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This article originally appeared on 04.15.16

What are women up to when no one is watching?

Artwork courtesy of Sally Nixon, used with permission.

Well, take a look at Sally Nixon’s illustrations and you’ll see.

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The subjects in her artwork aren’t aware we’re looking at them.

And that’s the point. They’re living in a world free from the pressures that exist in the real one.

“I like drawing girls doing their everyday routine — just hanging out, not worried about what others are thinking,” Nixon told Upworthy. “They’re usually alone or with other girls. Their guard is down.”

Editor’s note: An image below contains partial nudity.

Capturing her subjects in this liberated light wasn’t intentional at first, she explained.

But when she started a 365-day challenge last April to create one art piece a day, the work started reflecting the nuances of her own life away from prying eyes — “I was kind of like, ‘Oh, I’m brushing my teeth, so I’ll draw that.'” — and a theme began to form.Her illustrations show how women look, away from the exhausting world where they’re often judged more harshly than men.

You also might notice none of the girls in her illustrations are smiling.

According to Nixon, that’s a deliberate choice.

“I don’t sit around smiling to myself,” Nixon said, noting the double standard that exists in thinking women should always appear cheerful.

“I’ve been told, ‘You need to smile more.’ It’s so infuriating. I wanted to show the way girls actually look, comfortably.”

The theme of friendship is also an important one in Nixon’s drawings.

“I have four older sisters, so female friendship has always been a big part of my life,” Nixon told The Huffington Post. “You gotta have someone to talk about periods with, and dudes just don’t get it.”

Creating relatable scenes was key to Nixon, too — from the details of women’s lives to the physical shapes of their bodies.

“It’s important that the women I draw aren’t rail thin with huge boobs,” Nixon said. “I think there are enough images of bodies like that out in the world. The ladies I draw typically have small-ish, droopy breasts and thick thighs. They’re kind of lumpy but in an attractive way. Just like real people.”

The women in Nixon’s work aren’t real, but she hopes their stories are.

“One of my absolute favorite comments [on my work] is, ‘Oh my God, it’s me!'” she explained of the depictions.

“There’s a little bit of beauty in [everyday life] and I wanted to bring that out.”

You can view more of Nixon’s artwork on her website and check out her prints for purchase on Etsy.

The artist best known as Christine And The Queens has been in the midst of change lately. Chris, as he is also known, announced Redcar Les Adorables Étoiles, his first album as Redcar, in July. Chris also noted he’s now using he/him pronouns (which is currently reflected on his social media pages) and has expanded more on that in a recent TikTok video.

In the clip, Chris speaks in his native French and as Billboard notes, he notes he has identified as a man for some time now. He says, “I’ve been a man for a year now — a little more officially in my family and in my relationship. It is a long process.”

In a New York Times interview from earlier this year, Chris also noted, “My journey with gender has always been tumultuous. It’s raging right now, as I’m just exploring what is beyond this. A way to express it could be switching between ‘they’ and ‘she.’ I kind of want to tear down that system that made us label genders in such a strict way. I remember talking about being pansexual in France in 2014 — it was a conversation that few opened up, and I was advised in, like, offices to maybe tone it down. I’m really trying to address it the right way now, and I’ve been sometimes pressured to give an answer. But I think the answer is to be flickery, fluid, escaping.”

Every series could use Jeffrey Dean Morgan as a guest star. He stole the show on the final season of The Good Wife, he became a fan favorite on Supernatural, and who could forget how whirlwind romance with Katherine Heigl on season two of Grey’s Anatomy? Now, Morgan has achieved the world’s highest honor: a recurring guest star slot on the upcoming season of The Boys.

Morgan will reunite with Supernatural creator Erik Kripke for the upcoming fourth season of the superhero series The Boys on Amazon Prime, which just began filming this week. His character remains under wraps but rumors of a guest appearance have been swirling for some time now, as Morgan has been an outspoken fan of the show.

