“I spoke about it and it set me free.”

Guest post by internist/cardiologist Dr. Afshine Emrani:

I suffered from clinical depression. I spoke about it and it set me free. I could have hidden it, but it would’ve hidden me. When you hide your pain, it controls you; when you share it, you become free. It also helps others open up, seek help, get support. There’s no shame in being broken. There’s shame in judging broken people. And we are all broken. But, not all of us are free. Most of us live in the closet. Coming out of the closet is not just about your sexuality. Every single day, I meet broken people who hide in the closet. The mother who is quietly suffering from postpartum depression. The obese young girl who can’t stop eating because she hates her body because she was raped by her father when she was 5. The husband who continuously self-sabotages because he never received his father’s approval. The young girl who hides her Insulin pump because she doesn’t want others to think less of her. The young man addicted to sex with strangers because all he wants is for his parents to love him. The first time moms who experience a devastating miscarriage, afraid of never having a child. The parents who divorce because survivor’s guilt is too much to shoulder after the death of their child. The young man who is ashamed of his failing body because he was diagnosed with a rare cancer. The model who self-mutilates because even though she has 3 million followers on Instagram, she doesn’t like herself, because her mother abandoned her when she was 6. We waste too much time trying to convince others what perfect lives we live, while our truth is in the closet. Behind closed doors, past midnight, we live in fear, alone. There is beauty in being vulnerable. There is courage in the truth. There is freedom in opening the closet door and inviting others to see your scars. Sure, a few will judge. They are not your people and you don’t want them around anyway. But, what always happens is that you see a rush of many others come your way to tell you that you are not alone and that they suffer from the same pains, that they share your wounds. There is healing in that freedom. There is strength in that transparency. There is validation in knowing it’s not your fault. We’re all broken. The people who love you despite and because of your scars are your people.
#ModehAni ♥️🙏♥️🙏♥️🙏

Posted in Story | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

New feature to add to your recent posts easier!

Posted on March 18, 2023 by admin

We have just recently released a new feature to make it easier to add a more/related/opposite post to your posts. After you make a post, your recent posts will display below the post form, so that you can just click on the add more/related/opposite buttons under your recent post.

We hope you like it and it makes it easier and funner to share and connect!

We welcome your feedback!

Related: “Funner is a word“!

Posted in Announcements | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

David Archuleta stepping back from Mormon Church: “I need to just live my life, because I already know I’m okay how I am.”

Finishing second on the seventh season of “American Idol”, 31-year-old David Archuleta, who grew up in Utah as a devout member of the Mormon Church, told People in an interview that he had to “take a break from religion” for his own sanity.

Archuleta told his fans on Instagram last year that he came out to his family seven years ago as gay, but had similar feelings for both genders.

“I tried to hide from this all my life, and I can’t. I just had to take a step away,” Archuleta said. “I did not want to weigh out whether it was better for me to live and exist, or if it was better for me not to exist.”

“It hurts me because my religion was everything for me. But you get to a point where you realize there are some things not right here,” he added. “I need to just live my life, because I already know I’m okay how I am.”

Archuleta said that he contemplated suicide because of the church’s doctrine.

“I thought it would be a better choice to just end my life,” Archuleta said.

“You just start feeling like, ‘Oh, there’s probably no point for me to live. I probably would be better off not living anyway. God would probably forgive me if I ended my life because it’s better than what I could become, which is if I’m gay or LGBT of any sorts, I’m going to be in big trouble spiritually,'” he added.

He said he began accepting his identity as part of the LGBTQ community after prayer and conversations with God, as well as with church leaders about Mormonism’s views on the LGBTQ community.

“I can’t keep putting myself in a place where it’s so conflicting where they say, ‘We love you so much, but at the same time, you must change who you are,'” he said.

“I’ve allowed myself to love myself for everything I am, to not be conditioned to shame myself — and to be not ashamed of who I am feels wonderful,” he added. “Because I didn’t think it was ever okay to love myself.”

