Month: September 2023

Aging is a weird thing. From one perspective, it’s something we should be grateful for. Few people would wish for the kind of short, uneventful life that would remove aging from the equation completely. The longer we live, the more we grow and learn and experience life, and “aging” is simply the mathematical sum of those experiences. All good, right?

On the other hand, our society does everything in its power to hide the fact that aging happens. Especially when it comes to women. According to Statista, the global anti-aging beauty market is estimated to be worth $58.8 billion. People will try all manner of creams, serums, masks, acids, lights, technologies and surgeries to try to prevent wrinkles, lines, sagginess, spots and other signs that our bodies are changing with time.

Most of us live our daily lives somewhere in the middle of these two realities, wanting to embrace our aging selves but also hoping to stave off some of the more obvious signs that we’re getting older. It’s natural to resist it in some ways, since the older we get, the closer we get to the end of our lives, which we certainly don’t want to hasten—especially if we actually love living.

It can be helpful to see people who are embracing their age, which is why it can be inspiring to see someone like former supermodel Paulina Porizkova confidently sharing photos of her 57-year-old self.

In posts on social media, Porizkova shared a photo of herself in a bikini and a screenshot of a comment made by a person who felt the need to comment on her aging body. And phew, was it something. The commenter wrote:

“You must be in so much pain to keep posting bikini pictures at your age. I’ve always thought that getting old and ugly is hardest on the pretty people. The fall from grace is so much farther when you were beautiful. Ugly people were always ugly so getting old and ugly isn’t a change. In summary, I feel your pain. I pray you can come to terms with your mortality. We all get old and ugly…you just had to fall from a greater height than the rest of us. Tears Times Infinity!”

So many things to unpack here.

Porizkova shared her thoughts on the comment on Instagram.

A thoughtful reader comment on IG need an equally thoughtful response.nThank you for feeling my pain, rickaroo777. As you can see, Iu2019m suffering indeed.pic.twitter.com/mWijP55iAS

— Paulina Porizkova (@Paulina Porizkova)
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“Here’s a good follower comment- echoing a few others,” Porizkova wrote. “A woman of 57 is ‘too old’ to pose in a bikini – no matter what she looks like. Because ‘Old’ is ‘Ugly.’ I get comments like these every time I post a photo of my body. This is the ageist shaming that sets my teeth on edge. Older men are distinguished, older women are ugly.”

“People who believe prettiness equals beauty do not understand beauty,” she continued. “Pretty is easy on the eyes, partly because it’s a little bland, inoffensive. It’s easy to take in and easy to forget. Not so beauty. Beauty can be sharp. It can wound you and leave a scar. To perceive beauty you have to be able to SEE.”

“This is why I believe we get more beautiful with age,” she added. “We have earned our beauty, we understand what it is, and we can see it so much better. There is no such thing as ugly and old. Only shortsighted and ignorant.”

On Twitter, Porizkova was a bit more sarcastic, writing, “Thank you for feeling my pain, rickaroo777. As you can see, I’m suffering indeed.”

That tongue-in-cheek response prompted others to share their aging selves in photos, sharing how their “old and ugly” phase of life is going. The thread turned into a veritable celebration of middle-to-late age, with posts about how much more comfortable people feel in their bodies as they get older and the freedom that comes along with not caring what other people think.

You suffer beautifully

You suffer beautifully

— Paulina Porizkova (@Paulina Porizkova)
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There are two big ironies with the original trolling comment. Most obviously, Porizkova obviously looks freaking amazing in a bikini, so the whole “ugly” and “fall from grace” line of thought is object and off base. The second is that if you look through Porizkova’s Instagram feed, she doesn’t pose in bikinis very often at all. It’s not like she’s plastering her bikini selfies all over social media trying to make herself feel better about herself, as the commenter implies. She just…sometimes wears a bikini. Whoop dee doo.

Do it anyway! Every body is valid. Every body is a bikini body.pic.twitter.com/slDLHLWQo7

— ud83cuddfaud83cuddf8Noel Gigerud83cuddfaud83cuddf8 (@ud83cuddfaud83cuddf8Noel Gigerud83cuddfaud83cuddf8)
1651248625

People don’t have to wear bikinis if they don’t want to. But to tell strangers what they can wear crosses a line. All bodies are bikini bodies, and if the person in the body wants their body to be in a bikini, more power to them.

Wow! Youu2019re suffering for sure!

— Paulina Porizkova (@Paulina Porizkova)
1651287653

The “suffering” and “pain” in the posts were so funny to see.

