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A Woman Who Called Obama a Gay Prostitute Was Almost In Charge of Texas' Education System

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Barack Obama has been called a lot of things in his lifetime: a Marxist, anti-American, a non-citizen, an enemy of humanity, a bigger threat than al Qaeda, Obummer, Golfer-in-Chief and Obonehead.

This woman decided to call him a gay prostitute. Mary Lou Bruner, 69, is a retired Texas schoolteacher, along with once being called a “frontrunner” for a seat on the Texas State Board of Education. According to TIME, Texas has the second-largest school system in the country.

Then, her conspiracy theory Facebook posts about Obama surfaced on the internet. No matter how long it’s been, the internet NEVER forgets.

In the posts, Bruner decided to write “Obama has a soft spot for homosexuals because of the years he spent as a male prostitute in his twenties. That is how he paid for his drugs.” Wow, we never knew that little bit of history!

Clearly, her prospective voters didn’t either. According to NBC News, Bruner’s lead over fellow Republican Keven Ellis, a local school board president, shrunk as more people took note of her conspiracy theories. She eventually lost on Tuesday by about 18 percent in the primary for the Board of Education.

Bruner has since deleted her Facebook posts, but a left-leaning Texas group called Total Freedom Network was sure to publish them all online. Besides calling Obama as gay prostitute, she also compared Speaker of the House Paul Ryan to a terrorist (because of his beard), defended the heritage of the Confederate flag, and blamed the Planned Parenthood shooting last fall on the legality of abortion (instead of blaming the shooter?). Oh, and this:

In her campaign, Bruner promised to restore “traditional” education values in Texas public schools. The Dallas Morning News reported that she also vowed to keep gay “subliminal” messages out of textbooks—because textbooks are obviously how children become gay, right?

After Bruner’s loss, Texas Freedom Network wrote, “Texas escaped an education train wreck tonight.”

Remember: this woman was almost voted to be in-charge of over 5 million Texas students’ education. As in, children could have been running around calling King Cobra snakes lesbian terrorists. We’re just happy that Texas avoided that mess.


Here's Why Professors Should Accommodate Students With Mental & Physical Health Issues

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I always prided myself on my ability to separate my mental and physical health from my education and work. In sixth grade, I was only one absence away from perfect attendance, and I cried and begged the nurse not to let it count—only to face her stubborn assurance that I had symptoms of the stomach flu and needed to go home.

After my mom passed away, I threw myself into working hard to fill the silence. I became something of a young workaholic, pushing myself to get straight A’s. Every minute that wasn’t spent studying or doing homework was spent on other educational activities—reading National Geographic and The New York Times, learning Photoshop and web design, taking art and writing classes at the library. Even after her death, I didn’t miss a single day of class because I was sad. (She passed in August, so I wasn’t in school for the funeral.)

Halfway through college, everything changed. I was dealing with symptoms of PTSD from an on-campus rape. As hard as I tried, there were days when I woke, filled with anxiety after a series of particularly bad nightmares. There were days when a rape joke in class would send my heart racing.

I could only imagine how those with lifelong mental illness felt. I’m lucky in that the symptoms of my PTSD are fairly easy to track. It’s been four years since the assault, and I know almost all of my triggers now, as well as what to do to calm down if something does happen. At the time, I felt like I failure. I liked to think of myself as impenetrably strong—someone who didn’t need to take a day off for my mental health.

I was wrong. There’s nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to putting your mental health first.

This piece by my former professor, Catherine Savini, brings up not only why it’s important for students to take care of their mental health, but why staff and faculty should facilitate this.

Savini brings up a variety of situations where professors can be lenient on mental health. In fact, one of the example she brings up—a chronically late student—is something I’ve personally witnessed. One of my close friends in graduate school has ADD, which she is managing. But it makes it very difficult for her to be on time to class. She’s rarely more than five or ten minutes late. Our professor was very accommodating to her, after she explained that she has ADD and often gets caught up working on classwork right before she has to commute to class on the train.

How does that teach students how to be adults and act in the “real world”? Like Savini says, there are many situations in real life, in working professional life, where it’s acceptable to make accommodations. As someone with a full-time career, I can’t count how often we need to reschedule meetings because someone can’t make it. There are times when things can’t—or at least, really shouldn’t—be rescheduled, and we all need to learn to prioritize and delegate, and say no when we have to. But the real world can and should be flexible, and that means that professors should not only foster flexibility, but a culture where students feel encouraged to speak up if they need that flexibility.

That flexibility makes it easier for everyone, not just students with mental illness. It makes it easier for students with disabilities and chronic illnesses, and it fosters an environment where even temporary illness, mental health issues or family emergencies are treated with care. Even for people that don’t have ongoing, chronic issues, an open and flexible environment comes in handy when something unexpected arises—and it can, for everyone.

Say a student is already in college and goes through some sort of trauma, like a rape or sexual assault, a diagnosis of chronic illness or the death of a loved one. They might suddenly find themselves in a situation where they need accommodations and flexibility that they didn’t before. This is where professors come in. Rather than forcing students to drum up extensive “proof” of whatever’s going on—whether it’s ADD, a family emergency or a rape—they can remain empathetic and trust students not to take advantage.

As a disabled adult, I know how hard accommodations are to come by. Often, the amount of documentation required is ridiculous. My college roommate, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, needed to bring in documentation that she was “still in a wheelchair” every year to qualify for disabled student housing.

The truth is, some students may take advantage of a professor’s lenient policies. That’s inevitable. It’s the same way that some employees might take advantage of a workplace’s “unlimited sick day” policy. But like workplaces, professors can police this by asking questions when a student seems like they’re not in class more often than they are in it. And for those of us who occasionally, or often, need accommodations, it takes the pressure off when we know we don’t have to prove over and over again why we need them. Just this month, I needed priority boarding for a flight because of a physical disability. I asked for it, and I wasn’t peppered with questions. I was given the paper I needed to board early. The entire time beforehand, I was nervous because I didn’t know whether or not I’d have to extensively “state my case” and prove myself, the way people who need accommodations so often do.

I had Catherine Savini as a professor, and she was my supervisor in the campus Reading and Writing Center for two years. While I was a college student, there were at least a dozen times when I worried a professor would punish me as a result of my disability or my PTSD, but I never once worried about that with Savini. And we need to see a day when that’s the norm—not the exception. 

10 Healthy Recipes for Girls Who Hate Cooking

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Cooking. To some, that word is the greatest thing in the world. To others, cooking is the equivalent of trying to find a parking spot at the mall on Black Friday. For those of you who absolutely hate cooking, we are here to help! Here are 10 healthy recipes that are quick and easy to make, no matter how much you loathe cooking. 

1. Baked Chicken Breasts

Simply throw some chicken in a pan and put it in the oven. It doesn't get much easier than that!

2. Healthy Burrito Bowls

If you hate cooking and love Chipotle, these burrito bowls are your new best friend.

3. Quinoa Chili

This healthy take on chili is super quick and easy—not to mention delicious.

4. Whole-Wheat Linguine with Asparagus and Lemon

You can always substitute the asparagus in this dish with your favorite veggie.

5. Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Spice up your stuffed peppers by making them Mexican-style in minutes.

