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HBO’s 'Share' Addresses Sexual Assault Unlike Any Movie You’ve Ever Seen


“There is just as much humanity, nuance, intelligence, and complication in the experience of a teenage girl as there is in anyone else,” Bianco says. Stories about rape, and particularly stories about young women who experience sexual violence, are often pegged as trauma films. She bristles at that label.

“I’m always hesitant to talk about the gender and politics side of the film, even though those things are really important to me. The minute you tell people that the film tells a story about a teenage girl, people either want to reduce it to ‘puff’ or ‘issues,’” she explains. In other words, something people feel burdened to see and talk about because of its topical urgency, without registering its artistic merits.

Rhianne Baretto on set with director Pippa Bianco.

SABRINA LANTOS/HBO

It’s true that Share requires a certain willingness to sit with troubling, uncomfortable subject matter. At the same time, the characters and the trajectory challenge expectations of the genre, in part by focusing on minutiae: Mandy’s interactions with her parents, coach, and teammates, attempts to be “normal” and engage with her social life, shooting hoops, the bruise slowly healing on her back.

Rhianne Baretto, the 22-year-old Brit who plays Mandy, describes it as a process of the teenager figuring out what she wants to do, what justice looks like for her, and finding the strength to pursue that choice. Through her character’s eyes, the audience is invited to consider that maybe the “right” way forward fails to give her closure. Just as resonantly, Baretto feels that the film deconstructs fraught topics like consent and culpability, while also recognizing that, even in instances of clear right and wrong, there is no black and white. “No one is completely a villain. Everyone is making decisions day to day,” she says.

For Bianco, teasing out those distinctions and revealing the commotion roiling beneath what, on the surface, looks like passivity was the point. Early on in the filmmaking process, she remembers getting the note that her lead character wasn’t “activated” enough: Films are about people making choices—that’s what pushes a plot forward.

“But, to me, there are a lot of choices that we choose to ignore,” Bianco explains. “The choice not to say something. The choice to wait. The choice to ask for privacy. There are millions of choices, all of which are active. Just to get out of bed every day—I think that’s a heroic choice.”

Elizabeth Kiefer is a New York-based writer and editor.



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Here’s Exactly How to Have Your First Orgasm If You’ve Never Had One


At long last, the world is beginning to embrace the female orgasm. Women are singing about masturbation, scientists are studying what happens to women’s brains when they orgasm, and the internet is full of advice on having better orgasms. Which is great—but all this talk can make you feel left out if you’ve never even had an orgasm yet.

You’re not alone, though. Around 5 to 10% of women say they have yet to experience the series of pelvic contractions known as orgasm. But don’t fear; simply consider yourself preorgasmic. Laurie Mintz, Ph.D., a psychotherapist, sex therapist, and author of Becoming Cliterate, says she has never worked with a preorgasmic woman who didn’t eventually learn to orgasm (except one whose libido was affected by antidepressants—even then, there’s help). The odds are in your favor.

“So many women feel broken when it comes to orgasm,” says sex therapist Vanessa Marin, who teaches women how to orgasm through her course Finishing School and her video series The Female Orgasm Revolution. “I always say that orgasm is a skill, and like any other skill, it takes time, patience, and practice to learn. Just because you haven’t yet learned that skill doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to. It would be like beating yourself up for not being fluent in Spanish, despite never having taking a Spanish class!”

The point is, if you put in the effort to learn to orgasm, you will. “Every woman is capable of orgasm,” says Marin. You just need to figure out what makes you tick. “If someone has not had an orgasm, either alone or with a partner, the most likely culprits are either that they are not getting the type of stimulation they need to orgasm or they have some kind of psychological blockage holding them back,” says Mintz. Both those things can be changed.

Here are some tips for having your first orgasm if you’ve never had one before.

1. Masturbate.

You can definitely learn to orgasm with a partner, but experts say the easiest way to start off is through masturbation. “It’s so important for us to get in touch with our own bodies and discover what we like,” says Marin.

“When alone, you can focus on just yourself and not be worried about anyone else,” Mintz agrees. To make the experience as pleasurable as possible, she recommends using a good lubricant when you masturbate.

2. Try out different hand techniques.

Every woman’s anatomy is different. No one stroke or motion will be the golden ticket for everyone, says Mintz. However, there are lots of techniques that many women find pleasurable—if you experiment with them, you’re bound to find something you like.

