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On Friday, far right pundit Ben Shapiro did what many people did that day: He went to go see Barbie. Alas, he didn’t go because he was stoked to see that Ryan Gosling musical number. He went to hate-watch it, all so he could record a deranged, 43-minute video takedown about how it triggered him. Speaking of that musical number, Shapiro showed up at the theater wearing one of the outfits Gosling rocks in it. Now he’s claiming that was pure coincidence.

On Monday, after his epic video earned him widespread mockery, Shaprio went on his show to offer a clarification in his usual nasal, Micromachine Man on speed voice. He brought up an NBC News piece headlined “The Internet is Roasting Ben Shapiro for Hate-watching ‘Barbie’ — While Dressed Like Ken.”

“Apparently being dressed like Ken now amounts to you wear black jeans and a black shirt,” Shapiro explained with rapid-fire delivery that’s a pain to transcribe.

Shapiro also addressed people dragging him, an adult male pushing 40, setting a Barbie doll ablaze at the video’s start, to which he had an interesting comparison.

“The reaction to me burning a Barbie car, with a Barbie and Ken in it, is like when someone burns a Quran in Sweden,” he said. “It’s totally crazy. Like, wow, guys, wow.”

He also laughed about getting death threats. “I’m not kidding you,” he said. “There are people on Twitter who are literally tweeting out about, like, ‘Can we do something about this Shapiro?’ Like, over a Barbie movie?”

Yes, it sure is strange that people are getting so worked up about a movie with a possibly record amount of pink. But it also tells women to stand up to tyrannical men, so maybe that’s the reason the far right’s so worked up.

As Adele sang in her beloved song “Someone Like You,” sometimes relationships last in love. But sometimes, they hurt instead. Steve Lacy’s Grammy Award-winning album, Gemini Rights, explores the latter at great length, especially on his track “Helmet.” To celebrate the LP’s one-year anniversary, Lacy belatedly dropped the official video for the track.

The video, directed by Aus Taylor, is an in-depth look at healing from a toxic romantic breakup. As Lacy struggles to regain his footing, he aimlessly wanders around his bedroom, searching for something to distract him from the pain. However, he quickly learned that the world doesn’t stop revolving just because he’s sad.

At one point he sings, “I tried to play pretend / Try not to see the end (ah) / But I couldn’t see you the way you saw me / Now I can feel the waste on me / I tried my best to be worth all your while / You just gotta let me go as I’m tryna let go of you.” It’s his way of saying that ending the relationship was for the best.

Throughout the “Helmet” video, viewers are reminded just how introspective Lacy’s work is — an attribute that made people fall in love with him in the first place.

Watch the full video for “Helmet” above.

Gemini Rights is out now via RCA Records. Find more information here.

Walking through the Nashville airport, I am surrounded by bachelorette shashes, sequined cowboy hats, guitar cases, and American flags. In many ways, it is just what you’d expect Nashville to be. The “Country Music Capital of the US” is legendary for music, brew tours, country tourism cosplay, and bachelor/bachelorette parties as far as the eye can see – mostly centered around Broadway, the major entertainment district. Dotted with honky tonks, celebrity-backed bars/restaurants, boot shops, and rooftops – Broadway is, as they say, quite a scene.

And I am not opposed to Broadway – it has its place –, but as I’ve spent more time in the city, I have been searching for the perfect medium. I want to be close to the action without getting stuck in pedal bar traffic or a gaggle of bridesmaids on the way back to my hotel.

That’s why I love The Gulch. Situated within walking distance of downtown Nashville, The Gulch has a decidedly sleeker, more upscale vibe. The former industrial area is now a trendy and stylish sought-after neighborhood for locals and visitors alike. With incredible bars, restaurants, and shops, it is the perfect place to stay in Nashville, with access to everything you want or need.

I loved staying at the Thompson Nashville, which is directly in the action of The Gulch, on a recent trip. Here is why:

WHY IT’S AWESOME:

I love a hotel that has it all – while still feeling boutiquey and exclusive. Beyond just a place to sleep, but restaurants, bars, and lounge space — you get the idea. And Thompson Nashville checks all the boxes. The sleek design is evident the second you walk through the doors into the spacious lobby, then on to the rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows and modern design.