Happy being himself!

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

2022 Doodle for Google competition winner: “Not Alone”

The winner of this year’s Doodle for Google competition is Florida high schooler Sophie Araque-Liu, titled “Not Alone”:

Sophie Araque-Liu’s winning Doodle: Not Alone.

This year’s theme was “I care for myself by…” Sophie’s answer to go with her doodle:

“I care for myself by accepting others’ care for me. Often, I struggle to shoulder a burden on my own, and forget that I have so many people, like my mom, who care about me and want to help me. Opening up and letting others support me not only relieves my stress — it also lets me tackle things I could never do on my own.”

Sophie’s message of leaning on one’s support system resonated with Google’s judges, who also felt it would resonate with others who have been through tough times.

Sophie got her doodle featured on Google’s homepage for a day and a $30,000 college scholarship, plus a $50,000 technology award for her school. And her doodle is also included in a gallery of artwork for all the state winners chosen from submissions by K-12 students in US, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.

Posted in Story | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Bride goes viral for rocking her natural gray hair on wedding day

Like Taylor Hicks, the American Idol winner of the fifth season of “American Idol” known for his prematurely gray hair besides his bluesy pop voice, Kadeja Jackson Baker started getting grey hair at the age of 16. Now 38, after dying her hair in her 20’s, because she thought she had to, starting from 7 years ago she decided she would go with her natural color. On her wedding day, she decided she was going to keep rocking her grey hair.

Miami-based makeup artist Tia Codrington posted behind-the-scenes bridal glam TikTok videos starring Baker and they quickly got over 1 million views with hundred of people praising Baker’s beautiful look for her wedding, and her amazing gray hair. In the video, Baker is getting makeup applied to her face while she has her gray strands pin-curled up away from her face. The caption:

“I loved my bride’s natural gray hair. She’s had it since she was 16,”

One TikToker commented,”Came here to see more of her and those fabulous grays”. Codrington shared the feeling, as she told “Good Morning America”:

“I initially didn’t have any expectations when posting the videos other than to share her beauty through my eyes, but witnessing how she embraced and embodied the beauty of her hair was something I felt compelled to share,”

“It was amazing to know that she had options to change her hair color or try something different for that day, but chose to be herself and wear her natural hair color.”

@mua_ttt_tia I love the girls that stick to their roots 😍 #fyp #blacklove #bridalmakeup #bridetiktok #blackbridesoftiktok ♬ original sound – Tia Codrington

Baker was surprised and shocked “in a good way” at all the attention her videos got:

“I did not expect for the responses to be as plentiful as I look at myself in the mirror every day and did not think it was that big of a deal that I was embracing my natural hair and look,” she said.

Baker wanted her bridal glam to be a true reflection of her personality and style, just with a glamorous approach. She spent long hours designing and planning her custom=made J. Drl Olmo wedding dress. With her bridal hair specialist, Martine Saintval, Baker decided to go with an old Hollywood glam pinup look with soft waves, and let her hair down for reception, for a long luxurious beach wave look. She was a happy bride:

“Overall, I would describe the wedding look as timeless,” said Baker.

@mua_ttt_tia And she wore that hair 🤌🏾 #fyp #PrimeDayDreamDeals #weddingtiktok #bridalhairstyle #bridaltiktok #blackbride ♬ Surprise – Chlöe

 

Gray hair don’t care is written on the video.

Lots of compliments on TikTok. And also some women sharing they also went gray at an early age, but can’t help but dye their hair, at least for now:

Stefi: Love she owns it, ive had mine since 18 but just can’t embrace it

A true babydoll: I had mine since I was 10 I pray it gets like that😩 she’s so beautiful

user7672398426344: I’m gonna embrace my grays one day…. not today though. 😁

sherickayates3: Jus like my mom she’s grey at 15 thou

PrincessDeja: I’ve had mine since I was 9 bout ready to dye it🙄

S: Wait so it is normal to have gray hair at that age bc I started getting gray hair at 15 lol

melissa dunn768: I know a newborn that was born with all gray hair and she’s now 15 years old