6. Peanut Noodles

Simple AND delicious? What more could we ask for?

7. Whole-Wheat Roasted Vegetable Pizza

Pizza is delicious, though not always the healthiest option. This is one pizza you won't feel guilty about eating.

8. Lemon Broccoli Pasta

With roughly four ingredients, it doesn't get much easier than this.

9. Pine Nut and Quinoa Stuffed Zucchini Boats

It is hard to hate cooking when you're working with this simple recipe.

10. Light Sesame Chicken Bowl

Healthy Chinese food—that's what dreams are made of.

This Girl is Changing the World Through Financial Literacy

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It’s official—we have a winner in our We Solve contest with the office of U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power!

Her name is JoLynn Smith, and she has been working nonstop to better the communities around her. She may have just graduated high school, but she has already shown that she has what it takes to make a difference and to shape the future of not only the United States, but the world.

JoLynn Smith accomplished more than many of us have before she even entered college (imagine the things we could do without Netflix?). She was a 2014 ANNpower Vital Voice Leadership Forum Fellow. She served as an ANNpower delegate to the Trust Women Conference in London, where she helped develop key actions to fight against human trafficking and economic inequality. She was also a Her Campus High School Ambassador (Yay for HC alumni!!). Smith graduated from high school this spring and will be attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, studying for a degree in business.

Having her voice heard is a new and amazing experience for JoLynn. The 18-year-old was born with verbal apraxia, which basically means she couldn’t make the precise muscular movements to form words correctly. After years of speech therapy, she overcame the disorder. However, the lessons from living with it remain with her.

“Having a speech impediment taught me not only how to listen, but also that when I did talk, I didn’t want to just make noise, I wanted to create meaning,” Smith said.

Smith has a knack for winning contests like this. When she was only in eighth grade, her essay submission won in a competition at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. This helped her to understand financial stability within her own life, an opportunity that many middle schoolers do not have.

Even though Smith knew the importance of financial stability, she realized that many people do not receive that sort of education—including at her school. “So many people are left with fears and uncertainty in their financial life,” Smith told Her Campus. That’s why she decided to come up with an outline to bring a financial literacy program to her high school. Financial literacy, in Smith’s eyes, means helping people to “have a secure financial future regardless of the background you came from.”

With the help of her connections at the Federal Reserve Bank and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), she was able to begin the program at Shawnee Mission High School in Lenexa, Kan.

As if that wasn’t impressive enough, this financial literacy program has spread throughout Kansas and the Midwest. Smith’s program now impacts over 33,000 high schoolers nationally. Students can take classes in finance, wealth building, credit and budgeting. “It was very humbling. It was also very thrilling,” Smith said about how successful her ninth-grade idea has been. The program is now incorporated into Money Smart Kansas City.

Throughout high school, Smith continued to build upon her regional initiative. She remembered the lessons she learned at the Trust Women Conference about the risk factors involved in human trafficking. “Poverty is a leading factor that causes women to become enslaved,” Smith wrote in her essay. “Often, this poverty is caused as women do not have equal access to the financial mainstream…Women’s issues are truly human rights issues.”

Never again will she be tied down by not being able to be understood—Smith has found her voice. “Community empowerment is about finding meaning in your words,” she said. “Your voice gives you a unique perspective.”

She has tackled human trafficking and financial instability. Now, Smith is focusing on empowerment, especially when it comes to women’s rights. We can’t wait to see the future now that we know we have her, with Samantha Power’s added wisdom of course, working to make it brighter and better.

“Samantha Power is someone I really look up to. When she talks the whole world listens,” Smith said. “As someone who had a speech impediment, that’s something that I really look for.”

Congratulations, JoLynn Smith!

The 7 Types of People You Become After College

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In college, you have everything you could possibly want: free food and access to a gym (which you probably never went to but the idea is nice), best friends as roommates, unlimited themed parties, and, in retrospect, great classes. In the real world however, life gets a little more difficult. Graduation comes quickly, and all of a sudden you’re supposed to be an adult. You probably have a 9-to-5 job, bills to pay, little free time, and if you want to party, you have to pay. All this “adult stuff” can change you, hopefully for the better…but sometimes for the worse. Take a look at the seven types of people you could become college:

1. The nostalgic one

“Why can’t we just be at [insert your popular college bar here] right now? I miss it so much,” you say every time you’re out with your friends. If this is you, you can’t get over the fact that college is over. You’re in denial and all you want to do is act like college was the best time of your life. In hindsight, it’s easy to forget about the bad things.

Tip: Take a moment to think about the all-nighters (especially during finals week), the inability to get away from the people you didn’t want to see, and all the boys who didn’t want to “be serious”…maybe you’ll stop your complaining.

2. The “Help Me, I’m Poor” one

You wonder how you’re going to pay for your morning coffee every time the subway fare or gas prices go up. But while you’re always whining about how everything is so expensive, you rarely decline invites to dinners, shows and concerts. You eat out most nights a week, yet you don’t think you can afford to pay for a weekend at the beach with your friends. Hmm…are you really keeping track of what you’re spending and are you spending it wisely? 

Tip: Try using free websites and apps that help you keep track of your money, like Mint and Good Budget. The best part about these sites is that you can link them to your bank account and credit cards, creating your own tailored budget each month. The sites let you create categories of your spending as well, so you can know if you are overspending on things like travel or food.

3. The workaholic

You wake up at five, head to the gym, work until 9 pm, order food, check your email, go to sleep around midnight, wake up and do it all over again. You don’t do anything besides work because there’s just no time. You even keep food in your desk drawer because you rarely take real breaks where you actually leave the building. Your head hurts most nights because you can’t think straight after staring at your screen for 10 hours. You don’t go five minutes without checking your work email, even if you’re on a first date. You are a workaholic.

Tip: There’s a time for work and a time for play. If you don’t let yourself have any of the latter, you’ll burn out and that’s not healthy! Make a plan a few times a week to relax, shut down all your electronics and not think about work. Even if that means scheduling things like reading a book or exploring a new museum, you need that personal time to keep yourself energized.

4. The wanderer

You graduated, and now you’re just taking life as it comes. You don’t really know if you like your job or not and you don’t know what you want to do with your life. Ever since college ended, you’ve just wanted to explore different cities, jobs, relationships—everything. You don’t like to settle down and you don’t see why you have to—your options are endless! You change your mind every other day. You are a wanderer.

Tip: It’s fine to wander for a bit after college ends, but it can be easy to get lost. You need to take time to really think about what you like and don’t like, and what your ultimate goals are. Write down what’s working for you and what’s not in all areas of your life, just so you feel like you are on a path to somewhere (even if you’re still unsure what that path is!).

5. The partier

You can’t say no to an invite, and Thursday through Sunday, you’re out on the town! If your friends are being lame and won’t go out with you during the week, you’ll still have a few drinks at the bar. You never know whom you might meet! 

Tip: The city never sleeps, but eventually you need to. It’s fun to have a good time as a college grad, but make sure you still have a few days to yourself to recharge.