The customer service is impeccable, from check-in to coffee, drinks, and dinner. It lives up to its luxury description – without breaking the bank.

IN-HOUSE FOOD AND DRINK:

KILLEBREW COFFEE

The Nashville-based Killebrew Coffee has a gorgeous physical cafe on the lobby level of Thompson Nashville. The popular coffee company — for locals and visitors alike — offers delicious coffees, small bites, and on-the-go fare. I loved my vanilla latte and biscuit with jam.

L.A. JACKSON

Nothing is better than asking a local where to go in a new place, and their recommendation matches what you’ve already planned. It’s even better when it’s just a few floors above your hotel room. That’s just what happened with L.A. Jackson. The rooftop bar at Thompson Nashville was repeatedly recommended for great cocktails, panoramic views, and vibes.

After visiting, I completely understand why. The service was the best I had encountered on my trip, and my specialty cocktail was perfect. I loved watching a storm roll over the city before ducking into the well-designed space to mingle with the chill crowd.

MARSH HOUSE

As a solo traveler, I often find myself dining solo at upscale restaurants (it’s a tough job, but someone has to do it, am I right?). But it’s not as often that I immediately text my coupled-up friends after, exclaiming that they “HAVE TO have a date night here.” And it wasn’t just the result of the two glasses of the sommelier-recommended wine – it was the entire experience I had at Marsh House.

Service responsibly sourced and sustainable seafood with a Southern twist; I enjoyed the Blackened Swordfish with butter bean cassoulet, crispy rice, and herb aioli and followed it up with an espresso brownie that has been in my dreams ever since.

AMENITIES:

• Digital Check In
• Fitness Center
• In-house restaurant, cocktail bar, and coffee bar
• Concierge
• Pet-friendly
• EV charging
• Rooftop bar
• Luxury Sferra bedding
• D.S. and Durga toiletries

ROOM TYPES:

Thompson Nashville has a wide variety of configurations within its 224 rooms. I loved staying in a corner King with incredible floor-to-ceiling window views, a comfy bed, mid-century decor, wood floors, and a luxurious bathroom with a rainfall shower. The honor bar, robe, and entryway were all elevated touches.

You can also opt for double rooms, and several suite types, including the 1,298-square-foot Penthouse.

BEST THINGS TO DO/EAT/DRINK WITHIN A 10-MINUTE WALK:

Explore The Gulch, of course! There is enough to keep visitors busy in this trendy neighborhood just south of downtown. Go shopping – stop at Rustler Hat Co. and customize a Stetson for a true Nashville experience – or stop by one of the many popular bars and restaurants. I loved getting pizza and sangria at Emmy Squared and a lavenderfrosé at The Co-Op Frosé and Eatery – yes, an entire bar dedicated to frosé. Great art galleries and murals are everywhere in The Gulch, making it an Instagrammer’s dream.

BEST THING TO DO WITHIN A $10 CAB RIDE:

So I know I spent the last 800 words urging you to get off Broadway and into The Gulch, but if you have more time – I’d still pop over to downtown and the Broadway district. Thompson Nashville is within walking or a short Uber distance to the Nashville entertainment epicenter, where you can spend time at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Ryman Auditorium, or at one of the many honky tonks.

I loved visiting the Johnny Cash Museum – home of the world’s largest collection of Johnny Cash memorabilia and artifacts, before heading next door for a meat and three along with live music at Johnny Cash Bar & BBQ (big Cash fan, what can I say?).

After a quick jaunt down Broadway, I popped into the impressive National Museum of African American Music – the “only museum dedicated to preserving and celebrating the many music genres created, influenced, and inspired by African Americans” – where I spent hours following the interactive exhibits and curated collections.

BED GAME: 9/10

A hotel can be luxurious in aesthetics and have every amenity, but if the bed isn’t right, it won’t matter. I’m happy to report that the large King bed in my room at Thompson Nashville was the perfect respite after days of walking all over town in the sun. The mattress was perfectly soft, and the luxury linens felt like a treat.

The wooden headboard was stylish, and I loved having a city view from bed.

SEXINESS RATING: 9/10

This might be the highest I’ve rated a hotel in this series on “sexiness,” but that is not a fluke. Thompson Nashville is refined and stylish while also having an air of sexiness that is hard to describe until you see it yourself. This is a place for singles and couples who enjoy luxury and service but want something special.