Anita Novak: I was 15 when I started to get my grey hair. Hated it but love it now.

user6447353155849: I had mine since my 20’s

BRB: My sis had hers since she was 17 she’s 42

user8453251706671: Hers is beautiful, but I don’t have the courage to embrace it at 40 😬

Mal_1_Fam: my gray hair ain’t graying like hers 😏😏😏😏

KewannaC: So beautiful. I found one strand of gray hair on my head and I have been so careful with it. I absolutely love it 🥰

Kay Hale: I’ve had my grey since 11 years old and I always dye it. Now watching this makes me not want to dye it anymore!🥰🥰🥰

Lylyn: Love this. I started going grey at 11 🥰

JUST_LAY: I wonder if my hair going to be like this cause I been having a lot of gray hair since middle school

sarah: i started getting greys at 15…i just thought i was crazy

Betty Polk522: If men can be distinguished with gray hair, why can’t we (women) be beautiful with gray hair. The bride is BEAUTIFUL!!

Barbara: I had gray hair in high school. Before 30, I was all gray. I started coloring it in college. To this day I REGRET it; ruined my hair. it’s now gray 😎

RebelQueenAri: I’m gonna embrace my grey hair, I think it would look fireee with my curls

Everyone do you! #mwetoo. There was one comment, “same I’ve had mines since I was about 5 and none of the dye I use seems to work😭”. If anyone is looking for a good natural hair dye, for brunettes, try Hairprint. It’s currently #1 on “Best Hair Dyes” on TopXPicks, and there is also a recent post on it on Me We Too. Make sure to use the pre-wash, to remove shampoo/hair product residues, etc. for the best results and for it to work, in case your hair is hard to dye.

To the person “S” who commented, “Wait so it is normal to have gray hair at that age bc I started getting gray hair at 15 lol”, that’s what Me We Too is for….post away! But really, what is normal. We are all normal and we are all weird! <3

GMA: “Bride goes viral for donning her natural gray hair on her wedding day”

Posted in Story | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Spain Says ‘All Bodies Are Beach Bodies’ – Enjoy life!

“Summer is ours too,” says Spain’s equality ministry in a creative summer campaign launch which aims to encourage all women to go to the beach and enjoy life.

The promo showcases five women with different body types. ages, and ethnicities, including a topless woman who has had a mastectomy, all having fun on the sandy beach by the coast.

“All bodies are beach bodies,” Ione Belarra, the minister for social rights in Spain’s Socialist-led Podemos party, said. “All bodies are valid and we have the right to enjoy life as we are, without guilt or shame. Summer is for everyone!”

#ElVeranoEsNuestro #SummerIsOurs

How to get a bikini body: put a bikini on your body!

#beachbody #eachbodysready #bikinibody

Posted in Story | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sharing – Caring

“A problem will get heavier when the only person carrying it is you. Whatever your worry, it’s better out than in.”

Post on Me We Too. We’re here for you.

Posted in Story | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

24-year-old who can’t smile due to rare condition signs with modeling agency

Tayla Clement was born with underdeveloped facial nerves that control some eye movements and facial expressions, called Moebius syndrome.

She is known online now as “The Girl Who Can’t Smile” and is the role model she needed growing up, moving past her bullying days when she was made fun of for being different:

“My eyebrows don’t move, my eyes don’t track, and my upper lip doesn’t move, which means I can’t smile, hence the name, ‘The girl who can’t smile,'” she said. “People would bring plastic bags to school to put over my head because I was so ugly and didn’t want to be seen. I think when you grow up, being told that you’re different and you’re ugly and you’re worthless, you believe it because you don’t know anything else.”

“To anyone who doesn’t know me, I would just say I’m the girl who can’t smile,” she said. “I love being able to help others and empower and inspire others. It lights me up so much, and if I could smile, you’d see the biggest smile on my face because it truly lights me up so much.”

