Tag: Opens

Categories
Health

Ariana Grande Opens Up to Fans About How Music 'Saved Her Life' in an Emotional Instagram


Ariana Grande is busy preparing for her Sweetener tour, which kicks off in about two weeks on March 18. But before she starts playing stadiums all over the country, she took some time to thank her fans for all of their support during an emotional year.

In a lengthy Instagram post on Saturday night, Grande expressed her gratitude for friends, family, and fans who have stood by her.

“‘Bout to embark on my third tour and am for sure deep as fuck in my feelings and getting my period so…. this is probably gonna be too much,” she wrote. “But I just want to say how grateful I am for my life, for the people in it, for the ups and challenges, for the laughter and the pain, for this music and for the lifelong friendships I’ve made thru making it (that includes my friendship with y’all).”

The singer has had a lot to reckon with recently. She spent a lot of time healing from a terrorist attack that killed multiple fans at her Manchester Arena concert in May 2017. She also ended her short engagement to comedian Pete Davidson, following the death of her ex-boyfriend, rapper Mac Miller. In between, she had to answer to legitimate criticism about how she’s used cultural signifiers in her music, got in a public back-and-forth with the Grammys, and fought/forgave the TV host Piers Morgan. It was a lot, especially in a year in which she released two albums and won her first-ever Grammy.

“I cant really fathom all that has happened over the past few years. I don’t even really know where i’m going with this post but I’m just grateful to be here still. And excited to see you. I’m prolly gonna cry a lot,” she continued. “A few months ago I told my team I wasn’t even in an okay enough place to tour or work at all and my friends, you guys and this music really saved my life and turned everything around.”

Her fans responded with lots of love and support. “I admire you for being such a good, kind, real, positive and very strong person. You’re just perfect,” one fan responded.

Grande was honest about the fact that she’s still working through some difficulties, but her overall message was a testament of how she’s trying to approach the future with a positive outlook.

“I’m still healing but I feel a lot lighter as of late and I think this is really going to be such a beautiful time,” she said.



Source link

Categories
Health

Lili Reinhart Opens Up About Her Battle With Anxiety and Depression


Lili Reinhart continues to speak out about mental health—and on Friday, February 15, she got even more personal as a way to encourage others to seek help when they need it. The Riverdale star opened up about her battle with anxiety and depression, sharing on a series of honest and open Instagram Stories that she’s re-entering therapy.

“Friendly reminder for anyone who needs to hear it: Therapy is never something to feel ashamed of,” Reinhart wrote in a series of Stories. “Everyone can benefit from seeing a therapist. Doesn’t matter how old or ‘proud’ you’re trying to be.”

Instagram Stories/@lilireinhart
A blackandwhite Instagram Story reading Therapy is never something to feel ashamed of. Everyone can benefit from seeing...
Instagram Stories/@lilireinhart

“We are all human. And we all struggle,” she added in a next series of posts. “Don’t suffer in silence. Don’t be embarrassed to ask for help.”

A blackandwhite Instagram Story reading We are all human. And we all struggle. Don't suffer in silence. Don't be...
Instagram Stories/@lilireinhart

“I’m 22. I have anxiety and depression,” the actress continued. “And today I started therapy again.”

A blackandwhite Instagram Story reading I'm 22. I have anxiety and depression. And today I started therapy again. And so...
Instagram Stories/@lilireinhart

“And so the journey of self-love begins for me,” Reinhart wrote next, wrapping up the series. “Good luck to you on yours.”

A blackandwhite Instagram Story reading And so the journey of selflove begins for me.
Instagram Stories/@lilireinhart
A blackandwhite Instagram Story reading Good luck to you on yours.
Instagram Stories/@lilireinhart

This isn’t the first time the actress has spoken about her struggle with mental health. In December, she announced she’d be taking a break from Twitter to get away from all the negativity. “Taking a break from that toxic site and the people on it who feel the need to attack me, my cast mates, my relationship, and Riverdale,” she wrote at the time.

Since then, she’s made her return to the social-media platform but hasn’t been as active—though a post or two about boyfriend Cole Sprouse have definitely snuck in her feed.