VIEWS/PIC SPOTS:

This spot is an Instagrammers dream, without being cheesy. That’s how I learned about it – scrolling through social. The lobby is exquisite, the restaurant is upscale, dark, and moody, the rooms are light and luxurious, and the rooftop bar is the perfect spot to catch the sunset with a view. You really can’t go wrong here.

BEST SEASON TO VISIT:

Nashville is a great place to visit in all seasons, but most of the action/festivals occur in April- October. If you aren’t interested in the humid heat, I would aim for a spring or fall visit.

IF I HAD TO COMPLAIN ABOUT ONE THING:

There isn’t anything to complain about here. It hit every box I was looking for – and then some – for a hotel in Nashville. There is no pool on the property – and with so much to do nearby, I understand why – but that may be important to some guests.

Book here.

INSTAGRAM IMAGES TAKEN AT THOMPSON NASHVILLE:

The biggest movie in the world right now is director Greta Gerwig’s follow-up to Little Women, and ain’t that grand? Alas, not everyone’s a fan of Barbie. The far right has lost their marbles over an aggressively pink comedy with strong feminist bona fides (plus some nothingburger business about a map that’s enraged Ted Cruz). And yet the movie is if anything even more popular in red states than in blue, which has left Fox News hosts scratching their heads.

A segment on America’s Newsroom was devoted to the comedy’s command performance at the box office this weekend. Unlike others on the right, the hosts weren’t necessarily down on the movie. But they were surprised at a map that showed it was somehow more popular in non-Democrat-dominated states, where Oppenheimer has the edge.

“I don’t know what’s going on down South,” said Daa Perino. “They like this Barbie movie a lot.”

Taylor Riggs argued that it shows those states are a “little more fun,” preferring it to a three-hour panic attack about the birth of atomic warfare.

But Bill Hemmer couldn’t get over the map, asking, “What’s going on” with Barbie’s Red state popularity?”

“I think people in the South like to party,” joked former MTV VJ Kennedy. “And people in the North, you know. They maybe have a little bit of intellectual guilt about the way Western civilization has unfolded.”

Earlier in the segment, Kennedy praised both Barbie and Oppenheimer for being “completely authentic,” she said. “They know their audience, and they’re giving them a multi-dimensional experience that they can be completely attached to and invested in.

“You have something for both types of movie fans,” she continued. “You have a big bubblegum experience where you get to dress up, and then you have something for the intellectual crowd that lets you think and reflect and appreciate history with phenomenal performances, writing, and directing. So it’s rare that all of those things happen at once, but we will take the perfect storm.”

Shocked as they were by red states embracing an openly feminist movie about a doll line, the hosts’ responses were a marked change from others in the party. That includes Ben Shapiro, an adult man pushing 40 who over the weekend released a 43-minute diatribe in which he even burns a Barbie doll. It’s almost as though they’re huffing and puffing about destructive “woke” stuff is falling on deaf ears.

(Via Mediaite)

Eating an early dinner has always been a stereotype associated with older, retired people who don’t have to worry about work schedules and traffic. Plus, older people tend to have an early-to-bed, early-to-rise schedule and are more concerned about thoroughly digesting their meals before hitting the hay.

But an unexpected change in the great American culture means that older people and Gen Zers are more likely to fight each other for a 5 p.m. reservation at their local diner. A recent story in The Wall Street Journal shows that an increasing number of Americans are going out to dinner earlier.

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According to Yelp data cited by the WSJ, restaurants currently seat 10% of diners between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. That number has doubled since 2019 when only 5% of people went to restaurants between those hours. People are also taking Ubers to dinner earlier these days, with a 10% jump in rides between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. and a 9% drop in those after 8 p.m.

— (@)

The trend has also caught on in New York City, which, at one time, was known for being a city that never sleeps. RESY reports that reservations across New York City made at 5:30 p.m. have jumped from 7.75% to 8.31% over the past two years, while 8 p.m. reservations have fallen to 7.8%, down from 8.31%.

