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When Lily Evans set out to walk her dog, she had no idea the story of that walk would later go viral on the internet.

When she took to Twitter to recount her experience, she opened with a simple question, one that many men have probably wondered for a long time — though women already know the answer.

(Before you click through to the thread itself, note that Lily’s Twitter account is expressly for adults and may be NSFW.)

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The walk started off normal enough. Until she ran into a seemingly friendly stranger.

A man eating on a nearby bench offered her dog, Echo, a treat.

He eventually asked her if she lived in the area — which could be considered slightly intrusive — but all in all, it was just small talk.

But then she ran into him again shortly after.

Evans says his friendly banter — maybe innocent, but more likely not — was making her incredibly uncomfortable.

And yet he continued to linger.

Then he invaded her physical space with an out-of-nowhere hug.

“I was terrified,” she wrote.

Evans hurried home, petrified the man would follow her.

He didn’t. But the experience left her shaken and upset. Worst of all, she says, she has been through this many, many times before.

Her story went viral in a hurry, with over 44,000 retweets, 68,000 likes, and thousands of comments.

“The response from other women has been pretty heartbreaking,” Evans writes in a Twitter exchange with Upworthy. “Many, many women have used this as an opportunity to share their stories of harassment, assault, or even just being very frightened.”

The replies to Evans’ tweet thread is littered with similar stories — seemingly “nice” guys on the street or public transportation who push small talk far past its acceptable boundaries.

Though she’s glad her story made other women feel more comfortable coming forward with their own experiences, Evans hopes it also leaves an impression on men who read it.

“I had several guys ask me how they can be more non-threatening, and that’s exactly what I was aiming for.”

“I got a lot of replies from men saying, ‘Oh, I’m so sorry that happened, but we aren’t all like that! Some of us are nice guys,'” she says. “And while that’s true, my point was that strangers cannot know what your intentions are until it’s too late.

She hits on an important point: It’s not inherently wrong or creepy to strike up a conversation with a stranger, but women truly never know when a simple “hi” is going to turn into them being followed and harassed.

“I had several guys ask me how they can be more non-threatening, and that’s exactly what I was aiming for,” she says. “I just want men to be more self-aware and understand that when a woman they don’t know is skittish, it’s nothing personal. We’re just trying to be safe.”

This article originally appeared on 07.18.19

A breastfeeding mother’s experience at Vienna’s Schoenbrunn Zoo is touching people’s hearts—but not without a fair amount of controversy.

Gemma Copeland shared her story on Facebook, which was then picked up by the Facebook page Boobie Babies. Photos show the mom breastfeeding her baby next to the window of the zoo’s orangutan habitat, with a female orangutan sitting close to the glass, gazing at them.

“Today I got feeding support from the most unlikely of places, the most surreal moment of my life that had me in tears,” Copeland wrote.

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“I visited Schoenbrunn zoo in Vienna whilst on a mini-break with my partner and son. We nipped in to see the orangutans at the end of our day who were happily playing in the enclosure, so I went to the window for a closer look and sat down by the window so my lb could see the orangutan who was roughly 5/6ft away. She then got up, carried a piece of cloth to the window and sat down with me. She looked directly into my eyes then placed her hand up as if to touch my son. I was in awe of this beautiful creature already.“

“My son wanted feeding and as it was quiet I fed him whilst I sat there. The way the orangutan reacted took my breath away she kept looking at me, then my son then back again,” she continued. “She sat with me for approximately half an hour, kept stroking the glass and lay down next to me as if to support and protect me.

I had to share this because my mind was blown. We may be a species apart but breastfeeding connected us today in a once in a lifetime moment that will stay with me forever. I’m also incredibly lucky that my partner caught all of this on video 💕”

The Facebook page added a story about a gorilla being taught to breastfeed by women from La Leche League, an organization dedicated to supporting breastfeeders:

“Did you know that women from La Leche League once taught a mother gorilla to breastfeed? The Mamma gorilla had been born and raised in captivity and didn’t know what to do with her firstborn, and her baby sadly died. When she next became pregnant, breastfeeding women volunteered to sit beside the gorilla’s enclosure and breastfeed their babies, showing the gorilla what to do. When the gorilla gave birth, a volunteer came over and breastfed her baby, showing Mamma gorilla what to do, step by step. Mamma gorilla watched, and then copied, and went on to successfully feed her baby “

The story has been shared more than 37,000 times, with many commenters stating how beautiful and moving it was. Others, while appreciating the beauty of the animal encounter, expressed sadness at seeing such a creature in captivity. As with practically every post about animals in zoos, debate broke out over whether or not zoos are helpful or harmful to the animals they house.