Earlier this year, Kripke admitted that Morgan was in talks to join the series for the upcoming season. He told E! News, “[Morgan] is a superfan of the show, so he and I are talking. We’re trying to figure out something for season four. Nothing finalized yet, but he and I are chatting and e-mailing and seeing it we can make it work with his busy schedule. So, stay tuned on that.” Clearly, begging and waiting works!

After spending the last five years on The Walking Dead, Morgan is set to star in the upcoming spinoff Dead City sometime in 2023. This guy is busy!

(Via Deadline)

Earlier this year, Megan Thee Stallion sued her label, 1501 Certified Entertainment. Despite having a very successful career to date, the Houston rapper had previously expressed discontent with her record deal after hiring Roc Nation management.

According to Megan, there were a number of terms in the contract that she felt gave 1501 profits from her music the company didn’t deserve — including from such peripheral revenue streams as merch and touring. Things came to a head in March when Megan filed her lawsuit, asking a court to rule that her 2021 release, Something For Thee Hotties, had fulfilled the terms of her contract. In short, she wants to be released from 1501 ASAP.

However, 1501 countersued, arguing that Something For Thee Hotties should not count as an album, because it was not made up of all original material. Meg says that shouldn’t matter because it fulfills the length requirements set forth in the contract and should count as her fourth album, satisfying the five-album term of the contract. Even without it, she feels the recently released Traumazine would also count. After Traumazine‘s release, Megan amended her lawsuit, adding a request for $1 million from 1501, saying that the label hadn’t given her all the royalties she was owed for the albums she created in her time there.

On Twitter, Megan defended her lawsuit reasoning, asserting that her success was self-made and that 1501 did not have as great a hand in her career as its founder, Carl Crawford, has said. If the two sides can’t come to an agreement — which doesn’t seem likely, considering this dispute has been going on since 2020 — it’ll likely come down to a judge to determine whether Megan gets off 1501, 1501 gets a cut of Meg’s merch profits, or Meg gets $1 million from 1501.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Whitney announced their new album Spark in June, the follow-up to 2020’s Candid. The lead single “Real Love” showcased the duo moving in a poppier direction, and “Twirl” and “Blue” ventured further into that sonic palette. Today, they’re back with “Memory” and “County Lines.”

The tracks continue to emanate a colorful pop aura, retaining an infectious groove and catchy melodies despite their dark subject matter, such as mortality and loss.

“The lyrics of ‘Memory’ illustrate someone processing and eventually accepting their fear of death,” the band explained in a statement. “Halfway through writing the song our bandmate Will Miller sent along the chords for what would become the outro of the song without ever hearing ‘Memory.’ It was one of those harmonious moments where two separate ideas somehow fit together immediately. The final third speaking to the afterlife in a way we wouldn’t have been able to match with words.”

They’re set to head out on a tour this fall; they recently announced a North American run spanning from late September to late October, and they’ll definitely be bringing these new tunes to fans.

Listen to “Memory” above and “County Lines” below.

Spark is out 9/16 via Secretly Canadian. Pre-order it here.

Is Warner Brothers/Discovery going to discover that there are consequences to shelving projects that dozens and dozens of people worked on for months, even years just to save not even that much money? Probably not. In these times, it’s hard to be an optimist, but people involved are speaking out.

In Batgirl, which the studio shelved after it was already made, Aquino plays Alysia Yeoh, Barbara Gordon’s trans roommate. The character was introduced in the “Batgirl” comics in 2011, and the film marked the first time a trans character would appear in a DC film. Earlier this week, there were reports of secret Batgirl screenings on the Warner Brothers studio lot. A source told The Hollywood Reporter that the film would be locked in a vault after these “funeral screenings.” In an open letter shared on her personal Twitter account addressed to Discovery head David Zaslav, Aquino asked for the film to see the light of day.