So what has happened? Have Americans been so run down by the last few years that they’re now acting like their grandparents? Is it more important to binge TV before bedtime than burn the midnight oil with friends? The Robb Report attributes the change to hybrid work. These days 34% of people work from home most of the time, so they can leave the house a lot earlier than before. Plus, when you’re cooped up in your house all day it’s nice to get out and enjoy a bite to eat as soon as possible.

Broadway has adapted to the new trend by scheduling its performances earlier in the day. Movie theaters accommodate the new early-bird lifestyle by adding more early screenings and canceling those that run late at night.

Devorah Lev-Tov from RESY New York applauds the change. “A few years ago, we would’ve joked about dining with all the old folks or being condemned to screaming children. Yet now, 5 or 5:30 p.m. is my preferred time to dine … And I’m not alone,” Lev-Tov writes.

According to research, this new change in the American lifestyle could benefit our collective health.

A study published by Cell Metabolism found that people who eat all their meals within a 10-hour window and finish dinner earlier in the day are less hungry, burn calories faster and have a lower risk for obesity.

This rapid change in America’s dining habits shows how sometimes the things we think are deeply embedded in our culture can easily change overnight. The next question is, will brunch still be brunch when people begin eating it at 7:30 a.m.? Because then it’s just breakfast, and drinking champagne for breakfast feels uncouth. But then again, that could change, too.

Grammy Award-winning singer and Sing 2 actress Tori Kelly has been gearing up for her big return to music. In March, after she hinted that fans would be treated to a taste of her R&B side, the musician released her latest single, “Missing U.” However, her plans to jump into the fast-paced marketing cycle for her forthcoming album might have just been put on hold.

According to TMZ, Kelly has reportedly been rushed to the hospital after she collapsed while attending dinner with friends. The outlet alleges that she frightened her confidants after suddenly appearing unresponsive. A source said that instead of her friends calling for an ambulance to transport her to the closest medical facility, Kelly was carried and then loaded into a personal vehicle to avoid a delay in treatment.

The same source went on to say that Kelly was taken to Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, California, due to the facility’s expertise in treating blood clots, which supposedly led to Kelly’s sudden collapse. An authorized representative for Kelly has not yet issued a statement about the reports. However, the source ensured that while receiving care, medical staff discovered clots in several parts of Kelly’s body, including her legs and lungs.

If you’re out in public and notice a pair of colorfully-clad Black girls just take off running while rapping about synonyms, Kanekalon, and cinnamon, don’t panic. That’s probably just Flyana Boss, the rising new rap duo currently taking over timelines with an endless supply of video clips promoting their ultra-viral June single, “You Wish.”

When I say “taking over,” I mean it. The group’s videos, in which they run toward the camera while rapping their cheeky lyrics, are bound to appear on nearly every social media platform’s endless scroll with enough swiping. And, given every platform has adopted some version of TikTok’s signature move, that’s a lot of engagement for the quirky duo. The places they’ve taken over include a grocery store, the Happiest Place on Earth, and even the headquarters of Google and TikTok.

Now, they’re facing down the bog standard accusations of being “industry plants” — they’ve been signed since 2019, but are only just now gaining traction despite what they call some “baby viral” moments. Obviously, it takes a while to catch on, and once you do, the haters are bound to come calling.

But what struck me about the duo — which consists of two best friends, Folayan Kunerede of Dallas (she’s the one with bleached eyebrows usually wearing elf ears) and Bobbi LaNea (swimmin’ in deals like Michael Phelps) from Detroit — is just how keyed-in they appear to be with not only the youth zeitgeist, but also the true spirit of old-school hip-hop.

During a Zoom interview with Flyana Boss, I mention how their creative incorporation of nursery rhymes harkens back to a simpler time, echoing the back-and-forth rhymes of groups like Run-DMC or Beastie Boys. They note in return that it’s all intentional. With the 50th anniversary of hip-hop coming up, their sudden glow-up appears to be very much right on time.

Throughout our interview, it’s clear that their friendship is no gimmick or label-forged connection. These two genuinely enjoy each other, bouncing off each other’s energy for a fun, kinetic conversation that covers everything from viral fame to anime. For a pair of self-declared “weird Black girls” who insist they’re introverts, they prove as captivating in conversation as their viral videos.

How do people react when you just take off running in these public places?

Folayan: So we’re in the mode, so we don’t really pay attention.

Bobbi: We’re laser vision.

