Good morning Her Campus! With a break-neck news cycle, there is no possible way for you to stay on top of every story that comes across your feeds—we’re all only human, after all.

But, life comes at you fast. So grab a cup of coffee and settle in for this quick and dirty guide to stories you might’ve been sleeping on (like, literally. It’s early.)

The Colorado State Capitol Building Has Brief Lockdown After Nearby Shooting

Colorado's state capitol issued a brief building lockdown Thursday afternoon when shots were fired nearby, the Huffington Post reports. A shooting occurred at a park, where witnesses told a local Denver news station that a person fired at a car with a gun. The person in the car began firing back. When police presence increased in the area, the Capitol began its lockdown. The first shooter reportedly escaped by boarding a passing bus, which police later stopped. While the Capitol lockdown was lifted after 2 p.m., it's still unclear if anyone was taken into custody. 

Former Publisher of Alabama Newspaper Resigns After Admitting He Once Spanked a Reporter

The New York Times reports that the former publisher of Alabama's The Anniston Star has resigned as chairman of the company that owns the paper after he revealed that he spanked a reporter in the 1970s. H. Brandt Ayers told the Star it was "in the best interests of the paper and its mission" to step away from the Consolidated Publishing company. The decision comes after several former reporters came forward with their accounts of experiencing Ayers' sexual misconduct in the workplace. 

"It is of utmost importance to me that this newspaper continue to serve its role of reporting on matters of concern to the Anniston community and that nothing stand in the way of preserving the newspaper as an independently owned publication serving this community," Ayers said in a statement.

Former reporter Veronica Pike Kennedy published an article earlier this week saying that Ayers spanked her without her consent in the nearly empty workplace in 1975. She was in her 20s at the time, while Ayers was 40. Ayers later admitted in an interview that he spanked another female reporter before his encounter with Pike Kennedy. He served as publisher of the Star from the 1960s to 2016, and his family will remain in charge of the publishing company.

Dunkin Donuts Releases a New Seasonal Donut Perfect for Your Snow Day Vibes

If you've managed to make it out of your house despite Winter Storm Grayson hitting the Northeast hard, you may find the perfect treat at your local Dunkin Donuts. At a Rhode Island branch of the coffee chain, a customer found 2018's first seasonal donut called "Snow Flurries." Appearing alongside an "Elsa Donut" that may be exclusive to the Rhode Island store, the Snow Flurries and its snowflake sprinkles and blue frosting will hit all participating locations for a limited time. Sign me up!

What to look out for...

If you found yourself with yet another snow day today (or just need a reason to celebrate that it's Friday!), you're in luck. Today is National Whipped Cream Day, so grab that Reddi-wip and the dessert of your choice. Enjoy!

Wedding bells are in the air! Ellen Page and Emma Portner, who first made an appearance as an item back in July, have tied the knot. The wedding deets are still under wraps, which comes to no surprise since their whole relationship has been on the DL. How did these newlyweds meet? On the gram. Just yesterday, January 3, Page and Portner both posted heartfelt photos to their respective Instagram accounts to announce their marriage.

Ellen Page, most commonly known for her role in the 2007 hit film Juno, captioned the post with “can’t believe I get to call this extraordinary woman my wife.”

23-year-old Emma Portner added the caption, “I get to call this incredible woman MY WIFE! @ellenpage I LOVE YOU!”

The name Emma Portner not ringing a bell? Don’t worry we’ve got you covered. Here are three things to know about Ellen Page’s new wife:

1.  She’s a dancer, choreographer and manager of Emma Portner and Artists, her own New York dance company.

We can only imagine how amazing their first dance must’ve been.

2. She starred in the music video for Justin Bieber’s “Life Is Worth Living”

Currently wondering if the Biebs scored an invite to this secret wedding. Hey, “Never Say Never.”

3. Portner’s from Canada just like Page.

 Maybe where the couple said their “I do’s”?

Congrats to the happy couple!

Remember when the horrifying figure known as Slenderman became a huge Internet trend? Well, now the tall, lanky figure without a face will be the star of a movie in theaters this spring. Warning: the trailer is creepy AF.

The Slender Man was once a huge deal online, and it inspired crimes across the US in 2014. The crimes ranged from two 12-year-old girls stabbing their friend in the woods to a man dressing as the figure to kill three people and then himself.

In this movie though, the man apparently doesn't kill anyone with his own hands. Instead, he possesses various characters into murders, which makes it all the scarier. Case in point: one of the scenes in the trailer shows a girl stabbing her eye with a scalpel in the middle of class. Yeah, that happened.

