We’ve all been in this scenario: you’ve worn your favorite pair of shoes to the very edge of “toss ’em” status. A pair so dirty that when you try them at the club the bouncers assume they came pre-distressed. But here’s the issue… you still think they’re fly. Whether it’s the colorway or the look or the vibe or the time in your life you were in when you bought them — you can’t let this fresh pair die.

“Wait!” You think to yourself. “One go-around in the washing machine will bring this pair back, baby!”

Yeah… don’t do that. Don’t put your sneakers in the washer. Washing your sneakers won’t bring your favorite pair back to life. And it might straight up destroy your shoes if you aren’t careful.

If you’re looking for an answer to the question of whether or not you can put your shoes in the washing machine, the answer is “yes.” Technically. And canvas shoes like Chuck Taylors hold up pretty well in the wash. But be very careful about how you wash expensive sneakers. Depending on the pair in question, sneakers have all sorts of foam, plastics, rubbers, dyes, and glues that the abuse of a washing machine and the harsh chemicals in detergent can mess with.

Plus, when your sneakers are saturated with water, it can be difficult to get them dry, creating an optimal breeding ground for fungi. Not to mention the smell.*

*Also, it may wreck the tumbler balance inside the washing machine during the spin cycle. Similarly, trying to machine dry a clunky pair of AJ3s will almost definitely mess your dryer (and shoes) up.

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If you’re set on washing your Nikes, Jordans, Adidas, Balenciagas, etc. remove the insoles, place your sneakers in a laundry bag, use the coldest setting available on your machine, and select the delicate cycle (avoid spin if you can, for the reason mentioned above). Once your sneakers are washed, put them outside immediately to air dry in the sun. Some shoe dyers use hair dryers to speed up the process. Do not — as referenced before — place your sneakers in the dryer. Aside from the problems it causes your machine, the upper can detach from the midsole once that glue gets heated up.

So what if you do wash them? Well, truth be told, the results will likely be pretty solid the first time. But there’s no second time, the glue will likely have deteriorated or weakened during the first wash.

And if you don’t wash them? What to do instead?

If you want to keep your sneakers looking fresh, you will need a sneaker cleaning kit and a bottle of repel spray. Repel spray will provide a stain-resistant coat for your sneakers and a shoe cleaning kit will allow you to spot clean or scrub more difficult stains or substances.

I’m going to refrain from suggesting a specific brand of shoe cleaner here because if we’re being honest, they’re all kind of the same. We always include one in the Sneakerhead Gift Guide, if you’re in the market. The kit comes with a soft brush and a solution that works on suede, leather, canvas, and whatever else your sneakers are made of.

Above all things, keeping your sneakers looking fresh is all about maintenance rather than one big clean. So if you want to get the most mileage out of your favorite pair of sneakers, clean them right and hand clean them often.

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Sydney Sweeney is an actress by trade, but being in the music video for a Rolling Stones song made her feel like a rock star.

It also made her feel “hot,” she told Glamour UK. “I picked my own outfit out of racks and racks of clothes. I felt so good in it.” The Euphoria and Reality star said she found “empowerment through embracing the body that I have. That’s sexy and strong, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. I’m in a Rolling Stones video. How cool and iconic is that? I felt so good. All the moves, everything I was doing was all freestyle. I mean, who else gets to roll around on the top of a convertible driving down Sunset Boulevard with police escorts? It’s the cool things in this career that I had no idea I’d get to do.”

In the interview, Sweeney, who stars in the romantic-comedy Anyone but You with Glen Powell, also discussed how she considered getting breast reduction surgery before her mom talked her out of it.

“Flaunt what you got. Own it. Love them. When I was in high school, I used to feel uncomfortable about how big my boobs were and I used to say that when I turned 18, I was going to get a boob job to make them smaller. And my mom told me, ‘Don’t do it. You’ll regret it in college.’ And I’m so glad I didn’t. I like them. They’re my best friends. Everybody’s body is beautiful. When you are confident and you’re happy within is when it really shows to other people.”

Sydney’s grandparents agree.

Anyone but You comes out on December 22nd.

(Via Glamour UK)

Back in March, Taylor Swift kicked off her massive The Eras Tour — and a lot has happened since. As the pop star completed both her North American and South American legs of the tour, she has thrown in some surprises along the way.

With 2023 coming to a close, here’s a look back at some of the best moments.

Taylor Swift’s first Eras Tour concert

Swift’s first show in Glendale served as the introduction to not only The Eras Tour, but fans both found out it was three hours long — and had two surprise songs thrown in each night.

Taylor Swift announced Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) in Nashville

A few stops later at her first show in Nashville, Swift announced Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) and performed “Sparks Fly (Taylor’s Version)” as the first of the surprise songs. That show also had Phoebe Bridgers joining her for a duet of “Nothing New” and Matty Healy (whom she was reportedly having a fling with) in the audience.