Try rubbing circles on your clitoral hood with one or more fingers, tapping on your clitoral hood, rubbing or caressing your labia, rubbing a figure-eight around your clitoris and vaginal opening, squeezing your outer labia together to stimulate your clitoris, and sandwiching your clitoris between two fingers and rubbing it up and down.

Once you find something you like, Marin suggests sticking with that motion for a while. “You’ve probably heard all kinds of myths about how complicated female orgasm is, so you’ll probably feel tempted to mix it up and go crazy with different types of stimulation,” she says. “But the truth is that the body needs consistency; if you keep switching it up, it will feel like starting over. Once you’ve found a specific stroke that feels decent, give that a shot for a good stretch of time.”

3. Consider a vibrator.

If your hands don’t seem to be doing the trick, a vibrator can be a very handy tool. “Many people with vulvas don’t have their first orgasm until they try a vibrator,” says Mintz. Don’t worry that using a vibrator will make it hard to orgasm with a partner down the road. It could actually get you familiar with what you need to orgasm, which will help you no matter what method you’re using.



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HBO’s ‘Euphoria’ Is Unlike Any Teen Show You’ve Ever Seen


The trailer for HBO‘s new teen drama Euphoria is purposefully ambiguous. We’re introduced to several high school characters, including Rue (Zendaya), who are seemingly using drugs as a form of escapism. And because of that, what you watch plays out like a neon fever dream. You’re never really sure if what you’re watching is reality or some kind of synthetic high. The only thing you can be certain of is that these teens’ problems will come crashing down the second sobriety hits.

The word crash in that last sentence is important, because nothing about Euphoria is soft. It’s unlike any adolescent soap opera you’ve ever seen: raw, real, and, at times, very hard to watch. Think Gossip Girl with the volume turned way up. In the pilot episode we learn more specifics about the show’s keys players: There’s Rue, a 17-year-old addict returning from rehab with no intentions of staying sober; Jules (Hunter Schafer), the new girl who shakes things up at the year’s first big house party; Nate (Jacob Elordi), a chiseled jock with anger issues; McKay (Algee Smith), another jock who isn’t as misogynistic as his friends; and Cassie (Sydney Sweeney), whose nude selfies have become fodder for her gross male peers.

Each one of these characters is dealing with a major issue—be it anger, addiction, or sexuality—and they’re given the space to explore it. Fully. Nothing is diluted or sugar-coated, which is what drew several of Euphoria‘s actors to the project in the first place.

“I was blown away by how real it was, true it was, and how timely it was,” Smith tells Glamour. “My character goes on an emotional roller coaster. He’s trying to figure out himself and his masculinity, his vulnerability, how to be comfortable with that, and how to also deal with a lot of complexities going on in his life.”

Zendaya and Hunter Schafer in Euphoria

HBO

Schafer says Euphoria‘s heavy true-to-life material made the cast get familiar with one another quickly. “I feel like you’re bonded in a way that a lot of other casts may not be right off the bat,” she says. “It kind of puts your friendships in hyper-speed working in an environment like this where you have to be real with each other and vulnerable on set together.”

The show’s intimate scenes were so vulnerable, in fact, that HBO hired a sex coordinator to make sure the actors felt secure every step of the way.



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10 YouTube Holes to Fall Down If You’ve Already Watched Everything on Netflix


It’s still winter. Politics sucks, the weather sucks, and we’re all sick of being inside. Our Winteritis stories are for women who can’t read another think piece, who’ve pushed the outer limits of time it’s possible to spend on social media, and who kind of want to shop online and hibernate until spring is here.

If you thought binge-watching shows on Netflix was a sure-fire way to eat up your day, just wait until you go down your first YouTube hole. OK, it’s 2019: You’ve already gone down a YouTube hole, so you know what I’m talking about. It starts out simple—just one cat compilation video—but before you know it the sun’s down, your phone’s dead, and that laundry you planned on doing remains untouched on the floor. “Where did the time go?” you ask yourself, dumbfounded. It went to Ina Garten’s double fudge brownies, that’s where!

YouTube holes are productivity killers, but they’re A+ if you’re bored and have exhausted every true-crime doc available. Consider the 10 threads, below, a starter kit of sorts. Just make sure all your work is done before diving in.