Ah, so painful. also- frickin

— Paulina Porizkova (@Paulina Porizkova)
1651288265

I’m 49 and I haven’t yet put on a bikini. Steph, thanks for showing me it’s not too late! Tho, somehow I feel like I won’t fill it as well as you & Paulina. But it’s all about attitude, right? So let’s the 3 of us hit the beach! (I’ll stay in the shade of an umbrella, tho.)

— Spark The Genius (@Spark The Genius)
1651262083

The thread brought inspiration to those who may fall prey to the idea that people shouldn’t wear certain things after a certain age or that only people with certain body sizes or shapes should wear certain things.

The hashtag #oldandugly started trending as people responded to Porizkova’s call for a celebration of aging beautifully.

“Todays thread has been my absolute favorite of all time,” Porizkova wrote on Twitter. “Thank you all you ‘old and ugly’ women (and a few men) showing the world how much we ‘suffer’ at in our old age. You’re all breathtaking!”

The love continues! 57 and proud! Keep posting your wonderful beautiful selves and tag #oldandugly so we can keep sharing the pic.twitter.com/Veg72kQOqt

— Paulina Porizkova (@Paulina Porizkova)
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May we all age beautifully and gracefully in whatever way those words are meaningful to us, and show those who think that aging means “suffering” and “pain” due to being “old and ugly” that they have no idea what they’re talking about.

(And here’s an extra shout-out to Porizkova for using her beauty and her age to make an important point—not only about celebrating getting older, but also about how propaganda works. Brava.)

See on Instagram

This article originally appeared on 05.03.22

Offset’s long-marinating second solo album was pushed back a whole bunch due to unforeseen and tragic circumstances, but after finally burying the hatchet with Quavo in the wake of their former bandmate Takeoff’s death, it looks like he’s ready to complete the rollout, announcing its new release date and title on Instagram with a post featuring the explosive album cover. It’s called Set It Off and it’s due on October 13 via Motown/Capitol Records.

Offset’s wife Cardi B previously joked about how his love for Michael Jackson has gotten in the way of sexy time but that doesn’t seem to have deterred him from continuing to express it. In this case, the outfit Offset wears on the cover of his new album evokes one of the King Of Pop’s most iconic looks, with a black suit, white shirt, black loafers with white socks, and of course, a single white glove on Offset’s left hand.

The new album is expected to contain “Jealousy,” Offset’s latest single with Cardi, as well as a posthumous verse from Takeoff. However, while Quavo and ‘Set have mostly let bygones be bygones, it remains to be seen whether they’ll stage a big reunion on Set It Off or save it for a future project.

Set It Off is due 10/13 via Motown/Capitol.

Travis Scott and Kylie Jenner have a couple children together, but beyond that, they’ve had an up-and-down relationship over the years. At the moment, the two don’t appear to be together, so when did they break up?

Per Insider‘s relationship timeline, Jenner ended her long-term relationship with Tyga in March 2017. The next month, she and Scott were spotted together at Coachella, holding hands. Things escalated from there, as that September, Jenner revealed she was pregnant with her and Scott’s first child. On February 1, 2018, she gave birth to Stormi Webster. In October 2019, though, Jenner confirmed that she and Scott had broken up.

Eventually, the two found their way back to each other, and in September 2021, Jenner confirmed she and Scott were expecting a second child together. In February 2022, she gave birth to a baby that was initially named Wolf Webster, but whose name was later changed, just this January, to Aire Webster.

Shortly before Aire’s new name was announced, it was reported that Jenner and Scott spent the holiday season apart and that they had broken up again. It appears at least for the time being, Jenner has moved on, as earlier this month, she and Timothée Chalamet were spotted kissing at a Beyoncé concert.

Earlier this week, Nas and Hit-Boy announced the “finale” of their creative partnership in the form of Magic 3 — their sixth project since 2020. Naturally, with the album just hours away from dropping, they took advantage of the peaking interest to stoke the flames a little with the tracklist. The graphic they shared contains 15 titles with only one feature from fellow respected veteran Lil Wayne. A comment from Hit-Boy reads, “album on your gday is ,” referring to the fact that Nas was born 50 years ago today.

The Nas/Hit-Boy partnership has proven especially fruitful, as the duo has released a half-dozen projects in just four years. Beginning with King’s Disease in 2020, their collaborations have seen Nas team up with many surprising artists, from newer young upstarts like 21 Savage to long-running frenemies like 50 Cent. The second installment of the King’s Disease trilogy also garnered Nas his first-ever Grammy win and solo performance.