Taylor Swift announced 1989 (Taylor’s Version) in Los Angeles

She would also do the same when announcing 1989 (Taylor’s Version) at her final show at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium, teasing it during the concert by changing all her costumes to blue outfits instead.

Taylor Swift joined on stage by Aaron Dessner, Haim, and Gracie Abrams

As previously mentioned, there have also been a few very special guests. At the Tampa date in April, The National’s Aaron Dessner joined Swift to perform “The Great War.” Haim appeared at Swift’s Seattle date in July to help perform “No Body, No Crime.” That same month, she brought out her tour opener, Gracie Abrams, to do a duet of Abrams’ song, “I Miss You, I’m Sorry.”

Check out a few other special moments from Swift’s Eras Tour this year below.

Cardi B’s infamous line in her breakout 2018 hit “Bodak Yellow” put the fashion game on high alert. Since then, the “WAP” rapper has forged a lane for herself, becoming the muse of many notable designers.

Although she may not always be impressed by her twerking skills, Cardi B never lets up on what designs she drapes herself in, from her runway debut for Balenciaga’s Fall 2024 collection to her vibrant looks in the “Bongos” video with Megan Thee Stallion the Bronx native knows how to turn a garment.

Here are some of Cardi B’s best outfits of 2023.

TikTok Concert

Despite the ongoing tension with her estranged husband, Offset, Cardi B didn’t miss a beat during her headlining performance at TikTok’s inaugural concert. On December 10, Cardi B’s ruby red beaded jumpsuit was the talk of social media fashionista. Inspired by the late Selena, the ensemble sparked fan concert art for her forthcoming sophomore album.

Met Gala 2023

Met Gala, also called fashion’s biggest night, is where entertainers and designers come together to showcase their knowledge, skills, and creativity. Met Gala 2023’s Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty theme left think room for innovation. Still, somehow, Cardi B found a way to reimagine the late designer’s staple concepts in not just one but three outfits.

Paris Fashion Week 2023

Paris Fashion Week isn’t for those looking to play it safe. Since the designers are showcasing their most detailed couture pieces, invitees are expected to go big or home. Standouts for Paris Fashion Week 2023 were Doja Cat and Cardi B. Doja Cat was fully committed to the cause, covering herself in 30,000 Swarovski crystals. On the other hand, Cardi decided to let the garments do all the talking.

Vogue Mexico cover

Cardi B loves to wear over-the-top hair and makeup, but she dialed it back for her Vogue Mexico cover shoot in August. To pay homage to indigenous Mexican tribes and culture, Cardi’s photo spread focused on the rich historic pieces rather than pronounced glam.

2023 MTV VMAs

In the thick of the futuristic metallic looks spawned out of Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour, Cardi B seemingly pulled from the growing fashion trend for her red carpet look at the 2023 MTV VMAs. However, she ditched the cold metals for her performance for a vibrant summer color palate.

2023 Grammys

Cardi B’s signature style is ever-evolving, but she gravitates towards sculptural pieces. For the 2023 Grammys, her electric blue floor-length Mugler gown left jaws dropped when images of the look were uploaded online.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

There are some things you have to do every year around the holidays. It’s what’s known by most as a “tradition,” like how you “traditionally” get socks from your grandma every year or you “traditionally” fall asleep right after eating pumpkin pie so you don’t have to help clean up. But the most agreed upon tradition is normally some sort of feel-good movie, and there is nothing quite as unifying as A Charlie Brown Christmas.

Watching the 1965 animated classic used to be as easy as turning on your TV, but after Apple took over the Peanuts gang, it has become harder to watch them in recent years. The good news is that there is a way to watch the classic film, but you might have to jump through some hoops or shell out some money, or both!

Right now, the only way to stream A Charlie Brown Christmas is with AppleTV+. You could secure a subscription for $9.99 a month and watch various Peanuts titles year-round.

Of course, not everyone needs AppleTV+ because not everyone wants to see Jon Hamm’s awkward sex scenes, so you can sign up for a free 7-day trial in order to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas over the next week. There’s quite a selection there!

Simon Beck didn’t set out to become a world-renowned snowshoe artist, yet here he is. The former cartographer was trained in engineering at Oxford, but has spent the past ten years making jaw-dropping art in the snow and sand using only his feet.

Beck uses geometrical and geographical tools to plot out his designs, but it’s still baffling to see him walk exactly where he needs to to create them. His designs can take 12 hours of walking or more, and he’ll take around 40,000 steps for an average-sized piece. It’s beautiful, it’s creative, it’s exercise—and it’s fleeting.