I don’t cook. I don’t bake. I don’t even order food over the phone—yet whenever I start watching one of Ina Garten’s cooking videos, that’s it for my day. She’s always a little bit shady with her direction, whether she’s imploring you to use the “good” vanilla abstract or assuring you that “store-bought” bread is just fine. (For the record: It’s not. If you’re not baking your bread fresh daily like James Corden in Into the Woods, then what’s the point?)

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Many cats, for whatever reason, are terrified of cucumbers. And someone—I’m not sure who—figured this out and turned it into a viral phenomenon. The eerie part about this is the cats almost all have the same reaction to the cucumber: They literally jump in the air and scatter off in horror. To be fair, that’s basically what I do whenever I pass a salad bar.

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Celebrities are way more relaxed on this British late-night talk show, which leads to funnier, more down-to-earth interviews. Plus, all the celebrity guests hang out on one couch, so you get lots of random pairings. One of my favorites? The Ocean’s 8 cast talking about how Rihanna travels to the Met Gala in her involved outfits. Not exactly a random group, but still iconic.

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The title of this series says it all: A pastry chef, Claire Saffitz, attempts to recreate our favorite junk food. Ina Garten might put you to sleep, but these 20-minute videos will keep you hooked until the end. Why, yes, I do want to see if Claire can make Pringles from scratch. Thanks so much for asking!

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All of your faves have done one of these videos: Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift, Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid..the list goes on and on. And the answers are always fun. Who doesn’t want to watch Bella Hadid answer rapid-fire questions while she plays with farm animals?

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YouTube is a gold mine for bloopers, but the Friends outtakes are particularly delightful. Watching Jennifer Aniston and Lisa Kudrow break character 15 times in the same scene may not seem addicting at first, but trust me: Just give it a chance.

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Or makeup tutorials of all kinds, really. Kim Kardashian’s how-tos are legendary because she says things like, “If I literally was stranded and only had this product, this is, like, exactly what I would do” in the most monotoned voice. The go-to desert island survival kit: water, flares, concealer.

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Kristin Ess Made a Curling Iron Like You’ve Never Seen Before


I’m a sucker for chic packaging. I also covet messy, undone, cool-girl hair, so like every other editor at the launch party for Kristin Ess‘s new hot tools line, it was love at first site. Ess, if you’re unfamiliar, caters to the hair of a long list of celebrities you’ve probably used as inspo for a haircut at some point: Jenna Dewan, Lucy Hale, and Lili Reinhart are all among her clients. The tools, like her low-maintenance hair care products, are both her super beautiful and affordable—nothing is over $100—and all available at Target.

The lineup features all the standards. There’s a dryer, flat irons, and curling irons of various sizes—all in a very Instagrammable white and rose gold palette, and all something you’d want to use. But the real standout is her Soft Wave Pivoting Wand Curling Iron. It’s got a 1¼ inch barrel, which is perfect for creating looser waves, and no clamp—like a typical wand. Where things get interesting, though—as the name states—is the fact that the barrel is able to pivot; meaning you can use it as a standard vertical wand, or you can click it into place at a 90 degree angle, converting it into a curling bar.

The iron is designed to pivot to take stress off your arms, and I definitely found it easier to work with than curlers I’ve used in the past. I’m not great at styling my hair and haven’t reached for a curling iron since prom, but using this one was shockingly simple.

I always end up either wrapping my hair too tightly or clamping it in a weird place, resulting in pageant curls or creases. But because of the angle, you’re almost forced to loosely drape your hair around the barrel, creating those cool beachy waves the women on Ess’s Instagram always have.

At the launch event, when the stylist used the iron on me, she actually wrapped my hair around the iron while twisting it (starting with the iron upright and ending with my hair around the barrel at 90 degrees), creating a softer effect she referred to as “bending,” instead of curling. I, however, am not as dexterous or talented, and found it much easier to just keep the iron bent except for when curling the part of my hair that frames my face—there, I use it like a regular wand. It does take a minute to get used to the shape (I burned my finger but I also neglected the included protective glove), but once I got the motions down, I was able to curl my whole head in about 15 minutes.

The results? Those perfect, messy, voluminous waves I’m always chasing. Maybe I’m a curling iron girl after all.