Folayan: But we notice that people usually move out of our way. That’s one. Smile or…

Bobbi: And every now and then it’s like, “Stop running.”

Has anyone recognized you before you started running and been like, “It’s those girls, it’s those girls?”

Bobbi: Yes, absolutely.

Folayan: So every time we run, we at least get three people come up to us either before or after, during, whatever, just to say, “Oh my God, I love you guys.”

Bobbi: Or “Y’all about to run? Are y’all about to run?” And we’re like, “Yeah.”

Folayan: You’ll be like, “You want to be in the video?”

The thing that really caught my attention when I started seeing you guys over and over again was the look. I think that people are attracted to the look of the group, particularly the elf ears. You look like you escaped from Anime Expo and you’re trying to get away as hard as you can. What inspires the look behind you guys’ elf ears, bleached eyebrows?

Folayan: Yeah, exactly. I love anime.

Bobbi: She’s an anime queen.

Folayan: We also just love the beauty supply.

Bobbi: Beauty supply stores, seeing new packs of hair, seeing new accessories. So it’s just whatever we’re feeling at that time.

Folayan: But we’ve always decorated ourselves throughout our whole entire lives.

Bobbi: And it’s an important expression for both of us.

Folayan: Especially being from African descent, decorating yourself, it’s been a part of our culture for centuries. We just add colors in it and stuff.

Bobbi: We just modernize.

I actually asked this cousin of mine who I love dearly with all my heart, what questions she would ask you guys. Because she thinks you guys are the best. She wants to know what kind of nerdy stuff you guys are into, and if you are, what fictional world would you want to run through for “You Wish?”

Bobbi: That’s a good question. She is really more traditionally nerdy than I am. I nerd out over Motown documentaries and stuff like that.

Folayan: But she’s a pop history nerd.

Bobbi: I nerd out on music stats and facts.

Folayan: And how people developed their careers. And she can tell you stories about Marilyn Monroe.

Bobbi: Everyone. So that’s what I nerd out. But she is like a traditional… You have traditional nerd things like anime.

Folayan: Or video games. So I think I would want to run through, there’s a video game called League of Legends. So I would want to run through the League of Legends Rift, the world.

Bobbi: I would want to run through Oz, but The Wiz Oz.

After watching both Arcane and The Wiz, both of those are a “no” for me. Flyana Boss is such a cool name. I’m always a big fan of rap names that are puns of real people’s names. Are you allowed to reveal which of you came up with Flyana Boss, and what were some of the rejected names?

Folayan: So Bobbi came up with Flyana Boss. She had a dream, and she woke up and there’s this poster of Diana Ross in her room. And so she was like, “Flyana Boss.” But the other contenders were Double Dare.

Bobbi: Double D, because we’re both from D cities.

Folayan: Halle Berry.

Bobbi: Just Halle Berry. Right out, no pun.

That just would have been confusing!

Bobbi: Do you remember? I think I wrote down Flower Power or something like that too. Wow. I had this notebook when I was by myself writing out these names and seeing how they looked.

Folayan: You probably still have it.

Bobbi: I probably have it somewhere. But I woke up from this slumber after we were brainstorming all day, and then I was like, “Diana Ross. Flyana Boss.” And it just came to me. And I texted her right away. I was like, “What do you think of Flyana Boss?”

Folayan: I was like, “Love it.” She actually said Cryana Boss or Flyana Boss, because we’re emotional beings. But we were like, “Let’s go on the positive side and let’s go Flyana Boss.”

So while “You Wish” is the one that’s getting a lot of attention, I did go back and scan through the discography proper. There’s this one called “Miss Me” that I thought was really, really fun. Can you tell me a little bit more about that one?

Bobbi: We wrote it during Covid.

Folayan: My brother produced it alongside with our executive producer, Marky Style. And it’s just a silly fun song. I love Shrek. So there’s a part in Shrek where they’re like, “They’ll grind his bones to make your bread.”

Bobbi: No, there’s so many good lines in there.

Folayan: So we were just like, “Let’s go fairytale. Let’s go just bad bitch fairytale.”

Bobbi: This is one of the songs, this is our voice memo days. So she pulled the beat up that her brother sent, got on her phone, and rapped, “Fee fi fo fum.” And then she sent it to me. I’m like, “This shit is hard. I need to write another verse right now.” So then that’s how that went.

