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Beyoncé Gave an Incredibly Powerful Speech to Hurricane Harvey Survivors in Houston


In the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, Beyoncé, a born-and-bred Houstonian, has made a commitment to support charities that support recovery efforts in Texas through her foundation, BeyGOOD. Bread of Life, Greater Houston Community Foundation, and Texas Southern University have all been on her organization’s list for giving, but residents of Houston got another form of outreach on Friday: a visit from Queen B herself.

Beyoncé, Blue Ivy, and Beyoncé’s mother Tina Knowles Lawson showed up at St. Johns Church in Houston at a BeyGOOD event to support victims of the hurricane. Beyoncé spoke about how the church was her home, delivering a powerful message to all Houstonians impacted by the storm.

“You are such an incredible example of what light and love is,” Beyoncé told the crowd. “And this today is a celebration of survival. Y’all are my family. Houston is my home. And I thank God that y’all are safe, that your children are safe. The thing that really matters is your health and your children and your family and God.”

“And I just to want to say I love you. I am so, so thankful to God that I feel blessed so that I can bless other people. And I ask you guys to continue to do that for other people.”

The Knowles-Carters also served meals to survivors.

Other celebrities have also rallied to the cause: the Kardashians, Miley Cyrus, President Donald Trump, Sandra Bullock, Taylor Swift, and others have all pledge to donate substantial sums to relief efforts. It’s great to see such an outpouring of support to help those who have been affected by the hurricane from those in a position to donate.

To join in Hurricane Harvey relief efforts—no matter where you live!—check out this list of organizations working to provide much-needed tampons, pads, and diapers to those displaced by the storm.

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Miss UK Zoiey Smale Was Told to Lose as Much Weight as Possible—So She Gave Back her Crown


Miss UK Zoiey Smale has no time for your unrealistic beauty standards, thank you very much.

In June, Smale was crowned Miss UK in the United Kingdom round of the Miss United Continents pageant, qualifying her to compete in the international pageant in Ecuador. But then she heard from contest organizers that if she wanted a shot at winning, she’d have to “lose as much weight as possible,” she told The Daily Mail. The message apparently came down from the Ecuadorian directors of the international competition.

“It’s horrible and it made me feel so rubbish about myself for a long, long time,” Smale said. “I said to my director, who was really supportive, that I don’t think someone should say that to girls, it’s awful and it’s horrible and it’s wrong. I don’t think to be a good role model you have to be stick thin and I explained my reasoning that way.”

In addition to subjecting herself to an unhealthy dietary regime—which could be especially harmful to her, as an eating disorder survivor—Smale felt that if she continued, she’d be tacitly participating in a toxic culture. So she gave back her crown and forfeited her position in the global competition.

“I don’t think it is … right to have my face representing a pageant ethos I do not believe in,” she wrote in a Facebook post. “If a pageant doesn’t want to utilize my capabilities because I am a size 10 then it’s their loss.”

Smale told The Daily Mail that the focus on her weight devalued the charity work she’d done through the competition, which encouraged a twisted value system.

“This one took completely away from … promoting giving,” she said. “It’s more, you’ve got to be as stick thin as possible because that’s what the guys want to see. So I just handed my title back and I just shut that door.”

In a Thursday Facebook post, Smale wrote that she was “honored to be called a role model in today’s society.”

“Seeing the thousands of comments and messages across all of my media platforms, reading people’s personal experiences, just goes to show I am not alone,” she wrote. “I cannot thank people enough for their support and precious time.”



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