In the past, Reinhart has also been very open about other personal insecurities, including her struggles with body image and acne. “Sometimes I feel like I look like shit. Sometimes I don’t want to talk to anyone. And I’m allowed to have those days,” she told Glamour in November. “I’m not going to apologize for that.”





Source link

Categories
Health

On The Bachelor, Caelynn Miller-Keyes Opens Up About Being Sexually Assaulted in College


During her first solo date with Colton Underwood on tonight’s episode of The Bachelor, Caelynn Miller-Keyes opens up about being sexually assaulted in college. “It’s the most difficult thing in the world,” she tells him during their conversation. “It’s affected every single person in my life. It’s so painful.”

In an interview with People published before the episode aired, Caelynn said, “My life was flipped upside down. And even though I’ve moved on, it is something I will struggle with forever.”

The incident, Caelynn tells People, happened at a party during her sophomore year of college after her wine glass was drugged. “I woke up the next morning, and I was completely naked in my bed, and I knew that something bad had happened,” she says. A friend at the party alleged that one of the men there assaulted Caelynn. A second male, according to Caelynn’s other friend, lifted her dress in front of his fraternity brothers. “They watched and laughed and took photos and Snapchats. It was horrible,” Caelynn tells Colton on tonight’s episode.

“These situations happen when you’re safe,” she tells People. “They don’t necessarily happen when you’re walking down a dark alley. It’s when you’re comfortable and when you let your guard down.”

According to Caelynn, a hospital initially told her they wouldn’t do a rape kit unless she filed a police report. “At that point, these were friends of mine and I wasn’t entirely sure what had happened, so I wasn’t positive I wanted to file a police report. But later that night, I did, once I figured out what had really happened,” Caelynn says. “The reporting process is a lot more difficult than people realize. I had no idea what to do. I was completely stranded, I was completely alone. I didn’t even think it was possible to be turned away from a hospital. Thankfully, I had a good support system and people went to a second hospital with me and I was able to get a rape kit and speak to authorities and go through that process. But it’s a lot more difficult than it seems.”

By the time she visited the hospital again, Caelynn says enough time had elapsed that the results were inconclusive. Only one man from the situation was expelled from Caelynn’s college. The others faced no repercussions.

“Even though they got away with it, I’m happy that I still fought,” Caelynn says. “I can live with myself and know that at least I tried and I pushed and I went after justice.”

Bachelor fans—as well as Colton—quickly took to Twitter to commend Caelynn for speaking out. Below, just a few reactions:

Caelynn isn’t revealing the names of the men involved. “I’ve detached myself in a way from the perpetrators because I felt like that was the healthiest thing to do. I don’t want to have to keep reliving it. I was able to forgive the men,” she tells People. “And once you’re able to do that, you’re able to take that power back. I hope they’ve learned from that experience and that they never do it again.”

The Bachelor airs Monday nights at 8 P.M. ET on ABC.

If you’d like to speak to someone about sexual assault, don’t hesitate to reach out to RAINN’s hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673).



Source link

Categories
Health

Nicole Maines of 'Supergirl' Opens Up About Being TV's First Transgender Superhero


Nicole Maines is changing television forever tonight: On the CW’s season premiere of Supergirl, she’ll portray TV’s first transgender superhero Nia Nal, a.k.a Dreamer. In an interview with the New York Times ahead of her big debut, Maines talked about how excited she is to have landed the role and what her historic casting means for trans representation.

Maines, who first rose to prominence as a plaintiff in the Maine Supreme Court case Doe v. Clenchy over transgender bathroom rights, told the Times that it’s “a phenomenal time to be a queer nerd,” likely referring to other high-profile castings, such as Ruby Rose being chosen to play a lesbian reimagining of Catwoman, also on the CW. “We have so much representation on the superhero shows!” Maines said.

She also opened up about the importance of kids meeting her character for the first time and having a trans superhero help bring more awareness to trans experiences.