If you made it through the entire trailer already, I'm sure you can tell Slender Man is going to be extremely intense and horrifying. The bugs and blood were enough for me to cover my eyes, so if I go to this movie, I'm going to need someone to hold my hand. Set for release on May 18, 2018, Slender Man, will take over probably just as much as it did when the meme was originally invented and spread online. The movie does look interesting, but let's hope no Slenderman crimes will become a trend again.

Actress Tiffany Haddish accepted her award for Best Supporting Actress in the film Girls Trip at the New York Film Critics Circle Gala and gave an 18-minute speech. The entire speech was so inspiring and genius, it's hard not to include the entire transcript. Instead, I broke down the speech into the top 10 highlights. If you don't leave this article feeling inspired, you're crazy. 

1. She wasn't afraid to share her love for God & add a little humor.

"O.K. First, I want to thank God, because without God, my mama and daddy wouldn’t have put their two uglies together and they wouldn’t have made me. That was all God right there. He put two crazy people together to make this one awesome, crazy person. So I super-thank God."

2. Her bold flirting moves with Michael B. Jordan were amazing.

"Like, she got some weed or some drink in both hands; she holding on to the rings, you know, because she trying to get a ring on it," she said while referring to the statue on her award. "She working out—she got dumbbells. She holding feathers because she take care of animals and creatures. She got an eraser to erase the bullshit. She holding on to some seeds or a pinecone, which means she’s trying to produce and create, and that’s exactly what I’m trying to do. I’m not trying to get pregnant yet, Michael, but I’m working on it. B. Jordan." Get it, girl.

3. She admitted that she's *super* sensitive, which is so relatable

"So now that I get to meet the critics, first off, thank you, guys. I don’t even—I don’t read reviews. I don’t. The most reviews you’ll see me read is something that either my publicist sends me and says, ‘Read this,’ and I’m like, ‘You read it,’ because if it hurt my feelings I’m going to cuss their ass out in my soul, and then I’m going to pray for them, and I’ll laugh. Because I’m super-sensitive. I don’t mean to be so sensitive, but that’s just who I am. And I'm not afraid to admit it.” This would be me too if I were famous.

4. She called out the haters with style

"And I know I’m going to do a lot of different things in this business. I’m going to be around here a long time. I’m going to be an old lady. I know some people in here are going to talk shit about me. It’s O.K. You know why it’s O.K.? Because you care enough to say something. If you didn’t say nothing, then you didn’t care. So if you said something, thank you. I don’t care if it’s positive or negative. I appreciate you; I’m glad you see me. Because it’s been so many years nobody saw me."

5. She shared her experience with foster care & instilled hope that dreams come true

"When you’re a little kid going through the [foster-care] system, you wonder, 'Does anybody even know I’m alive?' To be able to be this example to so many youth—there’s so many people like me that you guys have no clue about. But they coming. Because I kicked the f*cking door open."

6. She isn’t afraid to be herself

”It’s going to be a lot of people that say what they think. It’s going to be a lot of people where [unintelligible] is normal, because they’re not holding back their truth. Stop holding your truth; speak your truth. Be yourself. It’s the healthiest way to be. Be who you are. Speak who you are. If don’t nobody like you, f--k it; there’s 10 other people that do. There’s somebody like you, and they need to hear you. So, I’m always going to be me. I'm never going to be perfect, I’m always going to say what I think, and I might be messed up for it, but I don’t care.” Preach!

7. She loves her BFF 

”And I want to give a special shout-out to all the people that supported me throughout all these years. My best friend, Selena. I’ve known you since we were 12 years old. I walked up to you like, ‘You’re going to be my friend’ and you was like ‘What?’ And you’re still my friend. And she never tried to kick me to the curb, and that means she laughed at all my stupid jokes. Told me when I was doing too much, told me when I was doing just enough, and told me when to do more, and I appreciate you for that.”

8. She reminded us all that we are our own heroes.

”I hope everybody who’s in here has the most awesome 2018. I hope that your cycles come on time. If you don’t want it to come, I hope it don’t come. I hope every man in here is super-happy and super-rich, and if you’re not happy, change your thought patterns and start having happy thoughts. Because it’s your fault you’re not happy. Nobody’s in control of your emotions but you.”

9. She is strong and confident.

”Think of me as a wild dog, because I’m confident. I smile. Come up confident, and look me dead in my eyes, I’m going to be cool with you. Come up scared and act like a bitch, it’s how you’re going to get treated.”

10. Her final thank you’s were just too cute not to include.

"My name is Tiffany Haddish. I want to give it up to this lady back here. And to God, my grandma, my mama, my daddy, and everybody who taught me not to be afraid." 

If you don't love Tiffany Haddish yet, you better start because this is amazing. Never give up on your dreams. 