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Being made out of snow and sand, which are constantly being blown or washed away, Beck’s artwork doesn’t last. Such is the nature of creating art in nature, but that doesn’t bother him in the slightest. “Most people will only ever see most of the world’s artwork as photographs,” he said in an article in Artsy. “Even with the Mona Lisa—probably only a minority of people have actually seen the real thing, but everyone’s seen a photograph of it.” As long as Beck gets a photo of his massive designs, it’s all good.

And the photographs are truly something to behold. Check out some of his snow creations on Facebook and Instagram.

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See on Instagram

One of the challenges of working in the snow is that conditions can change throughout the creation of a piece. Snow might melt or become exceptionally icy.

Or, other people might not realize what is happening and inadvertently mess up your work. For instance, there’s nothing to stop a skier from plowing right through a design.

Beck’s sand drawings offer a different kind of challenge. Timing out the tides and dealing with the wind—as well as other beachgoers—makes sand art tricky, but the final product is totally worth it.

See on Instagram

On occasion, Beck even uses his art to make statements about issues in the world. For instance, there are 81 triangles in this drawing, but he says he left 77 unshaded to represent “the 77 countries where LGBT people are given a hard time.”

Beck has created most of his 300-plus land drawings in Europe. However, he will be spending two weeks of January 2020 in Silverthorne, Colorado, where he will create between five and 15 of his iconic works of snow art.

ABC News did a segment on Beck and his work, where he explains a bit of his process and how he uses a ski pole to measure parts of the design. Watch and enjoy:

Simon Beck has become a global sensation for his installations made by stepping through snow with snowshoes and a ski pole.

This article originally appeared on 01.01.20

If you’re looking for a reminder of the good in people, we’ve got some sweet evidence for you.

Madison Mealy and her husband Blake recently moved to a rural area in the Blue Ridge Mountains and are new to country living. Mealy shared a video on TikTok showing her husband mowing the lawn with their baby in a backpack.

Cute, right? The only problem is they have a humongous lawn and her husband was mowing it with the teeniest push mower.

To be fair, if you’ve never had a big lawn, you may not realize how long it takes to mow and that not all lawn mowers are created equal. (They make riding lawn mowers for a reason, and it’s not because of laziness.)

Mealy shared her amusement at having sent her husband out to buy a mower and seeing him come back with the tiny mower. It was going to take him hours to mow their grass.

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But after she took a shower and went back to check on his progress, what she found was so heartwarming.

Not one, not two, but several strangers—presumably neighbors—had seen Blake trying to tackle their acreage with a subpar mower, and they showed up to help.

“We don’t know any of these people,” Mealy wrote.

Watch:

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“Reminder: there’s a lot of good left in this world,” wrote Mealy.

It’s true. Helping without being asked. Showing up when you see a need. Taking a burden off of someone’s back without expecting anything in return. There are instances of pure human kindness like this all around us, every day, even if they’re not right in front of our faces.

We have plenty of viral examples of people at their worst, so it’s important that we share humanity at its best. And if you’re tempted to think that the former is the norm while goodness is the exception, don’t. Studies show that most people are honest, generous and helpful.

As Mealy said, “People are so good.” We just need beautiful reminders like this on occasion.

Thanks for providing one of those reminders, Mealy family. (Now go get yourselves a proper mower.)

This article originally appeared on 06.17.22

Tourists often fall prey to scams, hustles, and pickpockets in major cities because they don’t know the local customs or language and may be too trusting. They’re easy marks for experienced scammers, so everyone should take precautions while travelling abroad no matter how street-smart they think they are.

Fabrizio Villari Moroni, who goes by describes himself as the “Italian in Paris,” recently fell victim to the “Friendship Bracelet Scam” at the Montmartre stairs in Paris, France and he took to TikTok to warn other tourists visiting the City of Light.

“I see this man coming up to me and it was very intimidating because he was a very big, tall man. He came to me and he said: ‘Take it, take it.’ And I was like ‘No, thank you. No, thank you. No, thank you.’ Until he grabs my arm aggressively, like, it hurt me,” Moroni said in a video that has received over 800,000 views.

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“He literally said, ‘It’s the friendship symbol. It’s offensive if you don’t take it,’” Moroni continued.

@fabriziovmoroni

stay safe out there 🤍 #fabri #paris #france #braceletscam @Amanda Rollins thought of you

As he struggled with the man grabbing his arm, appearing to put the “friendship” bracelet on his wrist, 5 or 7 men approached him. He feared they were going to take his wallet and his phone.

But Moroni was able to wriggle his way out of the man’s grasp and ran off before being robbed.