“As much as I’ve tried my best to be strong these past few weeks, I’d find myself crying, for lack of a better term, from grief, and tonight was one of those nights. As much as Batgirl has been labeled a woke film, it simply came together that way because of writing that reflects the world we live in.” Aquino wrote. “I’ve found myself not being able to talk about this ordeal with anyone. I realized that no one, apart from those involved with the film, would truly understand what we’re feeling. And talking about it with my castmates, I feel, might be akin to rubbing salt on a still-open wound,” she continued.

Aquino shared that the film, which was a father-daughter story, was important to her because her father passed away shortly before she was cast in the film. She also thanked the cast and crew of Batgirl, including it star Leslie Grace, and closed the letter with a more direct message to Zaslav. “I do hope you get to read this letter. Consider releasing Batgirl. She’s always been an underdog and has nowhere to go but up.”

Even if you don’t agree with Joe Biden’s decision to offer a modest amount of student loan forgiveness to millions of Americans who need it — some of them desperately — “disgusting” probably isn’t the first word that comes to mind when describing the president’s benevolent financial act. After all, the government has been bailing far less deserving people and entities out of debt for years. But “disgusting” is exactly the word Judge Jeanine Pirro used to describe it, which probably isn’t all that shocking.

As Mediaite reports, Pirro and her co-hosts on The Five discussed the matter on Wednesday, with Judge Jeanine leading the proceedings:

This is a giveaway to a group of people the president needs to get elected. The sad part is there’s no talk of responsibility, no talk about contract law, the fact that you went in and you said you wanted to borrow money, you signed on the dotted line, you agreed to pay. You live in an economy, Joe Biden, that you’re bragging about — that’s so terrific that there’s no problem. If you want a job, you can get a job. And yet they’re saying, ‘Look, if you’re in a household of up to $250,000, you know, we’ll give you $10,000 [or] $20,000 if you can’t pay back your student loans.’

What about the senior citizens? What about the veterans? What about the people who really need it?

Pirro — who might be shocked to learn that there are also programs in place to help those very people she claims “need it” — failed to mention that the average American carries approximately $32,731 in student loan debt. And while that may not sound like a lot in the grand scheme of things, it generally takes an individual between 10 and 30 years to fully pay off that debt. For students whose careers depend on post-graduate studies, that number becomes significantly higher. Medical students often graduate trailing $200,000 to $300,000 of debt behind them. But Pirro would never understand the demands that can put on an individual or their family because, as she went on to note: she didn’t have to take out any student loans!

“My heart bleeds for the people who actually went out and paid for their loans, who went without things, whose families said, ‘I’m sorry, we can’t afford to pay for your loans,’” Pirro continued, despite not having the foggiest idea of what she was even talking about. “Look, my family paid for my education. I’m sure they had better things to do with their money. I didn’t have to take out a loan because they paid for it. But they worked hard for their money.” (Hopefully they’re pleased with their return on investment.)

Ultimately, Pirro concluded, “This is a giveaway and it’s disgusting.”

(Via Mediaite)

The MTV VMAs will air live from New Jersey this Sunday, August 28, and just ahead of the show, MTV has announced two more performers who’ll be taking the stage. Rap legends Eminem and Snoop, who recently collaborated on the Curtain Call 2 single “From The D 2 The LBC” after resolving a short-lived feud in 2021, will join previously announced performers like Anitta and J Balvin, Blackpink and Jack Harlow, and Bad Bunny.

Meanwhile, the VMAs are set to be hosted by MCs Jack Harlow, LL Cool J, and Nicki MInaj. Minaj is also listed as a performer and will be receiving a Video Vanguard Award.