Folayan: And so this was our first little bubbly moment on social media.

Bobbi: We call it baby viral. That’s when we went baby viral.

It reminded me a lot of the olden days of hip-hop. So you guys probably think I’m old, but I remember when I thought Run-DMC was back in the day. And they used to just rap nursery rhyme stuff. There’s this wholesome back-to-basics approach that you guys are almost supplying.

Folayan: There’s a Run-DMC song, it’s like, “Peter Piper picked a pepper, but Run rapped rhymes…” We love studying the old stuff that’s also very quirky and cool.

Bobbi: And we like paying tribute to what hip-hop truly is. Also, we like making puns too, in references to all these fairytales. We love that because it’s something familiar to the ear.

That’s what I like to hear. I like it when there’s an exchange between the generations rather than, “You kids need to grow up,” and “Well, you old people need to let us live.”

Bobbi: We don’t feel that way about any. We love the old school. We love what people are doing now. I’m sure when we’re old, we’re going to love what the kids are doing. We’re not judgy like that. It’s expression. It’s music. Wow, it’s such a great opportunity to be able to create music in itself. So, anybody who does that, my hat goes off to you.

Folayan: And the hip-hop world is so eclectic and beautiful and silly and fun.

Bobbi: It’s not just one thing.

Folayan: It’s not just serious all the time. It’s a whole world. So we’re happy we can be even a little bit part of it.

So what makes y’all “weird Black girls?”

Folayan: We just feel like we have a lot of quirks. We don’t necessarily fit the archetype that’s being painted in mainstream media of what Black girls are or who Black girls are.

Bobbi: Exactly. Blackness in general is not a monolith at all. We come in all different shapes and sizes just like any other group. But it does seem like sometimes, especially for Black women, it’s an even narrower viewpoint that you get. So we want to represent everything outside of that narrow box.

Folayan: And there’s so many of us everywhere, and I think that’s why it’s taking off right now because there’s so many of us.

Bobbi: Which is what we wanted. We always knew there was an audience out there for us, even though we don’t do stripper rap or gangster rap. We knew there was an audience out there. So every time we see people make a video —

Folayan: It’s so cool.

Bobbi: It’s so exciting because they look like us. They’re weird like us.

Conservatives are incensed about Barbie right now, but, as always, they have plenty more anger to go around. In fact, they’re also losing their stuff over Disney’s in-the-works live action redo of Snow White. Why are they so mad? Because, partially thanks to Peter Dinklage, the seven dwarves are no longer dwarves. And Snow White? She’s no longer white, even though, name be damned, there’s no reason she has to be. But tell that to a recent Fox News guest.

On Monday, Outkick host Charly Arnolt joined host John Roberts to talk about how Hollywood movies haven’t been doing so well in one of its once-mighty markets, China. The problem, Arnolt claims? They’re too “woke,” thus driving away audiences. She cites The Little Mermaid, whose crime was casting a Black actress, Hailey Bailey, to play Ariel — a move that got Bailey pelted with all manner of racist attacks.

Arnolt then moved onto the Snow White remake, which stars West Side Story’s Rachel Zegler, a Latinx actress. That — and her revamped septet of companions — made her furious.

“The seven dwarves aren’t even dwarves anymore because they thought that to be too politically incorrect. Snow White is not even a white woman anymore, even though her name is Snow White,” Arnolt railed.

“We’re just going too far out of the way to make things super diverse and inclusive,” she continued. “It’s no longer about high-quality film production anymore or entertainment.”

Arnolt’s comments went viral, leading to many jokes about her thinking a character’s name requires a certain skin color.

Some saw it as part of a long-standing trend of far right pundits going nuclear over non-real characters.

The new Snow White is due in theaters on March 22 of next year. Perhaps by then the GOP will have calmed down about who plays a fictional character in a movie meant for kids. Or not.

(Via Raw Story)

As a beauty influencer, Sabrina Hassan is no stranger to creating viral makeup videos on TikTok. But one video that’s taking off is more than just a beauty tutorial.

The clip, watched over 7 million times, shows Hassan giving a spontaneous makeover to Linda, an older woman she just met on their shared flight via American Airlines. It’s an interaction full of smiles, warmth, laughter, connection…all the feels promised by a makeover scene in a movie, really.