Speaking on the impact Hit-Boy’s production has had on his career, Nas called the California producer his “Quincy Jones,” saying, “I think what we have is magic.” That the quote would lead to the title of a separate collaborative trilogy is just icing on the cake. That trilogy comes to a close tonight via Mass Appeal Records. You can see the tracklist below.

01. “Fever”
02. “TSK”
03. “Superhero Status”
04. “I Love This Feeling”
05. “No Tears”
06. “Never Die” Feat. Lil Wayne
07. “Pretty Young Girl”
08. “Based On True Events”
09. “Based On True Events Pt. 2”
10. “Sitting With My Thoughts”
11. “Blue Bentley”
12. “Jodeci Member”
13. “Speechless Pt. 2”
14. “Japanese Soul Bar”
15. “1-800-Nas-&-Hit”

Southern California is world-renowned for its natural beauty. The year-round sunshine, the long stretches of beautiful beaches, and the ability to savor snow, sea, forests, and desert without driving for more than two hours in any direction make the region an ideal destination for both travelers and people looking to lay down roots. But despite all the attractions and points of interest, small neighborhoods that sit adjacent to the wonders of Los Angeles are still grappling with the repercussions of redlining.

One such neighborhood is Pacoima — one of the oldest towns in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley — that through years of redlining housing policies and neglect from the city and county has kept the neighborhood from enjoying the splendor that the region is known for.

“I definitely don’t think it’s an accident that Pacoima’s streets aren’t filled or lined with trees,” says Dora Frietze-Armenta, planning director for Pacoima Beautiful, an organization that has taken the neighborhood’s revitalization into its own hands. “It’s definitely not an accident that it has three freeways that bisect it, along with so many other toxic facilities. Those aren’t accidents because that’s the byproduct of redlining.”

Through the 1940s, Pacoima was one of the few places African Americans, Japanese Americans, and Mexican Americans could become homeowners. But neglect, nearby toxic facilities, and its proximity to the Whiteman Airport — which has a history of devastating crashes in the neighborhood — have left the neighborhood a less than desirable place to call home.

That’s why Pacoima Beautiful is showing up where the county and city have failed the people, organizing, holding workshops, providing resources, and bringing public art and greenery to the neglected neighborhood in an effort to make it a point of pride for the people living there.

In the latest episode of Uproxx’s Show Up, meet the people and learn the story behind Pacoima Beautiful and what you can do to help this inspiring community of self-starters.

Martin Scorsese has made plenty of crime sagas in his time, but Killers Of The Flower Moon will be his first Western crime saga. The story, which is based upon David Grann’s bestselling narrative nonfiction book of the same name, follows the Osage community in the 1920s. They had grown extremely wealthy due to their oil windfall after being relegated to seemingly undesirable land. That status attracted predators, and a string of murders followed.

The film debuted this year in Cannes to critical accolades, and since that May premiere, fans have been impatiently waiting for this event to hit theaters. Let’s talk about what to expect from Killers Of The Flower Moon.

Plot

Expect to see significant differences from structure of the book, which carried a subtitle, The Osage Murders And The Birth Of The FBI, and placed a hefty focus upon Agent Tom White, who was the lead agency investigator on this case under former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover.

The film (which is already over three hours long) doesn’t invest as much time on White, who was originally going to be played by Leonardo DiCaprio until Scorsese shifted plans (as Deadline detailed earlier this year), and “started over, seizing on the chance to tell a story that would resonate in a modern era.” In the film’s final incarnation, Jesse Plemons portrays White with DiCaprio shifting into the shoes of shifty Ernest Burkhart.

Lily Gladstone portrays the indomitable Mollie Burkhart, and the film gestated for years (even shooting through the pandemic) before the world finally got a glimpse beyond this now-infamous still:

Grann, while recently speaking to us about his latest book, The Wager, revealed his experience on the Oklahoma set.

“I was really struck by the level of care, both in developing the story and the level of research,” Grann explained. “The production team would often ask me questions about the research, but they did their own as well. They filmed on location, which was really important, and most important of all, they worked very closely with members of the Osage nation to tell the story in a faithful and sensitive way. Chief Standing Bear appointed several ambassadors of the nation to work with the movie people, and so many Osage were involved in the process…. I saw a very powerful scene when I visited. Several Osage were playing the roles and were astonishingly good.”