And like most debates, people’s opinions fall along a broad spectrum. Some feel that zoos are the best way for people to learn about animals first-hand, which leads them to care more about protecting them in the wild. Some acknowledge that captivity isn’t ideal, but that many animals die individually or go extinct as species without the work they do. Some feel that it’s always wrong to keep an animal in captivity, no matter what. Even animal experts don’t agree on this front.

And not all zoos are created equal. Many zoos have moved more toward a rehabilitation and conservation model, and there’s no question that many animals who have been raised in captivity would not survive if they were suddenly released into the wild. There’s also the issue of whether trying to limit natural breeding in captivity falls under the ethical treatment of animals, as breeding is a natural animal instinct. And what about the animals that have gone extinct in the wild and can only be found in zoos? There are a million questions with a million unclear answers when it comes to zoos.

However there is one thing most can agree on. Whether or not you think zoos are helpful or harmful, necessary or not, they largely exist today because of human activity mucking with nature. The same nature that compels this creature to connect with a human mother, despite her unnatural surroundings. The same nature that humans are destroying to get palm oil for our cookies and soaps, leading orangutans to the brink of extinction. The same nature that we are all responsible for protecting.

Whether we find this story sweet or sad or something in between, the reality for orangutans in the wild is worth our attention. Visit www.theorangutanproject.org/ to learn more about how to help.

This article originally appeared on 10.04.22

Anyone using the Mexico City Metro recently may have spotted an … odd seat on the train, a seat quite unlike the rest.

Instead of a back, the seat’s plastic was molded into a person’s protruding torso. And instead of a flat bottom for sitting, the seat took on the form of that person’s thighs and penis.

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Obviously, it wasn’t the most comfortable — or preferred — seat on the train for riders.

Above the seat was a sign declaring the seat “for men only.”

Another sign on the floor, legible once a person was sitting in the chair, reads (translated from Spanish): “It’s annoying to sit here, but doesn’t compare to the sexual violence women suffer on their daily trips.”

Watch a video of confused, amused, and offended passengers experiencing the seat below:

The campaign, #NoEsDeHombres, was launched by U.N. Women and authorities in Mexico City to educate men on the seriousness of sexual assault on public transit.

Mexico’s capital has a bad reputation when it comes to women’s safety, the BBC reported. A global 2014 study found Mexico City was the worst in the world in terms of verbal and physical harassment experienced on public transit.

But harassment is a problem on virtually every major city transit system — including in the U.S. Last year, a survey of Washington, D.C., transit riders found 1 in 5 users had experienced sexual harassment during their commutes, with 28% of that figure reporting having been inappropriately touched or assaulted. As you could have guessed, women were nearly three times as likely as men to experience harassment, the survey found.

Maybe a seat like this for men should be on every city train from here on out.

This article originally appeared on 03.31.17

For All The Dogs, Drake’s upcoming eighth studio album, is coming soon — but how soon? The Toronto rapper has been teasing its release all year, beginning with his Apollo Theater show in New York in January, but he still hasn’t revealed very many details about it. While on his ongoing tour with 21 Savage, It’s All A Blur, however, he did tell fans they wouldn’t have to wait “that much longer,” as he’s “finishing it up,” attributing the delay to the tour itself and promising, “it will be worth the wait.”

