The 10th Annual Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic served up some hot celebrity looks over the weekend, but there’s one in particular that I’m seriously obsessed with. Kendall Jenner had to be one of the most bomb-looking celebs there! Once again, Kendall’s hair was created by the Kardashian-Jenner's go-to hair stylist, Jen Atkin. Thanks to Jen and her hair care line, OUAI Haircare, you can get this look too! Here's how.

1. Start with damp hair and prep it with OUAI Soft Mousse ($28) and Christophe Robin Volume Mist.

2.  Blow dry hair with the Dyson Supersonic Hairdryer on medium heat and medium airflow using the FROMM Copper Thermal Round Brush on the crown of the head to add volume.

3. Next use FROMM Square Thermal Brush on the lower half of the head and nape of the neck for a straighter finish.

4. Once your hair is dry, part it down the center and gently smooth over the ends of the hair with the K Beauty Flat Iron, turning the ends under slightly.

5. Section out the top half of your hair with a comb (keeping it parted in the center) and pull it back into a half-up style, securing with bobby pins.

6. Pull out the two front pieces in the fringe area to add detail.

7. Apply a small amount of OUAI Rose Hair and Body Oil ($32) with your hands to tame any flyaways.

8. Fill in the hair with the Anastasia Brow Pro Palette (this is Jen's signature trick).

9. Finish the look with the OUAI Medium Hair Spray ($26) to keep your locks in place.

This look is so cute and I’ll definitely be trying it ASAP. Will you?

If you watched Ariana Grande's One Love Manchester benefit concert on Sunday, you probably experienced a whole range of emotions. The event was an act of courage, defiance and love. But among all the beautiful messages of unity spread by the performers, the producers and the audience alike, there is one tribute you probably missed. Aside from being delightfully extra, Katy Perry's outfit for the occasion was also especially meaningful.

Katy's dress was lined with photos of the victims of the Manchester attack, a gesture that many applauded as a beautiful tribute to the lives that were tragically taken two weeks ago.

Thank you, Katy, for adding your voice to those who won't be silenced by fear.

Almost three years after a tragic suicide in Massachusetts, the victim’s former girlfriend may face time behind bars for encouraging him to plan his death. According to BuzzFeed News, Michelle Carter texted 18-year-old Conrad Roy to "just do it" in the summer of 2014—“it” meaning kill himself by inhaling carbon monoxide produced by a water pump in his truck. In 2016, US News and World Report reported that Carter had run a “systematic campaign of coercion” against Roy, leading the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts to unanimously rule that there was probable cause for a jury to indict Carter in Roy’s death.

This week, Carter will finally go on trial.BuzzFeed News reports that Carter, 20, faces involuntary manslaughter charges for goading Roy’s suicide through text messages and a phone call.

The events leading to Roy’s death leave little room for doubt about Carter’s involvement. In the days leading up to Roy’s suicide, Carter repeatedly texted Roy about his plans. “You just keeps pushing it off to another night and say you’ll do it but you never do,” she wrote. On the morning of his death on July 12, 2014, Carter told Roy that his parents could “expect” his suicide. And, when Roy said he was scared to leave his family and exited the running car during his final moments, Carter allegedly told him to “get back in,” according to South Coast Today.

As if her complicity in Roy's death wasn’t troubling enough, Carter’s later turn to social media in the aftermath is even worse. She tweeted about how much she missed Roy on multiple occasions, including on his birthday and on the four-month anniversary of his death. While her Twitter account has since been removed, some screenshots are still available of her tweets. South Coast Today has suggested that her assistance in Roy’s suicide, and her following social media posts, were a part of an elaborate plan to gain sympathy from other students.

Despite thorough records of her communications with Roy, Carter’s attorneys still claim that she shouldn’t face charges. Their reason? Massachusetts law doesn’t criminalize defendants who use language that instructs or encourages someone else to commit suicide. It is one of 11 states in the country without such laws. Without a specific law addressing Carter’s actions, her lawyers claim that charging her with involuntary manslaughter is a “dubious effort.”

It’s still up to the jury to decide whether Carter was guilty in Roy’s death. From the evidence available, Carter’s actions weren’t the right choice after learning that Roy had suicidal thoughts. If a friend or loved one is considering suicide, encouraging them to go through with it isnot the answer.

For more news, follow Halie LeSavage on Twitter.

We all knew Wonder Woman was going to be good. A seriously badass female superhero and a seriously badass female director? IT'S ABOUT TIME. The success Wonder Woman had at the box office on its opening weekend just proves the power and influence of women. 