Signing with an international modeling agency means more to Clement than photoshoots and fashion shows.

“It makes me quite emotional, but I’m just so grateful that it was me that went through everything because I get to inspire people and help people and it makes me so happy,” said Clement.

“To be so openly accepted and wanted just felt so amazing,” she said. “I had no one to see in movies or in media or on the front of magazines or headlining brands or on like billboards, and so I felt really worthless because I didn’t see myself anywhere.”

Being comfortable with herself, she feels next level happy, free:

“It’s another level of joy and happiness to be so content and comfortable and joyful and happy within who you are as a person, it’s also the most freeing thing in the world,” she said.
(“24-year-old who can’t smile due to rare condition signs with modeling agency”)

You can follow Clement on Instagram.

Posted in Story | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Be free spider!

“She asks me to kill the spider. Instead, I get the most peaceful weapons I can find. I take a cup and a napkin. I catch the spider, put it outside and allow it to walk away.

If I am ever caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, just being alive and not bothering anyone, I hope I greeted with the same kind of mercy.”

-Rudy Francisco

We are in the “relocate the spider – don’t hurt them” club,

“I just relocate the spiders outside”

How about you? Vote!

“Spiders freak me out”

Posted in Personal Habits & Traits | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Amy Schumer feels free after sharing about her teenage hair-pulling

Amy Schumer in “I Feel Pretty”

Love Amy Schumer movies, like “Trainwreck” and “I Feel Pretty”; they are so funny! Now Schumer is sharing something more serious, her real life-long struggle with trichotillomania, the compulsive urge to pull out her hair.  She has shared about her struggles with endometriosis, Lyme disease, and even more personal stuff like having a sex life after giving birth, but she has kept her hair-pulling problems to herself, until deciding to include it on her new Hulu dramedy, “Life & Beth”.

“I think everybody has a big secret and that’s mine,” she told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview published Friday. “And I’m proud that my big secret only hurts me but it’s been what I’ve carried so much shame about for so long.”

It all started about 2 years ago, when Schumer decided to wear shorts at the chiropractor and he noticed the scar on her upper thigh, from a very bad surfing accident at 16, which required 41 stitches in 3 layers. The chiropractor attributed her physical pain to her emotional trauma, and Schumer agreed

 “The metaphor that you need to deal with the emotional trauma from the past so you can get out of physical pain was not lost on me,” …After that visit, Schumer realized that “these things aren’t going to go away if we ignore them—the past is just going to keep hurting you,” she says. “When you get to this age, you better evolve if you want to move forward.”
‘It Feels Really Freeing.’ Amy Schumer Lets Go of Teenage Trauma in New Hulu Series Life & Beth

Schumer has been dealing with her trichotillomania since a hard time during her childhood when her dad declared bankruptcy after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and her mother left him for the married father of Schumer’s best friend. The hair-pulling became her way of dealing with the stress. She wore a wig to school to cover up a growing bald spot.

This part about her has been weighing her down, until now, after deciding to let go of the shame and just share:

“It’s been the thing that I’ve been most ashamed of,” she says. “It feels really freeing to finally let go of some of that.”

She has learned to deal with the condition:

“it’s not that I used to have this problem and now I don’t. It’s still something that I struggle with.”

And her 3 year old son touching his head reminds her of it too, because of the genetic components of it:

“Every time he touches his head I’m having a heart attack,”

Schumer has found that creating art out of her own troubles has been healing

“When you deal with chronic, often invisible pain, it’s such an isolating sort of private journey,” she said. “You really have to advocate for yourself — and that’s what I’m doing here.”

She does check with her family and friends when including stories related to them on the show “Life & Beth” though:

“I’m really happy to talk about anything that is about me personally,” she said. “But any parts of the show that are based on anyone, I did run by them.”

You can watch Schumer this Sunday on the Oscars, with co-hosts Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes – the first 3-female co-hosts for the show!

Posted in Personal Habits & Traits, Story | Leave a comment