6. The serial dater

You have a date every other night this week. You meet guys when you’re out, through friends, and online. You check Tinder, Hinge and JSwipe like an addict. It’s not that you’re lonely, you just like meeting everyone. You don’t know what you want but you think you’ll figure it out if you just date enough people…

Tip: There’s nothing wrong with dating in your post-college years—you finally have access to meet so many different people outside of your school’s bubble! Just make sure you’re thinking about the qualities you like or don’t like, so when you’re ready to settle down, you know exactly what you’re looking for.

7. Social media-obsessed

If you can’t go 10 minutes without checking Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Foursquare, and/or Pinterest, you are O.W.S.M (Obsessed with Social Media). Ever since college ended, you feel like you have to show everyone that you’re loving life in the real world, which means posting lots of pictures. You text your friends to ask which filter to use and what to write in your caption on Instagram. You get anxious if you have to wait to see how many likes you get when your phone dies, and you even take down your picture if you don’t get at least 11 within the hour. While using social media is becoming the norm in our culture, you’ve taken it a little too far.

Tip: Set limits. As in, don’t spend more than five minutes choosing an Instagram filter. There are more important things you could be doing than spending all your time staring at screens.

Life changes after you leave college, and so will you. Whatever you’ve become, make sure that you’re not taking post-college life too seriously. It’s fine to be nostalgic for your college days, spend your own money on what you actually want to spend it on, and post photos of brunch on Instagram, but make sure you’re taking the time to learn and grow. Be sure you’re taking advantage of all that the adult world has to offer—make the most of it, graduette!

Facebook Banned One of Our Most Popular Articles, And We Don't Know Why

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On Wednesday, Her Campus published a piece called “The Other F-Word College Women Should Stop Using.” The piece discusses situations where college women call each other “fat” as an insult during a petty fight, like when tensions get high during a night out. The author, Rachael David, asked her fellow students to “think twice when they address one another,” reminding readers that “We’re all just trying to get through life loving our bodies while ignoring the impossible standards society sets for them.”

We posted the piece on Facebook at 3 p.m. Thursday afternoon. According to our traffic analytics, it was the most highly-trafficked post from Facebook all day. It remains in the Most Read section on our site. And yet by the end of the day Thursday, it had been banned. This was brought to our attention by the author, who told us she couldn’t share the piece on her own Facebook page.

We’ve been trying to figure out why this post was banned without success. While our social media editor has sent several reports to Facebook asking about the post, we haven’t heard anything back. When an attempt is made to post the link on Facebook, the site says, “You can’t post this because it has a blocked link. The content you’re trying to share includes a link that our security systems detected to be unsafe.”

Facebook’s Community Standards include categories of content that may be deemed inappropriate, including Direct Threats, Self-Injury, and Criminal Activity, as well as Nudity, Hate Speech, and Violent or Graphic Content. It’s hard to see why this post would fall into any of those boxes. In fact, Facebook says in the Community Standards that “People use Facebook to share their experiences and to raise awareness about issues that are important to them. This means that you may encounter opinions that are different from yours, which we believe can lead to important conversations about difficult topics.” Our mission is to provide a platform for college women to share their voices, and that leads to a huge range of viewpoints on Her Campus. While many readers may have disagreed with some or all of the opinions in the piece, it was hardly violent, hateful or threatening.

We’ve seen Facebook go wrong with banning media from the platform before—Earlier this week, we wrote about Facebook banning a photo of a plus-size model for “promoting an idealized physical image.” Luckily, tons of people spoke up about the issue, and Facebook brought back the photo.

We’re at a loss as to why this post could have been banned from Facebook. If you have any idea why, let us know—And if you don’t, send a report to Facebook and ask!

Olympic Swimmer Missy Franklin Talks Rio, College... & Chris Pratt

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Ah, summer. Those beautiful three months of the year that every twentysomething can't wait for. The sunshine, the ice cream, and training for the Olympics? Wait, I think that’s just Olympic swimmer Missy Franklin. 

At just 20 years old, Franklin is a five-time Olympic medalist, making her debut in London in 2012. Now, four years later, she is still going strong and training for this year's Summer Olympics in Rio after a brief two-year hiatus swimming with the University of California, Berkeley studying psychology.

“After 2012 I could have turned professional anytime I wanted, it was just a matter of signing an agent and saying that I was gonna be professional. But I really felt that going into my senior year of high school I wasn’t ready for swimming to be my job yet,” Franklin told Her Campus while taking a break on set with Visa in LA last month.

“I had such an amazing experience coming from my [high school] team and I knew it would only be amplified by swimming in college. I wanted to be a part of something that was bigger than myself and to fight for something that was bigger than myself,” Franklin says about her decision to swim for a college team instead of going pro straight away after London. She also knew she wanted a world class education. Although swimming for UC Berkeley allowed her to accomplish those goals that she had right after high school to be a part of a college team, as Rio approached, she knew it was time to go pro. 

When deciding who she wanted to be sponsored by, Franklin says that the most important thing to her was making sure that she found companies whose core values aligned with hers. And luckily, she found Visa: “The thing with Visa that makes it so special is that they have the same core value of acceptance and inclusion [that I have].” 

And it’s not just all talk. Back in April, the company announced that Raheleh Asemani, the first refugee athlete to qualify for the Olympics in taekwondo, will be a member of Team Visa. Besides Asemani and Franklin (middle), American fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad (right), the first Muslim-American to compete in a hijab at the Olympics, is a part of Team Visa. If this isn’t the definition of inclusion and acceptance, I don’t know what is.

Franklin agrees and says that this is the biggest reason why she loves Team Visa so much. “To be a part of a team like this that has these values and now to have a refugee on it, it’s incredible. We all battle our own battles and we all have our own stories but I think you know, being a refugee is a whole other level of having your own battle and I think it's gonna be so inspiring.” 

Although Franklin is easily inspired by her teammates, she also says that her main goal in life is to inspire other people herself. “I take this responsibility as a role model very very seriously,” she says as she discusses how her life has changed since being in the public eye. “I always have to make sure my actions are lining up with my words,” and by joining a team like Visa, she is able to do that. 

Besides being an inspiration in the pool, Franklin already knows that she wants to have a career that she can do that with as well. “I want to be a special needs teacher. I absolutely love psychology, my major is psych, but developmental psychology is a field that my heart is just totally invested in.” And it doesn’t stop there. “I love children and I love the brain, I think it’s so fascinating. So a combination of the two would be perfect.” As long as she is making an impact, she says that she will be happy.

Along with inspiring people, there are a few other small things that make the Olympic swimmer absolutely lives for. Right now, the swimmer says, she is going through a Johnny Cash color black phase. “I am totally into black which is weird because we are going into spring and summer.” But it doesn’t just stop with fashion. When asked who her favorite celebrity crush is the answer was not too surprising: Chris Pratt. "Chris Pratt, Chris Evans, really just all the Chris's." Same sister, same.

When it comes to foods, a major part of training for the Olympics, there is one food that she has a hard time staying away from because of how much she loves it. “Breakfast pastries are my downfall. To me, there is nothing better than waking up to a hot coffee and like a warm cinnamon scone, like that is my version of Jesus on a plate.” If she could, she would eat breakfast foods for all three meals. I mean, who wouldn’t? 

