Survivor shares photo of her double mastectomy scars to call out the ‘pinkwashing’ of breast cancer

October 21, 2017, 2:08 am

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Cancer isn’t pretty.

It’s not joyful 5K runs, it’s not wearing pink T-shirts, it’s not shaving your head in support and ending up looking incredible.

Those little gestures are well-intentioned, sure, but what do they actually do to help those battling cancer?

That’s why Tracie Marie, a survivor of breast cancer, is urging people to stop spending their cash on pink ribbons.

‘The majority of people believe that Breast Cancer is a pink ribbon, a pink Pom Pom, a pen with a pink ribbon, a tote with a pink ribbon, an encap at your local Walmart engaging you to be a “part of the cure”,’ wrote Tracie on Facebook.

‘You are not being part… Read the full story

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Six-month-old Rugbie was meant to be a flower girl, but she decided napping was more important

October 21, 2017, 2:32 am

≫ Next: Why my single parent family is something to celebrate rather than explain

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Never have we related so hard to a six-month-old.

Little Rugbie had been chosen as the flower girl of her aunt’s wedding.

She got dressed up, sat in her decorated wagon, and got ready to be wheeled down the aisle.

Then she fell asleep, because weddings are tiring business. Alright?

Her dad, Joe Morman, snapped a photo of Rugbie snoozing her way down the aisle on Reddit, writing: ‘My daughter was supposed to be a flower girl in her aunt’s wedding but napping is life.’

Read the full story

Why my single parent family is something to celebrate rather than explain

October 21, 2017, 3:00 am

≫ Next: Instagram model makes thousands by posting photos of her feet online

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I’m a single parent; an unmarried mother whose son has an absent father.

Most of the time this news is met with pity: an ‘I’m sorry’ or a ‘That’s such a shame’.

9 easy way for new mums to make friends

People then make it their business to find out as quickly as possible how I ended up this way.

I’m no more here to explain than any other mum, I’m just here to be the best mum I can be.

Any mum doing that deserves celebrating, so… Read the full story

Instagram model makes thousands by posting photos of her feet online

October 21, 2017, 3:15 am

≫ Next: Fish, shoes and chilli peppers: Ghana’s fantasy coffins are anything but grave

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Be warned. This story may make you feel a bit silly for slogging away in an office five days a week.

Jessica Gould, known online as Miss Scarlett Vixen, makes thousands of pounds (some have estimated around £55,000 a year) by just showing off her feet on Instagram.

That’s not to undermine what she’s doing, to be clear. Not everyone can make cash from their feet, and it takes a wise woman to be able to turn having nice feet into a genuine money-making venture.

It all started when Jessica was searching for something to do to fill her time.

She came across an advert seeking female foot fetish models, and decided to give… Read the full story

Fish, shoes and chilli peppers: Ghana’s fantasy coffins are anything but grave

October 21, 2017, 4:00 am

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Fancy being buried in a fish after you die?

Not a real one, obviously – that wouldn’t be pleasant for anyone (least of all the fish).

Here’s what’s involved in a Tibetan sky burial

But how about a wooden one, built to your exact specifications?

In Ghana, a fish is just one of the options available for your final resting place. You can also choose mermaids, planes or even a lion. And the only limit is your imagination.

Here’s what you need to know about the country’s fantasy funeral trend.

Putting the ‘fun’ into funeral

Over the last fifty years, the Ga community of Greater Accra has become renowned for its wild and wonderful ‘fantasy coffins’.

Funerals in this coastal region are not the sombre affair we are used to in the UK.

Death here is celebrated as the start of the afterlife and as such, funerals are jubilant occasions when the deceased are given an… Read the full story

Don’t put Vicks VapoRub in your vagina

October 21, 2017, 5:23 am

≫ Next: Now you can hire professional mourners for your funeral and it’s not as strange as you might think

≪ Previous: Fish, shoes and chilli peppers: Ghana’s fantasy coffins are anything but grave

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It’s kind of astounding how many times we’ve had to say ‘don’t put ____ in your vagina’.

We blame poor sexual health education, rubbish advice being spread by ‘wellness experts’, and our general discomfort with the perfectly normal scent, taste, and appearance of the vagina and vulva.

As long as people are putting damaging things in their vagina, we will be there, advising people to, well, not do that.

This time around, we’re talking about Vicks VapoRub.

Yep, Vicks VapoRub. The stuff your mum used to rub on your chest when you were sick, and that you rub directly under nose in an attempt to be able to breathe through winter.

It turns out that… Read the full story

Now you can hire professional mourners for your funeral and it’s not as strange as you might think

October 21, 2017, 6:00 am

≫ Next: Fancy sleeping in a luxury igloo under the Northern Lights?

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We all hope our funeral will be a big deal: standing room only, hoards of weeping friends and family, enough flowers to appease Elton John.

Sadly that is not always the case. But one company has come up with a solution.

Everything you need to know about Taiwan’s funeral strippers

For £45 a day, Rent A Mourner in Essex provides professional, discreet mourners to attend funerals, make small talk and convincingly mourn the passing of beloved friends and family – just not their own.

