it because I think there’s still so much shame when you have mixed feelings about being a mom instead of feeling this sort of ‘bliss.’ I think a lot of people still really struggle with that, but it’s hard to find other people who are willing to talk about it.”

4. Vanessa Lachey

“I felt lost, unloved, alone and at my wits end. But at that moment . . . I felt like NO ONE understood me. I was in my maternity leggings, un-showered with throw up on my shirt, hives ALL over my body (another lovely post pregnancy perk I got) and a sweet, loving little boy who couldn’t look at me and smile to make it all better. I started crying. I was feeding Camden and crying my eyes out. I felt like I had officially come undone. Where was the organized Vanessa who had it all under control no matter what the obstacle? She was gone, and I thought . . . forever.”

3. Brooke Shields

“Rowan kept crying, and I began to dread the moment when Chris would bring her to me. Although I didn’t dislike her, I wasn’t sure I wanted her living with us. Every time I have been near a baby, any baby, I have always wanted to hold the child. I didn’t feel like I wanted to get too close to Rowan.”

2. Courteney Cox

“I went through a really hard time—not right after the baby, but when [Coco] turned 6 months. I couldn’t sleep. My heart was racing. And I got really depressed. I went to the doctor and found out my hormones had been pummeled.”

1. Hayden Panettiere

“It’s something a lot of women experience. When you’re told about postpartum depression you think it’s ‘I feel negative feelings towards my child, I want to injure or hurt my child’ — I’ve never, ever had those feelings. Some women do. But you don’t realize how broad of a spectrum you can really experience that on. It’s something that needs to be talked about. Women need to know that they’re not alone, and that it does heal.”

Have you been effected by postpartum depression? Share with us in the comments below.

[Featured image credit: Getty Images]

Your best friend is there for you through think and thin.

They’re the cheese to your macaroni, the yang to your yin, and the one who is sitting next to you when your ass ends up in jail.

A best friend is important because they let you know the cold, hard truth when you need it. They’ll help you out of the hole you’ve dug yourself into, and they love you to the moon and back. Best friends are simply the best because they help you keep your head on straight.

However, if they see you following a few patterns and doing nothing about it, they will make your head spin faster than a revolving door with their criticism. These are the main things a best friend will not let you get away with.

1. They don’t let you complain about how much you hate your job, but refuse to do anything about it

Friends have a certain level of obligation and hopefully support when it comes to listening to your problems, but everybody has a limit. Sooner or later they’re going to tell you to sh*t or get off the pot.

If you hate your job than quite. If you feel you deserve a raise then talk to somebody about it. You can’t sit and moan while you refuse to take any action about your life. Friends are good for talking you off a ledge and delivering the cold hard truth other times while they yank you from the ledge.

2. They hold you accountable for falling off the face of the Earth when you start seeing somebody new

Of course your bestie is going to happy for you when you start to date somebody new. Love is a beautiful thing that everybody deserve to experience.

They will, however, be pretty pissed when get up and disappear without warning to the cave of love for weeks on end. You still have other obligations and platonic relationships to attend to, and your best friend will certainly hold you accountable to those.

3. They challenge you when they catch you in a bold-faced lie

Do you ever catch yourself telling a lie for no apparent reason about something really dumb? Once, I lied to a stranger about my family having a swimming pool growing up. She said her family had a pool and I said, “yeah me too,” even though it wasn’t true.

Fortunately, my best friend was there to look me blankly in the face and say, “no you didn’t.”

It was a stupid lie and I’m not entirely sure why I told it, but we have best friends for moments like these. They keep us in line when we want to exaggerate a story and they tell it like it is, even when we don’t want them to.

4. They let you know when you’re dating a complete jerk

From a distance, they can see it. Up close, you are blind to it. He or she has treated you like garbage and made you cry, yet you continue to go back. Your best friend can’t sit around and watch this. They will wipe away your tears for you, and then snack some sense into you.

A best friend can’t sit around and watch their own best friend fall apart. It’s the job of the bestie to keep you in line and let you know when you’re in an unhealthy relationship. They’re the person in your life that metaphorically says, “get out now, the call is coming from inside the house.”

5. They talk you out of doing something really effin’ stupid

You found an add on Craigslist for somebody in Brooklyn looking for a roommate. You can’t actually view the apartment in person but it’s really cheap and the pictures were fantastic. Despite the fishyness, you’re so stoked you’re ready to sign the papers with no farther questions, your honor.

There’s a reason this room is so cheap and they don’t want you to see it. Just because the pictures are nice doesn’t mean the place doesn’t smell like sweaty gym socks.

This is where your best friend steps up and says, “hold the phone.” They know you better than you know yourself and they’re there to let you know when you’re doing something you might regret.

6. They stop you from being a party pooper

We all have those nights when we want to “Netflix and chill” alone with ourselves. Our best friends don’t want us to grow old and boring alone and they certainly don’t want to go out to the bar without you.

For this reason, they will drag your pajama-clad ass off the couch, make you put on something skin tight yet age-appropriate and drag you out with them for yet another “best night ever.”

That’s what besties are here for.

[Featured Image Credit: teenagefashionxo via Tumblr]

It’s not everyday you get to be a real life super-hero (unless, of course, you’re Chris Hemsworth). However, this clever engineer, Allen Pan, created a working version of Thor’s hammer, and tricks strangers into thinking he has super powers.

In the video, this genius places his home-made Mjolnir (aka Thor’s hammer) around California, and lets strangers attempt to lift it. When they can’t, Allen tells them they must not be worthy of the hammer, and proceeds to ‘magically’ lift the hammer from the ground.

Allen challenged passers to see if they were worthy of Thor’s hammer by trying to pick up his real life Mjolnir. Everyone thought they’d be able to pick up the hammer, but soon realized the task was impossible.

After watching strangers struggle, Allen casually walked over to the hammer, and picked it up with ease.

He was able to accomplish the genius prank by packing a magnet within the Mjolnir that is activated by someone touching the handle. The only way the hammer can be turned off, is by a fingerprint sensor that was set for Allen’s thumbprint.

Watch the entire video below to see the clever way this man was able to prank everyone with his homemade Mjolnir.

Can you believe how incredibly smart this man is? Let us know in the comments below.

[Featured image credit: Sufficiently Advanced]