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Axe built its brand on male stereotypes. Now they're trying to undo the damage.

The brand's 'Is it OK for guys...' ad contains an important core message.

Axe's latest ad is a major rebuke of everything they've built their brand on — and it's totally awesome.

The ad titled "Is it OK for guys..." encourages its audience to break free of macho stereotypes and rethink masculinity, a continuation of its 2016 "Find Your Magic" campaign.

GIF from Axe/YouTube.


It's a neat, much-needed departure from some of the old masculinity tropes the brand used to promote.

Tropes like the idea that if you cover yourself in body spray, you'll become irresistible to hordes of scantily-clad women.

"Spray more, get more." GIF from Axe/YouTube.

Or promoting the concept that the existence of women is a danger to mankind (or at least a danger to the type of manly-men-who-can't-focus-in-the-presence-of-an-attractive-woman-and-totally-wear-Axe).

"Black chill." GIF from Axe/YouTube.

There's an important message at the latest ad's core about what it means to be "a real man."

Much of the backlash to Axe's older ads stemmed from arguments over whether the campaigns demeaned women — but the attitudes in those ads actually hurt men in real ways.

First, let's address the obvious: Telling boys not to cry, glorifying and enforcing macho stereotypes on men is bad for their mental and physical health.

Compared to women, men are more likely to drink in excess, less likely to be diagnosed with depression (but more likely to die from suicide), and more likely to die at an earlier age.  

It's not outrageous to think the need to conform to stereotypes contributes to these tragic outcomes. These facts are disheartening and show we all need to do more to support men. That's what makes Axe's move so cool. They're setting a new standard for how we should treat men: as emotionally-layered people with all different — and valid — expressions of masculinity.

Whether or not the ad makes you want to go out and buy a can of Axe (if you do, please, please use it in moderation — I beg of you), it's definitely worth sharing its message.

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Making new friends as an adult is challenging. While people crave meaningful IRL connections, it can be hard to know where to find them. But thanks to one Facebook Group, meeting your new best friends is easier than ever.

Founded in 2018, NYC Brunch Squad brings together hundreds of people who come as strangers and leave as friends through its in-person events.

“Witnessing the transformative impact our community has on the lives of our members is truly remarkable. We provide the essential support and connections needed to thrive amid the city's chaos,” shares Liza Rubin, the group’s founder.

Despite its name, the group doesn’t just do brunch. They also have book clubs, seasonal parties, and picnics, among other activities.

NYC Brunch Squad curates up to 10 monthly events tailored to the specific interests of its members. Liza handles all the details, taking into account different budgets and event sizes – all people have to do is show up.

“We have members who met at our events and became friends and went on to embark on international journeys to celebrate birthdays together. We have had members get married with bridesmaids by their sides who were women they first connected with at our events. We’ve had members decide to live together and become roommates,” Liza says.

Members also bond over their passion for giving back to their community. The group has hosted many impact-driven events, including a “Picnic with Purpose” to create self-care packages for homeless shelters and recently participated in the #SquadSpreadsJoy challenge. Each day, the 100 members participating receive random acts of kindness to complete. They can also share their stories on the group page to earn extra points. The member with the most points at the end wins a free seat at the group's Friendsgiving event.

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3,700-year-old Babylonian stone tablet gets translated, changes history

They were doing trigonometry 1500 years before the Greeks.

via UNSW

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Mom has something to say... strongly say.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as Mormons, are a conservative group who aren't known for being vocal about sex.

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Dad takes 7-week paternity leave after his second child is born and is stunned by the results

"These past seven weeks really opened up my eyes on how the household has actually ran, and 110% of that is because of my wife."

@ustheremingtons/TikTok

There's a lot to be gleaned from this.

Participating in paternity leave offers fathers so much more than an opportunity to bond with their new kids. It also allows them to help around the house and take on domestic responsibilities that many new mothers have to face alone…while also tending to a newborn.

All in all, it enables couples to handle the daunting new chapter as a team, making it less stressful on both parties. Or at least equally stressful on both parties. Democracy!

TikTok creator and dad Caleb Remington, from the popular account @ustheremingtons, confesses that for baby number one, he wasn’t able to take a “single day of paternity leave.”

This time around, for baby number two, Remington had the privilege of taking seven weeks off (to be clear—his employer offered four weeks, and he used an additional three weeks of PTO).

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All images via the CBS/YouTube

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Images via Alan Taylor/Flickr, used with permission.

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Library of Congress

When we think about the era of American slavery, many of us tend to think of it as the far distant past. While slavery doesn't exist as a formal institution today, there are people living who knew formerly enslaved black Americans first-hand. In the wide arc of history, the legal enslavement of people on U.S. soil is a recent occurrence—so recent, in fact, that we have voice recordings of interviews with people who lived it.

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