Kristin Ess Soft Wave Pivoting Curling Iron, $60, target.com

Related Stories:
–The Best Curling Irons for People Who Can’t Curl Their Hair
–Chi Created a Curling Iron Like You’ve Never Seen Before
–The 7 Biggest Curling Iron Mistakes You’re Making—And How to Avoid Them





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Chi's Rotating Curling Iron Is Like Nothing You’ve Ever Seen Before


I like to think that I’m the Rodin of hair curling. After several years of practice, I’ve developed a routine that can transform my stubbornly straight, fine hair into sculpted, voluminous curls in an hour tops. I use a Conair curling wand that I’ve had since high school, on the highest heat setting possible, to manually wind one-inch sections of my hair around the barrel, apply hairspray, and brush out into large waves. New hot tools have come along since the mid-2000s that could presumably make luscious curls in even less time, and without the heat damage I’ve likely inflicted on myself—but of the methods I’ve tried, my curling wand routine is the only one that works.

You can imagine my hesitation, then, when Glamour’s beauty editors whipped out the new Chi Volcanic Lava Spin N Curl in a meeting and suggested I take it for a spin. If Chi’s “Volcanic” curls were what the box advertised—tiny, defined loops that brought “Our Song”-era Taylor Swift and my look for prom in 2012 to mind—I leaned towards passing. The tool’s design only made me question it further (and elicited a collective “WTF” from our edit team): it’s a large red device with no visible curling barrel in sight. “Tulip-shaped” is the polite way to describe the open-mouthed contraption with an internal iron. I was immediately reminded of the Demogorgon’s head on Stranger Things. (I.e., not something I’d want to feed my hair to, even if it meant Karlie Kloss-like waves were waiting on the other side.)

Before potentially endangering my own hair, I did some research with an Instagram deep-dive like any self-respecting millennial. I couldn’t ignore the surprisingly attractive results (prom curls they were not), or the semi-ASMR experience of watching the Spin N Curl work its magic on head after head. In brief clips from stylists who got their hands on the tool early, strands of hair are vacuumed into the tool’s curling chamber and wound around an internal rotating iron. Then they’re released as loose, spiraling waves in a matter of seconds. Women with hair types ranging from pin-straight to wavy who were part of these early previews seemed to reach general consensus: This iron looks crazy, but it actually works.

Even after watching others use it with success, I couldn’t come face-to-face with the Spin N Curl on my own without wondering: Wouldn’t this tornado-thingy tangle the hell out of my hair without a seasoned stylist to operate it for me? Despite being terrified at first, I’m happy to report the answer is no. Given my hair’s fine, straight makeup, it didn’t take much coaxing for strands to make it in and out of the tool. I sectioned my hair into 1-inch pieces (smaller sections is key) that the iron wound around its internal barrel with the press of a button.

With my curling wand, I needed the smell of a faint burn to tell me my curl had set, but the Spin N Curl emitted four short beeps to let me know it was ready. The barrel automatically released my hair, and I barely had to move it to unleash a neatly wound curl. One fair warning: The thing is pretty clunky. Using it feels like a bit of a bicep workout. You have to feed your hair into the iron with one hand while holding down the curl button with the other to get the barrel moving—and the iron is heavy*.

That said, the other features make up for its weight. As much as I’ve relied on a curling wand over the years, I’ve occasionally walked away from styling sessions with burns on my fingers and neck. Thankfully, the design of this iron takes heat injuries out of the equation. Remember that intimidating barrel? It’s actually constructed to protect your fingers from burning: Per Chi, its lava technology curls hair at the lowest possible temperature for your hair type inside the iron, while the outside stays cool. (One stylist maintains that he’ll press the outside of the iron to his face at beauty conventions to demonstrate how cool it stays during styling. I won’t be testing that theory out, but it seems legit.)

PHOTO: Halie LeSavage

The lasting results were what really sold me though. I purposefully tested the iron right before bed to see how the curls would match up against a night of sleep. The next morning, I woke up to see that my hair still had modern, thick waves. A few spritzes of hairspray, and I had volume for a full day after—a result not even my beloved curling wand could bring.

Chi Volcanic Lava Ceramic Pro Spin ‘N Curl, $130, ulta.com

Related Stories:
–The Best Curling Irons for People Who Can’t Curl Their Hair
–The 7 Biggest Curling Iron Mistakes You’re Making—And How to Avoid Them
–How to Actually Get the Perfect Messy Waves



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