As if we didn't love Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Stone enough individually, I guess it just makes sense that the two are thicker than thieves. As expected though, their friendship couldn't begin without a hilarious story behind it.

Stone and Lawrence share more than their ability to snag Oscars before the age of 30: weirdly enough, a mysterious Hollywood mis-dialer became the launchpad for their friendship.

Related: Jennifer Lawrence & Emma Stone Got in a Hilarious Fight Over 'Easy A,'& It's Too Good to Miss

In a joint interview with W Magazine (which I can confidently say bettered my life), the actresses detailed the first time they realized that they weren't the only ones receiving accidental texts from the same stalker, who referred to himself as "John" in the identical "accidental" texts he'd send them.

"He would text us both and say things like 'I'm running late on my way to the soundstage. Can you warm up the orchestra for me? Text me back and let me know you got this,'" Lawrence said in the interview. 

After texting — and only texting — for a year, Stone and Lawrence finally decided to meet in person. It all sounds very Catfish to me, and they must have been thinking the same. As their initial in-person meeting grew closer, they finally connected for a phone call, both harboring the irrational fear that they were about to come face-to-face with their “stalker”: John the Orchestra Guy. 

“He wasn't really a stalker. He’s just this guy that has a lot of people's numbers. He must have worked at a studio or something,” Stone said.

While we can’t give this John guy credit for this friendship, I’m glad we have his story to make it that much better.

Get your wands out, muggles. Harry Potter’s crossing the pond.

If you live in New York City, I’m already jealous. Starting this coming fall, the New York Historical Society is taking a page out of London’s book (seven books, to be specific) and opening “Harry Potter: A History of Magic” on October 5, 2018.

Since not all of us can Apparate yet, this is great news.

Through January 2019, Americans can enjoy the sorcery of J.K. Rowling’s world after the sister exhibit at the British Library closes in February of this year. Among the wonder: early drafts of Rowling’s notes that sparked the franchise, history of true folklore behind the inspiration for the books, and a brand new companion book similar to that of London’s exhibit: Harry Potter: A Journey Through a History of Magic. We’ll even be able to “study” popular Hogwarts subjects like Divination and Potions. 

The opening is also celebratory of the — wait for it — 20th anniversary of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Deep breaths, people.

Related: The Magic of Harry Potter

Catch me re-reading the entire series for the third time in preparation.

Admission can be reserved for New York Historical Society members starting on February 14 and for the rest of the public in April. Expect ticket prices ranging from $6-21 for non-members.

There are several situations that can result in a significant other being your only friend: you have distanced yourself from your friends because of the SO, your friends become jealous of your relationship and distance themselves from you, the SO and the friends do not get along, and so on. What should you do in these situations? Is it healthy for your social life to revolve around one person? How can you handle this dynamic if you have no choice in the matter? HC teamed up with some experts to get the facts on buddying up with your partner.

When you find yourself in a situation where your SO is your only friend, it is helpful to determine what the problem is. If your friends have isolated you because of your boyfriend, then getting some new friends might be the answer. If your boyfriend wants you all to himself, which can be sweet in some situations, it may be cause for concern. In some cases, you may have no control over the number of people you feel close to, but it is important to make sure that you are comfortable with the circumstances of your relationships, because if you and your SO break up, it could be cause for disaster.

Your friends may be the problem 

Maybe it isn't your fault that your SO is your only friend. People can be mean, and not all of us have such great luck when it comes to making friends. Personally, I was in a relationship in high school where I had been phased out of a friend group once I got a boyfriend and then I stayed with my boyfriend (even though it was a toxic relationship) because he was my only friend at school. After we broke up, I became extremely depressed because I was so isolated at school (among other reasons). In response to a situation like this, Beverly Hills psychiatrist and author, Dr. Carole Lieberman advises, “If you aren’t careful to keep nurturing your relationships with friends, even though you’re in a romantic relationship, the thought of breaking up with your boyfriend seems impossible, even if he turns out to be a jerk. It may seem like the lesser of two evils to stay with a jerk than to be at school with no one to talk to at all. But, you can prevent being in this no-win situation by making an effort to keep your friends, even if it means spending less time with your boyfriend.”

In cliché terms, don’t put all your eggs in one basket. I learned this lesson when I got to college. Before meeting my college boyfriend, I had been phased out of another friend group and found myself in a somewhat similar situation. While my boyfriend was my only friend for a while, I slowly developed new friendships that lasted throughout my relationship with my boyfriend. When I felt it was time to end that relationship, I felt confident that I could handle it because I had friends to support me, unlike the last time.