Wonder Woman had one of the biggest superhero movie openings ever, making an estimated $101.4 million at the domestic box office this weekend. That amount also means Wonder Woman is the highest grossing opening weekend EVER for a film directed by a woman. YAASS! 

Numbers don't lie, and neither do celebs. Take a look at all the wonderful actresses showing their support for the movie. 

The OG Wonder Woman didn't hesitate to give a round of applause either.

Men in Hollywood are also giving credit where credit is due. Even Chris Hemsworth admitted Wonder Woman could best Thor in a fight.

With Wonder Woman's success, we hope this momentum continues and Hollywood sees the value of women in film. Because, obviously, they're killing it. 

COVERGIRL recently launched #ProjectPDA in response to a controversial subway ad denouncing the application of makeup in public, or PDA—"public displays of application."

In true COVERGIRL style, the brand took to the people. They surveyed 1,500 women and received concerning responses. More than half of these women were not comfortable applying makeup in public, while 74 percent said they think makeup is necessary in social settings. More encouragingly, however, 75 percent stated that they don't wear makeup for anyone but themselves.

COVERGIRL took this campaign one step further, to the streets of New York, by setting up mirrors all over the city. They emphasized that makeup is an art form and a form of self-expression and that there shouldn’t be anything to be ashamed of. The debasement of public makeup application is inherently sexist and/or trans-exclusionary; this is the process by which people get deemed “vain” or “full of themselves” just for filling in their brows or applying some poppin’ highlighter while on the way to work. The easy, breezy brand made an inspiring video to share their powerful message with all of us, and you're going to want to watch it:

Body positivity is a wonderful thing, and models like Ashley Graham have been especially helpful in reminding women to love the skin they’re in. Though we've all wished we could be her on more than one occasion, Ashley's modeling career hasn't always been easy.

In the July issue of Glamour magazine, Graham opened up about being sexually harassed when she was 17.

“There was an incident on set of a campaign job when I was 17 years old—I haven’t told this story—and there was a photo assistant who was into me,” Ashley said. “He was like, ‘Hey, come here,’ and he led me into a closet. And I was like, ‘What?’ I thought he was going to show me something. And he pulled me in, and he pulled his penis out. And he was like, ‘Grab it.’ And I was like, ‘No! That’s disgusting.’ I freaked out. And thank God I was closer to the door, and I just bolted out.”

As traumatizing as that was, it wasn’t the first time something like it had happened to her. In her book, Ashley detailed a similar situation that occurred when she was 10 and an 18-year-old told her to "grab his erection" while at her parents' house.

As for the photo assistant who sexually harassed her, Graham still sees him around. "I even knew a girl he dated,” she said. “I didn’t tell her because there was a voice in me that said, ‘Maybe he’s changed.’ It was my young mentality. But I told myself, ever since that incident, that I wasn’t going to allow someone at work to manipulate what I wanted to do on set. So any image that you see out there is one that I wanted to take.”

Despite what Ashley went through, she still took her experience and turned it into positive advice for women who may have endured similar things. “The insecure girl inside me was like, ‘Well, maybe I did something.’ To all those girls out there: No, you didn’t do anything.”

Ten incoming freshmen have been kicked out of Harvard before they even started, The Harvard Crimson reports. Back in December, a group of incoming freshmen for the class of 2021 created a Facebook meme page that was later titled "Harvard memes for horny bourgeois teens."

It only gets worse from there. According to NBC Washington, students shared messages making fun of the Holocaust, sexual assault and child abuse. Some students even joked about how abusing children was a turn-on. 

Harvard spokeswoman Rachel Dane gave a statement to the Crimson on Saturday in which she failed to confirm or deny any actions taken on the students, saying that Harvard does not "comment publicly on the admissions status of individual applicants."

The administration has been involved and investigating the Facebook group since mid-April, according to the Crimson. And unfortunately, is the second time incoming Harvard freshman has been exposed for sharing inappropriate, offensive content. Just last year, incoming students from the class of 2020 made racist and sexist jokes in a GroupMe chat, but did not face consequences.

Most of the students the Crimson interviewed said they thought revoking acceptances of the students in the meme group was the right decision. Hopefully this teaches students that getting into your dream school doesn't give you a free pass to do whatever you want—and that anything you put on the internet can come back to haunt you.

If you’re a diehard Friends fan, the never-ending reboot rumors must be a dream come true. But for Matthew Perry, they're more of a nightmare. The actor revealed in an interview with Variety that he's nervous AF just thinking about the possibility of a revival.

“When I'm asleep, I have this nightmare that we do Friends again and nobody cares,” Matthew said. “We do a whole series, we come back, and nobody cares about it.” It’s a shocking concern to have, but it's also fair—it has been nearly 15 years since the show last aired.