And although she is obsessed with pastries, she does know that they are mostly off limits while she is training for Rio.“I think it was Kate Hudson or someone who said 'You have to have a burger to stay sane' and I totally agree with that.” She adds, “it's really important to reward yourself once in awhile” so whether that's a burger or a croissant if she feels like she deserves it then it's all hers. Now that is an Olympic trend that we can all get behind. 

Rihanna Has Teamed Up With Dior On a Line of Sunglasses

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Rihanna has been busy lately, from touring to topping music charts with her hit song "Work." In addition to her credits as a singer and actress, Rihanna can now add "Dior designer" to her list of credentials. With summer fast approaching, RiRi has announced her own collection of sunglasses, exclusively for Dior. 

This isn't the first time that we've seen Rihanna collaborate with designers. In the past, she's released an apparel collection with Puma (a.k.a. Fenty Puma by Rihanna), and she's also a creative director for Stance socks. Now, Rihanna is teasing her collection of super cute, futuristic sunnies, and we NEED these ASAP.


 

A photo posted by badgalriri (@badgalriri) on

With this Rihanna x Dior collection, Rihanna designed six variations on the sunnies—all inspired by Geordie La Forge from Star Trek. "I've always been obsessed with his eyewear, and when I got to Dior and saw all the materials I could play with, it all just came together," she said.


 

A photo posted by badgalriri (@badgalriri) on

In case you're anxious to get your hands on a pair of these sunnies, you might want to start saving up. Each pair ranges from $840, to $1,950 for a 24-karat gold-plated version. The sunglasses are expected to hit stores in June. Looks like the work just never stops for Rihanna.  “I’ve always been obsessed with his eyewear, and when I got to Dior and saw all the materials I could play with, it all just came together.“I’ve always been obsessed with his eyewear, and when I got to Dior and saw all the materials I could play with, it all just came together.


The Trailer for Nick Jonas's New Movie is Sexy AF

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June 10 is going to be one busy day for Nick Jonas. As if dropping his latest album Last Year Was Complicated wasn’t enough, he’s also starring in the erotic thriller Careful What You Wish For, set to premiere that same day.

If something seems different about Jonas (no, not his lack of clothing), it’s probably because filming began in 2013, back when Jonas was much younger and still in a band with his brothers. Far from his previous acting endeavors in the Camp Rock franchise and more in line with his character in Kindgom, Jonas portrays a young man named Doug Martin who engages in an affair with an older woman played by Isabel Lucas. Seems like an innocent summer fling, right?

Well, as it turns out, the woman is married to a wealthy and abusive man (played by Dermot Mulroney), and things take a turn for the worse as their secret romance becomes tangled in a larger scandal.

"When you're a kid, you don't think about consequences—you're invincible,” Jonas says in the trailer. “But there's something about the summer—the promise that anything can happen. And in my case, it did." 

By the looks of the trailer, the film is both steamy and shocking. There’s romance, drama, suspense and action. Add in Nick Jonas shirtless and what more could you want in a movie?

 

Lena Dunham is Tired of Women Over Apologizing

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Lena Dunham has a lot to say about Beyoncé’s song “Sorry.” While everyone is still caught up on figuring out who “Becky with the good hair” is, Dunham chose to focus on a different lyric: “Sorry, I ain’t sorry.”

In an essay on LinkedIn, Dunham explains the importance of this lyric in allowing “women to express (safely, while pretending with all their might to be Bey) just how sick to death they were of apologizing.”

Most women can agree that we have a tendency to over apologize, often for things out of our control or things we shouldn't even feel sorry about in the first place. “Apologizing is a modern plague," Dunham states, "and I'd be willing to bet…that many women utter "I'm sorry" more on a given day than "Thank You" and "You're Welcome" combined.”

Dunham attributes this tendency to a lack of confidence in ourselves, which translates to difficulty in "owning our power," thus leading us to apologize rather than be self-assured in our actions and decisions. As a woman who took on the role of boss at just 24 years old, Dunham experiences this constantly. "If I changed my mind, if someone disagreed with me, even if someone else misheard me or made a mistake…I was so, so sorry," she says. Girls producer Jenni Konner even texted her, "If you say sorry again, I'm going to lovingly murder you," to which Dunham replied, "I'm sorry."

What Dunham realized was that she—like most women—doesn't necessarily feel sorry when she apologizes. Instead, "sorry" becomes a catch-all phrase to hide her true emotions. Often she finds herself apologizing when she's angry, because "I'm afraid anything but sorry will cause me to explode and drip my hideous rage juice all over someone I'm simultaneously pissed at and trying to please. And so saying sorry serves as a sort of cork, making sure my emotions are contained and packaged neatly."

That is not to say that we should stop apologizing altogether. A real, genuine apology is important in acknowledging one's mistakes in order to learn and grow. But as women, it's important to distinguish when it's appropriate to apologize and when we're just saying "sorry" out of habit when we really don't mean it.

In the case of the latter, what exactly should we replace "sorry" with? Dunham suggests "an actual expression of your needs and desires" is a good alternative. Instead of saying "sorry" for things out of our control, or apologizing for decisions others may not agree with, we should clearly express what it is that we are thinking and feeling. Clear communication, rather than feigned apologies, will make for better relations in your work and personal life.

Calvin Harris Speaks Out For the First Time Since His Car Accident

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It's been a week since Calvin Harris (née Adam Wiles) gave fans a scare when a car accident left the musician in the hospital. Aditionally, a number of Harris's shows were canceled as a result.

Shortly after the incident, a statement was released on the DJ and producer's Facebook page. “Adam is still recovering from the injuries sustained in the car accident last Friday. Unfortunately, as a result he will not be able to perform in Las Vegas at Hakkasan tonight, 5/26 and Omnia tomorrow, 5/27. He has asked us to pass on his apologies to everyone who was due to attend the shows and hopes to be back to his normal schedule soon.”

Harris finally broke his silence earlier today, tweeting an apology to his fans.



We are just happy Harris is okay and seems to be on the road to recovery.

You Can Expect to See These Fan Faves on 'Bachelor in Paradise' This Summer

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The time has finally come to start speculating about who will appear on season three of Bachelor in Paradise. But it seems we already have some confirmed contestants. Mike Fleiss, who created the now hugely successful Bachelor franchise, just did the world a huge solid by revealing some fan faves who are set to pop up in Paradise.

Caila Quinn—who you might remember was once a Bachelorette contender after her failed relationship with Bachelor Ben Higgins—is on board. Then, there's Lace Morris, who already promised host Chris Harrison she would appear on the summer hit. And last but not least, Kaitlyn Bristowe castoff Ben Zorn will be bringing a special dose of eye candy to the tropical setting.

ABC has yet to confirm these casting announcements, but we have a feeling Fleiss knows what he's talking about. Bachelor in Paradise will premiere on Tuesday, August 2.

An Open Letter to the Guy Who Made that Rape Joke

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Dear Guy Who Made That Rape Joke,

I don’t know who you are, or what your name is. I don’t know where you’re from or what you do. All I know is that to me, you’re “Guy who made that rape joke,” specifically “Guy who came up to me in class, tried to flirt and made a rape joke.” “Damn, that exam just raped me hard, “ you said. I didn’t crack a single smile, couldn’t even pretend to be amused for you. Are you proud of that?