“I think kids need to watch Supergirl for Nia, because there are more and more trans people coming out younger and younger,” she said. “I think it is necessary to educate folks on trans issues and to make them aware of trans identities and normalize it, because it is normal. But when you’re shielded from something and it’s actively censored, it takes a negative connotation. If people are more educated and they’re more aware of these issues and more familiar, they won’t feel so foreign.”

Maines was also asked why it’s critical to have a trans person playing a trans character, a question that has been continually brought up when non-trans actresses are chosen to portray trans people (Scarlett Johansson recently left a production after trans rights supporters called for more authentic representation.) Maines’ answer was eloquent and straightforward: “Because it’s validating.”

“When we have a trans woman playing a trans woman then you see, ‘Oh wait, this is what trans really is. This is what it looks like: a person.’ That sends a message to trans kids that they are valid in their identities, that they are allowed to exist. It also sends a message to cisgender people, to parents, that trans people are not dangerous or sexually deviant or any of these myths that have kind of been construed by conservative outlets. It’s just an identity that people live,” she said.

Maines will continue to make history as the show goes on. Supergirl airs tonight at 8/7 central.

Related Stories:

Actress and Activist Nicole Maines Will Be TV’s First Transgender Superhero

Ruby Rose Has Been Cast as Batwoman, the First Openly Gay Superhero to Headline a TV Show

Ruby Rose Just Teared Up Talking About Her Batwoman Casting



Source link

Categories
Health

Amandla Stenberg Opens Up About Her Own Sexual Assault in the Wake of the Kavanaugh Hearings


Last week, the world watched as Dr. Christine Blasey Ford stood in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee to publicly allege that Brett Kavanaugh, the conservative D.C. judge whom President Donald Trump had nominated to the Supreme Court, had drunkenly groped her at a party, attempted to forcibly remove her clothes, and covered her mouth when she attempted to scream. Dr. Ford’s affecting, emotional account of the alleged assault immediately ignited a rippling #MeToo effect across the country, as women from Busy Phillips to Ellen Degeneres began sharing their own traumatic sexual assault experiences—feeling emboldened to do so after hearing Dr. Ford’s powerful testimony.

Actor and activist Amandla Stenberg chose to open up about her sexual assault in an op-ed for Teen Vogue published Saturday. In the powerfully penned piece, the Hate U Give star wrote about her own experiences with sexual assault and explains she felt compelled to go public with her own story after watching the Kavanaugh hearings and listening to Dr. Ford’s testimony.

“As I live-streamed Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony in a hotel room and a humid drizzle painted the windows an opaque gray, I found myself relying heavily on the tool of my breath… My breath was the tool I relied on when I ended up in a foreign country on a three-hour train ride to find an emergency contraceptive,” she wrote. “The night before, what started as a consensual experience had turned forceful. Painful things had been done to my body that made me feel broken and disposable. I was unable to consent to them, and was silenced verbally and physically when I protested.”

The actress goes on to describe the emotional weight she carried after this traumatic experience, feeling at times guilty, as though what happened to her had somehow been her fault. “I was sitting in that soup of guilt and shame that often follows an unwarranted sexual experience,” she said. “My body hurt and my mind was on a one-track loop, dissecting all the things that I was culpable for, that must have led me to my predicament.”

Stenberg explains that her assaulter was someone who was “respected” by her peers, stating: “It seemed to me that often the trade-off of being invited into spaces by these sorts of cis straight men and getting their approval was the acceptance that what I had to contribute was the value of my body as a woman. Implicit within that was the notion that, because my body served such a transactional purpose, it was no longer just my property. That was a form of social currency I was familiar with and, honestly, at times accepted.”

An often-debated topic throughout the Kavanaugh hearings revolved around the question of whether or not Dr. Ford should have come forward with the sexual assault allegation sooner. But as Stenberg points out in her essay, doing so immediately throws assault survivors into “a battle where you’ve been appointed defender of your own legitimacy.” She goes on: “You are given the responsibility of, after having just been subjected to devastating trauma, navigating impossible protocols, lest you be charged as the culprit in your own attack. You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t. Damned to subject yourself to physical and public scrutiny, more vulnerability and social repercussions, or damned to allow the residual feelings to fester inside. Either way, you sacrifice comfort and safety within your own body, and sometimes it’s easier to just keep that pain to yourself and hope it goes away. And that is understandable and OK. We should not be condemned for being unsure of how to move through pain.”