Don't be too focused on your SO

Especially if it is your first love, it is easy to become immersed in a relationship. When you’re in love with love, you want to relish in that happiness, which may alienate you from others. Dr. Lieberman says, “When you’re in love, it is easy to let the rest of the world slip away because you are so focused on your boyfriend. It seems like he’s the only one who matters.” As a result of this, you may find that your friends don’t matter as much, Dr. Lieberman adds, since you are so obsessed with your new beau. “Suddenly, you find that your boyfriend is your only friend. This puts you in a very risky situation because you become more dependent upon your boyfriend for everything, which soon makes him feel like you’re suffocating him. Now you don’t have any friends to turn to.”

Collegiette Sara* says, “Forming a close relationship with your boyfriend is crucial, but relying on him for absolutely everything can (and, in all likelihood, will) lead to trouble because it’s a limiting situation. He may feel as though making sure you have someone to spend time with is his responsibility. In time, it’s possible that they responsibility will become a burden.” You don’t want a relationship to be based on one party feeling sorry for the other, and it is possible that in a situation where your SO is your only friend, they may feel just that.

While this may seem like a grim perspective, it is a common situation that many young girls face, particularly when in their first relationship. If friends are jealous of you flaunting your relationship in their faces, they will not want to be around you as much. In addition, if your friends do not get along with your SO, they will isolate you because you are associated with him. If you feel that they are truly good friends, remember to show them that they are still important to you. More importantly, you had an identity before you met your SO, and your friends helped shape that identity. So don’t lose yourself when you start a relationship.

Related: 5 Ways to Let Go of a Relationship that Ended Before it Started 

Ignore the negative commentary

Sometimes you can be in a healthy, great relationship, but your SO is your only friend. While you may think this is okay, Dr. Lieberman warns, "It makes a guy wonder if there’s something wrong with a girl who doesn’t have a buzzing social life or at least a few good friends. He’ll ask himself if he’s missing your fatal flaw that makes everyone else steer clear.”

As with anything even slightly out of the ordinary, people may gossip about a relationship wherein one or both parties’ only friend is each other. Dr. Lieberman explains, “When one or both partners don’t have any other friends, it makes people wonder about their relationship. Are they hiding something kinky or twisted? Are they doing something that they don’t want others to know about? Are they misfits who are only able to find one other person to like them? These are the questions that go through other people’s minds and make them uncomfortable.” While understanding why people think and act the way they do, even when something is none of their concern, is important, it is also important to live your own life. If you are happy being in a relationship with your best friend, so be it. Don’t allow other people dictate your happiness. In the same way, if your SO questions why you have no friends, show him that everyone has flaws, but that you are more than the people you surround (or don’t surround) yourself with.

Relationships, like friendships, can be tricky. Put together, they are even more work. When you are in a new relationship, it is always important not to lose yourself, but also not to lose your friends. On the other hand, being in a relationship may show you who your real friends are. If you make an effort to maintain your friendships when you are in a relationship, and your friends still reject you, maybe you do not want to be friends with them anymore. Sometimes it is okay if your SO is your only friend, but be wary of the signs that you are too dependent on your lover.

Few movies of 2017 were quite as badass and empowering as Wonder Woman — or at least, that's been the general consensus considering the fact that it was one of the highest-grossing films of the year. However, as you may remember Titanic director James Cameron was basically the only person who didn't think so— and Wonder Woman herself, a.k.a. Gal Gadot, has finally opened up about her ~thoughts~ on Cameron's critique of her character.

As a quick refresher, Cameron received some backlash over the summer, when, following Wonder Woman's release, he referred to Wonder Woman as an, "objectified icon."

"All of the self-congratulatory back-patting Hollywood’s been doing over Wonder Woman has been so misguided," Cameron had said in August. "She’s an objectified icon, and it’s just male Hollywood doing the same old thing! I’m not saying I didn't like the movie but, to me, it’s a step backwards."

While Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins had plenty to say about Cameron's misguided and sexist comment (since when are women not allowed to be both attractive and smart and powerful?!), Gadot remained largely silent on the controversy at the time — and according to her recent interview with Entertainment Weekly she had a really good reason for doing so.

"I didn't want to give him the stage," she told EW when asked about Cameron's opinion of her character. "First of all, I’m a big fan of his work. His movies are great. He was very innovative in many things that he did, and I’ve got nothing but great things to say about the creative and professional side of his work. When it happened, the timing of when it happened, he was promoting another movie of his. It was like he was looking for publicity and I just didn't want to give him the stage."

Boy, bye — maybe next time, leave the commenting on whether a female character is a "step backward," to, I don't know, women? In any case Gal handled the situation flawlessly by not giving Cameron's attention-seeking criticisms the time of day — we have a feeling Wonder Woman herself would totally approve.