I can’t necessarily blame you for offending me. You are just the product of this rape culture that we live in. You might know rape culture as “that thing that crazy women feminists keep complaining about.” But it’s as real as cancer is a deadly illness. You wouldn’t have made a cancer joke now would you? Like “Damn, that exam almost killed me like cancer does.” No, it’s not cool to joke about cancer, but it’s somehow really cool to joke about rape.

Just think about it. If I asked you in that moment why that was funny, what could you possibly say to convince me? “Oh, it’s really funny because I compared the really difficult exam that I failed to rape, an act where one person takes away all the power and choice from another person. It’s funny because they’re the same.” To you, rape is hilarious.

But that’s because you don’t know. You simply don’t know. You know that torture is bad and cancer kills because you’ve seen it in the media. Movies that you watch and news that you see, they feature heartbreaking stories of cancer patients and ex-marines who survived. Yes, they all have remarkable stories that deserve recognition. But what have you seen about rape? You might have heard a statistic here or there, like “One in six women have been sexually assaulted,” and somewhat understood how terrible that is. But have you ever watched a rape survivor talk about his or her experiences and how they survived it? Maybe if you had, rape wouldn’t be funny anymore. Maybe you’d know that rape actually happens, and it causes more damage and suffering than you know.

Well, here’s your lesson on rape, coming from someone who knows too well what it means. Rape doesn’t just stop at the rape itself. My honest answer is that I wish it did. But the aftermath of my rape was just as devastating as the act itself. It’s been a hell of a time. Even though writing is what I do best, I can’t convey with words what it was like for me and for those who love me to watch the shit show that followed my assault. I wake up every morning dreading the inevitable anxiety that will follow me to class and work. I no longer feel safe in most places, forced by an irrational fear to constantly look over my shoulder. I face a strong disillusionment with the world, and the goodness of others no longer is a truth I believe in. Panic attacks wreak havoc on my mind and body, and I grow more and more physically exhausted because of a physical sickness I cannot control. My body betrayed me by recording my rape, the fear I felt and the hopelessness that followed. It continues to betray me when I relive the worst event in my life through flashbacks. Every day I’ve fought guilt and shame for what happened to me, because of the attitudes of people like you. It’s been a year and a half, and I’ve accepted the fact that this will present be the rest of my life.

Even though this is an extremely condensed version of my story, I hope you know now that rape is real. I hope that if you knew that this was our reality, you wouldn’t have made that joke, not just to me, but any other person. I hope that you would’ve held your tongue because I’ve already had someone shatter my faith in human kindness and consideration. I don’t need you to remind me.

 

10 Foods We Would Date

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Who needs to date campus cuties when you can date food? Mozzarella sticks would never forget to text you back and nachos wouldn't even think of cheating on you. Keep reading for a list of 10 foods that we think are better than any significant other you've ever had: 

1. Nutella 

All you need is a spoon and an appetite. Actually, you barely even need an appetite. You don't really need a spoon either.

2. Domino's Cheesy Bread & Cinna Stix

This is the threesome you've been waiting for. Ordering one without the other is grounds for expulsion from college.

3. Mozzerella sticks

Fried. Cheese. Let's move on.

4. Chipotle

Whether you're a fan of the burrito bowl, chips and guac or a fat burrito, just face it: ~*~Chipotle~*~ is your LIIIIFEEEEE.

5. Jimmy John's

It doesn't matter if you get the Italian Night Club or the Turkey Tom; we're all winners when we order late-night JJ.

6. Oreos with peanut butter

Making you happy since the age of four.

7. Nachos

Piled high with cheese, jalapeños, sour cream, guac and salsa, this is the perfect last meal before you faint of cheese overload.

8. Easy Mac

Who has time to cook an actual meal when you're so busy marathoning the new season of House of Cards?

9. Girl Scout Cookies

WHY DON'T GIRL SCOUTS HAVE TRACKING DEVICES ON THEM AT ALL TIMES.

10. Ice cream

It's scientifically proven that eating ice cream in your bed on Friday night is infinitely better than going out on a date with a human being.

9 Netflix Hacks That Will Make Binge Watching Easier

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We all have that friend who's there the second we need a pick-me-up—and yes, that friend is Netflix. Whether it's helped us through endless study sessions, during free time or just when we need a reason to stay up late, Netflix has truly provided for us in times of need.Some may call it an addiction, but most of us just call it love…

Since we are all going to catch that love bug sooner or later, here are 10 Netflix hacks that will make you an expert binge-watcher! 

1. Add Netflix Enhancer 

For Google Chrome users, this $1-a-year extension is the key to tapping into uncharted territory with Netflix. This app will allow you to remove seen movies from search, the home page and genres by clicking on the 'X' in the title. You can also show trailers and IMDb/Rotten Tomatoes ratings on the Netflix homepage by clicking on the IMDb star. A page will pop up in a small, readable panel that's always on top of the screen. 

2. Take a look at Rotten Tomatoes

If you’re looking for top-rated picks all in one place, you can check out this list of all Netflix movies sorted by “Tomatometer.” The Tomatometer is a rating based on the opinions of film and television critics. Its percentage is made up of the positive professional critic reviews given to a film or television show.

3. Use keyboard shortcuts

On PCs, you can scroll through a video by frames by clicking Ctrl+Space and using the arrows to navigate forward or backward, but that’s not all! You can also visit this Reddit forum to see tons of other hacks that work on all browsers and computers!

4. Find out what’s new on Netflix

Stay up to date when new shows and movies are added to Netflix by liking the Netflix page for your countryor visiting What’s New on Netflix on the web. Alternately, you can find out what shows you need to catch up on ASAP before they leave the video-streaming service!

5. Eliminate decision-making with Netflix Roulette 

Let this website and app choose your movie for you if you’re having a tough time picking between a few flicks, or if you just don’t know what to pick in general! Set filters based on your preferences—such as if you'd prefer a movie or TV show, what actor or director you're looking for, what ratings the production has, and even which keywords you're looking for.

6. Watch shows only available in other countries

Holamakes Netflix think you’re in another geographic location, giving you access to content that is only available elsewhere in the world—for free. Countries on the top 10 list for best television include the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands. 

7. Customize your Netflix experience

For Google Chrome users,Flix Plus allows you to customize Netflix to fit your needs. You can hide recommended, watched or rated shows from your home screen, making it easier to navigate Netflix's suggestions. You can even rate shows by a half star to make ratings more accurate. 

8. Listen to the experts

Instantwatcher filters Netflix movies and shows in a variety of ways to help you decide what the best new show to binge watch is. Look up films based on what's been watched most in the past 24 hours, sort by NYT Critics' Picks,  and even get a glimpse at what's been queued in the past three minutes.

9. Use the rating system


Netflix has a special algorithm that creates suggested content for you based on your ratings and what you view, so use that to your full advantage. Rate every movie to help Netflix make better recommendations for you as you watch. You can also fill out a Taste Preferences survey under the Your Account tab that ranks your interest in different aspects of your viewing experience.

These hacks are going to make binge watching just that much easier (maybe too easy). But hey, it's not our fault…after all, Netflix only gives us 15 seconds between each episode to decide what our next move will be—and with such a short amount of time to make that big of a decision, what's a collegiette to do but watch the next episode?