Running since 2013, founder Ian Robinson told the… Read the full story

Fancy sleeping in a luxury igloo under the Northern Lights?

October 21, 2017, 6:06 am

≫ Next: 23 of the most powerful wedding photos from 2017

≪ Previous: Now you can hire professional mourners for your funeral and it’s not as strange as you might think

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Forget sandy beaches, crystal-blue pools, and melting ice cream – this is what we’d call a dream holiday: one spent cosied up in an igloo, surrounded in snow, with an incredible view every morning and evening.

If, like us, you prefer cosier holidays to your standard heatwave, you’re going to be keen on these igloos.

Over in Lapland, Levin Iglut Golden Crown is offering up 24 individual igloos for anyone who fancies them – all surrounded by snow and made off glass, so there’s nothing blocking your view of the Northern Lights above.

If the Northern Lights aren’t visible, there’s no need to stress. The star-speckled sky is a pretty lovely sight to behold,… Read the full story

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23 of the most powerful wedding photos from 2017

October 21, 2017, 6:45 am

≫ Next: Apparently Australian men are the best at sex

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Weddings are emotional. They’re filled with love and happy tears.

Capturing that emotion in a photo is a tricky art. Too many wedding photographers will just ask the bridesmaids to jump in a row or awkwardly pose in a field. Others will manage to get incredible shots, but they’re so artsy that they don’t really express anything about the most important thing: the two people getting married.

So great wedding photographer – once who manage to hand over photographs that encapsulate an incredible moment in a couple’s life – deserve to be celebrated.

The Fearless Awards do just that.

Each month the Fearless Awards collects some of the greatest wedding photos around, giving credit to the amazingly talented photographers who managed to grab them.

We’ve had a look through those piles of photos and chosen some of our favourites from the last year.

Behold, some of the most powerful wedding photos from 2017.

Read the full story

Apparently Australian men are the best at sex

October 21, 2017, 7:23 am

≫ Next: Wimpy is planning a comeback across the UK

≪ Previous: 23 of the most powerful wedding photos from 2017

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If you plan your holidays entirely around the likelihood of a decent orgasm (wait, you don’t? You’re missing out), you might want to move Australia to the top of your must-visit list.

According to a survey from online dating site Saucy Dates (sadly, not a dating site for people who really love ketchup), Australian men are the best in bed out of any other people in the world.

Congrats, Aussies.

Also topping the rankings are South Africa and the United States, so if you don’t fancy heading to the other side of the world, you can pick one of those sexy spots.

To create their rankings, Saucy Dates questioned 22,753… Read the full story

Wimpy is planning a comeback across the UK

October 21, 2017, 7:52 am

≫ Next: If you love all things Disney, you’re going to be a fan of this Monopoly set

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I’ll be honest with you all. I’ve never had a Wimpy burger, so I don’t understand why this news is particularly exciting.

But apparently many, many people are interested in a potential relaunch of Wimpy burgers across the UK, so on we go.

Once upon a time (ie. back in the 70s) there were hundreds of Wimpy restaurants around the UK. More than 500, in fact. Ask your dad, he probably has fond memories of having a Wimpy burger on the way home from a big night out.

Then, in the 80s, McDonald’s arrived and smacked Wimpy down like the wimps they are (I do not know if Wimpy restaurant owners are actually wimps, but… Read the full story

If you love all things Disney, you’re going to be a fan of this Monopoly set

October 21, 2017, 8:15 am

≫ Next: 6 emotions you go through after buying bad hair extensions

≪ Previous: Wimpy is planning a comeback across the UK

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Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without breaking apart your family by playing a seemingly unending game of Monopoly. That’s a fact.

But while you can probably make do with that faded classic edition, or the old Star Wars set your brother got for Christmas a decade ago, you might as well invest in a Monopoly set that brings you true joy.

Hey, it might even motivate you to play a board game more than once a year. And not just when the wifi’s down.

With this in mind, let us present Monopoly: The Disney Edition.

Yes, this is indeed a version of Monopoly themed around classic Disney films. Players include Aladdin’s lamp, Cinderella’s shoe, and… Read the full story

6 emotions you go through after buying bad hair extensions

October 21, 2017, 8:32 am

≫ Next: PMS isn’t all bad – here are some of the positive aspects you should know about

≪ Previous: If you love all things Disney, you’re going to be a fan of this Monopoly set

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If you’re like me and want to invest in some solid, real hair extensions that are supposed to last years, you know you choose your hair vendor with care and precision.

You’re about to part with some serious money in an attempt to look like Beyonce’s doppelganger.

To weave or not to weave: Why is black hair always politicised?

There are no certification systems in place yet to help us weaveaholics make informed decisions, which means we have to stick to trial and error.

