In fifth grade I was cast out of my friend group - who had, to be fair, made it clear from the get-go that I wasn't as cool as the rest of them.
I thought nothing could hurt more than that year's insults about my being too fat for this and too fat for that, but being ignored and alone during sixth grade was worse.
Things got better when my family moved to a new town, and by high school I felt comfortable as a low-status kid, but one with friends who were also too jocky for the nerds and too nerdy for the jocks. We didn't get invited to parties, but we had a blast with dumb stunts like stealing an "Open All Night” decal off a fast-food sign.
Connie Chang, a mom of three who's a writer in California, wasn't popular growing up either. She was labeled as "too Chinese, too different," she told me. Now that her kids are in elementary school, she worries that they'll experience the same thing. But can she influence their popularity? As a mom myself, I wonder if it's possible - or even a good goal.
First off, a lot of it is beyond anyone's control. There are some aspects of ourselves we can't do anything about, like the facial symmetry behind the physical attractiveness that makes people more likable. American Psychological Association chief science officer and psychologist Mitch Prinstein, author of the book Popular, says some of likability "has to do with whether a child possesses the background or characteristics that fit within a value system of that particular society.” The specters of racism and xenophobia loom large in this country, and Chang wasn't imagining things when she said her likability was affected by “stinky Chinese food in a thermos."
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 2022-Ausgabe von Good House Keeping - US.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 2022-Ausgabe von Good House Keeping - US.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Can Anything Really Firm Your Face? - Countless complexion brands tout skin-tightening solutions like firming skincare products, at-home devices and professional treatments
Countless complexion brands tout skin-tightening solutions like firming skincare products, at-home devices and professional treatments. Here, our experts get real about whether these techniques can actually help skin bounce back once it starts to go lax. Sagging skin is caused primarily by the loss of collagen and elastin (proteins that give skin structural support and elasticity) with age, says Mamina Turegano, M.D., a dermatologist at Sanova Dermatology in New Orleans. And there's no shortage of potions proclaiming to counteract it with firming and lifting effects. Most commonly in serum and moisturizer form, these products contain ingredients like peptides, retinol, vitamin C, growth factors and niacinamide that purport to stimulate collagen production or ones that plump skin, such as hyaluronic acid.
The Stress-Busting Hack That's Right Under Your Nose- Breathwork is more than the wellness trend du jour- it's a science-backed route to relief from multiple modern ailments.
“OK, OK, just take a breath.” If that’s what a friend advises after you panic-share about a major-anxiety-inducing situation — your teen taking his maiden solo voyage behind the wheel, work instability, another high-stakes world crisis dinging your phone every few minutes — it’s probably because they hate seeing you so on edge. But also, your friend is offering an effective means of slowing your spin. “The way you breathe affects anxiety, and anxiety affects how you breathe,” says James Nestor, author of Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art. “It’s a two-way street, and while anxiety isn’t a conscious choice, our breathing is.”
Do Men Really Not See The Mess? - The answer might surprise you. Journalist and author Gemma Hartley pulls back the curtain to reveal the invisible forces that drive this all-too-common cause of marital strife.
There was a time, earlier in my marriage, when every morning as I walked into the kitchen I braced myself for the rage and resentment that would well up in me.Cupboards left open. Dirty dishes in the sink. Coffee cups strewn around the house. And usually a pair of slippers or shoes, with inside-out socks, on the floor somewhere nearby. Even when I had left the house spotless the night before, I’d wake to a scene of disarray — the mess my husband had left behind on his way out the door for work.I didn’t know which scenario seemed worse, my husband’s consciously expecting me to clean up these messes or his truly not noticing them at all. I found myself silently tallying these small resentments, furious and flummoxed in turn that he seemed oblivious to things that needed to be tidied up around the house. It seemed as if he was always waiting for me to tell him what had to be done, as if he was incapable of noticing the mess himself even when he was creating it.
BLISTERED BITES
Shishitos are delicious all yearand creepy on Halloween!
DRINK if you DARE
Welcome, vampires, skeletons and zombies: This spiritforward duo may be strong enough to wake the dead.
Have a scary-good HALLOWEN
The spookiest day of the year calls for tricks and treats!
More Than a Walk in the Park
Agility training can be a fun and engaging way to get moving and bond with your pet.
Get More From Your Garage
Expert advice on three common conversions
The Mental Health Benefits of CATS
How our feline friends keep our minds purring
At-Home Devices
In this burgeoning category of DIY skin tools, technologies like microcurrent (low-level electrical current), radiofrequency (lowfrequency electromagnetic waves), lasers (pulsating light) and LED light aim to stimulate muscles or collagen production to firm and tighten.