The 2022 VMAs will be broadcast live from the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ at 8 pm ET on MTV, BET, The CW, CMT, Comedy Central, Paramount Network, BET Her, TV Land, Nickelodeon, Logo, MTV 2, and VH1. The top nominated artists are Jack Harlow, Kendrick Lamar, and Lil Nas X, who have seven nominations each. The nominees for Video of the Year include Doja Cat’s “Woman,” Drake’s “Way 2 Sexy,” Ed Sheeran’s “Shivers,” Harry Styles’ “As It Was,” Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow’s “Industry Baby,” Olivia Rodrigo’s “Brutal,” and Taylor Swift’s All Too Well.” The Artist of the Year nominees are Bad Bunny, Drake, Ed Sheeran, Harry Styles, Jack Harlow, Lil Nas X, and Lizzo.

The WNBA announced its rookie awards on Thursday afternoon, and unsurprisingly, Atlanta Dream star Rhyne Howard stands alone as the league’s top first-year player. Howard, the No. 1 pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft out of Kentucky, ran away with the league’s Rookie of the Year Award, securing 53 of a potential 56 votes.

Shakira Austin of the Washington Mystics received two of the remaining three votes for the award, while NaLyssa Smith of the Indiana Fever got the last one. All three of these players — who were the top-3 picks in April’s Draft — were members of the league’s All-Rookie team, along with Queen Egbo, who the Fever selected with the 10th pick in April, and Rebekah Gardner of the Chicago Sky, who debuted in the league this year after spending the start of her professional career overseas.

Howard winning the award and leading the All-Rookie team hardly comes as a surprise, as the former Wildcat standout was the only rookie to earn an All-Star nod this season. She was a 4-time Rookie of the Month selection and averaged 16.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.6 steals in 31.4 minutes per game for the Dream, which went 14-22 this season. Along with Tiffany Hayes, Howard had the distinction of being the team’s leading scorer.

All the best cast members get tattoos to commemorate their time with each other. The members of the Fellowship of the Ring did it, the Pretty Little Liars also matched up their ink, and Pete Davidson got several during his stint with fellow reality co-star (and significant other) Kim Kardashian! Basically, it’s a nice thing to do and has been increasingly common among co-stars and friends, which is why some of the ladies of Reservation Dogs decided to get some matching ink after the latest episode.

After the monumental female-led episode of Hulu/ FX’s hit series, the stars decided they needed to do something special to honor each other, so, naturally, they decided to get matching Navajo floral tattoos to represent their bond. This episode of the remarkable series followed Rita (Sarah Podemski) as she and her three friends attended a health conference and decided to turn it into a hilarious and also heartwarming girls’ trip.

Directly following the filming of the episode, Podemski and her co-stars, Jana Schmieding, Nathalie Standingcloud, and her sister Tamara Podemski decided to be permanently bonded by getting matching tattoos.

“We were all trying to figure out if we’d ever seen four Indigenous women on screen,” Podemski told Variety. “It had a huge impact on all four of us — it felt really historic. I don’t want to be dramatic about it, but it felt really special. It did not pass us by that that whole week that we were in rehearsal and when we were filming that it was a real special moment in television.”

The episode was also written and directed by Indigenous director Tazbah Rose Chavez, and showed the quartet on-screen living their best medical conference lives. Podemski is very aware of just how unique the series is, and it’s not lost on the cast and crew. “It’s always amazing just to see so many Native faces in our cast. We’ve all known each other for so long. I’ve been in this industry for almost 30 years, since I was a kid, and I’ve grown up with all these faces and worked with most of them, or admired their work,” the actress a href=”https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/reservation-dogs-episode-5-sarah-podemski-1235348796/”>explained, adding that the crew harbors a safe and welcoming environment so that they are able to shot episodes like this, where there are both amazing female-led performances, and also a scene of Rita steaming her vagina. That is range!!

“It feels very safe that this is all coming from an Indigenous perspective,” Podemski added. “We’re talking about our grief and our community’s grief and it could be something that in the wrong hands is very triggering, but every step of the way we have Native writers, directors, a full Native cast.”

New episodes of Reservations Dogs premiere on Wednesdays on Hulu.

(Via Variety)