Matthew even went so far as to say he would turn down any offer to come back as Chandler Bing. “If anybody asks me, I’m gonna say no. The thing is: We ended on such a high. We can’t beat it. Why would we go and do it again?”

Even if a Friends revival did happen, Matthew wouldn't be there, and we all know Friends needs its Chandler. I guess the show will always be a thing of the past—something we can look back on when we're feeling nostalgic and need a good laugh. But it'd be easier if you just ripped my heart out, honestly.

Last week, the Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to review and ultimately rule on the constitutionality of President Trump’s travel ban. After the terror attacks in London on Saturday, Trump renewed his call for the travel ban and argued that it was imperative for national security. Trump wrote on Twitter, “We need to be smart, vigilant, and tough. We need the courts to give us back our rights. We need the Travel Ban as an extra level of safety.”

Then, on Monday morning, Trump blasted the Justice Department for asking the Supreme Court to support a “watered down, politically correct version” of the travel ban that was blocked by federal courts. In a tweet, Trump called the new ban “politically correct."

Moreover, Trump called for the Justice Department to press the Supreme Court for an “expedited hearing” and to seek a “much tougher version” of the travel ban.

Just to make sure it was extra clear, Trump continued, “People, the lawyers and the court can call it whatever they want, but I am calling it what we need and what it is, a TRAVEL BAN!”

Some might see Trump’s comments on Twitter as refreshingly honest, but there's a problem—they could potentially harm his case for the renewal of the travel ban as it goes under review in the Supreme Court.

According to The Washington Post, federal judges that had blocked the travel ban relied on Trump’s comments from his campaign regarding Muslims to illustrate that the president meant to use the travel ban as a tool of discrimination against Muslims. While Trump's staff have worked diligently to spin the executive order, insisting it is "not a ban," Trump has completely undermined them with these tweets—and the Supreme Court justices are likely to notice.

Omar C. Jadwat, the American Civil Liberties Union lawyer that argued the travel ban case in the 4th Circuit, told the Post, “I can’t say for sure what our brief is going to look like, but this stuff seems relevant."

Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway told NBC’s “Today Show” that the media is “obsessed with covering everything [Trump] says on Twitter and very little of what he does as president." But Trump's tweets are something he's doing—and when he tweets, he's still president. One Twitter bot reminds us of that by turning all of Trump's tweets into presidential press statements.

A date has not been set yet for the Supreme Court to hear arguments concerning the travel ban.

Editor's note: This essay comes in response to the Trump administration's proposal to further limit acess to birth control in the U.S. The opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.

Let’s rewind to my freshman year of college: I’m standing in my friend’s dorm room as she hands me several of her birth control pills, assuring me that taking a few at intervals will be the same as a Plan B pill. Unsure if this is actually true and too ashamed to call a professional (editor's note: although this method can be effective if used properly, it should never be your default—go to Bedsider to learn more), I take my friend’s pills as she directed, and hope for the best. I subsequently spend the next month anxiously awaiting my period, envisioning what I will have to do if I get pregnant. This all culminates in going to Walmart to buy a pregnancy test, and I still remember the wave of immense relief I had standing in the cramped bathroom stall with a urine-sprinkled negative test in my hand.

In a heated moment, I made the decision to have sex without a condom or any other form of birth control. The awful month that followed this decision made me realize that it was time for me to take control of my reproductive health care by myself. I made an appointment at my college’s Wellness Center. When filling out the paperwork for my appointment, I had one request: that my parents did not receive any information that I was going to get birth control. Nervously, I walked away from the appointment with a small, round, plastic container in my hand. While some of my friends’ more liberal-minded parents sent them their birth control each month, I set aside nine dollars and a friend’s car to go to Target and renew my prescription. When I went home, I concealed these small packets from my parents.

One year later, the same boy who stood next to me in line at Walmart to get a pregnancy test went abroad for the semester. Now feeling alone and insecure at college, my anxiety came roaring into existence. Hypothesizing that my birth control might be impacting my racing mind, I went back to my school’s Wellness Center to switch birth control prescriptions. Instead of improving my anxiety, my OCD, which had been dormant most of my life, came back into my life and made me feel like I had no control over any of my thought patterns or emotions. I began counseling and even switched prescriptions one more time just to try something else.

After several appointments with my school’s nurse practitioner gynecologist, I finally decided to commit to getting a hormone-free copper IUD, also known as the Paragard. At this point, my boyfriend was back from his semester abroad, and I was relieved to have an end in sight to the days of hormonal birth control. My insurance required an upfront payment of $112 for the IUD, which later came with a refund check of $100. My IUD will stay in my body for up to ten years, but in total, I only paid ten dollars for it.