Ultimately, it was watching Dr. Ford’s testimony that pushed the actress to “move through discomfort that [she’d] buried” and speak out: “Although these tipping points are chaotic, disorienting, infuriating, and often heartbreaking, I like to believe that real change begins with the eruption of truth.”

Read her full essay here.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can seek help by calling the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4673). For more resources on sexual assault, visit RAINN and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.

Related Content:

Elizabeth Warren Has a Powerful Message for Sexual Assault Survivors Watching the Kavanaugh Hearing

Busy Philipps Opens Up About Being Raped at 14: ‘I’m Scared to Post This’

Here Are the Senate Women at the Center of the Brett Kavanaugh Debate



Source link

Categories
Health

Emma Stone Opens Up About Experiencing Her First Panic Attack at 7 Years Old


Emma Stone has always been very open about her anxiety. Way back in 2011, when she was first becoming known for her work in Superbad and Easy A and long before she became an Academy Award winner, she told Glamour about her mental health journey. “I had massive anxiety as a child,” she said at the time. “I was in therapy. From 8 to 10, I was borderline agora-phobic. I could not leave my mom’s side. I don’t really have panic attacks anymore, but I had really bad anxiety.”

Ever since, she’s continued to speak openly and frankly about mental health. The latest example? On Monday, October 1, she appeared alongside Child Mind Institute Co-Founder & President Harold Koplewicz for a discussion on mental health disorders and the stigmas that surround them. Titled “Great Minds Think Unalike,” the panel worked to shed light on the challenges of living with anxiety—which, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, affects 40 million adults each year (making it the most common mental illness in the U.S.).

On stage, Stone described the moment she had her first panic attack at seven years old. “Before I went into second grade, I had my first panic attack,” she said. “It was really, really terrifying and overwhelming; I was over at a friend’s house and all of a sudden I was absolutely convinced the house was on fire and it was going to burn down. I was just sitting in her bedroom, and obviously the house wasn’t on fire—but there was nothing in me that didn’t think we weren’t going to die.”

PHOTO: Jamie McCarthy/Getty

Suffering from what she and her mother later learned was a panic attack, Stone explains that these feelings of anxiousness continued for the next two years. “I couldn’t go to friends’ houses, I had deep separation anxiety with my mom…I was so paranoid about everything,” she explained. “We truly thought I wasn’t going to be able to move out of the house and move away ever. How would I go to college? How would I do any of this if I couldn’t be at a friend’s house for 5 minutes?”

As she grew older, Stone was able to better manage her anxiety, a skill she attributes to her supportive family and years of “transformative” therapy. It helped her realize that while the disorder was a part of her life, it did not define her. “It’s so normal,” she said. “Everyone experiences a version of anxiety or worry in their lives, and maybe we go through it in a different or more intense way for longer periods of time, but there’s nothing wrong with you.”

In fact, the Maniac actress said anxiety can be viewed in a positive light. “To be a sensitive person that cares a lot, that takes things in in a deep way is actually part of what makes you amazing, and is one of the greatest gifts of life,” she said. “You think a lot, you feel a lot, you feel deeply—it’s the best.”

When asked how she continues to manage her anxiety every day in the midst of her hectic production schedule, Stone explained that she sticks to a routine that works for her. “I go to a therapist, I meditate, and I talk to people very quickly now—instead of isolating I reach out.” Most of all, Stone said pushing herself outside of her comfort zone (as in: today’s panel) proves to be wholly restorative, especially if it means she’s able to help others. “[It’s] healing to just talk about it and own it and realize that this is something that is part of me, but it is not who I am,” she said. “And if that can help anybody…if I can do anything to say ‘Hey, I get it, and I’m there with you, and you can still get out there and achieve dreams and form really great relationships and connections,’ then I hope I’m able to do that.”

Related Content

My Anxiety Is Costing Me a Fortune

We Need to Talk About Mental Health at Work



Source link