“She’s an Instagram make-up artist, so I made her do my make-up!” Linda says with a chuckle to the flight attendant as Hassan dabs her cheeks with blush and paints her lips with a sheer rosy tinted gloss.

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Those who watched the clip couldn’t help but be moved by how these two women from completely different walks of life were able to effortlessly bond over the simple joys of beautification.

“Moments like this make me love being a girl,” one person wrote.

Another seconded, “Glad we have phones to capture moments like these.”

Watch below. The moment Linda gets oh so excited with the spray makeup is the epitome of wholesome.

@sabrinaahassann

The nicest lady ever we bonded the whole plane ride 🫶🏽🩷🤍😭

♬ Let The Light In – Lana Del Rey

The sweet interaction turned out to be healing for both Linda and Hassan.

In an interview with Insider, Linda, 56, shared that she had recently been undergoing chemotherapy due to stage 4 colon cancer, and because of that hasn’t been able to wear much makeup, which has taken a toll on her self-esteem.

“I’ve lost my eyebrows, I’ve lost my eyelashes, and I can’t really wear mascara. My skin looks like I have a sunburn all the time. I don’t look like my former self. But that day on the plane, Sabrina made me feel like I was that woman again,” she recalled.

At the same time, Hassan told Insider that she was dealing with her own self-worth issues during their flight.

The 23-year-old was flying into California, where she would be doing makeup in front of other people—including other influencers. She revealed to Linda that the upcoming event was making her nervous. But after receiving such a hype up from her seat mate, those feelings of doubt soon dissipated to uncover a new sense of purpose.

“My favorite part of this was being able to help let Linda know that she is beautiful,” Hassan told Insider. “I had no idea I could change her life the way she changed mine. I wish everybody could meet her.”

And thus, the two women reclaimed their confidence, thanks to a totally impromptu moment. The unlikely friends hope to reconnect again in the near future and hope their story inspires others to simply spread kindness.

@sabrinaahassann

Found this and smiled 🩷🥹🥲

♬ these videos are adorable – 🪶starling

As Linda said to Insider: “Everybody is fighting some kind of battle that you can’t see. My battle is a little bit more apparent. Sometimes I use a walker. I’ve gained almost 70 pounds since I started treatment. It’s been extremely traumatic. But then there’s Sabrina, who on the outside looks like she has everything. She’s young, she’s beautiful—so it’s shocking that she was feeling nervous and insecure.”

In a time when headlines of unsavory airplane etiquette run rampant on the internet, refreshing anecdotes like these are a lovely reminder that the friendly skies do still exist. The stresses of traveling can certainly bring out the worst in all of us, but at the end of the day, I think it’s safe to say we would prefer to create endearing memories just like Hassan and Linda. Perhaps all that takes is a little kindness…and a great contour.

Way back in 2015, The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus received his own hog-focused road-trip series, Ride With Norman Reedus. The show is still kicking and hasn’t yet been eclipsed by fellow franchise stars’ own AMC reality series, including Colman Domingo’s Bottomless Brunch At Colman’s and Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Friday Night In With The Morgans. Perhaps that’s because Reedus’ series theme appears to go hand in hand with Daryl Dixon’s own preference for riding, which is one of the reasons why the previews for the Daryl In Paris spinoff have been somewhat confusing due to no motorcycle or Vespa on the scene.

Still, never fear because Reedus himself keeps riding even when Daryl does not, and somehow, his motorcycle series is now in Season 6 and will continue to air after The Walking Dead Shows, which keep multiplying and extending themselves with every given update. There are so many more stories of humanity among the undead coming your way, but in the meantime, here’s ^^^ a trailer, which proves that Keanu Reeves is aboard as a guest.

From this season’s synopsis, which sounds like the rest of the show, only with Keanu and a Jackass star in tow:

Join Walking Dead star and motorcycle enthusiast Norman Reedus on epic road trips around the world.  Each episode features Reedus and a riding companion – a fellow actor, musician, or friend, exploring local culture and seeking adventure on the road. Guests this season include Keanu Reeves, Adri Law, Josh Holloway and Johnny Knoxville.

Ride with Norman Reedus returns on September 10.