I did all of this alone until I finally opened up to my mom and asked her if she had ever experienced anxiety from birth control methods she had used in the past. Smiling, she tilted her head and told me, “I never used birth control. I just had babies.” She offered me no advice or reassurance for what I was experiencing. What’s more is that I knew this statement to be false; she just didn’t want to admit it. I love my mom, and we have always been close. And yet, my parents’ conservative beliefs prevented them from being pillars of support for me. In their world, Christian summer camps teach high schoolers that sexual activity before marriage is like gluing pieces of paper together, then ripping them apart over and over until the papers are just bits and shreds.

Today, they still aren’t ready to offer me support or advice about being sexually active. Although I can talk to my mom now about visits to the gynecologist, she doesn’t support me being sexually active. This is definitely hard at times, but I know that thanks to my health care insurance, I was able to independently fund my own access to birth control. I autonomously decided the various steps I needed to take for my body to have a peace of mind and heart. I cannot imagine the struggles I would have encountered had the laws on birth control not guaranteed affordability, which is why the threats to women’s health care deeply frighten me. Reproductive rights allow women to have control over their relationships, their futures, their careers, their educations, and so much more. Limiting access means limiting American women, a fact which politicians need to wake up and accept.

Lauren Conrad is ready to add mother to her list of credentials. The designer and former reality TV star has been proudly showing off her journey ever since she announced her pregnancy with a stunning sonogram in January. Lauren later showed off pictures of her bump while on a babymoon with her husband, William Tell.

So when it came to revealing the sex of her growing baby, LC unsurprisingly did so in a beautiful Instagram post.

In her caption, Lauren explains the story behind her announcement. "I found this adorable birth announcement while helping my Grandma move and I thought it was the perfect way to share that William and I are expecting a baby boy!" she wrote.

Aww, it's so adorable! With all the hubbub surrounding gender reveals these days, this simple and sweet vintage card is so refreshing.

Lauren is due to give birth this summer. In the meantime, we're wishing Lauren and William all the best. ​

With summer comes the beach, the sun, and of course, your summer closet. Even though summer clothes are cute, it doesn't mean you need to sacrifice comfort. Here are five fashion struggles we all deal with over the summer, and advice on how to overcome them!

1. Strapless tops

Raise your hand if you hate wearing a strapless bra because of the constant tugging to keep it in place throughout the day! Summer outfits can be cute, yet complicated. Luckily, bandeaus are in style and no one cares if those straps are out because it’s cuter than a bra strap. Try sporting a bandeau with a spaghetti strap romper, which involves none of the sliding down of a strapless bra. Don’t have a bandeau? Use a bathing suit top!

2. The shorts that won’t stay put

With high-waisted shorts continuing to trend in the warmer months, there’s the everlasting issue of them riding up and revealing some cheeks. April Purvis, a recent graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said she uses dress tape at the bottom of the shorts in order to keep them in place - meaning you can say goodbye to the unintentional cheeky look.

3. Yellow sweat stains

There’s actually a science behind those pesky yellow sweat stains and why they form (a.k.a. the protein in sweat reacting with the aluminum in deodorant). The solution? Buy deodorants without aluminum, like Arm and Hammer Natural Deodorant.

4. Chafing thighs

The ONLY downside to wearing shorts… the dreaded thigh chafing. Haleigh Prysock, a junior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, says that in high school she was miserable until her mom told her to put deodorant in between her thighs. “It helps with the stickiness and redness,” she says, and her thighs have been happy ever since. In addition, there are also several anti-chafing creams out there, like Body Glide, that also reduce sweat and provide a small layer protecting from the friction.

5. Terrible tan lines

You know when you wear a strappy bathing suit to the beach and it looks like some disease after lying out? Or even if you can’t tan at all, you can even out your look with a fake tanner. Haleigh says she loves Ecotan, which also has all natural ingredients and doesn’t leave your skin orange.

This summer, don't suffer from terrible tan lines, or any fashion faux pas with that matter! Enjoy the sun and any piece of clothing without the hassle. 

It feels like ages since our last great T. Swift romance ––but the hiatus appears to have finally come to an end, y'all. For the first time, Taylor Swift and rumored new boyfriend Joe Alwyn were photographed together over the weekend. Although the paparazzi picture is a bit blurry, our inner fangirl is so excited about this. 

The Daily Mail reports that Taylor and Joe spent the weekend together in Nashville, as made evident by the image of the two, in which they can be seen enjoying morning coffee together on a balcony. Only a few days earlier, on Thursday, the rumored couple was reportedly spotted in England, Joe's native country.