Your Signature Scent, According to Your Zodiac Sign

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Perfume can be tricky. It’s hard to trust your delicate taste to someone else’s recommendations, which we totally get. But, the perfect signature scent can make you feel extra confident and put together, making it a must-have for an even better getting ready routine. That’s why we let the stars decide your fate, recommending a new signature fragrance for you based on the most prominent qualities of your sign.

Aries: CK Be by Calvin Klein

The Aries girl is warm, exciting, and daring, just like Calvin Klein’s sexy scent, Be ($50, Calvin Klein). Notes of white peach, bergamot and spices give this fragrance extra depth and guarantee that you’ll make a lasting impression—not that you need any help with that.

Taurus: Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel Paris

Taurus, you look for a balance between simplicity, sensuality and a little touch of luxury in life. That’s why Coco Mademoiselle ($94, Chanel), a light but luxe scent that pays homage to the young Coco Chanel’s drive to succeed, is perfect for you. The elegant scent will ground you when you’re working hard on the homework grind.

Gemini: Walk on Air by Kate Spade New York

The Gemini girl is known for her intellect; she’s a smooth talker with a curious mind. Walk on Air ($75, Kate Spade New York) is the perfect compliment to your confident personality and its sweet floral undertones will keep you on cloud nine.

Cancer: Aqua di Gioa by Giorgio Armani

If you’re a Cancer, you’re loving to those who know you, but to everyone else, you have an air of mystery. Keep ’em guessing with Aqua di Gioa ($70, Giorgio Armani). This summery scent flirts with your senses using floral notes over sandalwood and a touch of mint.

Leo: Eau des Sens by diptyque paris

A Leo is a leader; you’re proud, confident, and eager to stand out. Eau des Sens ($90, dyptique paris) has a little je ne sais quoi that will help you do just that. Orange blossom and juniper are warm and deep, just like you!

Virgo: White Jasmine & Mint Cologne by Jo Malone

A Virgo girl can be picked out from a mile away—her devotion to practicality and impeccably high standards is apparent. With this divine White Jasmine & Mint Cologne ($65, Jo Malone), you won’t have to sacrifice either! The light, fresh scent is appropriate for any occasion, making it incredibly versatile.

Related: What Lip Color You Should Rock This Weekend Based on Your Sign

Libra: Daisy by Marc Jacobs

Diplomatic and graceful, a Libra is charming, but by no means a pushover. With notes of grapefruit, musk and cedarwood, Daisy ($75, Marc Jacobs) is sophisticated, elegant, and practically made for you.

Scorpio: Sì by Giorgio Armani

There’s more than meets the eye with the Scorpio girl—a lot more. You’re passionate, contemplative, and wiser than you are old. Balance your youth and maturity with Sì ($92, Giorgio Armani). Delicate floral nectar notes give way to smoldering amber wood, complimenting your nature perfectly.

Sagittarius: Clinique Happy by Clinique

Sagittarius, more often than not you have your head in the clouds, but that’s not a bad thing! You tend to be an idealist and an optimist, naturally making Clinique Happy ($50, Clinique) your ideal go-to scent. Its blend of citrus and floral notes are so uplifting, it’ll naturally make you smile a little bit more whenever you wear it.

Capricorn: Burberry Brit by Burberry

Capricorn has the “can’t stop, won’t stop” personality that makes Capricorn girls go-getters and incredibly hard workers. Burberry Brit ($80, Burberry) has a no-nonsense base of warm amber, complimented by sweet almonds and peony. This perfect balance makes Burberry Brit impossible not to be enamored with, like you.

Aquarius: Candy l’Eau by Prada

Aquarius, you’re a true intellectual; you’re outspoken and entirely your own person. No one forgets an Aquarius girl, kind of like you’ll never forget Candy l’Eau ($74, Sephora). With rich, indulgent notes of caramel and white musk, you can know for certain that you’ll be remembered when wearing this perfume.

Pisces: Love Story by Chloé

The Pisces girl is ruled by emotion, intuition and most importantly, imagination. Your compassion and radiance make Love Story ($75, Sephora) your natural signature scent. Jasmine and orange flower oil are the heart of this perfume, giving it an air of joy and freshness. This echoes the way you make others feel, so be prepared for them to notice a little something more about you when you wear it.

If you trust the stars to tell your beauty horoscope, the possibilities are endless!

How I'm Learning to Love Myself

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By Emily Chambers 

Body image is an issue every girl finds herself at war with, no matter her race, religion, size or ethnicity. Although this battle varies from person to person, we have all felt slightly vulnerable and insecure at one point or another due to the pressures of society. I found myself on this front the first few months of college, when everything in my world was changing. No longer feeling in control of my life, I succumbed to the pressures of the voices around me saying I wasn’t enough.  I watched models on television and saw beautiful girls on Instagram and aspired to be them. Instead of appreciating my own body, I gave into the all too familiar lie that in order to be beautiful, we must fit into some sort of box. I allowed myself to compare my own body to the bodies of people who were not built the same way I am, and who had completely different lifestyles. It wasn’t until I started severely dieting that I realized losing weight and trying to fit into the mold of someone I’m not was doing more harm than good. I soon realized that the standards I set for myself shouldn’t be determined by outside factors, but rather influenced by my own desire to better myself through self-acceptance.

Related: 12 Women Talk Body Image & Positivity in College

Accepting yourself is not an easy task. To be honest, I am not even completely there yet. The idea is that every step towards self-acceptance leads you to a better you. I mean, with all of the possible role models we see portrayed in the media everyday, not many of them are exactly genuinely uplifting. In reality, by focusing on what other women look like, we are downplaying our own worth. Many young women, including myself, often feel the need to meet the standards of men, the media or even their peers, but who is to say we need that approval? Self-acceptance is recognizing your faults and therefore making changes to improve them, whereas self-compassion is a combination of self-kindness, common humanity and mindfulness. For instance, instead of being super self-critical for eating that Ben and Jerry’s ice cream after a long day of classes, tell yourself,  “You are doing your best, and sometimes you have to give yourself a break!”  By acknowledging your struggle, you are showing yourself self-compassion, which can eventually lead you to make change towards a happier and healthier self.

Self-compassion not only allows you to accept yourself, but is also linked to better health conditions. For instance, by cutting myself some slack instead of focusing on the idea that losing weight would fix all my life problems, I was able to reach this level of self-compassion. Additionally, self-compassion actually became a motivator for me to improve health habits, rather than using self-criticism like many other young women believe. With this idea in mind, we should realize that by setting our own personal standards, we are better off. In fact, there are more young women who do not fall into the beauty standards of today’s society than women who do. The average size of an American female is a size twelve to fourteen, much larger than what is seen as the “standard.”

There are people who believe women should not be able to flaunt their body if they are overweight. But there are many people who eat considerably healthy diets and work out, but still remain above the average weight. The argument that women cannot be happy just because they are farther on one side or the other is just like saying women cannot be happy if they are fair skinned instead of tan. In that example, just like losing weight, some people can try to tan forever and get nowhere, whereas some are born with a natural glow. This is where self-acceptance comes into play; if an individual can accept their differences, the opinions of skeptics will mean little to their happiness.