According to The Oregonian, a new law in Oregon allows some residents to pump their own gas instead of having an attendant do it for them. This new law really only affects the state’s smallest counties, but that didn’t stop the internet from freaking out. 

It started with a Facebook post. A CBS station based in Medford posted a Facebook poll that received around 36,000 reacts and even more comments.

While some comments were clearly sarcastic, some constituents actually debated the new law in the comment section of the post. 

Meanwhile, news organizations across the country have covered the story. The Huffington Post titled their article “Internet Trolls Oregonians After Self-Serve Gas Law Takes Effect” and USA Today said “Oregonians freaking out over law that requires some of them to pump their own gas.”

Perhaps worst of all, Twitter came for Oregon with memes and jokes about the legislation:

(Photo Credit: Cover)

Steven Bannon, former White House chief strategist, is already being threatened by legal action for comments made in the book "Fire and Fury:Inside the Trump White House.” An attorney for President Donald Trump has threatened to sue Bannon over his contributions to a new book by Michael Wolff.

“[The contributions] give rise to numerous legal claims including defamation by libel and slander, and breach of his written confidentiality and non-disparagement agreement with our clients,” Charles Harder, who represents both the President and the Trump campaign, said in a statement.

The book is about Trump’s first year in office. In the book, Bannon reportedly called the controversial meetings at Trump Tower in 2016 (that included Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, Paul Manafort and a Russian lawyer) “treasonous” and “unpatriotic.” Bannon also added that “there was ‘zero’ chance that then-candidate Trump did not meet with the attendees,” as CNBC reported. The meeting has been part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.

“Legal action is imminent,” Harder said.

According to Trump, Bannon had “not only lost his job” but also “lost his mind” when he left the White House. He also claimed that Bannon “had very little to do” with his electoral win.

“Steve is learning that winning isn’t as easy as I make it look,” Trump said. “Steve was rarely in a one-on-one meeting with me and only pretends to have had influence to fool a few people with no access and no clue, whom he helped write phony books.”

And then his son took to Twitter to pitch in. 

This is not Trump’s first attack on how the media has perceived him, and it probably will not be his last.

Header Image: AP/REX/Shutterstock

Doug Jones was sworn in on Wednesday as US Senator from Alabama, filling the seat left vacant by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, but the Twitter-sphere was looking at someone else. Jones’s openly gay son, Carson, was giving Vice President Mike Pence (who has a particularly fraught relationship with the LGBT community) the side-eye.

Pence has been vocal about is opposition to the LGBT community in the past. The former Indiana Governor signed a religious freedom law, allowing businesses to discriminate against gays and lesbians. After faced with criticism, Pence signed an amendment.

But that wasn’t Pence’s only brush with the LGBT community. He supported in 2006 a constitutional amendment that would have defined marriage as between a man and a woman, calling gay couples a “societal collapse.” And he was opposed to the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

Carson, 22, and his side-eye quickly gained the attention of Twitter users.

When it's your aesthetic.

Because let’s be honest, that side eye could kill.

This is definitely a memorable photo.

Don’t you wish you were him?

Doug Jones even seems to like it.

Because this is all of us.

He’s now an icon.

And we should all hang the photo everywhere.

Because just same.

His side-eye is worth a thousand words.

And maybe Pence will remember it.

Carson Jones for President?

First things first: HAPPY 2018! In honor of the new year (and our desperate need for something to laugh at, because, lbr, 2017, was rough af), we're launching something new: our fave memes of the week. Because goodness knows we could use more good ol' fashioned laughter in the stress-filled dumpster fire that is our everyday lives. But actually. 

So cuddle up, get warm, & get ready to giggle. And don't forget to share, since we all know memes are best when you enjoy them with the group text. 

1. When school wrongs you

Um, excuse me, but I pay for you??

2. When you emerge from the bathroom after puking your shots up

Hey, it happens.

3. When your friend's drinks start getting stronger and stronger

Stacy, is this literally straight tequila??

4. When you show your friend an ~amazing~ night out

I've never been so proud.

5. When your ultimate goal is to be a dog mom

Really, this is all I want in life.

6. When you give up on your diet

Honestly, life is too damn short.

7. When your friend starts that "I did a thing" text

I live for the goss.

8. When your good girl friend gets... bad.

Baffled, truly baffled.

9. When you and your bff run out of wine.

Tragic.

If you really, really dig these, follow us on Facebook for basically endless memes, from snark to sass to sweet (well, sometimes). See ya next week, and don't forget to share!