All of this further fuels the fire that this couple is a lot more serious than we are onto. An insider told E! News, "The only people this has been a secret to is the media because all of us —Taylor and Joe's closest friends and their families— were aware they have been together for several months and have known each other for a long time."

We can't wait to keep up with this hot new couple. Who knows, maybe Joe will be the inspiration behind Taylor's next great hit. 

If you watched Ariana Grande's One Love Benefit Concert yesterday, you may have noticed one celebrity missing from the lineup: Usher. The Grammy-winning artist's absense from the show left many people questioning where he could be. 

The singer remained silent on his absense throughout the duration of the concert. Then, on Monday, he took to Instagram to show support for everyone there and share why he himself couldn't be in attendance.

In the post, Usher revealed his 6.5 million fans that he had to take his 9-year-old son to his first day of special needs summer camp. 

The singer wrote, "So happy to see that last night's concert in Manchester proved that love always prevails. I would have loved to be there but It was my son's first day at Camp Kudzu, one of the few summer camps for kids living with diabetes. This was an important day for him and for myself as a proud father. Stay strong UK."

Today reports that his son, Usher Raymond V, was diagnosed with diabetes in 2014. 

Although we wish Usher could have made an already phenomenal event that much more amazing, we respect and admire his decision to be with his family. 

While most of us can agree that Blair Waldorf was the unofficial queen of Gossip Girl, the show also featured a lot of other characters we grew to know and love—we’re looking at you, Chuck Bass. I think we can also agree that there were some characters that were just universally terrible.

Most of them were teenagers when the series started but blossomed into better versions of themselves as they moved onto the “real” world. Other characters never made that transition and annoyed us throughout the show, so much so that they earned a spot on this list.

Here is a definitive ranking of the most annoying characters on Gossip Girl. (And obviously, there are tons of spoilers.)

12. Agnes Andrews

From luring Jenny to the dark side of fashion, to drugging her and leaving her vulnerable to creepy bar guys, to burning her fashion designs, Agnes was just all-around terrible and had zero redeeming qualities that I can think of.

11. Sage Spence

A character who had it out for Serena, Sage was basically the equivalent of Serena or maybe Blair when they were in high school. She dated Nate—and lied to him about her age—and did everything she could to break up her father and Serena, even when Serena tried to be decent and reach out to her. Sage’s manipulative ways were just annoying from the start, and she wasn’t around long enough to change much.

10. Lola Rhodes

Lola wasn’t as bad as her imposter, Ivy Dickens, but she was pretty awful toward her blood family. She had a nasty attitude toward them most of the time and even went so far as to give Ivy her inheritance in exchange for bringing down Lily.

9. Rachel Carr

Rachel appeared in the second season after finding herself at odds against Blair for giving her a B. Rachel tried to bring Blair down—and failed, obviously—and was so defensive when she was accused of sleeping with a student and fired for the rumor. While untrue, what did she run out and do as soon as she was fired? Jump Dan's bones. Gross.

8. Prince Louis Grimaldi

I had such high hopes for Louis when he first appeared on the show. He had an accent, he was cute, and he was a prince—what more could a girl ask for? A lot more, it turns out, because this prince turned out to be cold and manipulative. He acted like he was in love with Blair and married her, only to later tell her their marriage was a contract and their love wasn’t real. Can you say "jerk"?

7. Juliet Sharp

Juliet used Nate to get close to Serena and avenge her brother, and honestly, anyone who uses/hurts Nate is automatically unlikable. But Juliet took things way too far when she drugged Serena to try to make her look like a party girl again. Trying to ruin someone’s reputation is one thing—everyone on GG does at some point, tbh. Drugging people is another.

6. Vanessa Abrams

Vanessa wasn’t bad at first but slowly went downhill. Like Dan, she had a tendency to act self-righteous and thought she was morally superior to everyone else. When she took part in scheming, it was usually for Dan’s sake, but she went too far trying to get the “old Dan” back and really should’ve let go a long time ago. She also joined forces with some other annoying characters, Jenny and Juliet, and became annoying by default. Plus, that threesome between her, Dan and Olivia Burke was just weird. The only time she was all right was when she was dating Nate.

5. Serena van der Woodsen

Okay, as much as I love Blake Lively, her character was just too irritating to ever truly love the way I loved Blair. Blair did some terrible things—like most GG characters—but she owned up to being a bitch. All Serena did was play the victim continuously and never owned up to her mistakes. She never really showed any character growth. At least her hair always looked fab.

4. Ivy Dickens

She was okay while pretending to be Charlie Rhodes, but once her lies came out in the open, she was too obsessed with the Upper East Side to leave and tried to play games like the rest of them. It took her way too long to realize she sucked at scheming and would never win. Plus, her voice was really annoying.