“So, please, please, please be careful if you ever go to Montmartre. Make sure that you walk down the outer stairs, the one on the sides, not the central one that gets to the very bottom of it. And stay safe.” Moroni said. “And if you ever see anyone approaching you with a bracelet, just run away.”

Wrapping paper is a delightful invention, with all of its fun patterns and colors and wrapping methods, all in service of keeping gifts a surprise.

It’s also a total environmental blight, unfortunately. Most wrapping paper is one-time use only, as what makes it pretty and shiny and durable are usually plastics that can’t be separated from the paper for recycling. So into the landfill it goes, to the tune of 2.3 million pounds a year, according to Popular Science.

You can try to reuse wrapping paper, of course, but have you ever seen a kid tear into a Christmas present? You can try wrapping with simple brown paper, which is recyclable, but doesn’t feel particularly festive. You could buy eco-friendly wrapping paper, shelling out a pretty penny for something that’s still going to have to be purchased again and again.

OR you can go a whole new route by ditching the paper altogether and going for the truly old-fashioned, easy peasy solution of cloth gift bags that you either purchase or make yourself. If you think that sounds like a bit of a stretch, hold the judgment until you see how utterly adorable these bags are.

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Cloth bags save so much time and headache compared to paper wrapping. Weirdly shaped gifts no longer matter as long as they fit in the bag. They also save you money over time if you use them for your household’s gifts and store them away with your holiday decorations each year. If you make them yourself, you can choose any color or pattern theme you want, but there are plenty of readymade coordinated options out there now to go with any decor.

And no, kids don’t care—in fact, they will probably appreciate the fact that their gift wrap is eco-friendly and they may even get nostalgic about seeing the familiar wrappings each year. (Our family has used cloth to wrap for presents for years, and our kids have actually developed favorites.)

Here’s a simple example—a mix of classic red-and-white patterns in assorted sizes for a bright, classic look. How lovely would a stash of these look all gathered under the tree?

What if you went with a classy gold theme for this year’s decor and want the presents under the tree to match for a perfectly Instagrammable Christmas morning? Here’s a similar set in a gold-and-white pattern.

Maybe you’re going for more of a cozy, casual, log cabin-y feel for your holiday. Plenty of plaid in Christmas colors right here.

If you’re more drawn to the classic, Norman Rockwell, Christmases-of-yore vibe, check out these nostalgic Christmas prints:

Maybe you’re a modern maven with monochromatic merry-making methodologies. Or perhaps you’d like to be able to reuse your bags at other times of the year, too. These black-and-white babies might just do the trick.

How about a standard-Christmas-wrapping-paper look, only as cloth Christmas gift bags instead?

Or maybe you don’t want a distinctively Christmas feel at all, but rather a mix of pretty, festive bags that could be used for the holidays or any time of year. There’s a whole assortment to choose from here to go with whatever your particular color theme might be.

Or maybe you want the opposite—just blatantly Christmas-y images in bright, bold colors plastered all over everything. Here ya go:

There’s just no shortage of options for cloth gift bags that are worth investing in to save time, money and the environment. Just be sure to check sizes so there are no surprises, grab a wide assortment and then revel in the fact that you’ll never get a paper cut or have to search for another roll of tape while wrapping presents for your family again.

The oldest published version of the melody to the “Alphabet Song” was in 1761. However, because it’s the same melody as “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and “Baa Baa Black Sheep,” it’s hard to trace it to its original composer.

The “Alphabet Song” is so deeply entrenched in American culture that it almost seems sacrilegious to change a piece of music that’s one of the first most of us ever learned. But after all these years, some educators are altering the classic melody so that there is a variation when the letters L-M-N-O-P are sung.

This change shocked popular TikTokker Jessica Skube, who documents life raising 7 children with her 2.6 million followers. Nearly 10 million people have watched her video revealing the significant change, and it’s received over 56,000 comments since first being published in late 2020.

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“You guys, I have huge, huge, huge, huge, huge news,” Skube told her followers. “I have a fifth grader, a fifth grader, a fourth grader, a third grader, a third grader, a first grader, and a preschooler and I just got news that the ‘Alphabet Song’ is changing.”

She then sang the updated version of the song.

@jesssfamofficial

Just to add to your 2020 🤯😱 because distance learning wasn’t enough!!! @ms_frazzled #abcsong #lmno #wtf #momsoftiktok

The big reason for the change is that people learning English, whether young kids or those who speak it as a second language, often get confused because L-M-N-O-P can sound like one letter, “elemenopee.” So, the new version breaks up that part of the alphabet, making the letters easier to understand. There has been a “surge” in the number of students learning English as a second language over the past decade, so it only makes sense to alter the song to help them learn the fundamentals of the language.

It’s believed that this new version of the song was first created by a website called Dream English in 2012.

This article originally appeared on 9.27.23