He made the statement after a rumor circulated online that the album would be released this past New Music Friday, August 25. However, Drake admonished the attendees for believing the speculation because “I didn’t say it was dropping last night, so don’t be mad at me. I just said it’s coming soon.” Lil Yachty, who reportedly has a production credit or two on the upcoming project, also clowned fans on Twitter and TikTok (not calling it X, not sorry), saying, “By the way, I know y’all thought For All The Dogs was coming out tonight: Joke’s on y’all because nobody ever said that it was. Gotta stop believing sh*t you see on the internet.”

As to the origin of the rumor, it appeared to have started with a photo of a supposed tweet from Amazon Music, but the tweet itself was deleted — or never existed in the first place. Something about the whole “anyone can have a verified accounts if they just pay eight bucks” thing has seriously undermined the credibility of the platform. Who’da thunk?

Anyway, we’re sure when Drake is ready to drop the album, he’ll tell us himself. ‘Til then, keep Lil Yachty’s advice in mind: take things you see online with a grain of salt — especially on social media, which has never been super reliable but has recently become a free-for-all of scammers and bots.

Sir Elton John is finished touring in the US after his Farewell Yellow Brick Road: The Final Tour, which Uproxx’s Philip Cosores reviewed at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium last November. However, John told Deadline earlier this year that “there may be the odd show” he performs in the future.

Either way, he might not be feeling up to performing for a little while.

According to Billboard this morning (August 28), the 76-year-old icon spent the night in a French hospital “following a slip at his home in the south of France on Sunday.” An unnamed representative for John confirmed as much to the publication, stating, “Elton visited the local hospital as a precautionary measure.”

The same source relayed John underwent check-ups and was “immediately discharged this morning and is now back at home and in good health.”

In September 2021, John announced he was “forced” to postpone his 2021 Farewell Yellow Brick Road dates in Europe and the UK to 2023 because he “fell awkwardly on a hard surface” at the end of that summer, leading to “considerable pain and discomfort in my hip ever since.”

“Despite intensive physio and specialist treatment, the pain has continued to get worse and is leading to increasing difficulties moving,” John wrote in a lengthy statement posted to his Instagram on September 16, 2021. “I have been advised to have an operation as soon as possible to get me back to full fitness and make sure there are no long-term complications.”

Petey is killing it right now with his 1.5 million TikTok followers and his recently inked record deal with Capitol Records. His first project for the label will be USA, his debut major-label album. He’s shared a couple songs from the album so far in “I’ll Wait” and “Did I Mention I’m Sorry.” The LP is less than a month away now and Petey has dropped a third single from the project, “Freedom To F*ck Off.”

As the title suggests, the track is all about wanting the freedom to f*ck off. He explains what that means throughout the song with lyrics like, “I need the freedom to smell bad / Cause this ain’t relaxing / Thinkin’ bout way to much in a warm bath / F*ckin’ off takes money / F*ckin’ off takes time / Been f*ckin’ off wrong my whole life.”

The song is a special one for Petey: He wrote on Instagram, “My favorite song I’ve ever written is out right now.” It’s a song he’s been playing live, too, as ahead of its release, he shared a clip of a concert performance of the track.

Listen to “The Freedom To F*ck Off” above and revisit our 2021 interview with Petey here.

USA is out 9/22 via Capitol Records. Find more information here.

You won’t be seeing Tomi Lahren at Kid Rock’s Big Honky Tonk & Steakhouse any time soon.

This weekend, the conservative commentator tweeted, “A dude drinking Bud Light says… my wife wears the pants. I said what I said.” The New York Post speculates that Lahren is referring to Kid Rock, who was recently spotted drinking a Bud Light at a Nashville concert despite his performative outrage about the beer. The “Cowboy” singer filmed himself shooting Bud Light cans over an ad campaign featuring trans activist and TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney.

Kid Rock’s commitment to the anti-Bud Light boycott was called into question further when it was learned that his Nashville restaurant, the Honky Tonk Rock & Roll Streakhouse, continued serving the beer even while country stars like Travis Tritt and John Rich vowed to opt for alternatives.

Previously, Kid Rock praised Lahren for her “racist” rant about Colin Kaepernick for kneeling during the National Anthem to protest racial injustice and police brutality. “Could not have said this any better. I am not exactly sure who this woman is, but she has a seat at my dinner table anytime she wants!” he wrote on Facebook). That invitation has probably been rescinded.

