+
upworthy
Family

These sisters developed a sunscreen specifically for black people. It's about time.

Dust off your rompers, cue up "Steal My Sunshine," and fill up on froyo because summer is on its way.

Go ahead and do your summer shimmy. I'll wait.

GIF via "BAPS."


With summer fun comes summer sun, and while it feels so, so good after a long winter, the rays can wreak havoc on your skin.

That's why everyone needs sun protection. White people. Black people. Brown people. Seriously, everyone needs sun protection.

Because black and brown people can get sunburns too.

GIF via "Modern Family."

Let me say this one more time for people in the back: Black and brown people get sunburns too.

The melanin, or pigment, in our skin does provide a certain degree of protection, but it doesn't make us immune to sunburns, skin damage, or skin cancer. In fact, a study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology showed black patients are often diagnosed with later stage melanoma and have the lowest survival rates by ethnicity.

The first line of defense against the sun's harmful rays is typically sunscreen, but for those of us with more melanin, the white cream leaves an unsightly residue on our skin.

The culprit? Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, two common sunblock ingredients that help reflect sunlight. If you have a darker complexion, it's not a good look. Basically, we go to the beach looking like ashy ghosts in a flour factory.

This is my skin with and without sunscreen. And yeah, that's what it looks like rubbed in. Notice the difference? Photo via Erin Canty/Upworthy.

This, coupled with the fact that many people of color mistakenly assume they're not at risk for skin damage, may explain why 63% of black participants in one survey said they never used sunscreen.

That decision is killing us. Thankfully, one company came up with a fresh solution.

Chinelo Chidozie and Ndidi Obidoa developed a sunblock specifically for black women.

Go ahead and do your black girl magic shimmy. I'll wait.

GIF via Chloe and Halle.

Chidozie and Obidoa are the cofounders of Bolden, a skin-care brand built by and for brown women and girls to meet the needs of our unique skin and complexions. The women are skin-care and beauty enthusiasts with MBAs, so starting their own business in 2015 was a natural fit.

"We're here to solve the skin-care problems that black women face," Obidoa says.

Chidozie (left) and Obidoa, the founders of Bolden. Photo via Bolden, used with permission.

A common problem for many black women is hyperpigmentation, which can become exaggerated with sun damage. Bolden's solution? SPF 30 Brightening Moisturizer is a facial sunblock that guards against UV damage, keeps skin moisturized, and dries clear. (Yep, no more ashy ghosts at the beach.) Down the road, they hope to release a body sunblock too.

"I think there's a lot of education that needs to go on around the need for sunscreen," Chidozie says. "[Melanin] gives you a false sense of protection or safety that 'I don't need to wear sunscreen.' But you do."

So this summer: Have fun, rock your favorite swimsuit, eat your weight in watermelon, and use sun protection.

Keep your melanin poppin', now and forever. You'll be glad you did.

Cue the sun protection shimmy. GIF via "Oprah."


Time travel back to 1905.

Back in 1905, a book called "The Apples of New York" was published by the New York State Department of Agriculture. It featured hundreds of apple varieties of all shapes, colors, and sizes, including Thomas Jefferson's personal favorite, the Esopus Spitzenburg.






Keep ReadingShow less

Joey Grundl, Milwaukee pizza guy.

Joey Grundl, a pizza delivery driver for a Domino's Pizza in Waldo, Wisconsin, is being hailed as a hero for noticing a kidnapped woman's subtle cry for help.

The delivery man was sent to a woman's house to deliver a pie when her ex-boyfriend, Dean Hoffman, opened the door. Grundl looked over his shoulder and saw a middle-aged woman with a black eye standing behind Hoffman. She appeared to be mouthing the words: "Call the police."

Keep ReadingShow less
via PixaBay

Being an adult is tough.

Nothing can ever fully prepare you for being an adult. Once you leave childhood behind, the responsibilities, let-downs and setbacks come at you fast. It’s tiring and expensive, and there's no easy-to-follow roadmap for happiness and success.

A Reddit user named u/Frequent-Pilot5243 asked the online forum, “What’s an adult problem nobody prepared you for?” and there were a lot of profound answers that get to the heart of the disappointing side of being an adult.

One theme that ran through many responses is the feeling of being set adrift. When you’re a kid, the world is laid out as a series of accomplishments. You learn to walk, you figure out how to use the bathroom, you start school, you finish school, maybe you go to college, and so on.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pop Culture

Listen to this organ in Croatia that uses the sea to make hauntingly beautiful music

It's a 230-foot-long organ that turns the rhythm of the waves into actual music.


In 2005, a Croatian architect designed a 230-foot-long organ that turns the rhythm of the waves into actual music.

Nope, not nonsensical bellows or chaotic tones. Real, actual, music.

Keep ReadingShow less
Modern Families

A comic from The Oatmeal illustrates how we're missing the mark on happiness.

I do the things that are meaningful to me, even if they don't make me "happy."

By Matthew Inman/The Oatmeal. Used with permission.

How to Be Perfectly Happy


Matthew Inman is the Eisner Award-winning author of The Oatmeal. He's published six books, including New York Times Best-Sellers such as "How to Tell if Your Cat is Plotting to Kill You"and "The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances."He enjoys running marathons, writing comics, and eating cake.

You can read more of Matthew's comics here.

Keep ReadingShow less
Health

Sweeping UN study finds that 9 out of 10 people worldwide are biased against women

In other words, 9 out of 10 people worldwide—both men and women—are biased against women in vital areas that impact the world in major ways.

Photo by Joe Gardner on Unsplash

As the U.S. ramps into an all-too-familiar presidential election cycle where the only viable candidates left on the ballot are men, the UN announces a study that may—at least partially—explain why.

The Gender Social Norms Index released yesterday by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) offers a look at gender equality as measured by people's personal gender bias. The data, which was collected from 75 countries covering 81% of the world's population, found that 91% of men and 86% of women show at least one clear bias against women in the areas of politics, economics, education, and physical integrity.

In other words, 9 out of 10 people worldwide—both men and women—are biased against women in vital areas that impact the world in major ways. Splendid.

Keep ReadingShow less