3. Dan Humphrey

I know everyone loved him with Serena and was glad they ended up together, but honestly, my happy ending would have been for Dan to get kicked out of the elite circle he worked so hard to both get into and tear down. As if exposing all of his friends’ secrets in his book wasn’t bad enough, he turned out to be Gossip Girl after spending the entire series complaining about the other characters and acting so self-righteous, like he was somehow better than them for not being from the Upper East Side. He’s just as annoying as his sister, which leads us to Little J.

2. Jenny Humphrey

From talking to other fans about GG, I think we can all agree that Jenny went from Dan’s sweet younger sister to a scheming psychopath. She ruined other people’s relationships for no real reason, never listened to anyone’s advice while continuously screwing up her own life, and became so obsessed with climbing the social ladder that she lost all of her morals, common sense and likability. She’s one character I don’t think anyone really missed when she left.

1. Georgina Sparks

Literally every time Georgina popped back up, I sighed and rolled my eyes because I knew she was about to try to ruin everyone’s lives. Again. Georgina, like most of the characters on GG, is manipulative, but the difference is she’s ruthless and will stop at nothing. She doesn’t have any “soft” spots and doesn’t feel bad for destroying people’s lives. Honestly, she’s probably a sociopath, but she’s also the most annoying character on the entire show—which is saying something.

If you're anything like us, you probably live for your morning coffee. We mean, like, you would totally not get through your day without it. If you're anything like us, again, you probably love Starbucks. What you may not love, though, is sliding your debit card every morning or waiting in that terribly long line just to put your order in. 

If the above applies to you, get excited, because we're totally about to make your day ––Starbucks just released new bottled Iced Lattes available at grocery stores nationwide. Oh, and we forgot to mention that the first flavor available is Salted Caramel Mocha, which features "cocoa and toffee notes intertwined with hints of sea salt, bold espresso and creamy milk," according to the company's site. 

What's even cooler is that all the ready-to-drink iced latte flavors are going to change throughout the year, PopSugar reports. So, if your favorite drink from Starbs is the Salted Caramel Mocha, you better get your hands on a pack of these before it's too late. 

Mornings are about to get a whole lot better, collegiettes. 

Friends with benefits (FWB) has morphed into a taboo subject for many collegiettes. When you’re home on holiday break or just talking to your mom on the phone, potential significant others always seem to sneak their way into the conversation. That hot guy or girl from all the Facebook photos? Out of embarrassment or another cringe-worthy emotion, you’re forced to tell a fib. “We’re just friends.” Yes, that much is true, but there’s added advantages that come with being friends with the hot guy or girl from all the Facebook photos. Despite the small details you’ll probably have to keep from the family (unless you’re super close), FWB can be more than just regular hookups. The non-sexual benefits can help you learn about yourself and improve your day-to-day life, given the relationship’s relaxed nature.

1. Gain experience without the emotional complications

We all come into college with different levels of sexual experience. Some of us lost our virginity in high school, while some of us still dream of our first kiss with a Liam Hemsworth or Gigi Hadid look-alike. Whatever your sexual experience is, FWB offers a unique solution to those of you who’d like to learn a thing or two without the emotional baggage. Erica*, a freshman at Temple University, believes that “FWB is a good first-hand experience to know what different things feel like. You can watch a sex scene in a movie or read about in a book, but if you’ve never had sex, it’s hard to fully understand your friends when they talk about it.”

If your younger sister had sex before you, it’s only natural that your inexperience will weigh heavier on your shoulders. As long as you’re okay with no-strings-attached sex, FWB can act as a learning experience.  Especially if your partner is older or simply more experienced, they can teach you a thing or two before you get involved in a real relationship. You’ll feel more confident when the big time comes.  If you’re a virgin and trying FWB for the first time, please be aware that you might become emotionally invested.  Sometimes your brain and heart don’t agree.  

2. Work around busy schedules

It’s possible you haven’t had a full eight hours of sleep in a while. Writing essays, finishing problem sets, and last-minute cramming have become ingrained in everyday life. Even though you’re not stuck in high school for seven hours straight anymore, it seems like learning to function in college takes twice as much effort and energy. If you’re one of the many who doesn’t have time for a full-time relationship, FWB might be the perfect solution. Rachel Petty, a graduate of James Madison University, says, “Sometimes having a FWB can be a lot of fun! You get the perks of a hookup without any commitment. If you’re okay with it not turning into something more, there’s no reason not to. Just make sure you’re both on the same page!” To avoid any miscommunication or unrealistic expectations, listen to Rachel’s advice and make sure you and your FWB understand one another. If he’s not around and you want to meet up multiple times a week, some problems may arise.