(Via the New York Post)

Cardi B fans have been waiting a long time for a full body of work from the Bronx artist. While she’s certainly been productive since releasing Invasion Of Privacy in 2018, the long list of collaborations she’s done since then has merely whet fans’ appetites for a new full-length project of Cardi’s signature sass. Her most recent singles include drops with Latto (“Put It On The Floor Again“), GloRilla (“Tomorrow 2“), FendiDa Rappa (”

https://uproxx.com/music/fendida-rappa-point-me-2-cardi-b/Point Me 2

“), and her husband Offset (“Jealousy“), but they’ve only increased the fervor for her next solo album.

To that end, fans recently got some good news. In her recent cover feature for Vogue Mexico, Cardi teased that her new album could be on the way sooner than later. While she didn’t reveal exactly when, she did say that it would come after her next single. “I’m not going to release any more collaborations, I’m going to publish my next solo single,” she said. “Now I’m working on the cover and ideas for the next album because it’s definitely coming. Everyone always tells me that I should release the album now, they did it when I launched ‘WAP’ and ‘Up,’ but I always let them know that I’m not going to wait long to release it after all these singles. So stay tuned because it’s going to come out very soon.”

Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The Jonas Brothers launched The Tour with back-to-back sold-out shows at Yankee Stadium on August 12 and 13 — the start of their most ambitious international tour yet with 54 semi-newly added dates across North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Overall, The Tour will stretch into June 2024.

So far, Nick Jonas accidentally fell into a hole in the stage but recovered impressively quickly, and the actress Sophie Turner poked fun at her husband, Joe Jonas, with a Taylor Swift-inspired friendship bracelet. Fitting, because Joe, Kevin, and Nick are in their The Eras Tour era — delivering a three-plus-hour set spanning their entire discography.

According to No-Guilt Fangirl, the Jonas Brothers have so far been taking the stage between 8 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. local time for each show.

That’s mostly corroborated by setlist.fm, where fans have recorded that the Jonas Brothers took the stage at 8:20 p.m. and 8:35 p.m. at Yankee Stadium on August 12 and 13, respectively, before starting at 8 p.m. in Boston on August 15, 8:05 p.m. in Toronto on August 19, and 8 p.m. in Chicago on August 25.

This week, The Tour will visit Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas on Wednesday, August 30, and the Minnesota State Fair in Saint Paul, Minnesota on September 1. September will also see the Jonas Brothers perform at iconic venues, such as MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. See all of their remaining dates here.

Ed Sheeran is ditching mathematics symbols for his newly announced next album, Autumn Variations, but he’s not quite done with his Mathematics Tour and Subtract Tour.

Over the weekend, the simultaneous North American treks landed in Seattle, Washington, where Sheeran promoted Autumn Variations at Starbucks. His Subtract Tour show happened on Friday, August 25, at Paramount Theatre, and then Sheeran’s Mathematics Tour lit up Lumen Field on Saturday, August 26. The latter featured proud Seattleite Macklemore.

“That was insane. 81,000 people and a Lumen Field record,” Macklemore captioned an Instagram carousel. “The entire show/production/you as a human…The best. Thank you for having me Ed.”

Macklemore and Sheeran also jointly posted an Instagram Reel that captured their performance of “Thrift Shop” and “Can’t Hold Us.” Sheeran captioned it, “What a moment, bringing out @macklemore in Seattle for a home crowd. Will never forget that energy in the stadium. Thank you Ben for your time, and your city rocks x”

On July 15, Eminem made a surprise appearance during Sheeran’s stop at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan to perform “Lose Yourself.”

Sheeran’s Mathematics Tour is scheduled to visit BC Place in Vancouver, BC on September 2, Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 9, and Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California on September 16 before its finale on September 23 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

Mirroring the Mathematics Tour schedule, Sheeran’s more intimate Subtract Tour will finish out at Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre on September 1, Oakland’s Fox Theater on September 15, and Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium on September 22.

Autumn Variations is out 9/29 via Gingerbread Man Records. Find more information here.

Ed Sheeran is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.