The debate should not be which side of the spectrum is healthier than the other, the debate should be about why we are tearing these women—and ourselves—down. Countless articles have slammed curvy and thin models for their appearance, yet these women have the right to make their own choices. In order to form true self-acceptance, we must rid ourselves of all comparisons and shaming. Each and every person has a right to whatever lifestyle they choose, celebrity or not. The reality is, if we stop idealizing other women for their bodies, and truly develop self-acceptance for our own flaws, we will not be pressuring ourselves to change in order to fit female stereotypes.

25 Things Every New Jersey Native Knows to Be True

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When you’re from New Jersey, you’re a breed of your own. No one else can understand us. What other state has so much pride that its residents get tattoos of the state outline? Below is a list of the top 25 things only NJ natives understand—and trust us, you'll only get it if you're a part of the club.

1. Going “down the shore” isn’t actually a thing

Despite popular belief, only people from northern New Jersey use this phrase, and everyone else in the state considers them tourists. If you are from any place in NJ near a beach, you say you’re “going to the beach,” and when you say “down the shore,” us beach natives know you’re a benny (sorry, Northerners!).

2. Yes, “Benny” is a nickname

Or more like a code name locals use for tourists, including people from northern NJ. Benny = Bayonne, Elizabeth, Newark, New York. But, in reality, Benny is a code name used for anyone who doesn’t live within a 20-mile radius of his or her own beach.

3. NJ is the only state that is split into two

There is definitely a divide when it comes to North and South Jersey. Southerners have to put up with Northerners coming to our beaches and Northerners have to put up with being tourists in their own state.

4. Or, split into three?

Whether or not there is a “Central Jersey” is a debate people from Jersey will have forever. Middlesex, Monmouth, Mercer and Somerset counties make up “central Jersey” (Hunterdon, Union and Ocean counties are contenders as well).

5. No one says “Joisey”

We know we have accents and speak rather fast, which can make us hard to understand. And we may butcher words like “water” and “dog,” but “Joisey” is just not in our vocabulary.

6. Pork roll/Taylor Ham is the greatest invention ever

Apparently, no one else in the country is graced with the gift of pork roll/Taylor ham. One piece of this meat on a breakfast sandwich is the greatest thing you will ever have. And depending on where you’re from in Jersey, you call it Taylor Ham or pork roll—just another thing to divide us. 

7. We know the real way to make bagels

What better to put that pork roll, egg and cheese on then a fresh, NJ bagel? They say there is something in the water here that gives us the best dough for our bagels, but whatever it is, eating a Jersey-made bagel will be the best moment of your life.

8. Italians DO rule

Back when The Sopranos was big, everyone thought NJ natives were all connected to the mob. While most of us do not have mob connections, the Italian population is huge. And they talk with their hands.

9. Life is better with gas attendants

People from other states can call us lazy, but when it’s zero degrees out and the wind is blowing so strongly you have to lean against your car and unscrew your own gas cap, us NJ natives hand our credit cards to the gas attendants and call it a day.

10. No one calls them “jughandles,” but they make driving easier

Turning around in the middle of a busy highway is almost as foreign of a concept as pumping our own gas. In Jersey, we have jughandles, or U-turns. Everyone says U-turns. They can’t even be explained, you just know what they are and they’re much safer than turning around in the middle of the road.

11. A lot of New Jersey natives think they live in West Virginia

For some reason, rural NJ areas are filled with kids who swear they’re country. Big tires, lifted trucks and Jason Aldean blaring from the speakers… We've seen it all. They are their own people. You’re either out there off-roading with them, or you're busy questioning why they think they’re real country folk.

12. We are actually always in a hurry

The stereotype that we’re fast drivers and fast walkers is spot on. If you aren’t doing at least 10 over the speed limit, get out of our way.

13. Wawas rule the world

You know you’re from NJ when there are at least five Wawas within a 10-mile radius of your house. And even though Wawa is an overpriced convenience store, NJ natives will always swear by it.

14. Doing “Weird New Jerseys” is every high-schoolers favorite hobby

Lambertville High School, Marlboro Insane Asylum, The Devil’s Tomb and Jacob’s Ladder, The Devil’s Tree, etc. are some of the many Weird NJs from the book Weird NJ. Every state has a Weird book, but when you’re 17 and from Jersey, the cool thing to do is go into the woods at 2 a.m. and try to find these strange landmarks.

15. It's called Great Adventure

Not Six Flags. It’s just not.

16. Seaside isn’t all it’s cracked up to be

Seaside Heights is one of the biggest tourist attractions in NJ. After MTV’s show Jersey Shore brought more attention to it (but before the historic picture of the Jet Star rollercoaster in the ocean after Hurricane Sandy made waves), Seaside Heights didn’t have the best reputation. This boardwalk became ideal for the younger crowd while families went looking for boardwalks more like Point Pleasant and Wildwood.

17. But a Seaside Tony is heaven on Earth

If you ever find yourself in Seaside Heights, however, stop by Steaks Unlimited and get a Seaside Tony. They say Philly has the best cheesesteaks, but Steaks Unlimited threw some cheese balls into their delicious cheese steaks and called it a Seaside Tony. The world will never be the same.

18. No one actually looks like Snooki circa 2010

We think we made a big enough deal about this while Jersey Shore was on, but we'll reiterate: we do not all look like Snooki or The Situation. The gym/tan/laundry look is purely tourist-related. 

19. You define yourself by your parkway exit

When you get asked where you’re from, it’s “Exit 124,” not “Sayreville,” and even if you haven’t heard of a town where someone is from, you can easily figure out how far away they live because you can calculate how far their exit is. And if you don’t understand this, you aren’t from NJ.

20. We all root for out-of-state teams (What choice do we have?)

Besides hockey, New Jersey has no sports teams of its own, even though the Giants' and Jets' stadiums are in Northern NJ. While the state is filled up with Philly and New York fans, there are a surprising number of people who are fans of random teams that are far away, like the Cowboys and Redskins.

21. We do, in fact, have the best tomatoes

NJ is “The Garden State,” so it's only right that we have the best tomatoes around.

22. When we go to other states and see how nice people are, we can’t figure out why

NJ natives keep to themselves. We do not wave to strangers and we cut off other drivers without thinking twice. So when we visit other states and a cashier asks us how our day is going (and genuinely cares about the answer), we can’t help but wonder if we stepped onto another planet.

23. The Jersey Devil is an actual thing

Many Weird NJ books are made up of Jersey Devil-related locations. He’s a real thing from the Pine Barrens, and every person was afraid of the woods as a kid from hearing the stories about this creature lurking in the dark. It’s a Jersey thing.

24. You know “The Oranges” aren't fruit

South Orange, West Orange and East Orange make up Northern NJ, and natives just bunch them together and call them “The Oranges.” We’re The Garden State, not The Fruit State.

25. Diners are forever

Where can you find half the Jersey population at 3 a.m.? At one of the many diners that line the highways of the state, enjoying their unhealthy, late-night snacks.  

When it comes to Jersey, its residents have pride like no other. Don’t think you can out-drive us, out-talk us or make a better breakfast sandwich than we can, and everything will be fine. 