Roy Moore, who ran for senate in Alabama, was accused by multiple women of sexual harassment, and he is now being sued for it.

Leigh Corfman was 14-years-old. She said an older man approached her as she was sitting on a wooden bench with her mother outside of a courtroom in Etowah County, Alabama, The Washington Post reported.

“He said, ‘Oh, you don’t want her to go in there and hear all that. I’ll stay out here with her,’” Corman’s mother, Nancy Wells, said. “I thought, how nice for him to want to take care of my little girl.”

Moore chatted with the young Corfman and asked for her phone number. He picked her up around the corner from her house a few days later, taking her to his home 30-minutes away in the woods, where he told her how pretty she was and kissed her and gave her alcohol. On a second visit, “he took off her shirt and pants and removed his clothes. He touched her over her bra and underpants, she says, and guided her hand to touch him over his underwear,” The Post reported.

This was in 1979. Moore was 32-years old. And Corfman is now suing. She isn't seeking a financial gain, reportedly, but rather aims “to do what I could not do as a 14-year-old—hold Mr. Moore and those who enable him accountable.”

Corfman filed the lawsuit Thursday against Moore and his campaign for defamation “due to the sharp personal attacks she encountered after coming forward with her allegations,” Fox News reported. Moore denied each of the allegations he faced, including Corman’s.

“These allegations are completely false and are a desperate political attack by the National Democrat Party and The Washington Post on this campaign,” Moore said.

Moore also told Fox News host Sean Hannity that he had never met Corfman.

Header Image: AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File

Having an invisible emotional plastic bubble can be comforting — it allows you to keep people at an arm’s length and helps you better dictate who you let into your life. However, that emotional unavailability can ultimately be damaging to current or potential relationships. And while we all know that all collegiettes are strong, independent women, we also know part of being strong means allowing other people into your life.

Though emotional unavailability often affects romantic relationships, it can be harmful to other aspects of your life as well. Similarly, being emotionally available can have a positive effect on your life.

“Becoming emotionally available opens up every corner of your life – not just romance, but friendships, family, business connections, educational connections. People are drawn to someone who is emotionally available,” says Bryn Collins, a licensed psychologist and author of“Emotional Unavailability: Recognizing It, Understanding It, and Avoiding Its Trap” and the forthcoming sequel, Emotionally Unavailable Parents, which will be available in November 2018.

Sound familiar? Here are five tips for how to curb that emotional unavailability and open yourself up to better and healthier relationships.

1. Recognize any fears you have

Failure is a vital part of life. However, failure oftentimes breeds a fear of failure.

“One of the biggest reasons people cut themselves off in relationships is fear: fear of rejection, fear of not being ‘good enough,’ fear of intimacy, fear of not being in control,” says Collins.

Though fear of all of those things is understandable, it can ultimately lead to an overall lack of being vulnerable to friends and partners. Usually, when people are harboring so much fear, it’s easy to withdrawal from relationships and shut yourself off to do anything deemed as ‘weak.’

“Relationships inherently require vulnerability and many people feel as though being vulnerable is emotionally dangerous — as though their vulnerability makes them weak," continues Collins. "Actually, vulnerability is a strong position and strengthens a relationship.”

Veronika, a senior at the University of Toronto has experience with this. “I generally don't like being vulnerable and that's why it took me a bit to open up to my boyfriend,” she says.  “I think what helped is considering him a best friend and trusting him enough to confide in him.”

Like Collins suggests and Veronika knows, opening yourself up to people and confiding in them one of the best ways to start being a more emotionally available person. There’s an exchange of trust that happens, ultimately leading to stronger relationships.

2. Trust yourself

We’ve all heard that saying — before you can love someone else, you need to learn to love yourself. The same holds true when talking about trust.

“Trust is also important and trusting yourself is step one,” says Collins. “Trust has four components: predictability, reliability, truthfulness and honesty. Self-confidence is important as are good communication skills.”

While it’s obvious that most people need to trust someone in order to open up to them, it’s also equally, if not more important, to trust yourself. You need to be able to trust your own decision-making skills, your own boundaries and your own ability to communicate with your friends and SO. If you block emotions from yourself, how are you supposed to share them with those around you?

Related: What to Do If Your SO Has Anxiety or Depression

3. Set boundaries

Even though being emotionally available is important and has the ability to make your relationships thrive, it’s also good to know your own limits. Being emotionally available is hard; opening up to people makes you more vulnerable to getting hurt. With that, it’s a good idea to set your own boundaries for how vulnerable you want to be.

“Have good boundaries – don’t permit yourself to be used or abused,” suggests Collins.

While it’s good to be emotionally available, you don’t want to be available to the point of people using you or taking advantage of your emotions. This may not happen, however it’s something to be weary of.