So… Read the full story

PMS isn’t all bad – here are some of the positive aspects you should know about

October 21, 2017, 9:04 am

≫ Next: 10 ridiculous myths about coeliac disease

≪ Previous: 6 emotions you go through after buying bad hair extensions

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Of the many things women are taught about menstruation, one of the most ingrained beliefs is that premenstrual syndrome (PMS) – your period’s hellish preamble – is all cramps, mood swings, bloating, and empty wrappers of Dairy Milk soaked in tears of resentment.

Naturally, those of us who actually experience periods know that nothing about our bodies is as simple as we’ve been lead to believe, and PMS is no different.

10 women share their worst period stories

The narrative surrounding PMS… Read the full story

10 ridiculous myths about coeliac disease

October 21, 2017, 9:00 pm

≫ Next: 5 things I wish I’d known before writing my first novel, Five Parks

≪ Previous: PMS isn’t all bad – here are some of the positive aspects you should know about

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There may now be more gluten-free products in the supermarket aisles, but awareness of the realities of coeliac disease remains incredibly low.

Coeliac UK estimates only 24 per cent of people who are coeliac have actually been clinically diagnosed.

If you love all things Disney, you're going to be a fan of this Monopoly set

Although receiving a diagnosis is a relief to many, there are still many misconceptions that those of us who are gluten-free have to listen to on a daily basis.

Here are ten of the most ridiculous myths we’ve all… Read the full story

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5 things I wish I’d known before writing my first novel, Five Parks

October 22, 2017, 12:00 am

≫ Next: If you’re trying to lose or maintain weight, try having mushrooms for breakfast

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I have written a novel.

Five words that every writer, aspiring or otherwise, longs to pen, or, as is more likely these days, type.

And I am lucky enough to have joined the club.

My first novel, Five Parks, a psychological thriller, was published by Endeavour Press in August.

12 reasons why you really shouldn’t date a writer

It’s about a female freelance journalist who is kidnapped after going on five different blind dates with five different men in five different parks in London – when she wakes up after the fifth date handcuffed… Read the full story

If you’re trying to lose or maintain weight, try having mushrooms for breakfast

October 22, 2017, 12:46 am

≫ Next: Woman tracks down her missing cat after uploading its photo to Tinder

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Mushrooms are a much maligned vegetable but you know, no fry up would be complete without them.

They take avocado toast to the next level. They make omelettes sing. They improve every breakfast dish.

And they could be the key to making you feel fuller to longer – meaning that you’re less tempted to snack.

A new study published in the journal Appetite claims that having mushrooms for breakfast makes you feel more satisfied that eating meat.

‘Previous studies on mushrooms suggest that they can be more satiating than meat, but this effect had not been studied with protein-matched amounts until now,’ says professor Joanne Slavin, from the University of Minnesota.

‘As with previous published research, this study… Read the full story

Woman tracks down her missing cat after uploading its photo to Tinder

October 22, 2017, 1:06 am

≫ Next: Boy with Down’s Syndrome is the new star of River Island’s kids’ range

≪ Previous: If you’re trying to lose or maintain weight, try having mushrooms for breakfast

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When Katie Alsop’s cat went missing, she didn’t schlep the streets pinning ‘missing’ posters on trees.

No, she decided to go for altogether more efficient, modern method.

She got herself a premium Tinder membership and uploaded Peanut’s picture in the hope of reaching a wider audience.

Setting her search distance to a 10km radius, she received 400 matches – and within 30 minutes, got a call from a bloke called Charlie who found Peanut in his garden.

But that wasn’t the end of the saga.

Peanut then escaped from Charlie’s garden and Katie teamed up with him to hunt Peanut down.

Read the full story

Boy with Down’s Syndrome is the new star of River Island’s kids’ range

October 22, 2017, 1:25 am

≫ Next: Abused dog is scared of everyone and everything except this baby

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This is River Island’s new Kids Squad.

And third from the right is 11-year-old Joseph Hale.

He has Down’s Syndrome and he’s now one of the faces of River Island’s campaign, which launched on Friday in a bid to celebrate diversity.

‘The idea of the squad was to create a diverse group of children to portray “squad goals”, Joseph is great fun with an infectious laugh and star presence,’ says Josie Cartridge, customer director of River Island.

‘We hope by being more inclusive, this will help achieve wider acceptance for people with disabilities.’

Joseph’s mum, Karen, says that she’s ‘immensely proud’ of her son and that the campaign’s message of ‘inclusion and diversity out there… Read the full story

Abused dog is scared of everyone and everything except this baby

October 22, 2017, 1:42 am

≫ Next: Let’s take a look round San Francisco’s Antique Vibrator Museum

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When Nora was adopted by Elizabeth Spencer, she was frightened of everyone.

Her previous owners had badly abused her to the point where she was nervous of every other living being.

Except one little toddler.

She adopted the English Pointer from a rescue shelter seven years ago before having her kids – and now, she has three children, three rescue cats and three rescue dogs.

And her baby Archie and Nora have become best pals.

‘Archie is an extremely laid-back, happy, good-natured baby and all the animals seem to really respond to that, particularly Nora,’ she tells the Dodo.

‘She came from an abusive background and… Read the full story