3. Fill the physical affection void

No matter how hot your cardboard cutout of your favorite movie star may be, he or she isn’t going to be very comfortable to cuddle with at night. College is a strange place for physical affection. Sometimes you can go for weeks at a time without a hug (especially in the beginning) or you can become a permanent chair for your bestie. It all depends on how touchy feely you are and how close you are with the people around you. Even if you’re the type of person who needs a constant five-foot radius of personal space, there’s always a night when you crave intimacy of some sort. Anna*, a sophomore at Stanford University, says, “From first hand experience, I know that being single can be tough if you’re having a particularly stressful day. Yes, a hug from a friend can help or a phone call home, but there’s something about having a FWB on speed dial that’s exhilarating and comforting at the same time.” Instead of ordering a pizza, order a steamy session with your FWB.

Related: 5 Signs Your Friends-With-Benefits Relationship Isn’t Working

4. Learn about sexual likes and dislikes

Although FWB can be a way for inexperienced collegiettes to get the gist of all things sexual, it can also be a way to experiment. If you want to go 50 Shades of Grey style, find someone who’d fulfill that fantasy! There’s no limit to what you can try out. In past relationships, your partner may have set sexual boundaries, while you wanted to go further. Use FWB as a means of expanding your skillset, like discovering how to have fantastic oral sex. Scarlett*, a freshman at Georgia Tech, explains, “FWB is a good way to figure out what you want in a non-serious setting. It’s an easy-going environment through which you can really experiment with things and find what you’re comfortable with, what you like, and what’s definitely off the table.” Remember, you sexual pleasure and health are the most important. It’s totally okay to be selfish in this situation.

5. Strengthen a previously platonic friendship

Even though FWB is typically known to mess up or make friendships awkward, it can also have the adverse effect. Think about it — if both of you are clear with one another, mutual understanding is at an all time high. Paige*, a junior at Stanford University, says, “It’s funny because my FWB and I started out just talking to one another. We both had very similar interests and one night I was feeling particularly stressed while doing homework in his room. He offered to lay with me and it soon turned steamy. We both agreed before having sex that it was just sex, nothing more. The trust between us has definitely gotten stronger because we promised to let each other know when we’re interested romantically in someone else.” For the relationship to work smoothly, a certain level of maturity has to be present.

If you’ve watched a number of Hollywood blockbusters depicting the crash-and-burn reputation of FWB, we’re suggesting you keep an open mind. It’s true that FWB isn’t for everyone and sometimes the friendship ends up ruined, but it’s a chance to explore another type of relationship. Whether you’re the the president of every club and don’t have time for a commitment or you’re a virgin and want to know what sex is all about, FWB offers the flexibility and versatility you might want. You never know if it’s a good option if you don’t give it a chance.

If you love Sex and the City or strive to be a columnist living in New York City one day, Carrie Bradshaw is likely your spirit animal. With so many epic moments, we often find ourselves wishing we could be friends with her. Below are 17 times Carrie was our soulmate.

1. When she lands Mr. Big

2. When she wakes up in Sam’s gross apartment

3. When she gets $1,000 after a one-night stand

4. When she farts in Mr. Big’s bed

5. When she stands up for herself against Big

6. When she gets back with Big

7. When she purposefully leaves personal items at Big’s apartment

8. When she skips the gym

9. When she gets her heart broken

10. When she meets Matthew McConaughey

11. When she tells it like it is

12. When she dances like nobody's watching

13. When she knows shopping is more important than cooking

14. When she writes her column in her pajamas

15. When she orders a Cosmopolitan

16. When she eats leftover Chinese

17. When she looks effortlessly flawless

Which Carrie Bradshaw moment is your favorite, collegiettes?

It feels like ages since our last great T. Swift romance ––but the hiatus appears to have finally come to an end, y'all. For the first time, Taylor Swift and rumored new boyfriend Joe Alwyn were photographed together over the weekend. Although the paparazzi picture is a bit blurry, our inner fangirl is so excited about this. 

The Daily Mail reports that Taylor and Joe spent the weekend together in Nashville, as made evident by the image of the two, in which they can be seen enjoying morning coffee together on a balcony. Only a few days earlier, on Thursday, the rumored couple was reportedly spotted in England, Joe's native country.

All of this further fuels the fire that this couple is a lot more serious than we are onto. An insider told E! News, "The only people this has been a secret to is the media because all of us —Taylor and Joe's closest friends and their families— were aware they have been together for several months and have known each other for a long time."

We can't wait to keep up with this hot new couple. Who knows, maybe Joe will be the inspiration behind Taylor's next great hit. 