4. Communicate, communicate, communicate

Everyone knows that at the core of every relationship is good communication. Despite that, it can still be difficult to communicate with your partner, especially if you struggle with being emotionally available. However, lack of communication when you’re feeling particularly distant can leave your partner at a loss for what to do – which is the exact opposite of what should happen in a healthy relationship.

“It's important to keep talking about your feelings when you're in a relationship, even if it makes you uncomfortable,” says Rachel Fitzgerald, a senior at the University of Windsor. “Tell your partner how you're feeling and why – and if it's about them, make sure you don't use words like, "You always..." or "You never..." because it can make your partner feel attacked. Instead, try, "I'm feeling ____ because _____" and you'll probably get a lot further.”

Similar to being vulnerable in relationships, having good communication in relationships will make them so much stronger.

5. Find out what’s causing you to distance yourself

For some people, being emotionally unavailable may just be part of who they are. For others, it may boil down to other elements like being stressed or the way you were raised. Regardless, it’s important to work on recognizing the triggers that make you becoming emotionally distant.

“Recognizing and combating the fears … is also critical,” says Collins. “Working through fears and unlearning childhood damage help as well, perhaps with a therapist.”

Whether you recognize the causes of your emotional distance with a professional, or if you have a handle on any day-to-day things that may prompt you to pull away.

“I find that I'm usually emotionally distant when focusing intensely on school or work – I block out my SO when I'm stressed out,” says an anonymous collegiette. “It's helpful for me to involve him and remind myself that he's here and willing to help so I don't have to face everything alone.”

If you know what your stressors are and what tends to make you more distant, you’re more likely to know when you’re being distant because of your own boundaries or when the distance is caused by a different source.

Being emotionally available is definitely hard work. As collegiettes, we’re often taught to power through and sometimes that means bottling everything up even though it may not be the healthiest way to go about things. Opening up to the people around you can help reprieve you from some of the burden of carrying a bunch of stress and emotions around. So take the plunge, trust yourself and open up a bit.

On Wednesday, Selena took to Instagram to announce her upcoming campaign with fashion giant, Coach. Thank goodness, because we needed some serious style inspiration for the new year. In this particular shot, Selena is sitting pretty in a lacy slip dress with chain-link accents, complemented by a peter-pan collar necklace and the new colorblocked Parker bag. 

This gorgeous shot is just the first in what we hope will be a long campaign with Sel. Coach revealed that she'll be "reprising her role as the face of the brand," so it looks like we'll have plenty of this killer collab to look forward to!

Here's hoping we get an early spring this year so I can swap my sweaters for something a little more like this. 

Header Image: Selena Gomez / Instagram

Holy moly 2018 is looking good for style. Case in point, Torrid's new Sailor Moon collection which drops Jan 9. If you consider yourself a #90skid, you'll undoubtedly recall Sailor Moon and her super cool, monster-fighting Sailor Scout friends that graced our box-TVs every Saturday morning. If you're like me and sometimes wish you could Moon Prism Power your way back to a simpler time, then you'll love this nostalgia-inducing set. 

Check out some of our favorites from the collection below.

Sailor Moon Hooded Cardigan, $64.90

Look at those little Lunas! 

Sailor Moon Kimono, $44.90

More Luna + lace = something I can see myself wearing a LOT. 

Sailor Moon Leggings, $38.90 

"In the name of the moon, I will punish you!" 

Sailor Moon Skater Dress, $78.90

This. is. everything. 

Are you stoked about this upcoming collection? Boy, I am. 

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If you didn’t know about Snoop Dogg’s gorgeous son, Cordell Broadus, you and the rest of the fashion world are about to fall in love with him now. Cordell recently snatched a modeling gig with MCM Worldwide, and after seeing him on the runway at last year’s Fashion Week, we’re not surprised. After quitting the UCLA Bruins football team in 2016, Cordell dove headfirst into the fashion industry, walking on runways for Philipp Plein and Dolce & Gabbana.

Cordell’s recent signing with MCM actually marks his first contract with a major fashion label. This new MCM ad campaign focuses on the brilliance of youth, energy, movement and limitless creativity. At only 20 years-old, Cordell makes a perfect model for this youth-focused campaign. Working alongside a new generation of creative and beautiful faces, like model Jasmine Sanders and musician Charlotte Free, Cordell is sure to capture our attention.

“I’m going to use modeling as a branding platform so people can see my face and see my brain,” Cordell says in an interview with The New York Post at last year’s Fashion Week.  “I [also] want to make movies like Marvel, and I want to tell stories. I want to do a story on my grandfather and his life because he’s a Vietnam vet. He’s got tremendous stories and life experiences.”