The film is preceded by the following synopsis:

At the turn of the 20th century, oil brought a fortune to the Osage Nation, who became some of the richest people in the world overnight. The wealth of these Native Americans immediately attracted white interlopers, who manipulated, extorted, and stole as much Osage money as they could before resorting to murder. Based on a true story and told through the improbable romance of Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone), Killers of the Flower Moon is an epic western crime saga, where real love crosses paths with unspeakable betrayal.

Cast

In addition to DiCaprio and Gladstone, Killers Of The Flower Moon also stars Robert De Niro, Jesse Plemons, Brendan Fraser, John Lithgow, Cara Jade Myers, JaNae Collins, Tantoo Cardinal, and Jillian Dion.

Release Date

As with Grann’s The Wager, this shall be an Apple TV+ film that debuts in theaters on October 20 and later streams at the source.

Trailers

You want a real trailer? Here’s two masterful examples.

Drea de Matteo joined OnlyFans as, in a sense, a protest against vaccine mandates. “I guess you could say I was a bad girl because I did not follow the rules a couple of years ago. So, I don’t want to be at the mercy of mandates or strike or anything like that ever again,” she told Fox News Digital.

The actress, who played Adriana on The Sopranos, said that she’s had to “switch careers and figure new things out” because she’s considered “a savage” in the entertainment industry for not getting vaccinated against a virus that’s killed over six million people. de Matteo was dropped by her agent, she claimed, and nearly lost her home. “People find that hard to believe that I was never really paid very much money for any of the jobs I’ve done,” she continued. “People think I’m f*cking made of gold, and I’m not. I’ve worked job to job. And I’ve turned down tons of jobs in the past just to be with my children because their dad’s on the road, and he’s not around as much.”

de Matteo figured “everybody’s in their underwear and being sexy on Instagram and I don’t do that, but I can do that and get paid for it,” so she signed up for OnlyFans. “I just don’t care. I don’t. I’d rather save my family than save face,” she said. “Listen. For the people who think it’s something crazy, it’s not what you think it is. And for the people who think it’s something crazy, it’s exactly what you want it to be.”

(Via Fox News Digital)

Taylor Swift is having the time of her life. The “Anti-Hero” star had lots of fun at the VMAs the other night, and her concert film for The Eras Tour broke AMC’s record for the biggest single-day ticket sales.

It seems like it was ages ago that she was rumored to be dating The 1975’s Matty Healy. However, there was talk of his possible appearance on Swift’s re-recording of 1989. Now, that has been debunked, according to Billboard. A spokesperson for Swift told the publication that “neither Matty Healy nor [The] 1975 are on this album.”

It was in June that it was reported that Swift and Healy broke up. “According to a friend close to the situation … Taylor is in fact ‘single’ again, although it’s still unclear exactly why they’ve now split up,” TMZ reported, adding that they “haven’t been seen in public together since May 25 when they were out on a dinner date.”

There has already been gossip speculating another Swift relationship, this time with Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs. A source reportedly told The Messenger, “Taylor and Travis have been quietly hanging out. She saw him when she was in NYC a few weeks ago.” A source also reportedly told TMSPN, “Taylor Swift had scheduled to go to a place she frequents with Travis Kelce.”

Ron DeSantis stopped by Fox News on Wednesday night where the Florida governor attempted to shake off criticisms that he’s a weird dude who doesn’t know how to act around other humans. The moment of levity came at the end of his interview with Sean Hannity when DeSantis started lobbing a football into the crowd like people sometimes do.

Oddly, DeSantis came off the most normal looking while Hannity delivered one of the strangest transitions to Tulsi Gabbard. We honestly have no idea what the heck the Fox News host is saying here:

While DeSantis may have looked like a normal, all-American guy who loves him some sportsball, his humanity was not on full display earlier in the interview when he once again trotted out his tough guy act and vowed to leave anyone bringing drugs across the border “stone cold dead.”

DeSantis trotted out a similar line while talking to CBS News earlier in the day. The governor promised to deploy the U.S. military to the border, but don’t worry, they won’t be shooting women with babies. Anyone wearing a backpack, well…

Via Daily Mail:

‘If there’s a woman with a baby, they’re not a cartel member,’ DeSantis acknowledged. ‘There’s not going to be authorization to just shoot somebody like that.’

He added: ‘But when somebody’s got a backpack on, and they’re breaking through the wall, you know that that’s hostile intent and you have every right to take action under those circumstances.’

While sanctioning extrajudicial killings sounds pretty bad, the important thing is that Ron DeSantis knows how to throw a football. That’s really what elections are all about, are they not?

(Via Aaron Rupar on Twitter)