Come graduation time, it’s easy to feel like you know it all. You’re the “big cheese” on campus, you’ve likely worked a few jobs or internships at this point and you carry yourself with a confident demeanor, ready to take on the world.

Not so fast.

Though it might seem as though you’re a true adult, the real growing up begins once you step away from the comfortable walls of your college campus. Here are a few lessons in becoming an adult that you’ll only absorb once you’ve already graduated:

1. Sometimes, not achieving your original dreams can be a good thing

Unless you’re lucky, it will be difficult to have everything fall into place in your early stages of post-grad life; namely, getting the perfect job, apartment, city or romantic partner.

A hard lesson to learn post-grad is the ultimate cliché that when one door closes, another opens. For instance, it can feel devastating to get rejected from a job at your dream company, only to find that another company has a job waiting for you that is a much better cultural and role fit.

Lauryn Higgins, a graduate student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, quickly learned that life has an interesting way of putting you on a path full of twists and turns. She says, “Not getting my ‘dream’ job out of college helped me decide to pursue my master’s degree, and in turn, has opened so many more doors for job opportunities." The same can apply to your love life, as Higgins notes that getting your heart broken can lead you towards an even better relationship.

2. Never be afraid to ask for help

Graduating college can seem like the ultimate mark of independence for a young person, as you set out into an unknown future. However, the real world doesn’t have to feel lonely.

At this stage, you’re not expected to know everything, and that’s completely normal. A phone call to your parents or friends can provide comfort as you navigate so-called adult tasks, from finding an apartment to filing tax returns for the first time.

You should especially not feel embarrassed to ask your coworkers at your first job for help. After all, you’re only entry level, so you still have plenty to learn! If your question isn’t something that you can easily Google the answer to, then it’s perfectly acceptable to seek guidance from your teammates. Likewise, seeking out a mentor in your field can help direct you towards your career goals when you feel stuck.

Realted: 16 Times You Actually Succeeded at Adulting

3. You'll learn how to manage your money better

Being an adult is expensive. You’re faced with rent, student loans, health insurance…the list goes on. Even if you held a job during school, the number of financial commitments will only increase. Your first full-time job and a larger paycheck come with great responsibility.

Make sure that you’re budgeting your money to cover your needs, so that you have enough funds to enjoy time with friends and go out from time to time. There are plenty of apps to help you take the first steps towards managing your earnings, such as Mint and Acorn.

Haleigh Kopinski, a graduate of Point Park University, uses the Mint app religiously. "Once you get in to the habit of tracking your spending and figuring out where your money is really going, it's much easier to deal with. Those Starbucks lattes and girls nights out and up quickly and, like everything else, are better in moderation."

Additionally, start thinking about allocating some of your salary towards savings. A good rule of thumb is to save up so that you eventually have three months worth of savings (rent, food, basic needs) in case of an emergency, such as being laid off from your job. By creating a security net for yourself early, you will avoid the stress that comes with unavoidable life circumstances.

Related: 22 Signs You're So Not Ready to Adult

4. Your health is your first priority

Remember those all-nighters that you pulled in college, filled with Red Bull and junk food? Those types of bad habits can negatively affect your health over time in the real world. 

Now that you’re done with the burden of school and have a little more time to focus on yourself, it’s beneficial to make your health more of a priority in your 20s. As an adult, it’s time to replace the ramen with more whole foods that will not only give you more energy and increase your productivity at work, but boost your mood and make you feel good. Exercise is an equally key component of health, but you can make it fun by taking workout classes with your friends and trying new things, such as rock climbing and Zumba.

Shira Kipnees, a graduate of Franklin & Marshall College, made the difficult transition from being on a meal plan in college to now having to cook for herself. She says, "I learned how to deal with making my own meals and also how to rid myself of my terrible college eating habits. I learned how to better read nutrition labels and what an actual healthy meal can look like and what constitutes healthy snacks."

5. It'll take a while before you truly feel like an adult

Though you're technically an adult at age 18, when most people start college, it's easy to still feel like a kid during your four years of school. However, that sentiment won't dramatically change overnight once you graduate. Just like how it's important to ask for help, it's also important to know that the real world can feel overwhelming at times, and that that is normal.

Much of one's feeling like an adult comes with developing confidence, a quality that can take time throughout one's early career. Many entry level professionals experience Imposter Syndrome, a sentiment where despite your qualifications and experience, you feel as though you're incompetent and will be "found out" by your peers. However, as long as you continually work on improving your self esteem through self-care, those fears will eventually become insignificant.

There is only so much that you can learn about adulthood while confined to your college campus. It’s only when you graduate and start living on your own that you’ll begin to develop the “adulting” skills that will help you succeed.