While Cordell’s goals seem grand, he’s already landed gigs both with fashion and film-making. He’s set to model for Kenneth Cole in February and is actually preparing to write and direct his own short film for the Kangol fashion brand. We’re looking forward to Cordell’s MCM campaign and what else he has in store, both in and out of the fashion world.

Header Image: Cordell Broadus / Instagram

#SiblingGoals is truly an understatement for Kaia and Presley Gerber. They are the prettiest pair of sibling models on the runway nowadays, and we’re about to see even more of them in their new Calvin Klein ad. Thursday morning, Calvin Klein announced that the beautiful 16-year-old Kaia and the handsome 18-year-old Presley Gerber are now part of the Calvin Klein family in their “Our Family #MyCalvins” campaign.

Kaia seemed thrilled to be part of the popular ad campaign, tagging her brother in a sweet Tweet announcing their new gig.

As the children of the beautiful model Cindy Crawford, it’s no wonder Kaia and Presley look like they’re made for the camera in these new photos. Kaia slays in an all-black Calvin Klein denim outfit, complete with shiny black leather boots. Presley smolders in a two-toned look, mixing the brand’s light blue and black denim pieces to create a woodsy outfit that matches the cozy wooden backdrop. This duo is a perfect addition to the “Our Family” section of the #MyCalvins campaign, as their sibling chemistry is hard to resist. 

Header Image: Kaia Gerber / Instagram

Just when we thought we couldn’t have enough beauty products to pamper ourselves with, Lush drops a whopping 17 new bath oils. These will be perfect for those mandatory self-care days when you just don’t want to leave the comfort of your bathtub. Of course, these new additions to the Lush Cosmetics family are handmade like the rest of the company’s products.

Teen Vogue reports that these bath oils are also vegan, so that you can take an ethical bath. Although some of the bath oils, like Ginger or Oil on Troubled Water, appear to be coated in effervescent glitter, this bright shimmer is actually from mica. After all, glitter is harmful for the environment––and not to mention a pain to clean up. Beyond the fact that these bath oils are environmentally friendly, they’re loaded with butters and essential oils that will help hydrate your dry, winter skin. On top of making your skin dolphin-smooth, essential oils are a necessity for any care ritual because certain essential oils can help reduce anxiety.

If you haven’t already added all the new bath oils to your cart, here’s a sneak peak of the lineup:

Delight 

Delight looks, well, delightful! Don't be fooled by the iridescent blue though, because this bath oil is actually citrus scented.

Polyamorous 

Is it weird if we give this to ourselves a Valentine’s Day gift? Because Polyamorous is perfect for V-Day.

Furze

Furze looks like an oddly adorable cactus. Once it’s dropped in the water is releases hundreds of dried elderflowers and amaranth flowers.

Leave it to Lush for saving our dehydrated skin with these affordable bath oils (seriously, they’re only $5.95 - $7.95). Now we just need to find a way to keep our bath water warm indefinitely. Can you make bath bombs with built-in, waterproof heaters, Lush? Please and thank you.

All images courtesy of Lush Cosmetics.

President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Saturday morning to hit back at his critics and defend his mental health, calling himself “a very stable genius,” BBC News reports.

His defense of his mental capacity to serve as President of the United States comes after the release of Michael Wolff's book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, which calls Trump’s mental health into question, and even suggests that Trump’s own staff has questioned whether he is capable of holding the office, BBC News reports.

According to ABC News, Trump sent out his tweets while attending a presidential retreat at Camp David where he is meeting with Republican congressional leaders and members of his cabinet to discuss the legislative agenda for the year.

In his series of tweets, Trump calls out the “Democrats and their lapdogs, the Fake News Mainstream Media” for questioning his mental health since the “Russian collusion” claims have “proven to be a total hoax.”

Trump also claimed that “Crooked Hillary Clinton” also questioned his intelligence and mental capacity to serve as Commander-in-Chief and ultimately “went down in flames.”

Speaking of himself, Trump said that his “two greatest assets” have been his “mental stability” and “being, like, really smart.”

The book, which was released on Friday, days ahead of its scheduled release, according to BBC News, has quickly become a bestseller. On Friday, Trump took to Twitter to call Michael Wolff a “total loser” and claimed that the book was untruthful.

In a briefing this week, according to ABC News, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said, “If he was unfit, he probably wouldn't be sitting there and wouldn't have defeated the most qualified group of candidates the Republican Party has ever seen.”

“This is an incredibly strong and good leader. That's why we've had such a successful 2017 and why we're going to continue to do great things as we move forward in this administration,” Sanders added.