Links We Love 5.29.16

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This 12-year-old is going to college...as a junior. [Newser]

Rebecca Minkoff shares life lessons. [I Want Her Job]

If he tries to change you, don't date him. [Thought Catalog]

LOL, this is not art. [Jezebel]

And you thought your path to graduation was hard. [The Huffington Post]

The key to summer makeup. [New York Magazine]

Is this the most beautiful mug shot? [Cosmpolitan]

Questions everybody asks themselves. [BuzzFeed]

Stay connected to your school this summer. [USA Today College]

How to avoid cavities. [Spoon University]

7 Things You Need to Do the Summer Before College

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While applications are now over and your decision has been made, there’s still plenty to do to prepare for college! The summer before your first semester of college is a transitional period that serves as a great chunk of time to get things done before shipping off to school. We got in touch with collegiettes across the country and asked them what they did (or wish they’d done!) the summer between their last year of high school and their first semester of college. Check out what they missed so you can steer your summer in the right direction!

1. Spend more time with family

These last few months before heading off to school may be your last chance to spend quality time with family for a while, especially if you’re heading far away. Consider setting aside lots of time to hang out with your parents and siblings this summer!

“Now that I'm in college, my summers are spent working, saving money for grad school and also interning,” says Tabia Robinson, a junior at the University of Albany, “[so] I have absolutely no free time.” Tabia says she knows all her hard work will be worth it in the end, but if she had the foresight to know she would be so busy, she would have utilized her pre-college days to spend more time with those who matter most.

"Looking back, I wish I would have spent a little more time with my family the summer before leaving for college,” says Rachael David, a junior at Pennsylvania State University. “It was so easy to go out with my friends every night since I knew I would be saying goodbye to them too, but I discovered that when school begins and the homesickness kicks in, your family is who you're going to miss most,” she says. “Don't wait for family vacations to get in some good quality bonding and cherish your last few months together before college."

Take advantage of the long summer days and give special attention to your family—trust us, they might annoy you now, but you’ll miss them when they’re not at arm’s reach all the time.

2. Rethink your relationship

While your high school sweetheart may seem like the guy or girl of your dreams right now, chances are things might change in the near future. College is a time full of new experiences, so you might want to start thinking harder about your feelings toward your SO. If you’re on a rocky road or feel the need to be more independent, this summer might just be the prime time to cut ties.

While it’s definitely not a bad thing to have a boyfriend or girlfriend in college, many freshmen who arrive in long-distance relationships with their hometown SOs end up regretting it. College is a time to really be yourself and figure out the next chapter of your life, so breaking up with a significant other might be the first step in that direction. If you’re hoping to start fresh in college, consider how your current relationship might affect that.

Nathalie Vacheron, a student at Rhodes College, regrets not cutting ties with her SO before college. “I threw away my entire freshman year of college pining after someone who was not open-minded or rational when it came to our long distance relationship,” she says. “Be 100 percent positive you want to do long-distance [before heading off to college]. Trying it and seeing how it goes is okay, but don't be blind. College is a precious, fleeting time full of new friendships and opportunities. Don't sacrifice your happiness for someone who is more selfish and controlling than encouraging of your growth and involvement in college.”

If you’re happy with your current relationship, there are still some things to consider. If you and your partner know you want to stay together, consider preparing for the road ahead. If you’re going to separate schools, think about how you’ll stay in touch. It sounds tedious, but setting some ground rules might be the perfect way to start the semester off the right way with your SO!

3. Get in shape

Transitional periods when big changes are already occurring can be a great opportunity to form some new habits. If you’ve been bogged down with homework during the school year and haven’t had the time to focus on working out, this summer may be the perfect time to get started.

Take advantage of your free time and put it toward your health. Work on getting fit for when you arrive at school in the fall. Getting your health in check will in turn make you feel more energetic and more confident—perfect for starting the next chapter in your life!

If you’re new to exercising, it can be a bit daunting; but have no fear! There are tons of easy ways to get into working out. Go for short runs, hikes or bike rides with friends or on your own. If you’re feeling curious, turn to YouTube for some great (and free!) workout programs. Once you’re feeling more comfortable, consider heading to the gym or taking a class with friends. Before you know it, your workout will be a regular part of your routine—which will come in handy when you’re trying to ward off the Freshman 15.

4. Score an internship

If you’re an ambitious student looking to get ahead on your career, check out local internship openings! While it’s perfectly normal to head into college with little or no internship experience, a position before college can give you an edge when it comes to looking for another internship or job later on.

The summer before Janine Eduljee, a rising junior, arrived at Northeastern University, she scored a paid internship in a company's HR department. “Aside from padding me until that point [of] non-existent savings, it also gave me some really fantastic experience in learning what an office environment was like,” says Janine. “Not to mention, I also earned some really great references and made connections with my fellow colleagues.”

Securing an internship before coming to college will give you that leg up and perhaps make you better prepared for the semester to come, especially if you work in a field related to your major. Not only can an internship offer a safety net of cash to fall back on (if it’s paid), but it can also be an awesome resume-booster and push you ahead of the pack!

If you’re new to the internship search, do a bit of research. Check out internship and job postings online, and consider meeting with your guidance or career counselor at your high school. Think about some local businesses that you’d like to get involved with and see if they offer internships. Take advantage of the resources around you and start searching!

5. Relax

On the other hand, you may feel overworked from your senior year and feel the need to lie back for a while—which is just as good (and important)! The anticipation of college can be stressful, so be sure to take time to sit back and relax.

“I wish that I had taken that summer to spend with my friends,” says Natalie Kelley, a rising senior at Santa Clara University, who regrets signing up for an internship the summer before college. “I wish I had stuck with my part-time job so that I could have had the free time to go to the pool and just relax with my girls one last summer.”

Instead of spending your days thinking about the upcoming months, clear your mind and enjoy the moment. Log off of that orientation Facebook group, take some time off from your summer job and hit the spa. There will be plenty to do during the weeks before you leave, but there’s no point in sweating it now!

6. Hit up favorite hometown spots

If you’re leaving town for college, you might want to savor those special things about your hometown before you go! While you might be sick of seeing the same places your whole life, you might just miss them when you’re gone.

Gather up a group of friends and set out to hit up your favorite spots around home. Visit your favorite hangout spot, go to the town landmarks and eat at your favorite restaurants. Even if you’ve seen them before, you might not have the chance to visit when you’re gone!

7. Branch out from high school friends

College is a time to start fresh, so why not begin now? When you arrive at college, you’ll be surrounded by a new group of people and will likely have to make new friends. And while this can be a bit intimidating, it’s easier than it seems!

Lynn Chalati, a rising senior at the University of Ottowa, says she wishes she had spent some time away from her high school friends the summer before she left for college. “[I wish I’d spent] more time with my family, or branching out and meeting new people,” she says. “It's hard to swallow that you may not be friends with these people anymore (though maybe you will!).” It’s always good to remain open when it comes to incorporating new people in your life.

There’s no harm in hanging out with your high school friends, but know that you’ll probably have to step out of your comfort zone soon. Take this chance to start making a change and preparing for what’s to come. There’s no need to abandon or cut ties your high school friends; just consider supplementing your current friendships with a new social circle!

With the anticipation of college coming up, now is the time to wrap up your last moments as a pre-collegiette! Be sure to take advantage of this time before you head off, and do your summer the right way.

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